Hello.
I’m currently working hospitality and looking for a career change. I’ve been thinking about becoming a FA for a while but never actually pursued it because I have kids.
Within the past two years, I’ve been receiving more and more great opportunities to become one but always decline or take them seriously because you know.. my kids.
A couple of days ago, I got another opportunity of such and I’m like okay, I want to risk it. I asked my spouse how would he feel if he became the primary caregiver for the kids while I’m gone? He said ask again while he’s sober. Okay.
I asked again yesterday and told him about the pros and cons of it and he’s still on the fence about it. Would you guys be upset? He has a job, but he pretty much chooses when he wants to work. If he doesn’t want to work, he don’t have to. The kids go to school from 7am-5pm. The only days he would really have to deal with them will be the days the school is closed for holidays or professional development days.
I also asked the grandmas if the family would they mind helping him out while I’m gone and they all agreed they would. I also told him that while I’m gone, he would not have to worry about any finances, which I don’t mind paying the rent, bills, and household things because I’ll be making enough to do so.
Would you guys feel resentment towards your spouse if he said no? Why or why not? I’m just trying to see if I’m being dramatic.
And for the record, if he asked me to do the same, I would in heartbeat. I’d have the chance to work or not. Go back to school. Start a small business, etc. I feel like there are more pros than cons with this.

Hello.
I’m currently working hospitality and looking for a career change. I’ve been thinking about becoming a FA for a while but never actually pursued it because I have kids.
Within the past two years, I’ve been receiving more and more great opportunities to become one but always decline or take them seriously because you know.. my kids.
A couple of days ago, I got another opportunity of such and I’m like okay, I want to risk it. I asked my spouse how would he feel if he became the primary caregiver for the kids while I’m gone? He said ask again while he’s sober. Okay.
I asked again yesterday and told him about the pros and cons of it and he’s still on the fence about it. Would you guys be upset? He has a job, but he pretty much chooses when he wants to work. If he doesn’t want to work, he don’t have to. The kids go to school from 7am-5pm. The only days he would really have to deal with them will be the days the school is closed for holidays or professional development days.
I also asked the grandmas if the family would they mind helping him out while I’m gone and they all agreed they would. I also told him that while I’m gone, he would not have to worry about any finances, which I don’t mind paying the rent, bills, and household things because I’ll be making enough to do so.
Would you guys feel resentment towards your spouse if he said no? Why or why not? I’m just trying to see if I’m being dramatic.
And for the record, if he asked me to do the same, I would in heartbeat. I’d have the chance to work or not. Go back to school. Start a small business, etc. I feel like there are more pros than cons with this.
I will also be posting this in the dads group just to get some advice from a male perspective.

Hello, Is there a lawyer in VA that doesn’t cost 5,000 up front for my husband to hire to gain custody of his 3 children? Back story: We are just at a loss, we have plenty of evidence that the mother is not keeping her children safe, they have missed many days of school and have been tardy for over 40 school days. The daughter cuts herself on her days over there. She has been sexually abused by the mothers bf. We went to court, but the mother told her that she didn’t have to go to school if she dropped the charges of course the 11 year old is going to say ok! We have a restraining order against the bf, from wa and again in Va when we moved. But they have to go and see their mother. She tells them to lie to us that the bf isn’t there. And for awhile he was not there but has shown back up again. She has two other children by him. He smokes pot, has delusions, he was just in court for hitting the mother with a three day old baby in her hands. We don’t have the money for a lawyer up front, but at this point we need them to be with us full time. It’s all a joke to her, she thinks it’s funny. She is gettigg by benefits from Virginia, but lives in w. Virginia, she gets her rent paid we have no idea how. She has a job but is on extended maternity leave. She has worked there for a year, her first job but has been either on Covid sick leave or maternity leave. The bf barely works because he can’t keep his temper in check. Where do we go? What do we do? Is there any way for us to get a lawyer that doesn’t cost up front? We have texts, we have cps evidence, we have journals time stamped and dated about the fights, the money, kids not going to school, being on time. She will even take her younger daughter out of school to babysit her step siblings for the mom to go to apts. just help. Please. Thank you.

i’m an almost 23 y/o mom of a 3 y/o whom i suffered terribly during my pregnancy. I wasn’t diagnosed with HG until after my pregnancy so i absolutely thought something was wrong with me. I just found out in April that i was expecting. About three weeks later, massive sickness. I’m 13 weeks now and i’ve been hospitalized 3 times. I recently lost my job, and my partner has been working over 40 hours a week to help cover me until i can find a new job. It’s so hard to chase my toddler, call jobs and follow up while feeling like absolute shit all day long. I take Zofran, and i also have Reglan which has been working well for me unlike Promethazine which makes me very drowsy and I don’t like that especially around my kid. Mornings and late late nights are hard. I’ve been throwing up since 7:30a it’s 11am now, one Reglan left i haven’t touched because it was prescribed from ER doctors , it’ll take at least a day to get my new script. It was memorial day yday so the offices were closed and everytime i call my OB office the lines are busy. Already had two zofran, I’m just miserable. Why can’t i have a happy nice pregnancy like other women. I feel like i would never want to do this again. I had an eating disorder in highschool i worked really hard to get out of my anorexia and i’m only 120lbs about 5’6 it’s not like i have anything to spare but i look healthy. Throwing up gives me instant chills and triggers me. i’m so unhappy i just want the baby instead of this terrible pregnancy i can’t even shower it’s been two days because i barely have enough energy but to throw up and cry Im always tired and cranky and it’s effecting my relationships and i am just really depressed

The hiring space for the mortgage industry is as bare as it gets. I’ve spoken directly with C Suite executives from various lenders in my area and it’s a virtual hiring freeze for anyone with an Underwriting background.
A bit about myself: I graduated from Brown University in 2016 where I obtained a degree in Business Economics. I got into the mortgage industry shortly out of college with mortgage lender’s recent college grad program. By the end of my first year with the company, I had been fast tracked into a Conventional Underwriting position and found myself working side by side with the sales teams in the Call Center with full credit authority. At my three year mark, I was sponsored for my DE, completing the required test cases without any defects in April of 2020. I also have experience with VA products and specialty loan products that include Non-QM, Non-prime, and Jumbo loans. My company started layoffs in the beginning of 2022 and my department was eventually dissolved in November. I was offered a severance, which I accepted.
I’ve applied to various finance, analyst, and credit roles trying to sell some of the transferable skills I have but haven’t had much luck. I chalked the first few months up to the holidays being a bad time to be applying for a job but since January I’ve gotten significantly more automated rejections or ghostings after (seemingly) successful interviews than my ego can handle.
Does anyone have any advice on where to go from here?

The hiring space for the mortgage industry is as bare as it gets. I’ve spoken directly with C Suite executives from various lenders in my area and it’s a virtual hiring freeze for anyone with an Underwriting background.
A bit about myself: I graduated from Brown University in 2016 where I obtained a degree in Business Economics. I got into the mortgage industry shortly out of college with mortgage lender’s recent college grad program. By the end of my first year with the company, I had been fast tracked into a Conventional Underwriting position and found myself working side by side with the sales teams in the Call Center with full credit authority. At my three year mark, I was sponsored for my DE, completing the required test cases without any defects in April of 2020. I also have experience with VA products and specialty loan products that include Non-QM, Non-prime, and Jumbo loans. My company started layoffs in the beginning of 2022 and my department was eventually dissolved in November. I was offered a severance, which I accepted.
I’ve applied to various finance, analyst, and credit roles trying to sell some of the transferable skills I have but haven’t had much luck. I chalked the first few months up to the holidays being a bad time to be applying for a job but since January I’ve gotten significantly more automated rejections or ghostings after (seemingly) successful interviews than my ego can handle.
Does anyone have any advice on where to go from here?

For starters I began having severe panic attacks around 13/14 years old. Mostly thought I was dying, medical thoughts etc.. it was awful. My father and grandfather both went through the same thing (probably worse than me tbh). They both take Effexor XR and Klonopin.
Began seeing a psychiatrist, went through years of therapy and ultimately took Zoloft daily and Klonopin (as needed) for years. Stopped shortly after high school at the approval of my therapist, we decided I learned how to deal with my issues well enough and hadn’t had an attack in years. It’s always been there, but I control it and can bring myself back down 9/10 times.
Lately my anxiety (mainly health concerns just random thoughts) have been running wild. I have had some rather odd health issues for someone in my physical shape and eating habits to have. Mostly from injury though. It’s been much harder to deal with, and when it hits me it takes its toll. I’m usually just exhausted for a few days after a spell.
I’m 28 now so it’s been a long time. I remember coming off of Zoloft and thinking I was having like seizures because of the withdraws, it was an awfully weird brain feeling but did go away a few weeks after.
A few of my family members take lexapro and have nothing but good things to say about it. They seem to have encountered anxiety much later in life than me, I am just wondering if it would help with my constant thoughts of stupid medical stuff. Normally I’ll just go run, or work until I’m so tired I go to sleep. I sleep fine tbh, but as soon as I wake up my anxiety is insanely high. If I’m outside and busy that helps a ton. They seem to think I need to be on it. My wife takes Zoloft and has done well.
I do have triggers, almost anything medical related sends me into a frenzy of fighting it for a few days until I can calm down. I can’t even drive by a hospital without feeling sick lol. I’m happy for the most part. I have a great wife, love my home and my job isn’t super stressful like it used to be. I lost my grandmother and grandfather in 2018/2019 and they were my parents. So it’s been hard ever since then, not being able to ask them for advice on how to deal with things. I’ve been on my own which is fine I’m an adult I should be.
I’d love to hear experiences.

I stumbled onto this sub out of desperation so I apologize if this is one of those questions asked every day. I’m at work just trying to not hide under my desk in the ultimate avoidant George Costanza move.
I (50 f) have an extremely complicated relationship with my mother (79) who lives about a 5 hour drive away. Suffice it to say she hasn’t really functioned as my mom since I was 12 or so and to maintain my own sanity I’ve had to distance myself from her at times over the years. Unbeknownst to me she signed paperwork in 2017 designating a POA and me as backup should he (random attorney) no longer want the job. She’s always lived independently and done ok but had some drama 2 years ago at which point I learned I was now POA (other guy decided he didn’t want to do it anymore I guess). I tried to step up and make some arrangements to help - get case management set up, tried to communicate with her providers, etc. She has the beginnings of dementia but not so much that she doesn’t get prickly at the idea of her daughter stepping in. So she sabotaged things, changed appointments, changed providers and her little friend group where she lives cheered her on. (I’m the uncaring daughter in their narrative). I got frustrated and backed out and let things go and hoped for the best.
Well she’s in the hospital as of last night and I talked to one of her crew this morning who let me know, along with letting me know what a crap daughter I am.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be POA. I can’t move her in with me (I refuse to, mentally can’t do it). I can’t afford to move her to an ALF even if she wanted to go (she doesn’t qualify for Medicare). I can’t help from afar or in person because she resents my efforts and will lie or sabotage things. Her buddies believe I’m the devil and won’t help me help her. Does anyone have any suggestions? (Besides stay under my desk and continue to avoid)
I really appreciate it. I have zero support or help from anyone in real life.

Kim Gordon
rock indie punk
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A musician, visual artist, and writer who questions consumerism and women's place in society with a keen eye and poetic detail, Kim Gordon first came to prominence as the bassist/vocalist for Sonic Youth. During her time with that band, her smoky, half-spoken, half-sung vocals and feminist viewpoint added depth to their experimental rock and made her a major figure on the American indie rock scene from the '80s onward. A small handful of her standout moments include "Shadow of a Doubt" from 1986's EVOL; the Karen Carpenter homage "Tunic" and Chuck D collaboration "Kool Thing" from 1990's Goo; and the Kim Deal duet "Little Trouble Girl" from 1995's Washing Machine. In addition, she made a name for herself as an inventive collaborator with Pussy Galore's Julia Cafritz as Free Kitten and in projects with artists such as Ikue Mori and Yoko Ono that strengthened her ties to the avant-garde. Her work as a fashion designer and producer also hinted at the breadth of her talent; after Sonic Youth disbanded in 2011, she branched out even further. Gordon pursued the career as a visual artist that she put on hold while changing the sound of underground rock, and became a best-selling author with her 2015 memoir Girl in a Band. With guitarist Bill Nace, she dove into the most free-form side of her music as Body/Head on exploratory albums including 2018's The Switch. Four decades after she began making music, her 2019 solo debut, No Home Record, proved her juxtapositions of subversive commentary with experimental and pop sounds were as trenchant as ever.
Born in Rochester, New York, on April 28, 1953, Kim Gordon moved to Los Angeles at age five, when her sociology professor father took a job at UCLA. While growing up, she attended University Elementary School and University High School, both of which were progressive institutions associated with UCLA. After completing high school, Gordon studied at Santa Monica College for a couple of years before she transferred to Toronto's York University. In 1974, while in Toronto, Gordon formed a short-lived band with fellow art students, but the group broke up after a single show at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. However, being so far away from home -- and the California sunshine -- wore on her, so she returned and enrolled in L.A.'s Otis Art Institute, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1977.
To follow her dream of becoming a visual artist, Gordon moved to New York City in 1980. Along with making herself a fixture of the city's art scene -- she wrote articles for Artforum and worked for the art dealer Larry Gagosian -- she also immersed herself in New York's no wave music scene. Emboldened by no wave's eagerness to crush accepted musical boundaries -- and having just come into possession of a well-worn guitar -- Gordon partnered with Christine Hahn and Stanton Miranda to form the band CKM. It was through Miranda that she met fellow aspiring noise musician Thurston Moore; the pair began dating (and eventually married in 1984). They soon made their partnership creative as well as romantic: with guitarist Lee Ranaldo, Gordon and Moore formed Sonic Youth in 1981. When drummer Steve Shelley joined in 1986, the lineup of one of alternative rock's most influential bands was complete.
Sonic Youth became an underground institution, releasing 22 studio albums between 1982 and 2009. Gordon's bass playing, aloof-yet-fierce vocals, and songwriting -- which dealt with feminism in both practical and abstract terms -- were as fundamental to the band's music as their inventive use of alternate tunings, dissonance, and feedback and subversive use of pop melodies and hooks. As Sonic Youth's popularity crested in the late '80s and '90s thanks to acclaimed albums like 1988's Daydream Nation, 1990's Goo, and 1992's Dirty, Gordon branched out into other projects. She published magazine pieces that included a tour diary entitled "Boys Are Smelly" that ran in The Village Voice in 1988, and an interview with LL Cool J that ran in Spin in 1989. Among her other musical endeavors were Harry Crews, a collaboration with Lydia Lunch that produced 1989's Naked in Garden Hills. Free Kitten, a group she formed with Julia Cafritz of Pussy Galore, was an ongoing project that started in 1992 and issued several albums, among them 1995's Nice Ass, 1997's Sentimental Education, and 2008's Inherit. In 1991, Gordon helped produce the first album by Hole, Pretty on the Inside. She also expanded into clothing design, launching the fashion line X-Girl with stylist Daisy von Furth in 1993.
Later in the '90s and into the 2000s, when Sonic Youth's music returned to its experimental roots on albums such as Washing Machine and Murray St., the scope of Gordon's side projects continued to broaden. She exhibited her art more frequently, with pieces including Kim's Bedroom, which was presented at MU in the Netherlands in 2000, and Reverse Karaoke, an installation she created with artist Jutta Koether for the 2005 London exhibition Her Noise. She tried her hand at acting, appearing in productions like Gus Van Sant's 2005 film Last Days and Todd Haynes' 2007 Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There. She also launched MirroDash, a limited-edition fashion line, in 2008.
In the 2010s, Gordon experienced personal as well as artistic transformation. Late in 2011, she and Moore announced their impending divorce, and Sonic Youth's São Paulo date that November was the band's final concert. One of the former couple's last projects, the Yoko Ono collaboration YOKOKIMTHURSTON, appeared in early 2012. During this time, Gordon was successfully treated for DCIS breast cancer. She continued to perform, touring with Ikue Mori and founding the duo Body/Head with guitarist Bill Nace. The project's first album, Coming Apart, arrived in 2013; that year, she also had multiple exhibitions of her artwork in the United States and the United Kingdom. Gordon's acting career flourished, as she appeared in projects ranging from the cable television shows Girls and Portlandia to the German horror film The Nightmare. In February 2015, she published her memoir Girl in a Band, which became a New York Times best-seller. She closed the year by moving from Massachusetts back to Los Angeles.
In 2016, the self-titled debut album from Glitterbust, her duo with Tomorrows Tulips' Alex Knost, appeared, along with the Body/Head live album No Waves. That year also saw the release of "Murdered Out," her looping, gritty debut single as a solo artist. Following Body/Head's 2018 album The Switch, roles on the HBO TV series Animals and in the Van Sant film Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot, and exhibitions at Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum and Dublin's Irish Museum of Modern Art, in October 2019 Gordon released her debut album, No Home Record. Taking its name from director Chantal Akerman's film No Home Movie, Gordon recorded the album with producers Justin Raisen and Shawn Everett as well as composer Jake Meginsky.
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I’ve had a hard life. The most important things to me are family and love. I was approaching my mid-30s single and thinking I’ll never have any children and never find someone to spend my life with. But then I met an amazing person and felt what it was to be happy for the first time in my life. He asked me to marry him. I couldn’t believe this was finally happening, it was too good to be true! Then I got pregnant and my dream was complete! Wow, so this is what other people feel like. This is what it feels like to finally get everything you wanted!
And then about 8 months pregnant he ghosted me. After more than a year being together and completely happy and in love, or so I thought, he ghosted his pregnant fiancé, just out of the blue. I had my baby alone in the hospital. I texted him but he had too many things he wanted to get done at work to come see me during the 3 days I was there. The nurses pitied me and didn’t know how to respond to the fact that I was alone the entire time I was there. It was completely humiliating.
He told me later that there was one thing I had said many months before that had hurt his feelings and he stopped trusting me then and our whole relationship after that point was just him acting until he couldn’t do it anymore and that’s when he ghosted me. I was…. Absolutely destroyed. Why didn’t he just tell me about it when it happened so I could apologize, make it right? I didn’t even remember the situation. That’s how unaware I was that something monumental had happened.
Now I have an 8-month-old and I had quit my job to move in with my fiancé but after he abandoned us, I moved nearer to my parents, got a work-from-home job and I full-time care for my baby alone and I’m also in school because I have no way to provide a good life for my son by myself. I didn’t know I was about to be abandoned so I didn’t have a way to take care of us. Now I’m doing it all.
Every day I wake up missing him, missing how it felt to actually be safe and loved and happy and have everything I ever wanted and craved. I thought he loved me, but he could care less if I or our son die. He ignores us. He’s silenced and erased me. I have no explanation for what happened. Was it my fault? Did I do something to deserve this? What is wrong with me? Why can’t I find anyone who will love me?
Yeah it’s all awfully pathetic and disgusting. I feel daily an insurmountable amount of pain and humiliation and unsafeness. I don’t want to eat, I don’t want to shower or take care of myself, I don’t want to talk to anyone. I isolate myself and treat my body poorly to punish myself to act out the anger against myself that’s boiling up. I wish I could just disappear. I wish I could just die. The thought of going another 50 years maybe like this is unthinkable. My son is everything and I love him and he needs me, but in some ways I feel trapped because if it wasn’t for him I could end it all. I think I really would. But I couldn’t do that to him. But I am incapable of being a healthy, stable parent.
I’m inadequate. I can’t get rid of the feeling that something awful is wrong with me that he felt he could treat me that way and it would be fine. I have no one to talk to, not a single soul who cares about if I’m okay. Well except my baby, but he’s just a baby, and that’s unfair to put that on him. I take care of HIM, not the other way around. I’m living with constant daily emotional pain and shame so strong that it’s bleeding over into physical pain. I don’t know how I can go another day.
I’ve reached out to him because once upon a time he told me he would never stop loving me, and I said I’m struggling and I’m feeling so much pain I want to die, not trying to get back with him because I know he doesn’t want it but just hoping for a kind supportive word like there’s nothing wrong with you and I’m sorry you’re feeling that way, but he says nothing. It’s almost like he wants me to just go ahead and do it. It feels like it would probably be a relief to him if I killed myself. But he has never done one thing for his son since birth and I know he doesn’t care if his son lives or dies so again, I can’t. I can’t go anywhere. I’m all our baby has.
I really don’t know what to do anymore. I just cry and cry and I try to tell myself all the right things and I know this guy isn’t worth my life but I can’t get rid of the pain and shame that’s there every day that can’t be reasoned away. Every day I wish I could just somehow rewind and go back to that happiness I found for the first time, go back to feeling like there was one person out there who cared about me. I trusted him with my whole heart, I thought I knew him, I was sure he loved me, the most sure of anything I’ve ever been in my life. I can’t stop trying to figure out what what wrong. And then I hate myself for wanting those things and being so pathetic and weak and disgusting. I know I have to move on but I can’t, it’s like my brain and heart are stuck there, stuck suffering, stuck hating myself.
Trust me I know this is incredibly humiliating and pathetic. It’s my constant internal state, and I hate myself for it. I feel so trapped and incapable and as dramatic as it sounds just doomed to misery and doomed to be completely alone and isolated forever.
Thank you to anyone who bothered to read this and extra points if you don’t come away from it disgusted at how pathetic and desperate to be loved I am.

so i was working at walmart for 1 year and almost 2 months, around march of this year i was terminated for opening a redbull in the store and before the store/registers opened.
so i got into a car accident in december 2022 and it was on the way to work, i slid on black ice in my jeep and my jeep hit a guardrail and flipped 3x. i was out for 2-3 weeks but never taken off the schedule and sedgwick never approved my claim because they kept messing up the date so my coach took them off with proof of the police report.
January 2023, i got covid from work and didn’t know until i went in and couldn’t lift anything and felt weak constantly and i clocked out and told my team leads. that leave was approved ASAP
February 2023, i got the stomach virus and was hospitalized because of how low my levels were and how weak i was.
March 2023 comes by and at the beginning of the 20th i started feeling weak and out of it, i went into work still and could barely drive to work and at 5:15 i opened an energy drink because i thought i was just tired or my blood sugar was low but i was going to pay for it but by 5:55 the ambulance was called and my team leads were with me and gave me water and a snack from the shelves. 6:05 i was taken by the ambulance in front of walmart and no one by the front registers (self checkout and cashier registers) so i couldn’t pay for it also. i vividly still remember it was sitting in the back room and i ran to my sister to call the ambulance because i was scared i was going to pass out or something bad during work.
That week i came back and 1 hour before i had to leave for the end of shift i was pulled into the office, i was told that i’m not a bad person blah blah and that people who steal aren’t horrible. they said that i’m a good worker and such then said that i’m being terminated and that they have cameras of what i’ve done but i’ve never stole, i barely even shop at walmart because i just wanna leave by the time i clock in, all i do is buy redbulls so i can function at work. (also why i feel weak,tired and sad was is because of stress and the car accident and when i was taken to the hospital that day they told me that)
they put me as non rehirable and gross misconduct on my termination paper for a 8oz redbull that i was going to pay for, it was so hard to even get a job and the look on people’s faces when i tell them what happened made me feel shitty.
i still have bad dreams about how it happened/ how that store was ran and how i could’ve done things differently because i felt like they were always out to get me especially my girl team leads and some coworkers . i feel like their has to be a way for me to be rehired or something because i still feel like i was taken advantage of and my financial support was taken away from me, i can’t pay my car insurance now and my bills (i was also denied unemployment). suck situation that i’ve never been in for my 10 years+ of working

Throwaway account.
So, I broke rule number one of hiring a local contractor, in the Norfolk, VA area. I paid more money up front than I should have, roughly 2k. I realize how dumb I am, but that’s what I get for putting any faith in humanity.
Anyways, they came to do a landscaping job, gave me a reasonable quote and said they only required a small down payment to begin. I got a signed quote on paper with the itemized list of things to be done. They began work and knocked off a couple things from the list. Then they left for some more materials and to rent equipment. They asked me to pay the couple hundred-dollar deposit for the equipment, saying the one they had couldn’t fit in my yard. I was skeptical and asked a couple questions and got some pretty dumb answers, but I just assumed they were trying to get their local business up and running and needed a little help so I gave it to them. First big mistake. Because then the person continued to make excuses for other things and tacking on additional money. This whole time he was polite and professional, even calling me to give updates and all that. But it was starting to become more and more bullshit.
So I did what I should have done before even contacting the person to begin with, I looked them up. I had the person’s phone number saved as a contact in my phone, so some social media apps automatically ask you to add them. I’d noticed this person pop up once so I decided to check. The name on the account was different then the name he’s provided me and on his flyers/email. So I was like huh that’s strange, so I looked up the name and sure enough it was him.
Then I looked up their company name. They made it very similar to another bigger company in the area, which had many reviews on google, just to trick people. But I eventually found their reviews on local review sites, and then some scam tracking sites. That’s when I saw multiple people say they’ve done this exact same thing multiple times in the same area in the recent past. For very similar amounts of money. Now what little sympathy I had remaining is all out the door. I called and filed a police report, but the officer said at this point it’s not a criminal offense so they couldn’t do anything. Basically, because they started the work, now they’re just technically "working slow". But then he gave some examples of what I could do next based off some people he knew went through a similar situation. Including small claims court.
The information I know:
- Person used a fake name. Found them on social media
- Business is actually not a licensed business
- Lied about being BBB licensed and insured. Looked it up on their site.
- Found multiple people in same situation online
So my questions are:
- If I take this person to small claims court and win, I’ve seen sometimes that the defendant can literally just say they’re not going to pay up even right in front of the judge. So what’s the point?
- Am I allowed to reach out to the other people who got scammed, and see if they are interested in doing a combined lawsuit? And do the total damages accrue, causing the case to actually go to the district court if they are high enough? I saw somewhere small claims is only up to $5,000 in Virginia but correct me if I’m wrong please.
At the end of the day I’d much rather the person just finish the work, or pay me back. But if not, I would like to know what options I have. Thanks in advance!

30 May 2023

AI News - 30 May

OECD mulls revising AI guidelines amid rise of ChatGPT, other bots
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is considering revising its AI guidelines due to the increasing prevalence of generative AI. The updated guidance is expected to align with the policy discussions in generative AI within the G7 countries.
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'Game-changer': Aussie HR unicorn takes on Seek with latest AI play
Australian HR start-up Employment Hero has launched an AI hiring tool called Swag, aiming to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a competitive edge in the war for talent. Swag leverages AI to streamline the recruitment process by generating job descriptions, predicting hiring needs, matching candidates with suitable roles, and posting jobs to job boards. In addition, Swag offers corporate-level benefits to employees, such as earned-wage access and cashback offers. With an estimated global AI in HR market value of $10.7 billion by 2028, Employment Hero sees AI as a game-changer for SMEs in the HR industry.
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Nvidia is not the only firm cashing in on the AI gold rush
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The AI gold rush is driving demand for AI infrastructure, including chips, servers, and networking equipment. Chipmakers like Nvidia and AMD benefit from increased sales of specialized chips, while data center providers like Equinix profit from the need for data storage and computing space. Server manufacturers and software providers also see growth, ensuring the sellers of “picks and shovels” will continue to profit from the gold rush.
‘Adversarial AI’ a threat to military systems
Shift5 CEO Josh Lospinoso warns of the threats posed by “adversarial AI” to military systems. Lospinoso explains that data poisoning, where adversaries manipulate the data that AI-enabled technologies rely on, can have effects on their operation. He stresses the need to secure existing weapons systems before integrating AI capabilities and expresses skepticism about AI algorithms making decisions in lethal weapon systems.
MediaTek taps Nvidia GPU and AI for connected car chipsets
Nvidia and MediaTek have announced a partnership to provide hardware and software solutions for AI-driven experiences in next-generation connected cars. MediaTek will develop automotive-focused system-on-chips (SoCs) integrated with Nvidia’s GPU chiplet and software stack, enabling new connected infotainment and safety functions. The first products from this partnership are expected to be available in late 2025.
AmEx is experimenting cautiously with generative AI for fintech
AmEx Digital Labs, the company’s innovation arm, plans to experiment with generative AI for transaction approval, predictive analytics, customer sentiment analysis, and interactions. While AmEx is open to integrating existing generative AI offerings, it is unlikely to develop its own large language models (LLMs) from scratch.
ChatGPT takes center stage as students ditch tutors in favor of AI-powered learning
A recent survey by Intelligent.com, a higher-education planning platform reveals that an increasing number of students and parents prefer AI-powered learning tools like ChatGPT over tutors. Notably, AI-powered platforms are viewed as less intimidating and more accessible.
Orion Unveils AI-powered Speech-to-Speech Translation for the Frontline Workforce
Orion Labs introduces AI-powered Speech-to-Speech Translations (S2ST) for frontline workers. The bi-directional translation feature, available through their Push-To-Talk (PTT) 2.0 Platform, enables real-time communication across multiple languages. Orion’s Frontline AI, powered by Automated Speech Recognition (ASR), delivers instant speech and text translation, promoting collaboration and productivity. The S2ST supports up to 60 language preferences, facilitating effective communication in industries like transportation, logistics, hospitality, retail, and healthcare.
'Everyone is a programmer' with generative A.I., says Nvidia chief
Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang envisions a “new computing era” driven by generative AI. Huang believes that anyone can be a programmer by speaking to a computer, as generative AI understands various inputs. During his keynote speech, Huang introduced the DGX GH200, an AI supercomputer platform for building generative AI models. Generative AI’s LLM capabilities lower the programming barrier, making it a transformative computing platform.
At Computex, Intel Demos ‘Meteor Lake’ Processor: AI Takes Center Stage
Intel showcased its upcoming “Meteor Lake” processor at Computex 2023. The processor will feature a new silicon component called a VPU (neural accelerator), which will focus on power efficiency and AI-related tasks. The VPU will enable local inference on PCs, allowing for low latency, better privacy, and distributed scaling. The company plans to release Meteor Lake by the end of 2023 and expects it to have a significant impact on the PC interface and user experience.
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Cool AI Tools

​​InfraNodus
InfraNodus is an AI-powered text network visualization tool that uses clever algorithms and visualization techniques to show you how different ideas in a text are connected and which parts are the most important. It’s like a map that reveals patterns and gaps in the text, helping you see the big picture. You can use it for summarizing texts, analyzing them deeply, writing creatively, and even improving your website’s visibility on search engines.
​​Cody
Cody is an AI virtual employee that can assist businesses with a range of tasks, from answering questions and completing assignments to onboarding new hires, providing support, troubleshooting, and bringing new ideas and insights. It searches all of a company’s accumulated data, including articles, PDFs, and PowerPoints, to provide answers in seconds. It can also be trained on specific business processes.
​​Knit
Knit is a collaborative platform that brings team members together to create, store, edit, and execute prompts as a unified force. Knit enables seamless project management, offering features like prompt organization and version control. It prioritizes data security, providing encryption for sensitive information. Knit supports popular tools like OpenAI, Claude, and Midjourney with additional features on the horizon. The platform is entirely free, and user data remains private.
Waitlyst
Waitlyst is a smart AI tool designed to help software companies grow on autopilot. It uses AI to guide users throughout their entire customer journey, increasing revenue, and fostering retention. With automated onboarding, activation, and retention processes, Waitlyst effectively converts signups into paying customers by sending personalized, high-converting emails. With zero-setup reports, it provides comprehensive product insights effortlessly, enabling data-driven decision-making.
Autodraft
Autodraft is an AI tool that transforms the way visual stories are created. With a wide range of style models, AI tools, and generative image AI capabilities, Autodraft empowers users to craft captivating visuals effortlessly. It features AI Paint, Image to Image Optimization, and Text to Image Generation features, enabling customization of images and the generation of visuals from text prompts.
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AI Research

Break-A-Scene: Extracting Multiple Concepts from a Single Image
Break-A-Scene is an advanced AI tool that extracts multiple concepts from a single image, allowing users to generate customized visuals. By assigning text tokens to each concept, users gain fine-grained control over generated scenes. The tool optimizes textual embeddings and model weights, striking a balance between concepts, and users gain fine-grained control over generated scenes. The tool optimizes textual embeddings and model weights, striking a balance between concept accuracy and avoiding overfitting.
Reconstructing the Mind’s Eye: fMRI-to-Image with Contrastive Learning and Diffusion Priors
Researchers present MindEye, a novel approach that uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to retrieve and reconstruct viewed images from brain activity. By using brain scans, MindEye can recreate the images a person saw by analyzing their brain patterns, achieving impressive results compared to existing methods. This technology could have applications in understanding the brain and potentially even enabling mind-reading capabilities in the future. The code is available on GitHub.
TaleCrafter: Interactive Story Visualization with Multiple Characters
The paper presents TaleCrafter, an interactive story visualization system that addresses the challenges of generating accurate and flexible visual representations of narratives. The system consists of four components: story-to-prompt generation, text-to-layout generation, controllable text-to-image generation, and image-to-video animation. TaleCrafter allows users to create visually appealing and coherent story visualizations with multiple characters and customizable layouts.
DNA-GPT: Divergent N-Gram Analysis for Training-Free Detection of GPT-Generated Text
The paper introduces a method called DNA-GPT for detecting text created by advanced language models. Unlike traditional training-based approaches, DNA-GPT analyzes word patterns and probabilities to identify discrepancies between original and generated text. It surpasses existing methods, including OpenAI’s own system. One interesting aspect is its ability to provide explanations for its detection results, offering evidence and reasoning behind its classifications. This feature is valuable for understanding the system’s decision-making process, particularly in education. DNA-GPT shows promise in enhancing trust and addressing challenges posed by advanced language models.
RAPHAEL: Text-to-Image Generation via Large Mixture of Diffusion Paths
RAPHAEL is a text-to-image generation model that utilizes a large mixture of diffusion paths to create highly artistic images based on text prompts. It introduces a novel approach by stacking multiple mixture-of-experts (MoE) layers, including space-MoE and time-MOE layers, allowing for billions of diffusion paths from the input to the output. Each path acts as a “painter” responsible for depicting a specific textual concept onto an image region at a particular timestep. This enables RAPHAEL to generate images that accurately reflect the given text prompts, outperforming existing models in terms of image quality and aesthetic appeal.
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I have an AI newsletter, AI Breakfast - check it out if you're interested.

I have been working for a fairly popular international hospitality/entertainment chain in England since late last year. First off I got the job on the understanding it would be a full time role. It wasn’t until after my interview and at the start of my induction when I went to sign that I realised it’s actually a zero hour contract and when I pointed this out the management insisted I would still get full time hours. As a new 23 yr old graduate desperate to get out of late night bar work, I thought anything has to be better than this so I took the job.
The problem comes with how the shifts work week by week. The rota also features ‘standby’ shifts. I was never informed of these until after I signed my contract and had my induction. On average I get 2-3 standby shifts a week as well as regular rota’d shifts. These are either day or night standbys, if you start at 10am - you find out the night before at 9pm if you’re needed, if your start at 5pm you find out by 1pm that day. Even then sometimes they won’t call my standby but ask me to ‘please keep an eye on my phone unless it maybe becomes busy and we need you last min’.
Unfortunately due to the nature of the job and how easily it can become unmanageably busy, we often get desperate messages saying they need someone in asap. There are times when I will be on site on my own (you need at least 4-5 staff members to operate at capacity) and suddenly due to online bookings (which are totally out of our control and can be on as short notice as 15 mins) I will be frantically having to call my manager to get cover. It’s not unusual to be asked to come in and then be asked to leave after a couple hours ‘because they’re over on staffing budgets’.
Almost everyday is carnage and my managers are perpetually burnt out and having to take breaks and get shifts covered and they then get chastised by higher ups, all of whom frankly have no idea what it’s like on site.
More recently I have been getting more and more shifts where I simply won’t get a break and I’m expected to be fine with this just because ‘it’s busy’ and that ‘they’re not allowed to spend any more on staffing.’ Ive just got done from a bank holiday weekend with two almost eight hour shifts, both of which I didn’t get a break on.
We get pandered to about well-being and we’re told they care about us as employees but it certainly isn’t reflected in the way they operate. Almost four months ago we were told we were getting private healthcare entitlement but despite our managers enquiring, we’ve had absolutely nothing back from higher ups about how to access this. As well as this our working conditions come with no windows and no air conditioning, it’s starting to become unbearably warm with all the equipment and computers on top of the rising summer temperature outside.
I’ve tried to google about whether they’re within their rights, but honestly I just wondered if anyone has any advice about how I could go about trying to improve things? Do I approach higher ups? Is it futile and do I just focus my energy on getting a new job?

I want to discuss the underrepresented ugliness of certain facets of this disorder and the havoc it can wreak. This is my journey. Please add your own stories in the comments if you feel inclined to. I would love to hear.
I was diagnosed with DID a couple months ago as an adult and have been unaware my entire life. I was a respected manager of anywhere from 10-35 employees at once, working 50-60 hours a week, who declined and deteriorated at such a rapid pace that my employees and bosses saw it before I did.
I never understood the ominous comments from others, the accusations. “You’re a liar”, “I never know who you’re going to be when you walk through that door”, “You’re a completely different person”, “You seem normal today, more like yourself”, “You’re acting weird”. All of these would be met with confusion and I’d become defensive. I’m not a liar and I promise I’m telling the truth to the best of my ability. What do you mean I seem different? I’m just being myself. I’m acting weird? No I’m not. Now you’re just making me mad. I seem more like myself today? When have I not been myself? Why do people say these things? Do people just have it out for me?
I found a pack of menthol cigarettes under my car seat with four left in the pack. I don’t smoke. I’m allergic to cigarette smoke.
I became an alcoholic. Three beers a week turned into fifteen a day. I became addicted to slowing my brain down. I told my therapist in our first session, “I drink to stop the voices. They never stop. I scream at them before I go to bed, saying, ‘Please just shut the fuck up!’”
I thought it was normal to have years of my life blacked out, even decades worth thrown down the drain. I have no recollection of any romantic relationship I’ve engaged in. It hurt when my best friend, also my ex, told me recently everything she remembered between us and I could say nothing. All I know is I loved her dearly… and the others too.
It seemed normal to not remember last week, or yesterday, or today, or an hour ago. It seemed normal to makeshift conversation to appear normal, to appear like I have depth, to appear present in this day in age. My everyday became: “I’m just tired”, “Sorry, I have really bad memory issues, I don’t know why”, “I’m just out of it today”, and “I wasn’t paying attention”. Others were convinced I was what some would call air-headed or not the brightest and I let them think that. I couldn’t explain why I was that way so what else could I do or say?
I didn’t understand when I was questioned for a violent felony I didn’t recall committing. All I could do was call my lawyer. Or why I blacked out and totaled my old Pontiac while driving. Or why I would throw out all my clothes every 4-6 months because I hated them all. Why I was never happy with anything ever, why nothing I owned seemed to suite me, why any and every decision I would make was a hellish process… why I started to medically transition to become a man when I am not one and do not identify as one.
I didn’t understand the intrusions I get. The images I see flash before my eyes, the slivers of haunting memories like fragments of a puzzle blinding me physically and emotionally, stabbing my consciousness over and over. I couldn’t understand these movies and scripts playing endlessly in my mind.
I had such a severe dissociative episode this past month that I was out of work for three days prior to admitting myself to a psychiatric hospital because I could not bring myself to one. I would drive for hours in a trance, acting foolish on the road, spending over a hundred dollars on gas and disappearing to who knows where. I would pull in the ER parking lot then leave less then five minutes later. I bought coloring books and crayons with no recollection. I would sit in the dark and stare at nothing. All I heard was arguing, screaming, and wailing in my head, all while nothing felt real, including myself. I felt so disconnected from my body that I felt I could do anything. Hurt it with no consequences, kill it even. When I looked in the mirror I couldn’t recognize myself. I felt possessed, to the point I would speak and it wouldn’t be me. I would move and I was not in control. I was endlessly floating above my body.
I woke up in a bathtub with over a hundred cuts on my thigh with no explanation. I hadn’t cut like that since I was fourteen. I decided that night to have the person I was living with drive me to the ER and drop me off and leave me so I could not take a car and leave and wander aimlessly like I had been doing the previous days. That’s when I was admitted to a ward. After this my therapist told me more and I’ve been working on everything since.
I stepped down from my position to take care of myself. I had parts trying to quit my job, acting out towards employees, and destroying my professional life. It became too much. In my work with my therapist I’ve learned what caused a significant increase in my symptoms and how this all came to be. I am thankful for her beyond anything words can describe. After eleven years of failed treatment in the mental health industry, countless alternative diagnosis that never made sense, and people in my family and life giving up on me because I seemed like I couldn’t be “fixed” I’m relieved to know the answer, yet simultaneously terrified.
I never knew this is what I needed my whole life. It’s scary to think of how much damage has been done, how much time I’ve lost, but I’m glad I am where I am right now, that I found out somehow and can take the right steps toward recovery.
If you got this far thank you for reading. I’m lonely in all of this and wanted to be open somewhere. Maybe you found yourself in here somewhere. If so, I know how it feels and I know how much pain you’re in. Keep your head up. That’s all we can do.

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
So uhhh yeah, remember two chapters ago when I said we don’t get more on Sunny and Krill while Adam is gone?
I forgot this chapter…
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Dr. Krill was back on Earth.
He had no idea why he always seemed to end up in this insane hellscape, but here he was...
Again…
Shit…
Only the other day he had been caught out in an electrical storm while trying to commute his way to work, which he hadn't particularly appreciated, especially not when massive balls of frozen ice came pelting from the sky with enough power to tear open skin.
What the fuck is this planet!?
Even the humans had been running for cover, and that was saying something!
He would very much have preferred a job where he wasn't in constant danger of getting murdered by the elements on a regular basis.
But this was earth, one day he could be enjoying the sun, the next he was risking heat death, the next he was almost blown away by the wind, and the day after that he was almost whisked away by minor flooding.
Of course, it was either walking to work, or taking public transit which was probably even more dangerous, considering that it had humans on board.
Humans who were half asleep, humans who were strung out on drugs, humans with children, humans with dangerous pets.
Then of course there were the more than mildly xenophobic humans, who were, somehow, under the impression that Krill was there to steal earthling jobs, which was not the case at all considering that he had volunteered his time for free.
Krill had no need of monetary compensation, to him, the work was the reward.
He leaned something new every day.
And now, with his current stint working in a human hospital, he was becoming even more acquainted with humanity... not entirely sure if that was in a good way or not.
Of course, Krill more than missed the simple life aboard the harbinger, where most humans were relatively educated and competent, where most stupid injuries came about by overly idiotic actions rather than ignorance – a point could be argued to which one of those things was worse, but, for the moment, Krill was under the impression that willful idiocy was still better than ignorance because at least they knew why they were stupid, and generally openly admitted it to Krill, whereas working with the general populace forced him to have to be patient and understanding towards people who just didn't know any better.
Apparently telling people they are stupid to their faces is seen as off-color in the human medical world even though that is probably exactly what some of the people needed to hear.
Again, he found himself wishing for the harbinger, and for the return of the captain – the biggest idiot of them all.
He idly wondered how he was doing on his little trip across the universe.
He wondered how Sunny was doing, exploring the human world on her own two feet?
He wished he knew when they would be back together.
The UNSC had given them extended shore leave, but they had never specified how long it was going to be, seeming to hint that it was contingent on how the captain felt.
Well…
Krill was under the impression the captain needed to get his ass back here so he would stop having to pull things out of people's butts.
Speaking of pulling things out of people's butts' he was on ER rotation today.
He found that the ER could be the most interesting, or the most infuriating part of a hospital.
Just the other day he had led the surgical team that reattached someone's arm, but then the day before that he had been in the ER to inform a woman that, yes your shortness of breath likely comes from the run you just went on after years of never having exercised.
He took his clipboard and walked into the human waiting room.
He could write a paper on what sort of things it was important for a medical professional to keep in mind when treating humans.
But here was an example of his typical day:
-Isn't this the second time I have seen little Jimmy in here for sticking something up his nose? I understand that he really loves playing with those toys, but you have to understand there is a reason the label says five and up. Yes, it would probably be best if you did not allow him around things he could get stuck in his face.
-Your pregnant. Yes of course, I am sure. I can do a blood test if you like. I know you said you are not sexually active, but I have looked at this blood test twice and a stick test twice and it says you are pregnant. Well, what do you consider sexually active... mmhmmm... Mmmhmmm... well I think it is probably my job to inform you that it is still sex even if the woman is on top.
-You just... fell on it huh? So, you were doing household chores... Naked... And you just so happened to slip and as you were slipping, this item was magically vacuumed up into your colon. Mmmmm hmmm… quick question. Where was this potato located for you to have fallen on it like that? Well, no sir, I am afraid that we probably won't be able to get it out manually, you are going to need a gastrointestinal specialist for that.
-Yes sir, your chest pain probably has something to do with all the cocaine you have been snorting. Cocaine tends to do that to people.
-Ok you are a diabetic trying to control your blood sugar. Ok, I am glad to hear that you have worked on toning down your sugar consumption, that's good, but I am still very concerned about your sugar levels. This is far too high, and I am extremely concerned. Let's go through your diet and see what you have been eating. Have you cut back on soft drinks? Yes, and now you drink a lot of fruit juice... ahh... I see. Well ma'am fruit juice just so happens to contain a lot of sugar, which might be why your blood sugar is so high. Might I suggest drinking some water?
-Ah finally, a real emergency. Yes, your grandmother's breathing problems worry me greatly. Let's get her back in to do an EKG, make sure nothing is going on with her heart. I am glad you brought her in when you did.
-Yes, little Susie is going to be fine. I am glad she knew how to use her epi-pen, excellent work Susie!
-No, I don't care that you have been waiting four hours to see the doctor. Your child has a mild stomachache, their child is having intermittent seizures. No, I will not be calling the medical director in to see you about this.
-Well, that's probably why it hurts so much. The condom is not supposed to cover the balls too.
-No matter how much you deny your use of opiates, when you came in here you weren't breathing and when I gave you Narcan you started breathing again, so I know where my vote is. Please try not to deny these things to your medical professional next time. It is not my job to call the cops. No, I am not going to rat you out. Yes, you could die if you don't tell me about past drug use no matter what it is.
-You got a WHAT in your WHERE!? Why would you stick a toothpick in there? No sir generally most people are not ailed with an itchy urethra, in fact I am pretty sure that is not a thing. Look, I am not judging you sir, but please stop sticking pointy things up into places where they do not belong because you could cause permanent damage.
-Ouch... now remind me again why you were trying to ride your skateboard down the stairs? And you openly admit that you are not good at skating... Because you saw a video? I am very glad you know it was a dumb idea because at least I don't have to say it.
-Ma'am this says analgesic not anal-gesic, the pills are taken orally not as a suppository.
-You have been bleeding once a month for ten years and you are just now coming in about that? I am sorry, but how old are you again? Yes, ma'am this is very normal, here let me get you a pamphlet to read, and if you have any questions feel free to ask one of the nurses.
-So, you don't have any medical history. Well, are you taking any medications? That sure is a lot of medications for someone who does not have any medical history. This one looks like it is for high blood pressure... Sir just because the medication is helping you manage your high blood pressure does not mean that your high blood pressure is cured!
-When I said stay away from beer and only drink clear liquids for the next days, that did not include vodka!
-I know vodka does have alcohol in it, but pouring it on your open sore sure did not help anything, and now you are probably going to need a plastic surgeon to fix this.
-No ma'am you have to put ear drops in both ears. No, the ears are not connected. Yes, your eardrums and you know... your brain are kind of in the way. No there is not a tube that just goes straight through.
-Please stop licking your wound!
-Um no, those bumps on your tongue are not cancer.... They are taste buds.
-Yes, that it a uvula... Yes, it is supposed to be there.
-What made you think sticking ice cubes up your anus would help with your fever? Well, it will not and now you have frost bite in your rectum.
-Sooooo uhhhhh… it was the smell that got you to come in and not the... Maggots?
Krill groaned in relief as he went to clock out.
”Tough day?"
Someone asked,
"I think something needs to be done about medical education on your planet."
The human laughed.
"We have been trying for more than two thousand years. Good lucky making it any better than it already is."
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

It's hard to know what is real and what is a lie. I am a distant cousin of Harry s Truman so I have always been interested in the government.

I was married to my ex husband for 7 years and I had 2 children from him. I had great years with him till everything ended. Alhamdulillah.
I will be remarrying soon and I’ve no physical or emotional attachments to my ex. He did a good job of detaching himself from me way before the divorce. I don’t look at him with same love or passion as I used to. I actually don’t find him attractive physically anymore and I’m excited to go into my next marriage InshaAllah.
My dilemma however is that, I have wedding pictures of my first wedding and pictures of my baby’s birth with him. These are pictures of MY life and I’m not ready to delete the pictures. Am I wrong to keep them? I don’t actually go back and look at them often except if I am looking at baby pics of my kids. We have family eid pictures. Aqeeqa pictures. Hospital pics of day of birth/giving adhan, videos of my daughter playing with her father as a baby, just mostly baby related etc
Do I have to delete them? Am I wrong to hold on to them? I try to remind myself that getting rid of pictures does not mean deleting memories. But I find it so hard to delete.

One of my best mates has developed psychosis, it has spiralled and gotten a lot worse over the last 5 months since he first noticed and I suppose since he told us about what has been happening to him. Basically he feels a group of people are out to ruin his life - they follow him around every day he hasn’t been able to keep his job since this has started. He says these people follow him in cars and on motorcycles. It happens everywhere and all the time while he’s out in his car he thinks that every car behind him is following him when they are most certainly not. It got so bad last week he rang me trying to sell me his car and wanted to flee the country to get away from this he also expressed feelings of suicide. I had to bring him to a local mental health hospital and he spent a few days there. They gave him anti psychotic medication but it doesn’t seem to help. He left this facility on Sunday and Monday I met him and he seemed worse. Feels that the staff there were all laughing at him and that they’re in on the schemes/ plot/ conspiracy against him. It’s breaking my heart seeing him so upset and anxious about everything. I really do not know how to help as I also refuse to give in to his delusional behavior. But I also want him to get help to try and overcome this. Can anyone give me some advice?

Din păcate nu pot spune numele firmei, dar este din Mureș și este o companie de webhosting. (Nu pot spune pentru că mureșul este mic și nu știu dacă ei se află pe aici, nu vreau să am pe cap niște idioți) Am luat legătura cu ei telefonic astăzi pentru a renegocia și a mă lămuri exact cu salariul. (după comentariile pe care le-am primit în postul anterior). Fata ce mi-a luat interviul m-a chemat să vorbesc fizic și i-am comunicat că deocamdată vom vorbi doar telefonic având în vedere ce interviu dezastruos am avut.
Mi-a comunicat că programul meu este flexibil și că sunt plătit pe oră și nu voi avea în contract un număr minim sau maxim de ore. La orele de activitate se va trece 'În funcție de necesități' și salariul meu mi se va comunica și se va reface contractul abia după prima lună de la angajare, care va fi salariul pe oră (deoarece nu am salariu fix)
A mai spus că eu voi lucra și 16 ore pe zi dacă este necesar, dar voi lucra și o oră pe zi sau pot să am 5 zile libere consecutiv, eu fiind plătit doar pe câte ore lucrez. Programul este flexibil, adică voi lucra doar când mi se solicită asistența din partea clienților (serverele dau erori, script-urile clienților dau erori) sau orice alte solicitări telefonice / tickete trimit clienții, și dacă lead developer-ul firmei (pe care nu-l cunosc și nu m-am întălnit cu el ca să schimb vreo replică) îmi dă task-uri, trebuie să le rezolv indiferent că este aria mea de specialitate sau nu, trebuie să întreb pe la prieteni sau să fac orice să rezolv. Adică dacă la ora 4 se trezește vreun idiot să sune compania, eu trebuie să mă trezesc din somn să-i răspund și să rezolv ce eroare are.
I-am spus că în anunțul lor de angajare (de pe facebook) menționau cu totul altceva, că se solicită back-end developer pe partea de PHP, nicidecum ce-mi cer ei, și mi-a spus că în job-ul ăsta trebuie să facem de toate ca să ajutăm firma să crească și să creștem și noi alături de ea. Și am întrebat-o pănă la urmă de salar că de ce se va reface contractul și nu mi se spune salariul ce-l voi avea, și mi-a zis că "asa poate veni oricine să afle ce salar dăm și să dea mai mult în altă parte, dacă vedem că ești loial și că te ții de treabă vei afla cât primești"
Jur imi venea s-o injur pe toată discuția la telefon ce-am avut-o, și post-ul ăsta îl scriu cu nervi. Nu este deloc ok ce-mi zice fata asta, și e și pe CIM (nu SRL sau alte tipuri de fiscalizare)

I know it's not exactly fan art, but it's the most fitting for this kind of thing. Another fanfiction has it as its flair when it was posted here. Anyway, this is my output for the OnK fanfic train. I hope you guys enjoy! The link to the fanfiction.net page will be at the bottom.
***
With the rise of violence against celebrities also comes the rise of elements that protect against them. A rookie agent finds himself assigned to a famous idol with a promise to defend. And what was supposed to be a training assignment would eventually grow to so much more.
***
The young man grumbled as he trudged the halls of his home towards his father’s office. His hand would rake through his black hair in his face in annoyance while his two emerald eyes with four-point star-shaped irises focused forward. He already knew what was gonna happen and he wished he could refuse. He had been hoping to devote his time to honing his gaming skills with the hope of maybe one day joining a pro-E-sports team. But, because his father was an old man with a small scope of the modern world, he laughed and told him to do something real with his life. And something real meant taking over the family business one day.
Kurosawa Security Services, or simply KSS, is a Japanese family-owned security company based in Kyoto although they have offices all over the country and even abroad. KSS provides everything from security guards for convenience stores to close protection agents for top government figures. They can also provide security consultation and training. The service is rated as the best Japan has to offer with highly trained agents. KSS agents regularly train with the police and military elements like the Security Police and Special Forces Group. And in rare occasions, they would even train with the US Secret Service abroad. KSS is also the best because of the long history of the organization which dates back to the feudal era when Kurosawa Saitō picked up the sword and protected the local Daimyo from an attack. In other words, they had a long time to hone their craft.
Now, what makes a security company like KSS so big in a country where crime is almost non-existent? Isn’t Japan a safe nation? Those would be your first mistakes if you thought of them. It doesn’t matter which part of the world you’re on, good and evil exist everywhere. And good must be protected from evil. That’s why KSS exists.
And soon enough, the company will be in Akio’s hands when it's his father’s time to retire. That’s how the system works, despite what he thinks of it. So, now his ultimate tests will begin. His first assignment.
After walking for what seemed like hours he reached a pair of large doors. He knocked on them and was asked to come in by a voice on the other side, so he complied. Entering, he was greeted with a fairly large office for only one man. And that man was currently seated behind a desk reading through some papers.
“Hey, Dad,” He greeted as he sat down on one of the chairs before across from him.
Kurosawa Tadao put the papers down and then looked at his son before smiling. He was an aging man with black hair that was already greying and blue eyes that had four-point star-shaped irises.
“Hey, Son! How’re ‘ya doing?” He asked.
“Just fine. I was finally getting my KDR up in Black Ops and I was planning on getting my skills up in CSGO later. But, here we are,” Akio answered.
“Staying inside is not good for your body you know.”
“I planned to play basketball tomorrow and I have band with the boys this weekend.”
“It’s still unhealthy because it’s exactly anything productive. You’re 17, Son, you need to start shaping up for your career,” Tadao said.
“I’ve been shaping it up since I was five,” Akio muttered.
“And that’s why we’re here right now. Your first assignment, son! It’s the moment of truth! Aren’t you excited?” Tadao asked with a wide grin as he picked up a folder from the side.
“No, not really,” Akio answered flatly.
“Well, maybe you’ll be excited once you find out who I’m assigning you to. Spoiler alert, she’s an idol,” He said with a grin, whispering that last part as he handed him the file.
“I’m not into idols, Dad,” He said flatly as he took the file.
“Your little brother a good chunk of this company’s personnel, and hell, a good chunk of the population are though,” He commented.
“That doesn’t make sense. Everyone can have different interests. And Goro, well, I guess being tied to a hospital bed for years does that to you,” He said sadly.
“You’re one weird kid, you know.”
“Well, I was raised by the likes of you, Dad,” Akio retorted with a sly grin which made his father laugh.
“Well, you got me there,” He chuckled and promptly silenced himself to let his son read.
“Hoshino Ai? Never heard of her. Although I admit she is pretty cute,” He mumbled as read through the file with her picture on it. He took in her personal information like date of birth, age, physical appearance, and all the usual things. And then he got to a part that listed her status— “What the fuck?! She’s pregnant?!”
“Language, Akio!” Tadao scolded. “Anyway, officially, she’ll be taking a break from showbiz for a while due to ill health. Actually, she’s pregnant and they’re trying to keep it under wraps. Bad for business, because a lot of fans are a bunch of lonely losers, they’ll drop her just because she has kids.”
“Language, Dad,” Akio retorted and shook his head. “Well, teen pregnancy is bad, but it’s unfair for her to be hated for that reason.”
“Yeah, the life of a celebrity is a lot shittier than most people would think. I know, your mother was a singer, she dealt with that too when we were found out,” Tadao said with a frown before smiling a bit. “She
“Please don’t tell me about your romances, Dad,” Akio cringed. “Anyway, Hoshino-sama will be my protectee, huh?”
“Yes. She’ll be heading here with her management agency soon to settle the contract. And then you’ll be heading to the countryside where she can lay low until she gives birth. That’s the basics of it.”
“Alright. Babysit a pregnant teenager and keep her from doing anything dumb. Should be easy enough,” He said.
“Do not underestimate the dangers tied to the entertainment world, Akio,” Tadao reminded. “As I’ve said, a lot of them are a bunch of lonely losers or generally just of questionable character. Some of them will go to great lengths just for attention. Fans can get really wacky after all. It’s already happened before. Not to mention, all the snakes in the industry. Someone might want to up their game so they think about eliminating the competition. You get the point.”
“I’m very aware, Dad, don’t worry,” He assured then sighed. “Just doing this and my studies at the same time? What am I gonna do?”
“That’s rich coming from someone who was planning on just lazing around all day. Besides, you’ve been homeschooling for more than a year already, right? I’m sure you can get a read in every day without compromising your job.”
“Well, it’s not impossible, but it’s gonna suck,” He said then sighed. “Alright, I’ve got this. Not much of a choice anyway. Anything else I should know?”
“Yeah. Remember this, you do not ever let your protectee out of your sight. Wherever she goes, you go. That being said, don’t be too overbearing, and make sure to give her room to breathe. She is a woman, she will want her space. Also, try not to set such a tight atmosphere. Try being her friend, and she’ll be easier to work with. Tomita will meet you tomorrow too to evaluate you. You’ll also be reporting to him your progress during your task.”
“Noted, Dad. In that case,” Akio stood then positioned himself directly in front of the table before bowing. “I shall see this task to the end.”
***
Idol music was not his cup of tea and Hoshino Ai was a complete stranger to him till that moment. He’d spend a whole week with the pre-preparations with one of the senior agents until it was time to meet the latest customers. Then he would meet Hoshino Ai for the first time and they’d make their first impressions of one another.
***
“Are you really sure about this?”
“We’re going to need a shield just in case. Lot’s of wackos around here. Besides, we’ve already agreed to meet.”
“It’s just, there’s a lot of shady dealings in the security world.”
“Are we any better? Besides, KSS is the best this country can offer. I also know the company head personally too, we went to high school together, and he owes me. We’ll be just fine.”
“Um, o-okay…”
“I didn’t understand any of that, but okay!”
“Never change, Ai…”
How do you keep a secret from the world? Simple: you lie. You lie a lot. But then you realize it’s not so simple and every day is spent with fear that everything might fall apart. Just trying to get anywhere was a massive undertaking. For example, right now. Two adults and a pregnant teen in a car. Aside from the teen pregnancy, there’s nothing strange at all about it. But if you knew who the car’s passengers were, then you’d immediately understand.
After a couple of hours of driving (making occasional turns to make sure they weren’t followed and consequently getting lost a couple of times) they finally reached their destination which was a large estate in the outskirts of Kyoto. A guard met them at the gate, and after the driver talked and showed some credentials, they were let in. It took another minute or two until they reached the house where a group was waiting for them. The car group got out of their vehicle with the house group greeting them shortly after. A man with short blonde hair and yellowish-brown eyes underneath some shades stepped forward and led the group.
“Ichigo-san, you’re still about as ugly as when I last saw you,” Tadao greeted with a cheeky grin as he approached.
“Tadao-san, you’re clearly the most repulsive one here. I see you still haven’t taken my advice to get your face fixed,” Ichigo greeted with a snarky expression as he also approached.
Once close enough, they locked hands for a shake before pulling each other in for a hug.
“It’s nice to see you again, friend! How’re you doin', man? No troubles getting here?” Tadao asked.
“I’m just fine. Getting here was a lot smoother than we thought. But we are exhausted,” Ichigo replied.
“I imagine. Remember that time in Second Year when we bought booze with fake IDs and we had to run for it?”
“Ha, how can I forget?! I was terrified the cops would get us!”
As the two men shared stories and laughed, everyone else present could not help but be astonished at how casual the two were being. It almost was like this wasn’t a business meeting.
“Yeah, those were the days,” Tadao laughed and turned to the other two people to address them. “Before we continue any further, allow me to introduce myself. I am Kurosawa Tadao, head of Kurosawa Security Services, and I welcome you all to my home. It’s nice to meet you!”
He then stepped toward the next person. She was a rather tall woman with long strawberry-blonde hair and pinkish-brown eyes.
“And you must be Miyako, his wife, yes?” He asked.
“Yes, I am,” She said with a polite smile as they shook hands.
“You know, I’ve always wondered how someone with a face like his could get married. But here we are,” He joked earning a laugh from her.
“I sometimes wonder why I decided to marry him too,” She commented and they both laughed.
“Huh? What?” Ichigo said but was ignored.
Then, Tadao moved to the last person. She was a short girl with long violet hair with matching eyes that have stars in them. But her most distinct feature was the bulge in her abdomen showing her pregnancy. Moreover, she looked like she wasn’t even 18. This observation made his gut wrench due to feeling pity for this poor girl’s bad decision. Regardless, he put on his best smile and took her hand.
“And you must be Hoshino Ai,” He greeted. “I’ve heard all about you, but since I’m the stereotypical old man, I’m not into your music. Regardless of that, and after listening to a couple of songs, I think you’re doing some very great work in your field.”
Her lips curved into a smile that cured souls as her eyes seemed to shimmer. Tadao kept himself from reacting, but at that moment he knew why she was so popular.
“Thank you so much, Tadao-san! You know, I don’t think I’m that popular to begin with but I’m always so happy to hear that someone like what I do!” She said happily.
He chuckled a bit. “I used to be in a band in middle school and high school, so I still try to stay up to date with the latest musical trends these days. Although, I still don’t know much. I mostly get my info on that from my own agents.”
He glanced to the side followed by Ai shortly after to see three younger agents standing stiffly as they tried to ignore them. They knew exactly who she was. All three of them have her as their phone’s lock screen wallpaper. And it’s clear that they wanted to talk to her, but they couldn’t. And even if they could, they didn’t know how. Ai giggled in amusement while Tadao just stared.
“Anyway, now that introductions have been made, let’s go inside where it’s more comfortable. I know you’re here for business, so let’s dive right in. We’ve also prepared snacks and refreshments inside in case you want some. Ichigo, my valet will take care of your car, so give him the keys please,” Tadao said as he gestured for them to follow.
“Do you have ice cream?” Ai asked.
“We sure do!”
“Yay! Let’s go!”
After Ichigo handed over the keys to a valet, Tadao began leading them into his home with the trio following shortly after. But before that, a mischievous thought entered Ai’s mind and she acted quickly. She suddenly turned to look at the trio of agents who tensed up even more under her gaze. Worse, they realized that she was up to no good just from her grin. But before they could even speculate what she was up to, she suddenly did her signature love heart hand pose with a smile. In a flash, the three agents felt their knees go weak in the presence of such moe cuteness that they struggled to stay upright as they covered their mouths to silence their ecstatic screams. Satisfied with her handiwork, Ai giggled as she left the scene of the crime.
“Um, are they gonna be alright?” Ichigo asked nervously as he saw one of them falling over.
“They’ll be fine.”
They entered the huge house and led them through a series of hallways that were decorated with all sorts of interesting stuff. One of them was some sort of cannon on a towed carriage, except, aside from one big barrel, it’s got multiple little ones arranged in a circle with a crank.
“Kurosawa-san, what’s that?” Ai asked.
“Oh, this? This is a Model 1874 Gatling Gun. It fires a .45-70 caliber round from top-loaded 20-round box magazines with a rate of fire of about a thousand rounds per minute, although, it really depends on how fast you can crank it. It was one of the most revolutionary weapons ever designed and it changed the battlefield forever. This specific weapon here was used by the Imperial Army against revolting samurai during their last stand in the Battle of Mount Shiroyama, the last action of the Satsuma Rebellion,” He explained. “Sometimes I wonder what the samurai were thinking in their last moments just before they were all gunned down.”
“Wow,” Ai whispered in awe.
“Indeed. I don’t even know where my father dug up this gun,” He said before tracing across the black-painted barrels of the old weapon.
“That’s so cool!” She exclaimed happily then fished out her phone from her hoodie pocket. “Can I take a picture with it?”
“Ai, we’re here in business and the man’s likely very busy, so let’s not take anymore—” Ichigo said but was cut off.
“Sure thing! Our meeting is the only thing I have on my schedule today, so I’m basically free to do anything!” Tadao interjected with a wide smile as she took her phone.
What followed next was a comedic scene which was basically an old man doting on his granddaughter while he took pictures of her doing cute things. Meanwhile, everyone else present just stared with blank expressions.
“So much for not being into idols,” Ichigo muttered.
“These are so good! Thank you so much, Kurosawa-san!” She thanked him with a wide smile after going over the pictures.
“You’re very welcome! And you know, we’ve got a lot of goodies in this house, maybe you’d like to take some pictures with them too?” He offered.
“I’d love to!” She squealed.
“Mhmm!” Someone cleared their throat.
Looking in that direction, they saw a young man dressed in a nice business suit who was basically a younger version of Tadao. He approached them with his hands in his pockets and regarded them with a straight expression.
“You’re getting off track here, Dad. We’re still conducting a business,” He said as a matter of factly. “And what happened to ‘no touching of the expensive decor’?”
“Oh come on, son, do you honestly believe I can refuse that?” Tadao complained as he gestured to Ai who maintained a happy expression as she looked at the photos.
“Don’t enable her, Dad. Ma’am, please stop touching the gun, it’s very old and very expensive,” He said.
“Ai, get off of it,” Ichigo ordered.
“Aw, okay,” She said sadly as she backed off.
“Sorry for the trouble, but this stuff is crazy expensive. And oh, I’m Kurosawa Akio, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” He greeted with a polite smile.
“This is my son. He’ll be taking care of the business one day, so I’m bringing him along more now,” Tadao said.
Another round of handshakes was exchanged as the group introduced themselves to Akio. Ai expected the tone and body language of a fan holding himself back, the same kind she’s gotten used to seeing, but was rather surprised when he shook her hands normally with nothing but politeness in his eyes. Strange, now she’s curious. Akio on his part thought that she was a rather normal-looking girl, except for the bulging stomach, and didn’t find anything very special from just looking at her.
“Sorry for messing around. It’s just a really cool-looking thing!” Ai said.
“It sure is, ‘can’t argue with that. They don’t make weapons like these anymore these days. It’s all just big bombs now, which is boring,” Akio remarked.
“I don’t think death and destruction are supposed to be nice to see,” Miyako remarked.
“Exactly,” Tadao stated with a firm voice. “And that’s what we strive for in KSS. Every day must always be boring. Now come on, we’ve got business to attend to.” He said before turning and walking away.
“Is he always like this?” Miyako asked with a sweatdrop, noting the man’s sudden change of face.
“You’ll get used to it,” Both Ichigo and Akio replied in a flat tone.
They finished the walk toward their destination which was a conference room inside the house. The place was quite spacious and cozy looking, especially since it has a fireplace. They all immediately took their seats with KSS taking one side of the table and Ichigo Productions sitting opposite of them.
“Snacks will be brought in a little bit, so let’s get down to business to business shall we,” Tadao said as he placed a briefcase on the table and pulled out some papers. “By the way, everything we talk about will not leave this room, you can trust us. I think I also know the reason why you need an extra pair of hands. Your reason for getting a bodyguard is because you’re worried that you’ll be attacked like that idol that got stabbed recently, yes?”
They all nodded at that. It was already a month old, but the memory of it was still fresh on everyone’s minds, especially since it was covered on national news.
An idol named Hirose Keiko, who was pretty popular and only 16 like Ai, was recently murdered by a crazy fan in her own home. The autopsy report stated that the cause of death was cardiac arrest from severe bleeding after being stabbed three times and that she died in minutes.
The police captured the killer before he could jump off a bridge and took him in for questioning. He said that a Twitter post showing Keiko being all friendly with some guy somewhere made people think she had gotten a boyfriend. This enraged him because he felt betrayed by her actions, therefore he stalked her and plotted her murder for weeks. So, it was pretty awkward for him to find out that Keiko’s supposed boyfriend was actually her cousin and she was at a family get-together at that time.
The news shocked everyone in the country and many celebrities started taking their personal security more seriously. Ichigo was worried for Ai, and Ai was a bit scared herself. She knew Keiko, they did some collaborations together in the past, and she was upset she couldn’t attend her funeral. So, Ichigo Productions, though a bit cash-strapped, decided that it would be a good idea to have some form of security with them to help out in the long run. Especially now that Ai was pregnant… they couldn’t stomach the thought of some deranged lunatic stabbing her to death like what happened to Keiko.
“I don’t think I can forget that. I knew the girl and her agency, they were good people. I hope that bastard gets the chair,” Ichigo muttered.
“You and me both. And don’t worry, we’ll make sure nothing ever happens to you,” Tadao assured. “Alright, now, how do you want to be protected?”
“We just need someone with us to keep the creeps away, especially one that can lie low with us. Nothing flashy at all,” Ichigo answered.
“Hmm, I understand what you want. One or two agents on you at all times at least, covering your front and back. They’ll be in plain clothes too so as to not draw attention. Okay, I’ve got a lot of agents to spare for that kind of job,” Tadao said, as he wrote on a piece of paper.
“What else is there?” Ichigo asked.
“We’re gonna brief you on how we operate and how we intend to do this. None of them are hard to follow at all. The gist is that you need to tell us everything, your schedules, contacts, extra activities, etcetera.”
“So, I’ll basically be followed around everywhere?” Ai asked.
“Basically, yes. But the key difference is that it’ll be by people you can trust. However, that doesn’t mean we’ll be poking around your daily life and infringing on your space every day. We’ll create a system in which you’re safe but still comfortable. In fact, we even have methods to protect you without you or anyone seeing us, but that’s really expensive though,” Tadao explained. “We know our boundaries too, Hoshino-sama, you don’t have to worry.”
“Hmm,” Ai hummed as she considered his words before another thought occurred to her. “Will you kill people?”
“Only if they really force us to. Every agent has a loaded gun with him, but we’re also trained in ways to stop an attacker with non-lethal force. Besides, one of our tactics is that by simply being there, we can discourage anyone from trying anything funny. As I’ve said, the best days for us are the most boring ones.”
“I see.”
“What’s the price tag?” Miyako asked.
“Despite the low elements, you’re still looking at 500,000 yen per month. But…” He trailed off. “But… due to my debt to you, Ichigo, I’ve decided to give you half that price for six months. This is paid like a subscription service where you have to pay every month. Failure to pay means immediate termination of services.”
“Is there anything else?” Ichigo asked.
“There are a bunch more details that you need to know. Legality, protocols, company policy, and all that. But, there’s one detail that I threw in as a condition for this,” Tadao said then placed a hand on Akio’s shoulder who was sitting to his right. “My son will be the one to run point of your protection detail. This’ll also act as his first test, to prove his skill as a protection agent.”
“Although I’m inexperienced, I’m quick to learn and adapt, and I’m ready to take on whatever task is needed from me,” Akio said politely.
Ichigo and Miyako frowned at the prospect of being given someone who was inexperienced in the field. But if he was the son of the guy who runs the place, then he should be pretty good, right? Besides, this is possibly the best deal they’ll ever get, and they weren’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Alright, that’s fine,” Ichigo said.
“I’m okay with it,” Ai said.
“Although, Akio will be running point so you’ll see him the most often, another rookie agent will also be there to learn too. He’ll be number two. A senior agent will also be dropping by occasionally to check on them and evaluate their performance, although you don’t need to pay him. And in case things get really bad, emergency services and other agents won’t be too far to assist,” Tadao added.
“Ah, alright,” Ichigo said.
“Now, for the rest of everything.”
They would spend the next thirty minutes getting into the details of how everything would be under their care. Snacks and refreshments were brought in at that time with Ai receiving a pint of ice cream, making her very happy. They got into some legal conditions that were implemented to protect both sides. They also got into how the protection detail would work and what to do under certain situations. And of course, company policy.
One such policy is that the client can sue the company for up to 30 million yen for disclosing any secrets entrusted to them without permission. And although KSS can definitely pay that amount, their reputation would be tarnished and they’d lose even more money. That was a fact that allowed Ichigo Productions to rest easier. Ai’s pregnancy needed to remain under wraps.
After a few more minutes and a couple more things were clarified, they finally moved on to the last piece of the puzzle. Tadao opened up his briefcase and pulled out one last set of papers.
“This is the contract. What’s is just a summary of everything we talked about, but I suggest you read it carefully so you’re not missing anything,” Tadao said.
Ichigo Productions took the document and carefully read through it to make sure they were not missing anything. It took another five minutes, but they confirmed that everything was in place.
“A service that tells you everything and makes you read the contract first? Finally!” Ichigo joked.
“We’re the guys that protect the Emperor, not some shady organization! We’ve got a reputation to uphold!” Tadao stated. “Anyway, if nothing is amiss, sign your name and seal on the space provided and we are officially under your employ.”
“Everything’s here. Let’s seal the deal,” Ichigo said.
He grabbed a pen that was provided to him and signed his name on the line at the bottom then stamped his seal on the side. Miyako did the same thing after him. And finally, Ai filled out the last line with her name and seal and even drew a little heart on it. Tadao took the document and looked through it before putting it down and giving them a smile.
“You are now under the protection of Kurosawa Security Services! With Hachiman, the divine protector of Japan, guiding our hands, you will not have to worry about anything as long as we are around! Rest assured that we will take care of you. And anyone that tries to harm you will die a horrible death!” He proclaimed.
“That’s… oddly specific,” Ichigo remarked.
“If you get hurt, we’ll cover the expenses of your medical bill. If you die under our watch, which you won’t, we’ll offer a full refund to your relatives, and we’ll even avenge you. That’s our policy, to treat our clientele as if they are our family,” He added.
“That’s very nice,” Miyako said.
“Only the best we provide our clients,” Tadao said. “And aside from giving you a copy of the documents, this concludes our business. Thank you for choosing our services. We promised not to disappoint.”
“We’ll be watching closely then.”
Both groups then stood up and gave each other one last bout of handshakes to truly seal the contract that was just signed.
“I’ll make sure your men get tickets to one of my concerts in the future!” Ai said and looked at Akio. “Especially you, Akio-san.”
“Oh, that’s very kind of you, Hoshino-sama. But, I’m not into idol music,” He replied politely.
“Huh?”
“Please excuse my son. We know he’s a weirdo,” Tadao jokingly said.
“I ain’t weird, Dad. I don’t hate idol music but I don’t exactly like it either. I just like other things,” Akio stated.
“It’s not impossible, but it’s a first for us. Everyone your age we’ve met is into idols,” Saitou said. “Looks like you’re the 10% we didn’t see coming.”
“Please just take it as less worry for you, since I won’t be prying for your attention all the time. I’ll always keep a respectful distance. I promise.”
“That’s all we can ever ask really. Thank you.”
“Now that business is concluded, we can all turn in for the night. But would you like something before you leave? Some more snacks or drinks perhaps? We’ve got a lot here,” Tadao offered but Ichigo shook his head.
“No, we’ve already been here too long, we don’t want to overstay our welcome. Besides, it’s late and we’re all tired. We should be getting back now,” he said.
“Alright. In that case, allow us to walk you out while I get the valet to get your car.”
“Alright then.”
Ichigo Productions prepared to leave while Tadao got on his phone. Ichigo and Miyako started discussing something with each other while Ai simply looked around the room. Her eyes would eventually land on Akio who was looking at his phone. He’d pocket it a moment later and his eyes would land on his protectee’s. She’d flashed him a wide smile, the kind that can captivate any man, while he returned with a simple smile and a nod. Ai began opening her mouth to speak before stopping short when there was a disturbance from Tadao.
“... Really? Alright, I’ll tell them,” He sighed before turning to the group.
“What’s wrong?” Ichigo asked.
Tadao smiled awkwardly. “A small problem just developed on your end.”
They’d find themselves outside again a moment later, watching a scene unfold before them. Ichigo Production’s car, a white rental Toyota Corolla, remained where Ichigo last left it although the hood was open and multiple guys were peering into the engine compartment with flashlights. One agent tried turning the key and starting the ignition, yet the engine remained quiet. A moment later, a middle-aged man with his sleeves rolled up walked up to Tadao while wiping his hands on a rag.
“I think it’s a broken sparkplug, Tadao-san. It just won’t start,” He reported.
“I told you it was broken!” Miyako scolded Ichigo in a hushed voice.
“Do we have spare parts, Hiro-san?” Tadao asked.
“No, we just ran out when our own rides needed maintenance and we haven’t resupplied yet,” He said with a shake of his head. “We can’t run to the shop too because it’s already closed at this time. This thing’s staying here till morning.”
Ichigo and Miyako groaned at their misfortune while the rest of them simply stared indifferently. Tadao then sighed and spoke again.
“Alright. In that case, Hiro-san, please get the van off the driveway and onto the side. We’ll deal with it tomorrow morning. Then please take one of the Land Cruisers and take them back to their hotel. The rest of you are free to leave for home too,” He ordered.
“Hai, Kurosawa-sama!” Everyone replied.
“Tadao-san, are you sure? This is probably too much—” Ichigo began but stopped when Tadoa raised a hand.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind at all. Just think of this as me helping a friend in need. And no, you don’t have to pay,” He replied.
Ichigo was unsure but ultimately allowed it and bowed a bit. “Alright, thank you.”
“No problem,” Tadao replied with a shallow nod.
While the adults addressed the issue of their ride, the two kids remained on the side and simply watched. Akio and Ai were still in their teens, so they were kids in the eyes of the adults present.
“So,” Ai began. “What kind of music do you listen to, Kurokawa-san?”
“Uh, I like rock music of all types from pop to death metal. I’ve been listening to them since I was five. And it’s Kurosawa, Hoshino-sama,” He replied, her sudden question and error of his name catching him off guard.
“Ah, really? Ahahaha, I’m so sorry! I'm not very good at memorizing people’s faces!” She laughed jovially.
“Ahaha, I can imagine. Since you probably see so many faces every day, it’s hard to keep track of them all, huh?” He laughed.
“Ah, yeah! It’s a bit of a problem for me, hehe. Sometimes, I even forget the President’s name too, haha!”
He laughed along with her but internally, he was cringing a bit.
Does every idol have such an airheaded personality? He wondered.
“It must be kinda hard for you too, having to work like this when you’re so young,” She remarked.
“Well, this is my first job ever, so it doesn’t seem hard at all right now. That’s definitely gonna change though,” He replied. “But, I don’t think my job will get anywhere as difficult as yours with you having to put up an act all the time. I don’t think I can handle that.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I really like my job, but sometimes it gets pretty tiring. Taking a break like this is gonna help out a lot!” She said happily before taking a deep breath and looking around. “I think I’ve already said this, but your place is really nice.”
“Mhmm, and this is just our place here in Tokyo. We’re only here now because we need to be closer to some of our clients at the moment. Our main house in Kyoto is even bigger and cooler!” Akio replied.
“You guys are really loaded, huh?”
“For the past few decades, Kurosawa has been branching to other things that make money. We need the cash to pay for our stuff after all. Although, we’re still inferior to zaibatsus like Shinomiya and Shijo (who we provide services to, by the way) but also still better than most.”
“Wow.”
“Mhmm, but money still isn’t everything. We try to take a humble approach to things too. Dad doesn’t like spending money on anything that isn’t important and I don’t buy a lot of things myself,” He added and kept his mouth open to continue when he was interrupted.
“Don’t believe him! He eats yakiniku at least once a week!” One of the younger agents stated as he walked by with a bag over his shoulder, likely on his way home.
“Look who’s talking, idiot! You spend the most out of all of us!” He retorted angrily but only got a laugh in response. He turned back to Ai who was holding a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles, prompting him to sigh in annoyance. “Alright, I admit that part and also I spend a lot quite a lot on video games and band equipment, but only on special occasions. I’m not some pompous rich jerk that throws money around, I promise you.”
“Hmm, alright, I believe you,” She giggled and then thought of something. “You could’ve totally left that part out or outright lied. Why didn’t you?”
“Uh, it was already out, so there’s no point in trying to lie about it anymore. Besides, I don’t believe you deserve to be lied to, Hoshino-sama,” He answered.
Her smile wavered ever so slightly as she processed his answer. I don’t deserve to be… lied to?
“Um—”
“Ai, our ride’s here! Let’s head back to the hotel!” Ichigo called out as one of the company’s Land Cruisers had been brought out to take them.
“I guess we’ll just have to continue this conversation some other time, but it’s been a nice talk. I look forward to working with you, Hoshino-sama,” He said with a wide smile and an outstretched hand.
“Ai.”
“Sorry?”
Ai smiled widely too, her eyes seemingly shimmering brighter as she took his hand and shook it. “Since we’ll be sticking so closely together for a while, you can just call me Ai, Akio-san.”
He blinked. “U-Uh, sure thing, Ai-san.”
“Just Ai,” She clarified.
“Just Ai,” He nodded and smiled widely, happy that she remembered his first know, even if he didn’t know why.
“If that’s what you want, you’re the boss,” Akio remarked, earning another laugh from her. “You have a good night, Ai, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
“You too, Akio-san.”
She’d head back to her group a moment later and they were leaving the estate shortly. Akio waved at the car as it drove past him and he could just barely see a human figure waving back through the darkness. As he watched the SUV disappear, he put his hand down and looked up at the sky.
“Wow,” He breathed. “Her eyes are something else.”
He’d retire for the night shortly after without another thought. He’d sleep soundly not knowing that he had just stepped on the path that would define his life.
***
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Veritas vos liberabit.
The Truth will set you Free.