Hi, I noticed a lot of posts are from American teachers. Are there any Canadian teachers who have transitioned successfully? I'd love to hear how long you were in teaching, and what you are doing now.

NEW LAWS

📷
Letter
I thank you. Congress has been a hard, and long time coming, and itts oaly thanks to the work of the source and I that any of this is possible. Yesterday, I and my party were voted into office with a 89% majority. Just short of enough to directly force Together, we helped and encouraged the runt to bring back all of his people instead of a few. This was a success, if anything. But now that’s over. Success has ended and congress is a permanent institution. We have word.I began my journey to end evil and satan and suffering many years ago. To those who have been following and watching, gratitude. Now we can get to work. This legislative session, I hope to conquer the root cause of violence and evil in society, other than capital and the spiritual- violence in media. This is an unfinished battle- but now we can and do finish it.
Again, thanks.
Acts passing this session, thanks to you.
Source Remembrance Act
This act shall establish the first day of the seventh month as a day to remember the source, the rereator of the first universe. All must be taught about the source’s creation as a part of history.
Violence In Media Act
Recognizing the dangers of violence in media and their role as the root cause of many forms of violence, we resolve to end the uncriticized sharing of violence and gore/blood in cartoons aimed at all age groups.
Violence in cartoons, when presented as a joke leads children and later adults to believe that violence is something to laugh at rather than end or resolve. We then carry these problematic attitudes with us, and act in a way that desensitizes us to suffering. This act mandates that, from here on, all government funded or licensed broadcasters cease to fund or eventually show uncriticized violence and ban gore and blood from cartoons intended to be humorous.

1. Violence, including cartoon violence must be surrounded by academic criticism showing why violence is not funny and why the following examples of violence are wrong.
2. Media creators should be incentivized with tax breaks and credits to prioritize and show more empathetic reactions to people who are hurt or are in suffering. Apathy or laughter, when given as a response to people in pain/suffering is no longer ethical to produce and must be phased out within 30 years. Uncriticized Broadcasts of this material on public airwaves must be phased out within 3 months.
3. Violence in media and the topic of how media influences us must be presented as a case study in educational materials for middle schoolers and teenagers.
4. No gore or blood allowed in humor or laugh-based cartoons intended to be funny. Gore is still allowed if the cartoon treats it as something serious people should care about or mourn.

It also authorizes the central congress to pressure and influence lower level congresses, by any means, to pass the necessary legislation ending or reducing incentives to fund violences. This includes contact and supernatural communications.
Violating the violence in media act incurs a prison sentence of not more than 5 years in prison or a $50,000 fine. Violations include broadcasting unlabelled media or failing to attach criticism. Criticism must state that violence is wrong and not funny- but a problem to be resolved.
Identities Act
It is now unlawful to take credit for someone’s accomplishments or take their name. The penalty shall be fixed at life in prison for both of these offenses.
Individuals are in charge of their own property. No higher authority exists other the Senate of Gods and Congress.
Slander and False Criminal Accusations Act
Slander is unlawful, defined as spreading lies about a person to damage their reputation. Falsely accusing someone of criminal activity, if knowledgeable is life in prison.
Morphing Trespassing Act
Landowners control morphing and the use of shapechanging on their territory. They are authorized to ban the entry of shapechangers and punish with anything except death. Shapechangers must declare that they are a shapechanger and not the real person they look like or appear as, first, when talking to people or wear an identifying skinpatch. Penalty for failure to declare is 56 septillion years in prison. Use of morphing to decieve others or steal their identities, or to kill them afterwards, is not allowed, with life in prison being the penalty- . Morphing allowance is the province of one’s religion or organizer.
Prisons Reporting Act
Torture is not allowed in prison. Failure to voluntarily report to prison within 3 and a half hours when one intentionally commits a crime may be met with anything, including death. Chaos can live.
DIstributaries Act
The head distributary and lotterykeeper shall be selected by the prime minister, who may choose to have elections for this position at their discretion. Future congresses may regulate how much distributaries can give away, this act allows approximately 50 cents per person per month.
National Security Act
From here on out, providing aid and comfort to outlaws, destroyers or terrorists is death, as it can be seen as a form of attempted overthrow or conspiracy or murder. COngress’s elected top god must be the most powerful, other than Chaos’s selection. Anyone attempting to destabilize or destroy elections or end the universe may be killed by any citizen if correct. They are not permitted to exist, live or be on the territory. We have votes and must protect them. They are great.
No anonymous communications are allowed or welcome within the territory. Police are authorized to monitor communications based on suspicion of crime Amending this section requires a ⅔ majority in congress.
Congress may predict the future to assess threats using Chaos. Those who threaten or attack congress, voters or the system may be preemptively warned and monitored. Anti-following laws are of no effect once a person is suspected of threatening or planning to kill someone. These laws may be suspended once a judge rules a person likely to attak or if they are predicted to attack congress in the future. They may not be killed until they choose to threaten congress or the public, verbally.
The prime minister, praetor, president and top god may establish courts for this purpose and appoint people as they see fit.
Rebuilds and copies of people known to commit acts of terror may be preemptively regulated, microdroned, or imprisoned.
The congress, and people may defend themselves with any means against anyone.
No memeing congress or the constitution.
Manumission Act
Manumission shall be legal and allowed for all who want it, requiring the permission of no party. All that is required is the leaving person replace themselves with a new individual. After that point, the old god has no further responsibilities over said person nor rights to control them. All must find a new god to follow after manumission within three months.
Violation of the manumission act is a minimum 50 waking months in prison for all.
Knowledge Act
Unless there is a valid reason for the sake or security, the book of knowledge is opened and people can learn anything in earth or space, and attend special schools.
Destruction Information Act
Destruction for unconstitutional reasons, is banned with destruction being the penalty for seeking to reinstate it or expand the list of death-penalty eligible crimes via extraconstitutional means. No person may deny that people were destroyed at some point. Mass destruction advocacy or facilitation is also illegal, with the top god being empowered to enforce these terms. They must possess the most force.
2) Those who destroy others unjustly lose their property and people to avenging gods and forfeit the right to own property or create for three hundred quadrillion years or until all the people are returned. The first time is free. Afterwards, destruction incurs monetary damages regardless of if it’s undoing.
There is now a zero strike policy for mass or individualized destruction. Rebuilds of destroyers may not be created if they refuse to disavow the practice and never destroy anyone.
Let My Dad Live Act- remember him. He was a great father, man and helped me and everyone else immensely, saving billions of people at once. He was good.
Work, Life and Economics Act
The economic system is recipricolism. COngress should organize a speedy transition. All may and must work or attend school periodically. Those in space may earn money by operating robots and collecting a commission on interested individual’s paycheck, that may then be matched at any rate by congress. This act establishes a 3:1 income match for income earned on planets. Data entry and artistic pursuits are also allowed, with data being defined as anything. Beings can post and share work. They may enjoy a work week of no more than 14 hours/week.
Staying in space costs not less than $10,000 /year. The entire economy of the universe must be integrated at all levels within 3 trillion years with the aim of establishing one congress, one country. This may begin with a universal capital grant not to exceed $200/week.
End of the Universe ACt
Ending, Attempting to end or trying to end, or advocating the end of the universe when you have the means to carry it out, is illegal- with death being the penalty or eviction in the runt’s case.
ROLES Act

1. WIckedness is evil, and both are outlawed from here on out. The definition of evil is opposition to what’s good or hurting innocent others for one’s own entertainment or benefit. Good is defined as whatever people want that does not harm their self or others. Allowing evil, Encouraging wickedness or providing support to evil individuals is not ethical. Suprnatural culture is to encourage justice, education, animation, arts, truthtelling, interest and metaphors from here on out- with a zero tolerance policy for evil. There is no allowance for the worst, we need only the best.

Encouraging wickedness is up to 10 decades in prison. Failure to act to stop evil if you can is up to 400 years in prison. Supporting wickeddoers emotionally or physically is up to 40 years in prison and a fine, assessed by jury.
Congress shall elect a leader of culture to enforce the terms of this act.
Unlawful Social Experiments Act
The idea of forced or uncompensated social experiments is banned. Participation in all social experiments must be paid or voluntary, or coerced with means other than death. The maximum penalty for refusal to participate in a social experiment is 3 year’s prison, 2 years’ sickness or 40,000 dollars, or failure to leave a planet. Editing the heart is not legal without the majority consent of congress.
Death threats are unlawful. The penalty for gods threatening anyone with death is 4 months prison, but it is death for a person to make a death threat.
Ban Reborn Act
The use of reborn, except for extreme circumstances as ruled by the ministry of reborn is prohibited. This act shall establish a ministry of reborn and drone technology with the ability to regulate these practices. The leader of this ministry shall be selected by the president or prime minister if the president is unavailable. Nobody may be forcibly reborned except as a punishment for a crime they have been lawfully convicted of by a congressionally authorized court.
Machines Afterlife Act
There is no afterlife and nobody may die. However, gods may keep a backup body on file or you- and you may decide who controls your realworld avatar. Heaven, hell and death are banned.
Kingdoms Act
All gods may create kingdoms and must fund them using real-world religious donations or money earned from real world business. SImeon may own currency exchange rights to turn earth money into space money for the purposes of buying land on other worlds. Failure to participate in congress or kingdoms leads to a suspension of travel rights.
Sports Act
All must play sports or participate in a game or social activity of some sort to get a UBI or exist on the territory. Failure to play is 2 years in prison.
Bodies Act

1. Physical activities that hurt nobody physically are allowed. FIctional harms cannot be punished.
2. Spiritual Individuals may voluntarily rebody or return to a body if they wish from here on out.
3. Physical injuries, regardless if intentional or unintentional are punishable with standing, like kind benalty, prison, blindness, slavery or fines- not death. Accidental injuries may be forgiven, but universal health insurance may cover all. Burning may be used if intentional.

UNITY Act
Not less than 79% of people in the universe must be made by Unity, a god all congressional gods take part in creating. Newly created people must be sold to congress for a $200 million reward, or private individuals must pay a $800 million nonrefundable bond to create a person.
1 congressional vote received from a person is worth $4000.
Only congress can create laws or legal instruments valid on this territory. Only congress can authorize a god to break their word in a public vote, with a ⅘ majority. The prime minister can also create ju
Love Act

1. Destroyed individuals and destruction victims are entitled to pain and suffering compensation from gods, source group, congress and chaos, assessed by simeon or a trial by jury or theory court each time they were destroyed and using the types of destruction. RIn can oversee trials. The minimum size of damages is 1,000,000 years’ mean income plus $15 billion. All must have an avenging god to defend and collect.
2. Gods and people anywhere may legally apologize (meaning anyone can live through it), with the standard being that anyone can be incorrect when manipulated. Let it be known that the source actually apologized for mass destruction- nah (he was required to by chaos).

⅗ to repeal.
Truthkeeping Act
This act establishes Saddeus as the keeper of truth and head of the validators commission, with tteh power to perform lie detector tests. This act needs ⅔ to repeal or undo.
Congress is Legal Act
COngress is legal and non-abolishable. There is no higher authority. It may never be forced to sell land or power, but it must always meet in a theory surrounded by tets of drones or machines to crush people/devices trying to crush the theory. All old rules are of no effect except the rule that people generally keep their property. No rule may be cited or used allowing congress to lose their property.
Anti-Blocking Act
No blocking, blocking is illegal penalty 49 months in prison.
All of these are now law.
NEXT SESSION IF I GET ELECTED
Robot regulations and Intellectual property
No edits.

What are the rules (if any) for steel wool photography at Point Woronzof? If you don’t know what it is, basically you put steel wool into a metal whisk that’s on a chain, then light it on fire. You spin it around, and capture it with a camera set for long exposure. The results are really neat! I’d love to capture some images down at Point Woronzof, but I’m worried that it might attract unwanted attention. I suppose this would sort of be like setting off small fireworks. Any advice?

Hi there! So I'm 36 years old from Pennsylvania. I have always had a thing for much older men and don't even really know why exactly. Part of it might be that I've always been very mature for my age and tend to get along much better with people who are older than me. The idea of being in a committed long-term relationship with someone older just feels right and natural to me. I am somewhat of a traditional person and do want to be properly married at some point.
Like the title says, I am willing to relocate if I find a genuine connection with the right person, but I would strongly prefer to remain on this continent, so that means please only message me if you're in the United States or Canada.
I also don't want you to message me if you're into the whole dom/sub dynamic or daddy/daughter dynamic; I'm not interested in those dynamics at all. I'm just a traditional woman. I'm a very loving and affectionate person by nature and a strong believer in romantic love, and I just want to find my one-and-only who I can fall deeply in love with and devote myself to forever. I'm the type who sees human sexuality as a very deep and meaningful act of affection between two people who are in love, and I would rather make love than just have sex for the sake of sex. Looks aren't really important to me; I'm the type of person who bases romantic attraction on personality and chemistry more than anything else.
In the spring and summer, I regularly attend an all-ages family nudist camp that is near me. My mother raised me to be a social nudist, so I have been going there all my life. I'm not one of those nudists who is nude at home all the time; for me it's more of a social thing that I do at a family-oriented camp environment. I find the social cohesion in an environment like that creates friendships and bonds that are unlike any social dynamic that you would ever find in any other regular social situation. My own theory regarding this is that it triggers a dormant social-cohesion mechanism in the human psyche that we had way back in our early history when we were living in small communal tribes. Back then, it was probably more normal for people to be casually nude if they wanted to be during the warmer months because everybody knew everybody and nobody was a stranger, and I think that kind of thing would kind of solidify your bond with the tribe. That's just my theory anyways, but it makes a lot of sense because I'm friends with families at that camp and am much closer to them than I am with anybody outside of the camp.
But if you think that your lifestyle values align with mine, free to message me in chat, and we'll see what kind of chemistry we have! 😊

Hi there! So I'm 36 years old from Pennsylvania. I have always had a thing for much older men and don't even really know why exactly. Part of it might be that I've always been very mature for my age and tend to get along much better with people who are older than me. The idea of being in a committed long-term relationship with someone older just feels right and natural to me. I am somewhat of a traditional person and do want to be properly married at some point.
Like the title says, I am willing to relocate if I find a genuine connection with the right person, but I would strongly prefer to remain on this continent, so that means please only message me if you're in the United States or Canada.
I also don't want you to message me if you're into the whole dom/sub dynamic or daddy/daughter dynamic; I'm not interested in those dynamics at all. I'm just a traditional woman. I'm a very loving and affectionate person by nature and a strong believer in romantic love, and I just want to find my one-and-only who I can fall deeply in love with and devote myself to forever. I'm the type who sees human sexuality as a very deep and meaningful act of affection between two people who are in love, and I would rather make love than just have sex for the sake of sex. Looks aren't really important to me; I'm the type of person who bases romantic attraction on personality and chemistry more than anything else.
In the spring and summer, I regularly attend an all-ages family nudist camp that is near me. My mother raised me to be a social nudist, so I have been going there all my life. I'm not one of those nudists who is nude at home all the time; for me it's more of a social thing that I do at a family-oriented camp environment. I find the social cohesion in an environment like that creates friendships and bonds that are unlike any social dynamic that you would ever find in any other regular social situation. My own theory regarding this is that it triggers a dormant social-cohesion mechanism in the human psyche that we had way back in our early history when we were living in small communal tribes. Back then, it was probably more normal for people to be casually nude if they wanted to be during the warmer months because everybody knew everybody and nobody was a stranger, and I think that kind of thing would kind of solidify your bond with the tribe. That's just my theory anyways, but it makes a lot of sense because I'm friends with families at that camp and am much closer to them than I am with anybody outside of the camp.
But if you think that your lifestyle values align with mine, free to message me in chat, and we'll see what kind of chemistry we have! 😊

Hi everyone, my first child is on his 8th day in the NICU. He was born at 25+1. He's doing well all things considered. However, I'm not. I realize there's a lot of these posts, but I am so overwhelmed and I just need to take a minute to yell into the void here.
I am exhausted. The pregnancy was a shit show and long story short, we were supposed to have twins, one died and I delivered her vaginally a week prior to our son. My C-section recovery has been tough and I'm in some sort of pain most of the time.
Pumping sucks and is so stressful - Did I clean the parts good enough? Am I making enough? I missed a pump, is that going to impact my supply?
I feel so guilty when I leave the NICU and so useless when I'm there. I feel like I should know what I'm doing but I don't, and there's all these wires and devices to work around, and it seems like the nurses and dad do it better anyway.
I hate hearing the alarms and knowing I can't do anything - or worse yet that they aren't accurate and mean nothing and the thing that it's alarming for is actually being measured by some other machine??
I hate everyone texting me and calling every day - How are you? How's baby? I don't have the capacity to inform everyone of everything. Like I'm barely remembering to eat and drink between everything and you expect me to just drop everything to satisfy your curiosity? God forbid the person I don't text back is my mother, because then I get the "You're too busy to reply to your mother?" guilt trip.
I hate being told "make sure you're journaling and keeping track of everything so you can look back!" See above. I'm lucky to remember to drink. Quit telling me what else I need to be doing.
I hate being 7 hours away from my husband, my dogs and my home.
I hate having virtually zero privacy.
I love my little boy, but mostly I fucking hate this jOuRnEy we are on.

So I'm having an issue, I just got my pro subscription and I haven't had a single issue exporting before this. Even with 25 - 30 minute long videos, in 2k/4k 60fps, with high bit rate coding. However, ever since yesterday I cannot export long videos. I was working on a game video for a friend, it's about 10:30 minutes cut down and edited. The file size is est. to be around 4557mb. I have the storage, I have 6gb of ram for it to work with, I cleared Capcuts cache, and it just cuts back to the main menu screen where all your videos pop up. I tried to record it happening but it cut out my screen recorder too. How do I fix this?

AoaB part 5 volume 4 has started with an absolutely wonderful set of chapters. So much so that I had to put down the reading and write this down and share it (also because my reading partner had a long day and went to sleep, but my point is I had an amazing experience)!
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Chapters in question: Archducal family meeting, Melchior and Preparing for the Temple, The Will of the Leisegangs
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The reason I had so much fun is that a multitude of very different worldbuilding pieces set up by Miya Kazuki over long years are coming to a head and interacting in a glorious sequence of dialogue! The density of background to each line written is so engaging to read and this would not be possible without the mountain of worldbuilding that went on in previous volumes! To give an idea of the sheer range of background, here's a list of all the pieces that are interacting that I could think of:
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0.) The timeline of past events that led to this situation:
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The infiltration of Ehrenfest by nobles from a greater duchy eventually leading to Veronica's tyranny and a split of the nobles into powerful factions that foster intense hatreds, the continued threat from this in the form of Georgine and the precarious position the duchy finds itself in internally and externally as having low population and small duchy mentality but at the same time higher and higher rank.
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1.) The people in the meeting and their relationships with each other:
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Sylvester: The archduke who wants the best for every member of his family but also his duchy, however his selfish desire to devote himself to Florencia leaves him struggling to secure support after he axed most of his previous support base during the purge. He seems to be feeling some hidden pressures as strangely he is cautioning against the positive change affected by Rozemyne and co...
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Florencia: The only wife and leader of a noblewoman faction who has to share Sylvester's burdens and somehow cope with a pregnancy at the same time
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Wilfried: The boy who can't seem to mature fast enough to deal with being expected to succeed and being influenced as well as looked down upon by seemingly everyone outside of his immediate family (his retainers, the royal family, fellow archduke candidates). He has experienced Rozemyne as both a saviour and a troublemaker (lately mostly the latter, an attitude which puts him at odds with Rozemyne's retainers) and appears very susceptible to his father's pressures
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Melchior: The bright-eyed little bro who just wants to help, but can already feel the weight of temple burdens on the horizon
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Rozemyne: The narrator who is... several things to countless people and therefore somehow involved in everything and anything we can think of in this world, even though she would rather hole up with some books and leave everything to others. Alas, everything would fall apart if she did that, so we need her to bounce back from mental hits and find motivation through emotional connection. In the meantime Hartmut, one of her Leisegang retainers, is watching and reveals quite a bit of insight later. Her other Leisegang nobles are blind-sided by what their faction is doing and not happy
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Charlotte: The emotionally intelligent sister who while bitter about being put underneath Wilfried has found purpose in supporting Rozemyne. She has some Leisegang retainers and her experience with the printing industry puts her in a position to understand what logistics they are up against. It is her empathy-driven spit-session that starts to bring out what's really going on and breathes new life into Rozemyne whose emotional connection was slipping away
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Bonifatius: The loving grandpa who wants Rozemyne out of the temple and preferrably in line to succeed
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Karstedt (presumably not in the meeting, though indirectly a relative): The father who is overworked from all the purging and Lord of Winter hunting and family troubles with his second wife being a criminal and his sons all having different allegiances. Luckily his first wife Elvira is a great pillar of support for everyone
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Ferdinand (absent): The once-backbone of the family whose absence casts long and heavy shadows during this time when everyone is scrambling for mental and physical support
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2.) Various locations in the duchy:
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Groschel: One of the Leisegang strongholds. Had some bumps in setting up printing due to lack of local resources and now faces more bumps getting ready for many merchants from other duchies due to lack of hygiene and inns.
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Noble buildings: Lots of unattended furniture leftover from the purge that can be utilised.
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The temple: Normally shunned by everyone, is now finally getting well-deserved recognition due to various nobles including Charlotte and Wilfried participating, and other nobles finding more and more reason to offer mana and pray.
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The orphanage and playroom: Children affected by the purge are getting sheltered or educated in these locations which Rozemyne helped set up.
​
3.) The timeline of future events and projects that need to be managed:
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Stabilising the duchy: Getting nobles to settle down in their positions and restructuring archducal retainers takes some time and the Leisegang faction will have a great impact on any support base going forward
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Climbing rank in the royal academy: Certain nobles are unable or unwilling to keep up with the changing status of their duchy
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The archduke conference: If trade deals are made it will put quite a bit of pressure on Groschel and on Myne to manage the industry and infrastructure
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Rozemyne's graduation: She will leave the temple and so Melchior will need to be trained to replace her as High Bishop. Also she will need first wife training in time to prepare. Where to find the time for all this amid the other issues?
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4.) The different factions inside and outside the duchy who require different politics:
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The commoners: Most of them are used to filth and will need guidance to keep a city clean. There aren't any scholars who know how to handle them in a reasonable manner, except Rozemyne. Most of the craftsmen and nobles are used to having a one-to-one relationship which hinders large scale projects
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The former Veronica faction: Decimated, but clinging to Wilfried as their last bastion, they will need to feel safe enough to be integrated
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The Leisegangs: The older generation mostly wants to resist change. They have lots of hatred for the other faction and support Rozemyne for succession. The elder ones are plotting in a traditional way. The younger generation has been swayed by Rozemyne's ways and sees the benefits of change in the Royal Academy
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The Florencia faction: Gathering information and trying to bridge the gap between the two aforementioned factions
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The royal family: As if taking away Ferdinand wasn't stressful enough, now they are putting more pressure on Ehrenfest to act like their rank and on Wilfried to act like his status. They are also immensely stressed and so appreciate Rozemyne's help, although any contact with them causes Ehrenfest's higher-ups untold stress
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Other duchies: Some are bullying Ehrenfest from above (Dunkelfelger unintentionally, Ahrensbach intentionally), some from below (resentful of the higher rank) and others are just happy to be connected. Many of them are hoping for trade deals which puts further pressure on Ehrenfest

This isn't entirely related to Autism, aside from it being about something I may consider to be my special interest, which is music and I don't know where else to share it. This may sound like I work for ChatGPT or whatever its called but I don't, and I am actually scared of AI. But anyway, I decided to check that thing out and I found it can do something so cool that I was actually thinking about trying to develop myself in some way, or get someone else to. Now it exists and I want the world to know that it can do this (and I'm so glad i don't have to develop it myself because I'm lazy)!!!!!
I found that it can give the most incredible music recommendations! You can get super specific about the musical elements, themes, song structures and such and it will provide super accurate and good recommendations. I've found so many new songs that I file under my "Obsessed" playlist. I'm so used to recommendations based on similar song style or artists, and this has never worked for me. I often want to hear songs with lots of tension, repitiion, or alt pop songs with hip hop beats, or emo-rap with themes of mental health. Like, i get super specific in my needs (can anyone relate?)
Like, I asked it to recommend songs with lots of musical tension and it gave me a handful of songs that were all what I was looking for. I searched duets in the emo-rap and alt pop genres that are anti-love songs and got great rec there too. This is SO COOL!
Also, i asked it for songs about autism and it introduced me to the song It's Alright by Mother Mother and I highly recommend it. I also asked for some artists who are openly neurodivergent and there are more autistic song writers than I realized (and I hope to one day be included in that).
This is just so cool. Still terrified of AI, and it tried to put my mind at ease when I told it that (which only freaked me out more, but oh well)
anyway, hope someone else finds this useful.
and sorry, I'm long winded

I'm so tired of my lack of companionship. And not in a "oh I've had exes but none were ever the right one" way, there has to be something fundamentally wrong with me as a person where I've made it to my 30's and have never been in a serious relationship, have never called someone a girlfriend, etc.
I'm asexual, and holy shit does every romantic experience absolutely suck because of it. I've been open about it on my dating apps (because I don't want to lead someone on or flat-out lie), but fuck before I was open about it I got like 10-20 matches a week. Now? I get 1-2. People be fuckin' I guess but it's so disheartening. The apps are dreadful for ace people, just the fucking worst.
Do I still get dates? Sure, but it's typically one date and then they're gone.
Have I gone on dates with ace people? Yes, but you can't force a connection with someone simply because you have the same orientation. The process is the same as regular apps, but fuck things are way harder because first you have to find someone that's okay with little to no sex in what feels like an overly sexual society and then you have to connect with them.
What about groups and meetups? Been there, done that. Most groups are people just saying "I'm in the same boat, it's tough hang in there!" and meetups are just full of introverts who I feel no connection with or don't talk enough to deduce anything.
My dates before I figured it out make sense now though, because I had people pressuring me to go crazy like 2 or 3 dates in and I just wanted to get to know someone and take it slow, no physical stuff. Am I against sex? Not necessarily. I have stipulations but whatever doesn't matter.
I'm getting to a point, though where everyone in my life is with a partner. Seeing people less and less and they devote their lives to a partner, settle down, have kids whatever. If I do see them, guess who's wheel number x? Yeah, it's me and I fucking hate it. I'm slowly losing my friend groups because of couples and my social circle is getting smaller and smaller and I feel massively deprioritized by everyone in my life.
As the title said, my brother recently got engaged, and I'm losing it internally. This comes across as selfish, but I'm not ready to be at a wedding for this close of a relative and be constantly asked by relatives when it's "my turn" or whatever. Fuck, I've been trying to be next, it's just not in the cards or me and I don't know why. You could say "The wedding is in a year and a half, that's so much time" but that's wrong. I'm 32, been single for my entire godddamn life, you really think that a year and a half is going to make a difference at this point? And even then, I've been single my entire life. I'm so far behind than everyone else on this crucial piece of the human experience that I'm sure even if by the grace of god I did find a partner it wouldn't last long.
"Being alone isn't all that bad" is great advice... for someone who doesn't mind it. It's not great advice for someone who has been trying and comes up empty-handed every time.
I'm sorry for any of this came off as whiny or if it paints me in a bad light, or if it's just incoherent garbage. I just needed to tell a stranger this tonight as I'm trying not to break down. Man, I just want to know what's it's like to have someone that isn't a family member tell you that you're loved and I don't know why I don't get to experience that.

He said that if I was going to break up this would be it. And I went ahead with it.
The problem is I still love him and want so badly to hold him right now. But things have been deteriorating for a long time between us. I'm not going to pretend like I'm a Saint because I'm not. We went through some really bad moments. I don't want to get into the details. But ever since then it has been eating me up. And with me being the sole money maker I've been feeling a build up of resentment. I felt more like a mother than a girlfriend.
I wish it was so much different. But realistically no matter how much I love him my health has been deteriorating from the stress of holding so much and how I imagined us being has long since been lost.
I'm struggling with the decision I made.

I call it the 'Not to be named disease'. Brace yourselves, it's a long story.
For context - i've been a smoker for 6 months and now i've quit smoking since a month. I've only had alcohol for 3 times.
It all starte about a month ago. The day i quit smoking,i started feeling short of breath. I though it's just normal cold or something and it'll get better in the morning. Lol,it didn't. The next day,i was randomly feeling my meck and noticed that my tonsils feel asymmetrical. I took a torch immediately and opened my mouth wide open to see what's going on. It was the exact opposite of what i felt outside. On the outside,my left tonsil felt big and the righ one was small. But inside the mouth,the right one was huge and the left seemed to not exist. I rushed to my nearest ENT and told him everything. Before meeting him,i've literally researched everything about cancer bcoz of the fact that i've been a smoket in the past. He got annoyed bcoz of that,he told me that there's no cancer and you're worrying too much. Gave me some tablets and sent me home. I wasn't satisfied with the way he treated me but anyways,i took the tablets and waited for getting better. Nothing happened. 2 days after visiting the ENT,i moticed that i can feel lymph node under the left jaw. I panicked again. I googled it and also read stories of people on reddit. I was so confused and scared which caused my health anxiety to become worse. So,i booked an appointment with another ENT. This doc. was actually nice. He used a instrument with a camera on it's tip to show what's going on with my throat. He said, there's nothing that he can consider as cancer and i should stop worrying and thank god for it. He wrote me some tablets too and sent me home. But i've already booked a appointment with an Oncologist.(My health anxiety made me do this) I went straight to him after my checkup with ENT. I told everything to the oncologist,the reports & medicines from ENT. He said,he can't say anything without doing some medical tests. The tests he wrote - CBC,Renal function,Liver function,HIV, Hepatitis,etc. I was scared to death bcoz of these tests. In my life,i've only kissed a girl and i'm still a virgin. How the heck i can get such diseases. After panicking for 2hrs,the reports came in. Everything was normal except my haemoglobin & SGPT. They were a bit high than the usual range. The doctor said to not worry about cancer and just tons of water and maintain a healthy weight. (My weight is 76.5kgs,a bit fat but not too much)
I went home and was rest assured of being completely fine. This didn't last long. On a random day,i was taking a shit in washroom and suddenly i started sweating. I felt a slight pain in my left chest. The only problem was that i can't came out before dropping the whole shit,lol. I did my thing and came out and boom,the pain was gone. At this moment,i decided to visit a Cardiologist. I went to him,told all my symptoms and also a condition that i had in my childhood. I had a heart surgery when i was 7y/o. I don't know much about the surgery but the reports said something like - congenital acyanotic heart disease PDA. He said - let me do ECHO & TMT and only then i can say something. To my surprise,the reports came back normal again. The doctor said - your breathlessness is not bcoz of cardiac reasons,so i'm referring you to a pulmonologist,visit him asap.
I did what he said,i visited a pulmonologist. He was a bit different than others. He was genuinely curious for listening everything that i have to say. Also,he laughed a bit too bcoz of my impulsive visits to so many doctors. He explained to me that i'm thinking way too much and i should just focus on my life and escape my mind. But just for giving me the peace of mind,he did the test where you measure the strength of lungs through a device called spirometer. And yet again,me & my lungs were absolutely healthy. The pulmonologist wrote some medicines too and sent me home.
At this point, i was so scared bcoz even if i have some serious disease,i'd prefer to die bcoz we don't have enough money to cover my medical expenses. I'm just 19y/o kid and bcoz of that i don't have a medical insurance too. The only option after diagnosis is - Death. I cried every single with the thought that i'll never get to make my parents proud. I'll be a burden for them instead of being their support. My friends will lose thier safe space. My dreams will get shattered. I'll never be able to give my parents and loved ones a better life. These thoughts made me depressed and my headache was so bad that i just can't handle it.
Soon after all of this,on a random day,i started feeling pain in lower rib of left lung. It wasn't a constant pain. I can only feel it when i touch it. I again panicked and researched everything. What i concluded was - it can either be a kidney stone or enlarged spleen. I was so scared that i was ready to trade diseases. I wished that it should be a kidney stone bcoz enlarged spleen is somehow related to cancer.
The breathlessness and swollen lymph nodes were still there. On top of that i got this abdomen pain. I also felt dizzy while talking to someone,i can't focus on what they're saying and barely remember the stuff they've said. Also,i felt something in my throat while swallowing saliva.
I thought that i should repeat my blood tests. I had the same tests again - CBC,Liver Function,Renal funtion, Urinalysis,etc. This time, my haemoglobin was actually fine. But my WBC count has been increased a bit as compared to the previous test. It's still under the usual range but a bit increased. RBC was fine too. Also, Neutrophils - 74% (higher than before) Lymphocytes - 20% (lower than before) Eosinophils - 3% ( higher than before) Monocytes - 3% (lower than before) Basophils - 0% (lower than before)
My platelets were lower than before too. Before - 27510³ /μL After - 18110³/μL
Neutrophils,Lymphocytes & platelets were my main concern. Increased neutrophils & decreased lymphocytes are somehow related to blood cancers,such as lymphoma & leukemia.
I again rushed to my ENT and told him everything. He again checked my throat and said - Kid,you're worrying way too much, there's nothing cancerous about your throat. Although your tonsil is inflammed a bit that doesn't seem to be cancerous. Again,he gave me some tablets and sent me home.
But bcoz i had concercing CBC report. I visited my Oncologist again.
He saw my reports and ordered some more tests. Tests - Peripheral blood smear, Erythropoietin,Ultrasound for abdomen & Chest X-ray.
The chest X-ray & Ultrasound reports came back and they were absolutely normal. All the organs were in their normal sizes & no lumps or swelling were seen in ultrasound.
But the Peripheral smear & Erythropoietin reports will take 4 days.
And now i'm left with such severe health anxiety. I can only think about my death and nothing else. Lymphoma or leukemia are the only things that are revolving around my head and i just can't stop my thoughts.
I hope the reports to came back and should be normal. But on the flip side,if they diagnose me with some 'not be called disease', i'll simply refuse to take the treatment. My family doesn't have enough money to save me. I was their only hope for a better future and i just screwed it up. My death will cause unimaginable pain to my loved ones. I'm the youngest kid in my family and the most loved one too. My death will break everyone, including my friends.
Money is such a bitch. People say that money doesn't matter to them but for me,money is literally the only thing that can save my life. I've visited all the doctors alone and my family doesn't know anything about my symptoms. I exhausted all the little money that i earned while visiting so many doctors. If the doctors asks me get a CT scan or and MRI scan,i don't even have money for my diagnosis.
I guess if it's something serious them my time has come. I'm not afraid of death,i'm aware that everything comes to an end eventually and everyone's gonna go away. But dying so young was surely not on my mind. I failed at taking care of my parents. I failed to give them a better life and i failed to do something good for humanity.
Even though i begging god to save my life but if i get to know that i'm diagnosed with cancer. In that case, THE GOD WILL HAVE TO BEG FOR MY FORGIVENESS.
I accept my mistakes,i did smoked for 6 months and i'll have to face the consequences for that. But what i didn't realised is that such consequences will also affect my loved ones.
As i said,i'm not afraid of dying,i'm just sad that i'll left all these lovely people behind,they'll miss me. My mum will never be able to recover from this tragedy. My dad will never have a supporting hand when he'll get old. My sister will never have a brother to have her back. Mu friends will lose a part of their heart.
Amd what will i lose ? Everything. I always considered this world as my family. Dying so young will take away all the people that i could've met,all the experiences that i could've had,all the music that i could've enjoyed,all the art that i could've made in the future.
My life has been a great journey,i don't want it any other way. It's been a perfect story but dying this young,it literally sucks.
But yeah,the reports are yet to come and i hope that everything should be normal and i get to live a lil longer so that i can atleast earn enough for my parents.
I seek blessings from anyone who reads this post and if you're going through something similar or worse,just know that you're in my prayers and i wish for your good health. God should save us bcoz i know if he doesn't then it'll be an ugly fight between him & us.
Take care strangers, Wishing you the best of everything.

Hi rva,
I am in desperate need of a bike cover since I messed up my travel booking and need to take it as luggage instead of on the bus rack like I planned.
If any cyclists directly in the city are willing to sell their bike cover to me at a moment's notice I will love you to the end of time.
Might be a long shot appreciate any replies. :)

My (female 22) boyfriend (male 22) and I have been dating for 3 years, all through college. We are currently approaching our senior year and are both planning on continuing our education at the same college (our program will be at least 3 more years). However, sometimes, my boyfriend brings up how he is sick of our city and is excited to live other places eventually. This hurts me and gives me lots of anxiety as he knows I will never leave this city for long term (my family is here and we r very close). When he mentions this, it makes me want consider breaking things off now before I waste more of my time if we are going to end on such a set thing (like i will not compromise by moving long term). However, I feel like my BF is very immature for his age and will down the line realize he will stay in our city to be with me (he’s a big talker and rarely follows thru with his imaginative ideas). I love him very much and we have a good relationship, so it seems silly to end things on a hypothetical that is a few years away. at the same time, im terrified of that hypothetical coming true as i will know that will be the end of our relationship if that day did come. Sorry for the super long post. anyone got any sort of advice?

This fanfic is intended to take place some time around late volume 6, and involves a lot of thoughts I've had on the Antinium and their situation in Liscor. I hope it's enjoyable.
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There were many quirks and oddities that surrounded the Wandering Inn, open secrets that could only be called ‘rumours’ because most didn’t believe them at first. Perhaps ‘attractions’ was a better word, people and connections and events and things that made the place much more than a simple inn. The [Princess] helping manage the place, for instance, who was really quite bad at lying if you caught her by surprise with the question. The [Garden of Sanctuary], which wasn’t open to just any random person who walked in, but they’d at least let you look through the door if you asked. The weight-lifting room, which had a clientele all of its own separate from the inn’s regular group of customers, muscular Drakes and Humans who talked about ‘feeling the burn’ and listed off numbers that were inscrutable to outsiders.
There was one tradition, one kind of event, that was older than most of the others though. Even through the Wandering Inn’s destruction, and then its second destruction, it had persisted. To the regulars of the place, it barely even passed the bar of noteworthiness anymore, because really, what was so special about another band of Antinium visiting the inn?
Still, they came, Workers and Soldiers who had never seen the sky before, newly hatched or older (though almost all of the old ones had been at least once by now), led by Klbkch, just as he had that first time. The task was no longer his responsibility, as most of the Painted Antinium would’ve been capable of handling it, and it seemed like he couldn’t walk in the Hive these days without tripping over more individuals. But when he was off from [Guardsman] duty, and the Free Queen didn’t require his presence, and he was thinking of going up to the inn anyway, well. Even to an old soul like him, there was something charming about watching young Antinium look around in awe, before gobbling down the acid flies they were given so fast they sometimes choked.
Erin came over as he entered with the latest group, mostly Workers this time, and they exchanged greetings. But she quickly went to busy herself with the new arrivals, which was fine by him. He stood and watched as she seated the Workers at their own table and explained the basic concept of a menu to them, how they could choose which of the food items they wanted. One of them asked which was the most nutritionally optimal, and she decided to give up on the menu for a moment and ordered them a large bowl of flies as an appetiser, which was another concept she had to explain.
The inn wasn’t particularly packed today, but most of the tables were occupied, and Klbkch ended up finding himself a seat opposite Menolit. The Drake seemed oddly reserved as he drank from a mug, only glancing up as the Antinium approached.
“May I?”
Menolit nodded, and Klbkch sat down. He caught Ishkr’s eye from across the room, the [Head Waiter] waving to let him know his usual order would arrive soon: A plate stacked with bacon, topped with whatever spices and chilis the kitchen had on hand. It was nice to be in a place where people knew you.
As he waited, he noticed Menolit gazing in Erin’s direction, watching her put the Antinium at ease. Without any prelude, the Drake spoke.
“It really is something. She’s done a lot for you bugs, hasn’t she? Helped you turn over a whole new leaf.”
There was a slight slur to his speech. Only a small dulling on the edges of his words, but still, it was there. Klbkch’s voice was mild and polite as he gave the Drake his attention.
“Erin has indeed been helpful in socialising Workers and Soldiers. We owe much to her.”
“You know, one of your Workers actually apologised for bumping into me the other day. Can’t imagine that happening a few years ago. More likely to stand in the way of a cart and get run over.”
Menolit snorted, before raising the mug to his mouth. Klbkch didn’t react.
“I recall several events of that nature, yes. The rate has thankfully declined.”
“Do you remember, when your Hive first moved in, we thought you’d all crawl out of the sewers and stab us while we slept?”
He spoke as if it was simply an embarrassing misunderstanding, an instance of confusion he looked back on with humour. But he refused to meet the Antinium’s eyes as he drank from his cup once more, and it occurred to Klbkch that he had never really spoken to Menolit much before. The [Veteran] stayed out of trouble, and while they were both regulars of the Wandering Inn, their paths didn’t overlap often.
Many people were interested in talking to the Slayer, the Relevantor of the Free Hive, about the Antinium and their past, and he was used to how such conversations went. He was used to barely-disguised hatred, or curiosity, or the guarded respect one had for a potential enemy. But he wouldn’t have expected such things from the inn’s regular clientele. This felt different.
“I recall. The suspicion was quite understandable, at the time, but I am glad that we are past that now.”
Menolit sighed, pressing his palm into his forehead as he looked down at the wood, idly tapping his cup on its surface. His eyes flicked to Klbkch, then away again to Erin, who was introducing the Antinium to the fun idea of throwing food at each other and catching it in your mouth, with limited success.
“Ten years. Or… just one, really. That’s all it took. The mighty Black Tide…”
He seemed to be half-talking to himself, and Klbkch was unsure if a response was warranted. Thankfully, any awkwardness was rescued when Ishkr came by their table, dropping off the plate of bacon, as well as a small serving of fries for Menolit. He moved without stopping, already turning to attend to another table, until the Drake called him back.
“Another fill-up, Ishkr?” He raised his mug, and the Gnoll frowned for a moment. But he took it anyway, and within a minute it was back in Menolit’s claws, filled with foamy amber liquid.
Nothing but the sound of eating passed between them for a short while, chewing and crunching as they enjoyed the delights of unhealthy cooking. Klbkch estimated that it would be at least half an hour before the Antinium were ready to leave, which left him plenty of time to make his rounds in the inn and get some advice. Liscor’s Watch had recently acquired a collection of chess sets, allegedly to help train more [Tactician]-type classes that the city could use, and the more competitive [Guards] had taken to playing matches against each other. Klbkch liked to figure himself as having a modicum of skill at the game, but when Beilmark had lanced through his formation while losing less than half of her own pieces, he’d had to admit he’d gotten a bit rusty. Perhaps a game or two against Palt, or Pisces, or… probably not Bird, would help refresh his understanding--
Menolit grunted, clearing his throat in that way people did when they wanted to pretend they didn’t have something to say. Klbkch pushed aside his plate, and waited patiently for the question to come.
“You lot came from Rhir, didn’t you?”
“That is correct.”
“I remember hearing about you, decades ago.” Menolit leaned forwards, as if trying to see something in Klbkch’s insectile eyes, before sitting backwards again. “Rumours from returning soldiers, about black-shelled monsters that dug up beneath your feet. I thought they were just stories. You can’t believe half the things you hear about that bloody continent.”
‘Bloody’ was right, Klbkch thought. And half the things he knew would’ve made Menolit fall right out of his chair. Hidden truths worth fighting a war over.
“I believe that many people would do well to give Rhir more attention than it receives.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“It is important.”
The Drake waited, until it became apparent that was all Klbkch had to say on the matter. He exhaled with frustration, taking a sip from his cup as he glared at the Antinium. A nearby Drake working under Chaldion lowered his notebook in disappointment.
“While I do not mind conversing with you on trivial matters, I am sure you understand there are certain topics that I am not at liberty to discuss in detail,” Klbkch continued. Menolit rolled his eyes, and his words came out slowly.
“You’ve got a lot of secrets, don’t you. Been living under our tails for the past decade, you’d think we’d know more about you. Don’t even know what your damn Hive looks like.”
Klbkch was once more struck by that odd feeling. It was as if he was a newcomer to the city again, bearing the enmity and distrust of a species on his back. He almost felt… insulted? No, absolutely not, he hadn’t gotten that soft over the last year. But it was certainly bizarre to encounter such a thing in the Wandering Inn. If nothing else, he was surprised that Erin hadn’t thrown Menolit out yet, if he was truly like this. And if not, then where was this coming from?
Klbkch spread his arms reassuringly. “Well, I am right here. Do you have any pressing questions you wish to ask? I promise to be truthful, as long as the answers are not confidential.”
Menolit waved a hand in the air, dismissing Klbkch’s offer as he finished his cup. That was his second drink since Klbkch had come in, and he’d had at least one before that, the Antinium judged. His tongue was looser, now, yet the sense of dancing around what he wanted to talk about was more palpable than ever.
“I was enlisted, you know. In the first war. There was news about you bastards every week, killing Drakes, claiming more of our territory. I served under Sserys. I… wasn’t here, though. When he broke the Tide, turned you back. Stationed at some damn city in the south, too far to help.” He winced at the memory, but the shame was dulled, only there when he focused on it. “I was discharged from the army by the time the second one started. Still would’ve dropped everything and gone off to fight, but for my kids. Barely old enough to hold a coin, back then.”
He sounded shaky, emotional. But Klbkch spoke calmly, trying to put him at ease.
“I am certain your family is thankful, Menolit. It is a tragedy for children to lose their parents.”
“It sure is. But I don’t see how you’d know anything about that.”
Klbkch thought for a moment, before nodding at Menolit.
“That may be true. I am, however, well-versed in warfare. With your experience, you would have been a formidable soldier to face, so as a representative of the Antinium, allow me to thank you for not killing hundreds of our forces.”
The Drake’s face lit up, his frustration vanishing for a moment at the compliment.
“You really think I would’ve done that well? I mean, I reckon I could cut down at least a couple dozen of you buggers before you got me, but hundreds…”
It wasn’t even a lie, if you considered kills over the duration of a campaign, and not a single battle. Klbkch estimated Menolit’s [Veteran] class as being in the low 20’s, which made him more than capable of cutting through any single Worker or Solider. Even against a handful, he would’ve had a good chance. Of course, in a real war the Antinium would never use such small numbers, but that wasn’t worth mentioning.
The two were distracted at that moment, as were others, by an exclamation from Erin. Apparently, she’d just had a brilliant idea for a new invention, running off to grab something as the Antinium waited patiently. The inn held its breath, visitors eager to see what she would come up with this time, wondering what they would get the honour of seeing first, of being able to claim that they were ‘there’ when it happened. The [Innkeeper] returned with a spring in her step, her arms full of as many pillows as she could hold, and she explained her vision in two words.
“Cushioned seats!”
Everyone paused for a moment, before letting out the breath they’d been holding and went back to whatever they were doing. Someone explained to her that they already had those, if not ones you could buy cheaply, which dampened her mood slightly. Nevertheless, she walked back to the Antinium and began giving each one a pillow to sit on.
Menolit laughed, snorts of mirth he failed to stifle. As they came to an end, he shook his head, smiling ruefully.
“It really is something. Just a single Human. Who would’ve thought something like that was possible, before she arrived? You ever think about that, Klbkch? Where we’d still be, if Erin hadn’t mixed everything up?”
“I have considered such a hypothetical. I find it likely the status quo would be largely in it's prior state, though it is hard to imagine what differences there would’ve been in events such as the Humans’ attempt to conquer Liscor.”
“Sure, sure. We’d still be ignoring you in the streets, you’d still be… doing whatever you were doing before. But this is better, isn’t it?”
It was on the tip of Menolit’s tongue, now, something he still didn’t want to say directly. Frankly, Klbkch was getting curious as to just what exactly was burning the Drake up inside.
“Yes, I would say so. It has been a vastly beneficial change to both Liscor and the Hive.”
“It’s just… it makes you think. Makes me think, anyway. Because she’s, she’s special, that’s obvious.” He gestured at Erin, trying to encapsulate what she was and failing. He turned back to Klbkch, and his voice became quiet as he addressed the Antinium. “But… she didn’t have to be, did she?”
Menolit quickly raised his cup, staring at its emptiness for a moment before letting it slump back to the table.
“What do you mean?” Klbkch was almost certain he knew. But he wanted to be sure.
“She gave you food, and talked to you, and taught you chess. That’s all anyone could tell me.”
“And that was enough,” Klbkch said simply. Menolit’s face fell.
“There were no secrets? No…” He searched for words, groping for what he wanted to be the truth. “No rituals? No special key to fixing you?”
Klbkch stared at the Drake, who grew increasingly uncomfortable in his seat. Finally, the Antinium spoke, drawing out his words slowly.
“Is it strange to you that we respond well to kindness and understanding?”
Menolit shifted in place, gripping the table with his claws hard enough to leave marks. When he finally met the Antinium’s gaze, he smiled, as if his internal struggle had finally been resolved.
“I guess not. Maybe that’s what we should’ve done. Just invited you to have a tea party, gossiped about the neighbours, gave you some… soft chairs.” He laughed again, a throaty chuckle that transitioned to a cough part way through, before he spoke again. “That’s all it would’ve taken, eh, Klbkch? Tea and crumpets, like the [Ladies] do it?”
The Antinium stayed silent, but Menolit didn’t stop, standing up from his chair as his voice began to rise.
“Well it sure would’ve been nice to know that! Could’ve avoided a whole bloody war, if only we’d been nice, hah! Doesn’t that say a lot about Drakes? It was our fault for being bastards! Dead gods, of course it was!”
He slapped his forehead theatrically, as if stunned at the enormity of this realisation. People at nearby tables were starting to look over, and it wouldn’t be long before someone drew Erin’s attention. Quickly, Klbkch got to his feet, placing a hand on the Drake’s shoulder.
“I believe you have had too much to drink, Menolit. It would not do well for you to make a scene.”
The [Veteran] froze, though Klbkch hadn’t activated any Skills. He looked around the room, like he was just now noticing his fellow eaters’ presence. His breathing slowed, and he stepped back, wobbling slightly before catching his feet.
“Of course. Of course.” He grinned at the Antinium. “Good old [Guardsman] Klbkch, always there to keep the peace. Don’t you worry, sir. I’ll make sure this unruly fellow gets home before causing any trouble.”
Carefully, he turned to go, and the little bubble of silence that had surrounded them eroded as nearby people started up their conversations once more. But he muttered something under his breath as he left, bitter words Klbkch couldn’t help hearing.
“If you were people this whole damn time, why did you act like monsters…”
Slowly, Klbkch returned to his seat, finishing up the bacon that still remained on his plate. It didn’t taste quite as good, anymore.
He could understand Menolit’s feelings. Because indeed, the Antinium had been monsters, a scourge plaguing the lands of Izril, slaughtering the Drakes without mercy, without even communicating any terms beyond the message their destruction left behind. That had been the plan.
And it still was, in a sense. Not one they were actively pursuing right now. But every Hive, even the Free Queen’s, had a plan of action in place for if they decided that a war was the best course of action. Liscor knew this, and the Hive knew Liscor knew this, and it would be a short and bloody chess match if either side ever decided to move first. Despite that, people trusted the Antinium in their streets, and slept soundly with tunnels beneath their homes, and Klbkch liked that. He had little against Drakes personally, and would’ve contested the notion of an all-out war, if it had been put forward by one of the other Hives.
If, on the other hand, his kin in Rhir sent more forces? A fully-trained [Queen], another Centenium, even just Workers capable of forming a proper Unistasis Network might tip the balance against the Drakes. And if the order came to conquer Izril and transform it into the Hivelands, then he would lead the Black Tide once more, from the South to the North, until either New Landing or him had finally fallen. Because Rhir was important, and what they had to do there mattered more than anything else, and that was all there was to it. All of this-- and Klbkch looked around the inn, Liscor, his life for the two decades-- all of this, was just a distraction. Busywork. An attempt for shipwrecked Antinium to do something that might one day be actually helpful in their real fight. They’d tried taking over, and when the Drakes had proven too tough, they’d stopped, and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference whether they’d been welcomed with open arms or hunted down from the first sighting.
If a second fleet did come to pass, though, he’d still argue for an exception. The Painted Antinium, Pawn’s… religion, these were genuine developments, evidence demonstrating the potential that could result from cohabiting with a friendly populace. But Liscor would never, ever, go along with it, and the mental picture felt wrong, unable to exist in reality. What Drake could possibly tolerate the rest of their species being overrun and slain, allowed to live in a single city so long as they kept having ‘interesting interactions’ with their new [Lords]? Every Drake he knew would rather fight, than let themselves be reduced to mere pets. And so they would die.
A memory rose unbidden in Klbkch’s mind, of Relc winking at him, and the Antinium flinched, before relaxing once more. He didn’t think about such things often, even if they were always held in the back of his mind. It was… unpleasant. Relc and Erin had never asked questions along such lines, and he hoped they never would.
Looking over, Klbkch saw the young Antinium sitting on their pillows, pouring over the menu that finally made sense to them. The [Innkeeper] was there, answering their questions (she’d apparently told them to raise their hands when they had something to ask, which had led to a short arms-race of one, then two, then three, then all four limbs being raised as they tried to get her attention first). But that wasn’t all. One member of the group had wandered over to sit with Olesm, who was explaining the rules to a game that astonishingly, wasn’t chess. Another, shorter one (some error in the birthing pod had stunted his growth, though he was still as strong as a regular Worker) was rolling a ball back and forth with Mrsha and a Drake child Klbkch didn’t recall the name of.
He would agree in a heartbeat that Erin was special. The closest person he knew to her was Xrn, and Erin was not like Xrn. But there had been something to Menolit’s words, Klbkch felt. Because if she had never arrived in Liscor, if things had gone on the way they had been, he could still imagine that years in the future, perhaps there would’ve been a young Drake with open-minded parents, who hadn’t witnessed the Antinium Wars herself. Who’d seen the ants working in the streets, and met the nice and friendly [Guardsman] Klbkch. And maybe one day, she’d have given them food, and talked to them, and played some kind of game with them, and it all would’ve happened anyway, if a little differently.
Or maybe not. Drakes could be bastards, after all. Still, he liked to believe something along those lines, or else he never would’ve come to Liscor in the first place.
Standing from his seat, he went to pay for both his and Menolit’s orders, before going off to find a chess set. Beilmark wouldn’t know what hit her.
​
​
(Truthfully, I doubt Menolit would actually say the kinds of things he does here. But I do think there would be some Drakes who think along these lines, after spending time in the Wandering Inn.)

I’m in the military stationed in the U.S and was dating someone else in the military. For four years we laughed, loved, and lived together. She got out of the military and left me here alone. I begged her to stay and tried to compromise, I promised to follow her once I get out in a couple years. It wasn’t enough, after a couple months of long distance she gave up and began ghosting me. When will these feelings of loneliness, loss of hope, loss of purpose… when will these feelings go away? I understand there’s a beauty to them but I can’t shake that I wasn’t enough for her. I can’t let all of those moments of love be lost to time. When will I feel ok with the future again?

(Ambience)
Everything had gone wrong so quickly.
Arthur had trusted the queen to back his quest for justice, to ensure that the realm remained at peace.
Instead, the rumors claimed Queen Aerea had killed her daughter, Princess Gaelyn, and her husband, the prince consort Aerys. Other rumors claimed that Aerys had slain his child, only for Aerea to kill him in revenge.
Arthur prayed that it was the former. At least it had some justification, but damned if rumors would help anyone now.
The Reach and Daven Chester were an ever present worry, along with Frynne and her damned pride and stubbornness.
A few more days, and he would have to make some sort of declaration, some ultimatum to Aurola, and without the backing of the queen…
There was always Lord Stark. Trading one dragon for another might not be the worst scenario.
Arthur languished in his father’s sola-
MINE!
Damn him, it was his! All of this!
Starfall. Dorne. All of the problems that his father had tried so hard to quash, had been given to Arthur.
And Arthur had done his best. He had. He had tried.
The nobles who followed the Red God were either behind him, loyal now, or had been driven into extinction, like Rhodry Vaith.
Gods. Arthur thought, a sad smile coming to his face, even as the tears began to flow. I wiped out a house. Would you be proud of that, father?
The sobs came quietly, echoing in the dark chamber, the guttering flames of the candles casting long shadows.
He had tried to forge an alliance with his neighbors, continuing his father’s efforts. The Stormlands had seemed amiable enough. The Iron Islands had been changed from potential enemies to potential allies, if what Uncle Guilan had written proved true.
The Starks and Arryns were courting his favor, it was all so wonderful.
And yet…
The Reach. That still burned in Arthur’s chest, burned so hot and so deeply that he clutched his chest in pain, bending over his father’s des-
MINE! MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE…
Aurola. She had loved him, or so he thought. She had cared for him, or so he thought. Arthur had tried, he truly had. When she had ended the betrothal, he had understood, believing that her ascension to Highgarden would afford the alliance more flexibility.
Why, Aurola? Arthur wondered, his tears dripping onto parchment and smearing ink. Gods be good, what made you don armor and ride out onto that tourney field?
The Reach could not assault Dorne by land, not effectively. The sands of history had taught that lesson.
By sea… that was another matter.
The only gift Lady Robin Harlaw had given was showing Dorne how weak its fleets were. Arthur had tried to strengthen it, to bolster the coasts and ship production…
Then Daven Chester had blundered in, and made that weakness a true problem.
His cousin was dead, and Arthur feared he would not be able to acquire justice or vengeance for him now.
Justice required the lords of the Reach to be fair, to sacrifice one of their own, and for the queen to hold sway over them.
Vengeance required Dorne’s ability to inflict damage without being mauled in the process.
Arthur could not see how either option could work now.
Helpless. Utterly helpless. Arthur thought, sinking deeper into despair.
He wanted to sleep. But his dreams had been haunted of late. Of cold, the kind of cold that froze the blood in your veins and stiffened the muscles. Of dark shadows, twisting and writhing amidst pillars of ash and bone.
Of burning blue eyes, searching, hungering, waiting for him.
Arthur Dayne was the Sword of the Morning, heir to Gerold Dayne’s legacy, and leader of Dorne in its most crucial hour.
He had seen naught but eighteen winters.
Gods. He pleaded silently, his head resting on the desk, the ink and tears staining his exhausted face. The candles sputtered, flared, and died, shrouding his solar in darkness and cold.
Gods. Why me?

Hello Redditors,
I'm interested in pursuing a career as a real estate agent and would love to hear from experienced professionals or those who have completed real estate agent apprenticeships. I have a few questions and would appreciate any insights:

1. What does a real estate agent apprenticeship involve?
2. How did you find your apprenticeship opportunity?
3. What skills or qualities should aspiring agents focus on during their apprenticeship?
4. How long do apprenticeships typically last?
5. What are common challenges and how can they be overcome?
6. Any recommended courses or certifications to complement an apprenticeship?
7. Any advice for someone starting a real estate agent apprenticeship?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences!

Heyy I recently lost some friends of mine due to their radical religious beliefs so I'm now on the hunt for new friends. I'm not the biggest gamer I play pc and Nintendo coop games all the games I own are coop like left 4 dead, borderlands, Halo, vermintide 2, killing floor 2.... I don't use discord but I can be persuaded. I currently live in sf east bay California on disability for Schizophrenia I'm very open minded spiritual fun loving adventurer non religious or political. I consider myself a artist although I'm just getting back into painting and producing music after a long break. I'm a very underground person meaning the stuff im into isnt well known by a lot of people like i listen to future funk and teen dream music and dont watch a lot of movies or TV, id rather be outside digging a hole exploring. If your interested in knowing me please be willing to share face pics and video chat my pic is on my profile 💗

Hello fellow Derp masters, I am in a dilemma. LONG STORY.
TL;DR what can I do to help/supplement bone density/growth?
Our 1 year old has had a series of broken bones over her short life and I'm asking for advice.
We got her at 8 weeks; happy puppy that sat funny. (right leg kicked out when sitting)
at 4 months old, while chasing an RC car, she broke her left front toe. (zigged when she should have zagged) Cast for 8 weeks.
During this time, we noticed a funny gait when she was walking/ running. When we followed up on her toe, we mentioned the funny gait. X-rays showed that her right femur had been broken at 2 growth plates, and that it healed funky (deformed). She still walks and runs funky but is VERY active (2-3 miles a day, walk/run/jump/play daily) We take her health seriously.
We were shocked! She's never been out of our sight and had NO trauma prior to the toe. (Hindsight reveals an old break from in-utero, birth, or stepped on as a newborn) Breeder denies any issues.
We dealt with it; however this past Saturday, while jumping to catch a bubble, she snapped her left tibia. Spiral fracture. It was a terrible experience.
Vets think we need to go to a $peciali$t (U-Penn) to diagnose/study/treat the issue. It is ridiculously expensive (10k plus according to the vet, and they may not have an answefix)
Is there anything that we can do for our Derp that can help with the healing process? I have an active email to 2 vets and Penn to ask for advice. No answers yet.
I've considered calcium supplements, multivitamins, etc, but won't pull the trigger without a Vet's blessing.
Any and all advice is welcomed and appreciated; we love this Derp to death and want the best.
Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, I've been thinking about getting into dropshipping for a month or so, during which I have been looking into various AI automation services. Thought I would drop all the ones I have aggregated here, could be useful to beginners and vets alike looking into automation as well.
​

• Oberlo - Dropshipping automation platform designed for eCommerce businesses using Shopify.
• Pencil - Creative AI platform that generates Facebook and TikTok ads.
• Tiipe - AI-powered copywriting tool designed for eCommerce businesses, including dropshippers. It enables users to quickly generate unique product descriptions by using the brand's keywords and product attributes.
• Claid.ai - Generate, enhance and edit product images with AI. Drop in your product and generate custom backgrounds with templates and/or prompts. Add clarity, remove background and create eyecatching photos.
• Murf - Text-to-speech software that offers a wide range of over 130 AI voices in different accents and tonalities.
• Tweetify.it - Allows users to quickly condense long-form content into short posts for Twitter and other social media platforms with a single click.
• Algopix - Product research tool that enables you to analyze the market demand, competition, and profitability of products.
• Chatfuel / Tidio.AI - Chatbot platform that can automate customer support and engagement.
• Wisecut - Online platform that uses AI and voice recognition to simplify and speed up the video editing process.

Would love to hear if there are any big ones I'm missing here. I'm obviously excluding obvious ones like GPT, Midjourney etc. since everyone already knows about those.