I know this is a dumb question, and I probably won't explain it well. I'm crap at explaining things.
Here goes... when they have reunions, and someone is arguing with someone else, and thinking the other is wrong, or denied saying something. Bravo plays clips to show who said what, etc. Do the housewives see this at the reunion? Or is it just for the viewers?
I always wondered, but was too afraid to ask, lol.
Now that I'm a bit tipsy and stoned. Fuck it, I really need to know.
Thank you in advance :-)

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Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
— Langston Hughes
Catalogue Description
Self-Monitoring Behavioural Management Report: Casimir Szymański, Scazim Institute of Science and Technology - English Translation
Date:
15 Summer-2 3429 (Standard Parimthian Calendar)
November 23rd, 2162 (Gregorian Calendar)
Held by:
The UK National Archives, Kew
Legal status:
Public Record(s)
My father worshipped a fabricated, pagan prophet.
The Senghavi of the Parimthian Empire are principally joined under the ditheistic religion called Siedi, which I do not subscribe to. Of course, the Senghavi's literature, art, and faith flooded the whole of Earth upon their arrival a century ago. From this ocean of civilised culture, my degenerate species drew a sample, claimed it as our own, and polluted it with a distorted, appropriated, dumbed-down doctrine.
The central figure in this corrupt sample of Siedi was a man whom my father called Jesus Christ. He was said to have offered himself as a sacrifice that could be made to a single God. It was a final sacrifice, one beyond lambs or cattle or people. One that would atone for humanity's sins, so that we could have the free choice between the eternal presence of God and the eternal absence of "Him."
My father dressed himself in black, with a standing collar whose white fabric was exposed at the centre. That much, I could recall. He preached to hopeful humans in what was called a church, though I did not know what he was preaching. At the very least, my childhood is fuzzy in that regard.
The pain that throbbed through my skull, after the blonde savage had slammed my head against the ridges of the airlock, faded into the background. I could not focus; perhaps, I thought, one of their improvised explosives had gone off by accident. There was blue Senghavi blood staining my dress shirt. The rush of air escaping into vacuum pierced my ears.
Perhaps it was thirst of water, which binds most sapient beingsthe Sons of Liberty had reached an agreement with the Colonial Defence Force to allow spacecraft delivering food, water, and medical aid, only to unleash the anti-collision lasers of this cursed spaceliner upon those very ships.
Or perhaps it was the explosion, as I initially thought, an inadvertent complication which had wrought injury and death over my countrymen, and which had forced the terrorist savages to attempt to patch up the many hull breaches left by debris.
Or perhaps it was simply the stress of betraying, in my desperate efforts to save everyone from this senseless violence, the greatest secret of the Senghavi Terrans: our antimatter research. Word of it had likely been forwarded already, hundreds of light-years away, to that pink-hued marble which was Parimth itself.
Or perhaps it was all three; thirst, explosion, and stress. In any case, my mind shut it all out, and something lost from my childhood flashed before me:
We're standing on the cracked street of the Vennec Human Reservation. In the distance, the Senghavi's white, glassy spires reach above the clouds, their accents of luminescence dim in the broad daylight.
I hold a ball in my palm. It's wrapped in white leather held together with red stitching. I toss it to Dad.
Instead of his clerical uniform, he wears the normal "T-shirt" and "cargo shorts." Along with the clerical getup, they are just two of the many sorts of clothing which the Senghavi have invented for humanity. I toss the ball to Dad, and he swings a primitive wooden bat.
The ball goes soaring, further than he meant to. He jogs down the road to retrieve it, then gives me the wooden bat. The breeze ruffles his hair just as he ruffles mine with his hand.
"Now, you try," he says. "It's just practice, that's all."
For some reason, he lifts one leg in the air, then pitches the ball to me. I swing. The impact of the ball shakes through the wood, and it goes careening off to the left.
"I did it!" I yell. "But it went out of bounds."
"Heyyyy, that's not bad," Dad says with a reassuring voice. "Good job, just try to go a little more right next time."
Mom comes out onto the front porch, the breeze ruffling her dress as she waves to Dad. "Dinner's ready, and Mom's pie is... almost ready."
I stare blankly at her until I realise that she is talking about her Mom, Grandma, who is the best at making pumpkin pie.
"The pie!" I shout, running and jumping to the front door. "I totally forgot about that!"
I am ready to speed my way through dinner just so I can get to dessert, but Dad stops me before my first bite.
Of course, I think. We need to say grace. Me, Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa all hold hands, thanking God for our food, and then dig in. But Mom and Dad just talk about work, and I am too focused on finishing my food quickly to pitch in.
Finally—Grandma's pie!
When you bite into the soft, smooth filling, you can instantly tell it's been made with fresh pumpkins, not the boring canned ones. The taste of cinnamon and spice is balanced out perfectly with the coolness of the whipped cream.
The flavour spreads through my tongue and nostrils, filling my entire brain with a feeling of amazing-ness. If I wrote the Simple-Speak Dictionary for Senghavi Terrans, I'd put Grandma's pie next to the translation of "perfection."
I should save a slice, I think, for the Senghavi kid.
Even though it's only been a week since I met him through the playground fence, we already told each other where we live, and I want to get to know him more. He doesn't live on the Vennec Human Reservation, but his house is just a bike-ride away in Fellye Neighborhood.
I wonder if anyone's ever given pumpkin pie to an alien before. Even though humans only invented it fifty years ago, it makes me feel proud of my species!
When Mom tucks me into bed, kissing my forehead, I tell her what I'm going to do.
"Oh, you wild thing," she coos. "You're so much like your father. And you have his eyes, you know? Just stay safe."
"Don't worry, I'll do my best."
>! "Good night. I love you." !<
>! "I love you, too, Mom," I say. I hug her tightly from my bed, and a warm, fuzzy feeling blossoms within me. I can hardly fall asleep in my excitement. !<
Luckily, Fellye Neighborhood doesn't take apartheid that seriously, and I don't think anybody cares about an eight year-old human riding his bicycle around the gates.
Next evening, I do just that, peddling out of the Reservation's entrance into the violet dusk. When I get to Mensim's address, I ring the hi-tech front doorbell, and a really tall Senghavi shows up.
"Oh, dear," she says in Parimthian. "A barbarian hatchling—by what name do you go?"
"I'm Casimir," I say nervously. I don't pay that much attention in school, but I know just enough Parimthian to talk to the Senghavi woman. "Are you Mrs. Munghazi? Is Mensim fe Munghazi here? I got two slices of pie. You can have one, too!"
She looks at me suspiciously, antennae twitching. "That would be Teacher Munghazi to you; I know not why you natives invented these odd 'Mister' and 'Missis' honorifics. Hold on—Ghanvati! A native hatchling stands at our doorstep!"
Ghanvati must be Mensim's dad. I wonder where his other moms are; only one has shown up to the door. Ghanvati shows up with two of them—they are both shorter and daintier than Teacher Munghazi, their raptorial forelimbs folded shyly against their bodies. In front of the group of three is Mensim, and I involuntarily gasped with excitement.
"Mensim!"
"This is your new companion?" Ghanvati asks Mensim.
Mensim's papery forewings flicker with affirmation. "I met him at school."
"What, pray tell, is the point of apartheid if it does not actually keep natives away from Senghavi?" whines one of Ghanvati's wives.
Ghanvati's antennae droop as if to say "I don't know," while Mensim lifts my arms, inspecting me like I am a test animal in a mad scientist's laboratory.
"How do you guys not get cut all the time?" he asks, tracing his tarsal hairs over my bare skin. "You're so fleshy!"
"I do get cut all the time," I giggled. "We just use band-aids. Oh, do you wanna eat a pumpkin pie?"
It turned out that pumpkin pie is bad for alien stomachs. Mensim had to go to the bathroom for a long time, and three of his moms got mad at me.
When I got back, Dad and Mom were arguing. I snuck close to the back porch, making sure they couldn't hear me.
"Yes, they leave some people alone," Dad said. "Obviously, they can't spy on every single human who believes in human religions. But Katarzyna, they still need people to make an example out of, and I don't want to be that person!"
"Casimir is a responsible kid," Mom retorts. "I told him he can't tell anyone what you do, and he listens to me."
"He's eight years old. You can't just let him wander around aliens with a secret that could have me killed! Or have *you *killed!"
Mom cups Dad's cheek and looks him in the eye. She's a lot shorter than him. "Look, love. You're a great father, and I think it's amazing that you spend time with him. But you're the only person he talks to. You know just as well as I do that he needs to talk to other kids! It's not healthy; even Teacher Perevvoxath agreed. And now he finally has a friend."
Dad sighs, running his hands through his black hair. My hair. "You really think aliens are a substitute for human interaction?"
>! "I think every human needs a person they can talk to, and Casimir found one. If you really care about him, stop preaching for a while! Your church isn't gonna die without you. It'll be okay." !<
The next day, I visit Mensim's house after school again. And the next day after that, and the next after that. His dad Ghanvati is formally named Engineer Munghazi. I am to call his moms Teacher Munghazi, Teacher Munghazi, Teacher Munghazi, Accountant Munghazi, Priestess Munghazi, Doctor Munghazi, and Maidservant Munghazi.
A couple weeks later, Mensim and I are lounging together on his couch, watching a Parimthian war movie. The main characters are fighting against the evil forces of the Imperium of Orion. Under his head capsule, Mensim is munching something called Synth-Fruit, which is imported from a faraway planet called Mryi. I eat Pop-Tarts, which I'm pretty sure are toxic to him.
"Come on, just give me one," Mensim exclaims, reaching over to steal the sweet snacks from me. "It can't be that bad!"
I lift the Pop-Tarts away from him, laughing. "Stoppit, you're attacking me! Pay attention to the movie, or I'm gonna shoot you!"
"But I just want one..."
"It's gonna poison you, and you're gonna get your weird alien throw-up all over me!"
Priestess Munghazi, the oldest of his moms, bursts into the living room, her jewellery clinking over her clerical cape.
"Your sister conveyed to me quite the disturbing piece of news, Mensim," Priestess Munghazi cries. "The father of Casimir is a priest of a most barbarous and evil perversion of the Siedi faith. Ghanvati and I spoke, and we agreed that you are not to consort with this primitive, pagan savage any longer."
I drop my crumbly Pop-Tart on the couch, confused at the sudden order.
"But Priestess Munghazi, I'm not dangerous or evil. I'm just a kid."
"Nonsense! You are dangerous; your father is a barbarian worshipper of this evil, primate paganism that is called Christianity, and a most woeful effect is begot that even self-respecting Senghavi have 'gone native,' as they say. Mensim, if you continue to consort with this native spawn, I will be impelled to inform the Siedi Court, and they may by chance see to it that he is executed!"
"W-Wait!" Mensim says, holding up the remote to pause our movie. He gets off of me, suddenly losing interest in my Pop-Tart, his vestigial forewings rising with concern. "Please, Mother. I promise he won't be any trouble."
My blood runs cold. Dad, executed? Just because what he believes in isn't "civilised" enough? Actually, I thought that Mom told him to stop preaching for a while.
Mensim scrambles to *his *father's sleeping quarters, and I trail frantically after him.
"Father," Mensim says. "Is Casimir's father's job so ghastly that he should be executed by the Siedi Court?"
"We can't just let the natives spread the same barbarous religions that they used to kill each other," Ghanvati replies, his secondary arms clasped together. "It's a threat to safe, moral society. Priestess Munghazi told me his father spreads evil and paganism. I have no reason not to trust the oldest of your mothers."
"But Casimir's my best friend! If you tell the Siedi Court about his father, I'll... I'll run away! I'll hate you!"
Distressed vibrations emanate through the floor beneath my feet; Mensim's antennae and papery forewings and hindwings go limp. Something like lilies and the earthy scent of rain fills the air.
"My dearest Mensim," Ghanvati says softly, dipping his head capsule with compassion. "I will hold off, just this once. It would be apt of you not to cause me to reconsider."
"T-thank you, Engineer Munghazi," I say, wiping my own tears. "My dad's not a bad person, I promise."
*After confronting his dad, Mensim and I keep on watching movies and playing digital games. He always wins when we wrestle, but I still haven't given up (even though Priestess Munghazi always tells us to stop roughhousing). *
I even bring my Lego pieces to his house. He doesn't know what Legos are, but later, in his sleeping quarters, we build together. He makes a cool-looking spaceship that he calls a "negative energy generator."
"Hey, you took all the cool black and grey pieces," I complain. "Now I can't finish my army base!"
"This is cooler than your army base," Mensim says proudly. "Father used to work in one. It uses the superposition of squeezed vacuum states to produce a field of negative energy density."
"I have no idea what that means, but that sounds really smart."
*"No kidding! It's how people make wormholes and fly all the way to other stars." *
"Well, my army guys could beat your negative energy-thingy. They have machine guns."
"My guys could just fly a [~million billion trillion kilometres] away, and yours can't do anything about it!"
"Then your guys are wimps. But my guys aren't. Because they're the Army!"
>! *We also explore the pine forest in his backyard. Within just two more weeks, we have uncovered all sorts of interesting things, like a piece of a real human skull. One time, we found a human foot sculpted and smoothed out of stone—who would make such a thing?—and a dead metal device with the icon of a bitten-out-of apple printed on it. *!<
There were also other human body parts made out of ancient stone, too: the cracked half of a man's face buried a foot deep, a muscly arm sticking out of the soil. Even a private part, which I snickered at, though Mensim seemed unfazed.
There is something else we start to do. My parents have given me "the talk," and Mensim told me that his parents gave him the Senghavi version of it. And so even as we talk and play in the woods, we experiment—because we are curious, and why should we not be?
A fragment of a memory in the forest; Mensim's raptorial forelimbs are set on my shoulders as his compound eyes look into my primate eyes, and he says, "You cannot tell anyone about this. Anyone. Absolutely no one."
I don't know how, but Priestess Munghazi learned of what we were doing, and now she expresses anger and disgust alike, her wings and antennae wild and rigid. Ghanvati is the same. Mensim and I... We're actually making them reconsider their decision not to tell the Siedi Court about my dad.
A fragment of a memory... I feel like I am in space, stranded aboard a spaceliner that has been hijacked by terrorists, its atmosphere venting amid a backdrop of violence... But I am not, I am in the forest that Mensim and I talked and played in; I am in Mensim's home, terrified as I am yelled at by Ghanvati, whose compassion no longer shines through, accompanied by Priestess Munghazi.
"By the names of the Gods, it's those false, pagan corruptions which humans have named as their religions, that are spouted by your father," Priestess Munghazi spits. I am teary-eyed and snot-nosed from guilt and embarrassment. "How horrid is the link between the state of barbarism and a most revolting and shameful propensity for bizarre and perverted behaviour!"
Then I am in my own family's living room, and the mom I love so dearly yells at me, too, but my father is quieter and only seems disappointed. This must be the first time in my life that I have felt true shame, I think; the kind that leaves you with an emptiness inside. Like the whole point of existing just vanished inside of me.
*The worst part is that I cannot even lean on Mom's shoulder, because she is distressed—because she knows what will happen— *
"This is all on you, Casimir!" she screeches, tears in her eyes. "All on you!"
I remember telling Priestess Munghazi that 'I'm not dangerous or evil; I'm just a kid,' but now I can't be sure anymore. I can tell I am different in the eyes of my family. They are disgusted by me.
After Priestess Munghazi tells the Siedi Court of my father's evil, barbaric Christian teachings, the Parimthian soldiers bring my father to the gallows. Their snow-white exoskeletons gleam under a burning sun. They have dressed him in his clerical uniform, and the camera is close enough that I can see his cross necklace.
I have been grounded in my room; still, I have a television to see the live broadcast.
Hanging works for primates and mantids alike. It happens in the Forum of Movvaeti, the venue for public events in our area, where my father is a lesser criminal compared to the native leaders and Senghavi malcontents who have dissented from Colonial Governor Nieve fe Skellth.
He is joined with seven other convicts, three humans and four Senghavi, and their crimes are read to the crowd—blasphemy, paganism, monogamy, witchcraft, seditious libel, insulting the Parimthian Crown, treason against the Parimthian Crown, and refusal to quarter Parimthian soldiers.
Why? None of this feels right. Why should my father be killed because of what he says and believes? Why can't these people be judged with fairness, rather than at the whim of some distant space emperor?
Not only have I been grounded, but I grow cold without my mother's touch. I want to hold someone's hand while watching Dad lose his life, but nobody is there. Mom brings me food, but she doesn't even look at me. Why can't she look at me? Why can't she speak to me? I just want things to be the way they used to be, when Dad would help me practise hitting a ball with a bat on the street.
I watch him turn down a caped, bejewelled priestess of the Siedi faith, who thought she could make my dad accept their Gods before his death. Before a modest crowd of humans and Senghavi alike, all eight of the convicts have their arms and legs bound with rope.
I am begging myself to turn the TV off, but I can't bring myself to. The Senghavi executioner uses some kind of hi-tech display to remove the supports from beneath the convicts' feet. My stomach flips over inside of me, a nausea of shame filling my body.
I can't deny it any longer. This is my fault—this is why my family avoids me—this is why they are disgusted by me—and Dad falls and his head jerks when the noose goes taut.
As he hangs there, I cannot tell for how long he remains alive. My insides are cold. After the broadcast ends, after night falls and I sit in the moonlight spilling faintly through my windows, that is when it all comes out. I sob alone. I scream for Mom to help me and be there for me, but she does not come. Her harsh voice resonates through my memory; this is all on me. I am a disgrace to everyone I love, and that is why they have left me here. Why they avoid me as if I am a disease.
The only thing I want is to see Dad again, but he is gone forever. I curl up on my room floor. What is this? What is this loneliness? This stinging hatred I feel against myself?
No one, human or mantid, will be there for me. I cry until my throat cannot ache any more harshly, until my eyes cannot sting any more painfully, and then I go cold inside, my body shivering in the moonlight. I retreat into my happy memories with Dad until it is too painful to bear.
I wish so dearly I could end it all, to take my own life and join Dad in the heaven that he believed in. There is a belt in my closet that I can use on myself in the way the Siedi Court killed Dad.
But beneath the sickly well of shame, the nausea and crushing humiliation at the stupid antics of Mensim and I, with which Mom's brief gaze pierces me—beneath the weight of knowing that I will never fill the torturous vacuum Dad left, knowing that I am a foul and disgusting son to the mother I so desperately need, that I see no end to the infinite river of anxiety and guilt pouring through the hole left in my heart—beneath my isolation and my longing for human touch—something breaks inside of me.
An emptiness of purpose. There is no point in going on, and I feel nothing, not even the desire to stop living. There is one exception: A hatred of myself, and of the humans I loved as family.
One day, Mom appears in my doorway, and she just stands there. Before, I would've welcomed being offered interaction with her beyond just receiving food, but now I am numb, my eyes all out of tears to cry.
"Pack your things," she says, her voice flat. She still doesn't look at me; the eyes she once said I inherited from Dad, she now shuns. "You're going to a residential school."
Indigenous Residential Schools; that is what Colonial Governor Nieve fe Skellth calls them, I think. They're for human kids who have trouble letting go of their "savage" roots; kids that the normal schools aren't enough to civilise. Schools that show you how to act Senghavi, to think Senghavi, to... be Senghavi.
There was a human kid in normal school whose sister went there, but they said that something had happened to her there; something in that residential school had changed her before she finally returned.
But I feel no fear as I pack my clothes into my bags. Every time I look in my bedroom mirror, a violent feeling rushes to my chest, only to dissipate into the hatred-tinged numbness I have grown so used to.
Finally, the time comes to depart. In the early morning, I am already aboard the autonomous public transport. It pulls out of the cracked street I once played with Dad in, passing by the entrance of Fellye Neighborhood, driving off into the fiery, violet Terran dawn. I see my faded reflection in the window, and my chest jumps with revulsion.
So I look down, fidgeting with my touchpad—then the numbness abruptly leaves, and my tears fall once again.
Forgive me for all the redaction, Doctor Morgthax. While I will not disclose what I wrote, you are correct, as always, about the act of writing. There is some semblance of psychological relief in typing one's sullen inner thoughts onto a touchpad. As if one can be heard without being heard.
By the time I drifted back to reality, my mouth and lips dry from dehydration, the hijackers had patched up the holes punched through the hull by the accidental explosion. Plenty of Senghavi passengers were spilling cerulean blood from beneath their exoskeletal coverings; though they were all alive, they needed medical attention.
Two hundred-something Senghavi civilians aboard this luxury spaceliner, and none had yet died. That stroke of luck offered me a glimmer of hope.
Pavok, the child, was emitting vibrations through the floor in his despair, the smell of rain and lilies becoming evident to me. It is starkly fascinating, the evolutionary dissimilarity between how native Terrans and Senghavi Terrans cry.
Those ships were delivering medical aid and critical provisions to the passengers, Commander Lokprel barked, the neutrino signals that encoded his gruff voice coming out from the intercom. Why did you laser them?
"Stop playing games," Jake snapped wearily into his radio. I recalled that his full name was Jacob Weaver, as Commander Lokprel had mentioned. A drop of blood streaked down his face. "We know what you're up to."
Paranoia will get you nowhere, Jacob. If we don't work with each other, you won't survive. We have detected an explosion aboard the spaceliner. Is anyone dead?
"Not yet," Jake growled. "But Fenni Svim will be if your forces keep approaching!"
Fenni Svim—the Senghavi from the Vellir Veneti Physics Lab, against whose skull Jake had pressed his pistol to halt the CDF's initial approach, hours ago—stiffened in her seat. I had never known the nuclear researcher very well before this barbarous event, but I prayed to the Gods of Siedi (whom I do not really believe in) that she would be okay.
Many of the passengers were still being kept by the windows to deter snipers. They included Pavok, behind whom Khadija stood guard.
"Sorry for attacking you," Jake suddenly said to me, his voice worn-out. "It's like Khadija said. The bugs know that humans are strong when they're united. It's why they try to play us against ourselves, to ally with just some of us, to try to make us hate each other; to hate ourselves. It's how they tore the United States apart. Everything they do... It's to make us ashamed of our species, our own culture, to lose hope in the future. If we were united, Casimir... they'd be terrified of us. And make no mistake—we're uniting again."
"E-even if what you say about mankind is true," I croaked, "Our species would not have settled anywhere but Earth. Our culture and history would still have been negligible and primitive, the richness and complexity of the Senghavi, still greater by many orders of magnitude."
"Casimir, did you go to one of the Indigenous Residential Schools?" Khadija asked.
"Y-yes," I managed, dusting off my formal wear and cleaning my glasses. "I was sent to one as a child. They are for those of us savage natives which conventional education could not sufficiently civilise."
Khadija's eyes softened with compassion, and she gestured to my wrist. "I asked because of that code on your wrist. I've heard about some of the things that happen in those places. The cruelty; the abuse."
I glanced at the abstract identification code tattooed onto my skin, faded with time. I hadn't thought about it in ages; it was but a remnant of my childhood, and I never paid it any attention.
"Residential schooling is necessary and proper," I tell her. "It is similar to human-mantid apartheid in its purpose; it keeps the public safe from savagery. "
"If we get out of this alive, I'm gonna take you with me to Russia," she said, wiping sweat from her brow. "Specifically, Moscow. It's where I lived after the fall of Türkiye. Man controls it, not the Senghavi."
I was already aware that a vast, untamed region named Zvorriu-Sai, located in Earth's northeastern quarter-sphere, is called Russia in simple-speak. A decade ago, Nieve fe Skellth had tried to civilise the hunter-gatherers who lived there, but his troops starved and froze in the snow.
It was with the multitude of planetary habitat fabricators that his army had been using that the native primates of Zvorriu-Sai constructed such cities as Moscow or Saint Petersburg.
"Russian civilization goes back over a millennium," Khadija explained. "I don't give a fuck about what the Senghavi have built on this planet; Russian architecture is my favourite, hands down. Anyway, it's the most stable and self-sufficient of the ten countries we've got left. Hard to invade, you know? It's seen better days, but the cities are nice, the economy is good. I think you'll find it's a hell of a lot less 'savage' than whatever the fuck the Parimthian Empire is doing."
To corroborate her claims, she showed me a photo from the gallery of her cracked, dusty touchpad. Before a busy canal, the waters tinted orange by a rising sun, a more relaxed version of her smiled into the camera alongside some human of the phenotype I had seen in the video of Tokyo. Looming over them was an intricate, palatial structure topped with colourful, onion-shaped domes.
"How... quaint," I replied, unsure of what to say, though it ignited dry laughter in Khadija.
"Looks like we got a communiqué from the UN," another hijacker announced, his mask still covering his face. I couldn't place his accent at all. He held up his own touchpad, displaying photos of the Colonial Governor herself—Perellanth fe Sumur—flanked by armed UN military personnel. They were clad in urban camouflage that was marred with blood. The black, plant-like extraterrestrial gazed defeatedly in the sterile lighting.
The UN had captured her! The Crown's decision to appoint a Vire as the leader of a Senghavi colony had been no small event. I was certain that after all the talk of Senghavi Terran independence, then followed by the Colonial Governor's capture, His Imperial Majesty regretted his progressivist decision.
"We... We did it!" Jake exclaimed, his voice disbelieving. "We took down Perellanth!"
You achieved nothing, Commander Lokprel retorted over the intercom. Not beyond the promotion of Benghoviu fe Prim to Acting Colonial Governor. If you kill Governor Sumur, Governor Benghoviu will become the permanent Colonial Governor as per the chain of command, and he will carry on the fine work of his predecessor.
Jake seemed to consider that situation a fair one, and he nodded to himself subtly. "Okay, sure. But if you do nothing, we'll still kill our first hostage."
What I can promise you is that Delegate Essintsya fe Baryn will submit an Act to the Forum of Delegates to recognize the sovereignty of the UN. It will be deliberated over for months, but it is your only realistic option. In return, we demand that you allow the passengers injured by one of your explosives to board CDF medical ships.
I recalled that the Forum of Delegates had voted Benghoviu fe Prim as Vice Colonial Governor just a year ago. And before even that, the Senghavi who lived on Vennec—my home continent on Earth—had popularly elected the ever-prudent Essintsya fe Baryn to the Forum. She was quite the economic liberal, as her sort was called.
Delegate Baryn's statements on the social contract between a people and their government, as well as her rejection that the Parimthian Crown ruled by divine right, had resonated deeply with me.
Jake's eyes hardened, and he turned his radio back on. "I said no games!"
There are no games here, Jacob! We only aim to preserve as much sapient life as possible. And you are out of options.
The hijacker who had shown Colonial Governor Sumur's prison photo gave Jake a withering look. "We're dragging this on, man. I don't want anyone to die."
"Don't talk to me about death, Ramiro. Not after what happened in the US."
The so-called United States of America... called Gholo Vieda in Parimthian. That region was Nieve fe Skellth's last successful conquest before he attempted to take on the vast, snowy expanses of Zvorriu-Sai. I wondered if, like Khadija's experience in Türkiye in the Niethvahi region, Jake had witnessed firsthand the cultural assimilation and political integration of Gholo Vieda into the rest of Parimthian Earth.
The conquest of Gholo Vieda and Niethvahi were the great accomplishments of Perellanth's predecessor, of course; but, in my opinion, the devotion of the (now captured) Perellanth to the causes of liberty, reason, equality, and sapientism far outshadowed anything that Nieve had done. I am certain, however, that the Parimthian Crown disagrees.
In any case, my faith in CDF Commander Lokprel loth Fonvie had not risen. Perhaps that was a good thing; otherwise, I might have regretted betraying the knowledge of antimatter research in order to elicit a more competent Parimthian intervention.
More security forces took up positions around the spaceliner, each ship split sharply into sunlight and shadow amid the black of space. The hijacker called Ramiro pointed to a series of smaller craft, which seemed to be pulling away from the luxury spaceliner. Escape pods!
"Hostages are falling through our fingers," Ramiro said. "We need to do something."
"Go to the rear," Khadija ordered. "Stop anyone else from sneaking out!"
Jake's radio crackled with the voice of someone in the cockpit. We've intercepted a neutrino transmission from the new guy, Benghoviu fe Prim. He's calling for some kind of emergency council at the highest levels in the Parimthian Empire.
I scoffed internally. The Crown would intervene for the sake of investigating all this talk of antimatter, whose alluring utility had hitherto been confined to theory and fiction. But it was doubtful that His Imperial Majesty would agree to an emergency council for the sake of his colonists' security and well-being. As (relatively) progressivist as he was in policy, he was still very much a punitive emperor, not a rewarding one.
"I told the commander to stop advancing—dammit!" Jake spat. "We're only letting medical craft get any closer. Fire at the corvettes!"
Affirmative, his radio crackled. Targets in sight.
The spaceliner's anti-collision lasers flashed against several faraway spacecraft. A succession of oxygen-fueled fires, each lasting for a [~split-second] against the vacuum of space, flared in the distance. Even so, the growing array of naval craft began to close in upon us again, surrounding the spaceliner in every dimension.
Switching again to the neutrino-connected channel, Jake gave a disgusted scowl. "Are you deaf, Commander? If your people keep getting closer, the deal is off!"
The more you fire, the closer we will get, *Lokprel said. *We are just making sure it is safe for the medical craft. As long as you refrain from harming them, we will not hurt you.
The hijacker in the cockpit radioed to Jake again, her voice sounding more alarmed.
We're picking up a massive object on our scanners. It's headed our way.
"How massive are we talking?" Jake asked.
It's... some kind of warship, I think. Over a hundred times our size.
"You're joking, right?"
"A Parimthian spacecraft carrier," murmured a soft, whimpery voice.
It was Fenni Svim again, her praying raptorial forelimbs tucked close in fear.
"The Imperial Parimthian Navy?" I asked. "They're really here?"
"Y-you shouldn't act surprised," Fenni said. "I know you were speaking to someone on the P-Parimthian side. You leaked our greatest secret, Casimir."
"R-right."
"What's she talking about, dude?" Khadija asked. Suspicion of betrayal lingered in her dark eyes. She had believed the lie that I was only calling a loved one when I contacted Mensim, >! who is at present an agent of Parimth!<; she had trusted me, and defended me against Jake's wrath.
I didn't answer. The very reason we needed antimatter was that the colonists' outerspace spanned but a meagre few millionths of the Parimthian Empire's total volume. I did not know what exactly a spacecraft carrier one hundred times the size of our spaceliner could do for the hostages, but it would be far more competent than the comparatively flimsy Colonial Defence Force.
Finally, after so many years of strategic modesty in the administration of the Crown's distant colony, of his Earth, as His Imperial Majesty suffered expense upon expense in countering the Imperium of Orion... Parimth had sent a warship of the Imperial Parimthian Navy, here in full force!
There was no need to inquire as to its distance; I could see it through my window. It was far enough that I could view the whole of its great form. Senghavi architecture, of course, is usually round, white, and glassy, traced with glowing accents; however, the imperial warship was boxy and shadowy black, visible only by the silhouette that it carved into the beaming sun.
Already, dozens of smaller craft—operated by some of the finest Senghavi pilots in the Milky Way—began spilling out from the spacecraft carrier, moving in the shadow of their gargantuan mothership. As even the hostage passengers became aware of its presence, the muted chatter and whimpering, which had been ambient across the aisles of the spaceliner, finally ceased.
Because of me, all of us—colonists and savages alike—were, for the first time in a decade, going to face a military intervention by Parimth itself.

platforms: on pc
genre: i think the camera was pointed from the side or from the top, it was a kind of „grow your base and capture other bases“ game
estimated year of release: idk 2000-2010
graphics/ art style: it wasn’t entirely 2d and the art style wasn’t too simple, the characters and bases definitely had detail to them so you could definitely identify things well environment was kinda inspired by the medieval times
notable characters: there were characters from different elements with different strengths i think…i remember a witch being prominent either in the fire or „black magic“ department
notable gameplay mechanics: there were 3 elements i think; ice, fire and some blackish purple type of thing all three of these had kingdoms and you had to grow your kingdom by slowly capturing the environment around you -> the environment was pretty much a neutral space but there were „abandoned“ towers and other buildings which would help you significantly whoever got to them first and rebuilt them first would get it and then they’d get like bonuses from the tower or they could attack from the tower i believe you could pick which element you want at the start of the game but for some reason i remember ice being prominent
other details: i’m a person who gets bored very quickly but i remember playing this game over and over again and not getting bored each time, maybe the way i explained it doesn’t sound too appealing but it was definitely so much fun if it helps, it was some time around when „bunni: how we first met“ was being played

Just started thinking about this a few days ago, and I was curious if anyone else could relate to this. I know part of my unability to say I hate something or someone is intensified by my personality disorder (nothing to talk about in this sub), but I don't know if it comes from that or from my religious trauma, or just something completely different.
Basically, as I grew up, I was told repeatedly to never use the word 'hate' on anyone nor anything, that it was a very strong word and God disliked it. That if I ever said I hated anyone and then they died or something happened to them, I would live with the guilt and it was God's way to make me realize my hateful words had an impact and to instead practice 'love language'. "Show kindness and not hatred to the people who hurt you" and shit like that, too. I wasn't even told to hate the sin, only to know how dangerous it was and to avoid falling prey to it. I couldn't count the amount of times as a child that I just said I hated going to a certain event or I hated a classmate that made fun of me, only for my mother to turn to me and say that I shouldn't say the word hate, but 'dislike', and that God was disappointed with my hateful words.
Naturally, now as an adult, being raised in this way, I find it really hard to say I hate anything or anyone. I can say it, yes, but there's that part in my brain that tells me it's wrong and I should watch what I say, even when I left Christianity years ago. I see people around me being able to express their hate for trivial things, for people that do them wrong, and honestly I'm envious of them. It's weird to say, but I'd like to experience and show that extreme hatred in situations that warrant it.
My range of emotions after leaving Christianity goes basically from mild dislike to love. Saying I hate anything with a passion feels wrong, even though I don't believe in any God that would condemn me for mere words anymore. That fear that if I express my hate I could hurt someone or if something happened to them I would live with my guilt always come back.
Anyone else experienced this? I really don't know if it's linked to the religious trauma or something else, so I'm just curious if anyone else around here experiences the same or a similar feeling after leaving Christianity.
I hope you have a nice day, everyone.

Hey all! My name is Sungmin. I made this post because I want something long term, where we can learn about everything about each other, and finish each other's sentences. I want someone who puts effort and can hold a conversation. My preferred communication is over discord, and I'm basically available there all the time I'm not doing something or sleeping.I love dark humor! I believe anything can be joked about in the right environment, ImFinnaGoToHell has a lot of good ones lol. Send me your most fucked up joke or meme
My main games are league of legends and apex legends, but I'm willing to try other games too! Sion is my most played champ in league and I basically haven't played ranked for 2 seasons after getting close to masters but I just finished my 10 placements to get diamond. For apex I played a fair share of FPS games but I'm always missing 90% of my bullets lol, my main is bangalore, I got lucky and got the heirloom for her!
I have a lot of catching up to do with anime, but I just haven't had the time lately. Last anime I finished were Spy x family S2 and chainsaw man. My favorite character is probably saiki from saiki kusuo, and my favorite villain is by far Askeladd from vinland saga.
I graduated with a neuroscience degree, and I'm looking to go to med school to become a psychiatrist! I'm currently working at a psych inpatient unit, and unironically playing league for over a decade made me develop the patience and mental fortitude to work in this field lol.
I'm an open book so if you have any questions for me or curious about anything ask away and I'll answer the best I can.
****Please provide a picture and a short intro about yourself! I will ignore posts without a picture or just saying Hi or hey.
Here is a picture of me. https://imgur.com/a/nC5eLl8
I hope to meet a lot of you! :)

Hey all! My name is Sungmin. I made this post because I want something long term, where we can learn about everything about each other, and finish each other's sentences. I want someone who puts effort and can hold a conversation. My preferred communication is over discord, and I'm basically available there all the time I'm not doing something or sleeping.I love dark humor! I believe anything can be joked about in the right environment, ImFinnaGoToHell has a lot of good ones lol. Send me your most fucked up joke or meme
My main games are league of legends and apex legends, but I'm willing to try other games too! Sion is my most played champ in league and I basically haven't played ranked for 2 seasons after getting close to masters but I just finished my 10 placements to get diamond. For apex I played a fair share of FPS games but I'm always missing 90% of my bullets lol, my main is bangalore, I got lucky and got the heirloom for her!
I have a lot of catching up to do with anime, but I just haven't had the time lately. Last anime I finished were Spy x family S2 and chainsaw man. My favorite character is probably saiki from saiki kusuo, and my favorite villain is by far Askeladd from vinland saga.
I graduated with a neuroscience degree, and I'm looking to go to med school to become a psychiatrist! I'm currently working at a psych inpatient unit, and unironically playing league for over a decade made me develop the patience and mental fortitude to work in this field lol.
I'm an open book so if you have any questions for me or curious about anything ask away and I'll answer the best I can.
****Please provide a picture and a short intro about yourself! I will ignore posts without a picture or just saying Hi or hey.
Here is a picture of me. https://imgur.com/a/nC5eLl8
I hope to meet a lot of you! :)

I'm a relatively new DM running a campaign for 5 level 8 PCs. They have a level 10 NPC and a couple of sidekicks with them. I need to end the campaign way prematurely (it was supposed to go to level 12) because I have a baby due in September. The party is looking to kill an ancient necromancer who has been resurrected. They are deep in his dungeon, which is fire/necrotic themed. The physical manifestation of the dungeon itself (a "shadow fiend", will be part of the final BBEG combat) was formerly the warlock's patron, though he's since changed that.
To streamline things, I'm getting rid of a bunch of combat encounters in the dungeon. They just take too much time. I figure it's also a good opportunity to play with some non-combat encounters that might eat up some resources without spending a bunch of time. The problem is I've already made the map of the dungeon, so I'm having a hard time fitting encounters (like traps / puzzles) into the rooms.
Map of the room: https://imgur.com/a/VoQXRW2
It's at the end of a hallway and full of heavy shadows. There is a shattered and desecrated altar to a good god at the end, along with a bunch of shattered furniture. Originally, they were supposed to be lured in with whimpers and cries for help only to be ambushed by shadows. Since they may not even go into this room, I thought this was a good way to save time.
I'm hoping someone has some ideas for little encounters / puzzles, or just something that will freak the players out, that would fit in the room and be appropriate for the theme.
Thanks, everyone!

The System was a scam, period.
I had leveled up five whole times after our fight against the Wendigo and I had not received any kind of reward. Sure, my mana pool had grown a little bit and my [Mana Exhaustion] had been slowly receding, but other than that I wasn’t getting stronger, faster or more agile. I didn’t even have a measly new skill to show for it.
“What a scam, I want a refund.” I muttered.
“I already told you, there was only a small chance for the Wendigo to have an elemental crystal. You only start seeing stuff like that after level fifty.” Elincia huffed in front of me. The mountainous path was steep but at least we had left the forest behind. Elincia had told me that Farcrest was just beyond the mountain range.
“People should get shit after leveling up five damn times!” I angrily said as if Elincia was somehow responsible for the shitty progression system.
The white haired suddenly stopped and turned around. For an instant I thought she was going to scold me but then, out of nowhere, she put her hands on my shoulders and locked her eyes into mine. I tried to control my blush with little success and hoped she would attribute it to the arduous hike.
“I’m sorry to break this down to you, Robert Clarke, but support classes don’t get crap from the System.” Elincia said with a solemn tone just to smile a moment later. “In any case, you should be happy because your mana pool is so huge. Scholars are known for having lots of mana but, dude, you are on another level.”
One thing was sure, I wasn’t getting used to receiving compliments any time soon.
[Awareness]: You are absolutely correct.
I ignored the System prompt. At least I was getting very good at doing that.
“The amount of mana you need to materialize a [Mana Blade] without a skill is ridiculous. Are you sure you are a low level Scholar?” Elincia asked as we resumed the march. As we came near the edge of the Farlands, she grew more relaxed.
There haven't been any signs of monsters since the previous night.
“You still don’t believe in me?” I replied.
“At this point you could say you are the son of a Fire Dragon and a virginal maiden and I’d believe you.” Elincia shrugged her shoulders. “It might be a long shot but, have you ever been in a System Shrine?”
As good a liar as I was, I couldn’t just bullshit my way out of such a direct question. Elincia was too keen for that. A System Shrine sounded like basic knowledge.
“Haven’t heard about that in my life.” I replied.
Elincia stopped for a second and gave me one of her looks of disbelief that made me feel like a kid without his homework. I wondered if she had practiced that expression. After all, she had five stacks of [Favorite Teacher], she might as well have experience publicly humiliating kids.
“You don’t have System Shrines in the City of Light?” Elincia asked in disbelief.
I just shrugged my shoulders to avoid giving an answer. Also, there was the fact that the hike was taking a toll on my lungs. I didn’t know how Elincia could sustain a conversation. If I knew I was going to get transported to a magical world, I would’ve exercised more back on Earth.
“The System blocks certain titles from low level individuals.” Elincia started explaining. “Let’s say a Lv.1 Soldier survives the scuffle against a flock of Fire Dragons and gets the [Dragon Killer] title which gives fire resistance. There is a high chance the System withholds the title from the Soldier on the basis that [Dragon Killer] is an overpowered title for a mere Lv.1.”
I nodded. It made sense the System had a method to prevent power leveling, if only to maintain some semblance of normalcy. Earth would be plunged into chaos very quickly if suddenly a bunch of people with godly powers appeared out of nowhere.
“With the help of a System Shrine and a competent System Zealot the Soldier could unlock [Dragon Killer] even without the required level.” Elincia finished with her explanation. “Maybe you are benefiting from a hidden title.”
“Maybe,” I replied.
I couldn’t imagine having any useful titles considering how ordinary my life has been before arriving in the Farlands. When I was in college, I was able to comfortably outdrink all my group of friends, but then I lost that skill just after graduating. And there was the fact my only title at level one was [Lonely Boy] so my hopes of having a nice hidden title weren’t particularly high.
“Does Farcrest have a System Shrine?” I asked.
My question prompted a dry laugh from Elincia.
“Don’t get your hopes too high. Farcrest is a shithole.” She warned me as we climbed a rocky path between the two mountain ranges that separated the Farlands from the Kingdom of Ebros. We were almost there.
“Why is there a town so close to the Farlands anyway?” I asked.
Elincia lent me her hand and helped me climb a step boulder.
“To prevent monsters from pouring into the Kingdom. Think of Farcrest as a cork.” Elincia pulled me up the boulder.
Suddenly, we were on top of the path between two mountain ranges. I glanced down the valley ahead expecting to see a handful of rustic cabins scattered across a modest patch of farmland with a rotten palisade and a muddy road; however, Farcrest was a town in its own right. It was located on the top of a soft hill, surrounded by a high stone wall with several watchtowers. An impressive church made of the same dark stone rose above the thatched rooftops and, on the highest part of the hill, a great hall, half palace, half fortress, dominated the valley.
“Doesn’t look like a shithole to me.” I said as we started the descent from the other side of the hill. It looked like a picturesque European medieval town.
“You’ll see.” Elincia replied, with a hopeless sigh.
About two hours later, we reached the city outskirts. The main road was neglected and the farmland’s irrigation canals blocked by debris. As we approached the city, the picture became even more bleak. I didn’t need [Awareness] to tell me the crops were sickly and weak. Most of the farmers were older men and women that moved slowly among the plots of land.
“Where are the young people?” I asked, discarding the idea of a disease. If there was a plague ravaging Farcrest, then there wouldn’t be old people working on the fields.
“They are in the eastern frontier, fighting the King’s wars.” Elincia replied dryly.
I recalled Elincia telling me there was a shortage of alchemical ingredients due to a war in the western frontier.
“War against who?” I asked. A war-torn country might not be too welcoming to strangers like me.
“Against the Farlands. The king is obsessed with expanding the kingdom’s territory and uncharted lands and their resources.” Elincia sighed. “It’s a meat grinder. A bunch of low level kids trying to push deeper and deeper into monster territory while the real warriors are protecting the imperial capital and the frontiers.”
[Awareness] sent me down a stream of reasoning. Numbers and equipment were the basis of any military force back on Earth. However, in this world, a single individual with a powerful class and a high level could potentially be a one man army.
“What about power leveling the new recruits? You know, pairing them with a bunch of high level people and fighting monsters together?” I asked again.
“You might be a genius, Robert Clarke! How had no one thought of that before?” Elincia replied as she mindlessly drummed her lips in a gesture I recognized as deep concentration.
“Really?”
“You really think Kings, Scholars, and Generals didn’t think about powerleveling new recruits? The System doesn’t allow that.” A tired smile was drawn on Elincia’s face.
Seeing Elincia’s expression, I decided to drop the topic about the war. I wondered how many of her friends and acquaintances have gone to the frontline to never be heard of again. The Farlands were a dangerous place and the King’s troops lacked the advantage of firearms like me.
“Let’s go to my place.” Elincia said as we approached the city walls. “You should make yourself presentable before going to the Great Hall for that transit permit, and we have to appraise the herbs.”
It didn’t take a genius to realize Elincia was desperate for alchemical materials, otherwise she wouldn’t invite a stranger like me to her home. Or maybe there was a really charitable soul beneath the layers of mistrust and suspicion. The aftermath of the combat against the Wendigo had brought us a lot closer.
“Sounds like a plan to me.” I replied wondering if I was going to meet Elincia’s kid. Or her partner.
Farcrest was only a few hundred meters away. Up close, the black stone wall was taller and sturdier than I initially thought. Then I remembered they weren’t built to resist medieval armies but the assault of skills and magic spells. The double wooden gate was wide open but nobody bothered to stop us or ask about the business that brought us to the city.
As we passed through the hole in the wall, I spied into a guardhouse. I saw young men and women playing cards and drinking booze. Well-fed and well-dressed troops loyal to the Marquis, I assumed. Up close, Farcrest was further away from the bucolic city and dangerously close to a feudal dystopia.
Elincia and I walked along the wall towards the northern district. As we progressed through the city, houses became more and more neglected to the point it seemed outright abandoned to me. Kids ran barefoot in the street, fetid puddles adorned the alleys, and most of the stores were closed. Farcrest was a ghost town.
“How long has there been war?” I asked.
“Seven years now?” Elincia replied. “We are close.”
After five more minutes of meandering through alleys, we emerged in front of a great manor made of stained white walls and washed out blue shingles. For a moment I was out of words. Was Elincia the heir of a noble family fallen from grace? Her dignified appearance and beautiful features made me think so, however, she was a bit too wild to be a noblewoman.
The manor was old. The white painting of the front was peeling away and water stains plagued the nooks and crannies of the structure. A low stone wall marked the perimeter and a quick glance revealed it had served in the past as the foundation for an iron fence long gone. The only section of the outer wall that had survived the decay of the city was the iron gate.
Elincia opened it and we entered the front yard. I was about to ask a hundred questions when the front door slammed open and a stampede of small kids came to meet us. I managed to count at least a dozen before they reached us. Elincia greeted them with arms open as the little ones burst into tears at the first sight of the woman.
I froze. Not all of them were human.
There were two small snakefolk kids with bright yellow eyes. The blue-scaled snake-kid was dressed in a ragged brown dress while the green-scaled one had an oversized white shirt and frayed pants. At the end of the retinue, somewhat late to the reception, appeared a small winged girl with a hesitant gait. Her beautiful golden feathers contrasted with the old pillowcase she used as a dress.
Before I could react, both of the snake-kids jumped into my arms, crying a river of tears. Surprisingly enough, they were warm to the touch. I tried to exchange a glance with Elincia but she was busy trying to calm a handful of small kids on her own.
How many kids Elincia had?
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Discord Royal Road

I've played many many gacha games, to name a few E7, FGO, Genshin (briefly), Counter Side, Honkai Impact 3rd, FE Heroes and many others. The visuals, the hub worlds, the combat and gameplay, the depth and fun of the system is all around incredible and one of the most fun gacha games I've ever played. But that is part of the biggest problem Honkai Star Rail has. It's fun, too fun.
Star Rail's lack of content on launch and Stamina system actively hurt this game's future prospects and give a scary indicator of the future popularity. Many if not most gacha games create a time gate of some kind in order to slow progression and keep you actively playing the game constantly with a constant stream of rewards and things to do in an endless cycle.
Games like FGO and E7 your limitations are how much time you are willing to sink into grinding resources to power up the next character or obtain better gear to grind more efficiently. One could do this endlessly as both of these example games have a stamina system to create an artificial halt to gameplay and encourage you to take breaks here and there, but they also give stamina replenishment resources away like candy so much so that I'm currently sitting on over 1500 stamina refreshes which equates to about 120 hours of non-stop end game gear farming even with an extremely quick 1 minute per run clear time at 20 energy cost per run. On FGO I have 1200 stamina refreshes that range from 1/3rd fill to 100% refill and with no auto battle system (bleh) I literally could not possibly play the game enough to ever use 100% of those resources without quitting my job and dedicating months to trying to spend them all. The point of that long winded explanation, is that these games gate your progress not by preventing you from playing and enjoying the game any way you like, but by giving you something to constantly grind for in whatever amount you deem fit. E7 you can always grind for better gear and get 1 second shaved off your run, FGO you can always pull another new character and spend hours powering them up as they constantly add more and more little ways to grind and power them up more, all of which take resources that require a little bit of grinding here and there.
This brings me to the biggest problem of Star Rail. I and many others I've spoken to and see/watched videos made of on Youtube by large content creators, love Star Rail to death, the problem is that Star Rail doesn't want us to play Star Rail. Don't get me completely wrong, I love the idea of only having to dedicate maybe 8 minutes of my day to capping out dailies in a gacha game, the problem is that once those dailies are done, you are literally not allowed to play the game further in any capacity for progress. Star Rail has caps on even the mob drop farmable resources to only drop once per day. Your dailies are done in a few minutes and nothing more to do. Your stamina replenishes at the exact same rate as Fate Grand Order and has a roughly equal cap amount and cost to run missions for resources (Star Rail costs slightly more by about a third) yet Star Rail has an extremely limited number of ways to keep playing unlike the other gacha games out there. Not to mention, the price per stamina refresh in this game is absurdly high compared to it's competitors who not only charge less for a refresh and said refresh gets you far more resources per run, but they hand out said refreshes like candy. FGO gives you a full stamina refresh almost every day and will constantly drop 10 on you every time an event goes live to make sure you are always playing their game. Star Rail is still very new and has not even really had an event yet (if you can call the boxing thing an event) so this could change, but the nature of how few stamina replenishments they give you for achieving max levels, the fact that stamina replenishments in the shop are a horribly overpriced bundle that has limited quantity, and that your only other option is to dump way too much of a valuable resource to get more stamina is a scary indicator for what this game could become in the future. Even the battle passes in Star Rail are time gated in such a way that you can complete as many quests as you want, but are only allowed 8 levels per week, it's just absurd. I feel like I'm battling a clock instead of cool enemies.
It's a bit too early to tell, but the fact that we are so heavily gated, I worry about the future of Star Rail. People are going to play the game, hit constant brick wall after constant brick wall with no real progress achieved when you spend your entire day's stamina farming up once single trace (skill level increase) and most people will get bored and move on to another game that better respects their time and love for the game. I feel like there will either need to be a massive inflow of stamina fuel refills with the release of future events, login rewards, and dailies, or they will need to drastically lower the stamina cost of farming basic resources if they want to keep this large popularity and playerbase long term. I feel like Star Rail is at an extremely high risk of being fotm and losing massive amounts of players quickly due to burnout from lack of content and ability to play the game. I see no reason why there isn't any content that can just be constantly farmed to keep people playing and happy. Every single thing in this game costs stamina and not even a reasonable amount, but you will literally dump 1/4th your entire resources on a single run. So either the resource costs need to go down to allow more time to play, or more fuel replenishments need to be injected into the economy to allow people to play more.
TLDR: Star Rail is a perfect 10/10 game that is incredible fun, but the problem is, that Star Rail won't let me play it and it's subjecting itself to severe burnout and massive amounts of players just quitting over the inability to play the game more and actually progress due to insanely strict stamina gating. No other major successful Gachas are this restrictive and it's really bad that there are already content creators getting tired of the game not letting them play it and making them move on to other games. The entire purpose of games as a service and being successful in the gaming industry is battling for that precious time that gamers have, the entire purpose of battle passes is to keep you on their game more and for longer, to occupy your time and prevent you from playing the competitor and taking your time and money elsewhere. Star Rail does the opposite to a fault.

is it just me, or is "Robert" (the guy who approaches Sally after the play) kinda look like the actor who plays Shane Taylor (the guy Sally killed)? I thought at first it was another instance of Sally seeing "Shane" in the face of other people, but without the bloody eye to show she's not as freaked out.
But it turns out, two different guys. I realize i'm not the best with faces, but do we think this was intentional, to cast a semi-lookalike?
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0664061/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t17
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1190376/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t12

What you waiting for, Squad up !
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We believe that playing EFT is more than just a game; it's an experience that should be shared with others. As a member of The Mafia you will have access to a supportive community that is dedicated to helping you improve your gameplay, providing resources and guides, and hosting events to bring players together.
Our community is made up of players of all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned veterans. We believe that everyone has something to contribute, and we welcome all players who share our passion for EFT.
We are always looking for new members to join our community and help us grow.
We look forward to welcoming you to our community! Find your Battle Buddies HERE!. Jump in, join voice roll with the 604 Family. Do you have what it takes to become FAMILY! Original Tarkov clan. Stop in for a raid, or stick around become part of the FAMILY !
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5.) 18+
click the link already.
https://discord.gg/604mafia https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/521632680677212170/650063633031626762/604-Server-Logo_1.gif

15 year old macedonian male, orthodox christian
Economy: -I believe that capitalism is a good system however i despise big corporations. -There should be a fixated price on sliced and unsliced white bread due to it being a necessity. -Extreme quality control when it comes to both import and export. -Modernization of indistry including eco friendly technology. -Economy based of small businesses and artisans aswell as large companies. -i kinda like the social market plan but jot really. -only a pinch of diringisme for a slight squeez on the market.
Social issues: -All are equal no matter race, sexuality, gender or religeon. -Poverty must be kept to a minimum if not to a 0. -Petty theft should only give you 2 months rehab, and drug abusers should also acquire rehabilitation from their addiction. -Pedophilia and other paraphilias should be punishable by death and death alone as i belive that sterilization is not enough for such wretched human beings. Same goes for cannibals and mass murderers. -Divorce should not bring social stigma. However divorcing a husband/wofe only for profit must give you as much social stigma as you deserve. -Instead of preying on innocent drivers that went 2 miles off the speed limit, maybe do your actual jobs? Maybe it could solve crime. -Infrastructure to the max, even add a railroad to for extra transport. About the nation: - I am a good patriot at heart and believe the current government is simply a kabal of corrupt profit-minded shysters who plan on doing nothing with their position but further dig my country into its own grave. -Family, identity and tradtion are important and the state must preserve its culture by all means. -Macedonia must reclaim its ethnic borders.
Foreign policy: -SLAVA UKRAINI🇺🇦 -russia should either collapse into warlord states or become a puppet democracy to the west, either way it should not rise as a super power for the next 200 years. -China and the US both suck as superpowers. -Fuck the EU -NATO is a good concept but it should not be oriented around just defence and definitely not have the US as its leader, all members must be equal. -Bulgaria and Greece suck. Quit stealing our history and the. Calling us the ones that stole your history.
Military: -is currently 8000. Should be 10000 strong. -actually manufactoring our own weapons and tanks. -at least serve 6 months in the army as to have at least the bare minimum of experience to defend the country in case of a war.
Misc: -fast transition to eco friendly tech -an extreme emphasis on culture. -maybe make movie theaters have movies and plays more often. -everyone must get a good and free education. -ban tole boothes vecause these things were made by satan himself for fuck sake.
Edit here is a bonus!
Ideologies i like: Conservatism, national conservatism, christian democracy, stratocracy, left wing nationalism, social nationalism, social patriotism, social democracy, agrarianism.
Ideologies i am neutral with: Anarchism, socialism, despotic governments that give a shot about their people, liberalism.
Ideologies i hate: Fascism, nazism, anything that has "esoteric" at the strat of it , communism, stalinism, maoism, anarcho capitalism, syndicalism, dictatorships in general, the american system of doing things.
People i like: Winston Churchill, FDR, Ludwig Erhard, Boris Yeltsin, Metodija andonov Cento, Goce Delcev, Dame Gruev, Jane Sanda ski, Ataturk, Cemal Bayar.
People i hate: Stalin, mao, mussolini, hirohito and i bet you know who else is on this list

Hey everyone! I’m looking for 1 more player for a long-term, weekly campaign for Call of Cthulhu. One of our players had to drop out for scheduling reasons, and we're looking to fill his spot.
 
Call of Cthulhu is a tabletop role-playing game (ttRPG) similar to Dungeons and Dragons, set in a universe inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, a horror fiction writer from the early 20th century.
 
However, unlike D&D, Call of Cthulhu has a strong focus on horror, mystery, and the unknown. The game world is full of ancient and malevolent beings, known as the Great Old Ones, who threaten to destroy humanity and plunge the world into chaos and madness. The players take on the roles of investigators, trying to unravel mysteries and uncover the truth behind strange occurrences while facing the horrors of the unknown.
 
In Call of Cthulhu, character growth and success are not determined by increasing levels and gaining better stats, but rather through problem-solving and survival. The atmosphere of the game is tense, and the focus is on creating a sense of fear and unease in the players.
 
If any of this appeals to you, please fill out the following questionnaire and I'll respond asap.
google form link
My discord handle is mrcocopuff#9534
 
((Game is 21+ because of strong bloody descriptions of violence and gore throughout, language, some drug use and sexual references (no actual description of sexual encounters, but there may be references))
 
 

# Info

• Time: Weekly sessions on Saturdays at 1 PM EST (GMT -05).
• Duration: Sessions last 4 hours (until 5 PM EST). There will be a 30min break midway.
• Tabletop: Roll20
• Difficulty: High, a character or more will likely die.
• Communication: Discord App
• System: Call of Cthulhu 7E
• Role-playing: Role-playing will be a must. I will encourage players to role-play with each other, not just with the DM.
• Equipment: A microphone is required to talk (webcam is not required).
• Style: RP heavy, combat light, gritty/dark tone
• Numbers: 5 or 6 players. 6 players is absolute max
 

Looking for a cool, fair, active clan where you can war till the Cats come home?
STOP!
You just found one!
Clan link: https://link.clashofclans.com/en?action=OpenClanProfile&tag=2YYCLU9LJ
Clan tag: #2YYCLU9LJ

CWL SPOTS AVAILABLE!!! We spin in around 18hours

​
Welcome to Find the Cat!
We're a bunch of mostly mature players from all over the world who like to give each other bad life advice and clash hard. Most of the pesky clanmates have been with us since the beginning and just don't want to leave somehow!
​
Who we are:
Clan Games are always maxed.
We play the 30v30 Clan War League so you will definitely get a chance having met other requirements.
We like to have fun but treat all wars very seriously! You do not have to be super pro, just reliable, willing to listen, and learn!
We wage war 24/7.
We smash all the Capital Districts in no time.
We have a discord server where we socialize and discuss strategies sometimes. As RCS members, our clan Cats are allowed and encouraged to join the RCS discord with thousands of members!
​
If you want to join us, be prepared to:
Be reliable in wars. We usually go for anything between 15v15 and 30v30 so if you need some time off, it's also possible!
Donate before requesting and keep your donations ratio decent.
Join our discord upon arrival.
Chat nonsense and have fun with crazy people.
Take part in Find the Cat! events (Winner gets GUARANTEED CWL bonus)
​
We are looking for people and Cats (mainly Cats) who are:
Unrushed TH15s who know how and like to war.
Like to donate and be willing to better the clan in any way possible.
Want to feel at home and help improve it.
​
Password required to join us can be found at https://www.reddit.com/RedditClanSystem/
See you in game, and
May the Meow be with you!

I have a coworker who always wears a Rangers hat. He is from the NYC area but we live in Philly. He’s not much of a sports guy aside from hockey. He even plays in a league. We’ve talked about hockey and I’ve told him how I was a huge fan as a kid(Flyers) and played a lot of roller hockey but I haven’t followed it at all since the early 2000’s. I was wondering what rival team’s apparel I could show up to work wearing to annoy him. I was thinking Islanders but I’d like to hear from a Rangers fan.

This will be my first VGK experience and I’m so fucking excited to be able to go to watch them in SCF!!!! Any recommendations for stuff to do game day? I plan on getting their early, but how early does pre game stuff start? Go knights go!
I started playing hockey and learning to skate last August (as an adult) and since then have just been watching NHL games, the IIHF women’s series, and the PHF games whenever they’re on NHL channel. Tried to be a Sharks fan, but fuck them since they let Reimer use God as an excuse to not show solidarity with LGBTQ Pride Night. Anyway, I have family also based in Vegas who are Knights fans, so here I am on the battle wagon. Also hard to not like the team and the story tbh. ⚔️🦩

21/10/1
I worked with ychild to get her to clean her room. i did not help her but tried to tell her step by step on cleaning. ochild found out and started cleaning his room. He did well but missed something small. I asked him to finish this one section and he flipped out. I did not yell at him but did start to become heated because he was throwing a fit like a toddler. spouse came bursting into the room yelling at me for yelling at ochild.I think ochild knows he just can just yell and stomp to get spouse's attention and I will get in trouble and he will get to do whatever he wants. This is when I finally made up my mind that the only option is divorce. I cannot think that this marriage is fixable now. I did the dishes, cooked supper, cleaned the living room, swept, and vacuumed. spouse asked me when was the last time I cleaned the toilets. spouse slept with the kids.
21/10/2
spouse spent all day in her room working on her school work. I got the dash cams working in both of our vehicles. Worked with the dogl while walking with her harness. I put up all the laundry except for her shirts because there is no room in our closet and we are out of hangers. I picked up all the torn up trash and dog poop in the backyard. Did a water change in the aquarium. ychild has torn up her room that she cleaned the other day. I spent about an hour outside playing with ychild and ochild. I managed to get the kids in bed around 10-10:30pm. spouse announced that she was taking a bath. At the end of the bath I went in. She started talking about how after everyone went to bed she was going to stay up in the livingroom to work on school. She then told me i came in there for a reason and to tell her what was going on. So I asked if I could go down on her that night. She got angry and told me "does not need to be taken care of." I closed the door and left but I could hear her still going off on me. I feel deflated and unloved again. I don't know why I keep trying to bring the spark back in the marriage. spouse slept in our bed last night and ychild joined us. Today I cooked a breakfast supper and made pizza for lunch. I woke up at 3:30 am and couldn't get back to sleep.
21/10/3
I started this journal and decided to try and write about the previous 2 weeks events. My goal is now to record the things I do in the house, my interactions with spouse and the kids, where spouse sleeps, and anything noteworthy on a daily basis. This morning I tried to talk to spouse (she sighed and looked annoyed when I started talking) about an interaction I had with ychild on our way to get breakfast this morning. ychild decided to talk in a way that makes it sound like she is cussing even when she isnt. I told her what I told ychild and spouse snapped at me when I tried to get into the details. If I know I am going to talk to spouse about something non-spontaneous I'm going to try and start recording the interactions. I cooked supper. spouse slept in our bed last night, ychild joined us after waking up.
21/10/4
Today we went to the state fair. It started out as usual when we go on the trip. late start, blaming, getting mad, yelling, her being upset. After getting to the fair the day went well. We didn't argue very much and the day was actually nice but long. Wife had a school meeting at 5. Went out to eat for supper then ice cream with the kids. As usual fight started when the kids only wanted to sit with Wife. Get home kids bathed and put in bed. Wife bought a special deodorant to help with smells in the breast/pubic area (something she is self conscious about) I helped apply it and try and kiss her breasts. She turns away and says she is cold. Helped wife put together kids lunch and backpacks for the next morning. Take the trash out. I shower and notice my wife isn't in bed when I get out so I assumed she was sleeping with the kids. She was sitting in the living room in the dark with her phone on facebook. Wife said she was going to bed but didn't want to "do anything." I go to bed also so I can spend some time with her. Once again I try and cuddle with her. I roll next to her and place my hand on her leg. I don't move it because it tickles or annoys her. After 5 min without her trying to cuddle and with her face buried in facebook I roll over. She can tell I was upset and said that she didn't try and cuddle cause my arm was pinning her down. This isn't true it was only on her leg and i wasn't applying any pressure. YChild ended up in our bed during the night.
21/10/5
Went to work today. no goodmorning or goodbye kiss. Worked all day, picked up the kids, brought them home and emptied their backpacks. Wife got home about 10min later. No hey how was your day. no hello kiss. Nothing. She disappeared into the bedroom again. Worked with Ychild on her letters because she isn't doing well in school. had a breakfast supper. Took the dogs for a walk. made OChild lunch. She complained because I had not yet done the dishes. Waited till the last minute to get their backpacks/clothes together for the morning. Complained because things were missing. feels like I never hear anything positive only ever complaints. Went to bed and wife finally makes it in. I don't really attempt to cuddle just put my arm on her leg and accidentally scratched. Thought I had made her mad so I pulled my hand back. A few minutes later and she rolled over and spooned with me (little spoon.) Its been years since this happened. Is she doing that because of my persistence and she is trying to make me happy? or is it because of a positive change. Only time will tell (success.)
21/10/6
Woke up and wife wasn't in the bed. I don't know if she woke up early or went to lay down with the kids in the night. She was in a mood when i got up. Complained because I hadn't put up the kids school laundry when it came out of the dryer so the clothes are now wrinkly. I let myself relax last night and did not do as many chores. I need to work on that and try and stay busy. ran into trouble picking the kids up from school. Their school fund raisers were supposed to come out with the kids. Ochild did not bring them out because he didn't listen to instructions from his teacher. Wife had to swing by and pick them up because I was already on the way home and the line was seriously backed up. Got home did the dishes, cooked supper, folded the laundry and put a load of laundry in, and gathered and took the trash out. Wife spent the evening once again in our bedroom but this time it was working on activities to help our daughter learn better for school. She did have a school meeting at 7 pm. I thought the kids would shower on the next day so I did not tell them to bath, but was overruled agrily by wife and gave my daughter a shower because her hair was dirty. Kids got to bed 1 hour late because wife kept overruling me on telling them to go lay down. After kids went to bed I got on my computer to play games. I put too large a load in the dryer and it took a long time to dry so I was not able to put it up before bed time. Wife went into the kitchen to make the kids lunches. I asked if I could do anything to help and she said no. I layed down in bed a little later than I was planning. Wife was very angry when she opened the dryer because I hadn't taken the clothes out and folded them, I had washed our large pile of clothes instead of the kids 1 day of clothes, when I folded the laundry I didn't put the towels in the bathroom because i did not want to interrupt her meeting so she yelled at me because the towels were not in the bathroom when she went to take a shower. I was berated very badly and once again felt unappreciated, emasculated, and unloved (hated maybe.) She said that I was doing more around the house only because I felt our marriage was failing (in a sarcastic tone of voice) and I wanted to be praised. I am doing it because it helps with my depression and honestly I am trying to get into the habit for when I inevitably divorce her. I turned off my emotions and went to sleep. No kiss goodnight and even saying goodnight.
21/10/7
Woke up at 3:30 am alone in bed. I assume the wife slept with the kids. I couldn't go back to sleep so I laid in bed. Closer to the alarm time of 4:30ish I got ready for work. When my wife came in I had to say good morning,she wasn't even going to talk to me. I had to initiate the conversation. I left 5 min early because I didn't want to be around her. I had to kiss/tell her goodbye which is usual. I'm not sure the last time the morning routine was initiated by her. several times in our marriage I have experimented with how long we would go without a kiss or an I love you that wasn’t initiated by me. Usually its several weeks and I almost feel like seeing how long it would take this time. Got home with the kids and stopped for our weekly
treat. Wife did not spend as much time in the bedroom as usual. I was tired so I did not feel like doing any cleaning. I cooked supper and we watched a show during supper. Afterwards she joined me and the kids in walking the dogs. We got back and watched a few more shows and then I helped her with lunches and getting the kids things together. Anytime something didn't go perfect she always had little comments and blamed me (like when she couldn't find Ychilds clothes or if a tape was missing.) all in all, the day wasn't bad and wasn't good either. I went to bed a little early and she decided to stay up and watch one of her own movies. I did not kiss her or say I love you. She did not say anything about it.
21/10/8
Woke up at a normal time. Wife and Ychild were in bed with me. The morning went ok and Ychild was very chipper and loving. Got home from work with the kids and went out picked up groceries and ate out. we stopped at some yard sales and had a decent fun time with minimal arguing. Got home and put up the groceries. wife's parents were coming over the next day and "we" cleaned the house. I did the dishes, cleaned the counters, vacuumed and shampooed the carpets, picked up the living room, cleaned off the fireplace, put up the clothes in the living room. It was 10:30 I kept telling the kids to go to bed and Wife kept overriding me. Telling me its the weekend and the kids should be able to stay up. I think 10:30 is too late for an 8 and 5 year old to stay up. I told wife I was tired and was going to bed. She complained that she was going to have to stay up and clean the house by herself. She said i didn't do enough. The only thing she could come up with when i asked her what i didn't do was keep the entertainment center clean and organized. Apparently i'm fine living in an empty house. Funny when she was a stay at home mom after she got laid off and then during the pandemic, the house was never cleaned. She stayed home all day everyday and never cleaned nor cooked supper or did the dishes. I feel like I am bending over backwards not only am I not receiving credit for what I have done. I am actually getting complaints for not doing enough. She eventually went to bed with the kids while I slept in my bed alone again. Not that I wanted her company after making me feel like that.
21/10/9
Got up around 7:00. I finished cleaning the carpets in the living room, cleaned the trash from the carpets, and swept the bathroom. We went looking at garage sales. Parents got there a little late in the day and spent more time with her sister than they did with us which is usually. I tried to get the kids to go to bed at a decent hour but was once again overruled by my Wife. She said the kids are on a school break and should be able to stay up later. I agreed but didnt think staying up till 11:30 at night should be the answer. They should be in bed at 9:30 and asleep at 10:00. Needless to say Wife slept with the kids.
21/10/10
Today we spent a great deal of the day traveling and going to yard and estate sales. It was a decent day with minimal arguing except for right before supper trying to get the kids to not cry when we wont buy them everything they want. Wife said I am fuel to the fire for the kids. It upset me that she constantly bad mouths my parenting style. Apparently not putting up with children throwing fits and actually punishing them instead of just letting everything play out without saying anything is a bad day. A thunderstorm came late in the evening and none of us went to bed before it passed. Wife slept with the kids again.
21/10/11
We all woke up early and took wife to work. When we got back I let the kids play and be kids. We did work on Ychilds worksheets for school. Ochild had a dr apt then we went to pick up wife. Got home and cooked supper and did the dishes. I also vacuumed the livingroom. spouse spent the entire evening in the bedroom working on schoolwork. Wife slept with the kids again.
21/10/12
Woke up with Ychild in my bed and wife at work. Had a good day with the kids. Ychild lost one of her (only pairs) of shoes. They played all day in the living room having a good time. Had leftovers for supper. Wife spent all evening in the bedroom working on schoolwork. Wife slept with the kids again. I was feeling very alone again. Just reminded me how we don't have much of a marriage.
21/10/13
Woke up early alone in bed. Had a good day with the kids. Helped them build a big fort in the living room. I did some woodworking today and got the pole saw from our neighbor. Walked the dogs before supper. Supper didn't turn out well, the pork chops were freezer burnt so we got taco casa. Wife spent the evening in the bedroom working on schoolwork. Another thunderstorm rolled in around bedtime. Wife slept with the kids again. That's 6 days straight sleeping in my bed alone.
21/10/14
Woke up at 3:30am got up but went back to bed and eventually sleep around 4:30-5:00. Woke up with Ychild in bed. I took the kids to several stores today and changed the water in the aquarium . Wife got back home and let the kids play. Once my wife got home I cooked supper and washed the dishes while she disappeared into the bedroom. Went back there and she was just laying in bed saying she was tired while watching tv. I convinced her to come and eat supper with the family at the table. Afterwards she went back to the bedroom for more bed and tv. She would rather spend time laying in bed and watching tv than spend a little time with me. I have been all alone with 2 kids all day (actually for the last 4 days.) Ochild convinced her to come out of the bedroom to show her something on his tv. I don't know what to do and no longer feel connected to my wife, I feel like I am all alone. Wife came out and before laying down with the kids mentioned I havent kissed her goodnight in a few days and to come kiss her. It was just a smooch but at least she took notice. I told her it feels like she wanted me to do that lately.She told me she was just stressed and tired from school work. She slept with the kids again tonight.
21/10/15
Woke up with Ychild in bed with me. Got the kids up and fed them breakfast. Wife got home early and we went to an estate sale. I made hotdogs for supper. Kids went to bed late. Wife complained about them not being asleep. I told her what she said about them being on a school break and me getting in trouble with her earlier for putting them to bed before 10:00 pm. It didn't matter, it was still my fault and still upset. Wife slept with the kids again.
21/10/16
Wife got up earlier than me. We left the house around 9 to go look at some neighborhood garage sales. had a decent day in the car with minimal fussing. Got home a little later than planned. Had Ychild start cleaning her messy room. Wife started complaining about the messy house again saying she is the only one who cleans. Apparently I am not doing a good enough job. What a surprise. did some laundry today. got the kids to bed around 9:30. They were constantly out of bed until 11:00pm with different things. I was getting upset with them and my wife strolled in and took over as usual as soon as the kids started crying. She actually came to bed with me tonight. I tried to cuddle with her but as usual she huffed as soon as I put my arm around her. She said she doesn't mind me cuddling, she just doesnt like it when I move my hand. She made no effort to return the love. I am glad for these interactions because it reminds me that I am not loved and why I want a divorce.
21/10/17
Woke up around 6:00 am with a stomach ache and bloated. Down to 238 lbs. Wife spent the day in the bedroom working on school. I did some laundry, trimmed the trees in the yard, and put out bulk pickup items. Cooked chicken fajitas for supper. Wife came down sick with something and went to bed early. Kids were asleep by 9:00. Wife was asleep by the time I came to bed.
21/10/18
Went to work. Not a bad day there. Got home and cooked supper, took the dogs for a walk. Tried to put the kids to bed at 8:00 Ychild started crying and got wife to agree to let her sleep in our bed tonight. All they have to do is turn on the water works. The wife doesn't want to hear them cry so she caves. Ychild slept with me and wife.
21/10/19
Went to work. Picked up the kids and went home. Cooked hotdogs for supper. Put up some laundry. Wife cut the Ochild and my hair. Didn't go for walk today. Got kids to bed on time. Wife slept with the kids.
21/10/20
Worked from home today. Picked the kids up for a half day. Stopped at chick-fil-a for lunch. Went to the fish store with the kids. Met Wife for the Ychild's parent teacher conference. Cooked chicken fajita nachos for lunch. Gathered trash, did laundry, and did the dishes. Cut out the pumpkin with the kids. Wife and I watched Netflix until bed. We lay down and I decided to try cuddling again. I rolled over to her and she actually reciprocated. She put her leg around mine and held my hand. It felt really nice.
21/10/21
Went to work. It was an uneventful morning and work. Picked up the kids and called my wife to meet us at DQ for a treat. We got home and my wife wasn't feeling well. She didn't eat supper. Me and my kids took the dogs for a walk while my wife stayed behind and took a bath. We watched netflix until bed again. Got the kids in bed on time. When the kids threw a fit when they wanted Wife to cover them up she said something in a low voice and refused to tell me what she said. I kept asking her and she finally told me "it's probably why you resent me." I didn't say anything because it was partially true. I do resent her because the kids prefer her, but they only prefer her because she constantly gives in their fits and I do not. So I keep being the bad guy and she get to be the fun yes mom. Later we started working on the kids' lunches. I got a bottled drink off the table and started to open it.She asked if it was old and I said i don't think so. She started to complain at me because she didn't want to give the kids an old drink. I started to explain why I didn't think it was old (the cap still had seals on most of the cap.) She told me I was talking too loud (I wasn't, I was talking in a normal voice.) She told me she didn't need me anymore so I left and went to bed. We went to bed angry with
each other.
21/10/22
Woke up still angry at her because it was such a little issue to get mad about. Things like this happen all the time. Little things that don't matter in the long run end up being blown up beyond what it should have. had a decent day at work then went and got the kids. ate at the olive garden. Ochild asked if he could have her phone. I explained to him that he could only have his tablet, not her phone or tablet. He got upset and wife immediately caved and gave him her phone. I explained to my wife that we agreed 2 weeks ago and they haven't had either this entire time. their behavior is much better but she said she isn't feeling well and just didn't want to hear it. i got home and unloaded the groceries. My wife started complaining about me unloading the groceries wrong. Apparently I'm supposed to put them on the table starting at the far end then work down the table from there. Like it makes a difference if you take an extra step either way the entire table is filled up and it doesn't matter which end you start on. Then my wife complained that I hadn't cleaned up the blood drops from the dog yet. I literally was only home for 2 minutes before she got home then we left but it's supposed to be my job to get it done with no time to spare. I cleaned it up and she started complaining that I cleaned it wrong. I used a baby wipe when I should have used clorox wipes. There is litteral pee on the floor and she is worried that the blood wasn't sanitized. Makes no sense. This all happened within 20 minutes. Needless to say she slept with the kids again.
21/10/23
Woke up for overtime on a saturday. i worked 7 hours on a boat on the lake. Come home and the wife is sitting on the couch watching tv and the kids are right next to her zoned out with electronics. she didn't do anything all day and has been binge watching netflix. she said
She wanted to go to a local festival today. I fixed myself a pbj for lunch then did the dishes. We went next door to help the neighbors put on their pool cover. After that we went to watch a country band perform at a local festival. We were there for 2 hours and she seemed
upset with me because she knows i do not like crowds and i told her i was there because it's what she wanted to do. that's supposed to be my job to do things i don't like to support her but I guess i am actually supposed to like it to avoid offending her. The kids were
horrible and kept fighting over her phone. It seems like im never gonna get her to put her foot down. Came back home and watched the last episode of season one of our favorite shows. Kids stayed up late and the wife slept with the kids.
21/10//24
Had a decent night's sleep. The kids were screaming when I woke up. Kids had a full day of playing. I took Ochild with me when I went to the store and I bought him lunch. We get home and I throw the kids' laundry into the washer. Wife and the kids made a pumpkin into a puppy for
Ochild's book report. I take Ychild to the store to get her own pumpkin. Kids are playing a game with a hula-hoop like mirror-mirror. My son asks the mirror who is the laziest and he puts it up to me. It really hurt my feelings. Wife talked to him and told him all the things I do (dishes, cooking supper, laundry, sweep/mop, vacuuming, gardening, mowing.) She listed all these things. I talked to her about it later and she said "well" like she really thinks I am lazy. She just listed off all the things I do and she talks to me like I am lazy. Ychild threw a fit at bedtime because her required stuffed animal is dirty from the dog. I begin telling her that she needs to take care of it and this wouldn't happen. Wife gets onto me about trying to teach her life lessons. Wife allows ychild to sleep in our bed with us. I don't think any of my lessons will ever stick when wife is there to overrule me and go softer on the kids. At least I didn't sleep alone tonight.
21/10/25
Woke up and went to work. Uneventful day at work. Get the gets and bring them home. I put up the laundry and started a new load. Picked up the living room and then cooked supper (smothered pork chops.) Afterward we walked the dogs (wife got home and was tired so she changed into pajamas) ychild was upset and wants her mommy to walk with us so she got peeved but changed into street clothes and we walked together as a family. We get back and sit on the couch for the next 3 hours watching netflix. Put the kids to bed then finish our netflix binge. After I volunteered to help fix the kids' lunch for the next day. She praised me for the speed that I made their lunch. Unfortunately ychild had spilled something in her lunchbox and I cleaned it. It got wet when I cleaned and my wife flipped out and got in a bad mood. the next 20 min was kicking me out of the kitchen, complained because i forgot to bring ychild's sweater in from the car, upset because i did not put the laundry into the dryer. I went to bed alone.
21/10/26
Woke up with my wife and ychild in bed with me. I started getting ready and my wife started complaining to ychild that she will have to go dig through the laundry basket to get socks because they never get put up. I spent all my time between getting home and cooking supper and putting up laundry. The both of us sat on our butts and watched netflix for hours the previous evening. we could have done those together but we didn't. Instead it's my fault because I didn't do it. Its tiring bending over backwards, feeling like you are doing the brunt of the housework, the only one working, the only one cooking and feeling unappreciated and getting bitched at for minor things. especially the 1st thing in the morning to our ychild within earshot of me. She is very passive aggressive and saying these things to my kids undermines my authority and prevents me from being an effective parent. Its things like this that leads me to believe that's why my son thinks I am lazy. I wonder what she has said to him so that I didn't overhear. I got the kids from school and brought them home. I immediately put up the clothes that had been folded but not put up. I cleaned the fish tank of dead fish and snails. I cooked supper (hamburgers), i wasn't feeling well so we didn't go for a walk, I got an old laptop together for Ochild to use. Wife and I watched TV for about an hour and got on my computer. Went to bed alone.
21/10/27
Wife and I had an argument at the end of the night. Went to bed upset.
21/10/28
Woke up with my wife and ychild in bed. Didn't say goodbye to my wife when I left. I had a decent day at work. Picked up the kids and brought them home. We didn't walk the dogs today. Wife had to stay late at school. Wife went to bed early with the kids.
21/10/29
Woke up in bed alone. Left again without saying goodbye to my wife. She was upset but I guess doesnt realize that our marriage is in trouble or just doesn't care and wants to maintain an illusion. Didn't have to pick up the kids from school today. We went out to eat for supper. Wife slept with the kids again. came home and mowed the lawn. We ended up eating out at Tuscan Slice. came home and the wife slept with the kids.
21/10/30
Woke up alone. Worked 10 hours of overtime. got home and immediately left to go do some halloween stuff at the big church. had a decent time with little arguing. Afterwards I ate at CFLA. Daughter got upset because she wanted to switch seats and I said no. I am tired of giving in
to the kids' every demand. When she started throwing a fit and told her she was about to get a spanking. Wife got upset because I will actually spank them and she thinks it doesn't do any good. The kids only really seem to do this when they know mommy is around cause when it's just me they behave. They know they can always get mommy on their side and turn her against daddy just by crying. The wife stayed in the bedroom working on schoolwork after we got back. The kids stayed up really late (11:30). went to bed alone.
21/10/31
Woke up alone a little later. Wife and ychild had slept with me. We ended up staying home most of the day. Wife stayed in the bedroom working on schoolwork. I played with the kids, swept, vacuumed, did the laundry, cleaned the living room, and cleaned the aquarium. We went to a local church event for trunk or treat and then we took the kids trick or treating down downtown. It was a decent night. We got home and the kids went to bed a little late.
Nov 2021

I’ve been bouldering for about 2 years now, but none of my mates climb at all and recently I’ve started to get really bored of going to the gym alone. This has led to a drop in motivation, which I don’t want as I really like this sport and I want to get better at it.
Are there any motivated climbers on here who wouldn’t mind doing a few bouldering sessions with me? I’d love to get a few friends who love the sport like I do. I mostly climb at flash/redpoint but can do any gym.
A bit of info on me so you’re not dming a total ghost: I’m 19, male and going to uni this year. I love videogames and languages, and like playing the piano. I am fighting an ongoing war against the Apple overlords for control of my attention span. I listen to my earphones on half volume because I’m afraid of going deaf. I’m imaginative and enthusiastic so I’ve always been a fan of fiction. Etc etc.
If anyone is interested drop me a reply and we can go from there :)

This one features Sam, Liam, John, and DJ.
John Constantine VS Raidou Kuzunoha: Liam immediately says he wants to do it as an episode. He thinks Constantine is a cool character, and that an SMT character would be the best choice for a close fight. John suggests Constantine VS Merlin from Fate. Sam says the matchup makes sense. Discussion devolves into being about Japanese media using Nazi aesthetics. Ultimately, they all like/want the matchup.
Conker VS Postal Dude: Sam thinks it’s “a shit idea”. He thinks that both Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Postal are bad games that get by solely on crude humor instead of actual quality, and thinks this matchup would be more or less the same. Liam suggests Conker VS Duke Nukem. Sam thinks that’s slightly better, but then DJ brings up Duke Nukem VS Serious Sam, which Sam and Liam both agree is much better.
Max Steel VS Generator Rex: They already talked about it, though Sam is the only one who remembers it. Liam jokingly says they should do it so they can have two characters with the surname MacGrath.
Lego Battle Royale (Lloyd from Ninjago VS Clay from Nexo Knights VS Laval from Chima): They don’t know Clay or Laval, so they don’t really have an opinion on the match. The same comment also mentions Tai Lung VS Morro, but all that leads to is DJ mentioning that you’re not supposed to submit multiple matchups at once.
Lissandra from LoL VS Azshara from WoW: Once again, none of them know much about the characters (Sam has knowledge of WoW, but not the era that Azshara comes from). Based on what they can figure out from the comment, Liam says Lissandra just freezes Azshara, though Sam says that, if she’s a 25-man raid boss, Azshara should have good scaling, and John says that he’s heard Azshara scales to the Lich King. They’re not sure how to scale most LoL characters.
Infinity Ultron VS Fleetway Robotnik: Liam says he would want Robotnik to win. Sam says it would come down to just Metal Sonic, but the others clarify that Fleetway Sonic is very different. DJ mentions Infinity Ultron is very powerful, and they all agree Ultron almost certainly wins (to Liam’s disappointment). Some barely related discussion about TV shows ensues.
Thrall from Warcraft VS Grimgor from Warhammer: Sam thinks it’s cool. He notes how strong Thrall is, but says 40k is a stronger universe overall. Liam points out that Grimgor is from Fantasy, not 40k, but says that probably doesn’t matter. Liam really wants to do a Warhammer episode, but knows that Games Workshop wouldn’t allow it. Sam thinks Thrall is a good pick for a humanoid WoW character.
Giovanni Potage VS Papyrus: They get distracted by the thumbnail using gritty fanart of both. Sam likes the vibe of bumbling idiots who talk more than they fight.
Leone VS Makoto: They all agree Leone would be fucked. Only further note is that DJ liked Akame ga Kill when he was 13, and doesn’t anymore.
Kratos VS Asura: They skip past it because they’ve talked about it a lot.
Xeno Gogeta VS Omnimon: Liam says it’s a classic (presumably referring to Gogeta VS Omnimon as a whole). Sam thinks Omnimon looks like Alphonse. Liam and DJ both think it’s sick, and they talk about how insane upper-tier Digimon like Omnimon are. Liam prefers Gogeta over Vegito.
Bowser VS Lord Hater: None of them know anything about Wander Over Yonder. Liam gets the vibe, and they all love Bowser.
Shard the Metal Sonic VS Jenny Wakeman: Liam is the only one familiar with Shard. No actual opinions on the matchup, just advice about how to make thumbnails.
Capsule Corps Goku VS Golden Age Superman: Sam awkwardly scrolls past it.
The Wonder Pets VS Team Umizoomi: Liam says he’s wanted to do this for several years (thought that was probably sarcastic). DJ wants to bring in characters from preschool shows, but also thinks that it would be really weird. Sam also likes the concept of doing preschool show matchups, (he says he saw Teletubbies Sun VS Super Mario Bros. 3 Sun a while back), and thinks that they’ll eventually do at least one, if only because Chad has kids and has to watch those shows all the time, but thinks Wonder Pets VS Umizoomi is too niche. DJ points out that they were both extremely popular in the era they came out in.
Seryu Ubiquitous VS Rob Lucci: Liam thinks Lucci is cool. DJ agrees, but dislikes Seryu. Liam brings up Lucci VS Grimmjow. Sam comments that there’s a lot of fun stuff you could do with the “corrupt governments clash” concept.
William Adams from Nioh VS Wolf from Sekiro: Sam has played the first Nioh, but not the second. He doesn’t think William would win. John comments that William gets pretty ridiculous, but Sam argues that Wolf has a better arsenal and “deflects everything always”, but also admits he may just be saying that because he likes Sekiro more than Nioh. Liam brings up Wolf VS Scorpion, which Sam thinks is fun.
2B VS Sky Striker Ace: Sam thinks a NieR: Automata VS Yu-Gi-Oh matchup sounds buck wild and cool. Everyone else seems to agree.
First matchup for the next Ballot Banter is Arbiter VS Mithrax.

I have had this for 3 yrs. Whenever i try to go and play with my friends, it says they are not online and they really are. Also, whenever i go to the servers, it doesn't say that they are there. The box that says who is in that server and the names isn't there. If you have any solutions to this, plz comment below.

This one features Sam, Liam, John, and DJ.
John Constantine VS Raidou Kuzunoha: Liam immediately says he wants to do it as an episode. He thinks Constantine is a cool character, and that an SMT character would be the best choice for a close fight. John suggests Constantine VS Merlin from Fate. Sam says the matchup makes sense. Discussion devolves into being about Japanese media using Nazi aesthetics. Ultimately, they all like/want the matchup.
Conker VS Postal Dude: Sam thinks it’s “a shit idea”. He thinks that both Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Postal are bad games that get by solely on crude humor instead of actual quality, and thinks this matchup would be more or less the same. Liam suggests Conker VS Duke Nukem. Sam thinks that’s slightly better, but then DJ brings up Duke Nukem VS Serious Sam, which Sam and Liam both agree is much better.
Max Steel VS Generator Rex: They already talked about it, though Sam is the only one who remembers it. Liam jokingly says they should do it so they can have two characters with the surname MacGrath.
Lego Battle Royale (Lloyd from Ninjago VS Clay from Nexo Knights VS Laval from Chima): They don’t know Clay or Laval, so they don’t really have an opinion on the match. The same comment also mentions Tai Lung VS Morro, but all that leads to is DJ mentioning that you’re not supposed to submit multiple matchups at once.
Lissandra from LoL VS Azshara from WoW: Once again, none of them know much about the characters (Sam has knowledge of WoW, but not the era where Azshara comes from). Based on what they can figure out from the comment, Liam says Lissandra just freezes Azshara, though Sam says that, if she’s a 25-man raid boss, Azshara should have good scaling, and John says that he’s heard Azshara scales to the Lich King. They’re not sure how to scale most LoL characters.
Infinity Ultron VS Fleetway Robotnik: Liam says he would want Robotnik to win. Sam says it would come down to just Metal Sonic, but the others clarify that Fleetway Sonic is very different. DJ mentions Infinity Ultron is very powerful, and they all agree Ultron almost certainly wins (to Liam’s disappointment). Some barely related discussion about TV shows ensues.
Thrall from Warcraft VS Grimgor from Warhammer: Sam thinks it’s cool. He notes how strong Thrall is, but says 40k is a stronger universe overall. Liam points out that Grimgor is from Fantasy, not 40k, but says that probably doesn’t matter. Liam really wants to do a 40k episode, but knows that Games Workshop wouldn’t allow it. Sam thinks Thrall is a good pick for a humanoid WoW character.
Giovanni Potage VS Papyrus: They get distracted by the thumbnail using gritty fanart of both. Sam likes the vibe of bumbling idiots who talk more than they fight.
Leone VS Makoto: They all agree Leone would be fucked. Only further note is that DJ liked Akame ga Kill when he was 13, and doesn’t anymore.
Kratos VS Asura: They skip past it because they’ve talked about it a lot.
Xeno Gogeta VS Omnimon: Liam says it’s a classic (presumably referring to Gogeta VS Omnimon as a whole). Sam thinks Omnimon looks like Alphonse. Liam and DJ both think it’s sick, and they talk about how insane upper-tier Digimon like Omnimon are. Liam prefers Gogeta over Vegito.
Bowser VS Lord Hater: None of them know anything about Wander Over Yonder. Liam gets the vibe, and they all love Bowser.
Shard the Metal Sonic VS Jenny Wakeman: Liam is the only one familiar with Shard. No actual opinions on the matchup, just advice about how to make thumbnails.
Capsule Corps Goku VS Golden Age Superman: Sam awkwardly scrolls past it.
The Wonder Pets VS Team Umizoomi: Liam says he’s wanted to do this for several years (thought that might have been sarcastic). DJ wants to bring in characters from preschool shows, but also thinks that it would be really weird. Sam also likes the concept of doing preschool show matchups, (he says he saw Teletubbies Sun VS Super Mario Bros. 3 Sun a while back), and thinks that they’ll eventually do at least one, if only because Chad has kids and has to watch those shows all the time, but thinks Wonder Pets VS Umizoomi is too niche. DJ points out that they were both extremely popular in the era they came out in.
Seryu Ubiquitous VS Rob Lucci: Liam thinks Lucci is cool. DJ agrees, but dislikes Seryu. Liam brings up Lucci VS Grimmjow. Sam comments that there’s a lot of fun stuff you could do with the “corrupt governments clash” concept.
William Adams from Nioh VS Wolf from Sekiro: Sam has played the first Nioh, but not the second. He doesn’t think William would win. John comments that William gets pretty ridiculous, but Sam argues that Wolf has a better arsenal and “deflects everything always”, but also admits he may just be saying that because he likes Sekiro more than Nioh. Liam brings up Wolf VS Scorpion, which Sam thinks is fun.
2B VS Sky Striker Ace: Sam thinks a NieR: Automata VS Yu-Gi-Oh matchup sounds buck wild and cool. Everyone else seems to agree.
First matchup for the next Ballot Banter is Arbiter VS Mithrax.