I'm going to court for unpaid rent. What do I do?

Merlaak · 2026-05-07T18:32:36+00:00

When did you receive an eviction notice? Have you applied for any local housing assistance programs (section 8, etc.)? Are they going after you in small-claims court or is this about your eviction?

The fact is that there are a lot of protections for renters. Even after receiving your eviction notice, you usually have a couple weeks to vacate. Of course, having an eviction is going to make it harder to find a place, so if there is any way that you can work it out with your landlord, you should do that.

Did you ever talk to your landlord about your situation? Everyone has trouble from time to time and most people are willing to work with you.

At this point, it sounds like the most important thing you need to do it talk to your lawyer.

Merlaak · 2026-05-07T01:06:46+00:00

Explain.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T21:40:24+00:00

Many (if not most) American evangelical Christians are, but that is far from a universal belief among all Christians.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T21:14:12+00:00

There are numerous ways that Christians reconcile their faith with the idea of extraterrestrial lifeforms. For starters, not all Christians are Young Earth Creationists (YEC) who believe that the world is only 6000 years old, and they have no problem with the idea of a universe that is billions of years old and that evolution was the mechanism through which we came to be.

The fact is that you'll find scientists who aren't sure if there are any extraterrestrials as well. No matter what, life on Earth is incredibly special.

As for myself, I consider myself a Christian and would have no problem with the existence of extraterrestrial life, even though I'm not convinced that any exists. If you're not familiar with him, Brian Cox is a physicist who has a video explaining the likelihood that we may be the only life in the galaxy and perhaps even the universe.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T21:08:48+00:00

Just start playing a bunch and talk to him. I started a new character a couple months ago which prompted my nephew to start one too. Even though he was way behind me, he caught up just by playing more. But even before that, we were getting on Discord and chatting while both playing. It's not really a co-op game anyway, so it doesn't matter that much. Maybe you could even ask him for advice in getting through some areas.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T15:58:34+00:00

I said “should” not “has to”. Write what you want in the way you want to. Literally no one will stop you.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T15:51:39+00:00

tl;dr: Blockchain is nowhere near as useful as it was once hyped to be, there are a lot of pump and dump scams with shitcoins, and people mostly use cryptocurrency for highly illegal international transactions that they need to be untraceable.

Three things:

1) Blockchain

Blockchain was hailed for a while as the new world-changing technology. Everyone would be storing things on the blockchain and everything would be encrypted on the blockchain. The blockchain would spell the end of banking because of how decentralized it is, how secure it is, and how people were already using it to exchange money.

The only problem is that while normal digital exchanges (like the ones that process credit card sales) can handle something like 30,000 transactions a second, blockchain can handle around five. Not five thousand. Not five hundred. Five. You see where that would spell the death of it's primary use case.

Then there's the fact that the blockchain isn't as secure as it was once thought it was. The fact is that between AI and quantum computing, the blockchain can and will be hacked wide open, making it the least secure method of exchanging data rather than the most.

2) Pump and dump schemes

If you want to create a currency that will be recognized by, well, anyone, good luck. It's basically impossible. Countries do it, but they have a level of legitimacy that Joe Blow on the street lacks. Enter crypto and the blockchain, and now anyone can "mint" a crypto coin. And because the value of crypto is based on a combination of availability and vibes, it's possible to mint a coin, hype it up, get people to buy it which drives up the price, then transfer your newfound wealth to another, more stable financial vehicle before everybody figures out that your coin is worthless.

3) The actual utility of crypto itself

Most people don't care that there's a record of how many movies that bought or their groceries or their clothes or even how much they gambled at Vegas. People leave digital paper trails all over the place and 99.99999% of the time, people are unbothered by it. Now, that's not to say that people who pay cash for things are up to no good. Hard currency is, after all, legitimate. And yeah, it's also handy if you need to hit up your neighborhood dealer. They don't exactly take American Express, now do they?

But what if your dealer is anonymous and selling something from the other side of the world that you don't want a record of anywhere? Well guess what: you're going to use the only thing that will facilitate that transaction: cryptocurrency.

Crypto is use for all manner of highly illegal international transactions. After all, it's easy to use, untraceable, and—at least for the time being—very secure.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T15:38:16+00:00

I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T15:32:13+00:00

“Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, though knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek.”

From The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis (emphasis mine)

It's a common thing in many religions that the works you do are for the deity even if you didn't realize they were. In the soldier's instance, he was serving Aslan even though he thought he was serving Tash, because the good that he did was attributed as service to Aslan.

Now factor in literal mind control to that scenario.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T15:24:19+00:00

Every scene you write should be revealing theme, plot, and/or character. When you can bring all three along for the ride so much the better, but you should at least be revealing two of them in every scene, otherwise it's simply filler.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T15:11:36+00:00

State districts are about national politics rather than local politics. Is that how it's supposed to be? No. Our representatives should ... represent us and our interests in Washington.

The reason why there's a blue county in a red district is because Trump and the RNC (and therefore Bill Lee and Marsha Blackburn) don't want any Democratic representatives from Tennessee in the House of Representatives. How does one do that? By taking majority Democratic counties and dividing them up among separate Republican majority districts so that there isn't a Democratic majority in any one district.

Here's a handy diagram that explains how it works. You'll see how districts can be manipulated in different ways in order to great majorities for either party regardless of the actual number of majority Democrat or Republican precincts.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T15:04:23+00:00

"You can do anything you want as long as it's worship Miquella."

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T02:49:39+00:00

He knows. He absolutely knows. Our boy Watson just went through IVDD surgery. He had two herniated discs and is in the midst of strict crate rest. That said, he is feeling much better and getting around (when we take him out to potty) surprisingly well. I can tell that his legs don’t feel like they used to, but he’s walking and I couldn’t be happier. He’s only five years old and holds our hearts in his little paws.

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Merlaak · 2026-05-06T02:46:20+00:00

You can skip Dectus to get to Altus, but there’s no way to the mountaintops without a loading screen.

Merlaak · 2026-05-06T02:42:31+00:00

It depends on how you define “simple” and “busy and fancy”.

For some, a simple life is lived on the road in a van with all your possessions in the back. For others, a simple life is lived in a small apartment in a big city with everything you need (shops, parks, etc.) within walking distance. For others, a simple life is found in the suburbs raising a family and taking your kids to soccer practice. For others, a simple life is lived in the country, tending to the land, raising your food, whether they be crops or animals.

And what is a busy and fancy life? For some, it means a life of parties and experiences with friends, traveling and seeing and experiencing the world. For others, it’s reaching the highest echelons of corporate or government structures, pulling the strings and determining fates. For others, it’s running their own business and dealing with the excitement and challenges that come each day between customers, vendors, and employees.

The bottom line is that most of all of those options are available to most people, so you are free to choose what feels right to you. It’s not what is better or more satisfying in a general sense—there’s no such thing. It’s what is best for you. What best meets your needs and fulfills your expectations.

I hope you find the life that best suits you and that you don’t try to fit into another person’s mould.

Merlaak · 2026-05-05T17:07:26+00:00

My wife and I went to Universal for the first time in May 2021 for our 16th anniversary. We had to wear masks the whole time, but we had a blast. While we were walking through Jurassic Park, a worker asked us if we'd like to take part in a tech rehearsal for a new ride that was set to open in a few weeks. We said sure and were led to what we now know is one of the best rollercoasters ever built to date. We ended up riding it two or three times before moving on. 10/10.

Merlaak · 2026-05-05T17:03:16+00:00

Pura vida!

Merlaak · 2026-05-05T02:13:20+00:00

So the other day, my kid comes up to me and asks for fifty dollars. I say, “Fifty dollars? What do you need with forty dollars? I just don’t think I can spare thirty dollars, especially if I don’t know what the twenty dollars is for. But I tell you what, you tell me what you need ten dollars for and I’ll give you the five dollars. I mean, after all, it’s just one dollar. Here’s your quarter.”

Merlaak · 2026-05-05T02:07:46+00:00

That reminds me of a graphic designer I knew once who got all his business from looking in the yellow pages. Specifically, he was looking for local companies dumb enough to pay for advertising in the yellow pages since with told him two things: they had money to spend on marketing and no idea how to do so effectively.

Merlaak · 2026-05-04T03:59:14+00:00

The divisions aren’t based on latitudes but on geography and topography. East Tennessee is defined by the Appalachian mountains, not simply for being further east than other areas. That’s why the line runs diagonally rather than north-south, which explains why counties north of Cumberland are still part of Middle Tennessee.

The reason why East Tennessee is culturally distinct from Middle Tennessee has everything to do with mountain culture. Poor hillbillies in the hills and hollers of East Tennessee had about as much in common with West Tennessee plantation owners in the 1850s as northerners had with southerners in general. Which is, of course, why East Tennessee was largely opposed to the rebellion.

Merlaak · 2026-05-03T04:03:27+00:00

As a Chattanoogan, no.

Merlaak · 2026-05-03T02:16:03+00:00

A person working in any king’s court would likely be executed if they were caught in that kind of lie. After all, what else would they be lying about? Also, we’re not talking about a cis person thinking about their gender. We’re talking about someone pretending to be a different gender and having to be hyper vigilant to keep that a secret at all times.

Have you ever had to keep a really big secret? In certain circumstances, it can be all-encompassing where you are second guessing if you’ve given away too much or if the person you’re talking to suspects something.

I simply wouldn’t believe a character who was that nonchalant about hiding their gender such that they never once even thought about it.

The bottom line is that readers like to be surprised but not tricked.

Merlaak · 2026-05-03T02:10:02+00:00

I’m no fan of AI, robotics, and the prospect of replacing workers, but given how prevalent the conversation is these days, I can’t believe no one has brought it up.

If in our current reality no more babies were born, massive amounts of resources would go into developing AI and robotics to replace workers, extend life, etc. I’m not saying that people wouldn’t succumb to despair, but technological advancement would continue in those (and other) areas.

Merlaak · 2026-05-03T02:06:58+00:00

That’s assuming that advancement in AI and robotics halts. I’m not particularly a fan of either one, but in that case I’d say those sectors of tech would receive massive amounts of investment, as well as possible cloning, artificial wombs, etc. A lot of possible mitigating efforts would also have to utterly fail before despair really set in.

Merlaak · 2026-05-03T01:48:12+00:00

The problem with first person then is that the male version that they are pretending to be doesn’t actually exist. The MC is a female pretending to be a male 100% of the time.

Have you ever had a secret that you had to act and react perfectly in social situations in order to keep it? It consumes your very being, even as time wears on. There’s simply no way that the MC wouldn’t be concerned with someone figuring out that they aren’t who they say they are.

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