I'm trying to create a list from a set of data.
For example: Column A contains names and column C contains a phrase such as 'likes apples and bananas'. I need to generate a list of people that like bananas and a list of people that like apples, but they have to be two separate lists.
I can't figure out how to extract just that keyword 'apples' or 'bananas'. I also have very basic understanding of excel..any help would be appreciated!

Hi, so this is giving me an error. Probably a really simple thing, but how I'm wording I just can't find the answer by googling.
Edit: I'm editing the code to be readable. Also this is for WGU idk if that's allowed.

 // help here **************************************************** @Autowired @Column(name = "country") private Country country; <--- trying to import Country class as a variable. 

This is the class it's in

 package com.example.d288pa.entities; import com.example.d288pa.entities.Country; import jakarta.persistence.*; import lombok.AllArgsConstructor;import lombok.Getter; import lombok.NoArgsConstructor;import lombok.Setter; import org.hibernate.annotations.CreationTimestamp;import org.hibernate.annotations.UpdateTimestamp; import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired; import java.util.Date; import java.util.Set; @Entity@Table(name = "divisions") @NoArgsConstructor @AllArgsConstructor @Getter @Setter public class Division { @Id @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY) @Column(name = "division_id", nullable = false) private Long id; @Column(name = "division_name") private String division_name; @Column(name = "create_date") @CreationTimestamp private Date create_date; @Column(name = "last_update") @UpdateTimestamp private Date last_update; // help here **************************************************** @Autowired @Column(name = "country") private Country country; // help here **************************************************** @Column(name = "country_id") private long country_id; // help here **************************************************** @OneToMany(cascade = CascadeType.ALL, mappedBy = "division_name", fetch = FetchType.LAZY) private Set divisions; public void setCountry(Country newCountry) { this.country = newCountry; }} 

This is the class I'm importing.

 package com.example.d288pa.entities;import com.example.d288pa.entities.Division;import jakarta.persistence.*;import lombok.AllArgsConstructor;import lombok.Getter;import lombok.NoArgsConstructor;import lombok.Setter;import org.hibernate.annotations.CreationTimestamp;import org.hibernate.annotations.UpdateTimestamp;import java.util.Date;import java.util.Set;@Entity@Table(name = "countries")@NoArgsConstructor@AllArgsConstructor@Getter@Setterpublic class Country { @Id @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY) @Column(name = "country_id", nullable = false) private Long id; @Column(name = "country") private String country_name; @Column(name = "create_date") @CreationTimestamp private Date create_date; @Column(name = "last_update") @UpdateTimestamp private Date last_update; @OneToMany(cascade = CascadeType.ALL, mappedBy = "country", fetch = FetchType.LAZY) private Set divisions;} 

Hi u/PaloCommunity,
I've just finished writing my Discussion Post in the PaloAlto Networks Live Community. I'm copying the content (unformated) below. If you want to view it formated, go to following link: https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/next-generation-firewall/guide-quot-how-to-replace-firewalls-with-minimal-changes-quot/m-p/586777
~Foreword~
Last weekend we changed from old Firewall Hardware to new one.
On our Productionsite we switched from "PA-3250" to "PA-1410".
In our Datacenter, we switched from "PA-5250" to "PA-5410".

I am writing this article in case someone needs an easy way to replace old Hardware.
I wasnt able to find an article/discussion on this topic directly, so I'm writing one.

The Discussion/Article will consist of the following Points:

1. Foreword
2. General Information
3. Our approach
4. "How To" (TLDR)
5. How to replace a Firewall with "Device States"-Export (In Detail)
6. "Nice to know" Information

~General Information~
Some Information about our envrionment:
-We use Panorama to manage our Firewalls
-We use "Active/Passive" on all "HA"-Sites

Initial Situation:
-We wanted to do a "1:1" replacement/swap,
This means we wanted to:
-Use the same "Mgmt Ips"
-Use the Same Hostname
-Use similar Interfaces
-Use the same Ruleset
-Same Objects, NAT Rules, VPNs, etc…
-We wanted to have minimal Downtime during the swap


~Our approach~
We asked ourself: "What is the best approach for a replacement like this"
We thought "If we have the whole config in place on the new device, including Ips, Interfaces, Ruleset, etc., we should be able to "Unplug" the old Devices and just have the new one "Active" running".

After defining our way to go, we started searching on "How to export Config, including Ruleset etc"
Thats where we stumbled upon the "Device State*"
-What is "Device State"?
-Device State is essentially the config, including Ruleset, thats been pushed from panorama. (The device state contains ALL information pushed from the Panorama + the "running config". NAT-Rules, Interfaces etc. will also be included in this .xml)

Once we had this information we started on the replacement (TLDR follows, to save you time in case that verison is not feasible for you)


~"How To" (TLDR)~
(TLDR) Quick Rundown:

• Export Original Device State
• Setup new Firewall (Mgmt IP and Password)
  • Export "Device State" of new Device
  • Replace "Admin"-User in "Original-Device-State" with the "Admin"-User of the "New-Device-State"
• Import Edited, Original-Device-State to new Hardware
• "Validate commit"
  • CleanUp "Commit-Errors" in imported Config
• Commit
• Finished

~How to replace a Firewall with "Device States"-Export~

1. Export Original Device State

"How to export a Device State of old Hardware?"
● Go to "Device -> Setup -> Operations -> "Export device state""
Save the Device State with a proper name, youll need it later (PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz")

1. Setup new Firewall

You'll need to perform the initial Setup for your new Firewall. (CLI)
● Setup Password AND COMMIT
● Setup Mgmt IP (So you can access the Web-UI)
Example: set deviceconfig system ip-address 192.168.0.1 netmask 255.255.0.0

1. Export "Device State" of new Device

After successfully setting up "Mgmt-IP" and "Password" for the new Firewall, export the Device State of the new Firewall (WebUI)
● Go to "Device -> Setup -> Operations -> "Export device state""
Save the Device State with a proper name (PA01001_NewHardware.tgz")

1. Replace "Admin"-User in "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" with the "Admin"-User of the "PA01001_NewHardware.tgz"

You have to replace the Adminuser, in the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" with the Adminuser, of the "PA01001_NewHardware.tgz" because passwords are hashed by the device.
!The hashed password of the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" will not work on the new device!
To replace the Admin user you have to do the following:
● Open "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" and "PA01001_NewHardware.tgz" in "7zip"
● Search for "running-config.xml" in both device states and open it by hiting "Edit"
● In the "PA01001_NewHardware.tgz" Search for and copy it
Copy the whole block:

59193ioasdo%93osaPASSWORDHASH


yes



● In the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" running-config, search for and replace this user with the just copied user from above
● Save the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz"

1. Import Edited, "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" to new Hardware

Now, after you edited the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" to have the new user, you can start importing the device state to the new Firewall.
● Log on to WebUI of the new Firewall
● Go to "Device -> Setup -> Operations -> "Import device state""
● Select the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" file and hit "Ok"
You might have to reload the page (and maybe give yourself another IP) because the Mgmt-IP has now been swapped to the Mgmt-IP of the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz"

1. "Validate commit"

Now, once youve uploaded the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" you can hit "Vallidate Commit"
During this step you might see some errors that you have to clean up in your "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz"
Example of errors during the Vallidate:
deviceconfig -> setting -> management -> quota-settings -> chassis-quota unexpected here
deviceconfig -> setting -> management -> quota-settings is invalid
deviceconfig -> setting -> management is invalid
deviceconfig -> setting is invalid
deviceconfig is invalid
rulebase -> security -> rules -> Block_TorAddresses -> source 'panw-torexit-ip-list' is not an allowed keyword
rulebase -> security -> rules -> Block_TorAddresses -> source panw-torexit-ip-list is an invalid ipv4/v6 address
rulebase -> security -> rules -> Block_TorAddresses -> source panw-torexit-ip-list invalid range start IP
rulebase -> security -> rules -> Block_TorAddresses -> source 'panw-torexit-ip-list' is not a valid reference
rulebase -> security -> rules -> Block_TorAddresses -> source is invalid
rulebase -> security -> rules is invalid
rulebase -> security is invalid
rulebase is invalid
vsys is invalid
devices is invalid
log-settings -> correlation unexpected here
log-settings is invalid
shared is invalid

Example on "How to clean up "chassis-quota unexpected here""
● Open "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" and search for "running-config.xml"
● Search for
● Delete the whole block from the Device State:



16
32
5
2
2
2
20
20



● Save the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" again
● Upload the Updated "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz" and hit "Validate Commit" again.
● If there are still errors, you have to clean up those errors as well (might also be settings in "template-config.xml" for example)
● Repeat those steps until there are no errors left


7. Commit
After you cleaned up the commit errors, and "Vallidate Commit" does not display any more errors, you are ready to hit "Commit"
Once you've hit "Commit", you are done and ready to use the new Firewall

We had literally no downtime. The worst downtime with this method was 6 ping losses in our Datacenter.
It was my first replacement I've ever performed so I was kinda nervours at the beginning, but after the replacement of the first HA-Pair the way to go was pretty clear and I was calm for the following replacements.





~"Nice to know" Information~

• I disabled "ZTP" (ZeroTouchProvisioning) immediately after first boot of the new Firewall
• Remember to commit after changing the password via CLI!
• To have the smoothes transition of old hardware to new one, I recommend activating "Trial" Licenses for the new Hardware.
  • With trial licenses you are able to download content updates, EDLs, etc…
• Make sure the Interface speed of the new Hardware matches the interface speed of the old hardware
  • If Interface Speed differs, you have to swap interfaces (GUI or CLI) after successfully importing the "PA01001_OriginalHardware.tgz"
• If your setting up a new "HA-Pair" you have to export/import the HA Key of both new devices

If I'd had to replace Firewalls next week, I would use the same method. Once you get used to interpreting the Error Messages during "Validate Commit", its smooth sailing.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask and imma try to get back to you asap.

I am at my wit’s end. I haven’t had Chipotle in about five years and had a ridiculous week. I figured that they’re one of the more reliable and pleasant fast food experiences, so I ordered dinner for two on Sunday via the website. What has happened to me next since has been nothing short of Sisyphean. For anonymity and clarity, I’ll be referring to anyone from the customer chat as ‘Pepper’, including Pepper.
The staff was running behind when I got there but handed my bag to me directly by name. The sticker has my name on it. Got home — and the order was wrong. Someone else’s entirely. The vegetarian in my household suddenly had no dinner. Pepper gives me one entree, guac, and queso, via chat. That’s nice!
I go to order again, this time for delivery, and they aren’t able to process any online payments. So I order from Qdoba and I let Chipotle know there is a technical error. A few hours later, I receive two coupons for two more entrees. So now I have three entrees, guac, and queso. This is great and unexpected!
At this point, I’m very happy because I felt I was properly helped despite a rough few orders. But it was another busy week, so last night, I fired up the app and ordered from a different location. And this is where things collapse into pure burrito chaos.
I order my same order as before and apply an entree voucher with a tip. Hmm. The codes are all expired, even though the expiry date is a month in the future. Pepper and Pepper’s CS helper tell me that as a “one-time courtesy” she has placed a credit on my account for two free entrees. Which is great, but I didn’t need that, I needed new coupon codes for the vouchers I had. But — fine. So now I have four entree coupons.
It’s a different location. A brand new experience! I am told that upon arrival, they say that they accidentally made one order wrong, and are remaking it — they’re paying attention!! They care!! I am relieved and excited and very hungry.
The orders are wrong again. It is 11pm and I am once again, speaking with my new best friend, Pepper. But this time, Pepper’s helper is absolutely telling me that I am fucking with her for free food — she informs me that there are actually several vouchers in my account, which I knew, and she cannot add more. Okay, I get that, system limitations. Fine.
Can you refund my order? She cannot! But she can let the “leadership team” know how disappointed I am and ominously informs me that “the next time I am at that location, I will certainly not be disappointed,” but at this point, I’m looking at going to a third and new Chipotle if I absolutely must. She tells me to place the order in-person next time, which was not feasible for this particular two occasions. But, fine, Pepper, I’ll kiss Brian Niccol’s billionaire booty if it means my burrito bowl is correct.
I try to break the situation down further, and let Pepper know that the free vouchers are actually for several prior issues, and that I’d like to know what can be done on this occasion, given that once more, 50% of my household is again unable to eat the dinner I ordered. She repeats her stance on the leadership team in increasingly bizarre non-sequiters.
When will they get back to me? She has no idea! Will they reach out to me? Rest assured that your feedback is heard! Pepper, that doesn’t tell me if they’ll reach out to me. I finally release myself from Pepper after an earnest 45min of back and forth, trying to determine if there is any resolution beyond paying Chipotle money to randomly generate food for me, and I eat a bagel and I go to bed. I make the bagel for myself and unwrap it. To my surprise, it is exactly what I made when I made it, which confirms that I am not stuck in a strange, Chipotle-mutating reality.
So what’s next? Chipotle clearly thinks I’m bilking them one $20 burrito at a time, and I am absolutely astonished at the level of insanity that I have had to jump through to simply let someone know that I need a complete and correct order placed so that I can pick it up, digest it, excrete it, and move on with my life. I have spent more time communicating with Pepper this week than I have with my own parents.
I need to be released from this hellish Chipotle time loop. I don’t even want Chipotle anymore. I don’t want free Chipotle or compensated Chipotle or randomly-generated Chipotle. I want real currency so that I can purchase food at a completely different place and never, ever think about Chipotle again.
Chipotle: this is systemic and clearly affects you on a corporate level. Disciplining your underpaid workers for issues occurring on a corporate level will not suffice. Four issues on the website, mobile app, and at two separate store locations is so embarrassing to see. We used to love you in grad school. This is disgraceful and depressing, and I wish your leadership team a lifetime of incorrectly-cooked steaks and badly assembled sandwiches.

In the early stages of China’s history as a communist state, the Soviet Union was often referred to as Sulian dage, or Soviet big brother. China relied on it for weapons, funding and political support. In many ways the roles have now reversed. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, this month in Beijing. China has been accused of propping up Mr Putin’s war machine.
Chinese nationalists are pleased with the new power dynamic. In recent months short videos have been popping up online which play to their feelings of superiority and continue a tradition of using foreigners to aggrandise China. They feature pretty young Russian women expressing their admiration for China and their desire to marry Chinese men.
The women—with names like Natasha and Sofia—speak fluent Mandarin. They complain that Russian men are drunk and lazy, while praising Chinese society and technology. For a Chinese husband, the (mostly blonde) beauties say they would be delighted to cook, wash clothes and bear children.
To Chinese men, it may sound too good to be true—and it is. The videos are deepfakes, produced with increasingly cheap artificial-intelligence (ai) tools. They are relatively easy to make using short samples of real footage. With dubbing and video-editing software producers can transform any woman into a Chinese bachelor’s dream.
Olga Loiek, a Ukrainian woman studying in America, was shocked to see her image speaking Chinese with the Kremlin in the background. She found dozens of accounts using her face. “I was disgusted and felt like my personal autonomy was violated,” she says.
The videos, posted on social media, have drawn hundreds of thousands of views. Some are used to hawk products or simply to glorify China. They have recently come under official scrutiny. Last month China’s main cyberspace regulator announced regulations which, among other things, require the explicit labelling of ai-generated fakes.
In recent weeks the videos have become harder to find. But nationalists’ pride over China’s new-found status as Russia’s big brother runs deep. And the fake Russian women were attracting their attention. Don’t be surprised if they make a comeback.
https://www.economist.com/china/2024/05/09/why-young-russian-women-appear-so-eager-to-marry-chinese-men

Very random, but a friend and I were chatting the other day about quintessential millennial names, and I (born in 1991, Canada) realized I somehow don’t know any Ashleys, and never have (growing up/elementary school, university, workplace).
I was quite shocked considering it was the top name of 1991 (using American data since I don’t think we have Canadian data for that year, and we usually have similar trends). I also don’t think I have ever known anyone named Brittany (3), Kayla (12), Amber (16), or Shelby (33).
I thought it was a great example of how much your region, socio-economic class, and just random happenstance can affect the frequency of a name.
Someone can end up with a popular name and yet be the only one with that name (if I’d had an Ashley in my class, they would have been the only one). Similarly you could have an objectively less popular name and somehow not be unique — I knew multiple Emmas (123), Claires (162), Amelias (194), Paiges (96) and Olivias (61), despite all being objectively much less popular than Ashley.
Do you have names like this, where they’re objectively popular for your birth year or overall generation but you somehow don’t know anyone with that name?

Welcome to Elden Ring Online Coop guide for cracked / pirated version of the game. You’ll find everything you need to know in this post. This method even allows you to play Online Coop with friends who bought the game on Steam (as long as they download Goldberg emu) and will be explained further in this tutorial.
This method uses a combination of GoldbergEmu, ZeroTier, SeamlessCoopMod, EldenModLoader, and ModEngine2.
Can’t guarantee 100%, but almost certain that this will work when Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC is out. Reason why? This method works for every version after v1.04 of Elden Ring, so see no reason why this wouldn’t work in the future. Probably, will need to add Cream_api to it, but I guess time will tell.
Main Tutorial:

1. Download Elden Ring (make sure every player has got the same exact version, for example Elden Ring v1.10)
2. Download ONLY steam_appid.txt and steam_emu.ini: https://github.com/K3V1991/How-to-install-Seamless-Co-Op-Mod-for-Elden-Ring/tree/main/Game Put these 2 files in a new folder, so you know where they are. We will need them shortly
3. Download Goldberg Emulator: https://mr_goldberg.gitlab.io/goldberg_emulato click the long highlighted number '475342f0d8b2bd7eb0d93bd7cfdd61e3ae7cda24' to download
4. Extract it and open the folder.
5. Find steam_api64.dll file in there. Copy and paste it into the same folder where you saved steam_appid.txt and steam_emu.ini
6. Install Elden Ring. IMPORTANT! When you install the game make sure to have proper directory, otherwise ModEngine won’t work. It should be like this ELDEN RING/Game. Doesn’t matter where you choose to install it, but make sure the last 2 folders are ELDEN RING and inside it, Game folder. All the game files should be in here. For example mine is this: D:/Games/ELDEN RING/Game/
7. After installing Elden Ring open ELDEN RING/Game folder. Now, copy and paste steam_appid.txt, steam_emu.ini and steam_api64.dll that you downloaded in step 2) and 3).
   • For Steam players, back up steam_api64.dll before overwriting it. You’ll need this file to revert back to your Steam version of the game. Rename it to .backup Example: steam_api64.dll.backup*. When you want to revert it, just delete .backup*
8. In your Game folder also create a .txt file. Name it exactly this: steam_interfaces.txt (nothing needs to be inside it)
9. Okay. Eden Ring and Goldberg Emulator is done. Now, download the following 3 Mods:
10. Elden Mod Loader: https://www.nexusmods.com/eldenring/mods/117
11. Mod Engine 2: https://github.com/soulsmods/ModEngine2/releases
12. Seamless Co-Op: https://www.nexusmods.com/eldenring/mods/510
    1. Make sure all players are on the version of SeamlessCoop. Example: *Seamless Co-op BETA 1.5.1*
    2. Depending on which version of Elden Ring you have, you may need to check the compatibility. Download an older version of Seamless Coop that supports your Elden Ring version.
13. First, install Elden Mod Loader. Just need to copy & paste 3 files into your Game folder: mods folder, dinput8.dll and mod_loader_config.ini
14. Install Mod Engine 2. Copy and paste it into your Game folder the following files: mod folder, modengine2 folder, config_eldenring.toml, launchmod_eldenring.bat and modengine2_launcher.exe
15. Install Seamless Co-OP. Again, copy and paste into your Game folder the following files: SeamlessCoop folder and launch_elden_ring_seamlesscoop.exe
16. Important
17. First, launch the game using launch_elden_ring_seamlesscoop.exe that you've just put in.
18. When the game opens, it should say "Welcome to Seamless Co-op Mod".
19. We are going to set up Elden Ring to launch via Mod Engine 2. We can do this by running modengine2_launcher.exe file.
20. Make a shortcut for this and move it to you desktop. This will be the new way of launching the game. Change the icon to EldenRing.exe
21. We also need to move two of the Seamless Co-op files to your mods folder. Your can find this in your Game folder. *ELDEN RING\Game\mods*
22. Open Seamless Co-Op folder and move seamlesscoopsettings.ini and elden_ring_seamless_coop.dll into mods folder. Important to move the files and not copy paste.
23. Whilst you're at it, open seamlesscoopsettings.ini and change your password. The password has to be the same for you and your friends if you want to play together
24. Test if seamless is working by launching the game using modengine2_launcher.exe shortcut. You should be greeting again with"Welcome to Seamless Co-Op" message.
25. Every player will need a different Username and SteamID in order to connect.
    1. Open your Roaming AppData directory: C:/Users/USERNAME/AppData/Roaming/. Alternatively, press WIN + R, then type %appdata%
    2. Open Goldberg SteamEmu Saves folder, then settings folder. Edit account_name.txt and change your Username.
    3. Next, open user_steam_id.txt and change the number slightly for every player. (I just changed the last two digits)

Congrats! Elden Ring*,* Goldberg*,* SeamlessCoop*,* ModEngine2 and EldenModLoader have all been set up. The worst part is out the way. Next, you will need ZeroTier to host a LAN connection. It’s free and easy to use so would definitely recommend.
ZeroTier Tutorial:

1. Download ZeroTier
2. Only the host will need to create an account with ZeroTier to create and manage servers/ networks.
3. Create a New Network and join in it via ZeroTier app.
4. The Host will need to accept/authorise each player who joined the server via ZeroTier website.
5. Once all player have joined and the host has authorised them on the network you can now launch Elden Ring and enjoy Seamless Coop with your friends :)

How to join each others world?
This is fairly straightforward:

1. Complete the tutorial and enter into Limgrave where you find The First Step site of grace.
2. One player will use Tine Grey Pot to open their world.
3. Others will join it by using Effigy Of Malenia
4. To leave the session use Separation Mist

Can I use my old Save?
Yes. Just need to change the extension of the save file.

1. Open: *C:/Users/USERNAME/AppData/Roaming/EldenRing/(alongnumber)
2. You’ll see two files with .sl2 and .sl2.bak extensions. These are your old save files
3. To change them to Seamless Coop, make a copy and rename them to .co2 and .co2.bak You must have Show Hidden Files and Folders enabled in your file explorer to see AppData

Important
In this guide, I’ve showed you how to set this up with EldenModLoader and ModEngine2. Different mods will require different mod loaders but the vast majority will require one of these two. The important thing is not to get them confused with each other, as the folder names are very similar.

1. Elden Mod Loader: uses mod folder
2. Mod Engine 2: uses mods folder I’ve tested a bunch of mods and they’re all work fine for me online. Some of course wont, but you can check out SeamlessCoopMod Nexus page for compatibility

Not Working?
Please read and follow the tutorial properly, every step of the way. As mention before, this method works for every version after Eden Ring v1.04, so check which one you have. Also, you have to be on the same patch of Elden Ring as well as Seamless Coop as you friends in order to connect.
I would highly recommend to try this after a fresh install of Elden Ring, as you may have installed some mods or messed with some files before, that could affect this.
Failed: No sessions found

• Make sure you and your Friends:
  • Using the same Mod Version
  • Same Seamless Co-Op Password
  • Connected to a ZeroTier-like Program
  • Generated the steam_interfaces.txt

Yesterday I opened a store on Reverb to sell a few pedals I don’t want anymore. I went through the verification process uploading my data, the ID card and credit card details. In just a few hours I received 3 replies, but they all looked quite shady to be honest. I would like to use this thread to highlight the kind of environment that Reverb represents for new users. Actually, after less than 24 hours I’m wondering whether I should just close my account and sell my gear elsewhere. I sold stuff on many platforms over the past years. I've occasionally dealt with scammy buyers and sellers at some point, but this is the first time that I receive so many suspicious messages in such a short time and this really makes me wonder - as a new user to the platform - whether Reverb is a good place to be. I’m talking about 3 different users, all mostly trying to look like an automatic message from Reverb that’s asking me to provide all sorts of information (e-mail address, credit card details, etc.) all over again shortly after I published my first listing. One was particularly shady. Actually, they were all kinda shady in different ways. For starters, it’s just odd to receive this kind of “automatic” requests as a reply to my listings instead of receiving an email directly from Reverb. Anyway, here are the messages.
————————
Message 1:
This one was empty and I received it moments after publishing my first listing. The timing was so good that I really thought that it was a system generated message at first. It just contained an official-looking flier (very well put together) with the Reverb logo, some information and a QR code for the verification of my credit card. The name of the user was “Clients Centre” and it had as a picture a confirmation mark similar to the ones that verified users have on certain platforms (I realized only later that this was just the profile picture). This account was now disabled, but it definitely looked the part for a moment
————————
Message 2:

Dear [name of my store edited out], Our system has noticed unusual activity related to the [listing edited out] listing on your "[name of my store edited out]" store. To maintain the integrity and security of our platform, we ask that you verify this listing. Below are steps to help you begin the verification process: Remove all spaces from this link - information-product .shop/36fc84. Paste the modified link into your web browser. Go to the verification start and do not leave the verification page until it is complete, you will be notified by a technical support agent. It is important to note that pasting the modified link into your web browser is an important step to begin the verification process. If verification is not completed within the next 24 hours, we will be forced to temporarily suspend your store until the circumstances are clarified. This verification process helps us confirm your identity and the authenticity of your business. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter. We appreciate your immediate attention to this matter. Regards Agent Lisa. 

This one looked immediately like a pure scam. The link itself doesn’t even look official and I’ve never seen a platform sending you a link that you have to edit before using it. “Lisa Ag3nt” is also a very odd name and when I clicked on it, it already said “account disabled” so this was a no brainer.
————————
Message 3:

Неllо, this mеssаgе wаs sеnt аutоmаtiсаllу bу Reverb suppоrt bоt. Тhis сustоmеr hаs рurсhаsеd оnе оf уоur рrоduсts. То аvоid frаudulеnt trаnsасtiоns, wе hаvе intrоduсеd а nеw mеthоd оf rесеiving funds. Рlеаsе sеnd уоur e-mаil аddrеss tо this сhаt. Оn it will bе sеnt instruсtiоns fоr furthеr асtiоns. Rеgаrds, Reverb tеаm! 

This could look almost normal at a first glance. The customer had a name and a surname and the message wasn't asking for much. That said, I never received any e-mail confirming the sale and the idea that I have to send my email address in the chat as a reply to the customer who allegedly bought the pedal just to receive further “instructions” is odd at best. It’s just hard to believe that any platform out there would handle the payment like this. Not to mention that at this point I already experienced the warm welcome of the other two swindlers.
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So this is it. Now, I know that Reverb will not contact me like this and I do understand that stopping these people preventively isn't an easy task. At the same time, after my first day on Reverb, the scammer to user ratio seems surprisingly high in the worst possible way. Luckily for me, most of them were pretty bad at their job. I'm sure that there are a ton of honest people on the platform. I'm not trying to generalize here. Nevertheless, I pretty much experienced more phishing attempts in a few hours on Reverb than in 10 years of casual sales on eBay, Facebook and a variety of national platforms. I’m genuinely surprised by the amount of shady messages that a new store has to face on Reverb in the first 2-3 hours of activity. I don't do this very often, but I really felt the need to say these things publicly. Anyway, thank you for reading and have a nice day!

Holy priests are arguably one of the more boring healers in Warcraft to the point that people often refer to them as the ‘default’ healer. I’m sure there are more deep, underlying issues that Holy has but I wanted to try tackling them on a purely thematic level with some minor thoughts on a more gameplay-oriented level.
I aim to make more interesting spells that interact in a fun way that gives the holy spec a little more flavor than, “The default RPG healer”.
Quick preemptive self-defense though. This is all in good fun and purely theoretical. It’s always been interesting for me to speculate what a class or spec could be and rather than hoarding it all to myself, I thought it would be more interesting to see some other people's opinions and possibly inspire others to do the same. With that said...

• Make the Holy Priest a little more bard-inspired

Some of Holy’s biggest cooldowns are Divine Hymn and Hymn of Hope (Renamed to Symbol of Hope now). Singing to help your allies. You’ll notice other spells in the toolkit like shadow WORD pain and power WORD shield. Shadow has a spell called SILENCE for god’s sake. Basically, the implication is that priests are using their voices to channel their spells somehow. Why not...do more of that? Because I can’t lie, having several spells named “Heal” with different variations is killing me inside.
Plus, a bunch of the talent node names already lean into this! A few notable examples are:
Voice of Harmony
Healing Chorus
Gales of Song
Divine Word
Resonant Words
All the Holy Word Spells
Let’s make it so Holy is all about literally singing the Light’s praises. After all, if Shadow and Holy are canonically on two ends of the spectrum with Discipline being the proverbial middle ground, let’s really have Holy Priest’s be truly ‘Devout Feeling’ with their spell names. Double points if the spells end with a sung note or maybe a little arpeggio of a harp or something.
Let’s go through a few examples I’ve thought of and any non-obvious reasons behind each decision.
“Heal” -> “Holy Solo”
“Flash Heal” -> “Divine Etude” (An Etude is a short music piece)
“Prayer of Healing” -> “Holy Motet” (A motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, the name describes the movement of the different voices against one another)
“Circle of Healing” -> “Sacred Cantata” (A Cantata, (from Italian cantare, “to sing”), originally, a musical composition intended to be sung, as opposed to a sonata, a composition played instrumentally)
“Renew” -> “Grace Note” (An extra note added as an embellishment and not essential to the harmony or melody)
And now, I’ve saved my favorite for last. Its effect is decent but the name is so uninspired…
“Trail of Light”? More like... “Light Motif”!
A light Motif is a dominant recurring theme and what’s more dominant and recurring than spam healing?
The point is that there are so many possibilities with having the Holy priest being the spec that heals with singing, and unlike trying to shoehorn bards in as a new class, it makes some sense here.

• Holy’s New Groove

Ok, so all this stuff so far is just replacing words for other words and I know what you’re thinking…
“This doesn’t do anything to fix the fact that Holy is still quite dull compared to other healers!”
You’re dead right. The Priest’s Discipline spec currently rewards thinking ahead of what the encounter you’re facing will bring while Holy just sits back and collects red solo cups after the party is over. Let’s change that.
My main problem is with its mastery. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very “Good” when you’re thinking about the throughput and the pure numbers but it’s also a very “set it and forget it” style of gameplay and reminds me of the Shaman’s sometimes similarly maligned mastery that dishes out healing depending on how much health is missing. There’s no thinking required and frankly, Shaman have a much more interesting toolkit to justify it.
I think we would all prefer it to be more interesting like how Paladins generate more healing based on how close they are to the action which allows them to get in close with their other melee abilities anyway and encourages them to help out with the DPS. Excellent design decision. Win win win.
So the first thing is to fix the mastery and the new system I am proposing is…
“Mastery: Chord Progression”
To start, your basic heal will apply an effect to a targeted party member. This effect will have a very long uptime which can stack called Holy Note. (I’m personally imagining a buff that has a golden crotchet note with a little wing instead of the tail). Now your first Holy Note merely exists on top of the target and does a small heal over time in a similar being to how the mastery currently works, increasing with how much mastery you have.
A second heal to the target will apply a second stack and increase the stacked effect. This will change the buff icon to be two crotchets, stacked on top of one another. This will, again, increase the heal over time effect.
A 3rd heal to the target will complete the stack and heal the target with an effect called “Holy Chord” that heals more depending upon your mastery stat. Instead of just spamming heals over and over again mindlessly to get that powerful Holy Word spell you want back in case you need it, you instead work up chords on friendly targets. Targets that don’t require constant spamming will have heal over time effects up near constantly whereas targets that are dying and in need of healing will receive direct heals instead!
The effect is largely the same but with a little more thought and interactivity involved. If a target has two Holy Notes ready but is only at, say, 70% health, you can wait and focus on other party members until they drop a little more, and then you complete the chord.
So that’s the base outline of the spec. The long uptime of the buff rewards not finishing off the chord until you actually need it and still makes it usable in PvP.
The best part about it is that if we don’t want to be rid of the cooldown reduction mechanic that Holy is currently working with, it can fit very neatly over the top without changing anything too fundamental. The Holy Words might need some very slight tweaking to work but I don’t see any immediate problems with this system.

• New and Reworked Spells

Now, Holy needs some new cooldowns. Over the years, Holy has gone from having one of the most well-rounded toolkits to one that looks very limited in comparison. Shaman's can heal by sharing health percentages. Paladin’s have all their auras, Glimmers, and immunities. Evokers can fly and bombard people with healing, heal through stuns and other CC, and reverse recent damage taken. Monks are dashing around like no one's business and healing by punching them in the face. Let’s find some good stuff to give the Holy Priest.
Guardian Spirit stays right where it is. It’s extremely thematic to the spec identity by this point and I think it works well with the Holy Note system since you can leave a target with Guardian Spirit to die while you work on other targets with Holy Notes in the meantime.
Hymn of Hope (Not Symbol, change it back) can also stay because its raid and PvP utility is interesting and works collaboratively with other healers and DPS. A good singer should strengthen and work off those around them, right? It works thematically with this Bard theming we’ve got going on. Plus, having to drop it isn’t nearly as painful as having to quit Divine Hymn early. Speaking of which.
The first thing to change is Divine Hymn itself! Sure, on paper it feels very Holyish and it’s certainly quite powerful but ask any Holy Priest what its main flaw is and they won’t hesitate to tell you. You can’t move and nothing is stopping it from being interrupted from an interrupt, a knockback, a stun, or a pull, etc. There are so many instances I can think of where I wanted to press it so badly but I knew it would do more harm than good. Added that it’s often a dead button for me if I ever decide to try using Holy for PvP since in the rare event that I’m not being trained or chain CC’d, it’s so AOE-focused that it often isn’t strong enough to help anyone outside of a Battleground from behind a rock. It requires a PvP talent to make it more worthwhile which is very seldomly picked anyway.
I had a thought after playing Discipline for a while and having Ultimate Penitence available to me. It’s an incredibly fun spell that does a boatload of healing and/or damage while making you immune to CC effects and giving you a huge absorb shield to delay damage to yourself. It’s balanced by having a long cooldown that you can reduce but only by talenting into the following nodes in the tree.
I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that Divine Hymn is basically Ultimate Penitence but drastically weakened and less cool looking to boot.
My idea was to give it the same ‘un-crowd-controllable’ effect as Ultimate Penitence and make it do generally increased healing instead of a stacking effect to increase further healing afterward. The new ‘gimmick’ of it would either be that it would either expel enemies from within a certain radius once, like Anduin’s big bubble of light from the cinematic, or gently push enemies back from the priest as the center point. This would not completely negate adds or an enemy player’s walking speed having any forward momentum, but it would definitely aid in players trying to kite adds when they’re dying or from enemy players in PvP where that little extra distance would make the difference, and would also reward the priests choice in a central location. You could inadvertently push enemies INTO players, after all.
To top all of this off, I would prefer to have this ability further down in the tree to make it feel a bit more impactful of a choice rather than ‘almost’ mandatory’ where it is smack bang in the middle. A lot of spells in talent trees that are sat dead center in the tree feel like they're meant to be picked and I feel like Guardian Spirit should be where Divine Hymn is at the moment, not as close to the level 10 talents as it is currently. For example, Soul Swap for Affliction Warlocks, Invoke Yu’lon/Chi’ji for Mistweaver, Dancing Rune Weapon for Blood Death Knights, and Pillar of Frost for Frost Death Knights. I could go on but the list is pretty exhaustive.
Another thing I would like to change is very synonymous with Holy Priests but something that I think, overall, doesn’t see as much use as we’d like. Primarily because it relies on the priest dying.
Spirit of Redemption is a cool spell, the problem is that unless you take the capstone talent to make you revive afterward or you take the PVP talent to make it into a cooldown in PvP, you don’t really ‘want’ to trigger its activation requirements or have a reliable way of doing so in PvE when you want its effects. I do enjoy that now it allows you to resurrect an ally if you die so someone else can continue the fight but it’s more of a consolation prize or at worst, a reward for bad skill expression. It is also basically a required talent in Solo Shuffle as, if the priest dies, your teammates have 15 seconds to get a kill of their own to win the match or you take the PvP talent as a way more powerful cooldown.
What I would like to do is make the Spirit of Redemption a bigger cooldown spell but give it an obscenely long cooldown so you cannot feasibly use it more than once per fight. Like the Holy Word: Salvation spell without the possibility of cooldown reduction. Because you are losing it upon death, the gimmick here would be that it would last the full 15 seconds, you don’t use mana while casting and you can resurrect a party member instantly in that form(Outside of PvP). This would make the spell more central to the spec rather than as an add-on, free up a PvP talent choice node, and make the battle resurrection more readily available rather than having to wait for your death to use it.
Another such spell we could make SO much more interesting is Divine Star. The one people don’t like taking because who the hell doesn’t WANT to take Halo, right? Whether it’s effective in whatever format you’re playing in, it’s much more visually interesting and it just FEELS powerful, y’know?
Now to fix this, I’m going to do none of the work and instead do what Blizzard should have done by taking an idea from their own IP…Anduin’s Divine Star in Heroes of the Storm!
Yeah, I know they’ve stopped doing anything with HoTS but still…
In HoTS, it has had a bunch of effects over its tenure depending on the talents you take and most of them would make the spell more interesting in WoW. Maybe when it comes back to the priest, it could explode and heal party members or deal damage as Shadow near the priest since you’re already in close range due to the nature of the spell. Maybe it doesn’t even buff up the healing of the actual spell itself and instead interacts with your other heals by producing a stacking buff per enemy/ally you hit that increases the power of your next Flash Heal or Mind Blast?
We can also improve the lackluster mobility of the Holy Priest outside of always picking Angelic Feather by giving them the reverse Leap of Faith Glyph back as a choice node between the normal Leap of Faith.
The ability to jump to your allies was a worthwhile drawback to not being able to troll people as hard with the Leap of Faith ability when Glyphs were a thing and frankly, I miss it. I find that sometimes I’d rather be able to jump into the fray, especially as a class with an AoE fear effect, and the regular leap of faith doesn’t reward that playstyle as much. I remember back in Shadowlands that having Door of Shadows to jump in, disorient them with the covenant effect, and then Psychic Scream before running back out was actually really interesting and it’s one of the only things I miss from that expansion.
In terms of a new name instead of being a glyph, our new ability “Light Transposition“ will cause you to fly to your friend’s location just like old times. Stick it on a choice node with Leap of Faith and you have two differing playstyles almost immediately.
Now a major problem all healers have to contend with, especially to compete with the Meta of Discipline Priests and Holy Paladins, is providing some level of damage.
Not gonna lie, this is where I’m not sure about this idea since I already don’t ‘love’ the idea of healer’s DPSing and having to work around the base spells of the class now that they’ve been reintroduced has made this a little clunky so I’d love some other suggestions for this part. I’d prefer that healers offered utility that DPS do not have access to rather than extra damage but that seems to be the direction Blizzard is rolling in. Frankly, at the moment, Smite and Holy Fire interact with very little of the Holy toolkit outside of Chastise and Empyreal Blaze and we also have Shadow Word: Pain and Mind Blast. I fear that they will all just be tacked on to the toolbar with no thought and we’ll just have this myriad of spells to randomly fire off when we’re bored.
Personally, as a basic idea, I would consider removing Holy Fire as a button as, in the theme of removing bloat that War Within seems to be addressing, I think having Holy Fire as an add-on effect in the same way as the Monk’s Chi Wave is being remade would be ideal. It could function in the same way as Holy Note in that every three casts of smite would bring down a blast of Holy Fire which would give way to being justified in making Holy Fire feel a bit more impactful. Mind Blast could be used within this to ‘erupt’ the Holy Fire DoT, causing an effect I think I’d like to call “Discordant Notes” on account of mixing the void with the light which would either do additional damage or perhaps cause an extra effect like a slow or AoE damage around the target.
With this in mind, Empyreal Blaze could remain as a talent and cause Smite to proc Holy Fire two additional times when it next triggers its chord effect. Shadow Word: Pain would likely exist as just an extra DoT you can throw on as it is now or it could be applied through Mind Blast to clear up more bar space.
Anyway, those are just some thoughts I’ve had. I’m sure there are flaws in them and I’m looking forward to hearing them but I hope you found them fun to theorise around!

PLEASE USE THE FORMAT SHOWN BELOW WHEN REPORTING A BUG

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• Observed result:

Copy paste the above format and fill in your details.
Prerequisites to be noted before reporting a bug

A bug will ideally be accompanied with a screenshot or a video. This provides credibility to your report. Steps to recreate the bugs should be submitted if possible. This helps Rioters recreate the bug and helps them find the cause behind it. The bug must have been caused by the latest patch. 

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Confirming the status of bugs and fixes on a new patch is also appreciated.

Patch notes

Patch 14.6 Patch 14.7 Patch 14.8 Patch 14.9 Patch 14.10
Below is a continuous list of currently identified bugs:

Description	Details	Link	Patch	Status
Tactician's Crowns sometimes bench your entire board	Seems to be related to Tactician's Crowns	Link Link	14.6	Fixed 14.7
Call to Chaos rewards are different from whats stated	Text bugs	Link	14.6	Fixed 14.7
Senna cast fizzles if her target dies during her cast	Have Senna's target die as she hits full mana. The spell will be cast at the dead unit's location. (May be the expected behavior)	Link	14.6	Fixed 14.8
Wandering Vendor can spawn with 2 Zz'rot, but only 1 voidling spawns	Either 2 should spawn or Vendors should only generate with 1 Zz'rot	Link	14.6	Unique item now
Kayle revival sometimes stops fights entirely		Link Clip	14.6	May be fixed 14.8 (can no longer revive tentacle)
Yone skill stopped from casting after getting ulted by Udyr	Yone had QSS	Link Youtube	14.6	May be fixed 14.8
Rakan ulted multiple times in succession	Did not have to wait for mana to regen before ulting.	Link	14.6
Masterwork Upgrade can cause a unit to become unsellable	Use it on a unit with an item mid-fight	Link	14.6	Fixed 14.9
If you get a free roll from Primatic Reroll and wait til the next round, the free reroll is wasted	May be intended?	Link	14.6
Hwei's artist bench slot counter can overflow from 9 to 0.	Place a component anvil on it to stall the counter	Link	14.6
If you get Udyr encounter while you have an armory up you can block your shop	Happens if you fail to select a item in time	Link	14.6
Unit vanished from board as combat starts	May be related to Caretaker's Ally	Link	14.6
Recombobulator missed a unit	Happened during randomized augment timing portal	Link	14.6	May be fixed 14.8
Pick of the Litter only granted 1 unit	Bag sizes?	Link	14.6
Its possible to stack Kayle and Target Dummy on the same hex		Link	14.6
Temporary items from encounters can turn into permanent Support Anvils with Fine Vintage		Link	14.7	No longer possible but may still exist
Tactician's Crowns can be reforged	May require Trash to Treasure		14.7
After casting, if Yone's original hex is occupied when he is supposed to return, he can bug out		Link	14.7
Lucky Ricochet extra bounce may be bugged sometimes		Link	14.7
Instant huge damage	Not sure!	Link Clip Clip	14.6
Slammin' sometimes doesn't work	No items on item bench or unit bench		14.6
Yone and Udyr could CC through Quicksilver				Fixed 14.8
Build a Pal gives 3 2 star 1 costs, and the orbs can turn into gold if your bench is full	Either give a 3 star straight up or don't turn into gold if your bench is full		14.7
Teemo sometimes cancels an AA after casting		Link	14.8
Stage 5 PVE dragon didn't drop an item after being killed.	Maybe due to being killed by Lissandera?	Link	14.8
If you roll while travelling to another player's board, your board isn't considered when determining what units show up in your shop	For example, a unit you 3 starred can appear. Maybe this could also apply to things like Headliners	Link
Temporal Hwei from Lilia encounter can't duplicate units on your bench	The bench slot is highlighted	Link	14.8
Sett's Fated effect applies omnivamp to item damage as well	Put a Sunfire Cape on Thresh and watch	Youtube	14.8	Fixed and adjusted 14.9
Little Buddies doesn't apply to Xayah or Rakan	The bonuses show up when they are on the bench	Link	14.8
Nautilus sometimes ults towards sideline units (the other of Xayah/Rakan)	Sometimes he ults backwards too?	Link	14.8
Entire lobby couldn't use items	Game ID included	Link	14.8
Using Masterwork Upgrade on a unit then removing its items will give you the radiant item for free			14.8	Fixed 14.9
If Xayah and Rakan have Accomplice's Gloves and roll a Zz'rot, you can have two voidspawns	Change their form during planning phase	Link	14.8
Carousel not respecting unit pools	A 10th Hwei shows up on carousel	Link Clip	14.8
During portal selection, you can step off a portal option right as picking starts; if the picker selects someone who's not standing on a portal, there will be no portal ("nil_name")		Link	14.9

Raksha Bandhan, the festival that celebrates the bond between siblings, is a time-honored tradition filled with love, affection, and cherished memories. At the heart of this celebration lies the Rakhi, a sacred thread that symbolizes the unbreakable bond between brothers and sisters. While there are many types of Rakhis available in the market, Handcrafted Rakhis stand out for their unique designs, personalized touch, and artisanal craftsmanship. Let's delve into the beauty and significance of Handcrafted Rakhis and why they hold a special place in Raksha Bandhan celebrations.

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3. Passing Down Traditions: Tying an Ethnic Rakhi is not just a gesture of sibling love but also a continuation of age-old traditions and customs passed down through generations. By embracing Ethnic Rakhis, we ensure that these traditions continue to thrive and endure for years to come.

Ethnic Rakhi from Rakhi.com serve as timeless symbols of love, protection, and cultural pride, enriching the Raksha Bandhan celebration with their vibrant colors, intricate designs, and profound symbolism. Whether adorned with traditional motifs, crafted from indigenous materials, or inspired by regional art forms, Ethnic Rakhis embody the essence of India's diverse cultural heritage. Celebrate Raksha Bandhan with Ethnic Rakhis and honor the rich tapestry of traditions, customs, and artistry that define our cultural identity.

this is my first time posting on reddit, im looking for any kind of advice or input. i (17F) have been with my boyfriend (19M) for almost six months now, our anniversary is in 2 days. this is my first relationship and his second relationship, we’ve had problems since we started dating, we’ve never been in a fight over anything ive done, just gonna be completely real im a very anxious person and a huge perfectionist in every aspect of my life and since this is my first relationship i have been extremely diligent to do everything right, i cant say the same for him. hes hurt me emotionally so many times throughout this relationship, he can often be careless and doesnt consider me, and then doesnt see a problem with that. hes fucked up in so many MAJOR ways that have literally landed me in the hospital, no physical ab*se is happening, but he is still the cause of my reoccurring doctors visits. i wont get into all the ways hes hurt me emotionally and done shit thats fucked me over since this post is intended to be ab my current predicament with him, but i will just say that it gets BAD. hes never cheated on me as far as i know, i believe women should never trust men so im not saying this because i trust his every word, i just genuinely dont think he would have the balls to do something like that, plus i am literally the catch of his life. his friends and mine and just people we are acquainted with often ask me how he pulled me and say to him and i that im way out of his league, my boyfriend says this as well. i dont want to come off as cocky or anything like that at all, i am a very humble person irl, but i just want to paint the picture of our relationship for anyone who can help me out right now. i do know that im very very pretty, patient, caring, generous, kind, understanding, polite, and poised. i grew up with an eating disorder most of my life and never believed my appearance was good enough or held any value, so i made a point to not have a rotten soul, i made a point to really really work on myself on the inside, so that i could fall in love with being alive enough to realize that my appearance was not the most important thing. throughout the years my insecurity faded away and ive gotten to a point in my life where i know who i am, i know that im a truly good person, and i know that im really good looking. ANYWAY sorry for that whole spiel but it will be relevant when i get into whats happening in my relationship at the moment!!!!
my relationship has a lot of really good moments, i can be so real with him, we are always laughing on good days, he can be so kind and caring and chivalrous at times, i feel so safe with him in those times, i believe we have a really genuine connection.
NOW for the current issue… i broke up with him this march (we were only broken up for exactly 24hrs) due to the build up of fucked up shit hes put me through, him following pornstars on insta, liking girls thirst traps, disappearing to LA when i was in the hospital because of him, and the list goes on and on and on. my point is, one of the reasons was him following porn stars and liking that kind of content on social media. we are not an on and off couple, this is the only time we’ve broken up, and the whole 24hrs that we were we quite literally stayed on the phone, throughout the whole evening, night, morning, and his whole work day up until we met up to continue talking ab things in person. i was extremely explicit in the fact that his current behavior was unacceptable, i wasnt going to stand for it, and that i would have a 0 toleration policy for any boundary crossing, fuck ups, or general asshole behavior in the future.
i told him that i had 2 options, i could either follow through with my decision to leave him based on what has actually happened in our relationship, or i could trust him saying that he was going to change and give him a second chance. i am really in love with him and i want him to be a part of my life, as i want to be a part of his, so i chose to stay with him and give him the opportunity to prove to me he could be better, and continue to be a better man from that point forth. things have been really good since i made this choice, hes made a major effort to be better in every aspect, and made positive changes to his own life, he seems happier and seems to have more energy and more of a lust for life since this, and i am so happy to see that. i could go on and on but basically things have just been really amazing.
NOW FOR THE REAL TEA!!!! 2 weeks ago i found out i was pregnant, and had to take the abortion pill a few days after that, he was really amazing throughout the whole process, but its been hard for me nonetheless, the way doctors treated me, having to hide it from my mom, having morning sickness, the hormonal up and downs of it all, the fact that being pregnant is my biggest fear, combined with other stress in my personal life. ive been kinda down lately due to this, it was just a hard thing to go through esp at my age, but ive been making an effort to take care of myself, not slip into depression, and move forward with my life. ive been doing well more recently, but it was just a rough patch for me personally. my cat has also been sick since ab the exact same time i found out i was pregnant, and ive been super stressed ab that and losing sleep taking care of him all night and day, every night and day.
REALREAL TEA TIME. REAL TEA. since my cats not doing well, i decided to hangout with my boyfriend after he got off of work the other day, just to get my mind off of it, get out of the house, and enjoy life for a bit. we ended up having an AMAZING night, like seriously so good, i fell in love with him all over again ab 10 million times that night. at the end of the night we decided to go back to my place and sleepover there. he went to sleep soon after we got home, but i stayed up because i needed to take off my makeup and take a shower. before showering, i decided to go on his phone to send myself cute pictures we had taken and also to take a peak at what hes been up to. things have been so good lately and i wanted to prove to myself that i made the right decision in staying with him. unfortunately things did not go so well. i ended up looking through his phone for a few hrs because i found LOADS of hentai and porn he was looking at on reddit in his history, porn on discord, repeating onlyfans links in his search history (which were dated to the DAY after i found out i was pregnant and would have to have an abortion), i found a group he was in on facebook that consisted entirely of borderline porn, and i found messages he had deleted on facebook of him messaging a girl and asking her to send him nudes and telling her that she was sexy dated to when we first officially got into a committed relationship, his recent searches on reddit were all groups that consist solely of porn, his link history on reddit contained onlyfans links, and there were onlyfans models in his recent searches on insta as well. i was absolutely devastated, i was feeling so many things and wanted to end it right then and there, i decided to take my shower, do skincare and all of that stuff, go to sleep and tell him what i found in the morning. it was like 3am at this point. i finished getting ready for bed around 5:30am and went to my nightstand to plug in my phone, my boyfriend is a super heavy sleeper so i didnt think him waking up was even a possibility, but he woke up and asked me to come cuddle in bed with him, since he was half awake, i knew if i got into bed he’d start cuddling with me, and i could not handle that so id have to push him away, leaving me no choice but to confront him at that time instead of in the morning as i had planned. so i said “hey (bf’s name), do you wanna tell me why you’ve been looking at loads of porn on reddit” he quickly became fully conscious when he realized what was happening. he was still out of it but kind of trying to talk to me and ask me what was happening, i didnt say anything, i grabbed my pillow and a blanket and told him to go back to sleep and that we’d discuss it in the morning, he asked me where i was going and i said to sleep on my couch, then i gave him 2 options, i said he could either leave right then and there, or go back to sleep and we’d talk ab it later in the morning and i would sleep on my couch, but i told him we were not gonna have the convo right then and there. i went downstairs and set up my couch bed, then i was like wait a damn minute why am i the one sleeping on the couch, i came back upstairs and told him that i changed my mind and that he could either leave or sleep on the couch. he never made a decision and we ended up having the whole convo ab everything right then and there, i remained stern and i was clearly angry but i did not raise my voice or throw out insults. at first he tried lying to me and saying it wasnt him and all this other bullshit, but eventually he admitted that he has a porn addiction. i was still extremely upset, i understand that its a common thing in my generation, porn-like content is all over social media and so easy to access, but it still shook me to my core. porn addiction is a real thing but like idk how to deal with this, i am so hurt and feeling so many things, there was SO much of it and it all feels like cheating to me. this is making me question everything ab our intimate life, it makes me feel like it doesnt mean anything to him. idek when and how he has the energy to jerk off because we both have a high sex drive and see each other rly often, so we have LOTS of sex and im never the one to tap out after multiple rounds. its not vanilla either so its not like theres some sort of unfulfilled desire happening, i really do not get it at all, and i am SO unbelievably hurt. i dont know if i can ever move on from this or forgive him, or “help and support and reassure” him as he tries to quit this addiction. it feels like im begging my bf to only have eyes for me. like im support him in his endeavor to stop looking at other naked girls. nothing about it feels right and i dont know what to do. i love him so unbelievably much, but this changes everything, i wish this never happened because i do want to be with him, i just dont know how to, or if i should, now. any and all advice would be appreciated. i am completely undecided on what to do from this point on.

Raksha Bandhan, the festival that celebrates the enduring bond between brothers and sisters, is steeped in tradition and symbolism. While the sacred thread of Rakhi remains the focal point of the celebration, the tradition has evolved over time to include a variety of materials and designs, each with its own significance. Among these, the Silver Rakhi stands out for its elegance, craftsmanship, and timeless appeal. Let's delve into the beauty and symbolism of Silver Rakhi and why it holds a special place in this cherished tradition.

The Significance of Silver Rakhi

1. Symbol of Purity: Silver is associated with purity, prosperity, and blessings. Tying a Silver Rakhi symbolizes purity of intentions, heartfelt prayers for the brother's well-being, and a wish for prosperity and abundance in his life.
2. Elegance and Sophistication: Silver Rakhi exudes elegance and sophistication with its lustrous shine and intricate designs. Crafted with precision and attention to detail, Silver Rakhis are timeless pieces of art that are cherished for generations.
3. Symbolism of Strength: Silver is known for its strength and durability, reflecting the resilient bond between siblings. Tying a Silver Rakhi signifies the sister's commitment to protecting and supporting her brother, just as silver endures over time.

Celebrating Raksha Bandhan with Silver Rakhi

1. Choosing the Right Design: Silver Rakhis come in a variety of designs, from traditional motifs to contemporary patterns. Choose a design that resonates with your brother's style and personality, whether he prefers classic elegance or modern sophistication.
2. Personalized Touch: Add a personalized touch to the Silver Rakhi by engraving initials, names, or a special message. This adds a sentimental value to the Rakhi and makes it a cherished keepsake for years to come.
3. Accompanying Gifts: Pair the Silver Rakhi with thoughtful gifts that complement its elegance. Consider gifting silver jewelry, personalized accessories, or other tokens of love and appreciation.
4. Rituals and Prayers: On Raksha Bandhan day, perform traditional rituals such as applying tilak, tying the Silver Rakhi, and offering prayers for your brother's well-being, prosperity, and happiness.

Preserving Tradition with Silver Rakhi

1. Passing Down Heritage: Silver Rakhi embodies the richness of tradition and heritage, making it a meaningful symbol of familial bonds and cultural identity. Passing down Silver Rakhis from generation to generation preserves the legacy and strengthens the connection to one's roots.
2. Celebrating Modernity: While rooted in tradition, Silver Rakhi also embraces modernity with its contemporary designs and craftsmanship. It represents the seamless blend of tradition and innovation, honoring the past while embracing the present.
3. Promoting Artisanal Craftsmanship: Silver Rakhi is often handcrafted by skilled artisans who showcase their talent and creativity through intricate designs and meticulous craftsmanship. Supporting artisanal craftsmanship not only promotes traditional art forms but also empowers local communities.

Silver Rakhi from Rakhi.com epitomizes the beauty, elegance, and symbolism of Raksha Bandhan, elevating the tradition to new heights of sophistication and grace. Whether adorned with traditional motifs or contemporary designs, Silver Rakhi serves as a timeless expression of love, protection, and blessings between siblings. Celebrate Raksha Bandhan with Silver Rakhi and honor the sacred bond that unites brothers and sisters in a lifelong journey of love, support, and companionship.

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Minutes feel like entire hours while I wait for GalaxyTaco to return, and my anxiety is just mounting up like crazy! So instead of becoming a victim of my own fear, I decide to take a moment to explore the forum and see what I can find that's interesting!

The Sleeper section is by far the most active, with people commenting on their daily lives, talking about media, food and experiences in general. It’s so casual it almost makes me feel nostalgic for the good ol’ days!

I am… surprised. Mages watch anime too? I guess that makes sense, as magic is usually viewed as an intellectual endeavor, and it is not rare for intellectuals to have this sorta hobby.

“They even have an old timer section, for old timers like you.”

What? Old timer!? I am 21!

“Alright then, youngster. What anime is popular right now?”

Chlorine is pretty popular!

“That’s one of the Big Three and won’t stop being popular for a while, not to mention it’s all filler these days, that’s cheating.”

Alright then, big baby. How about Soul Devourer?

“That ended three years ago.”

What!? No it didn’t!

What about Ouran??

“Five years ago.”

Higurashi?

“Six.”

Lucky Channel?!

“Five.”

MEDUKA MEGUKA??

“Oh that one’s pretty new actually. That one was last year.”

Alright then smart guy, what is airing right now then!?

“Destiny/Zero, Girls and Tanks, Kitty Tale Black, Moon Brothers…”

What in the hell are any of those!?

“If you don’t know, I know even less! Idiot!”

I guess I am a bit of an old fashioned weeb.

“We are getting distracted. Remember what we are here for.”

Right! The Translation section! It’s rather unused, compared to the Sleeper side of it all. There are a few active translation topics but all of them seem to be focused on actual, current languages. Sure, there are a few in old Helenian and Latin but the others are surprisingly modern. Thereare some in Wohlian that immediately get my attention, but they seem like finished works.

Mostly directed by that ‘souseiseki’ bitch.

“Don’t waste time thinking of her. Focus on what you can learn from the books themselves!”

That is a good point. Once they are fully translated, the material is left available for anyone to take it! So I immediately go for the ones in Wohlian and Dobrand.

There are only five texts available, biographies all of them… except for what looks like a flier.

‘El Arte del Contrahechizo’ it read in Hesperian, ‘The Art of Counterspell’ in Dobrand. It apparently was an advertisement for a short lived ‘Combat Spell Course’ in Hesperia? Closed by the ‘Brotherhood’ for ‘breaking the sanctity of the secret’. Maybe this ‘Brotherhood’ is somewhat related to the cloaks.

Nevertheless, there is something in the flier that interests me: a Symbol!
Rune 6
I immediately start looking for it in the book… and what I find was overwhelming. This has to be the single most used symbol I’ve seen so far! It is in a lot of combined words, almost never on its own… but after keeping my eyes narrowed for a while, I find it.

Jo

As in “Hoh” or as in “Yo”? Bah, I guess I’ll find that out later, when I can actually start experimenting on my own.

Ah, damn it that’s right! I do need to go investigate the library! It’s huge too…

Hmm… What if I made a trip out of it?

The library closes at 12 for students, but if you stay inside you can spend the night working there! I could spend all night surrounded by books, coffee and the sandwiches some people sell there…

“That could mess with your sleeping schedule a bit…”

“Not to mention how useless the whole endeavor can be. What if you don’t find the damn golden symbol, huh?”

Won’t know if I try. This will be my last night staying up, I promise!

“Hmmmn… well, if you are sure about it.”

Yes!

Feeling energy surging through my body again, I immediately get up again and look for clothes, fishing for some cash and then trotting out of my room… only to be stopped by that Saints damned door again.

I swear, every time I see it’s worse. It becomes more and more ominous with each attempt to pass through it. I really, really have been going out too much these days, huh…?

“...I better talk with GalaxyTaco first, then I can go to the library.”

“Coward.”

“I can’t talk to them without the TER anyways.”

Walking back to the computer, I internally beg for GalaxyTaco to not have appeared on my contact list yet… but alas, fate is always working against me. There he is, right there. Well, at least I can solve this quickly and still get out in time… Maybe.

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx has begun messaging GalaxyTaco to your rescue!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: H-Hey!

I immediately cringe at myself for that written hesitation. Damn it, keep the emotions inside! Why must I be like this!?

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: This is Tav, you know, from the forum? n.ñ
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: oh hey dude! nice, I was wondering who the hell was this lol
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: ok, now we can talk proper.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: so… you just found the link somewhere, didn’t you?
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: unless I’m totally wrong and you were just referred by some cold mf

Alright. This is it… where do I go from here? I can’t exactly lie my way out of this without knowing much of the magical world. But that doesn’t mean I have to say all of the truth, right?

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: …yeah u.u
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I haven’t been Awake for a long time to be honest, and I found this link on a book I read at the local library.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: ahhhh shit.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: ok, that’s trouble
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: do you have a teacher?
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: No u.u
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: ok, you’re a bastard
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: not to imply anything about your family dude, that’s just how we call mages without teachers.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Ok that’s kinda mean xD
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: tell me about it.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: anyways, shit, uh…
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: ok, do you know what an Elysium is?

I don’t. But can I just admit that? I mean… maybe I can tell him I know where to look for it?

“What are you, stupid!? He’s assuming you know jack shit! This is your chance to squeeze all the information! MILK IT!”

A-Ah! Right!

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: No idea. I hope you don’t mean the other world? O.o
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: nope.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: an Elysium is a safeground in a city, a place where mages can go and practice legally.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: shit, I hope you haven’t been doing magic around people right???
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: No no! O.o I swear!
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: ok good.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: that’d get you in trouble with the Brotherhood in no time.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: The Brotherhood? o.o
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: The Brotherood of Black Pages.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Ominous… are they like, magic police? .-.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: sorta
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: you wanna avoid them as much as you can, them black cloaks.
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: I mean, you won’t be able to avoid them if you wanna get your license but, beyond that, avoid them.

Ok, that’s confirmation of a few suspicions. The Elysium is a place, I need to find that place, and the black cloaks/brotherhood were bad news, probably super strict or something like that. I am a ‘Bastard Mage’, still not very happy about the name, and I should look for instruction before I blow myself up!

xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Can’t you teach me things? ;w; the meaning of these runes and stuff?
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: sorry dude, I don’t have a teacher’s license
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: but tell you what. I’ll get you something that will help you for sure!
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: I just gotta talk to a few friends.
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Oh okay! Good! n.n thank you so much for this, Gal
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: hah, it’s no problem
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Imma be outside of the TER for a while so, don’t talk to me about magics until I return, okay?
GalaxyTaco to your rescue!: arite, thanks for the heads up! gives me time to talk to Aoi and Mort
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: Ok I assume those are your friends!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx: I’ll be seeing you later!
xXxCallMeBigCookiexXx has disconnected.

Alright.

No more excuses. I close my computer, take a deep breath and walk to my door. I try my best to ignore the shaking of my hand as I grab the knob and open up. The air in the hallways outside was cold, making me go back in, pick up my long coat and then right out I went again!

The descent in the elevator had never felt this slow…I am excited and nervous at the same time.

“This will be fun!”

“This will be a disaster. You’ll stay up for nothing, you hear me? Nothing.”

Taking a deep breath, I walk out of the elevator as it arrives at the first floor and wave at the night guard, stepping right out and checking my phone.

It’s already a quarter past eleven. I have time… but I may need to call a taxi.


Cities are completely different at night. I have never been an active resident of Party City or anything, but I have been in the streets at the high hours of night, at least back in my old town. I assumed stuff would be quiet here too in Saüle, but turns out I was completely wrong. There were people stumbling around the streets, ladies of the night smiling and parading themselves in some of the corners, a few college students clubbing and singing…

Only now I remember we are technically on vacation. Of course everyone is partying!

Drat, does that mean the library will be closed!?

“Too late to ask the cab to take you back home. No, you'll just have to freeze for a few hours.”

The taxi leaves me in front of the University’s main entrance. After paying and waving the guy away, I let out a deep sigh of relief when I see that the lights of the place are still on.

So either they leave the lights on all vacation or they are still open despite it all.

I try to jog along the dirt trail, straight for the library! But I quickly realize my body is simply not made for running. I still try to keep the pace, panting and gasping for air. Passing right by the Pharmaceutical Sciences building and the Biology building, feeling lucky that no one can see me fighting for my life like this.

The campus is gigantic, with many different buildings focused on the different sciences and disciplines taught at the University. The Library stands in the middle of it all, a perfectly square, five story building comfortably constructed on a plateau and looking over the entire campus. As cool and impressive as that is, it also meant a long climb a massive set of stairs…

“Saints damn it all…”

It’s a miserable jog, but eventually, I make it to the gates before the Librarian closes. An ancient lady of dark skin and thin white hair, eternally dressed in a black, long dress.

“Hmph. Right on time, night owl.” She says with a mix of annoyance and playfulness in her tone, turning her back on me as soon as she closed the door. “Do not run like that inside.”

Still recovering my breath, I just nod and walk towards the machines that scan your credentials. I fish my wallet out of my pockets, scan my old card, and then walk straight in, looking around the main hall with a tired smile. Ah yes… I've always felt more at ease in libraries and the like, especially when there are no crowds of people around. Right now I could see only a few furtive shadows sliding around, and no sandwich sellers at all! With some luck, the librarian will try to gain a few extra Empires by selling stuff, but that will have to wait.
Right now, we are back on the hunt for the Golden Symbol! I need to focus all of my strength on finding it this time, because if they really want it to be both private and easy to find, it has to be here.