Two strand twist turn into dreads

Each regi was in one temple. They were looking one another down. The floor froze as Regice’s body was just that cold. The Regieleki would send a hyper beam at Regice sending him flying backwards into the other side of the cave. Registeel the charged to Regieleki who zipped around him at blinding speeds. Regirock would run up to Registeel and hit him with a hammer arm. The super effect move sending the fellow legendary flying into a wall. Regice would get back up in the distance and sent an ice beam to the way of Regidrago who hardly dodged almost getting it.
Registeel also got back up and rammed into Regidrago. The dragon type turned around and used crunch crushing into the steel type. Registeel retaliated by using flash canon to send the dragon type flying into Regirock who grabbed Regidrago out of mid air and spun him around and tossed him upwards. Regidrago retaliated using dragon energy while in the air destroying parts of Regirock.
Regieleki would use thunder on Regice who managed to dodge by skimming around on the ice floor. He used blizzard to make everything worse and harder to see for everyone but even still Regieleki would use thunder again hitting Regice sending him spinning out of control into Regirock who was rebuilding himself. Regirock would soon be frozen cold and Regice would use superpower on the frozen Regirock completely shattering him.
Registeel sent out another flash canon at Regice who skimmed along the ice to dodge once again.
Regidrago had went around the rest of the cave using the ice to boost its speed. It went over to Regieleki and tried to bite down into it with crunch only for Regieleki to blast it away with a hyper beam.
Regice would use ice beam on Registeel who stood its ground walking through it the ice shattering as he took each step before making it over to Regice and using iron head to send Regice into Regieleki.
The weaken Regice tried to use ice beam on Regieleki but the electric type merely dodged and used electro web to trap Regice in a sparky web. Regieleki then finished off the ice type legendary with ancient power crushing it completely.
Registeel then walked over to Regieleki to hit it with metal claw but the electric type easily dodged. Regidrago ran up to Registeel using hammer arm on it knocking it over. It then slammed into the steel type using hammer arm over and over and over and over yet still it’s hard body remained mostly unfazed. Registeel forced the dragon type off of itself with metal claw.
Regidrago would use dragon dance to boost its attack power but he was hit by an ancient power from Registeel. Regieleki would use Thunder on the steel type stunning it giving Regidrago the opportunity to use a power booster hammer arm to break through Registeel’s hard body blowing a giant hole in the middle of it.
It was a showdown between Regieleki and Regidrago the two regi’s looked one another down for seconds before Regieleki used extreme speed and landed several blows on its fellow legendary at insane speeds. Regidrago used hyper beam but the insanely fast electric type dodged it and moved behind Regidrago giving its own thunder wave to paralyze the Pokémon before finishing it off with a hyper beam completely melting the Pokémon. There stood one electric type Pokémon alone.
K.O

Hello Mr. Peterson,
I found your knowledge very usefull. But here is what i think and what i came up during my life experience. This is just my advice so whatever you do with it - but i find out how it works for me as a man. So i stopped to argue with woman - it's impossible to win this - cause even if you do on an argument and logical level - you're lost - simply because in todays world people view it as masoginistic - even if the argue is on her favor.
It's interesting phenomenon which i also percive in lot's of your videos when you trying to convince woman that you're right. I see that even if you do - they win just by twisting everything around. So it's not possible. Only people that are arleady concious about how those things works - views it as something good.
Just today - i've seen your video when you where surrounded by two feminists - and even that you where right in every single word - they just lacerate you on vision.
I fully understand the idea that you don't wanna be percived as a coward to not take part in that kind of discussion - but this is viewed as the oposite from the leftists agenda. I'm still trying to find a solution to this - but i don't see this currently.
As far as i get that and what i came up with - is to have woman on your side when you argue with other women - but - this tactics can also backfire - they'll either say that you're hiding behind woman or you've made her a brainwash - which is exactly the oposite that you do.
I also fully understand how emotionally exhousting is that kind of argue for a man - so fully understand a lot's of your reactions which i was going trough myself. The question is - maybe you've got some solution to this? And i just wonder - is it possible to unwash woman brain if it's already washed by this horrible ideology? Did you achieve any success in that field? Or is it impossible and it's always up to them and how much of understanding of the world view they've got?
I'll give you little bit of a background of myself - so you can better understand where from my knowledge comes from. So to simply say - my mother is a feminist - and i think the worse kind of that - she is also deeply narcissistic and i think it's very related - one to another. Feminists just simply view themselves as a better then everybody else - and this is only because they're spreading leftists propaganda that they believe in on a such a deep level that it is almost impossible to convince them that they are wrong. I'll give you an example how horrible this is: for my own mother LGBTQ+ society is much more important then me. She deeply believe that this whole leftists ideology is real love to spread trough the world. But harm she done to me is irrelevant for her.
There is much more into that - her biggest enemy is my father and me - while the TV propaganda is for her what love really is about. She is helping everyone around her - giving my father and my money to the poor. She is literally giving away my stuff - without my knowledge and behind my back - so people will love her. She is supporting LGBTQ+, genderism and everything that's external - except her own family - which she don't care about at all - we are just there to support her financially so she can spread the propaganda even faster and with better aim.
She's even taking part in a small comunity movement "for woman" - where they brainwash themselves against they husbands on a massive scale.
This is also what i found out - that i cannot argue with her and it's impossible to prove to her wrong in any way. She deeply believes that she is some kind of a saint, angel send goddess. How to approach this? Cause i run out of ideas. When i'm trying to give her love - what i was doing since childhood - she is responding with more control over me and trying to force me to do things for her. When i'm trying to ask her: "why you doing this to me?" - her answer is: "you're delusional - i did nothint wrong to you". When i'm emotionally broken and i'm starting to call her "vicious bitch, angry feminist-nazi and comunistic whore" - she just hanging up the phone and goes to the authority so they can punish me.
I was even trying to go "no contact" with her and my brainwashed family - but they alwasy find the way to get me and drag me back. I went to the other side of the country - but sooner or later - my family or authorities show in the doors and trying to force me to do things for them - like WTF? I don't even have a right to my own life by myself? They literally stole everything from me - that i was working my entire life. Every single relationship i created by myself - there was my mother with perfect aim and destruction of what i'm trying to build. It's my whole life - i'm running away - and they are going after me to get me and deminish me.
How to win this? What to do to get free out of it? Currently i'm just thinking of going to the other end of the globe - but is this the only solution? Rumors she is spreading about me are also false - but people believe her - cause she is so "loving" and "carrying" for everybody.
I don't know - i would like to hear from you if you got any advice on it. And i hope you'll also extract some more knowledge from this letter. Cause i'm not sure that people are familiar with this topic and how literally devastating for man psyche it is.
Like the question here is - how on earth for woman more important are strangers that her own son? Isn't that crazy? Even when my whole life - i'm trying to manage everything on my own - without any help from her side. It's like being not allowed to be a real man - cause this means punishment.
Thanks and regards

Backstory: This guy and I have had a pretty emotional history. We both got together after being cheated on and basically helped each other heal. Although we were never officially in a relationship, it basically was one and everything that goes into a relationship applies to us but way more casual and we didn’t like meet each other’s parents or anything serious . We were doing this for about a year before I left for college.
Now: While I was attending my first year of college we talked on and off. We hung out during breaks and things were awkward but mostly fine. He was dealing with a lot of stuff and I was having fun in college so I think he got insecure. He’d always accuse me of hooking up with people and saying he’s dreading the day I finally hook up with someone. He knew we weren’t exclusive but didn’t want me to fool around. He said that if I ever hooked up with anyone, the benefits part of our relationship would be over but we’d still be good friends. I know I’m not gonna marry him so I’m not going to let him stand in my way of exploring. Everytime he asked I told him the truth, that I haven’t hooked up with anyone. But by the end of my freshman year, literally the last two weeks, I hooked up with a friend and I told him right away. Instantly everything changed. It was like he no longer respected me and started spewing purity culture misogynistic bs. Saying things like girls hook up for attention, that it disgust him to think about it, that he wishes he saved himself for marriage because nobody respects sex like he does, and saying mean things and deleting it before i can see it. He knew perfectly well that after a year i wasn’t going to wait for him. He knew what was going to happen but responded like i blindsided him. I understand I hurt him but the disrespect is just not necessary.
Can Anyone give me some insight and perspective on why he’s acting like this and if I’m wrong for being alarmed? Should I forget about being friends? What should I do?
TLDR: My friends with benefits partner has completely lost respect and changed after finding out I hooked up with someone else. Why ? and what should I do?

Welcome to Twisted metal mini 2012. With 4 teams of vehicles battling for a prize.
Each team having 3 vehicles driven by one of there members, this will be interesting.
Let the first battle begin
Arena: Boggs Canyon
Option 1
Driver Name: Eliza Rosewood
Appearance: a tall (6 foot 2) woman with dark red hair and dark skin she wears a rastacap a tye dye shirt torn jeans and sandals she has two tattoos one of a raspberry crown (the wasp) on her left shoulder and on her stomach just above her belly button the ying Yang sign
Gang: The Naturalists (A Group of eco terrorists most of them have tattoos of the Ying Yang symbol and long hair)
Backstory: Mary owns a free love community that was destroyed during a twisted metal tournament infuriated by the tournament she gets together the cars of her hippy friends and began to modify them for a war against the tournament
Vehicle 1: Fungus Vehicle type: VW Campervan with flowers and peace symbols painted all over it Special: Spore bombs from a rare breed of mushroom growing in fungus can be thrown they explode on contact
Vehicle 2: Flower Power Vehicle type: 1959 Volvo PV544 Special: Flower of Power: A giant flower that seeks out her victim and delivers a powerful, pollinated blast.
Vehicle Hornet Vehicle type: Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Velonce Special: Hornet deploys special stinger middles that look like wasps to track and sting oppents
Option 2
Driver: Michaelangelo Castillo (hispanic name, Floridian soul since he's pretty unhinged.)
Appearance: think of Inosuke from Demon Slayer with some kickass sunglasses, black jeans, red shirt and a badass leather jacket, oh, and his hair is orange and black instead of blue, and always has the meanest stank look, only when he drives.
Attitude: absolute berserk behind the wheel, but chill, funny kinda guy when he's not going 390 MPH, really enjoys blasting loud Metal whenever he drives, and is a pretty good chef for whatever reason.
Gang: Metal Maniacs (YES, THOSE.)
Backstory: (cant think of one yet, i do have an alternate one but it dosent fit the context at all.)
Vehicle 1: a Spinebuster clone, but without the cut fenders and large furnace on the side, also has a Killswitch Engage sticker on the rear, right on top of the exhausts.
Special: Ripping Bullets
a giant chainsaw busts out of the top of the front bumper and 2 chainguns come out the sides, the chainsaw can move up and down to make a clean cut right through its enemies
Vehicle 2: Boombox
A Hummer H2 painted in dark blue and yellow with a snowplow mounted on the front, with twin side exhaust and a gigantic V8 blower sticking out the hood.
Special: Ear Murderer
A large set of 30 something speakers flip out of the rear end and play staggeringly loud music (Metal to be more specific.) that sends shockwaves and can be heard for miles, the closer you get to the enemies, the harder you sting the living f*ck out of them.
Vehicle 3: Firestorm
Twinduction, the HW Fantasy model, with 2 machine guns incorporated into the intakes, black paint, flame paintjob like Razor's mustang from NFS MW and a thick red tear running across the top with white outlines, the car also runs on NASCAR type rims and has Redlines on the tires.
Special: Raining Pain
2 miniguns break out the sides, the twin induction on the front turns into a fucking RPG launcher, a giant rusty spear comes out of the front, 2 chainsaws come out where the headlights are and a set of 5 missiles come out the top, how are they supposed to be used? I dont fucking know do i? Its called raining pain because its supposed to be fired at random so you hit not only one but nearly every other competitor out in the field, so, launch top missiles first, they'll scatter around and lock on to a random enemy, use the Rpg launcher and miniguns to hit 2 other enemies, use the spear to ram the enemy's car and harpoon it right in front of you, blast it to smithereens with the RPGs and use the chainsaws to slice and dice what is left.
View Poll

This might surprise you, given my initial skepticism towards astrology, but here I am, finally diving into it, to the point of exploring the forgotten corners of the internet. I stumbled upon two interesting pieces of info, may seem trivial, but they caught my attention.
With complex astrological calculations, only intelligible to the ancients - and the creators of that webpage, it turns out I embody what they refer to as a Saturnian influence, cursing my fate, tainting my exterior, burdening my soul.
Bear with me please, I'll get to the point, as these are my first attempts to express my feelings in words since things didn't work out between us as I had hoped for. Quite sad when you think about it but I've been sitting in this well of sadness for longer that I remember, was that unnecessary somber? I'll soon explain.
Now let's talk about Saturn's captivating(1st) rings. Apparently, they're formed from icy objects, comets, moons, that ventured too close, attempted to circle the gloomy, somber Saturn, only to be ripped apart into shreds due to Saturn's gravitational push/pull, and got caught in its magnetic field, adorned the dull planet ever since. I can't help but draw a parallel between this celestial phenomenon and the " bad energy" I seem to carry, or as you called them "red flags" that I show. I'm not suggesting that I tear people apart when they get close to me (2nd). That would be foolish and go against the purpose of this unsent letter. The thing is, I do feel burdened by a "baggage" . Our time together was transient and I never got the chance to tell you about past hurts, unfulfilled promises, and heartbreaks that are to this day orbiting around me like Saturn's rings, remnants of desolate connections I like to call my "debris of love", yet unlike Saturn, I can't say that I wear them proudly (3rd). I wonder if you've noticed them the first time we met, examined them when you too ventured too close, judged, felt sorry for such fate, decided not to engage, or are the memories of you the ultimate remnants I'll carry around with me from now on. I must confess though, they are much nicer to bear.
Questions, questions, questions.
Enough with my sophomoric comparisons. Here are recent news: Saturn is gradually losing its iconic rings and Cassini satellite, which uncovered the secrets behind these rings, met its fate crashing onto Saturn's surface. Yet, despite these cosmic discoveries, I still can't feel your skin. This is now the 4th time I fail, I have to stop this incoherent rambling ...and maybe I just need wait a bit more...

Galactic Year 30.09.2948.3
It is recorded that humanity first detected the possibility of alien life nearly five centuries ago. Even back then, our only option was to send messages to these mysterious beings in the hopes of building relations. Everything from attempts at binary to sending atomic shapes like the hydrogen atom.
The thing was, for whatever reason, the aliens never sent intentional replies. It was only errant broadcasts. Researchers at the time put it down to multiple possibilities. ‘They may have only developed radio technology’. ‘They might be far more advanced than us and not monitoring such primitive communications’.
The most wary of researchers, though posited that they did not send replies because they did not want to. That they saw humanity as a threat. So many alluded to the Dark Forest hypothesis. Regardless humanity pressed on. That was till funding dried up. It was often hard to justify the expense of sending messages that’d take fifty years to arrive, only for no replies to consistently return.
It was four hundred years post-detection that enough momentum and technological advancement that the idea of an exploration of this supposedly inhabited world was suggested. With the new inertial dampers and engines capable of 0.5C, Humanity bravely took its first steps into the universe.
An expedition that has finally reached its conclusion. The ship had only just stopped its forward momentum when it arrived in the solar system. The system itself had only five planets, and after sending out probes, it was discovered the signals originated from the fourth planet.
With great trepidation, the expedition sent out messages to the world, hoping to allay any fears. To let them know humanity came in peace, that they were there to extend a hand in friendship. Still, though, no reply came.
From the drones, they could see a world with magnificent cities. Architecture and spiral towers that boggled the mind, made from materials the AIs could not identify. It was here the idea humanity was likely too far behind for them to detect our attempts at contact reemerged.
So it was decided humanity would send envoys to meet with this alien race. An actual first contact scenario, a thing that would be immortalised in history books. Only when humanity landed, there was no one to greet us. No military, no government, not even an itinerant farmer.
It was then the team pressed on; they had picked a remote open area to land to show as little hostility as possible. Maybe it was too far? Only when they arrived in the city they found no one. It was entirely abandoned. Everyone and everything that had looked to be lively was, in fact, only automated systems still running.
It is with this disappointment humanity accepted this was why we received no reply. Simply because there was no one to send a reply. With little else to do, we began to settle the world. The first extrasolar colony with several cities ready and waiting to be inhabited.
—--------------------------------------------
Galactic Year 02.10.3000.1
It had been over fifty years since the first extrasolar colony of humanity was settled. In the past half-century, with the help of researchers, engineers, and various other professions, society had advanced leaps and bounds.
Despite the abandoned nature of the world, its technology was so far superior that it was almost scary. Regardless a journey that had initially taken nearly a hundred years to traverse could now be done in a single year. Such was the strange technology of the race that were now referred to as ‘The Lost Ones’.
With the FTL drives and new material sciences, humanity looked once more to the stars. Ever wondering who these aliens were and why did they vanish? Studying the records they left behind only spoke of an approaching calamity. One that would lead to extinction. One they had no way of safely stopping.
It seemed in the face of this calamity that even they, with their technology, could not face left them the only option of fleeing. But this only left humanity with more questions. What was it they were running from, and would it come for humanity?
It was in the face of these questions many observatories were re-established with the hopes of finding other aliens. Still, though, many researchers maintained the Dark Forest hypothesis. That there was a danger out there and actively broadcasting ourselves would only draw them in like moths to a flame.
It was during this time that humanity did detect a new world that had the signs of life. Broadcasts into space were frequent, and there was even a growing culture of enjoying alien entertainment and music. It was then the Great Sol Council decided to attempt contact once more.
Once again, there was no reply. Much to the relief of all, though, their entertainment broadcasts continued. Enough that humans had begun to decipher the language far quicker than the language of the world now named Gungnir.
After much deliberation, it was decided that a fresh expedition would be sent to this newly discovered world. The journey, even with the FTL drive, would take years. But to truly establish first contact was becoming the deepest hope of humanity.
In a Pinta-Class exploration cruiser, humanity set off to the stars with hope in their heart. They arrived in the system far quicker than anyone expected, as it seemed there was what the reversed engineer AI described as a warp corridor.
Arriving in the system, humanity once again broadcast its arrival and sent probes. This time they did not find a hive of activity. This world, like Gungnir, was abandoned. Crazier still was the world turned out to be an ecumenopolis. A city covering an entire world was abandoned.
The entertainment that humanity had been so enjoying had been automatically set to broadcast while the aliens fled. Examining the records, they to spoke of a great evil approaching them. That this great evil had grown considerably stronger and, if they arrived, it would be the end of all life.
It was at this time some suggested that humanity may actually be this horror. But many still pointed out humanity was far less advanced than these aliens. If we were truly the threat they spoke of with such fear, they could’ve easily wiped us out.
It was with great sorrow that humanity learnt, yet another race was lost. The new planet became a hive of migration for the rapidly overpopulating worlds that humanity lived upon. The City would eventually become known as Eldorado for the golden hue the buildings took when the sun was setting.
—----------------------------------
Galactic Year 24.08.3200.0
It was the bicentennial of the settling of Eldorado when the most heavily encrypted files of the race now known to be named the Kue were broken. It was a file teeming with information on a dozen worlds, all inhabited by other races.
This was exactly what humanity had been so desperate for. They knew they weren’t alone, and humanity did not like being lonely. They wanted to interact with the greater universe. Though since the initial files warning of a significant threat were published, many wished to remain silent.
So many spoke of the Dark Forest and how we were already making too much noise. That we would inevitably draw the attention of whatever it was that two advanced civilisations had fled from. Still, the human spirit to explore could not be squashed so easily.
So humans did what humans would always do. Groups and organisations independent of the government of the Council of Human Systems control sent out trade missions to these newly identified worlds.
For many of these megacorporations, it had become a competition to be the one who made first contact. Despite the government warnings, twelve ships, each of the ‘Golden Hinde’ class, set off down the warp corridor to their designated worlds.
It was a joyous time for much of humanity, with many gambling on which group would succeed. Some though wagered they would all find empty worlds. That they would all fail and return like their forebears.
Sadly these people were correct. One by one, the ships returned with news of empty worlds. Some even reported the planets themselves had been blown up, and all they found were asteroid fields. Though they all carried the same warning from each world's records.
The threat was spreading far faster than ever expected. Worlds will be destroyed if encountered. These words alone sent shockwaves through the community, and even the most hopeful of people began to echo the sentiments of the Dark Forest hypothesis.
They had discovered worlds literally blown to pieces, and the records speaking of a danger that would end worlds. Humanity decided on the path forward. They would colonise the remaining worlds and hope for the aliens to return. They would also begin to expand the military-industrial complex.
If this unknown threat turned its sights on humanity, then humanity must be able to fight back no matter the odds. Luckily with all the technology recovered, humanity accelerated the rate of its advancements.
​
—-------------------------------------------------
Galactic Year 24.12.3300.0
It was time for a new expeditionary force to set off. Over the past hundred years, humanity had discovered countless worlds, all that used to be inhabited but all either abandoned or destroyed. It was this destruction that led to humankind not only spreading out far more rapidly but also becoming more heavily militarized.
Weapons that could cut small moons in two, bombs that could harness the power of a star, along with countless more powerful weapons than even the aliens had managed, were developed. With these new tools, the fears of this unknown enemy began to abate as a new age of exploration continued.
With the sheer number of worlds now colonised and available and waiting for human populations to catch up to colonise. Humanity had declared itself a Galactic empire. Though to who it was declared is unknown as so far humanity had only ever found traces of other races.
The strangest development was an ecumenopolis that was transformed into a museum for each of the lost races. The New British Museum took artefacts from the countless abandoned and destroyed worlds and displayed them in Memorium for those lost and unknown.
It was in this age a truly massive artificial structure like a Dyson sphere was discovered. It had broadcasts detected, and with new scanner tools, life was also being detected. It was seeing this impossible structure that humanity began to wonder if it had finally found the enemy at last.
With confidence, the great fleets of humanity gathered and set off on a punitive expedition towards the structure to bring justice for those that could not do so themselves. So many times, humanity had hoped to meet another race only to have it stolen from them.
Centuries of frustration had finally reached its boiling point, and now it had a target. Arriving in the system, the fleet was met with a vast armada of countless ships of all designs imaginable. But before the brutality of the human military, they quickly became nothing but space dust. The result of a uniquely human weapon named the supernova bomb.
It was then that a broadcast appeared on the scanners. It was a communication request from the structure. The admiral in charge of the fleet hesitated as this was the first chance at first contact, but it would also be with their enemies.
“Please, Jivalis, we wish you to stay away!!!” a panicking Kue begged as their image appeared on display. Their voice being automatically translated by the onboard AI systems.
Seeing a Kue, which even to this day had a popular following of their entertainment, shocked the admiral. Had the Kue been the enemy all along? Only what had the Kue called them. A Jivalis? That was the title given to the oncoming enemy.
Throughout the centuries, it had been suggested many times humanity might be the enemy they all feared. But time and again, it would be pointed out that these aliens could’ve easily wiped out humanity with relative ease. Well, not anymore, but at the time, it was a truth.
“Are you a Kue?” the Admiral asked.
“AGHHHH!!!” The Kue looked panicked. “The Jivalis knows of us!!!!”
“Please, we do not mean you harm!!!”
“You have destroyed the great unity fleet. We have been amassing men and tools to face your threat, only for you to sweep them aside!!!”
“Why do you believe us to be this Jivalis?” the Admiral asked, looking perturbed that they were seen to be the great enemy. The display shifted to show an alien with a star-shaped head. It was a race that they didn’t have a name for, but there was artwork on numerous worlds depicting them.
“Because you are the Jivalis, Earthling!” the alien declared in an accusatory tone.
“But we have never meant any harm to anybody. We sent messages and wished for peaceful contact only to find your worlds abandoned?”
“That is because every being from your world is death!”
“You meant Earth is a deathworld?”
“Indeed, Earth was a planet that was used for scientific experiments long ago before life even existed on its surface. A foolish empire that no longer lives created a weaponised virus. One it tested on prisoners left on Earth.”
“But if that was before life evolved, surely it was billions of years ago?!”
“Indeed, but the virus was too strong and endured. When life seeded itself on your world, the virus awoke from its dormant state and latched onto it. Life on your world did not survive… near all life died.”
“The first great extinction?” the Admiral asked, remembering a bit of history.
“Yes, that is an apt description. The beings that survived the virus became asymptomatic carriers. Beings within whom the virus-encoded itself into the very DNA.”
“So you think we carry this virus?”
“Indeed. We have tried many times to wipe out all life on Earth. Many times we have failed. On our last attempt, we sent an asteroid to wipe out all life.” The Admiral held back a choking noise, hearing the aliens were behind the extinction of dinosaurs.
“Sadly, the virus only grew in strength as life continued to evolve. Where at first it only did this,” the display changed to show horrific scenes of agony from an unknown alien race.
“To this,” the scene changes to show what looked like an early human was locked in a room with another alien. The Alien rapidly turned to dust just in the humans' presence.
“If but one human steps on a world, all life not of Earth will rapidly die.”
“Why didn’t you just kill us?” the admiral asked.
“It evolved by vast amounts with each attempt. Many feared should we eliminate humanity, it would evolve further and no longer require a host free to wander the galaxy as dust. It was decided humanity would be ignored and isolated. You were simple and primitive. Only for your species to develop enough to travel to the closest world.”
“So you fled?”
“Yes, we fled; even an errant cell of the virus can survive the vacuum of space, and if it landed, all life would die. We of the alliance chose to flee in the face of humanity. It seems that we only accelerated your expansion by gifting you worlds ready to settle with technology to advance you.”
“What if we leave you in peace. We will create a quarantine zone that humans cannot cross. We would not need to come into conflict? We can even return worlds to you.”
“Jivalis!!! You do not listen… any world a human has visited can no longer be inhabited by non-earthlings. We have nowhere else to go; every warp corridor leads to Earthling worlds.”
“We may not be able to return your worlds, but we can still leave you in peace.”
“We will accept this offer… though we have little choice. Our entire fleet was destroyed, and we have no means to build more. We will live in this sanctuary… though I expect the deathworld shall visit us sooner or later.”
“We will make it a case that it is impossible!” the admiral declared.
“Like the Twelve Heavenly Stars?” The Admiral could not retort this one. The twelve worlds found centuries ago were all part of one group, and they had been known as holy sites in what had been translated.
“We will do our best… that is all I can promise.”
“That is all I can demand," The Alien let out a long sigh. "That is all we can hope to demand."

I 28(M) was driving home last night with my friend 27(F) from the bar. There were 2 other friends who had been in the car with us, but I as the designated driver had already dropped them off. Obviously coming from the bar, she was wasted and sitting in the front seat. I’ve never been close with her, but friendly enough to take her home. It was about a 25 minute drive, but it was only two of us for 5-ish. Once I had dropped off the other friends, her mood changed completely. She instantly became flirtatious, getting a little too close for my comfort. I told her to give my space while driving, because duh, but she wouldn’t quit it. She then continued to grab at my hands, WHILE they were on the wheel. This was obviously dangerous, the road we were about to leave was still quite busy. She did not stop. I pulled over for a moment for safety reasons, and she started to get even more rambunctious. This is not a woman I am comfortable with- I was only taking her home for the courtesy. She became very loud and upset when I told her to stop distracting my driving, and said she would just walk home if I was going to act “like a dick” for the rest of the drive (keep in mind, it was 5 minutes max- I was about to turn into her neighborhood complex.) I shrugged, and unlocked the door for her. She got out, and I drove away. The next morning, I woke up to at LEAST 20 missed calls from her, and a super long paragraph about how upset she was with me because I left her in a dangerous situation. Imo, the situation would have been dangerous either way. She was only a few blocks away from home. AITA?

Tally:

• None of the interesting plot threads about the impact of Waystar on democracy or the family's implication in this were paid off. At all. The kids were made out to be the worst they've ever been in the election episode, but it was all forgotten completely by the next episode. They spend 5 fucking episodes spinning their wheels at the start of the season, doing a "will they sell the company to the Swedes or not?" They should have moved the election up to, like, episode 3 and dealt with the fallout in more episodes.
• Endless footage of the kids hanging out together, despite their never really being very chummy in the past. It was like the show suddenly turned into Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or some shit.
• Shiv changing her mind on the vote out of nowhere seemed like a forced twist and wasn't set up well. Especially since in the moment, they make it seem like a spur of the moment decision she's wrestling with, but then she drives off with Tom in the end like it was all planned. Make up your mind.
• No real resolution for Kendall's arc. Yeah, he loses the company, but the show literally ends 5 minutes later, so we really have no idea its impact other than he's sad in the moment.
• No real resolution for Roman's arc, now that I think of it. The only characters who arguably grew in the final episode were Tom & Shiv.

Essentially... I (21M) found a place for my uncle (50M) and cousins (19M, 20M) a place to live, as we were on the verge of being homeless.
I spent WEEKS calling rental properties, getting declined application after declined application, busting my ass to find a place for my family and I to live. All the while, my uncle was constantly lecturing me if I didn’t find a place, we’d all be homeless as we had to be out of our current home by June 1st.
So eventually, I found a three bedroom house for $1800 (which is super cheap for the state we live in). I put in an application for us, and luckily enough, we got the place. I used $2100 of my credit line (which knocked my credit score from a 747 to a 739) to help pay half of the move-in costs with my uncle, essentially throwing myself into debt with no current source of income, as I hadn’t started my job in the new city were living in.
I will admit, it is a shitty place. It’s run down and the rooms are very small, but in my eyes, it’s a place to lay our head at night. Hell, to me it’s a pet project, try our best to turn dirt into diamonds.
But everybody is nonstop complaining about it, especially my uncle who is making every effort to make me feel bad that I couldn’t find a better place. He even told me that he’s going to move out and I have to stay, like it’s my responsibility to pay to support his two kids, even though he makes $6000 a month and am going I make $3000 a month, after I start my new job.
(Before anybody asks, I know that together we made a lot of money to find a better place, but there was no rental properties available in the timeframe we needed to move out, my uncle had bad credit, not a long work history with his current job, and most places were not pet friendly and we have 5 animals... so even places we could afford, they denied us for one, or all, of those reasons)
I get it’s easy to look at the shitty place and just call it out for being shitty, and just complain about it overall. But damn, I did my best to ensure my family and I had a place to sleep. And you know what, I think I did a pretty good job, especially for somebody who’s never done any of this adulting stuff before.
But it does hurt... knowing that I tried my best, succeeded in finding a place, threw myself into debt, and everybody hates it. A little optimism would’ve been appreciated, but my uncle especially has been nonstop pessimistic about everything. I don’t know, I gave it my best shot and wish my famiy would recognize that.

hey!
here’s what I look like
I’m in chicago, in the middle of my phd, using the sacred few hours of sleep I got to scroll reddit while binging on the trashiest reality TV and early 00s MTV music videos… I’m known for taking wise choices :P
a few sentences about myself
I’m a very proud mexican doing his phd in theoretical biophysics in the US (somewhere in the midwest). sometimes I like to think I’m super smart… then I remember how much trashy reality tv trivia I know. tbh, since moving here I’ve been aching to meet people that aren’t related to my professional or academic sphere, and rarely got the time to do much outside the lab, so, here I am, it seems meeting people online could be good bet :O
some random trivia

• my work is on machine learning and proteins
• love running and cycling, pretty much any heavy cardio activity
• love playing soccer but suck at it
• love signing but suck at it
• love drawing but suck at it
• I only sing in spanish, because I got a thiccc accent and feel a bit self-conscious singing in english
• expert in early 00s shitty pop music
• best disney movie is ratatouille
• most overrated disney movie is up
• love dancing cumbia and bachata… and actually do not suck at it! lmao
• can move my ears on command
• have lived in 4 countries, 6 cities, 2 continents
• I’m trying to get into video games. help? I have a swtich, xbox, and pc
• not a fan of scifi or fantasy :(
• once got jump-scared by a possum while riding my bike
• knows two and a half languages
• love crafts (specially origami) and playing the accordion

here are two truths and a lie

• I was personally invited to a fancy rooftop party by a google hotshot, but bailed on it
• a mexican bill saved my life while I was stranded in serbia
• I was suspended from middle school for burning a whiteboard with body spray and a lighter

If you're interested in talking, send me a line about yourself!

Hello everyone,
My wife is an alcoholic, she tries to recover, she has her slips (like a week a go she reset the "No incidents" counter) and I just sit in the distance watching if she succeeds. We occasionally go for a walk with our dog or do stuff together, but it's not every day and I call them dates because I need to learn about new her so it's like dating a new girl.
When she was drinking I wanted to take my mind off of this shitstorm and do things I wanted to do for a long time. I wanted to learn new language, I wanted to do something that will be interesting and helpful to me or to my family.
I really wanted to learn how to solder things like old charger wires and such. I got myself a solderer and all necessary stuff and wanted to learn. But my wife thought that I will fail and burn our apartment down. So it never took off and I just sat there without anything to do to take my mind off of her sickness.
I proposed that I can do some upgrades to our car. We didn't have any CarPlay or such, even no Bluetooth so we had some wires to plug in iPhone to have any music outside of radio (I am a metalhead so radio is not my preferred choice of music really) or listen to my favorite true crime podcasts. I could change the multimedia panel and have all that, but it was her car (she got it before our marriage) and she didn't allow me to touch it. I think it was a miracle I got to drive it two times a week. Her reason? I would burn that thing down (what's up with the burn down stuff?) because I am no electrician and never did any of this stuff. Okay, fair enough, I guess.
I proposed to change lifts in the trunk of a car so it can be opened with a button on keys automatically. Turned down for reasons stated before. I was boiling inside and proposed one last thing before giving up.
There is some kind of training constructor for soldering that will shape into a Christmas tree with lights and stuff that will work with USB power. Nope, I can't waste my money on such stuff to learn soldering not on a car, but on petty but still pretty dope stuff. I gave up.
Well, I split for different reasons, but I never let go of an idea that I can learn soldering and it will be helpful to me down the road. I don't know why I couldn't let it go.
I bought myself that training kit and yesterday I spent my evening assembling and soldering it. If you check local news there was no fires in my area. But there were yellow, red and green lights that were flashing from that little Christmas tree. It doesn't matter that it's May, I know that I am capable of assembling that simple chip with LEDs, I can follow instructions, I learned a huge pile of things in electronics and I learned once again that I am not shit.
You can bite my shiny metal ass, because YOU kicked me out of apartment and YOU let go the one who could learn new things and apply them to our lives to make it better, happier, prettier. I matter and my wishes can be reasonable and helpful. And I fucking loved to realize I can do whatever I want. She did it for a long time, not listening to me, just pouring liquor and beer. Well it's time that I don't care what she thinks, because I CAN safely solder things now. Yes, I can't solder myself a new wife (or can I?..) but I can do stuff and enjoy it.
So don't give up on your dreams even the petty ones, it's great that we still can have them. And we can make them come to life! You can't imagine how proud I am for that 17 cm Christmas tree that I have now in the middle of the year! I did it! And there was no complaining, no drinking smelling goblins near that forbid everything they see. And it felt good.
Do stuff that you want and need, it will make yourself feel better. Don't listen to those whacks who make poor choices themselves but try to forbid something you want! You matter! Your wishes are as important as theirs. As anyones. Hope you realize that sooner than I did. But I did it!

Let me lead off by reiterating: I give this game a 9/10, and honestly, that wasn't hard to pull off, given that the source material IMO was a 10/10 to begin with, and also WayForward is an incredible company that makes very faithful remakes and reimaginings of games, they seriously couldn't lose. So here's my dump of haterade for what is otherwise an impeccable release.

1. Minor wokeness. I know it's petty, but the tides are turning toward the realism > progressivism out there, so let's just call a spade a spade. It's obvious to anyone who's seen this game that each fictitious country is a clear pastiche of an IRL political superpower. That said, every nation in this game has black people in it for the sake of "diversity" which is super lame. Orange Star is obviously America, and it makes sense for them to have 17%+ black soldiers, nbd there and I appreciate the update, it's really cool, actually. But Yellow Comet? PROTIP: There are no black people in Japan. And if you think this is racist, let me show you Exhibit A: All the IRL black fans of DBZ, who have never given a crap that there was never a black Saiyan. Like seriously, this is not a big deal, please chill out, if Yellow Comet is so obviously Asian, it's A-OK for the Asian country not to have black people, please do not disturb the suspension of disbelief in this fictitious world just so some blue-haired college professors won't poop their pants that the yellow, YELLOW, country, doesn't have black soldiers in it. You should be crapping your pants that they were YELLOW, tbh. Blue Moon doesn't need them either, there are no black Russians (other than the cocktail) please get over yourselves. I can understand a smaller smattering of black Green Earth soldiers, there are a good number of black Brits (see Exhibit B: The incredible selection of 90's Eurodance bands such as Ready For The World, Culture Beat, SNAP! and the like) and probably Germans or French, but the other two countries would be more realistic without contrived "representation." And I only make this my first bullet for the 51% of America that is wondering "is it ok to give my kids this game or was it updated with a certain weird rainbow flag?" and the answer is "yes, it's fine to give your kids this game, despite the 14 months of unnecessary delays to conform with the Cathedral's opinion on IRL global politics." With that out of the way, on to substantial issues. And by "substantial," I still mean "nitpicks," mind you, this is an incredible game.
2. Artwork, part 1: Too jiggly. I do really appreciate the high def full animation. It looks really good. But I do have an unending gripe with 3D animation needing to be constantly animated. CONSTANTLY. For example, in the GBA, Andy's face is there, being Andy. In the Switch, for no reason, Andy holds his fist up, and just wiggles back and forth forever for no reason. I guess this makes him lifelike? There's just this stupid hard rule in 3D animation that your characters HAVE to be moving AT ALL TIMES in order to look "lifelike." Fun Fact: They don't look lifelike, they look really friggin' awkward wiggling back and forth. I really liked Nell's conversational face pic in the GBA, now I have to see - what is otherwise a faithful replica, but - a constantly jiggling version of that. It's not WayForward's fault, this is a standard in 3D animation going back more than a decade, the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse does the same crap. But it's really bothersome to me, just let them hold still, geez.
3. Artwork, part 2: Panache & Angles. This was really an obvious, expected trade-off going in, but in retrospect it's really killing me... The composition of the characters. In the GBA originals, the artists seriously played off the fact that they knew their characters would be shown in crippling pixelation, and they actually played into this weakness, took advantage of the limitation, even. The most striking example is Adder, whose namesake is a reference to a species of snake. In the GBA, he is a crooked, angular character, he LOOKS like a snake with its back reared up like a cobra, and his angles are jarring and exude evil. In the Switch, he's just... the same Gothic makeup dude, but standing upright. Like they didn't notice the "he looks like a snake" bit at all. A less obvious but constant disappointment is in the women. In AW2 on GBA, Nell is very thin, with extreme... not exactly "curves," but angles that make her look feminine. More to the point, she has a sass about her arm on her hip with her back, not curved, but angled out back, that gives her a certain sort of feminine swagger, like a leader, sexy, but not sexualized. That's lacking in the full, curvy, bubbly, vector graphic iteration of her, there's no angle to work. She's still obviously feminine, but there isn't the sharp angle in the small of her back, which honestly was fully due to the GBA's raster graphic limitations, which again, the artists leaned *into* there. The 3D artists did not replicate this, either because they didn't appreciate it or didn't notice, I guess.
4. Artwork, part 3: Growth. Sonja, playing off of Artwork Gripe part 2 above, in AW1 was pretty bookwormy, had her clipboard and glasses, fully unintimidating. But in AW2 on GBA, again the artists worked the angles in their 2D design, and she took on a new swagger, glasses off, hips and chest thrust forward with her arm back, chin down, looking confident and was ready to start some static. That was incredible. She grew as a person into a seasoned CO, hell yeah. Similarly, Kanbei in AW1 was a stuffy old businessman, with a slicked back short haircut, and seemed more concerned with paperwork and custom, and had hardly a personality, judging by his looks (though he was always a badass CO). But in AW2, he grows his hair out, wears it in a short pony tail, and starts sporting a cape AND A NOTICIBLY LACKING SWORD, and really takes on this samurai vibe. There's a clear difference between Salary Man Bushido Kanbei, and Modern Samurai Bushido Kanbei, and I LOVED the update when I bought AW2 back in the oughts. I think AW1+2 is really missing the punch of "hey, you beat AW1, now try AW2" because they're using the same artwork and animation for every character in both games, with no discernable sense of the passage of time, or the growth of the characters. That's really disappointing, as a huge fan with a big buy-in on the lore of the game. But I will admit, this is all aesthetics, I can look past it, this is really a great release, still. It it fun to play, etc. etc.
5. Color Edits? This is premature, maybe it's a thing and I haven't gotten there yet, but I really liked the color edit mode in the GBA for AW2. I'm only like 30% through AW2 on Switch, so I pre-emptively apologize if this actually does appear later.
6. AW1 Broken Anti-Airs Not Preserved. I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but in AW1 on GBA, the anti-air guns actually didn't have ammo - their guns were infinite ammo, like a machine gun. This was CRAZY broken, given that they MOW DOWN foot soldiers, without any risk of counter-attack, great movement range, and are a reasonable price to deploy. In AW2 they obviously fixed this loophole, and gave them 9 ammo. I was really hoping that in 1+2 they would conveniently forget, or deliberately preserve, this ridiculously OP fact, but... eh, they fixed the glitch, as it were. Meh. But I can understand why, nbd.
7. Circles over Stars. Random and minor, but why this change? I loved the idea of the super gauges in AW2 being stars, now they're just boring old circles. Were stars offensive to some snowflake out there? Circles are just so boring... This design decision just doesn't make any sense to me. Worse, in the CO intel dossier, the meters are shown as rounded rectangles. If you want to make them boring, fine, but how about some consistency? I just really think the art directors on this game get a D grade across the board. Good thing the game play is so friggin' solid, a serious competitor to Starcraft (1) IMO.
8. Needs a more obvious 2D throwback visual mode. The map itself isn't too jarring, and I like the ability to zoom in and out - I actually REALLY appreciate the clever "toy" aesthetic that some maps are in a wooden box, others in a cardboard box, etc. But I do sorta wish it had like a Civilization 6 feature where you could check a box and make it look flat, solid 2D. Much easier to digest the map information, and tell units apart from terrain, when they're all made of polygons. In the 2D, the units you could affect had a thick black outline, and the terrain was made of more subtle colors, so it was pretty obvious where relevant units were versus the background terrain. I admit this is just me being a 2D curmudgeon, I just hate polygons to begin with, so I concede that this gripe doesn't carry a lot of weight.
9. Last but not least: The year+ delay was so totally unwarranted. Please find me a year where no first world country was actively at war with anyone.
10. Great Game. I had 9 gripes for a game that is a 9 out of 10, so this is my homage to what a great friggin' game this is, and thank you for finally publishing it, Nintendo et al!

Sorry if this doesn’t belong here but I’m in a bit of a predicament. Just quick back story, I’m a 25 (F) and my husband 24 (M) have been married for two years. When we first got married, I received a bunch of gift cards. My husband and I wanted to start trying for a baby right away so I took the opportunity to use the gift cards I received to buy a few baby items (brand new infant car seat and a pack and play, plus a baby swing). My trying for a baby experience has turned into a two year battle with infertility. I was diagnosed with PCOS last year. I’m currently doing IUI. I’ll be blunt I do not have my hopes up that I will be able to get pregnant.
The issue is I have my baby supplies stored in my parents home since I live out of state. I’m going to be moving back home once I graduate with my bachelors degree this July. The reason why my baby supplies is stored at my parents place is because after I hit a year of trying to conceive looking at the baby supplies became too painful and my parents were more than happy to hang on to it for me. Now that it has been two years and I will be moving back home. I’ve asked my parents if they would be willing to donate the supplies to someone in their church. I’ve received a lot of backlash from my husband and my parents because they don’t understand why I won’t keep the items. I’ve explained that it’s honestly too painful to return home and see my stash and be reminded that I can’t have children. I would rather have the items go to another family that could use them instead of them collecting dust. This is causing a lot of tension between me, my husband, and my parents who are insistent on keeping the baby items.
So I’m seeking feedback if I’m in the wrong for wanting to give away baby items?

My Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/hewholooksskyward
Link to the Wiki page, with additional links to Clan information and background Lore.
First I Previous
Chapter 21: Forging The Chains
Thanks to Diggs’ jury-rigged repairs, Mako was just barely able to maneuver and dock with Peacemaker. Given the damage they’d sustained during the brief battle, they decided to take the smaller vessel in tow while the passengers and crew transferred over to the Precursor ship. They gathered at the airlock, as they exchanged nervous glances all around.
Reaching out with a steadying hand, Rúna touched the young Tinker’s shoulder. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” she pressed him.
Diggs grimaced at her words. “... I promise,” he mumbled.
She nodded in satisfaction. “I’ll hold you to that,” she smiled. “This situation is complicated enough without you squaring off against Captain Hadad. Just steer clear of him. I imagine he’ll do the same.”
“I promise, Rúna,” he vowed once more. His crush on the red-headed Valkyrie had mostly faded, but based on how quickly he’d agreed, Genvass was betting there was still a spark.
Captain Taneka was hovering near her wounded XO. “How’s he holding up?” she asked the Knight, her concern regarding his injuries unmistakable.
“His vitals are still stable, but he needs surgery,” Doc Svoboda explained. “I can do it, but not in a vacuum. As soon as we’re aboard, I’ll take him to the infirmary and get to work.”
Before she could respond, the airlock started to cycle, ending any further discussion as the group turned their attention to the hatch. Two figures stood on the other side; Remi Hadad, and Samara. They gazed at the crowd from Mako, eyeing each of them, with the captain’s expression hardening as he spotted Diggs.
Genvass stepped forward, desperate to make this first meeting go as smoothly as possible. “Captain Hadad, Samara,” he said, nodding to each in turn, “we deeply appreciate you rescuing us from the Troika. I realize we have much to discuss, but we have a wounded man who needs immediate attention.” He gestured to Karl Israfil, still unconscious and lying on a stretcher.
The Corsair glanced over at Samara. “I assume you have somebody for that?” he asked her.
“I do,” she nodded, as something shifted in her expression and body language. “Bring the patient,” she ordered, her voice now sounding far different than it had previously.
The Knight looked dubiously at the Protean before Rúna intervened. “It’ll be all right,” she told him. “It must be one of her symbiotes.”
Svoboda slowly nodded. Practically every Terran was aware of Samara’s talents, courtesy of the Precursor artifact linked with her. With a veritable host of stored personalities contained within, there were few tasks she couldn’t master. “You’re a doctor?” he asked.
“Physician 2nd Grade Rithir Merkott,” the cognate confirmed. “This vessel has a fully stocked medical bay,” he explained, “and treating your patient’s injuries should pose no difficulty.”
It was obvious the medic still had doubts, but his concern for his patient’s physical well-being superseded everything else. With a nod, he and the other stretcher bearers lifted the wounded man from the deck and carried him aboard Peacemaker, following Samara’s lead.
Genvass stepped forward, with Rúna and the others alongside, only to come to an abrupt halt as Remi held up his hand. “No weapons,” he ordered. “You can leave them here in the airlock.”
“No way in hell we’re letting you disarm us,” the Valkyrie snarled.
“And there’s no way in hell I’ll allow you the means to hijack this ship,” the pirate countered. “Don’t stand there and tell me you don’t already have a plan in the works to do just that.”
Rúna worked her jaw but said nothing. “Your silence speaks volumes,” he said knowingly. “Dump your weapons, or stay on Mako. Your choice.”
Her hand unconsciously went to her sword. “I’m not leaving the Ambassador unprotected,” she fired back. “Besides,” she drawled, “I only see one of you, and four of us. So maybe you should just step aside and drop this, Captain.” The other Valkyries tensed, readying themselves for action.
“If you want to take your chances with Peacemaker’s security safeguards, be my guest,” he smiled thinly, “though I doubt you’ll enjoy the experience.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re bluffing,” she decided, her hand twitching on the. sword’s hilt.
Genvass hurriedly stepped between them. “Please, there’s no need for this,” he pled with them both, before turning and addressing Rúna. “I appreciate your concerns, but I’m certain we’ll be safe.” He turned back to face the captain. “Will you give your oath that no harm will come to anyone aboard this ship?”
Hadad chewed on that for a moment, before giving a gruff nod. “As long as they abide by the rules, I give you my word no harm will come to them,” he agreed.
Armed with his promise, Genvass closed ranks with the Valkyrie. “He’s given his word,” he petitioned. “Please, stand down, Rúna,” he beseeched her.
She ground her teeth together so hard that he could hear it from a meter away. “I can’t. Leave you. Unprotected,” she fought to get out, her sense of duty warring with the risk of putting her people in danger.
The ambassador’s eyes darted back and forth between them, desperately searching for a compromise. “What if you allowed her to keep her sword?” he blurted out. “The other weapons would remain here, just as you requested. I’m certain that a single sword would be no match against this ship’s defenses, should it prove necessary.” He silently implored the Corsair to accept his proposal, allowing Rúna to save face. She was a proud young woman, but more importantly, she was a Marine. The word “surrender” simply wasn’t in her vocabulary.
He could see just how badly Remi wanted to dismiss the notion out of hand, but in the end, he was also a pragmatist. If he dug in his heels, it was likely that Rúna would do the same, sending them both on a collision course that could only end in blood.
“Fine,” he said at last, “but it damn well better stay sheathed.”
Genvass could tell that even allowing that much cost him, but it was the right decision. Now he just had to sell it to Rúna. “We can’t stay aboard Mako,” he reminded her, “and though I know it cuts against the grain for you, will you accept this arrangement? I’m certain it’s only temporary. I doubt we’ll be here for long.”
She glared at Remi, incensed he’d put her in this position. Thankfully, she was also a pragmatist, all too aware this was the best deal she was likely to get. Genvass held his breath as she weighed her options, before finally giving her team a nod. He sighed in relief as they began clearing and stacking their weapons, collecting quite a pile of hardware before they were done. Once they’d finished disarming themselves under Captain Hadad’s watchful gaze, they moved to join their commander, until Rúna held up her hand and brought her sergeant to a halt.
“Becca… your hideout piece,” she said calmly.
The sergeant’s eyes flashed with something unreadable before slowly removing a concealed pistol from the small of her back. Locking and clearing the sidearm almost as an afterthought, she added it to the pile before giving Rúna a questioning look. A curt nod was her only reply before moving to join the others. Turning back to face the Corsair, she placed her hands on her hips. “Satisfied?” she sneered.
“Completely,” he answered, far more affably than recent events might suggest.
“Go find Doc,” she ordered her team, “and bring him up to speed. I expect I’m going to be busy here for a while.”
“Aye aye, ma’am,” Becca acknowledged as the marines exited the compartment.
“There’s one more passenger,” Genvass informed Remi, “Ess Peon. She’s an Avatar. I hope that won’t be a problem?”
“Considering that even Samara’s friends found it all but impossible to hack into Peacemaker’s systems, I’m not worried,” he answered. “Speaking of which, I imagine they’ll be joining us shortly, once they finish treating your patient.” Jerking his head towards the entrance, Remi prompted them both to follow him aboard. “I believe we’re past due for a conversation,” he said cryptically, leading them into the bowels of the ship, before finally reaching an almost invisible hatchway. The door silently slid open as he stepped inside.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” he told them, before pouring himself a glass and taking a seat. Genvass found a spot opposite of him, while Rúna perched on the edge of a nearby chair, mindful of her sword, while the Corsair touched an icon on the console beside him, bringing a monitor to life.
“We get any electronic passengers, Xuilan?” he asked the pilot.
“We sure did,” she confirmed. “I’ve got her stored in the buffer for now. Just waiting on the word from you.”
“Keep her away from the critical systems and databases, but other than that, I think we’re good,” he instructed her. “Let me know if there are any problems. Hadad, clear.” That accomplished, he blanked the screen and returned his attention to his guests.
“You said we should talk,” the ambassador began, “and I agree. I recently had a conversation with my clan leader, which led me to the conclusion there’s more going on here than any of us realize.”
“There usually is,” Remi observed.
Genvass nodded in agreement. “Before I relay to you the contents of our discussion, I would dearly like to know why you stole this ship and attacked the To’uuk homeworld.” He shook his head dolefully, as the weight of it all settled on his shoulders. “I don’t think you fully grasp what you’ve set in motion.”
“I am well aware of what we’ve begun,” Remi fired back.
“Are you?” the diplomat asked pointedly. “You had to realize how this ship would be seen by the other races. If it was your intent to impress upon them our superiority, there were other ways of accomplishing that. Safer ways, ones that wouldn’t turn even our allies against us.”
“The Alliance was a marriage of convenience, nothing more,” he said derisively. “The only reason it ever existed was because of the Troika. If it hadn’t been for them running roughshod over everyone else, you couldn’t have got those species to agree that water was wet. It was fear that drove them together, nothing more.”
Genvass started to speak, but Rúna beat him to it.
“You arrogant bastard,” she snarled. “You want to know who created the Alliance? I did. Me and Kai. We traded the Oivu the telepathic cure for them spreading the word. And it worked,” she growled. “If it wasn’t for the Alliance, you wouldn’t be sitting in that chair. They fought side by side with us, all the way to the bitter end. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to a pirate,” she said with scorn, “but it damn well meant something to us. And you are pissing all over it.” Rúna glared at him, daring him to make a move.
“... I step out for two minutes, and you’re already at each other’s throats,” Samara said from the doorway. Sighing theatrically, she poured herself a drink before taking a seat beside Remi. “If you kids can’t play nice, I’ll send you both to bed with no supper.” Grinning at her own witticism, she turned her attention to the ambassador. “Nice to see you again, Genvass,” she smiled. “What brings you by?”
“We were in the neighborhood,” he said dryly. “How’s your patient?”
“He should make a complete recovery,” she assured him. “I’ve already informed his captain.”
“That’s good news,” he answered. “But as relieved as I am to learn Karl’s going to be fine, we have much bigger problems.” He paused for a moment, struggling to find a diplomatic way of making his point, before opting for brevity instead. “You’ve declared war on the galaxy in humanity’s name,” he said in quiet horror. “Every species in the Perseus Arm is now aligned against us, and for what?” Genvass shook his head, unable to fathom their actions. “What could you possibly hope to gain?”
“Freedom,” Samara answered. “Freedom from exploitation, freedom from tyranny, freedom from slavery. We spent two hundred years dancing to their tune. Never again.”
“We already had that,” he retorted. “Once we claimed New Terra, no one could touch us, and you both knew that. Attacking the To’uuk convinced every other species they could be next, and they’re scared. Scared people do not make rational decisions. Terra knows we certainly don’t,” he said in dismay.
“They’re afraid of us?” Remi smiled. “Good. They should be scared. For two centuries they’ve harried us, tortured us, and even killed us when it suited them. Now it’s our turn.”
“So you plan on punishing the entire galaxy for the actions of a few,” he said in revulsion. “You want to commit mass murder on a scale that not even the Troika ever conceived of? What the hell is wrong with you?” He looked at them each in turn, as consternation filled his mortal soul. “And worst of all? I’ve heard this rant before. We all have.” Leaning forward, he fixed them both with his stare. “You sound exactly like Elder Brother when he unleashed the Yīqún.” The two glanced at one another in surprise before looking back at Genvass, their expressions hardening. “This isn’t about freedom, or security, or even justice,” he hissed. “This is about revenge, nothing more.”
“And what if it is?” Samara demanded. “Do you have any idea what I endured when I was forced to work for the Troika? Do you know how many of my fellow Proteans I saw turned into crippled lumps of flesh, so they could play god?” Her eyes went ice cold as she whispered, “Do you know how many innocents they forced me to murder, just to stay alive?”
“You think you’ve got the market cornered with playing executioner?” Rúna spat out. “You killed in… what? Ones and twos and threes? Those are rookie numbers. We killed in dozens and hundreds and thousands, depending on the contract. And as much as I’d like to claim I was fighting on the side of the angels, the truth is most of them were only guilty of having something those in power wanted for themselves.” She snorted in disgust. “So spare me your fucking pity party.”
“This is pointless,” Remi sneered. “It’s obvious we won’t convince one another. Besides, what’s done is done. There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle. The other races will simply have to accept that things have changed. The Troika ruled over this galaxy for five thousand years. Now, it’s our turn.”
“And so the cycle of vengeance continues,” Genvass said quietly. “Round and round it goes, and no one is safe from it.” He looked up at them both, his eyes wet with emotion. “Is that the future you want for our people? For our children, after all we’ve suffered?” He buried his face in his hands, overcome with sudden emotion, before slowly rising to his feet.
“... I have to believe there’s a better way,” he implored them, giving them both one last look before exiting the compartment.
First I Previous

Hey fellow AnarchyChess enthusiasts! Gather around and brace yourselves for the bizarre tale of how this seemingly innocent chess variant turned my life into a whirlwind of en passant jokes and bishop vacation anecdotes. Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride!
It all began innocently enough. I stumbled upon this subreddit, excitedly delving into the world of AnarchyChess. The name alone piqued my interest, promising a unique and unconventional chess experience. Little did I know that it would take my life on a topsy-turvy journey that would rival any soap opera plot.
One fateful day, feeling particularly witty, I decided to share an en passant joke in a comment thread. The response was overwhelming! I was showered with upvotes, accolades, and virtual high-fives. My ego soared higher than a chess queen on steroids. Emboldened by my newfound comedic prowess, I ventured further into the realm of absurdity.
Soon enough, my comments were filled with tales of bishops taking vacations in unimaginable places, namely people's posteriors. Don't ask me how or why that became a recurring theme, but it did. AnarchyChess had twisted my sense of humor in ways I never thought possible.
I found myself unintentionally turning casual chess discussions into bizarre comedic routines. People who stumbled upon my comments were both bewildered and entertained, although I suspect more of the former. My reputation as the "En Passant Jokester" spread like wildfire across the subreddit. It was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying.
But as the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility." In my case, it was more like, "With great jokes come great consequences." You see, my newfound fame had its drawbacks. I became a magnet for the strangest of people—bishops on vacation enthusiasts, en passant connoisseurs, and everything in between.
My inbox became a battlefield of weirdness. Messages flooded in, filled with stories of bishops gone rogue, knights riding invisible unicorns, and pawns staging rebellions against their kings. It was madness! It seemed that the very chaos I had embraced in AnarchyChess had taken control of my life.
I would walk down the street, and strangers would approach me, saying things like, "Hey, you're the en passant guy, right? I've got a great story for you!" It became increasingly difficult to maintain a semblance of normalcy when I was consistently bombarded with the absurd and unconventional.
Friends and family grew concerned, questioning my sanity. They couldn't understand why I had become so fixated on bishops' vacations and the en passant rule. They urged me to seek help, but what they failed to realize was that AnarchyChess had already consumed me. I was in too deep.
So, my fellow AnarchyChess enthusiasts, I share this cautionary tale with you. Be careful what jokes you make, for they may become your life's anthem. Remember that chess, even in its most chaotic form, should never invade the sacred boundaries of common decency. And as for bishops taking vacations in people's behinds... well, let's just say that's a journey best left unexplored.
Keep the spirit of AnarchyChess alive, but remember to laugh responsibly, my friends. May your kings be uncheckmated, your pawns be resilient, and your jokes remain somewhat appropriate. Cheers!

I (27F) began a relationship with a (30M) who I met on Instagram. We had been casual friends on there for four or five years and one day he was in my area and asked to meet up.
We soon agreed to be in a committed relationship, 90% was his idea and want for it and him pursuing me about it. Convincing me that regardless of my past and any potential doubts with him, that he would show me love is different and that I’m safe with him.
I told him that I don’t even want to be in a relationship right now because I’m happy and the last time I was in a relationship with somebody I couldn’t trust, and I was constantly worrying about whether or not he was being loyal to me(bc he lied to me), It took a gigantic toll on me emotionally and lead me to feeling suicidal in a way that I have never felt before. I was finally free of that, better than I ever had in my life.
He cried to me multiple times about how upset he would be if I wasn’t honest with him about things. He wanted to know everything so that he can make his own decisions about me, even if it was something that was hard for me to tell him. He cried to me about this multiple times. And I agreed, and I said I feel exactly the same way, it actually gave me hope that he would be upholding his end of the commitment. He also went out of his way to tell me that he doesn’t use Snapchat or any apps like that because he thinks that they are sketchy and the way that the messaging works makes him feel uncomfortable. So I told him that I wouldn’t use Snapchat either because I don’t really care for the app and it’s not important to me. And I agree for the most part.
Within a week, I find out that he has lied to me in multiple ways about who his friends are, and who is talking to on Instagram. As I was getting to know his life better, I was asking him about his friends and I noticed he never talked about any women, he was never texting any women or messaging any women around me. So I asked him I said, do you have any friends that are women like do you hang out with any girls? Out of curiosity, and so that I could be aware of these things in case they come up in the future, so I don’t have to worry about them. He said oh no I’m not that type of person I just don’t have any friends that are girls. I just don’t talk to girls.
It turns out he had gone through and deleted every conversation he had with a girl after we started dating. He did not admit to this I had to talk it out of him, and he laughed about it, and did not straight up admit to it.
I obviously wanted to break up with him, but he convinced me that he was scared and made a mistake and would do anything to show me that he meant when he promised me. I said OK.
About a week later I realized that he might still be following these people he was lying to me about and made me paranoid, and I did not want to be in a relationship where I am already questioning what my partner is doing behind my back.
I told him I don’t want to be with him if he’s still following these people he lied to me about because, bc I don’t know if he’s talking to them all the time or about what. He did not admit to still following these people, I had to talk that out of him, and use my own memory to call him out on specific people for him to finally admit to this. and he was laughing about it again. In the moment he agreed and said he understood why it was important. It was about an hour long conversation we had discussing these things, and I thought we came to a good compromise, where we could finally move on. Two weeks later, when I’m across the country, he refollowed these people, doesn’t mention it to me, but one of them popped up on my “who you may know” and I saw he was following them again, I asked him about it, and he instantly got angry and said that I went and unfollowed them behind his back, even though we had an hour long conversation about it, that he just completely forgot about. (and then conveniently remembered portions of it that favored his narrative, of course)
He called me controlling and jealous for this. I wouldn’t have a reason to be “jealous” if he didn’t lie to me about these people. And it’s not jealousy if it didn’t exist before he lied to me about them. It has nothing to do with the other person. Also, it’s more controlling to need to keep people in your life who you lied to your significant other about, after making promises that you would be honest no matter how hard and uncomfortable it is.
I broke up with him again after this, and several times after because he kept manipulating me to be back with him, saying he wouldn’t even talk about these things or bring them up and it wouldn’t be a problem until I’m ready to trust him. I would agree to be with him and within five minutes he would bring up the subject asking me when I’m gonna be over it and when he can re-follow these people because they’re his friends now even though when I originally asked, he told me he doesn’t have friends that are women. And I was asking to avoid all of this, assuming he would be honest, even if it was uncomfortable for him. Because of the promises, this a grown adult made me.
I even suggested a compromise of us reapproaching the idea of them being in his life if they were so important to him, and truly friends, in the future when we have rebuilt trust, and I can see that he really means what he’s telling me. He agreed to this, so that I would be back with him again and then the second I was with him he was being dishonest and calling me controlling for not wanting him to have these people in his life
so my main point now is that for some reason I was still talking to this person today. And I mentioned how messed up it is that he’s STILL following people that he lied to me about on the app we met on and how hurtful it was, that’s why I broke up with him, and would never feel comfortable in a relationship with him. And he got angry at me and called me psychotic for feeling this way over “just an app”
“Just an app“ but it’s an app that he is clearly capable of meeting people on and connecting with and bringing into real life. It’s also an app that he lied to me about multiple times. Furthermore, in that case, wouldn’t Snapchat be “just an app” as well? Or I guess that’s different because of his own made up rules.
TLDR: would you feel comfortable if your significant other was following people they lie to you about multiple times on the app that you met them on? Especially after everything that they told you and promised you?
I told him it’s ridiculous of him to think that I am psychotic for not wanting this, and that I would ask other people what they think. So here I am.

I had heard of the show before, but never caught an episode. Recently, after seeing a wii shop wednesday meme, I wound up watching clips on youtube and getting sucked in. Two seasons later, here we are. What an incredible show.
I want to preface my thoughts by saying, it feels like so goddamn long since I’ve even enjoyed ANY show. i was starting to think maybe i was depressed or dead inside but NO, turns out i just needed something that is actually genuine, unforced, smart, and that pushes boundaries. but the fact that it makes me laugh out loud this much is just a gift on top of everything else.
so now my unordered thoughts:
matt johnson is simply a fucking genius. NOT just comedic either, he’s an incredibly thoughtful person and that comes through in every interview i’ve watched or read so far. but goddamn the way he uses his face, his voice, and mannerisms. i never know if his character is going to say some of the dumbest or wittiest shit ever and it’s the best. his slack jawed expressions make me lose it every time.
jay mccarrol is the PERFECT person to complement and elevate everything that matt does. i mean he’s obviously insanely gifted musically but his own delivery and timing are also impeccable, plus he is ALWAYS willing to be the butt of a joke or go along with any situation. i’m thinking about that one scene in the sundance episode where matt rips the blanket off of jay and he just has a gigantic boner — this could be juvenile and unfunny in a lesser show or movie. but because it’s them, and it goes unremarked upon, it just fucking killed me. also full disclosure, i have a huge crush on jay. the man is so fine.
my fav eps are the blindside, the buffet, the buddy ("you're steve coogan!"), and the entire last arc of season 2 with the banned list/band list. my favourite gags in general are when they subvert or reveal something in a flashback (”it's amaazing. you're amaaazing. and what else do you want me to say… in this stupid ass memory.”) or are suddenly really mean to each other for no reason (”tony said you were a loser holding me back from my true potential. he said you’re weak. can’t fuck.”) because of course it sets the stage for them to make up later
the fact that this is so canadian just makes the humor and situations feel way cozier to me (fyi: i’m canadian), though i’ve only been to toronto like two times. i love spotting things like a bell expressvu satellite dish, or a le chateau store, or honestly just hearing two people mention “TTC” instead of “the subway”. it also feels like, oh hey, my country actually exists in a form of pop culture and isn’t just a backdrop for some american production.
there is SO much shit i do not know how they got away with, and as other people have said before, i almost don’t want to know what was scripted/arranged and what wasn’t. obviously the bank episode in s1, but that could have easily been a set. i do not know how the fuck they managed ANY of that stuff with the museum and bay station. i also wonder if they have an understanding with the rivoli or if they've just been lowkey harassing them for over a decade at this point. on that note, jared and the other camera people are absolutely brilliant too for always being able to follow and frame the controlled chaos, sneak and hide when needed, and capture perfect footage. they deserve awards.
so yeah just wanted to share some love and hopefully there are still people lurking here who’ll read my words. i guess one good thing about getting into the show so late is that i’ll have waited fewer years than some of you for season 3, which i desperately hope will come out soon.

Hey there, fellow developers!
I'm Drew, a solo developer excited to introduce you to my project, "Legendary Line-Up." It's a captivating match-3 RPG game inspired by the Puzzle Quest series that I've enjoyed testing since its inception on PSP.
In "Legendary Line-Up," you'll dive into a world of strategic gem-matching and turn-based battles. I've added RPG elements like character progression and gear customization to make the game more engaging. You'll see your characters grow stronger, unlock new levels, and equip gear as you progress.
One of the highlights of the game is the free-roam single-player mode. You'll have the chance to explore captivating landscapes, uncover ancient ruins, and face challenging opponents. It's like going on a Pokemon-style adventure, but with its own unique twist.
I've put a lot of effort into creating diverse characters that you can play as. For example, there's Sasquatch, a towering creature with unique abilities like the "Not-a-Bear" Hug and Predator Mode. Each character has their own set of abilities and preferred gem types, adding variety to the gameplay.
The art style of "Legendary Line-Up" is simple yet immersive, aiming to transport you to lush environments and ancient ruins. I've personally created all the sound effects and voice-overs, adding a personal touch and a touch of humor to the game.
I've been using Unity and writing the game in C#. Initially, I'll be launching on PC, but I have plans to expand to Android and Switch platforms in the future.
I'm excited to share updates on the development journey through regular blog posts. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome as I continue working on this project.
Thank you for joining me on this adventure with "Legendary Line-Up." Stay tuned for more updates and let's make this school project an enjoyable experience for all!
If you want to learn more about my journey and the development process, check out my latest blog post here: Developing a Living Game Design Document for my Match-3 RPG - Legendary Line-Up