I (31m) just broke up with my (26f) girlfriend today.
You guys I don't really know where to start and I don't really want to ramble but I guess I'm going to anyways.
We've been together about 1.25 years, live 5 hours apart and have seen eachother almost every weekend except maybe 6-8.
I'll never forget the first time we met, she had never done a LDR before, was recovering from being sick so I offered to drive down to see her. We got a hotel (not classy I know) in a location that she works and loves, I remembered hugging her, putting a face to a name so to speak. We had met on Boo (app, highly recommend it) and we had these engaging long conversations about everything... The first message I sent her was about history, something I am very interested in and my god, the conversation flowed and continued to flow. The level of connection we had almost instantly was like no other I have ever felt.
I remember us getting out of the car and being weak in the knees with taking it all in. It was real now. She was even more beautiful than in her pictures. I hugged her and felt so alive and happy. We checked into the hotel, we both had to pee really bad and joked about peeing on the rug in the lobby as we were standing in line.
I came directly from a 10 hour day at work (carpenter) was so filthy and went directly into the shower. I get out of the shower and we held eachother and talked for hours laughing and having a good time. We both didn't even realize how hungry we were. We went out and got waffle house which was a first time for me. Our relationship was full of many firsts for us.
Right away I knew I had to have her, I asked her if she would want to continue and be my gf and she said she'd be a fool not to. A month or so in we told eachother we loved eachother at a very special location in my life, we had both been fighting the urge to say it sooner.
This woman changed me. She made me better. I cried more in front of her than I have in my entire life, something I have always been uncomfortable with. I am so grateful for her for being supportive to me in that way.
I remember us meeting eachother's families and it felt so good. I felt like I had a place in hers and I know she did in mine. My grandma's health is going downhill and has been for a while now, this Christmas my gma handmade my gf this really cool and cute old school apron with my gf's and gma's name on it. Added to that, my gf's profession is baking, something she is very passionate about. That's never happened in my entire dating life and my gf and I were so honored.
A couple months back her GPA developed cancer and has been going downhill, I have a motorcycle, turns out same exact one he had. He gave me his bells. I was so honored, I was speechless and stammering looking at them.
The plan has been for 6 months or more that I move to her to close the distance. Initially I was scared, I had never wanted to move away from my family before and had never taken that big of a risk before. We discussed at length who moves where and both agreed it would be best if I moved there due to a variety of factors.
Life got in the way, I had a couple old junky vehicles that needed attention and money and spent a couple months like crazy after work working on them with my brother. The amount of frustration and guilt I had for not moving in with her tomorrow was insane. We talked about it several times and agreed that it was for the best that I get all my ducks in a row before I move, as coming back home every weekend for however long it takes to square up my life would make both of our lives harder when it would already be challenging initially living together and have me acclimate to her area.
I had several job offers in her area soon after dating. Most of them not a good idea. As an example I could work for a family friend who gets drunk on every job and can't pay his bills... so we agreed that I needed to figure out what I wanted to do for work for myself in a way that benefitted me.
About a month ago my mom and her friend came down to visit, all four of us stayed at airBnB close to gf's work and in the area in which we would move. It was a lot of fun. I felt something was off in gf. The morning before mom, friend, and I were to leave I looked at gf's phone and had found she posted on reddit about us but the post was deleted so I didn't see much. I felt betrayed. She had become distant and wasn't talking to me much and she'd rather talk to strangers instead of me? I confronted her about it and a fight ensued.
So I decided to stay another couple days with her to work on ourselves, I helped her at work for a half a day (something I've done several times that everyone enjoys), we went back to her place and she got super drunk. Told me she felt like her life is falling apart and she's not happy. I held her while she cried, listened, and told her I'd be there for her rain or shine always. At one point she stood up... barely and she got a look in her eyes combined with her body language where I was near certain she was going to hit me (been here before in the past with others). It scared the shit out of me.
I left in the afternoon the next day after she told me I was her person, and she was laying in bed crying uncontrollably. It was so hard to leave but I had thought it would be better for her if I did.
For a couple weeks all communication on her end dropped. We used to talk all the time, and I was lucky to get an "I love you" once a day. I begged her to talk to me and not give up on us. The only times we talked she had clearly been drinking and said some truly horrible things about me. Character assassination repeatedly, I told her in confidence previously about some deep dark secrets I have and insecurities and she used then against me to tear my soul apart. I was devastated, I thought of leaving her then, but I didn't because I still loved her and she had been a great partner up until this point. She had stopped going to work, did not work for two weeks. From what I gather she spent most of that time at her mom's probably drinking and not doing much else.
One weekend we were supposed to go to a family wedding on my side, lots of people coming from out of town who are huge in my life I don't get to see often at all. A day or two before she told me she wasn't coming, and the thought of being with me and talking to me riddled her with anxiety. I spent that weekend surrounded by beautiful strangers and happy times and it was hard for me to quell the thoughts about "the grass is always greener". At one point an attractive woman was talking to me briefly at a bar after the wedding, playing with her hair etc. It was clear she was into me. It felt good to have someone give me the time of day but I felt terrible for putting on an impression that I was available and happy.
Then this weekend (memorial day weekend)... oh God. Gf and I had plans to go to a concert, stay at a hotel. I told her I said I don't want to go to a concert with you and your sister and spend money and pretend everything is fine when it most definitely isn't. She told me that was selfish because her sister was looking forward to it. So I begrudgingly agreed to continue with the concert.
We saw eachother for the first time in three weeks and right away I sensed the guilt from her for being cruel to me. I tried to point it out and she denied it, she was a lot more physically attentive with me and giving me compliments. The first night we were alone and it was hard but I think we undid some of the damage and reconnected a lot. I think we were both happy about the progress but sad at what we had become.
Concert was the next day, it was great, again she's attentive and amazing like the woman I fell in love with. My hopes had reactivated for us a little and my smile was genuine instead of forced.
Her mom had texted us Sunday (the next day, clarification gf lives with mom so I stay there when I visit) and had said to try to not be at the house all day since the house had many people in it already. Okay, makes sense. We occupied our time doing other things, and drove back to her mom's around 8 or 9p.
On the way there, one of my brother's (E) calls me and asked if I had heard what had happened to my other brother (B). I had said no, I hadn't heard I had assumed he had got the job he was looking at. E tells me B's apartment building collapsed. B was safe, but lucky to be alive realistically. B had lost everything he's ever had, he escaped with the clothes he had on and his phone, he didn't even have his wallet.
I'm dissasociating as I'm hearing all of this, driving gf and me back to gf's mom's house. Our relationship is dying, and I get the feeling that her mom isn't happy with me. We get to her mom's house and her mom and aunt (who is currently living there, I've seen her only twice) are drinking on the porch and want gf and me to come out and talk to them. Was a demand not a request. I don't know how long this went on, best guess is 1-1.5 hours but they berated me, were drawing wild ass conclusions about me, you name it, really weird, scary and hurtful things. I didn't bother to try to defend myself because there was no point. Gf sat there quietly and agreed with them partially. I felt so betrayed, hurt and alone, she didn't stand up for me. I asked her if she would speak to her mother or my behalf and she said she wouldn't. I found out I'm no longer welcome at the house, complicating our relationship further.
Memorial day the next day, I hadn't even really slept, no shower, I left gf's mom's house at 5a when I knew no one would be there and waited at a truck stop for hours for my gf to wake up and come talk to me. Eventually she did, and I told her my respect and trust for her mom was in the sewer and I was afraid her crazy ass alcoholic mother was twisting my gf's opinion of me over the last month. I told her I don't know how you can do it but please get out of that house soon. Between B losing everything he owns and the verbal assault I had last night I was in a very dark place. Later that day, completely dead inside with no sleep we made it to her dad's side of the family where everyone appreciates me and loves me. We had fun in the backyard, I did my best to try to forget about B and last night but I couldn't. I went inside at some point to pee and I snapped. I found my gf in the backyard and announced in front of her family that I had to go home immediately.
As she was driving me back to her car I reminded her about how I had been to the hospital for her brother several times and how I would like the same respect for myself. This frustrated her. I said I think now is the time we agree to go to therapy and she did agree, however I felt she didn't want to.
I've been working like a dog this week sweating my ass off, hadn't heard much from gf at all, last night I asked when can we talk again? She said today after work. I woke up this morning and I knew I couldn't take it anymore. I knew in my heart I have always supported her and loved her deeply. I knew all the sacrifices I already made and all the sacrifices I would continue to make in the future with my moving to her, and how she still would refuse to give me the proper recognition and reciprocation I deserve.
I broke up with her this morning. I'm hoping to meet halfway this weekend to exchange our stuff. I'm also hoping she'll do some self work and come back to me before I move on for good, I told her my door will be open to her for a while but I don't know how long.
Moral of the story- changing for people is good if it's good, sacrificing for people is good if it's good, loving people is good if it's good. If the person you are with refuses to communicate and reciprocate, it's not your fault. We make our own choices. Please be smarter than me and take care of yourselves.

^{There is a Tl;dr at the end}
If the Gorosei (or The Five Elder Stars) are fighters or not has been a long running debate in the community; a debate that Chapter 1085 seemingly just ended - they are. However, the latest Chapter didn’t just simply confirm they are fighters.
https://preview.redd.it/3cxs1xx2fn3b1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=799b5dcc1ddff4acbd5710910d8a144d3babbdd7
While initially there seems to be a bit of a bait-and-switch going on with the panel of Gorosei all grabbing the classic flint-lock pistols seemingly indicating that they indeed are just politicians, we are soon greeted with a panel that not only confirms their fighter status but also elevates it to another level.
https://preview.redd.it/lu0p2ad4fn3b1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=e3a1401eb3ec7b6b16f1fb6af957d87c813ea583

God Hand

It’s hard to put into words the feeling I had while seeing this reveal happen; as someone who has recently started to read Berserk (at Volume 6, Don’t Spoil!), the best way I can describe it is to compare it to the reveal of/the first time we see God Hand.
https://preview.redd.it/lvi0z4u4fn3b1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=b3b5eeb4f5eec3bb4ab9d7f5285108292744b98e
I know it might be silly to compare the generally goofy Manga (with serious topics) like One Piece to such a graphic, heavy and brutal story that is Berserk, but the general feeling evoked in me by these two scenes was the same. Oda is known for his silhouettes, often obscuring what the person looks like, but the way he drew the Gorosei in their “silhouette forms” feels different than usual; you can go back and compare it to how he drew his older work to see the difference. It is way closer to how he drew Kanjuro in his “vengeful spirit” (Kazenbo) form.
https://preview.redd.it/mrtjtpb5fn3b1.png?width=938&format=png&auto=webp&s=62256d244c32b1254fb7a08cec791acad78a3b89
They feel ethereal, amorphous and other-worldly. They feel as if The Void itself is shedding its human form; as if the silhouettes we see them in ARE their true forms. This feeling is only amplified when you add Immu into the mix. The translator’s note notes that “Mu”, the way Immu refers to themselves stands for “Void” and you see that in the many panels they appear in.
https://preview.redd.it/11t7q1u5fn3b1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff6ab14ad165734dad14d1f3fad033ac256b9329
This shot of Immu from above gives us the best example of what I’m talking about; Immu doesn’t feel like a silhouette but rather as dark matter enveloping the chair it sits in. And let’s not forget the “arrows” it uses to attack Sabo and Cobra; it’s very reminiscent of Pride, a Homunculus from the Full-metal Alchemist series and another ethereal being.
https://preview.redd.it/hntyf2k6fn3b1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb460163c1eb45d200e305cc201bc714a92c14b0
I can only imagine the powerful Devil Fruits that they have… if they even have any…

A New Power

It’s hard to imagine these forms to be a result of any other power than Devil Fruits, it’s the primary power system of the series for the past 1000+ Chapters after all, but it wouldn’t be the first time the series threw a new power into the mix.
https://preview.redd.it/oeo7k637fn3b1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=60b60825420e49320eb569135eed686e836c55a5
Haki started to make its first appearances after around 550 Chapters and for the most part after its introduction it has been a staple of Luffy’s (and others) power-up throughout the New World. Well, we are yet again approaching that 550 Chapters milestone and it’s very likely we get another new power introduced into the mix; or rather, a power of the past.
It hasn’t been something that’s been discussed a lot lately (or at all), but we already saw glimpses of new and unexplained abilities; Voice of All Things being one of them as well whatever Luffy used to communicate with everyone while he was drowning.
https://preview.redd.it/w0tmg6r7fn3b1.png?width=882&format=png&auto=webp&s=767e50f615bcfa2292557228c99a275c00d82cca
I personally have long been a proponent of the idea that everything in the story, ability or phenomenon, could be explained with science, even the Devil Fruits, but in the light of recent events I’ve started to become a believer…I’ve started to believe in a mythical side of One Piece. The Sun God Nika, The Voice of All Things, and now Immu and Gorosei, all of these things scream “magic” to me with the way they are portrayed and I’m kind of wishing that’s the case.
https://preview.redd.it/vrm35p78fn3b1.png?width=681&format=png&auto=webp&s=9f086212f16709d93a91c784c658b47163d401ec
Now, to take Sabo’s words here literally would be silly. However, whatever he saw clearly was “hellish” and inhuman. Just look at the way Wapol reacted to it; if it was something as simple as few Zoan users then I don’t think Wapol would be so scared (we are talking about a man who ate his subordinates to create this monstrosity) or that Sabo would call it “Hell”.
Seriously, this man was so mortified he just ran without even caring where he was heading towards
I’m not suggesting the Gorosei and Immu are quite literally Demons from Hell but I’m not saying they are far from it either. This whole reveal feels like something out of classic horror movies where Vampires (or another thing) take on human form pretending to be regular humans just for the protagonist to discover their true identity; and I don’t think what we’ll get will be far from it.
https://preview.redd.it/z6176bgdfn3b1.png?width=833&format=png&auto=webp&s=6c2b27eec9682d4332fcd488129d5810fee11feb
We know all kind of different races exist, we know there are space pirates and we know Skypeans came from the Moon so why can’t the Gorosei and Immu be something other than human? Maybe the reason why Devil Fruits were made WAS to combat these creatures…

What Are They

Just to make it clear, I’m not saying that Immu and/or the Gorosei are actually amorphous blobs of darkness, that would be pretty uninspiring character design, nor am I saying the powers they have are strictly result of something other than Devil Fruits. The Devil Fruits are still a massive part of the Universe and it’s very likely that the powers they have comes from them. What I am saying is that Immu and the Gorosei are not human… probably…
https://preview.redd.it/zv3w9q5efn3b1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=6149a6622bee770e94e46df53a5a69ada746a235
The origin of Celestial Dragons has often been brought into question before. Many theories were made discussing the “Celestial” part of their name and bringing attention to the “space suits” and “space helmets” they are wearing. There seems to be even more “space imagery” with the name of one of the Gorosei being Saturn (you know, a Celestial body), which undoubtedly means the other ones will also have planet-themed names, as well as what seems to be a Constellation on the Empty Throne on which Immu sits.
https://preview.redd.it/9dusq5qefn3b1.png?width=661&format=png&auto=webp&s=fdd995d1dc3b58a9465af2194cb4bcaad4b8ac49
Shonen, or any long running story in general, have to constantly up the stakes and make new reveals/twists that would keep the readers engaged. Again, I keep saying things sound silly but trust me, there is a reason why so many stories do this; it’s been proven to work. Look no further than One Piece itself:

• What happens when Paramecia Devil Fruits run their course; you introduce insanely powerful Logia Devil Fruits.
• What happens when Logia Devil Fruits become too powerful; you introduce Haki, an ability meant to counter them.
• What happens when Logia Devil Fruits become “obsolete” due to the aforementioned Haki power; you introduce Awakenings and Mythical Zoans.

But what happens when those things become obsolete as well? What comes next?
https://preview.redd.it/275afcvffn3b1.png?width=945&format=png&auto=webp&s=71193bace9685099c7d2c10a20dbf3fa456f190c
That’s right; ALIENS!
Just look at the most popular Shonen, Dragon Ball (and also Naruto). When Goku defeated the Demon Lord Piccolo and became the World Martial Arts Championship (Strongest Under The Heavens), Toriyama introduced Saiyans and with them the idea of Aliens. Suddenly, Piccolo wasn’t a Demon anymore but rather a member of alien race and suddenly, a whole new arena for Goku to fight in was opened. We know Oda is a big fan of Toriyama and his work he even went on the record to cite Goku as an inspiration for Luffy, and One Piece as it currently is lends itself to this idea quite a bit.
https://preview.redd.it/8cgd0efgfn3b1.png?width=817&format=png&auto=webp&s=d5d79fce208dc681f39bc8037001e776fc8c93cc
We have an unexplained advanced civilization of 900 years ago that had the technology more advanced than even the current time, we have the aforementioned Skypieans that came from the Moon, those who rule the World by the name of Celestial Dragons, Immu and Gorosei with their otherworldly appearance and the giant death weapon that can destroy Islands. All of this could be connected and answered with a single idea – visitors from space.
The advanced civilization (Ancient Kingdome) would be the result of alien settlers who Immu and the Gorosei would be a part of, explaining their appearance and advanced technology. You know how Zoan users when transformed into their animal take on the characteristic of their human form into the mix? The forms we see the Gorosei would be the result of that.
The Dragon Fruit is the best example of this as we have two users of the “same\" Fruit. You can see Kaido’s Dragon form has his “Oni” horns while Momo doesn’t have any of that.
The Celestial Dragons, like Doflamingo and his family, would be just the regular humans, rulers of the 20 Kingdoms that Immu got on their side to wage War against the Ancient Kingdom, against which they rebelled, promising them the same status of the Celestial Dragons (that's why they wear "space suits" while Gorsoei don't); and the giant flying thing that we can see destroying Lulusia Kingdom might just be the spaceship they came on (like the ships that Skypieans used to come from space).
https://preview.redd.it/cpk3ta2pfn3b1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ade1bdc578951183fa868f2b7030ae40b3da2c7
Are Aliens too off-brand for One Piece? Maybe, maybe not. After all, this is a story about Pirates, on a ship, exploring the vast World of One Piece and what is better to be explored than the vastness of Space - the Final Frontier...

Tl;dr

Judging by how the things in Chapter 1085 were portrayed, I highly doubt Gorosei and Immu are simple Devil Fruit users. The comments from Sabo about "Hell", the amorphous appearance of the Gorosei as well as Wapol's scared reaction seem to indicate there is more to it. I think that Oda is about to introduce a new aspect of the story with Immu and Gorosei not being of this world...

this critique is a bit long, pls read through if you have the time and patience. keep in mind this review is coming from a person who almost never gets angry and is not at all hot headed. thank you.
where to start with this. i don't think i've hated any character, book/tv, as much as i hate alex volkov. i don't adore twisted love or anything but at least i consider it ok. but oh my god, this male protagonist ruined the book for me. i liked ava chen, pretty avg female protagonist but likable imo, my favorite part ab the book was probably her backstory. now alex, i hated him with a passion since he made his entrance in the book. look i get it, he's the everyday love interest. the cold, arrogant, unfeeling, traumatised guy people fall in love with. so i do sometimes, but this was just so badly written. he felt like a 15 y/o writing ab her dream man on tumblr.
all in all what pissed me off ab alex volkov:
he's an arrogant piece of shit. no, not the lovable kind, the other one. if he wants something, he must have it; no exceptions. the feeling that i got from the beginning of their love story, and only strengthend over the course of book, was that he felt that ava was something for him to have. not someone, something. no one else could look in her direction, let alone have her once he set his eyes on her. he took all her decisions for her as if she wasn't a grown ass woman living just fine before he came along. a line by jules would sum this up perfectly in one of the most infuriating scenes of the book, "ava has her own life, and she's not a dog. she doesn't have to jump every time you say fetch."
specific parts that rly rly pissed me off ab alex volkov:
ava's boudoir shoot.
now this chapter. this chapter infuriated me so much i threw the book across the room & had to take a cold shower. the audacity of alex in this chapter, i couldn't digest. from getting worked up bc a woman is not answering your text to threatening another man who did nothing wrong to forcing his decision on her, this chapter had it all. the scene was of a boudoir shoot, something which is very much a thing in photography. ava is an adult woman who completely consented to this. the man was covering her face when posting/adding it to his portfolio. everything is absolutely ok. but no alex has to intervene. why? bc she's under his "protection" which is a guise for control. her brother too was overprotective but nothing like this. he made her, forced her to leave. and the line that infuriated me the most was "i'm doing this for your own good" like he always knows what's best for her, keeping in mind he constantly critiqued himself on how flawed he was and ended up pushing ava away for the same reason.
the london arc.
now this arc, had everything from stalking to fucking threatening.
i would have absolutely been happy if ana huang had ended this book with ava finding happiness and peace in london (coming from a person who loves romance and happy endings) bc the ending that i got from this book i hated. ava clearly is healing months after alex's "betrayal", which i'm not even going to touch on bc that was the most basic plotline ever played out in a romance book. she switched to london, is having fun with new friends, going out, working, clearly taking time for herself. but we can't have that can we? bc god forbid a woman actually heal and not go back to a relationship that was more toxic than a vat of acid. alex appears and completely flips ava's life upside down, again. let's not even go into the whole having her constantly followed by someone thing. if that's what passes for romance i must've been fucking blind all this time. alex appears and does not leave her alone even when that is what ava clearly wants. he stalks her constantly 24/7, does not let her properly interact with any man even though they are nothing at that point, ava is single. he tries to win her over with every material thing possible, not leaving it be, against her wishes. he is where she is, against her wishes. he threatens her against going for any other man even though she has no obligation to obey, against her wishes. and the end, one year later, she just?? accepts him?? that's it just like that. he just kept doing all this for a year and she took him back.
this sets the horrible example, that is already implanted into the minds of many, especially boys, that if a woman says no she actually means yes. that if a woman says no on the first or second try, keeping on trying and trying and annoy her into accepting you and don't let her make decisions out of her own free will.
the beginning of the four book series and i'm already turned against it. i rly wanted to like this book bc it's all over my socials but this character was just so bad.
alex volkov is the epitome of a man that should never be idolised & if you are, pls rethink your decisions.
ps ty for letting me vent 💗

My mom wasn’t as bad as a lot in this sub, which makes me feel like my experience was not as legitimate but that’s a story for another day. But she still 100% did a lot of covert/ non contact SA and also would grope me and try to play it off like an accident. I was pregnant the last time she did it and my hormones sent me in to a full on rage and I finally got the courage to go NC. It’s been almost a full year now. Up until recently I still had a relationship with my father. But little by little he’s been distancing himself from me. My entire life my mother has been extremely manipulative, like psychopath level. She would do and say anything to get her way, or to get people to think the way she wanted about people. She’s also very good at twisting situations to make herself the victim, which she somehow was able to do with my father despite me explaining everything to him. She somehow got away with everything by saying that “I’m lying and I’m crazy and she didn’t do any of that.” Good one. I suspect she has poisoned his mind, because I’ve been hearing less and less from him. In the past he would always answer the phone or call me/text me back. But he has been flat out ignoring me lately and nothing happened between us beside him continuing to try to get me to reconcile with my mother (who for the record has not tried to apologize, do better, anything. She’s only made the situation worse and done weird shit like message my abusive ex and threaten to have my daughter taken away since then.) I’m not sure what to do or how to think about this situation. I just know I’m hurt

About me: My name is Alex. Writing and literature have been key passions of mine for about as long as I can remember, and I've been doing roleplay in various forms since I was 12. Proper DND is something I have only recently gotten into, but it fascinates me immensely, and I figured it would be fun to spend more time on it and test my worldbuilding by hosting a campaign. This is my first time properly GMing, so feedback is welcome and I intend to actively communicate with the individual players to understand what they want from the campaign, particularly before it starts. Ultimately, there are a few things I seek with this campaign; an enjoyable community, an engaging story with interesting characters, and to put my creative ability to the test. As such, this campaign will include quite a lot of homebrew content.
It's worth noting that due to my limited experience as a GM and personal preferences, this will be roleplay-heavy. Combat will still be an element, of course, but the story and your characters will be the focus of the campaign.
Introduction to the setting: The Lonely Isles, are, as the name implies, a collection of large islands. The "Lonely" part of the name stems from the considerable distance between them, which has hampered travel for centuries. Consequently, there are significant contrasts between the cultures of each island, and though they seldom wage open war, their diplomatic relations are tense. Yet, cataclysm is on the horizon. The contemptible Horsemen have emerged, mockeries of true divinity who seek to twist the world to suit their cruel philosophies. Pestilence. Famine. War. Death. Should they continue unhindered, the world shall suffer for decades to come, only to meet a ruinous end. From the heart of the nation of Cheisle, an uncanny figure going by the title of "The Apostate" has sent out a request for adventurers and warriors to meet with him, promising grand rewards for the undertaking of a quest. One may doubt the veracity of such a claim, yet the royal seal of King Elsner accompanies every letter and poster...
Our campaign will begin in Bellinburg, capital of Cheisle and seat of its reigning King, Karl Elsner. While often considered the greatest of the Isles, Cheisle faces internal turmoil. It's a comparatively safe location for the early stages of the campaign, yet far from a paradise. How much time you spend here is largely up to you; I will not be railroading you, the players are free to choose their own paths, though I won't let player decisions screw over the plot completely. Religion and gods will feature prominently in this campaign; while you won't be fighting deities with any frequency, they are very much real in this world, and their influence is tangible.
Party information: As of right now, I have no players, this marks the start of recruitment. I'm looking for 4-6 players, though I might increase that to 8 at most if I get particularly good candidates. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned veteran, you'll be welcome; My main expectations are good roleplay skills, decent availability, and that you're a pleasant person to hang out with. I'll be working closely with the individual players, as well as the party as a whole, ahead of session 1 to chart out some of the specifics of the campaign - While I have the world and plot finished, the overall tone of the campaign, general rules and expectations, boundaries, and the proper integration of your characters into the setting will be done collaboratively. I don't plan to have this be a super serious campaign, lighthearted elements will be allowed, but I don't want characters running around murdering everyone for fun.
Platforms: We'll be using Discord for the most part, with D&D beyond as a supplement for utility. Progression will be milestone-based, coins won't be weighed, and arrows won't be counted. It's worth noting that I don't currently have any purchased sources, though I'll get them as needed. There will be a dice bot integrated into the Discord server. Whether we use voice calls and do dedicated sessions for the campaign or use text for the added flexibility and roleplay potential is up to the players. The latter would permit for a more continuous format as well, and be useful for keeping track of things. Combining the two is also an option.
Schedule: To be determined, and largely hinges on whether we employ voice calls or just use text. I'm European with a pretty flexible sleep schedule, so the exact times for sessions (if we do them) will depend on player availability, though we won't adjust whatever we end up with by *too* much. As for the frequency of sessions, I'm willing to do 2 a week at most, though I'm aiming for 1 a week.
What this campaign has to offer: First and foremost, a wholly original and extensive setting. A custom world map, lore, accompanying art, it's a fully-fledged homebrew world. Common DnD elements such as base monsters and races will still be included, of course, but the story and setting are unique, and quite good according to preliminary feedback.
The players will also have a significant say in how the campaign progresses, and a great deal of liberty to choose their paths. You may end up a lowly wretch seeking only wealth and power, or a nearly divine hero protecting the world from catastrophe simply because they believe it to be the right choice. There will also be active communication with the individual players as necessary - I'll help you make sure your character fits into the world seamlessly, coordinate key events pertaining to them with you, and generally do my very best to ensure everyone is enjoying themselves.
And while I can't promise it'll bear fruit right now, I do hope bonds will be forged beyond the campaign. We may start out as strangers, but playing DnD with people you call friends is a desirable outcome.
Still here? Thank you for reading all of that. It doesn't cover everything, but we can get to the rest once a proper party has been formed. If this appeals to you, you may utilize this form to register your interest. You'll be contacted within a few days, you may reach out to me if you have questions. https://forms.gle/gmdj97Us87QvyViYA

Introduction

As we all know, due to the current political climate, India (or, more accurately, bootlicking directors) have been producing some dreadful propaganda films, the most recent example being "The Kerala Story."
Capitalists have always relied on nationalism, which is not surprising, and conveniently shows only a selective history with a twisted narrative.
The following are historical events that deserve to be made into films, which right-wing cucks will obviously lose their shit over. I'll also explain why these events deserve to be made into a film.

Maratha Massacre of Bengal (1741-1751): Atrocities of Maratha Army in Bengal

The Marathas invaded Bengal six times from August 1741 to May 1751, resulting in heavy civilian casualties and widespread economic losses. The invasions came to an end with the signing of a peace treaty between the Maratha Empire and the Nawab of Bengal, which established a Maratha-supported governor in Orissa under nominal control of the Nawab of Bengal. During their occupation, the Marathas perpetrated a massacre against the local population, killing close to 400,000 people in Bengal and Bihar. The Nawab of Bengal became a tributary to the Marathas, with the former agreeing to pay Rs. 1.2 millions of tribute annually as the Chauth of Bengal and Bihar, and the Marathas agreed not to invade Bengal again.
Some of the atrocities they committed in Bengal (Gathered from various sources) -

• Heads of the civilians were cut off.
• They were put in the water tanks and were died due to suffocation.
• They were forced for money.
• From the fear of Marathas cruel activities, a 5 km long ditch was digged in Bengal to avoid the invasion. Marathas were called as bargi there.

Why is this event worthy of a film? - We've had enough of so-called righteous Hindu kings' whitewashing and glorification; the dark side needs to be shown to show that all kings were the same and did the same thing - protected their power and expanded their kingdom, and I'm pretty sure ghatis will not allow such a film to be made lol.

The First Cabinet Plan (1946): The Last Attempt to Keep India United

The mission proposed a complex system for India with three tiers: the provinces, provincial groupings and the Centre. The center's power was to be confined to foreign affairs, defense, currency and communications, while the provinces would keep all other powers and were allowed to establish three groups. The main characteristic of the plan was the grouping of provinces, with two groups consisting of the mainly-Muslim western and eastern provinces, and the third group consisting of the mostly-Hindu areas in the south and the Centre. Princely States would retain all subjects and powers other than those ceded to the Union.
The British and Congress wanted to maintain Indian unity while providing Jinnah with the substance of Pakistan. Jinnah wanted a large Pakistan, which would avert the North-Eastern Pakistan without the mostly non-Muslim districts in Bengal and Punjab being partitioned away. The Muslim League's Council accepted the mission's proposals on 6 June 1946, but the onus was now on Congress. Jinnah disagreed and saw the grouping plan as mandatory. Nehru's speech on 10 July 1946 rejected the idea that the provinces would be obliged to join a group and stated that the Congress was neither bound nor committed to the plan, squashing the mission's plan and the chance to keep India united.
Why is this event worthy of a film? - I have only summarized the details from various sources; I have read the plan thoroughly. There were many events and dramas that occurred before and after the plan's proposal, creating a nice political drama.

Operation Vijay (1961): The Annexation of Goa

'Goa Liberation Day' is celebrated on December 19 to commemorate the state's liberation from Portuguese rule in 1961. As part of Operation Vijay, the Indian armed forces used the armed forces trifecta with the help of local resistance movements to eradicate European rule from the country. Goa had been under Portuguese rule for roughly 450 years until India gained independence from the British in 1947. After being liberated from Portuguese rule, it joined India and received statehood from the government in 1987. Leaders such as Tristo de Bragança Cunha, celebrated as the father of Goan nationalism, founded the Goa National Congress at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in 1928.
In 1946, Ram Manohar Lohia led a historic rally in Goa that called for civil liberties and freedom, and eventual integration with India. Post-1947, Portugal refused to negotiate with independent India on the transfer of sovereignty of their Indian enclaves. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was keen that Goa should be integrated by diplomatic means. After Portugal became part of the US-led Western military alliance NATO in 1949, Goa too became part of the anti-Soviet alliance. The Indian government reacted sharply to an incident of firing on satyagrahis and snapped ties with Portugal.
Scholars have pointed out that as India aggressively championed the Non-Aligned Movement, decolonisation, and anti-imperialism, the continuation of colonial rule in Portugal became increasingly unsustainable. The Indian government declared that Goa should join India “either with full peace or with full use of force”, leading to Goa’s annexation by India.
Why is this event worthy of a film? - Only Military-centric event on the list, our so-called directors have been cashing in on 'pakistan bad' movies for a long time, but they are too spineless or cowardly to make a movie showing a European power (except the Brits) in a bad light, with Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway being an exception (though even this movie showed the typical indian khulca good narrative). Operation Vijay was one such event in which India triumphed (or invaded GOA? idk) over a colonial power, Portugal.

Sources

Maratha Invasion of Bengal
1946 Cabinet Mission to India
Annexation of Goa
Will create a Part 2 of this soon

Senate approves bill to avert national default, sending it to Biden’s desk

The Senate on Thursday night capped four months of contentious debate and voted to send a compromise bill to President Biden’s desk that extends the government’s borrowing authority until January of 2025 and staves off a potential default next week.
A large bipartisan majority of the Senate voted 63-36 to approve the bill, which passed the House on Wednesday night.
The approval came after the Senate clinched an agreement to conduct a series of amendment votes on Thursday night and move directly to final passage. The normally slow-moving chamber raced through a dozen votes in just over three hours.
“From the start, avoiding default has been our north star. The consequences of default would be catastrophic,” he said. “For all the ups and downs and twists and turns it took to get here, it is so good for this country that both parties have come together at last to avoid default.”
Senate Republican conservatives such as Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) joined Republican defense hawks such as Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in voting against the bill.
A total of 31 Republicans voted against the measure, including Senate Republican Conference Committee Chairman John Barrasso (Wyo.).
More at the link at the top of this post...
31 Republicans voted NO to raise the debt ceiling. That should tell anyone listening just how the GOP isn't interested in the financial stability of the US economy and continues the streak of...U.S. economic performance under Democratic Presidents is much better than Republican presidents

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.
Oh hello captain obvious and captain oblivious what are you two doing here?
It’s THAT time again? Oh okay, go at it!
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.
LFIL protests…
They were happening again.
He had expected this sooner rather than later, and it hurt to watch.
He knew, more than anyone that it wasn't going to work.
The Galactic Assembly was full of aliens, not humans. The things that impressed humanity, the things that got humanity's attention were the same sort of things that tended to scare the GA.
But of course, the average human couldn't have known that, and with their tendency to change creatures around them to become more human, the aliens with which they worked didn't see it either.
They were doing the right thing, but going about it the wrong way.
Still, that didn't stop his feelings of sadness and empathy for their plight.
Walking with Sunny, standing on the buddy pegs attached to her back, and examining the protest encampment around him, he couldn't help but be impressed by their bravery.
He knew for a fact that if he was in their shoes, he would be way more likely to hide, lie to everyone around him, and even himself.
But here they were out in the open, a shining beacon of defiance against the GA.
It was a difficult situation, of course he supported the GA wholeheartedly, and he always would, and with that support came an understanding.
But that didn't mean that he had to agree with them.
They were scared.
And people tend to lash out at things that scare them.
As it turns out, that seemed to be a common factor across the galaxy.
He reached down, hand caressing the tear gas canisters at his belt and the accompanying gas mask. He prayed, just PRAYED that he wouldn't have to use them, but how was he to know what would happen. When people got righteously angry about something they tended to act up, and when thrown into a group of like-minded people, the pack mentality was overwhelming.
He wanted everything to go well, he wanted them to make their point, to prove that they were the moral superiors, demonstrate to the GA that they weren't militant, and all they wanted was peace.
That was the sort of thing that would get across to the GA.
But with humans involved... He didn't really have much hope.
He glanced around at the assembled tents, looking for any sign of trouble.
He didn't see much, just the limp white flags, with the LFIL logo printed proudly on their front.
Still keeping an eye on his surroundings, he leaned against one of Sunny's shoulders.
"So, what do you think about this whole thing?"
Sunny turned her head to look at him, gold eyes and blue carapace glittering with the yellow sheen of the Rundi sky.
She shrugged, setting him a little off balance. She grabbed his feet to steady him as she continued up a small incline.
"It doesn't bother me, and I suppose I understand them."
"Oh?"
"Imagine finding someone you connect with, someone who understands you more than anyone ever has. Imagine a Drev finding the greatest warrior in the galaxy, and then... Just having to suffer knowing you can never be with them. Granted none of the other species ever would have considered it an option without the humans, but now.... It makes sense. You connect with someone well enough, then beyond that there isn't much you can do. And now the GA has prohibited that."
"I agree with you completely, but let me play devil's advocate for a moment. They aren't even the same species, without the same genetics. It wouldn't be physically possible to produce a viable offspring wouldn’t it?”
She turned her head to look at him.
"And how does it work for your brother David and his husband Jordan?"
He laughed,
"Ok, ok, poor question."
"Adoption is a relevant option. Plus, this is coming from the guy who lent his DNA to some alien."
"Arguably she stole it, but I get your point."
They turned another corner scanning the crowd,
"Hear me out though. Humans are... Well, you know how humans are. They need... uhhm uhhh you know…”
Adam got a little red,
”…Affection and intimacy... How does that even... Work?"
"Oh, I am sure some human has found a way, besides, humans and Drev aren't so different in that regard..."
He tilted his head to look at her,
"How the hell do you know that?”
"Got into a discussion with Krill. He thinks it's possible, though he would never tell you humans. He already thinks you do a ton of stupid stuff anyway."
”Oh really what is he expecting? I don’t think anyone from our crew would jump at the opportunity to do it with a Drev be it man or woman… Besides with all these tall as hell Drev males, human women wouldn’t have much fun either would they?”
”Considering males who would be interested, aren’t you good friends with Ramirez? Why don’t you ask him, maybe he knows someone?”
”Okay damn fair point… but the female argument still stays.”
”Krill did some research, I swear I never saw him so… done with humans. He looked like he would drink away his sorrow to forget everything… if his body could tolerate alcohol.”
”So what did he find out about humans this time?”
”After another particularly massive aggressive rant about how and I quote “shitting freaking goddamn incredibly punk-ass weird” you humans are, he said some weird words in a context I didn’t understand. So, do you know what a dragon is and can you tell me why it is so bad?”
”Hmm what… wait a second…”
”…”
”Oh shit…”
”So?”
"So uhmmm uhhh, let’s stop with humans and talk about Drev again okay? Don't you Drev guys have something like a mating season?”
"We did, but it was actually based on the magnetic fluctuation of our planet in time with the seasons. Now that we don't have that anymore, things are out of whack."
"Huh, I didn't know that."
"You never asked."
"Because that is a totally normal thing to ask someone. Hello, my name is Adam, and I am actually very curious about how... That stuff... works on your planet."
"That stuff, huh?"
He rolled his eyes,
"I was sheltered ok, give me a break."
They came to a stop at a crossroads, and Adam stepped down from her back and onto the dirt, tilting his head to listen, trying to detect any signs of a disturbance.
As of yet there was nothing.
He turned to the left, down another line of tents, passing into a more populated area of the protest encampment.
People wearing specially made clothing, with the LFIL logo, shirts, scarves, bandannas, jackets, hats etc. etc. walked about, openly with their alien companions, a few even brave enough to show overt affection towards each other.
A human hugging a Tesraki, while another stood on a box to kiss the cheek of their Drev partner.
"Now that, is something I couldn't do."
He said to Sunny, as they walked past.
"Kiss someone?"
"No, Kiss someone three to four feet taller than me. Way too much work."
"How do you know, maybe climbing up three feet would be worth it?”
Eyes followed them nervously as they walked past, their riot gear marking them as “the enemy”.
"I would rather not be in danger of twisting my ankle every time I wanted to show someone affection, thanks."
"You twist your ankle all the time anyway."
"That's my point. If I twist my ankle now, imagine what would happen if I had to do acrobatics on a regular basis."
They came to a halt as a group of protesters paraded in front of them holding up picket signs.
One of the protesters turned to glare at him,
"We aren't doing anything illegal!”
Adam held up his hands,
"I know. I'm just security to make sure no one gets hurt.”
The other human didn't seem convinced, angrily grabbing their alien companion around the waist before marching off.
The Tesraki looked uncomfortable, looking back at them apologetically.
Though Tesraki were generally cutthroat businessmen, they tended towards extreme submissiveness in relationships with humans.
Adam stepped through the gap left by the protesters and continued walking.
As they did, they early ran into a group of kids selling little white flags and bandannas.
They pulled to a halt, eyes widening in surprise and shock.
A young Tesraki pulled to a halt with them looking as if he was about to panic and run off.
However, the kid at the front's eyes widened and a big smile crossed his face,
“Holy shit! You, I know you!"
Adam smiled,
"You do now?"
"Yeah , yeah you're in that movie. You, you command the UNSC fleet."
For some reason, that exclamation calmed the other kids, and they squealed, shouting and asking for a picture. Of course, he was happy to oblige, posing with them for their pictures. Sunny stood to the side, happy to watch though she was dragged in for the next set of pictures once they realized who she was.
"What are you doing here?"
One of them asked, glancing down at his clothing. When she saw what he was wearing her smile was falling,
"You... aren't here to stop us, are you?"
Adam shook his head,
"No, of course not, protesting isn't illegal."
He motioned to Sunny with his other hand,
"Sunny and I are just here to make sure that you guys stay safe, and that no one gets hurt.”
Sunny nodded. One of the more skeptical looking teens looked up at him,
"How do we know you aren't here to stop us. You work for the GA after all."
Adam shrugged,
"I don't have much else to prove, other than my word."
The skeptic looked at them, a wicked smile appearing on her face,
"I know."
She reached into her cart and pulled out one of the bandannas,
"Wear this!”
It was clear she expected him to balk at the idea, but to her surprise, he smiled,
"Alright, sounds reasonable."
He held out his arm, and watched, still smiling as she tied it around his upper arm still glowering at him skeptically,
"Think you can spare one for my big friend?"
He patted Sunny on the arm.
That broke her skepticism, and she smiled openly, handing a second one over to him, which he tied around one of Sunny's upper arms.
He waved a goodbye to them, and stepped back up onto Sunny's back, walking away with her.
"That was nice of you."
He shrugged,
”Not really. I honestly agree with them. The GA has no right to tell them who they can and cannot be with. I know they have some reasons, but I feel like there is a better way of dealing with it."
Sunny hummed deep in her throat,
"Uh-huh, or you really just want a really tall girlfriend."
He sighed,
"Honestly I'd settle for any size girlfriend if I could just talk to her like a normal person without sticking my foot in my mouth. No Maverick and Dr. Katie do not count…"
"Your incompetence with women is acrobatic."
"I'm glad you're impressed.”
Together, they continued their slow circle around the encampment, drawing suspicious and confused eyes as they went. Sometimes they were recognized, and occasionally people would ask to take pictures with them, other times, they just wanted to talk.
The variety of people was... astounding.
A barely five foot human with a nine foot Drev.
A group of humans and a group of Tesraki.
A lawyer and a Finnari.
Two couples both as business partners with a Tesraki half.
They were young and old male-female, in all different pairings.
Old soldiers, and young students.
It was honestly quite stunning.
At one point they stopped off for water and ran into a massive bodybuilder with his Drev girlfriend, whose carapace at any other time would have marked her as ugly for a Drev.
At first Sunny felt bad for her, with her muddy brown carapace, mat without any shine.
The man turned and handed Adam some water.
”Here better stay hydrated brother!”
Adam raised the bottle,
"Thanks."
The man looked him over, eyeing the bandanna around his arm.
"Interesting accessories for a GA affiliate."
"You can work for someone and disagree with them."
The man laughed,
"I suppose that's true."
He greeted Sunny as well, who was trying not to stare at the other female Drev for too long, lest it seem like she was staring.
He motioned to the arm band,
"Supporter, or-"
His eyes flicked between Adam and Sunny.
"We're just here to make sure everyone stays safe."
Off to the side the mat Drev looked at Sunny,
"I'm sorry."
Sunny glanced over at her nervously,
"Sorry for what?"
"You must have been treated very poorly on Anum."
Sunny shuffled her feet awkwardly,
"I was alright I guess..."
"Regardless. I hope things work out for you. The Drev beauty standards are unfair, and things need to change."
Sunny wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to feel about that.
"They aren't so bad."
She ventured defensively.
"Then I am sure you are getting combat offers left and right with your coloring.”
Sunny went quiet again. She would have said this was passive aggressive, but the Drev didn't do passive aggressive, so was this just an open statement about how ugly she was? If that was the case, it kind of hurt.
"I have, because I am an experienced warrior."
Her voice was cold.
"Oh, so where is your partner?"
"I turned them down."
That seemed to surprise the female Drev.
Sunny felt her fists clench, but Adam placed a hand on her arm. She was quiet,
The two humans exchanged a look, the way that only humans can, speaking without actually saying anything.
”C’mon babe, lets look a little bit around and let these two be… It was nice meeting you brother! Also… good luck man…”
The human bodybuilder turned around, taking the Drev by one of her hands to lead her away.
Adam took Sunny by the arm and raised his water at the man,
"Uhm what? Huh anyway, good luck to you too?"
Before turning to walk away, the other Drev cut in at the last second.
"I hope you find a worthy battle partner."
Adam Squeezed Sunny's arm tighter, but she turned her head anyway snapping,
"I already have."
Before marching off without another word.
Adam was forced to scamper after her, his legs much shorter.
"Wow, wow, hold your horses!”
She finally slowed to a stop, still fuming.
"Who the hell does she think she is!?”
"Sunny-."
"Calling me ugly to my face!"
"Sunny-"
"I should have challenged her to a duel right then and there!"
"Sunny!?”*
She turned to look at him,
"What!?"
He climbed back up on her back, patting her shoulder,
"She was obviously just insecure and jealous. I mean come on, look at you, blue is the rarest color in the galaxy and most attractive for a Drev, and we all know that height is the least important attribute of Drev beauty standards. The better you can fight, the more you make up for it, besides it's not her fault that she can't accept someone as being valid unless they are in a pair."
Sunny grunted. He frowned,
"Speaking of which, coming from her it seems like a double standard. You fight with me, and I'm fucking awesome, so by default you have to be too."
"Wow Adam, you really know how to make a person feel better."
"I know."
[…]
They were crossing back to the other side of the encampment, when they ran into some familiar faces.
Ramirez and Maverick appeared from the crowd, waving the two of them down with greeting hands.
They pulled to a stop, and the commander motioned to the white bandanna on Ramirez's arm,
"Nice accessories."
"I like yours too."
"I didn't know you were a supporter?”
Ramirez laughed,
"Man I am a supporter of whatever the hell people want to do with themselves."
Off to his side Maverick had tied one of the white bandannas to her belt.
"And you?”
"Personally, I don't give a shit. I don't even think it should be an issue, but by banning it, the GA created a problem for themselves and took away the freedom of choice for these people. Even if I did disagree with what they are doing, I would still support their ability to make that choice for themselves."
She tugged on the bandanna,
"But hey, would I be wearing this otherwise?”
The commander nodded his head, surprised and pleased at his men for being so open minded, though he supposed it should make sense. They worked with aliens every day. Where others might have fostered a sense of fear based on unfamiliarity, they had experience.
"Let’s just hope this all goes over well tomorrow. I don't want to have to use any of this."
He motioned down to his gear.
The commander sighed.
"Isn't that like the catch 22 thing?”
Loyal to one side.
Sympathetic to the other.
Empathetic to both.
He would be relieved when it was finally fixed.
Though how he could help was beyond him.
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.

So I (15F) took a small pink water gun to school and it ended in chaos.
So it all started when I sprayed people at school just for fun. These things happen often and everybody things it’s funny and normally everybody participates. So I started with just throwing water at people walking by and they thought it was quite funny and some guys came up to me and asked to borrow my water gun so I allowed them to use my water gun if they gave it back and they agreed so they started throwing water at their friends and it was all fun and games. I got my water gun back and I decided to throw a bit of water on my frenemies because we always do this sort of thing were we annoy each other and we both find it funny (I’ve asked him many times if it’s okay and he always says that I don’t need to ask because he finds it quite funny when we do dumb stuff) so I throw a bit of water at and he went to the bathroom to get lots of paper and roll it into a ball and then decided to hold the ball under water and after that he came up to me while I was sitting down and he squashed the water ball all over my head and some of the water accidentally came on my friend that was sitting beside me and my friend got mad so I got mad because my friend got mad. We were about to throw more water at him until our teacher stopped us. After the lesson I sprayed him one last time as a sign of peace and he ran straight to the sink to get water so I ran up to the toilet and locked myself in together with my friend so he was standing outside the toilet while telling me to come out we KEEPT at this for about 5 minutes until our teacher stopped us and we came out and we all apologised while laughing our asses off. We walked away but when we looked behind us we saw him running after us with more water so we ran into another toilet and locked it. I opened the door again and he was outside and I told him that we should stop before we got into serious trouble and he agreed and we were about to walk out of the toilet until he threw water at my friend and she got so mad and she made a water ball. We went outside and chased him EVERYWHERE. So I cornered him I told him to apologise and he told me no so we KEEPT fighting until my friend came and threw water on him so he ran out because she was getting more water and I ran after him while shouting at him. My friend came and started calling his mum a whore and saying that his mum is the biggest whore around and he got quite mad and I noticed and I got my friend to go inside and she did. So I asked him if he was mad and honestly just trying to get him to apologise to my other friend. While we were talking my friend came up from behind and she threw a water ball him and he picked it up and threw it in her face and they were picking it up and throwing it in each others faces. This guy came up and was asking about what was happening and I was explaining but when I turned around I see my friend kicking him and I got the vibe that this was out of control so I broke them up but my friend was still holding his arm and the guy twisted his arm so that she let go but my friends hand accidentally got hurt and she got really sad and started crying so I took her inside after yelling at the guy. She told the teacher about what he did and after school I texted him asking him why he got so mad and he told me that he wasn’t mad at me because he found it funny until my friend got herself involved and I told him that I was a bit disappointed but I understood why he did it but I’m still on my friends side but I’m quite mad because he could of just expressed his emotions and told me instead. All the girls in our class took his side and got mad at me but he stood up for me and told them off however the girls are mad even though they didn’t even know what happened.

LESSON 153. In my defenselessness my safety lies.
You who feel threatened by this changing world, its twists of fortune and its bitter jests, its brief relationships and all the “gifts” it merely lends to take away again; attend this lesson well. The world provides no safety. It is rooted in attack, and all its “gifts” of seeming safety are illusory deceptions. It attacks, and then attacks again. No peace of mind is possible where danger threatens thus. The world gives rise but to defensiveness. For threat brings anger, anger makes attack seem reasonable, honestly provoked, and righteous in the name of self-defense. Yet is defensiveness a double threat. For it attests to weakness, and sets up a system of defense that cannot work. Now are the weak still further undermined, for there is treachery without and still a greater treachery within. The mind is now confused, and knows not where to turn to find escape from its imaginings.
It is as if a circle held it fast, wherein another circle bound it and another one in that, until escape no longer can be hoped for nor obtained. Attack, defense; defense, attack, become the circles of the hours and the days that bind the mind in heavy bands of steel with iron overlaid, returning but to start again. There seems to be no break nor ending in the ever-tightening grip of the imprisonment upon the mind.
Defenses are the costliest of all the prices which the ego would exact. In them lies madness in a form so grim that hope of sanity seems but to be an idle dream, beyond the possible. The sense of threat the world encourages is so much deeper, and so far beyond the frenzy and intensity of which you can conceive, that you have no idea of all the devastation it has wrought.
You are its slave. You know not what you do, in fear of it. You do not understand how much you have been made to sacrifice, who feel its iron grip upon your heart. You do not realize what you have done to sabotage the holy peace of God by your defensiveness. For you behold the Son of God as but a victim to attack by fantasies, by dreams, and by illusions he has made; yet helpless in their presence, needful only of defense by still more fantasies, and dreams by which illusions of his safety comfort him.
Defenselessness is strength. It testifies to recognition of the Christ in you. Perhaps you will recall the text maintains that choice is always made between Christ’s strength and your own weakness, seen apart from Him. Defenselessness can never be attacked, because it recognizes strength so great attack is folly, or a silly game a tired child might play, when he becomes too sleepy to remember what he wants.
Defensiveness is weakness. It proclaims you have denied the Christ and come to fear His Father’s anger. What can save you now from your delusion of an angry god, whose fearful image you believe you see at work in all the evils of the world? What but illusions could defend you now, when it is but illusions that you fight?
We will not play such childish games today. For our true purpose is to save the world, and we would not exchange for foolishness the endless joy our function offers us. We would not let our happiness slip by because a fragment of a senseless dream happened to cross our minds, and we mistook the figures in it for the Son of God; its tiny instant for eternity.
We look past dreams today, and recognize that we need no defense because we are created unassailable, without all thought or wish or dream in which attack has any meaning. Now we cannot fear, for we have left all fearful thoughts behind. And in defenselessness we stand secure, serenely certain of our safety now, sure of salvation; sure we will fulfill our chosen purpose, as our ministry extends its holy blessing through the world.
Be still a moment, and in silence think how holy is your purpose, how secure you rest, untouchable within its light. God’s ministers have chosen that the truth be with them. Who is holier than they? Who could be surer that his happiness is fully guaranteed? And who could be more mightily protected? What defense could possibly be needed by the ones who are among the chosen ones of God, by His election and their own as well?
It is the function of God’s ministers to help their brothers choose as they have done. God has elected all, but few have come to realize His Will is but their own. And while you fail to teach what you have learned, salvation waits and darkness holds the world in grim imprisonment. Nor will you learn that light has come to you, and your escape has been accomplished. For you will not see the light, until you offer it to all your brothers. As they take it from your hands, so will you recognize it as your own.
Salvation can be thought of as a game that happy children play. It was designed by One Who loves His children, and Who would replace their fearful toys with joyous games, which teach them that the game of fear is gone. His game instructs in happiness because there is no loser. Everyone who plays must win, and in his winning is the gain to everyone ensured. The game of fear is gladly laid aside, when children come to see the benefits salvation brings.
You who have played that you are lost to hope, abandoned by your Father, left alone in terror in a fearful world made mad by sin and guilt; be happy now. That game is over. Now a quiet time has come, in which we put away the toys of guilt, and lock our quaint and childish thoughts of sin forever from the pure and holy minds of Heaven’s children and the Son of God.
We pause but for a moment more, to play our final, happy game upon this earth. And then we go to take our rightful place where truth abides and games are meaningless. So is the story ended. Let this day bring the last chapter closer to the world, that everyone may learn the tale he reads of terrifying destiny, defeat of all his hopes, his pitiful defense against a vengeance he can not escape, is but his own deluded fantasy. God’s ministers have come to waken him from the dark dreams this story has evoked in his confused, bewildered memory of this distorted tale. God’s Son can smile at last, on learning that it is not true.
Today we practice in a form we will maintain for quite a while. We will begin each day by giving our attention to the daily thought as long as possible. Five minutes now becomes the least we give to preparation for a day in which salvation is the only goal we have. Ten would be better; fifteen better still. And as distraction ceases to arise to turn us from our purpose, we will find that half an hour is too short a time to spend with God. Nor will we willingly give less at night, in gratitude and joy.
Each hour adds to our increasing peace, as we remember to be faithful to the Will we share with God. At times, perhaps, a minute, even less, will be the most that we can offer as the hour strikes. Sometimes we will forget. At other times the business of the world will close on us, and we will be unable to withdraw a little while, and turn our thoughts to God.
Yet when we can, we will observe our trust as ministers of God, in hourly remembrance of our mission and His Love. And we will quietly sit by and wait on Him and listen to His Voice, and learn what He would have us do the hour that is yet to come; while thanking Him for all the gifts He gave us in the one gone by.
In time, with practice, you will never cease to think of Him, and hear His loving Voice guiding your footsteps into quiet ways, where you will walk in true defenselessness. For you will know that Heaven goes with you. Nor would you keep your mind away from Him a moment, even though your time is spent in offering salvation to the world. Think you He will not make this possible, for you who chose to carry out His plan for the salvation of the world and yours?
Today our theme is our defenselessness. We clothe ourselves in it, as we prepare to meet the day. We rise up strong in Christ, and let our weakness disappear, as we remember that His strength abides in us. We will remind ourselves that He remains beside us through the day, and never leaves our weakness unsupported by His strength. We call upon His strength each time we feel the threat of our defenses undermine our certainty of purpose. We will pause a moment, as He tells us, “I am here.”
Your practicing will now begin to take the earnestness of love, to help you keep your mind from wandering from its intent. Be not afraid nor timid. There can be no doubt that you will reach your final goal. The ministers of God can never fail, because the love and strength and peace that shine from them to all their brothers come from Him. These are His gifts to you. Defenselessness is all you need to give Him in return. You lay aside but what was never real, to look on Christ and see His sinlessness.

Ray Carpenter is a glass-half-full control freak who just wants the world to make sense. When the Warp suddenly descends on humanity, though, bizarre mental illnesses strike adults all over the globe and throw his life into chaos. Ray's mother becomes convinced that her right hand is a parasite, his wife is gripped by the notion that she's a corpse, and Ray himself is haunted by delusions that his loved ones are imposters.
As the adults grapple with madness, grotesque transformations alter the children. Ray's son develops strange bumps on his skin and an unsettling sixth sense, while his behavior grows increasingly incomprehensible and ever-more disturbing.
Ray struggles to hold onto his sanity and his family—but as the Warp twists reality, it may change them all into monsters.
Trigger warning: there's profanity, violence, and one scene with an attempted rape.
https://www.amazon.com/Warped-Brood-Kevin-Stadt-ebook/dp/B0C2SCTT8H/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=ZVHB4LJ73QW2&keywords=kevin+stadt&qid=1685694669&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C235&sr=1-1

TLDR: Long story short, my mom & dad cut me off four years ago when they found out that I’m trans. Sent me to a conversion therapist and then told me I wasn’t allowed to see my siblings or come home. Now they want to connect without apologizing. How can this be?
I’ve been hurting over this one for a while. What confuses me is that I think my parents are trying to have a relationship with me. I had blocked them on my phone for a few years, but unblocked my mom to fly home and pick up a few things from her house. My partner came with me and she was very kind to us then, but my sister tells me it’s fake. I’ve asked my mom a few times that if she wants to have a relationship with me, that I really need to know that she understands the harm from years ago and apologize. That hasn’t happened yet. She tries to check up on me every few months or so by text, and so does my dad. She gives my partner recipes. She even let us borrow her car once when we were in town.
She doesn’t use names for me at all (in front of me) or pronouns. Has never affirmed my gender that I know of, but my sister says that she has “accepted it” and my father has not. My dad still doesn’t look my partner in the eyes or speak directly to them, and deadnames me.
I know that my mom’s friends have treated their trans and queer kids slightly better because they are afraid of being “cut off” by their child in the way that I did to my mom.
I don’t know if she thinks that she has become an ally suddenly without addressing what has occurred in the past? It still really hurts me that my parents weren’t there for my uni graduation, I’m not allowed to see my brother and that she can pretend like nothing is wrong. I don’t think that I can go on interacting like this but I don’t know what to do. Are there any who understand what her perspective is? I really don’t know what she wants from me and I don’t think I can keep covering up my pain.
Oh and plot twist, I’m moving back to their city from the other side of the country with my partner.

Heart Signal 4 (하트시그널4) is finally here after 3 years.
Synopsis:

Cupid returns for a fresh assault on the hearts of a new group of romance-ready singletons. The group has never met before, but must live together in Signal House. The house rules encourage flirty behavior, but forbid housemates from directly telling anyone that they like them. Instead, they must express their feelings via text message. But there’s a twist: All texts to housemates are anonymous – meaning recipients have to guess who is trying to make a love connection with them.
Watching events unfurl in the house is a celebrity panel of love experts. These include returning romance fans Yoon Jong Shin, Kim Ea Na, and Lee Sang Min, all veterans of previous “Heart Signal” seasons. And joining this trio this time around is a fresh crop of star pundits, including OH MY GIRL member Mimi, Kang Seung Yoon of WINNER, and leading psychiatrist Kim Chong Gi.
This variety TV show series is the follow-up to 2017’s “Heart Signal.” A second series was released in 2018. And this was followed up with Season 3 in 2020.
“Heart Signal 4” is a 2023 South Korean reality TV/variety show that was produced by Park Cheol Hwan.

Cast

Lee Jumi (이 주미)
Kim Jiyoung (김 지영)
Kim Jimin (김 지민)
-
Shin Mingyu (신 민규)
Han Gyeore (한 겨레)
Yoo Jiwon (유 지원)
Lee Hushin (이 후신)

Panelists

Kim Eana
Lee Sangmin
Yoon Jongshin
Kang Seungyoon (from WINNER group)
Kim Mihyun or Mimi/미미 (from OMG group)
Kim Chonggi (psychiatrist)

Subtitles

Subtitles
Stream	Viki
Stream	KOCOWA
Stream	VIU Singapore
Stream	VIU Hong Kong

Around 9PM for English subs on Viki could be the consistent release schedule, so wait ~10-12 hours after the episode premieres (converting from Korean Standard Time, it's like 9:50AM every Friday, New York Time/Eastern Daylight Time), then the Viki volunteers should have the English/etc. subtitles available maybe before midnight or usually it's available the next day anyway, just like with other Viki shows.
Remember VIU (and KOCOWA/etc.) also has Heart Signal 4 but it seems sometimes they're delayed with the English subs or episode release.
For VIU access, you'll probably have to use VPNs set to Singapore/Southeast Asia to view their catalog.
Oh and Heart Signal 4 (and earlier seasons) is also apparently available on Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, et cetera, but as usual there's some region restrictions.
Accessing Kdramas, Korean variety shows, and so on (basically Viki, VIU, Disney+, Netflix, etc.): https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/10fpzhx/overall_thoughts_on_love_catcher_in_bali/j5cmhaw/ and https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/13bmtin/anyone_know_where_can_i_watch_the_below_korean/jjbtnuz/

Past Threads

Episode	Subreddit Thread
Episode 1	koreanvariety, heartsignal
Episode 2	koreanvariety, heartsignal

Heart Signal Youtube channel or 하트시그널 라비티비 channel: https://www.youtube.com/@channelA-heartsignal/videos
Heart Signal 4 teasers and clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFIYUdSkjiCAuWe006VqSTFfaE7rgIHNy
Heart Signal 4 production stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46UmvFNwi9Q
Heart Signal 4 Episode 1 commentary with Heart Signal 2 Jaeho and some other people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRuQmQUKLvQ
Heart Signal 4 Episode 2 commentary with Heart Signal 2 Youngjoo and Jaeho, and some other people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAFSWmQJkhk
Gaheun (Heart Signal 3 and Friends) and Jaeho with the Heart Signal 4 house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86F9hZ-7nxc
Jangmi (Heart Signal 2 and Friends) and Jaeho with the Heart Signal 4 house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAcupLirqOk
Heart Signal 4 Official BGM Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8djlZk6ZeM0
Heart Signal 4 Official BGM Playlist 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avMPSuhEqak
The Chinese version of Heart Signal (心动的信号) has an engaged couple now, don't click this link unless you finished Heart Signal 2 (心动的信号第二季), oh and it also talks about Terrace House marriages too: https://www.reddit.com/heartsignal/comments/13p3qqheart_signal_2_心动的信号,_Chinese/중국_version_couple/
Terrace House: Aloha State marriage now has pictures: https://www.reddit.com/terracehouse/comments/13sz4qe/the_aloha_state_ogs/
For Heart Signal, the original Korean version and some seasons of the Chinese version should be on Viki.
Season 2 of both the Korean and Chinese versions are considered the best, and now some people also really like the 5th season of the Chinese version. The upcoming 6th season of the Chinese version is being prepared at the moment, it might be out later this 2023 year or so.
Heart Signal 1 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/35675c-heart-signal
Heart Signal 2 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36949c-heart-signal-2
Heart Signal 3 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36950c-heart-signal-3
-
Heart Signal 1 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36228c-heart-signal-chinese-version
Heart Signal 2 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36654c-heart-signal-2-chinese-version
Heart Signal 5 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/38812c-heart-signal-5-chinese-version
With the Chinese version of Heart Signal, it's available on the WeTV/Tencent Video website (has English subs), and also their WeTV/Tencent Video channels on Youtube for free but without proper English subs.
Through the Tencent Video Youtube channel you'll have to use auto-translate from Chinese/Mandarin or maybe say Thai, Vietnamese, etc. So for English subs you have to check their own WeTV/Tencent Video/etc. website.
Viki has the 1st, 2nd, and 5th seasons of the Chinese version of Heart Signal, so you'll have to look for the 3rd (心动的信号S3) and 4th season (心动的信号S4) elsewhere. Like use auto-translate/etc. with the Youtube episodes, or check their actual WeTV/Tencent Video website.
Heart Signal 3 (Chinese Version), Episode 1 and playlist (has Thai and Vietnamese subtitles, use auto-translate to English/any desired language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywBixGNlkYs&list=PLMX26aiIvX5reBhNMq0rNZHoDa_aGblAs
Heart Signal 4 (Chinese Version), Episode 1 and playlist (these episodes on Youtube for the 4th season don't even have automatic captions/subtitles (no Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese/etc. subs either), so go on WeTV/Tencent Video's website or some places (like Bilibili, etc.) for other subtitles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWNF5cxAap0&list=PLb8w8KsDSK1wtxaCeyEAMXCHxsCYJLK4A

I was practising grey rocking last 2 weeks because I had reached my wits end with my narc partner. I started to understand more about how i have been abused for past 3 years while being totally unaware of how bad my situation has been.
Before things went south few weeks ago, he underwent a minor surgery without my knowledge and I got upset because he chose not to inform me because I couldn't attend his calls. And when I saw the missed calls and texted him about what those missed calls were about and genuinely raised my concerns, he said it was nothing and brushed it off. I later on thought that he was trying to hoover and gave up because I was not available to answer his calls.
Two days later, I learn from one of his friends about his surgery and I got furious for not even letting me know. When confronted, he twisted the story that he did not mention about the surgery because he wanted to go through it alone and did not want to bother me. (We were doing long distance for past couple of months and he expected me to be there with him. Which i would have if he had informed me. But knowing him, i am pretty sure he kept me in the dark just to spite me for not answering his calls on time. When asked, obviously, he denied it saying he wanted it to be a surprise when we meet the next time.)
I was very disheartened by the entire turn of events and shut my brains off. But he came hoovering back for attention because he wanted to share his post surgery ordeals and gather sympathy. And stupid me, i gave him attention, followed up everyday about his situation, his well being, etc etc.)
Once his family joined him a few days later, his attention for me reduced. He started to behave in his cocky manner, bringing up past problems and how everything was my fault, and everything. I like a fool try to reason the logic behind how I reacted to certain situations and justify my feelings but he made it all about himself. He did not bother acknowledging my side of emotions. And again, everything again was my fault.
I cut him off again, 3 days ago. And I have been PMSing very bad on top of everything. I haven't been able to control my emotions and have been feeling horrible. He called me the very next day, and I missed the call again because I was preparing dinner and when I texted him back he didn't respond. Scared of going back into the loop i resisted for couple of days. Until yesterday, I fell for it. I picked up the phone to call him. He answers and starts grey rocking me back. He just loves taking vengeance on everything against me, giving a taste of my own medicine for every little thing I do. So much so that, I started to realise, he doesn't have any original reactions to add to a situation. Everything is always a reaction filled with vengeance to hurt me. A subtle tactic, mind games, passive aggressive remarks, hint of sarcasm, a specific term I used against him will be used against me when the right moment comes but with totally out of context.
I called out his toxicity, he called ME toxic. It sounds so petty. I don't want to stuck in this trauma forever. How do I make myself stop from going back to get hurt?

So my boyfriend and I have been in a relationship for about 1.5yrs. We have arguments just about every day. For some context, i’m in full time classes for the summer and he is working full-time. We also both live at home (50min drive apart).Now, lots of our problems in the past have been about his trust issues with me. When I tell him I am having a girls night- immediate fight. He isn’t sympathetic at all and goes straight into an argument. This has been happening for a good couple months, i am so anxious to tell him when I want to hang with my friends as I know it will be a fight. Now when he does ‘let me go out’, he harasses my phone and expects a text every 5 minutes and my location. This is annoying as when I am with people, I avoid my phone for closer connections and to be respectful. He also has issues when I go to school. My day usually starts off with 3-4 phone calls at around 7-8am while I am still sleeping (and he knows I am sleeping), and then a few more around 10am when I leave for school. Most days I am running late and have no time to talk but he routinely gets angry when I don’t answer. I also have told him multiple times I am NOT a morning person, I do not want to be interacted with in the morning. I also have (i like to call it) chronic fatigue so I am completely exhausted even when I wake up- i do not want to talk! Now when I am at school he calls me immediately after my classes are over and once again, gets angry when I don’t answer. For instance after class yesterday I was chatting with classmates and thus didn’t get a chance to answer his call. (Although I did text saying I cannot talk this second). And that was an immediate argument, “why didnt you answer my first call”, “who are you with”, “what are you doing”, “ why cant you call???”, etc. This all is a daily occurrence. I feel like i can’t do my own thing at school as it seems every time i walk into a new building he needs to know. To add on to all of this, his family is quite religious and doesn’t let us do much in terms of relationship things. He has never slept over, never been allowed to go to my cottage with my family, never allowed to spontaneously go out. Now even if we go out alone and his mom/dad calls him, he will cut off my conversation and immediately pick up. Most of the time they request him home so he will drop whatever we were doing go home even if this was the only time seeing each other for a week+. Usually our plans don’t even get fulfilled as his parents change their minds and don’t like it anymore. I also might add he gets angry when I don’t want to come over because his family will twist my words, and not allow us to spend 1-1 time with each other at his house. Normally I drive 50 minutes to sit in his garage with his whole family. I dont get much free time so this is not how I want to spend it EVERY time. I dread going over. I also think this is where a lot of his way of thinking comes from. They must know where he is at all times, they track his phone, constantly call him and expect a pick up on the first call. I am just trying to enjoy life, I am 20 and I am having doubts if this is a normal relationship. He is generous towards me, loves me, cares about me, so I dont want to lose him. But I feel like normal relationship doesn’t go like this. And to clarify, I do not act in the same way. I don’t get mad when he goes out, I dont expect his location, I dont harass him. I dont check his phone. He has checked my messages multiple times when I left the room. Sorry for the long one, please send advice or ask for clarification if needed!!! I am so annoyed and need unbiased point of views. And I have talk to him about all of this but no change.

Welcome to the Akoot & Co Minecraft server!

A small-scale, semi-vanilla, SMP-like Minecraft server that is perhaps the finest Minecraft experience you will ever have.
Everything is designed to be a quality product for the low, low price of free!
There are tons of quality of life improvements, such as unlimited homes, no land claims (we rollback any griefs instead), a chat system that is thoroughly integrated into Discord (channel links!), a world map accessible via the World Wide Web, and many many neat things!

Features

• Discord Server (Discord + Minecraft integration)
• World Map (dynmap)
• Bedrock support (Geyser)
• Unlimited Homes
• No pesky land claims (Honor system + rollbacks)
• KeepInventory (soon to be optional per player!)
• Timed Ranks/Custom Titles
• Text Formatting (+Gradients!)
• Brewery (nothing game-breaking, just a treat!)
• Big boy ram and big boy processor (minimal lag)*

You get access to everything. No loot crates, no funny letter unscramble lottery nonsense, no tricks, only treats! You only pay to support development as well as the hosting but absolutely no pay-to-win bs.
Check out our build showcase!
More info: akoot.co/about // akoot.co/faq

Join Now!

No application required! Just launch the game and play!
IP: akoot.co
Version: 1.19.4
If you are using Bedrock*, use* IP: mc.akoot.co

Still very new to the divorce process, nothing has been filed yet, but wife is all about it. I am not wanting it, but nobody cares. As I naively fight it, I still want to hedge my bets.
For me personally, I make 3x the salary as her in the military, we have two kids, two properties since married (one is an out of state rental), and are in AZ. I am debt free, she has about $50k in student loans. I supported her through her Masters, she only started working about 9 months ago. Marriage is just under 5 years.
Please comment on or add to the list:

• Do NOT move out of our house, it can be seen as abandonment

- I took all my wine bottles and put it in a box in the garage, it's time to be sober. There's never been a problem, but I want to ensure nothing gets twisted.
- Do everything I can to get two signatures on a legal separation form.
- get the best lawyer first. an extra $10k now will pay off dividends over time.
- hit the gym and meditate. immediately be the guy I probably should have been a year ago.
- anything in email/text should be nothing but kindness and logical caring, and nothing committing anything. the words WILL be read by lawyers
- should i let her file first (although I've already been talking to lawyers) simply because the first costs more money?
Anything else?

Long story short, I have known her almost 18 years, she was around when my younger brother passed away in 2012 unexpectedly and I fell into a depression.
We started seeing each other in Jan 2019. I stayed at her place with the 2 kids she had previously, or she and the kids stayed with me.
Moved in together in August 26th, 2019.
Got engaged in Feb 2021, married on August 26th, 2022.
Feb 2022, she wasn't on her meds and lost her mind (her words) and she up and sold the house we were living in. House was in her name only. I went to live with my parents, she and the kids went to live with her mom and step-dad. We still talked during this time, she ended up buying a house in April 2022. About 2 weeks after moving in, she asked me to come stay for the week to house and dog sit while she, the kids and her high school best friend who is also one of my best friends. I stayed there and she told me through text while flying that we were in a sense, getting back together. She came back after the trip late at night and exhausted, told me that I could stay with her in bed, long as I knew nothing was going to happen.
​
Twist: During the break-up, she never canceled our wedding date with the venue and I mentioned to our mutual friend that I had hope that we were still going to be married. I was crazy and everyone told me that it wasn't going to work. While working on getting back together, we found out that if we weren't going to get married, we would have to come up with $5,000 that we didn't have at the time, or go ahead and get married. We ended up getting married. She wanted to get married before her grandma passed away, and her grandparents pretty much raised her due to her parents divorcing when she was young.
My wife has suffered from various forms of abuse and she has always told me that she is with me because I am the only man that would never hurt her and she knows I love her more than I love myself. She knows it upsets me that I hear about her past. She is on medication and says she has PTSD, depression and anxiety. I have depression and anxiety and I was not on medication for it until last week for my bad anxiety. She doesn't take her medication like she should and the medications she is on are pretty powerful drugs and when she doesn't take them, they cause horrible mood swings. After about 6 months of living with her, she started to develop depression as both of her grandparents health was starting to decline, upsetting her obviously. Every 4-6 weeks when she didn't take her medicine, she would 'lose it' and go off and I would get really upset and anxious myself which only makes it worse.
Well this past time when it got bad, she took out an EPO on me despite telling her half brother a month before this that the one thing she loves about me is that she knows I will never hurt her. I am pretty sure she just wanted me out of the house and used the EPO to do so. Being apart is ideal, I usually don't leave though trying to make it work just living in the basement for a bit. She would always threaten divorce when things didn't go her way, well this time she filed and then I am sure asked the lawyer how to get me out of the house and said that was the only way. I took an EPO out on her due to a grapefruit sized bruise she left on me when I asked to be left alone and I have pictures. She took an incident that happened and said I hurt her and all this, clearly lies and I know she doesn't have any bruises, I saw her naked that night.
She greatly exaggerates everything she says and does. EPO hearing resulted in them both being dropped (her lawyer offered to drop, probably due to the pictures I had of my bruise and she didn't have anything) but still wanted to divorce. In the 4-6 weeks, she had her medicine a total of maybe 10 days and it always causes issues.
I need to figure out what I can do to get her the help she needs. I am getting the help I need and am on medication for anxiety myself and she does not see a doctor, psych, or therapist and hasn't for over a year. I see someone every month at minimum. The lawyer I have said that sometimes a judge can order counseling, how or what do I need to do to make that happen? I need to figure this out to save our marriage. We haven't focused on ourselves, our 14 year old daugther has had a lot of medical issues and surgery and what happened on the day where the EPOs were taken out was just a perfect storm of emotions. I can take a mental inquest warrant out on her, but I do NOT want to do that period and for obvious reasons. I am trying to figure out what I need to do to save our marriage and what I can say or tell the lawyer to request marriage counselling and I will stay out of the house for now, even if we didn't have a civil agreement in place. Her stepdad told me when I went to get stuff from the house this past weekend that she needs to struggle some because she hasn't and everyone has always stepped in to help her. Any advice is great. I need to get counseling because when she is on her medications regularly, she is wonderful, the love of my life and everything I have ever wanted and is the wife I need. She isn't affectionate at all, due to her depression. I know if we both get the help we need we are great.
Thanks in advance and sorry for the novel!

<< < > >>
Book: Black Canary
Set: 85
Arc: Fletching
 
〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰
 
Oliver ran when he heard her scream. The supersonic sound waves shook the top floor of the building and he didn't even bother to pull on a shirt before he was racing for the spare bedroom.
 
Dinah Lance stood standing near the bed, staring at the empty space with abject horror. Ever so slowly her blue eyes swiveled to pierce him on the spot.
 
He suddenly understood why her former team had been called the Birds of Prey.
 
The woman who looked out at him tilted her head slightly, like a predator who had spotted a small animal. Her mouth twisted in seriousness and Ollie slowly slid into the most defensive position he could assume and offered her a suave smile.
 
“Not a morning person, ey?” The cocky side of him urged him to cross his arms and lean casually against the doorframe, but something in her eyes stopped him from making any unnecessary moves.
 
“Oliver.” Her voice was firm, but clipped. Different from when she had called him and had been so pent up with rage. This was a different beast entirely. “I’m trying to give you a chance to explain, but you are not helping.” Her chin jutted towards the empty bed, her face pale at whatever her eyes beheld.
 
He ran a list of possible scenarios through his mind quickly, trying to understand what magic might be lingering, and what it might be causing her to see.
 
“Dinah, I promise it’s not what it looks like.” The excuse sounded weak even to his ears and he cringed internally. Taken out of context he really did sound like the flippant playboy he was renowned to be.
 
A tense muscle worked in her jaw, and her fingers clenched and unclenched in a tight fist. “How is William Zard dead in the bed not what it looks like.”
 
It was not a question, and Oliver could tell he was quickly running out of time to state his case before the heroine decided that he had gone rogue and crossed the unbreakable line that most heroes refused to cross.
 
“You were placed under a strong illusionary magic. You’ve been out for more than a month. You’re dad's fine. Thinks you're still in Markovia” He winced. “Sorry about lying to him, but I couldn't exactly explain why you would be staying in Oliver Queen's penthouse spare bedroom.” Oliver took a deep breath. “Whatever you’re seeing isn't there, Dinah.”
 
Her eyes flashed with quickfire anger but she took a long moment to look at him as if seeing him for the first time. Dinah blinked, clearing some unreadable emotion from her eyes before turning a glance back to the bed and heaving a deep sigh.
 
He waited.
 
“Can you get me a laptop and a coffee? I have a feeling that isn't the last we’ll hear of William Zard.” She asked quietly, and Oliver watched as the woman became the heroine and piece by piece locked her face down into a mask of neutrality.
 
He could only offer a nod, shifting himself into the Green Arrow mindset and leaving her to become who she needed to be to face the villain.
 
〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰
 
Dinah breathed in and out. Again. Closed her eyes and reopened them. One moment the body of William Zard had been laying on the bed, an arrow through his chest and the next it was gone.
 
Magic, Ollie had said. After everything that had happened…..Dinah breathed again. How long ago was Markovia now? Had everything in Seattle settled down? How was her dad?
 
Her hand itched for her phone, but it was no use messaging her dad now, especially if he thought she was still out of the country. Better to keep him safe, stop him from worrying.
 
And Oliver? Of all people in the world for her to fall under some magic spell around it ended up being him? Dinah resisted the urge to smack her head into the wall repeatedly. She made a habit of appearing strong around men like Oliver Queen. Not someone to be messed with, and she had gone and fallen immediately into a magical coma.
 
“Not your finest moment Di.” She shook her head, clearing it of the wayward thoughts and focusing instead on the issue at hand - William Zard.
 
It was clearer now that she was thinking clearly that it had all been an illusion. But the question was why? She had been mostly out of the spotlight until the vampire incident in Markovia and everything had happened so quickly afterwards it was almost impossible to imagine word spreading that quickly.
 
Ollie cleared his throat behind her, a courtesy gesture made so that he didn't surprise her. The fact that he had enough empathy to do even that was surprising enough.
 
“I only have a spare Lenovo, if that works for you?” He held up the offending piece of machinery and Dinah had to resist shaking her head. The laptop looked brand new, rarely if ever opened. Maybe a sponsored gift for the playboy who already had more technology then he knew what to do with.
 
She decided not to speak, gesturing with her chin to the small glass table at the end of the bed where she’d been sleeping. It was only then that she noticed what she had assumed was a single laptop based on the width was actually two.
 
He gave her a look that was immediately familiar as the ‘don't even think about denying me this’ that she had often offered to others and took his seat silently.
 
Furrowing a brow, Dinah took the laptop and settled into the chair opposite Oliver Queen and began to work.
 
〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰
 
Ollie was not used to being so…..distracted while he was in the guise of the green archer. He thought it would be easy to slip back into the rough edged vigilante around Dinah, since she too, had seemingly slipped into her Black Canary personality as if it was a weapon to be used against him.
 
But then the damned woman would furrow her brows and mumble something under breath and Oliver Queen would find himself snapped out of his brooding reverie and forced to look at her. Every time he did he found himself more and more reluctant to return to being the brooding piece of shit he knew as Green Arrow.
 
It wasn't, after all, the Arrow part of him that had decided to save her.
 
He watched as Dinah’s eyes widened, a sure sign that her magic with technology had worked wonders and she had found exactly what they were searching for.
 
“What is it?” His voice got deeper as he asked the question, forcing himself into the rough-edged disguise to the point where he saw surprise quickly flash in Canary’s eyes.
 
“Zard. He went to the same university my mom did. Studied the same course.” Oliver stared at her blankly. She gave him a pointed look then sighed deeply when it became clear he wasn’t exactly following. “My bet is he was obsessed with her. And when she died and he couldn’t get her ....” Dinah’s voice trailed off, her blue eyes staring off into the middle distance, clearly remembering something from the illusions.
 
“He took you.” There was a strange sense of violence to his voice that snapped the Canary back from wherever in her mind she had traveled. She nodded, her only sign of acknowledgement.
 
Oliver clenched and unclenched his fingers. He was not necessarily a violent man, despite what others thought of him. It was one of the reasons he had chosen arrows as his main source of damage. They were quick, efficient, and wouldn't kill anyone unless shot incorrectly. But the quickfire image of his arrow piercing The Wizard's chest was almost welcome, after all the illusionist had done to Dinah.
 
“How do we track him?” The question hung in the air between them for several seconds while Dinah watched him reign in his anger.
 
“We don’t.” He went to interrupt, but she continued on, silencing him with a look. “We need help. Magical help more precisely.” She bit her lip, obviously running names and ideas through her head. “I think I might know someone. A friend of a friend that I used to work with.” Dinah dug the mobile from her pockets, wincing as she ignored the many calls and texts from her father.
 
“Who?” Oliver didn't like working with others. He had been there. Tried that. It never worked out in his favor.
 
Dinah offered him a quick smile as her fingers blurred across her screen.
 
“Zatanna Zatara.”
 
〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰  
Dinah told Oliver that it would not take the magician long to respond to the text. She had not, however, told the archer that Zatanna’s preferred method of local travel was portal.
 
The two women rarely talked after Dinah left the Prey Birds, but she had kept the magician's number in her cellphone. Just in case. She hadn’t had much hope when everything in San Fran happened, and after, with Markovia the two hadn't exactly had a lot of time to catch up.
 
She huffed a laugh, ignoring the look Ollie gave her. She was damn well allowed to laugh whenever she wanted.
 
As the thought crossed her mind a small golden circle with runes the color of the night sky appeared in the center of the sitting room. Oliver jumped several meters, retrieving a bow and arrow from the heavens knew where as the dark haired young woman stepped through the portal, the last words from her spell echoing in the air as the tear in space closed in on itself.
 
Zatanna surveyed the room quickly, dark eyes coming to rest on Dinah and a large smile spreading on her features. “Canary!” She swept Dinah up into a hug, twirling her around to get a good look at her. “It’s been so long. I always knew you’d end up with….” Her voice faded off as she finally took a moment to look between Dinah and Oliver, a light blush spreading across her features.
 
“Well. I can see I’m here for business and not for a pleasurable catch up.” The other woman gave Dinah a pointed look before turning a tight lipped smile on Oliver who had procured his green mask while the two embraced. “You must be Green Arrow. I’m Zatanna Zatara.”
 
The two shook, which, Dinah supposed, was more than she had bargained for.
 
“What’s up BC?” Zatanna wrinkled her nose after shaking Oliver's hand. “You smell like magic.”
 
Dinah grimaced, sniffing her hand like she would be able to catch the whiff of illusionary magic like Zatanna could. “Do you know of someone called William Zard? Powerful illusionist, studied magic in Tibet.”
 
The other magician's smile disappeared immediately and she nodded slowly. “He disappeared off the scene a few years ago, right about the time….” The young girl's eyes widened. “Right about the time you dropped out of the limelight.”
 
Dinah grimaced. “We think he was obsessed with my mom, and now me.” She hated saying those words aloud. It brought some type of strength to them, giving Zard the power instead of her.
 
Zatanna merely nodded, her mind clearly spinning.
 
“We need to find him.” Oliver offered resolutely, his bow lowered, but the arrow still knocked. It seemed he couldn't help but be wary of the magic user, even though he knew she was on their side. “Any ideas where to look?”
 
Zatanna glided to the door. Her eyes scanning the neon horizon, mumbling something incoherent under her breath before waving her gloved hand over the city-scape in front of her.
 
Magic, Dinah thought, as the large building appeared not even two blocks away, was kinda fucked up when one could hide a 10 story building in the middle of a city.
 
〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰
 
Dinah and Zatanna did not have to wait long for William Zard to try to work his magic. Mirrors greeted them on every surface of the rooftop, reflecting the slightly terrified look in each of their eyes and the thick smoke flowing through the area.
 
A dark laugh echoed from wall to wall, and the mirror in front of them began to change in front of their eyes. Zard’s pointed mustache and beard appeared first, before the dark blue-gray eyes and the rest of the man's lean build until he was before them.
 
Dinah gasped as she was eye to eye with The Wizard from her first night in the Firefly Lounge. Zard wore a long cloak and tophat along with a dark purple vest and black tie with golden clip to complete the ensemble of party magicians.
 
“Ah, the pretty songbird has finally returned to me.” The man in the mirror stepped to one side disappearing from the center mirror and appearing in the one next to Dinah instantly. His voice dropped to a whisper and a phantom finger stroked its way down her arm. “If you think it was good in your dreams, imagine what it will feel like in the real world.”
 
The next instant the mirror shattered. Dinah covered her eyes as the remnants of the lightning-yellow bolt from Zatanna’s hand simmered down to a more bearable midday glow. She shot her a grateful smile. She wasn't sure what she would have done in another moment or two.
 
Afterall, the illusions hadn't been all that bad. Had they?
 
She was saved from having to think about it any further by Ollie’s arrival to the rooftop. The stubborn man had chosen to climb instead of taking the easier, faster, magical method.
 
Zard’s image appeared in another mirror. His jovial demeanor switched for one of menace and anger. The Wizard turned a scorching eye on Dinah, his gaze flicking between her and Oliver. “You think this…..this……arrogant, idiot of a man can replace me? Me?”
 
His laugh this time was deeper, darker. Dinah couldn't help but slide a step closer to Ollie, afraid for the first time in a long time.
 
The move was not lost on William Zard, who offered her a sneer. “You’ve made your choice then. Just like your mother did. And now you’ll pay the same price she did.” As the last word fell from his lips Zard’s mirage multiplied onto every mirrored surface that the rooftop bar had to offer.
 
The once dark gray fog covering them began to shift as each of the Zard’s in the mirror chanted, turning a sickly green color that was already making Dinah choke and splutter. In one smooth motion Ollie grabbed an arrow in each hand, reaching out to shatter each of the mirrors on either side of him.
 
The smoke’s spread slowed, just barely.
 
“Break them.” He ordered, choosing not to think about the way Dinah had moved in front of him. As if she could protect him. As if she needed to protect him.
 
He still watched out of the corner of his eye the way the two women worked together to smash or shatter the remaining mirrors until each and every one had at least a chunk missing out of it, or was in pieces along the rooftop floor.
 
A slow clap echoed from the back of the room and Ollie immediately trained one of his arrows on the emerging William Zard. It was funny, beneath the clothing he looked just like any other love-sick obsessed man. A man with far more to gain than he had to lose.
 
William Zard sketched a slow bow, offering his hands in surrender to placate Ollie before he turned a saccharine smile to Dinah. “My sweet, special Miss Lance.” Dinah flinched, and Ollie tightened his grip on his bow string. The Wizard barely spared him a glance as he continued, taking a step closer to Dinah. “We don’t have to do this. You don't have to do this. Life could be easy. No more fighting, no more fear. Noone you love will ever get hurt because of who you are, or what you do.” At these last words Zard did finally spare a glance for Ollie, his steel eyes seemingly staring into his soul, into the problems he had caused just by simply being Green Arrow.  
The Wizard offered his hand in a flourish to Dinah. The two were so close now that it was clear that any act on Ollie’s or Zatanna’s part would put her in danger as well.
 
Oliver Queen watched the war rage on Dinah’s face. The pain and hurt, determination and guilt. He watched her lift her hand.
 
“Dinah.” Her name left his lips without his bidding, and her blue eyes flicked to his, brimming with some unclear emotion. “Don’t.” He wasn’t sure if he was asking or begging, nor did he care that voice broke on the word.
 
Oliver Queen also wasn’t sure whether his heart broke, or if the hole in his heart mended when Dinah Lance chose not to take The Wizards hand and instead chose to kick William Zard straight in the balls.

[EDIT]: I bought the 2023 and am picking it up today. Thanks for all the advice and insight. I realized that I'm likely not going to be skilled enough to notice most if any of the changes for a while. Also I don't want to wait until August or buy an in-between bike.
Hello, my dirt-loving friends, I could use some help deciding between two bikes.
I plan on getting a KTM 500 EXC-F and don't know if I should buy the outgoing 2023 model or wait for the new 2024 model to arrive in August (US). The 2023 model is a great bike and won't become a bad bike because the 2024 model has been released. On the other hand, the new bike is likely the technically "better" bike. That said, I'm not going to be racing the bike and will mainly focus on riding mountain passes and some single track in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
2023 pros:

• I can buy it tomorrow
• I can buy it for $1500 below MSRP
• There are more OEM and aftermarket parts on the market and stocked at my local shops.
• More community support in terms of youtube maintenance guides and things like that.

2023 cons:

• Not new and shiny

2024 pros:

• Performance improvements
• Ergonomic / reliability improvements
• New + shiny

2024 cons:

• Unknown issues haven't been ironed out yet
• Can't get it until August at the earliest, so I'd probably buy an older bike to fill the gap that I'd resell down the line.

I'm leaning toward the 2023 model because of the above pros and cons and my aversion to buying products that haven't been thoroughly tested in the real world. Do you think that would be a mistake? Am I better off buying a "filler" bike for the in-between time and getting the 2024 model later this season or earlier next year?
If you were in my shoes, what would you do?
List of changes from CycleNews:

• All-new generation model with new chassis and engine wrapped in new bodywork.
• Redesigned engine is tilted 2° back to improve anti-squat and features better mass centralization and increased performance while also being easier to maintain.
• New frame design with new forged shock mount and reworked rigidity to improve rider comfort.
• New steering lock system is now clamped under the upper triple clamp for a clean look and easy functionality.
• New topology optimized subframe with hybrid polyamide and aluminum construction for improved durability.
• New forged triple clamps provide precise fork action and optimized front end feel.
• New hollow, die-cast swingarm offers reduced unsprung weight and increased rigidity.
• New WP XACT Closed Cartridge spring fork delivers consistent damping character over long rides while a new hydrostop improves bottoming resistance.
• New, completely redesigned WP XPLOR rear shock has a lighter and shorter body and all new internals.
• New topology optimized handlebar mounts increase grip surface for reduced bar twist.
• New diecast footpegs with larger surface area and reduced weight also offer increased clearance.
• New 300%-brighter LED headlight with quick release.
• Street and dirt capable Continental TKC 80 tires are mounted to high-end GIANT rims with CNC-machined hubs.

Links:

• 2024 models press release
• 2024 KTM 500 EXC detail page