Major cities of the grasslands

Toronto's funniest comedians speak from their unique cultural perspectives
Toronto is the most culturally diverse city in the world, which means we have so many different perspectives.
Come out, have a drink and laugh until you cry as comedians display the world through different cultural lenses. Always a hilarious new line-up!
This Friday see 2024 FunnyFest winner and host of the popular Proud to be Italian web series, Vinny Vinelli, and superstar headliner Martha Chaves.
Martha has been nominated for the Canadian Comedy Award as Best Female Standup every year from 2001-2006 and won it in 2017. She's performed at every major comedy festival and two nationally-televised stand up specials.
Host by Greece's favourite Comedian, Dimi K!
Tickets available on EventBrite

I've been a writer and editor (freelance) since 2020 when COVID took my 9 to 5 away. I now live in a major city but my work has dried up a good bit since 2024 started. Ironically, I thought this was going to a good year but I can't find a renter for my place in South Carolina, can't find work this month and am sick of struggling. Wondering if I should quit this career path since robots have pretty much replaced me but I'm just not sure what else I'm good at. Also wondering if I should sell my condo, take the money and hope for the best, altho it would prob only float me for 4 or so years as cash. Advice appreciated.

I’m not opposed to having more public transport. But when people act like it’s practical to just build train tracks and train stations in every major city and minor town in the US, it’s insane. Like I love the idea of walkable cities but you have to be realistic and some anti-car people act like vegans.
If you live outside the city and commute in for work, public transport isn’t going to be efficient. Waiting for buses and trains is not fun especially doing it every day. It’s incredibly common in the US for people to work 1+ hours away from where they live.
Then complaining about suburbs saying that they shouldn’t exist when people choose suburbs for a reason is insane. People like the suburbs cuz they are away from large groups of people and it’s a good middle ground between living in a city and a rural area.
Theres nothing wrong with more public transport, but car based infrastructure is genuinely a good thing for a country as large and spaced out as the US. It isn’t practical having train stations in the middle of nowhere just to get rid of cars. Plus, having the freedom of driving anywhere you want is a great thing

Hi all! I’m currently a student at a college that doesn’t have a particularly notable journalism or creative writing program. I’ve been working towards a political science degree and have a lot of experience in that field. I’ve always been interested in writing but haven’t spent a lot of professional time pursuing it.
I’d really like to get involved with feature writing but with the changing online landscape I’m just not sure what the best way to go about that is. Do some degrees fare better than others? Should I try to get involved with local magazines/papers? I want to work on something that’s a fair mix of creativity and research.
Does anyone who has experience in this area of journalism have any advice for how to break into it? I live and go to school in major cities if that’s helpful. I’m really just looking for guidance on where to start. Sincerest thank yous to anyone who weighs in:)

Background
The Dunmer population of Windhelm is composed primarily of refugees (or born of refugees) who escaped Vvardenfel’s disastrous living conditions after the eruption of the Red Mountain in 4E 5, known as the Red Year. The migration of most of these refugees likely took place in the years following the disaster. In the roughly 200 years since, they’ve built a sizable community within Windhelm’s ghetto, formerly known as the Snow Quarter. The squalor they live in during the present time (4E 201) is indicative of their long struggle to integrate with the Nord majority. Now, why has there been such a struggle?
According to a variety of non-Dunmer NPC dialogue, the common sentiment is that the Dunmer keep to themselves, they do not try to integrate, they do not work hard, and they do not get involved with the war effort. The in-game book Scourge of the Gray Quarter by Frilgeth Horse-Breaker makes many complaints on the Dunmer’s existence in Windhelm, reiterating such sentiments and claiming they do not contribute to the city. That the book makes reference to Ulfric as jarl, it can be assumed that these are at the very least the sentiments of the present time.
The Struggle
The book notably compares the Dunmer of Windhelm to the Dunmer of Riften, claiming the Dunmer of Riften are able to integrate because they are more hard working and engage in honest labor. In this explanation the writer (quite obviously) shows their bias in they neglect the crucial detail of describing the cities themselves. The people of Riften do not have the same level of xenophobia that those in Windhelm do. They do not have a jarl whose actions encourage the separation of multiple “outsider” groups and Nords. The people of Riften engage with the Dunmer like they would anyone else, contrasted with Windhelm where a Dunmer is more often than not labeled as an “outsider”.
The treatment of Dunmer refugees in Riften also differ in that they were not relegated to a ghetto. This is not to say that Windhelm explicitly forbids Dunmer from buying homes outside of the Gray Quarter (although dialogue of Aval Atheron might suggest so), but rather they are not afforded social mobility as a whole. According to Malthyr Elenil ‘s dialogue, the Quarter “wasn't always so bad”. Judging by the architecture relative to the rest of the city, I’d argue that this Quarter was a slum prior to the Dunmer arrival. In essence, it was a slum before they got there and it remains a slum today (if not worse), but is it the fault of the Dunmer? According to the dialogue of Scouts-Many-Marshes, an Argonian living on the Windhelm docks, it is implied that an Argonian working in Windhelm makes 8 septims per day plus lodging, presumably a tenth the wage of a “proper Nord worker”. Whether or not this “tenth” is an exaggeration or not, Scouts refers to this level of pay as akin to slave labor. Comparing the squalor of the Argonians and the Dunmer, and taking into account the kind of jobs available to them in this city, it can be fairly assumed that the Dunmer do not make much more money than the Argonians when working for the Windhelm Nords. Contrasted again with Riften, where no such race based pay gap seems to exist. How can the Dunmer be expected then, to adequately maintain their neighborhoods on a pay that is a mere fraction of a Nords?
Trying to make a comparison of “work ethic” between the Dunmer of Riften and Windhelm is inherently unfair when you ignore the near diametric social conditions of the two cities. This is also indicative of the Windhelm Nord’s refusal to acknowledge the roots of Dunmer issues. The old jarls of Windhelm may have accepted the refugees, but the Nord citizens have clearly endeavored to keep them at an arm’s length, leading to the segregation of the Windhelm Dunmer we see today.
The “Good Ones” and the Model Minority
Many might look upon Beylyn Hlaalu as proof that any Dunmer can work their way out of poverty. He is the only Dunmer land owner in Windhelm, a proud man who credits his success to his hard work and resents the poorer Dunmer for complaining. But what many fail to consider is that he is a descendent of House Hlaalu, a former Great House of Morrowind. Although House Hlaalu at this point has lost all major political power, they’re still a family of considerable wealth and influence in Raven Rock, albeit under a fake name. I find it rather likely then, in a culture who so values clanship, that Beylyn Hlaalu has had monetary support from his wealthy relatives in order to at the very least kickstart his farm. And although there are no explicit pieces of lore that support this, one must wonder if it is truly coincidence that the shining example of Dunmer success is one born from a not too distantly historically powerful family.
The successes of the Altmer residents in Windhelm are also cited as proof of Dunmer failings. They are Nurelion, Niranye, Ulundil, and his wife Arivanya. Niranye is presumably the newest Altmer migrant to the city, saying she's only just arrived from the Summerset Isles. She is the only one of the Altmer to make references to mistreatment by Nords, claiming that it was difficult at first but she'd eventually proved her usefulness. Clearly she has been able to integrate with Nord society, and once again it is credited as her own hard work. But is that completely true? There are three factors for her ease of integration that are being ignored here: Unlike the Dunmer, the Altmer arrived as business minded merchants and not as refugees, There were already well established and respected Altmer living in the city prior to her arrival, and her business is unfairly propped up by her dealings with crime guilds. Her business directly competes with that of Ravyn Sadri, a Dunmer general goods merchant. By acquiring her goods through her criminal connections and selling at absurdly low prices, she is able to quite easily undercut Ravyn’s business, who operates honestly.
Referencing Scourge of the Gray Quarter again, the writing finishes by claiming that Windhelm Argonians should be the model for Dunmer behavior and acceptance. They write that the Argonian “has learned how to best contribute to their new home…toiling with utmost efficiency and bright smiles”. Once again this text omits crucial details. The Argonians are forbidden, by decree of Ulfric Stormcloak, from entering the city. And make no mistake, this segregation is not because of the racial tensions between Dunmer and Argonian. According to dialogue from Brunwulf Free-Winter it was primarily due to Ulfric’s distrust of foreigners and Nord stubbornness. They are only permitted to reside on the docks and, as stated before, make a mere fraction of the pay of a Nord worker because of the explicit reason of not being a Nord. This is the proposed model for acceptance? Exploitation, racial hierarchy, and wage slavery? Who reads Scourge of the Gray Quarter, looks at the Argonians, and genuinely thinks they’ve successfully integrated?
When holding these so-called examples of Dunmer failures to light, it’s clear to see that they hold little water. The successes of the “good ones” are not wholly the result of pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, but likely by benefitting from pre existing privileges that gave them an advantage over the Dunmer as a whole. And the proposed solution for those without such privileges? Becoming servile and catering to the Nords at the Dunmer’s own expense. In the face of mistreatment and mistrust by the majority group, an administration that refuses to listen to them, racially biased pay gaps, a competition that cheats them, and wage slavery: how rational is it to say all they need to do is “work harder”?
Another Man’s War
A common criticism of the Windhelm Dunmer is that they refuse to join Ulfric Stormcloak’s war effort. Many claim that it is their duty as residents of Windhelm, that they owe a debt to the city for taking them in as refugees 200 years ago. But I ask you this, why should they fight on behalf of a system that harms them? It should first be said that the Stormcloak Rebellion’s primary function is to release Skyrim from the rule of the Empire, so that Skyrim’s people may solely be governed by those who live in Skyrim (Ignoring for a moment that Ulfric’s rebellion was set in motion by the Thalmor to weaken the Empire, according to the Thalmor Dossier). An admirable sentiment, but it has manifested itself as highly xenophobic and oftentimes hostile (most commonly verbally) to those who are not Nords. In the case of the Windhelm Dunmer, it has led to the local Nords being more distrustful than ever before. More dialogue from Brunwulf indicates the escalation of racial tension in the city is primarily the result of Ulfric’s “Skyrim for the Nords” rhetoric. This paired with Ulfric’s complete apathy towards the issues faced by non-Nords in his hold communicates a hatred towards them and systematically harms them.
Many players are under the impression that the Dunmer received free housing and live tax free due to what is written in the Decree of Monument."untithed to any thane or hold, and self-governed, with free worship, with no compensation to Skyrim or the Empire”. I’d argue the text is referring to taxes rather than housing, and no other in-game source makes reference to the housing situation either. But does that mean it is true that the Dunmer don’t pay taxes? One of the outcomes of Revyn Sadri’s quest results in him having to pay “increased taxes” to the city of Windhelm, implying that yes, the Dunmer are currently paying taxes. I do not think it is likely that only Revyn or only some Dunmer are paying taxes. It can be fairly assumed then that at some point between 4E 20 (when the monument was placed) and the present time of 4E 201, the Dunmer were made to pay taxes like any other citizen. As for housing, I find it unlikely the Dunmer received the Gray Quarter for free. As stated earlier, it was likely a slum to begin with, meaning it would’ve been considerably cheap to move in. Perhaps offered to them at a reduced price. It is important to note that the Dunmer being refugees at the beginning does not automatically mean they were penniless upon arrival, likely poor, but it would be unrealistic to assume all of them had nothing at all. Realizing now that the Dunmer of Windhelm are tax paying citizens who are continually ignored and othered by their ruler, it surely must be understandable then why they would refuse to fight on behalf of a system that at this point only takes from them. They owe the Nordic administration no loyalty
Conclusion
With a ruling majority that will more often than not shun, insult, or exploit them, It is no wonder then how the Dunmer of Windhelm as a whole have not been able to integrate, that they “keep to themselves”, that they “don’t contribute to the city”. For how can one integrate with those who refuse to ever fully accept them? If you wonder why they do not leave, with what funds could they start anew? If you wonder why they dont help the Nords in their war, why would they fight for a cause that harms them? The system is as the system does, and that system is racism.
Author’s Note
Idk what I wrote all this for lmao. Ive been playing skyrim for over a decade so I guess I thought it would be interesting to engage with the game in another way that's new to me. It was only recently that I got more interested in actually talking to NPCs, learning more about the game world, not just in it for the cool fights and jiggle physics mods (tho i do love em). There's a good degree of guess work here, which I suppose is to be expected with what few pieces that are available we can put together. But I tried to cite as much from official lore as I can. Was def fun trying to take a more nuanced lens to this fantastical game world.
But what do you think? Do you think my analysis is accurate? I'd love to see your opinions on the topic!
SOURCES
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Year
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Scourge_of_the_Gray_Quarter
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Malthyr_Elenil
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Aval_Atheron
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Scouts-Many-Marshes
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Belyn_Hlaalu#Conversations
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/House_Hlaalu#Fourth_Era
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Vendil_Severin
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Niranye
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Revyn_Sadri
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Brunwulf_Free-Winter
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Thalmor_Dossier:_Ulfric_Stormcloak
https://en.m.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Decree_of_Monument

Successor : u/maria90909
My journey began a few years ago when I discovered the New Thought Movement. I wasn't in a good place mentally and emotionally and searched for something that would help me make sense of my life events. I read books by Neville, Zeland, Hicks, Allen, Hill, Byrne, Scovel Shinn, Murphy, Haanel, Tolle, Despenza, Maltz, Doty, and many many others. Yep... I was a little obsessed. But, Neville's work was my favorite. It is his wisdom and insight that helped me start off a string of conscious manifestations that changed my life.
I'll never forget my first conscious manifestation. I decided to test the law and picked something small and random. I wanted a large butterfly to land on my left pinky. I visualized and did SATS for a few days then forgot about it cuz I still thought it was stupid. 4 weeks later, I am at a beach with my friends having a blast and what I am seeing? A butterfly flying in circles around me. It didn't land on my finger but it eventually landed near me. I approached it and extended my arm. Normally that would have spooked a butterfly, but this one just sat there. I asked a friend to take a photo. Then I extended my hand more and the butterfly climbed up my left little finger and sat there for a few seconds. I was in shock but kind of had to hide it because I didn't want my friend to start asking questions. I wasn't ready to explain it.
I remember driving home and thinking WHAT THE #$%^K I now have free time to enjoy my hobbies. I'm finally writing my first novel. I have had a bumpy ride with my SP because of my shaky self-esteem (well, it was shaky pre-Neville but it is much better now). Things have been improving between us. I have perfect health and am in a good mood (note, I used to get depressed here in there in the past, but then did SATS on feeling joyful and am reaping the benefits now). Like that's actually insane, now that I look back at it. I have manifested a bunch of new friends - all amazing, kind, loving, and happy people. All of these things took me 1.5 years of sats and positive self-talk.
I even caught myself thinking: what now? I feel like I have everything I've ever wanted. I saw a few other people here on this sub asking this same question -- what do I do now that I have everything I've ever wanted? Well for me... I feel it's time to just enjoy life. I do lots of arts and creative work, and that makes me super happy. The rest of my free time I dedicate to helping my family, my friends, my community. I actually dream of starting a charitable org here in my city. I feel very grateful and I feel a strong urge to give back.
Why am I sharing this blah blah with you, guys?
I simply want you to believe in yourselves. I want you to know that you are Gods. Some people are uncomfortable with this title, then just think of yourself as being in complete control of everything. That is pretty freaking empowering if you were to ask me. This community has been a major support network for me, and I want to thank you all for being awesome.
Just know that everything is possible. And, I mean everything.
Adding a photo of that butterfly right before it climbed up my pinky.
Happy Holidays!
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I got a pay rise this month so when I get paid I have been planning to treat myself next month. This means I have arranged more plans than usual. I am taking my partner out for a meal on the first weekend of next month, I am planning to go to the cinema the weekend after (either on my own or with my partner if she wants to join me, all paid by me)
The last weekend of the month, me and my partner are going on a double date with a good friend of mine who lives in a nearby city. I was talking to my best friend who lives nearby and suggested we meet up either on one of the free weekends or on the weekend I'm going to the cinema.
He said he'll get back to me with what date works best and let me know but it will likely be one of the free weekends. I was talking to my partner and she seemed annoyed.
I asked what was wrong and she just said I've barely made any plans with her. I pointed out that the majority of the plans I have involve her, it's only the night with my friend and possibly the cinema where she won't be there.
She just said she thought I'd have prioritised plans with her. I told her I have and that one of the first things I did when I found out about the pay rise is booked a table at our favourite restaurant to celebrate.
She just said it seems like as soon as I get the pay rise, I immediately started filling up my weekends with plans with friends and that we only get 1 weekend with just us.
I mention that we have got plans together throughout some of the weeks and that there's nothing wrong with me going to see my friends. She said she thinks I should at least push back my plans with my best friend until July and plan something with her instead but I refused.
AITAH for making multiple plans with friends?

Issue One
General Issues With Corruption
The government of Armenia often sees issues with the police and generally has low corruption unlike the government, officers in general are not the corrupt ones but mostly ministers, commissars, and presidents, this can be fixed by doing basic reforms which are unfortunately not present and civilians often tend to see the leader of the government as the one to blame.
Issue Two
General Issues With Democracy
Democracy can result in disaster, and there's many reasons why, an improperly managed democracy will often result in someone taking advantage of all the freedom, therefore coming to situations where democracy is being taken advantage of to remove democracy and to forward to bureaucracy with no other political parties, in a personal opinion I also believe Nikol is the best hope right now, there are no other candidates but we are possibly on our way to get peace, reminder that these villages belonged to Azerbaijan in the SSR therefore it's ethnically ours but partially theirs, we cannot risk being invaded as we are not prepared and are rather looking towards peace.
Issue Three
General Issues With Pointless Decisions
The Armenian government has often had issues with having pointless additions even during N. Pashinyans presidency, but does this necessarily mean Pashinyan is at fault? No, the government is democratic-slightly bureaucratic therefore not only do people in the government make decisions but people in the cities also make decisions, when these decisions turn out to be bad ideas the government is often blamed, this can be seen in one of my other posts where someone suggests replacing the whole track gauge (30 year process including economic struggles, 5 years to replace ARS/ALS systems with less safe European AWS systems) instead of just painting and repairing the trains to look more polished (1 year process, the trains I talk about unfortunately cannot be sold for scrap as approximately in 2058 they'll be worth more than we know of, it must also be recognized that the government doesn't hold the Y.M. Company not allowing them to take action but only to fund it, the government also pushes out suggestions/ideas to the Y.M. Company.
Issue Four
General Issues With Refusal To Help Businesses/Refusal To Easily Fix Issues
About nearly a thousand easily fixable issues get ignored by town hall most of the time, about 4 years ago someone wanted to place a poll for industrial vehicles not to go through a road that was too light for them, town hall took down the poll that was on someones OWN property for "blocking roads" while industrial vehicles are so heavy that they crush roads under their weight, civilians do not even concentrate on the issues with traffic such as broken roads, stupid traffic sign placement that often confuses people.
Issue Five
General Issues With Civil Unrest
The government often says the wrong things during the wrong times resulting in civilians to panic, luckily the civil unrest is low and some Azerbaijanis in the government actually have a heart, unlike the government of Armenia during 2008 when a land deal for Artsakh that was actually fair was denied because of "patriotism" and other such things, I get that these are ethnic lands but the more we can't get over it, the more we get more and more hostile everyday, Azerbaijan is not a "fairy tale land" either, they have major political issues with controlling their people almost every year and it is hidden every single time that it happens, but Azerbaijan is more powerful than Armenia in nearly every way, aside from economic growth as they are slowly getting worse and worse considering how things are, no they are not going to claim "Yerevan bizimdir!" and "Gyumri bizimdir!" or "Vanadzor bizimdir!" or something like that, because all three of those places belonged to the Armenian SSR.
Side Note
There should be no fear that Azerbaijan will completely take over Armenia, they took Artsakh, some villages that were theirs in the SSR, and that's all they want, Aliyev does have a heart but people often refuse to see it, he paid respects to K. Demirchyan, and saw that Demirchyan was against fully taking over Azerbaijan, which we could've done since Azerbaijan had no chance of doing the same the Turks did to the Greeks, the Turkish government was unstable on it's own at the time, and almost none was there for them aside from the Grey Wolves which they themself banned in the 90's, they also basically had no more weapons and with the Russians leaking Azeri post locations second per second/foiling Azeri plans, there was no chance.
Aliyev won't let this happen, the same way we didn't take the whole of Azerbaijan.
Think less patriotic, think more logical and peaceful.

Hello.
I finished plan for my 40 nights itinerary. In most cases I will use major cities as a hub to limit the packing time and hassle with the check in/check out and luggage moving. I tried to make every travel not longer than 3h ( the only exception is Nikko - Kusatsu onsen ( almost 6h with to much transport changes if You have any tips what to do to skip long road here I will gladly accept any advice) Anyway I want to ask more experienced travelers how to optimize day trips from the major cities and what hidden gems close to them should I visit for 100%.
Plan:

• 6 nights - Tokyo
• 2 nights - Nikko
• 1 night - Kusatsu Onsen
• 3 nights - Nagano
• 1 night - Matsumoto
• 1 night - Kakurean Hidaji
• 1 night - Takayama
• long daily trip from Takayama to - Shirakawa - Go then later to Kanazawa
• 3 nights - Kanazawa
• 2 nights - Fukui
• 3 nights - Kyoto
• 10 nights - Osaka ( major hub for Nara, Himeji and other good locations for the daily trips)
• 3 nights - Nagoya
• 4 nights - Tokio

My last trip to Japan was couple years ago, 2 weeks in Tokyo, went to Kawaguchiko once. Now I want in first days check ,,what's new" in Tokyo, at the last days of the travel I have plans for the Yokohama and Kamakura daily trips. I am not interested in Hakone/ Fuji. I like the night life so 10 nights in Osaka should be enough, I want to visit for sure Nagoya Oceanarium and similar attractions. I feel that its a solid plan with a lot of different things and places to experience but for sure I missed some hidden gems which I should visit - only daily trips as i already finished finding accommodation as well.

I wrote mini reviews of each arc here, but because there are so damn many arcs, this ended up being a wall of text, despite me trying to keep them short. Feel free to skim or read only what interests you!
--
The episodic nature of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla means that its narrative is split into chunks. These chunks take place across the many shires of medieval England and vary in terms of length, depth and, well, pointlessness. I thought ranking them would be a fun exercise — a competition of story arcs, all vying for best Viking mini-narrative.
It goes without saying, but I’m about to spoil the whole damn game, so read at your own risk.
--
21. Wincestre
Wincestre is just another Lunden or Jorvik, accept with more Jesus, more King Aelfred and way less… anything worthwhile. This one was just a total nothing-burger of an experience. The fact that it comes so late in the narrative really hurts it, too, because by now you’ve experienced arcs that are a similar traditional Assassin’s Creed city-style that at least aren’t this bad. Aelfred’s turning on Eivor at the end also didn’t feel coherent, convincing or warranted to me. Big miss.
20. Lunden
The smaller, denser cities with multiple targets to track down and ‘social stealth’ options are certainly here to attempt to replicate the traditional AC experience, but Lunden fails to do so meaningfully, and even gets a huge points deduction for being misleading.
The arc is set up to feature twists with Stowe and Ercke (is one a traitor? Will your romancing of Stowe make things complicated?), but after their initial scenes they’re mitigated to what I would hardly even call side characters as Eivor unveils three randos as Order members, kills them and then leaves town. At least there was a cool boss sequence on the river?
19. Snotinghamscire
This arc sees you reunite with Hemmingr Jarl, his son Villi and his compatriot, Trygve. Eivor has an existing relationship with these characters, but the player doesn’t. As a result, nothing that happens with them lands meaningfully.
After Hemmingr passes, this arc boils down to running dull errands to prepare for the burial ceremony. Eivor chooses whether Villi or Trygve will succeed Hemmingr in the end, but the decision is very clear-cut and suggested to the player, lacking the nuance of the game’s other difficult decisions. This arc isn’t memorable, doesn’t concern the main quest, and feels like fluffy filler in the worst way.
18. Jorvik
Another version of the Lunden & Wincestre arcs, Jorvik is stronger than its competitors for presenting the Order members to your face before you deduce who they are. There was nothing shocking about their reveals, but each provided an interesting set piece to navigate during assassinations.
Problematically, the arc sets itself up for Eivor to accuse a traitor, only for her decision to not matter at all. You never get to act on your accusation at Yuletide — the Order member interrupts and attacks the feast no matter who you accuse.
17. Cent
The Cent arc sees Eivor team with Basim to track Fulke. It feels important and part of the main story, but it’s all for naught in the end — you come face-to-face with Fulke in what seems like a meaningful story moment, only for her to run away. Your reward is finding out Sigurd had his arm cut off.
This arc earns some points for getting Fulke screen time and tiptoeing the tightrope of Eivor and Basim’s rocky relationship believably, but certainly can’t be called good. This is because once you pull back the veil, you realize you never advanced the plot and were running in circles for nothing the entire time. At least the other “filler” arcs were forthright about their (lack of) connection to the main story.
16. Jotunheim
This arc has a compelling story to it — Odin running from his fate and bending over backwards to flee from it is interesting, his broken relationship with Loki should be a strong point for the arc, and his moral gray areas (sleeping with a Jotunn, betraying Tyr) certainly make for a complex character’s development.
It has the ingredients of a strong arc, but I just couldn’t shake the why am I doing this feeling I had the entire time. Everything in between Odin’s big moments is a fetch quest and I just felt like I was wasting my life.
This one is weird because on paper it feels like there’s a lot of substance here, but ultimately, I felt nothing while playing it besides contempt for having drank the potion in Ravensthorpe again.
15. Lincolnscire
Heir to the throne Hunwald is exiled from Lincoln and reaches out to Ravensthorpe for help. Eivor tracks down his sickly and dying father and then must cast the deciding vote for whom the new Ealdorman will be after his death.
The game wastes your time with one of Hunwald’s competitors, Aelfgar, (who is a dork) and paints the bishop as evil pretty clearly (he turns out to be an Order member). I suppose this arc could hit hard for someone who accidently put an Order member in charge. For that and for Hunwald at least having a strong drive and personality, this arc earns some marks.
14. Essex
Eivor is brought in to repair a marriage by separating husband and wife naturally without a public divorce. She reunites Ealdorman Birstan with his former lover and sets up a fake public kidnapping to whisk away his wife, Estrid.
I think many would rate this arc far lower than I have here because it is pure side mission nonsense — but for me, this arc stands strong on the backs of convincing and fun characters in Birstan and Estrid, as well as the tangled web of relationships between the two of them, Birstan’s son, and Rollo, Estrid’s former lover.
13. Ledecestrescire
Ledecestre sees the intros of Ivarr, Ubba and Ceowulf. You team up with the sons of Ragnar to help put Ceowulf’s father on the throne in Mercia.
Ledecestrescire earns points for strong, realized characters in the Ragnarsons and Ceowulf, a believable conflict with the Mercian king, as well as the arc’s biggest moment with killing or sparing Leofrith in Tamworth.
12. Asgard
Asgard looks pretty and hits hard when you first arrive. I appreciate Ubi for creating places like Atlantis and Asgard to run around and explore in.
Unfortunately, both felt supremely empty. However, watching Odin fight tooth and nail to run from his fate was satisfying and Loki is aptly deceptive and frustrating. The Builder gave the arc a nice wrinkle, too and climaxed with a nice boss fight.
I spent too much time tracking down tears, but I think if you look at just the main missions here, this is a solid experience in an incredible environment.
11. East Anglia
In this arc, Eivor works alongside Oswald to fend off violent Dane aggressors and claim his leadership role.
Oswald is honorable and likeable — watching him teach the Danes in his court that bravery can reveal itself in more nuanced ways rather than physically was powerful, and giving Eivor the decision to allow Oswald to fight his own battles or fight for him solidified the feeling of fathering Oswald through this arc into manhood and leadership.
I bought into this arc because I felt the story was touching and meaningful and the cast was strong.
10. Vinland
Nothing really happens here aside from hunting down Gorm Kjotveson, but the arc earns major points for how refreshing it is.
I played it late in the story when I was feeling quite a bit of fatigue towards the game and everything about Vinland just landed for me, giving me new energy to actually enjoy what I was doing.
The new landscape is insanely gorgeous and fun to navigate. The stripping down of Eivor’s equipment essentially forces you to start from scratch — but it really makes the four stealth encounters stronger; you have to approach them differently due to being unarmed and unarmored.
The whole thing was a little bit of a reset button for the entire experience of Valhalla and it sorely needed it.
9. Suthsexe
Suthsexe is the meeting with Guthrum and the rising action leading up to defeating Fulke.
The arc is fun, feels impactful as well as meaningful and sees you reunite with all the old friends you’ve made up to this point. Fighting alongside Soma and others was a big positive for me. Storming Fulke’s fort at least included some different mechanics than many forts up to this point, so it felt fresh. Her boss fight in the darkness of the crypts was exceptional, as was her confession sequence.
This arc was mostly good, satisfying fun the whole way through, but didn’t include too much intrigue as the ones ranked above it did.
8. Rygjafylke
Look, I’ll be honest. I’m writing this particular paragraph after completing the game and this opening section was so long ago that I don’t have a great memory of it.
What I do know is that Valhalla opened strongly. I found it all pretty compelling. I remember it being atmospheric, believable and driven by strong characters like Sigurd, Varin, Haytham, Basim and Kyotve. I was bought-in very early and Rygjafylke really got the game off to a strong start.
7. Hamtunscire & Epilogue
Aelfred screen time is a good thing, and this arc earns marks for his badassery in the face of Guthrum, as well as his manipulation of the Dane army. Ally deaths in the battle at Chepeham give the arc meaningful stakes and ratchet up the tension. This arc is brief and straightforward — there’s not much story to it since it’s really just war throughout the whole thing.
Afterwards, Eivor tracks down the final member of the Order and confronts him in a touching sequence over some burnt bread in a small swampy town in the middle of nowhere. It’s a humble conclusion for Aelfred and the swirling epic that was AC: Valhalla.
6. Hordafylke
The return to Norway contains two things: Eivor & Sigurd finding closure with Sigurd’s father, and the two locating “Yggdrasil.”
I quite enjoyed the pit stop with Sigurd’s father, and the entire Yggdrasil sequence was incredibly interesting. It was a refreshing change of pace from what you’ve been doing for the past 100 hours and featured a nice boss fight at the end. No matter which ending you get, the conversation with Sigurd after the dust settles is impactful and weighty.
5. Oxenefordscire
Finally reunited with Sigurd, this is the arc we learn of his obsession with his ancestry and true nature. Eivor’s reaction of discomfort and distrust towards Sigurd’s change is honest and relatable and she must juggle relations between Sigurd and the Thane they are working to put in charge, Gaedric.
Negotiations with King Aelfred are complex and a late intervention from Fulke reveals her true allegiance to the Order and puts Sigurd in enemy hands.
This arc moves the plot along moreso than the last 400 hours you’ve been playing the game, while also establishing and reinterpreting Eivor’s relations with the cast in meaningful ways. It ratchets up the tension of the main quest and narrative, which up to this point had been lagging behind due to a breadth of shire arcs.
4. Glowecestrecire
I’m so surprised to see myself rank this so high — after the first third of the arc, I was considering putting it in dead last. I felt Gunnar’s fiancé’s unintelligible dialogue, the trick-or-treating, the druid encounter, and Eivor’s 400th drunken night of debauchery to be a disrespectful waste of my time this deep (over 80 hours) into the game.
But then the arc turned, with two solid stealth encounters and a stellar boss fight. Navigating the Aelfwood was a gorgeous thrill and the confrontation with Modran is atmospheric and a fantastically fresh take on the typical Valhalla boss or mini boss fight.
When I decided to focus-up on the story and let the Celtic and Welsh mythos shine, the arc became a terrestrial fever dream of satisfying magic, intrigue and character interactions.
3. Grantebridgescire
Eivor looks to ally with Soma, the leader of Grantebridge, but her town’s just been sacked from the inside by a traitor. After saving her three companions in the thick river bogs, you take back Grantebridge and then embark on an investigation to discover the rat.
Its the investigation that makes the whole arc. It has a slew of clues, nuance and red herrings to consider. One of its strengths is how open ended the investigation is — you can follow the quest markers, but talking to the town’s people and hunting down the yellow-painted ship is up to you (at least I think, I played on the most ‘difficult’ exploration setting).
This arc earns big points because the investigation matters — you have to tell Soma to kill one of her closest friends and then watch her do it, living with your right or wrong decision.
2. Eurvicscire
Finally meeting the third of the famed Ragnarson’s, Eivor finds Halfdan a paranoid soul, waxing poetic about friendship and treason. The arc balances the two on a blade’s edge to tremendous effect.
Halfdan believes he has a traitor in his midst and the main culprit is his right-hand man, Faravid.
Faravid's dialogue is expertly written to feign allegiance to Halfdan, but never reveal too much of his true nature. Eivor’s wavering relationship and trust with him are complex and the Wolf-Kissed can lie to both him and Halfdan depending on dialogue choice. Every decision feels like it carries weight. It’s this ambiguity that makes the arc compelling and gives the decisions importance.
This arc could feel disconnected (it’s not part of the main plot and Halfdan doesn’t appear in the late game, no matter your decision) and thus appear as pointless fluff, but I won’t fault it for that. As a self-contained story, this was flat-out interesting and kept me in anticipation of the next reveal or twist. Imagery and foreshadowing, red-herrings, and great atmosphere all make for an engaging and compelling experience. I only wish every shire arc could’ve reached these heights.
1. Sciropscire
Sciropescire’s strengths come somewhat from the arcs that came before it, as it sees Eivor quickly reunited and working with Ivarr and Ceowulf. Your preexisting relationship with both gives this arc an advantage over others where it doesn’t have to establish too much all at once, as well as it starting off with you already having a personal connection of some sort with the main cast. Still, each set piece here is strong enough on its own –

1. Eivor & co. join to negotiate peace with King Rhodri. She can offer 600 silver to whomever she chooses to try and quell the peace talks. Each option is mired in obscurity, has obvious pros and cons, and plenty of uncertainty. It felt impactful, difficult and nuanced.
2. After peace talks go sour with Ivarr’s outburst, Eivor, Ivarr and Ceowulf sack a village under Rhodri’s control. It’s brutal and takes a long time to burn (on purpose!). You then fight a huge party of Rhodri’s men. The whole scene feels vile, over the top and harsh (on purpose!).
3. The twist is that Ivarr kills Ceowulf in cold blood to earn himself the opportunity to get his own revenge on Rhodri — only revealed after you sack Rhodri’s fort (after reaching peace with him). A brutal blood eagle from Ivarr and the game’s best boss fight ensue.

It’s close between the top 3, but this is the best arc in the game, for me.
For once, the game forces you to face the trail of bloodshed and destruction your ‘pacifying’ of England has left in your wake. Additionally, the ambiguous decision-making process in negotiating peace, the brutal village burning sequence, the tangled web of Ivarr’s relationships and motivations, the twists of the peaceful alliance and Rhodri’s fate, and finally, the Ivarr boss fight are just too good all in tandem to not take first place.
--
I’m conflicted looking back on these.
There’s many that feel even more empty than I remember them being now that I draft them as text. However, a surprising number of highly-rated arcs aren’t actually part of the main quest.
Ultimately, I’m left bewildered at the scale and scope of the epic that this game took me on. I was so fatigued by the end of it, but in hindsight so happy I completed it.

I'm an international student and I got into both Purdue and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. But, I got into Purdue specifically for the math program. This was a problem because I wasn't sure I would stick to that major and I wanted room to explore computer science as well. So I had pretty much made up my mind to enroll at UMN. Until this morning when I got an email from Purdue saying that I had been accepted into the CS program after I had applied for a change of my major. Now I'm seriously conflicted on which one I should choose. On one hand, I've already found a group of friends at UMN and a wonderful roommate + my brother is a sophomore there so life would be easier. But I'm just scared I might be missing out on a really good opportunity just because I've become so comfortable with the idea of UMN. Jobs after graduation are really important to me and I've heard that Purdue has a lot of opportunities. Can someone please please give me some advice on what to do?
tl;dr: Should I choose Purdue or UMN for undergraduate computer science?

I got a pay rise this month so when I get paid I have been planning to treat myself next month. This means I have arranged more plans than usual. I am taking my partner out for a meal on the first weekend of next month, I am planning to go to the cinema the weekend after (either on my own or with my partner if she wants to join me, all paid by me)
The last weekend of the month, me and my partner are going on a double date with a good friend of mine who lives in a nearby city. I was talking to my best friend who lives nearby and suggested we meet up either on one of the free weekends or on the weekend I'm going to the cinema.
He said he'll get back to me with what date works best and let me know but it will likely be one of the free weekends. I was talking to my partner and she seemed annoyed.
I asked what was wrong and she just said I've barely made any plans with her. I pointed out that the majority of the plans I have involve her, it's only the night with my friend and possibly the cinema where she won't be there.
She just said she thought I'd have prioritised plans with her. I told her I have and that one of the first things I did when I found out about the pay rise is booked a table at our favourite restaurant to celebrate.
She just said it seems like as soon as I get the pay rise, I immediately started filling up my weekends with plans with friends and that we only get 1 weekend with just us.
I mention that we have got plans together throughout some of the weeks and that there's nothing wrong with me going to see my friends. She said she thinks I should at least push back my plans with my best friend until July and plan something with her instead but I refused and she said I was being unfair and not prioritising the relationship.
AITB for making multiple plans with friends?

Hi so I just got off the waitlist at Barnard and had already submitted my deposit at Tufts so now I'm a little confused. I don't really want a girls school experience, but I'm told Barnard won't be completely like one since as an Econ major I can take classes at Columbia and do ecs there too. NYC will also be better from a job opportunities perspective. I do really like the campus at Tufts though and thought of it as a more chill vibe. At Barnard do people feel like they are missing a campus in any way? Or does the city and Columbia compensate?

I got a pay rise this month so when I get paid I have been planning to treat myself next month. This means I have arranged more plans than usual. I am taking my partner out for a meal on the first weekend of next month, I am planning to go to the cinema the weekend after (either on my own or with my partner if she wants to join me, all paid by me)
The last weekend of the month, me and my partner are going on a double date with a good friend of mine who lives in a nearby city. I was talking to my best friend who lives nearby and suggested we meet up either on one of the free weekends or on the weekend I'm going to the cinema.
He said he'll get back to me with what date works best and let me know but it will likely be one of the free weekends. I was talking to my partner and she seemed annoyed.
I asked what was wrong and she just said I've barely made any plans with her. I pointed out that the majority of the plans I have involve her, it's only the night with my friend and possibly the cinema where she won't be there.
She just said she thought I'd have prioritised plans with her. I told her I have and that one of the first things I did when I found out about the pay rise is booked a table at our favourite restaurant to celebrate.
She just said it seems like as soon as I get the pay rise, I immediately started filling up my weekends with plans with friends and that we only get 1 weekend with just us.
I mention that we have got plans together throughout some of the weeks and that there's nothing wrong with me going to see my friends. She said she thinks I should at least push back my plans with my best friend until July and plan something with her instead but I refused.
AITAH for making multiple plans with friends?

I got a pay rise this month so when I get paid I have been planning to treat myself next month. This means I have arranged more plans than usual. I am taking my partner out for a meal on the first weekend of next month, I am planning to go to the cinema the weekend after (either on my own or with my partner if she wants to join me, all paid by me)
The last weekend of the month, me and my partner are going on a double date with a good friend of mine who lives in a nearby city. I was talking to my best friend who lives nearby and suggested we meet up either on one of the free weekends or on the weekend I'm going to the cinema.
He said he'll get back to me with what date works best and let me know but it will likely be one of the free weekends. I was talking to my partner and she seemed annoyed.
I asked what was wrong and she just said I've barely made any plans with her. I pointed out that the majority of the plans I have involve her, it's only the night with my friend and possibly the cinema where she won't be there.
She just said she thought I'd have prioritised plans with her. I told her I have and that one of the first things I did when I found out about the pay rise is booked a table at our favourite restaurant to celebrate.
She just said it seems like as soon as I get the pay rise, I immediately started filling up my weekends with plans with friends and that we only get 1 weekend with just us.
I mention that we have got plans together throughout some of the weeks and that there's nothing wrong with me going to see my friends. She said she thinks I should at least push back my plans with my best friend until July and plan something with her instead but I refused.
I don't see how I've done anything wrong here but does anyone have any different perspectives or views on this or any advice on how to handle it?
tl;dr my girlfriend said she doesn't think I'm prioritising us since I made some plans with friends. She got annoyed when I wouldn't push the plans back to make more plans with her

In taking a break from The Elder Scrolls, I dove into NieR Automata and then into many of the titles surrounding that. Currently I’ve been deep-diving NieR Reincarnation’s story, and I feel like that has done a great job of answering a lot of questions that I had, but left me with one glaring one that I was hoping to get some assistance with.
In Chapter 1 of NieR Reincarnation, you follow the story of Levania and Fio as they adventure through The Cage repairing memories within weapons that Fio perceives as dreams. Throughout all of these memories, except seemingly one, the story takes place in a world that was undisturbed by the 6/12 Incident. There is seemingly no mention of WCS, they do not use dragon magick equipment, and there’s no mention of Project Gestalt. Instead of the typical issues, this world faces an infestation of horrible man-eating Flowers that appear to add people to a collective. We are shown the stories of Lars and Griff, clones living in countries that are desperate for genetic diversity, and we are shown stories of what appears to be a YoRHa-like organization in the far-future that is full of people that, seemingly, worked with the Hamelin Organization and led to the creation of the Flowers in the first place sometime in the distant past and wield equipment that appears to be powered by the Power of Song.
The odd one out of these memories comes from Noelle, whose story we are introduced to right before we get Fio’s own. Noelle is part of a project by - seemingly - the Hamelin Organization seeking to create Living Weapons utilizing the mysterious illness that befell Eleanor in North America back in 2003. As we explore the facility, we are eventually greeted with the sight of Caim’s weapon held in a containment unit, which shows to us that this particular timeline — while utilizing cloning for a specific project — is not the same as the others shown to us before. This story eventually leads to the creation of Dragons, the Cathedral City, and seemingly a confrontation with the Black Flower in the Kingdom of Night which is (accidentally?) teleported back in time to 856AD.
With all of this in mind…
How does the Flower, which is seemingly born in the clone-dominant timeline shown to us in the majority of the memories “break containment”? It does not appear, to me, like the Flower from F66x and 063y’s timeline has the means to escape out and begin its metamorphosis progress to eventually becoming the Machine Network, which is at least what my take away was from the FFXIV crossover storyline.
“Facts” that I am operating with: - The Flower was created by the original human that would serve as the genetic material for F66x in a timeline where the 6/12 Incident never occurred. - The dragons were created by manipulation of Eleanor’s mysterious illness. The Hamelin Organization began these experiments and the Army of Humanity finished them within the NieR games’ timeline. - The Black Flower, the dragons, and the Cathedral City all were sent back in time from a confrontation in the Kingdom of Night to 856AD, leading to Drakengard 3. - 2003 serves as the dividing line in the sand where things begin to differ from our world. Eleanor gets sick regardless of the 6/12 Incident. Is this our “original” difference? - The Power of Song ≠ Magic. I’ve not been able to find a source on this, but it has been parroted so many times that I have just decided to trust it. - Nier was made into the Original Gestalt because his body was capable of purifying or processing maso into a useable form that would keep others from degrading. There are humans born in the world with more / less affinities for or strange interactions with Maso — which seems to occur naturally as an element in the world (unsourced, but mirrored by a lot of folks’ POV so running with it for now).
My biggest questions at the moment are — 1. How does the Flower “break containment” from the clone-dominated timeline? 2. If the Flower does “break containment”, how do we get to the events of Drakengard 3 with the dragons, city, and Flower being sent back in time to 856 from ~6200. 3. If there are “stable” time-loop shenanigans going on and Maso is naturally occurring, could the Flowers not create dragons using Eleanor’s illness and clones in their timeline, travel to ~6200s, and things “right themselves” for them to exist there? I admit I’m not as versed on some of these paradox concepts as others.
It is worth mentioning that in F66x and 063y’s timeline, there are seemingly already man-eating machines and the Flowers that exist in the timeline act like a network to collect everything into itself and from there can replicate. The Organization serves to run experiments, which seem to help the Flowers improve themselves.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Always been a distant fan of NieR, but really enjoying giving it its due.

I got a pay rise this month so when I get paid I have been planning to treat myself next month. This means I have arranged more plans than usual. I am taking my partner out for a meal on the first weekend of next month, I am planning to go to the cinema the weekend after (either on my own or with my partner if she wants to join me, all paid by me)
The last weekend of the month, me and my partner are going on a double date with a good friend of mine who lives in a nearby city. I was talking to my best friend who lives nearby and suggested we meet up either on one of the free weekends or on the weekend I'm going to the cinema.
He said he'll get back to me with what date works best and let me know but it will likely be one of the free weekends. I was talking to my partner and she seemed annoyed.
I asked what was wrong and she just said I've barely made any plans with her. I pointed out that the majority of the plans I have involve her, it's only the night with my friend and possibly the cinema where she won't be there.
She just said she thought I'd have prioritised plans with her. I told her I have and that one of the first things I did when I found out about the pay rise is booked a table at our favourite restaurant to celebrate.
She just said it seems like as soon as I get the pay rise, I immediately started filling up my weekends with plans with friends and that we only get 1 weekend with just us.
I mention that we have got plans together throughout some of the weeks and that there's nothing wrong with me going to see my friends. She said she thinks I should at least push back my plans with my best friend until July and plan something with her instead but I refused. How would you handle this?
tl;dr my girlfriend said she doesn't think I'm prioritising us since I made some plans with friends. She got annoyed when I wouldn't push the plans back to make more plans with her. How would you handle this?

I'm not 30 yet but I got approved by pre-op for a bisalp.
I want this, I think. In my mind, it should be more difficult for me to get a child than a PhD, especially since I still want to go back to school for my PhD and a paid MFA. Children are expensive and I think after all the years of helping with my brothers, seeing how some children turn out from working with them, and known issues with me passing on my genes, I can say I don't want kids, I want a bunch of cats.
That being said, I've always been scared of regret. I understand that I can still do IVF and I can adopt if I truly want (I feel like it'll never come to this, I love sleeping in), so why am I scared? In my mind, I don't want kids. I see some of the teenagers in my city and it scares me to think something that ruined my already fucked up body could turn out like that.
I'm also scared about my period because I haven't had a "normal" period since I was 15. I've been on some sort of birth control since then and this surgery was prompted because my IUD is starting to expire. I have no idea what my period might be like, or if the copper iud wasn't the reason I bleed like a bad 80s horror film.
My surgery isn't for another 3 months but I'm still scared. I've never had a major surgery. The worst thing I've done was wisdom teeth. I've never had doctors poking around major organs. I don't even know what it costs!
I'm also really scared for this country (US) One of the reasons I'm getting this is so I never have to worry about getting an abortion, but is there a chance the country might start people who "self-mutilated" for the sake of fertility?
Anyone who's had a bisalp in their 20s, can you share your experiences?

Hello Everyone,
I'm in a dilemma and hoping for advice. I graduated last year and took a job as a financial analyst in healthcare. After a few successful projects, I started reporting to the CFO and was promoted to project manager in 8 months, now reporting to the CFO and CEO. Despite praise and appreciation, I feel incredibly unfulfilled and finish work quickly. While I'm leading due diligence for a major healthcare partnership, the work feels too slow(timeline is 2-4 years), and I don't feel challenged. I've introduced tools like Power BI and Tableau, but I feel like I am not learning unless it is initiated by me. There is a crazy amount of turnover and I am actually the oldest finance/data employee here, so I can hardly ask questions.
I often travel to the nearest city for fun and feel energized there. I turned down offers from companies like Disney and Citi, and am currently in the running for a Mckinsey position, but now I'm questioning that decision of turning them down. The work-life balance and executive exposure here are great, but I feel like I'm missing out on opportunities and can’t help but feel like my peers are rocketing past me. The rural setting is depressing, with little to do if you're not into hiking. I'm tempted to apply for positions at larger organizations but feel guilty about leaving my current team because of my role.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading.