Scholarships for short people 2011

This is a massive warning to all those in the local area of Columbus, OH who have been dating. There is a depraved woman out there and I need to share my experience.
I recently found out while Facebook Dating has less results, the people there are more friendly and Ive gotten some extra traction there. I will spare you the details but I finally matched with a woman in her late 20s. She had a funny name (which turned out to be fake), her name was Moby, but me not wanting to cloud my sense of humor I stuck with it. And after a week of talking, we hit it off with our first few dates.
She is around my height, a brunette, and likes to wear homemade vintage clothing which caught my eye in the first place since Im into fashion. We talked and flirted a bunch and she seemed to genuinely be into me as much as I was warming up to her!
This is the Glue Girl.
And after 3 weeks, I invited her over to my place. Im currently a field technician, so the money isnt great right now but I secured a decent condo 2 years back even with rising prices.
We head in and have dinner which was left over Rooster's, but unfortunately my AC was due to be repaired in 2 days, so we were sweating. She said she didnt mind since she is an avid hiker.
You will need to listen to this part. Yes we did the deed, but Ive remembered her mannerisms. She was very eager we would sleep together, yet never seemed too tired even at 1am after watching a couple episodes of Yellowstone (dont judge me).
Her purse was in the room of course, but it was quite large and almost looked like a mini suitcase but flabby with leather workings. Its a light green color.
Finally, when I got up to try to put some clothes on, she insisted it would "dampen the mood" and smile, so at the time I couldnt say no to that. Additionally it was hot inside even with the window open.
So we slept together under the covers with no clothes on. It was amazing honestly, but short lived as I fell asleep pretty quickly. We each had just a couple drinks but I still felt comfortable being around her.
Then morning came. I felt cold waking up, then realized the sheets were unruly and off the bed. Moby was gone and the door was wide open. It took me sone time to get to my senses, and the first thing I thought was to check my belongings. If this woman robbed me I honestly wouldnt know what to process because my feelings would have been manipulated.
Everything in my bedroom was luckily still in place. Tired as hell, I go to the restroom.
And thats when I realized I couldnt urinate.
Pain from blockage immediately set in and I had to bend over and clutch my sensitive areas. It was unbearable. I noticed the sticky substance earlier and thought it was you-know-what, but I was very, very wrong.
I kid you not I thought my balls were going to rupture as I called the police. It was an agonizing 5 minutes before paramedics arrived and sent my naked self to the emergency room.
This woman had drenched my penis with Gorilla Glue.
It was so bad my manhood is gone now. It had to be surgically removed due to how much glue came into contact.
I thought I was in a place of trust. I had the most connective night in awhile with a cool girl, but seriously this has messed me up a lot. I cant trust people at night anymore without extreme difficulty aside from my family members, who visited me in the hospital. Bless their souls honestly after experiencing a permanent and mind fucking change.
Do I even get married now when the future years roll in? Should I even try dating anymore let alone let someone sleep in my house, or me sleeping in someone else's place?
I maxxed out my medical leave days at work because I seriously needed some me-time and a lot of therapy. Like god damn I would not leave my worst enemy at the mercy of someone like that. Gorilla Glue, while funny when watching others use it and face consequences in media, is still an incredibly danferous substance.
And me being in the New York Times for having Gorilla Glue put on my dick is not fun. Some will see you and although they may not outright say "Hey! Your the dude that..." you can see the anticipation in their eyes, and kt gets so awkward.
But thats enough of me, because she is still out there.
Remember these characteristics -Goes by Moby (probably a new name now) -Wears vintage clothes with noticeable sewing work. -Has a large, light green purse. -In Columbus
-Uses Facebook Dating but may use other apps. I dont know why she would use Facebook Dating as her main operation but somehow her identity still cannot be found, even with Facebook's notorious data collection. That makes it even scarier.
Stay safe out there.

Long story short, my (46f) gay conservative BFF (m42) simply can not find a suitable partner. We've been best friends for 25 years. I'm closer to him than my own family. Objectively, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him other than a handful of idiosyncracies that we've all accumulated by this age. He's attractive (think Adam Levine), extremely intelligent, educated, fit/athletic and has a great job. Loves his family and dog. Seriously, nothing wrong with him. He doesn't fit into the stereotypical gay lifestyle and he just can't meet anyone. Where are y'all meeting like-minded people? I told him to slide into Insta DMs but he doesn't like to post pics of himself online and he doesn't think people will talk to him. I tried to send him to this sub reddit but he just not really an "online: person. He's tried the apps...Grindr, Tinder, Scruff and he's open about his political beliefs, but nothing has really panned out. Help me help him. We're in New Orleans area. Thanks!

I'm gonna try to make this sound as least self depreciating as possible.
For a little back story after my dad died I moved in with a friend from highschool and her mom Sally (names changed). It was supposed to be just for a few weeks until I figured something out but I kinda just never left (lol) Over the years we became closer and we see each other as family. The "problem" (for lack of a better word) with that is that they only see the good things in me. This is something I generally appreciate and was a great thing to have in my life. But they take all of my good qualities and believe that it should transfer well to me attracting and dating women. And on paper in a way it makes sense, I'm not going to list all of my good qualities cause it makes me feel wierd. But I'm told I'm a great guy.
However I'm bad with relationships. Growing up every relationship iv ever seen has been almost transactional at best, and borderline abusive at worse. My dad had a tendency to date women that would let us live with them. And my birth mother could be pretty manipulative and never got over my father. My siblings had similar problems in there lives, having children young and generally having really bad times in life. I've had several partners growing up in all of those relationships I find myself starting out with good intentions, like I really want to be a good boyfriend, but eventually I find myself hurting or manipulating my partners, Almost "getting bored" of them, then love bombing them to compensate for those feelings. And generally showing these flaws that I hate about my birth family. I'm almost sure that if it wasn't for my religious celibacy I would be a dad by now and I hate that.
Sorry I'm kinda rambling rn, the short of this is that when I'm in relationships I hurt my partner, I don't like hurting people but I can't stop, I show several narcissistic behaviors when dating and it's better if I'm just single, at least for now. Now I know it's just in a mom's nature to want there children to get a partner and eventually start a family. And since I left for college and gotten more stable in life she has been pushing harder for me to get out there and find someone. This makes me irritated as I have told pretty much everyone that I'm good and thriving being single. I also realize that her comments are based on love and I don't want to be mad about that. I also don't want to make it seem like I'm throwing that love back in her face, when all she wants is the best for me. I just want these comments to stop.
How an I tell her I'm not a good boyfriend without having another conversation about her trying to convince me that I am. That is not something I can except right now and I don't want her to feel bad.

I'm 20 years old in college home for the summer, and I can't do this.
I have first-gen, incredibly strict Indian parents. My high school experience with them was awful. Think of all the cliches--needed to be the best academically (ended up being valedictorian of my school and getting a full tuition scholarship), no freedom at all (curfew was 8pm, no leaving the house more than 2x a week even if it was a club, they didn't think clubs or extracurriculars were important), no driving (even though I got my license at 17), physical and mental abuse, threats, etc etc. To make matters worse, I ended up losing all my friends my senior year. The only person that stuck with me was my boyfriend (secret, of course), and we're still together (4 years now).
College was the best experience for me. I made all new friends (except they all live 2+ hours away from my home sadly) and my bf and I are making long distance work. Coming home last summer was fine because I was only there for a month because I got accepted to this research program which I begged them to let me go to, and they did.
This summer, it has only been 1.5 weeks and I'm losing it. My bf just came back and I always make an excuse to see him, that I'm seeing my old "friends" and they don't question it too much but my curfew is still 9 PM. I came home last night at 9:35 PM and I got yelled at, slapped twice, and screamed at about how I have been spending too much money. I literally worked 2 jobs in college last year and have a virtual summer internship. This is MY money. I'm still not allowed to drive, despite having had my license for 3 years now. When I am allowed to drive, it's only like 3 select locations (all no highway) and I have to use our small, crappy car. I need to do shadowing this summer because I'm a pre-dental student, but I'm not allowed to literally drive to do my shadowing hours. My mom takes the small car to work (she refuses to drive anything else) and my dad works from home so we have the big car completely free but I'm just not allowed to drive it at all.
These are just the recent things but there's so many things that I can't do. I've missed out on trips with my friends, concerts with them, etc. My friends (like a group of 15 people are going) recently invited me to this concert in one of my friend's hometowns 2 hours away and offered me a place to sleep but ofc I can't go! I even tried asking and reasoned out how I would get there via public transit and I just got laughed at. It's all my money, too.
The worst part is, even though I've had the best college experience (because they go to bed at 9-10 PM they don't check my location that late, so I've been able to party and finally have that taste of a normal life) and met the most amazing people, none of them can understand this at all. Most of my friends are Indian/Asian and I know a lot of people but everyone I'm close to just doesn't have this problem. I feel bad ranting to them because they don't know what to say or do. Even when they do try, it's things like "try to sneak out" (cameras, motion detectors, etc) or "better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission" like they don't fundamentally understand how bad it could get if I did that.
I'm just stuck. I don't know what to do. I don't know when I can go out with my bf next. I even have to ask permission to go on a walk/run around our neighborhood and need to be back my dinner and can't stay longer than 1 hour on the dot (dinner is at 7:45 PM).
I don't know what to do. I can't get a job because first of all, even though they complain about money to me all the time, they wouldn't let me get a job because it's too much freedom and driving. Secondly, I'm studying for the DAT (Dental Admission Test) this summer and I can barely even concentrate at home because the second it turns 3 PM the TV starts blasting and they're always yelling at each other. I tried to ask if I can go to the library to study and focus, but again they yelled at me about the car thing and then how it would be a waste of gas money and how I can study at home and how I should be waking up at 6-7 AM to study if the house gets loud around 3 PM.
I hope someone on here can understand, even partly, my frustration. I wonder oftentimes what I have done wrong to make them treat me like this. I have talked to them about all of this countless times, and I am currently ignoring them both (only saying yes/no) while also trying to do everything "perfectly" so they don't have anything to yell at me about because they're mad about me coming home at 9:35.
Please help. I just don't want to live like this anymore. I fear this will be my forever.
If I get into my state dental school, my dad said he would want me to commute because it's cheaper but I would be living at home. I would end myself probably. I can't even think about that right now.

First Previous Wiki
Ezeonwha was walking down a long hallway. The dry and plain painted walls and the pure white lighting of the lower levels of the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office helped to frame the dingy realities of those who could only afford these floors. Not even capable of having windows, these were for those who were the cheapest of the cheap or those who mingled with them. He'd passed several Guides on the way in, their claws echoing in the halls as a sign of authority in this lawless land.
Here, mediocrity was king, and he was a loyal servant. He drew his cloak closer about his neck, unwilling to reveal himself to those who weren't already equipped to see through it all. He was famous enough to be an abduction target if he let his guard down. This place was no exception, though Justicar tried to make them such. Too much security on the higher levels and too little on the lower levels. That was the way of things.
Another hallway, this one marked with bullet holes. Two contractors and a Guide were discussing the pricing of the fix project when he turned the corner. Their voices quieted to nothing, the stillness pressing down upon them with the same intensity as the false lighting. Ezeonwha clacked his jaws, giving them a low bow before continuing on his way. He saw the Guide's eyes light up with the sign of his implants getting a reading. It was another impromptu way of tracking via facial recognition, but it was an ancient practice.
Nothing was new about what the Guides did; only how many of them seemed to be on general patrol. Had Justicar hired more of them or actually done full conversions for all of them? Those arm cannons surely weren't cheap or ethical to insert into unwilling participants. And giving a victim a gun they couldn't be disarmed of was a very bad idea, even for Elders. And Justicar was better than most Elders when it came to abject stupidity. He'd likely only been dropped a few hundred times as a child versus the more likely Elder average of a few thousand.
Ezeonwha chuckled at his internal joke, heading deeper underground into the complex. He was going to a certain meeting, and it would be best not to be late. Even if the Guides tracked him, it wouldn't be negative. The group he had been approached by a few days ago wasn't a terror group. He'd looked them up. They dealt in 'freedom and liberation from all chains.'
The Eyes Of Liberty had focused upon Penny as their latest propaganda target and perhaps as a valuable ally in their fight against all tyranny. Though such a flowery message was likely steeped in idealism for the lower ranks, with more pragmatic and likely richer inner circle elites and leaders ensuring the pot would always simmer but never boil or grow cold. That was the way movements such as these managed to skirt the line between inaction and terrorism.
It was a dangerous thing to do. But these were dangerous times. If Penny left, he'd die. Someone with a grudge would kill him. It was a given, and he'd made peace with it now. He needed to get to work, to help others like him and those worse off, with just a small piece of the meager time he had left.
He was in the system as a friend of Penny, so little scrutiny would fall on him as he came and went. He had a new friend, one who was very interested in connecting to Penny.
The offer had come through his communicator, and he'd answered it given its interesting title. After a lengthy discussion about their goals for him and Penny, he'd agreed to at least have a meeting. He didn't tell them that he had a tracker from Phoebe, which would 'be impossible to miss' if things went badly. He knew the value he had, which was why one of the androids was also accompanying him under the guise of being a Sprilnav.
The android was 'walking' on all fours, its mechanical motion entirely silent. It was obscured by a wave of holograms and hard light holograms that would ensure that it wouldn't be considered suspicious beside him. His only guard was a capable one, and Phoebe had all the confidence of an AI who knew that the destruction of her android would only be an inconvenience for her.
Ezeonwha came to an unmarked door with a well-worn door frame. One knock. One pause. Two knocks. Another pause. Four knocks. He waited, and the door swung open. Eight Sprilnav greeted him warily but warmly, their eyes shifting to Phoebe.
The inside of the room was a dull red, coming from a pair of lights in the center of the ceiling that cast dark shadows near the edges. The whole room felt dark and dangerous, and the walls were lined with guns, computers, and several drones. Shelves and drawers were neatly stacked against the wall, as well as five couches and four double beds with ladder access to the top portions.
Bags of food rested atop a trash compactor unit, and the room service button on the inner side of the wall that Ezeonwha could see in the mirror was worn down to the raw metal. No paint jobs here, only grit and business. The room faintly smelled of body odor and assorted foods. Not entirely unpleasant, but also not what he'd expected from a group with sich a flamboyant name. Perhaps they worked in cell-based units. And that was another thing.
Minds were visible in the distance of the mindscape, but the people here were huddled together mentally. They appeared to be haphazard, but Ezeonwha recognized an old army-type defensive formation a mere step from each of their positions. They were more than they appeared. Though based on how their room looked, they probably weren't veterans, just decently trained.
As they walked through the doorway, a scanner activated. One of the Sprilnav, wearing a headset with numbers and letters swirling on the inner side of the visor, called out: "Phoebe android. Commando variant. Risk assessment: Certain Death. Ezeonwha. Carrying two pistols, one hidden in the pack on his left, and the other tucked inside a strap near the lower bottom of his chest."
That made them all pause, sizing each other up. Ezeonwha smiled nervously, failing terribly to break the building tension once again. His nerves started to get to him, but finally, Phoebe spoke. "Well, friends. I, for one, am happy to talk of the business of liberty. Tell us, what do you have in mind for my friend Ezeonwha?"
"It is not about him, AI. It is about the freedom all sentient beings deserve, and which we shall bring to the galaxy no matter if we are alive or dead."
"An honorable goal to strive toward," Phoebe said.
"Thank you. Your words are quite kind for your type."
"I didn't know I had one," Phoebe replied. "But thank you."
Ezeonwha turned his head toward the Sprilnav with all the fancy equipment.
"What is the best way for me and Penny to help in the fight?"
"The best way would be for you to start killing the gang leaders you come across. Barring that, have Penny ignore the graveyards, and continue freeing the slaves as she ought to. The dead have their freedom; the living need her work more."
"I agree with my companion," another of them said. "So far, Penny has done more for the fight for justice than any other on Justicar in generations, so it is a terrible thing to ask more, but we must ask. Even knowing the terrible toll it would have if she loses the Judgment, Sprilnav are at stake."
"People are at stake, you mean," Ezeonwha said. "There is no need to bring species into this."
"There would not be, but it is still a clear factor," another of them said, a female who looked more shifty in her gaze and demeanor. The Eyes of Liberty seemed like one of those groups with too much division.
"Do you disagree with each other often?" Ezeonwha asked innocently.
"Here and there," the tech guy said. "Not often enough to be a problem, and not when what matters is at stake."
"But that is the thing. How can you agree on when something that matters is a stake?"
"Is this a test?"
"Why would it be? Think of it as a genuine concern," Ezeonwha said. "To associate with your group, I have to be certain it will be resilient to change and risks escalating in the future. If the gangs cannot strike at Penny, they will pick the next best targets. Currently, that is me. If I associate with you in a way they can find out, and I assure you they will find out eventually, you all may be at risk as well. And your group's seemingly cell-based design also means large scale mobilization is difficult, ineffective, and risks severe coordination issues which cannot be quickly or safely remedied without changing core security features of it."
"You deduced all of that from context? You are smart, Ezeonwha. And have a good brain in your head. Everlasting knows we need one of those between all of us."
They all shared a laugh.
"I am not as young as I may look," Ezeonwha said. "Penny is not properly learned of the danger that faces us here. I am. The Underground will kill me when this is over. Do you want to die alongside me, all for your beliefs?"
Silence descended again. Ezeonwha kept the pressure on them when one of them stepped forward. "For freedom and liberty? Yes. I would die for that."
"As would I."
"And I."
They all declared the rest in orders that followed the patterns Ezeonwha was noticing. There were variances in their levels of belief and faith in their purpose. Each person had a different level of value difference, which meant that their lives would be worth more or less comparatively.
Cohesion was weaker, too. Not a full defector team, but likely pieces of several. Was that by design from a higher up leader, or was that just circumstance? Another thing to figure out later, that wasn't critical yet, but he would know before he truly went on any missions with them, if he did at all.
He suspected running messages to Penny would be the majority of their tasks. The quality of intelligence the Eyes of Liberty had offered was substantial. Perhaps enough for Penny to turn herself from a major annoyance to the gangs into an actual existential threat. With Justicar's swarming protection of the Fort Court and the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office, there was a limited amount of things that even the gangs could do. And if the rumors were correct, a Progenitor would be partaking in the trial.
"To be clear, if I join up with you, Phoebe would come too."
"Why would we let an AI join us?"
Phoebe smiled. "Without me, you'll die in this fight. You have trained for around 2000 days. You're acceptable combatants, as is Ezeonwha. But you are fighting in a city, and underneath it. You need to know how to keep a low profile. You need to know how to move through a crowd, get in and out. And you need to keep collateral damage to a zero, or the gangs will use you like they have others who had your purpose and were less careful to justify their 'protection' continuing. If you march in there and kill 50 slavers, if you kill a few slaves or a single bystander in the process, your credibility will be smeared. And frankly, with me on your team, you won't get blown up by an IED when you try clearing your first room in a fortress."
"IED?" One of them asked, while the rest digested her statement, going through various levels of offended looks.
"Your translator is too cheap. Improvised explosive device. Here, that can be old engines, reused oil, cracked plastic, frictional fuel bombs, circuit extruders, sodium splash grenades, as well as the more military style attacks they can pack, from small micro rockets all the way up to lower level fission or fusion bombs. Though if you're in a fight with those things involved, you're already dead."
"Why?"
"Because unless you're Elders, or holograms, a nuke will kill you whether you're right next to it or just inside the same shield. They concentrate the thermal pulse, so your bones would be ash before the pain hit your eyes."
"And what protection could you bring against that?"
"Telling you it's there before you start the attack. That is, if you listen to me. I value your lives over that of this android, but also I value Ezeonwha over all of you combined. I will not prevent him from doing this, but I will have you all know the risks involved."
"We are prepared, Phoebe. We have done much of the training you say, though we do not believe the gangs would plant explosive devices in their own fortresses. There is too much risk around that, with betrayals so common. However, the minefields we have scouted are easy to defeat with the right tactics. Perhaps you can give us a briefing on those, too?"
A challenge.
"I can, depending on how long you wish to do this for. But I have the stamina for either hours or weeks, depending on which you choose."
"What of your batteries?"
"They are of sufficient quality," Phoebe assured.
"I hope so."
Their tech guy nodded, more numbers flashing on his visor. Ezeonwha hoped he had a different way of display, like through an implant or something, for the missions in darker areas. The Underground was, by its name, not a place where much natural light was to be found. And the gangs controlled all the power systems in their territory. It was another part of the racket.
"Why aren't you guarding Penny?"
Phoebe's back straightened, a subconscious posture change to make her seem more confident. Ezeonwha caught the tactic for what it was, though without extensive knowledge of bipedal forms, it was less likely the surrounding Sprilnav knew it.
"Penny proved before a trillion eyes she's capable of fighting Elders, Progenitors, and a Dreadnaught Captain. Not to mention her immense power. I can shoot bullets, but she can literally snatch them out of the air and eat them. She has her own way of doing things, and it is a good way."
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Penny landed in the rubble and headed for the Vaquah with a trail of survivors behind her. Many of them, she could recognize the marks of slavery on, with numbers or brands on their skin or just the trauma crouching in their eyes dulled by the pain of a long life in a work camp. Penny went through the wreckage to the shield surrounding the rubble and the defining line between the rest of the city and the destruction. Several news drones flew above her.
More were arriving from various directions. The soft footsteps grew into a constant drumming sound, like a beating heart of doom. Penny marched with them, heading to the spaceport. A large medical operation there quickly rerouted many of its various branches to the most injured freed slaves.
Penny pressed her considerable psychic energy on the entire group, accelerating their healing, slowing bleeding, and generally repairing their bodies and cells from the trauma they'd suffered. But the cloud over their heads did not brighten. The atmosphere remained tense and mournful. Many of them had lost friends, family, and more. She had no right to ask them to feel any different.
She had freed them, that was all. They were not her servants. She was not their ruler.
Several of them came up to her, offering thanks in the small ways they could. Kind words. Attempts at hugs. Even offers of devout prayer and worship, which Penny respectfully declined. She knew, as did most of them, that veneration for her deeds was inevitable. She didn't want to be seen encouraging it at all, since this was a public place where many eyes were upon her.
She knew that it would be misconstrued as a threat if she did. Religions were some of the most major threats entrenched powers could face if not properly co-opted by the state to suit their needs. And here, the 'state' was a military dictatorship billions of years old, ripened with corruption, money, and the immortality of Elders sporting technology beyond any other in the galaxy.
The sky was blue with shields overhead. The Vaquah hung in the distance, its thrusters gently burning to keep it aloft. A trail of shuttles linked the massive ship with several spaceports, including this one. Penny watched the freed Sprilnav get on it one by one, promising themselves to a new life aboard her ship. Technically, they were citizens of the Autonomous Peoples' Stars.
That protection, Penny knew, was why the Vaquah and its innocent inhabitants were still intact. Elders already had hired mercenaries to attack it. They'd failed, thanks to Rimiaha and Penny, but also the defenses of Kashaunta's Grand Fleet when it was in higher orbit. Kashaunta, despite her willingness to use Penny as she would, also had a certain intelligence and empathy. It was highly selective, and only money and power seemed to flip that switch.
But Penny needed the Elder, and Kashaunta only had use for her as an asset. She palmed the new communicator Kashaunta had issued her after the last one's destruction. Kashaunta's hologram appeared. It looked around, noticing the news drones in the air.
"Not here."
"Where?"
"You will know."
In the mindscape, a Sprilnav appeared on Penny's layer. They felt odd to her, almost like the minds of certain humans high up in the hivemind's network. Penny greeted the Sprilnav warmly.
"Hello."
"Queen and Elder Kashaunta requests your presence on her flagship."
"Very well."
In reality, Penny looked around at the crowd. She waited until it dwindled to nothing, and then spoke.
"Displace."
Conceptual energy twisted, and she stood on Kashaunta's flagship, though nearer to the edge than she'd expected. The Elder was waiting for her in an outfit that looked much like pajamas, though they were under a few armor pieces that appeared anything but decorative. Now that Penny noticed it, it was the same sort of armor that Yasihaut had worn to their last encounter, which interfered with conceptual energy. The Sprilnav were highly advanced. She wondered just how far their technology could go. She'd heard mentions of some ships having artificial gravity, and of nanites and programmable matter. But nothing certain.
"Hmm," Kashaunta said, giving Penny a once over. "You have come back. Shall I assume you are still my ally?"
"Nervous, are we?"
"Nervous is what you should be, Penny. The Judgment is coming. Ten days. Indrafabar and Justicar will both be on the court as High Judges. That is not good for us at all. So I figured a bit of prudence was in order. I have thought long and hard about this, and with the great battles of our time so fast approaching, I figure it is time to mend our relationship before the chasm grows any wider."
Kashaunta motioned to a special looking sword sheath on her back. Slowly, she drew a sword. A Soul Blade. Penny began to draw up her armor.
"Oh, I am not wishing for a fight, Penny. I know the damage you could do, even in my sanctum in the sky. Tell me, do you know how Soul Blades are forged?"
"No."
"Good. And tell me, do you know why they draw so much power to swing, even for Elders and beings as capable as us?"
"I have a few theories."
"I am sure you do," Kashaunta said. "But here is the thing. Soul Blades are typically weapons assigned to highly promising Elders, or even Progenitors. Filnatra, undisputed sword master that she is, can wield them as easily as breathing. If I were to swing this blade, there would be no drawback. Why?"
"Because you own that Soul Blade."
"Because this Soul Blade is mine. It is not just something I own. I own around seven or so more Soul Blades, with some weapons nearing their quality lying in my various vaults even now. You did not detect them, because I willed that not to be. I need you to understand this, Penny. You have power. You have might. But you are not invincible. My Soul Blade, if it struck you, would not cutely separate Nilnacrawla or Cardinality from you. Nor would your speeding space entity be able to block this blade with his flesh. If this cut you, it would release unending agony upon you before you exploded in a burst of burnt gore."
Penny sighed. "There is no need to threaten me. Allies do not threaten each other."
"But you do not see me as an ally. You see me as your means to get through the Judgment. You believe I see you as nothing more but a linear singularity maker, and perhaps a passing curiosity I'm backing on a whim. You neglect to imagine that there might be firmer reasons why I back you, and why more Elders are getting drawn into this conflict. You believe I am comfortable with showing you my more pragmatic and ruthless sides because I am comfortable with the fact that you cannot harm me. That you would not dare to do so, when you need my assistance so badly. That I might even be aiming to normalize my 'new' self with you."
"That is hardly my belief alone."
"Is it now."
Kashaunta grinned. There was no warmth in her gaze.
"Nilnacrawla," Kashaunta said. "Cardinality. Exile. Come out and show yourselves. You are being rude as guests."
Exile detached from Penny's head. He grew into the shifting array of fractals and shapes she was more familiar with. What had once grated on her eyes did so no longer. Kashaunta stared at the speeding space entity for ten seconds, then looked back up at Penny.
"He will not work on us. I will cover his form with holograms if he walks through my ship out of courtesy for my workers and crew, if he cannot."
"I am capable, Queen Kashaunta."
"You are quite knowledgable, aren't you?" Kashaunta mused, looking at him hungrily. "Oh, how I wonder what secrets you have in your head. How many of ours do you know?"
"I will not be taken as a hostage," Exile said.
"You will not because I decide not to," Kashaunta said. "Formally, our species are still at war. There is no treaty."
"The Sp'rkial'nova no longer exist."
"Yes, they do," Kashaunta said. "The name was discontinued for use regarding the lesser specimens we created. But I can assure you, Exile, if you wish to go by that name here, that we still do exist. I am a Sp'rkial'nova in the flesh. In the blood. In the mind. In the soul."
"Say what you will, Sprilnav. It changes nothing."
"On that I agree. Though our views on how things are may differ, and yours is wrong, your opinion is not valuable enough to matter."
She turned to Penny. She would have defended Exile, but he gave her a simple shake of his head area.
Nilnacrawla formed out of psychic energy in front of Penny. Cardi did the same beside her. Kashaunta tapped a claw on the ground. Tables and chairs appeared. A chef brought in food that looked passable and a few decent attempts at human cuisine.
"We do not have to eat, though I would expect that all of you at least sit at the table. We will discuss our grievances, and how to solve them before we proceed with the future. We shall first go to the matter of the Alliance. Penny, many in their number wish to establish contact with you. Do you agree to this? If so, I will add their communicator numbers to the translation program I have reserved for your personal use, in case your own device needs another sudden replacement."
"I agree."
"Good. A first step of diplomacy, I would say. Agreement. Now, Nilnacrawla, you look like you have something to say to me. What is it?"
"Free Meridia."
"Meridia was detonated by planet cracker during the 139th Sector 9 Border War. I am sorry more could not be done."
A cold draft of air rushed out of Nilnacrawla's nose. He glared at her. "You let them die."
"I did not. A Grand Fleet was defending that star system, and three came to lay siege. I am many things. A tactician, a queen, an Elder. But I am not a god. I cannot perform miracles. I evacuated 30 billion people from that world and its surrounding stations before the planet crackers hit it. 4 trillion more souls died in that blast. The best I can do is to offer an apology."
"That will never be enough for what you did. If you had never established your nation, they would still be alive."
"They would be slaves. Chattel slaves, not that cute little 'wage slavery' concept privileged people throw around. Perhaps I should remind you just how much darker that reality would have been for your female descendents, specifically. I am a brutal warlord, a dictator with an iron fist. But my claws do not squeeze nearly as tightly as I could. Metrics say that I could extract at least 370% more profit from my people if I simply enslaved them. But despite the shock this may bring to you all, I do have principles. The Autonomous Peoples' Stars are my people. My nation. My empire, if you think I'm imperialist. But I protect them as best I can."
Nilnacrawla's cold anger didn't lessen. Penny placed a calming hand on his front left thigh. He blinked. He let out a long, pained sigh. And he bowed his head to her. Not to Kashaunta, but to Penny.
"There is no need to be cruel."
"My language was accurate, Penny. He is a strong Elder. Everlasting knows he's stronger than most of these fools. Nilnacrawla was and is a hero of the Source war. I respect him enough not to mince words, or to give platitudes. Coddling is for babies. Nilnacrawla is far more mature."
Kashaunta turned to Cardi. "You have been remarkably silent in this, concept."
"I have."
"A wonderfully succinct statement. Perhaps you can shorten it further. But nevertheless, you and I will be working together with Penny much more in the near future. Rest assured, if you refuse to become more independent, you will be nothing more than a crutch for her to rely on before leaving her to fall when you are ripped away."
"When, Elder? I would like to think your protection is sufficient."
"I am sure the truth is quite the opposite, dear. I will now get to the point. Penny needs to move faster, and needs to break out of her shell. She needs to be pushed to do more. She has signed a binding treaty, which shows she is capable of more than barbarian aliens, as some Elders would call her. You, Cardinality, will help her be a high achiever. To do this, you need to learn more about your own history.
That is the theme of the year, after all. History. My history, Penny's history, Sprilnav history, and even Gaia's history, it would seem."
"Gaia? What do they have to do with all of this?" Penny asked.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that."
"Excuse me? You don't get to decide that, Kashaunta. You will tell me. I refuse to be coddled, like you say. I demand the respect I am owed."
"You forget yourself, Penny."
"I remember myself, actually. I am all I need to be. I can become all I need if I must. You can hold your backing against me all you want, but you won't withdraw it. As you said, more binds you and I than mere money and ideology."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then I've doomed my species and my nation to war, and this planet to the full power of my wrath."
"Wrath, Penny. Wrath. The Sprilnav have many words for anger, rage, hatred. There is the desire for vengeance, in varying degrees. There is that for justice, which does differ. And that for belonging. I know you believe you are standing up to me as a way to assert your own authority in this relationship of ours. You believe I see you as inferior, and will pull back my help when it is profitable for me. I will not offer you the consequences of what your words could mean.
You already know them, and that argument is as stale as your view on us Elders. I will say this once, Penny. You are the Champion of Humanity. The apex predator of your planet, the only one mostly in charge of an Alliance that does more than merely dream of overthrowing us. It is easy for me to say you are not a threat, though I do not ignore the threat you and your nation are trying to become. Gaia will be a part of your movement, but even my information is not entirely complete. I will not mislead you by claiming I know Gaia's link to this, just that there likely is one.
And I am not unreasonably petty. I am willing to put all our animosity behind us and start anew. Even if you are not willing to do the same, I am willing to make this work for us. You have more people to care for than just the Alliance, now. Do not forget them."
"A lot of words that mean nothing."
"Because you heard, but did not listen. Perhaps it will be easier this way, Penny. I want you to win."
"Explain."
"You wish to overthrow the current Sprilnav led order of the galaxy. Your path to that will likely be through mass slave revolt. A viable strategy that I could spread far beyond just this planet. And I actually agree with you. This Judgment, this utter insanity around the Alliance and your species has shown me the truth. The Elders as a class and a species cannot be trusted to rule any longer. We need new leaders. Better leaders."
"And yourself?"
"As the hypocrite that I am, and the power-hungry ruler of the Sprilnav, I would obviously exclude myself from that number. Let's be realistic. The Sprilnav will never accept a non-Elder ruler. If you wish to see what our insurgencies would be like, imagine the 2090s Struggles of Asia. Expand that to billions of planets, large and small. Countless ships and space stations. We have more collective ships than you have people. And as your military planners know, there is no such thing as an unarmed ship. Without us, without me, your plans are stillborn. Your galactic Alliance or whatever you make will fall to pieces without proper counseling. In essence, my offer to you, and you alone, is this. The galaxy, for the Sprilnav."
"Who backs your offer, with the power to give it?"
Progenitors Lecalicus and Nova appeared in the room.
"I back Kashaunta," Lecalicus wheezed.
"I observe her offer, and wish it a proper outcome," Nova said.
"Thank you, esteemed Progenitors," Kashaunta said, standing just to bow to them. Penny stared at Nova, balling her fists.
"There will be time for battle later," he said. "But not now. Hear out her request. She does not make it lightly."
The Progenitors disappeared.
"If I accept your offer, it will be on a written record."
"No. It will not be, because if that record is written, my nation will be facing war on all sides. A better idea would be for us to keep this under wraps."
"Perfect for betrayal," Nilnacrawla muttered.
"It would be, yes. But consider the second part of this situation, Nilncrawla. If word of this galactic offer, not just the Pact, were to get out, which is why two Progenitors who know the price of interference were called here, it would mean the deaths of Penny and all her kind. Or do you forget what rapidly approaches us?"
Nilnacrawla frowned. "I did. I apologize, Penny."
Kashaunta spoke up again.
"Penny. You believe I will betray you. So I make an offer of collateral. An offer so unbelievably sacred for us Elders that many would recoil at the mere thought of it. Now that you have signed a backed treaty, you are fully qualified."
Kashaunta grabbed her Soul Blade and presented it to Penny.
"What does this mean?"
"Nilnacrawla, tell her," Kashaunta said. "She will trust your mouth more than mine."
"Bonded Soul Blades are priceless artifacts," Nilnacrawla said. "To offer one to another is the ultimate gesture of trust and respect among many martial Sprilnav cultures. It can also allow for a mind bridge, a soul pact, or a proposal for marriage between two great houses, martial families, or Elders of great wealth and power. To offer this to a human... to anyone... is an ultimate sign of backing, and one of trust.
It is a sacrosanct honor, the absolute agreement of speaking truth and respect. The words I can use in any human language are insufficient to describe the weight of this honor. This gesture is one of absolute truth. Family lines with hatred going back millions of years would never dare to violate this honor."
"Only one Elder in history did so, one who once led a group known as the Stannic Resistance. He does so no longer. Penny Balica, Champion of Humanity... if there is nothing else I can give you to prove that I do really back you, there is this."
"...Just how low are my chances in the Judgment for you to resort to this?" Penny asked.
"They are not zero, but your battle with be incredibly difficult even with this boon of mine. The future of the galaxy, I now realize, hinges on the outcome of this. If we do not have enough trust, they will sniff it out, and we will fail."
So she had no choice. But as Nilncrawla continued to explain in her mind, Kashaunta was getting the worse side of the deal. Which meant she was throwing her backing behind Penny for real, beyond all reproach and retraction. Kashaunta, the most powerful Elder in the galaxy.
"And if I reject this gift, or your reasons for it?"
"Circumstances would demand that I kill you and then myself using this blade as a way to cut apart the dishonor, before my remains are dumped into a black hole to be forgotten forever. I would not do this."
"A dark and archaic custom," Penny said. She would have said more, but she looked at Nilnacrawla's face. He was clearly deeply uncomfortable. Her five words had shaken him more than anything she'd ever said to him before.
"You do not understand," Nilnacrawla said. "This is not something to joke or lie about. With a Soul Blade Pact in play, all else must cease. Right now, there is you, and there is her. Accept or decline. The choice, your only choice, is yours."
"How will this look to the Elders in the court? To the Sprilnav, and the people who back me?"
She could see how it would be a boon and a curse.
"You, and I," Kashaunta said. "The whole of the universe between us right now is you and I. No others exist until this one act is done. There will be trust or there will be death. No in between. No middle ground. The nature of this bond will be a Pact of Blades."
Conceptual energy swirled between them. Penny's natural translation, as part of the hivemind, failed for the first time ever. Her communicator likewise did not translate the words Kashaunta spoke.
"Eis nama kaste Penny Balica, sun lanci Dorima Kashaunta. Ko'ri, lanci nupa bes na Dorima'Pecunyanova. Sp'rkial'nova. Sun. Homo Sapiens."
The air grew thick with tension. It was not just emotional, either. Psychic and conceptual energy gathered. The mindscape started to distort as more and more eyes began to view Kashaunta and Penny. But all of them were Sprilnav eyes. All of them were Progenitors. Nova's appeared brightest and largest, nearly six times the size of the next largest pair. They stared at her, sending psychic and conceptual energy down upon her in waves that forced her and Kashaunta to kneel to the ground.
"I apologize for my earlier words," Penny said. "I should not have denigrated this."
Penny stood for an hour, deeply contemplating the Pact. If it was as Nilnacrawla was describing to her, it was a promise that Kashaunta would not break. If she was offering it at all, especially to Penny, it meant she had a level of trust in Penny's capability far above what Penny had previously thought. Apparently, there were even higher agreements than this that were possible, with this Pact being the lowest level of bond and considered unbreakable with the enforcement of consequences coming from the Progenitors themselves.
She thought of her place in Justicar and the wider universe. Hours passed like water. And then, by the end of it, after nearly 19 hours, Penny finally had decided. She gave a short nod to Kashaunta, who had been kneeling to Nova all this time.
Kashaunta gestured at the sword. "Tol, nopa shikai."
Nilnacrawla fed her a few suggestions on what she would need to say.
"I come to this Pact seeking peace, justice, and hope," Penny said. "And a promise not to betray one another, by lies or by treachery."
Nilnacrawla translated Kashaunta's next words to her.
"I come to this seeking trust, understanding, respect, and peace," Kashaunta said. "And a promise not to betray one another, by lies or by treachery. I make this Pact before the gods, those who equal them, and those who surpass them. I bind them to an oath of silence regarding this event, until I directly instruct them otherwise, in a state of a sound mind, body, and soul. Here, we shall step into a future that needs both of us, casting aside that which is unimportant to focus on the ultimate goals we have. I offer my Blade to Penny Balica, of species Homo Sapiens. In this way, we forge a new future, and walk a new path. I accept the Pact."
"I accept the Pact."
Nova and a hundred Progenitors descended. Nova grew larger, and Kashaunta knelt to him. Penny remained standing. His sharp teeth glittered in the light. He pressed his claws to Penny's chest, and to Kashaunta's chest.
"The Pact of Blades is made before the Progenitors. We agree to your vow of silence. The penalty of breaking it will be dismemberment and disposal into a black hole. Penny Balica, Engineer Kashaunta. To break this Pact without mutual agreement is to call down our collective wrath upon yourselves. You both have agreed, and are of sound mind, body, and soul. The Pact is forged. By sword, by word, by action. I, Nova, Everlasting, Lord of the Progenitors, King of all Sp'rkial'nova, Heir to the Mantle of Power, Heir to Narvravarana, Progenitor, Elder, and Sprilnav, declare the deed done, etched in time, space, and Reality."
They winked out of existence one by one, leaving Penny and Kashaunta alone, to ponder the future. Penny's thoughts turned to the Judgment, and her confidence she could win it began to waver. How much worse was this Judgment going to be than before?
Penny stared at Kashaunta's Soul Blade. With careful fingers, she took it. Kashaunta sat up, satisfied.
"Now we can begin. I shall compile all the news about you I can find, and we shall see how to address the questions the High Judges will ask. Now that you trust me, I cannot betray you."

I'm 20 years old in college home for the summer, and I can't do this.
I have first-gen, incredibly strict Indian parents. My high school experience with them was awful. Think of all the cliches--needed to be the best academically (ended up being valedictorian of my school and getting a full tuition scholarship), no freedom at all (curfew was 8pm, no leaving the house more than 2x a week even if it was a club, they didn't think clubs or extracurriculars were important), no driving (even though I got my license at 17), physical and mental abuse, threats, etc etc. To make matters worse, I ended up losing all my friends my senior year. The only person that stuck with me was my boyfriend (secret, of course), and we're still together (4 years now).
College was the best experience for me. I made all new friends (except they all live 2+ hours away from my home sadly) and my bf and I are making long distance work. Coming home last summer was fine because I was only there for a month because I got accepted to this research program which I begged them to let me go to, and they did.
This summer, it has only been 1.5 weeks and I'm losing it. My bf just came back and I always make an excuse to see him, that I'm seeing my old "friends" and they don't question it too much but my curfew is still 9 PM. I came home last night at 9:35 PM and I got yelled at, slapped twice, and screamed at about how I have been spending too much money. I literally worked 2 jobs in college last year and have a virtual summer internship. This is MY money. I'm still not allowed to drive, despite having had my license for 3 years now. When I am allowed to drive, it's only like 3 select locations (all no highway) and I have to use our small, crappy car. I need to do shadowing this summer because I'm a pre-dental student, but I'm not allowed to literally drive to do my shadowing hours. My mom takes the small car to work (she refuses to drive anything else) and my dad works from home so we have the big car completely free but I'm just not allowed to drive it at all.
These are just the recent things but there's so many things that I can't do. I've missed out on trips with my friends, concerts with them, etc. My friends (like a group of 15 people are going) recently invited me to this concert in one of my friend's hometowns 2 hours away and offered me a place to sleep but ofc I can't go! I even tried asking and reasoned out how I would get there via public transit and I just got laughed at. It's all my money, too.
The worst part is, even though I've had the best college experience (because they go to bed at 9-10 PM they don't check my location that late, so I've been able to party and finally have that taste of a normal life) and met the most amazing people, none of them can understand this at all. Most of my friends are Indian/Asian and I know a lot of people but everyone I'm close to just doesn't have this problem. I feel bad ranting to them because they don't know what to say or do. Even when they do try, it's things like "try to sneak out" (cameras, motion detectors, etc) or "better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission" like they don't fundamentally understand how bad it could get if I did that.
I'm just stuck. I don't know what to do. I don't know when I can go out with my bf next. I even have to ask permission to go on a walk/run around our neighborhood and need to be back my dinner and can't stay longer than 1 hour on the dot (dinner is at 7:45 PM).
I don't know what to do. I can't get a job because first of all, even though they complain about money to me all the time, they wouldn't let me get a job because it's too much freedom and driving. Secondly, I'm studying for the DAT (Dental Admission Test) this summer and I can barely even concentrate at home because the second it turns 3 PM the TV starts blasting and they're always yelling at each other. I tried to ask if I can go to the library to study and focus, but again they yelled at me about the car thing and then how it would be a waste of gas money and how I can study at home and how I should be waking up at 6-7 AM to study if the house gets loud around 3 PM.
I hope someone on here can understand, even partly, my frustration. I wonder oftentimes what I have done wrong to make them treat me like this. I have talked to them about all of this countless times, and I am currently ignoring them both (only saying yes/no) while also trying to do everything "perfectly" so they don't have anything to yell at me about because they're mad about me coming home at 9:35.
Please help. I just don't want to live like this anymore. I fear this will be my forever.
If I get into my state dental school, my dad said he would want me to commute because it's cheaper but I would be living at home. I would end myself probably. I can't even think about that right now.

22F I was hit by a person on my left shoulder the pain emerged shortly after the incident and I got my xray done and it was all fine. After one week of sleepless nights and lots of painkillers, I again went to the doctor and he suggested for an Ultrasound. I got my reports yesterday and the doctor told me that after the injury there was bleeding which later calcified but I am not able to find anything similar to this incident. Most of the cases are about calcium deposits usually in people of mature age without any injury.
I couldn’t ask much about it to my doctor at that time and my next appointment scheduled is not until next week and I am really worried please share experience if dealt with same issue.
Ultrasound report states - Focal calcification with hyperemia

Sometimes when someone does something unexpected, for example answer no to a question I thought would have been a yes. Calling me out of something like interrupting, or asking me a question or asking me to make a decision, I feel like my brain short circuits. I freeze for a few seconds then my brain is like “huh?” And I sit there for a second staring and just repeating everything over in my head. I don’t move or say anything untill someone provokes me or I manage to come up with an answer and push myself out of it. I don’t feel panicked just blank and empty. Sometimes the anxiety of feeling people staring or being confused gets to me and makes me start panicking. Does anyone else relate to this.

Work, school, 4 hour nap, rinse & repeat. Sometimes I’m feeling a little adventurous so I throw in an extra nap here or there. I have a national exam coming up at the end of next month so you know what that means… Yeah I got a Disney pass. So I’ve been doing that almost weekly.
About me? I live in a constant state between fully confident and needing my gps on to go to a place a mile away I’ve been to a thousand times. On my free time, I’ll usually be watching anime, kdrama, or an unhealthy amount of 30 second YouTube short recipes as I’m trying to learn how to cook. Bonus points if you can teach me a recipe or two!!
When I feel like touching grass I enjoy museums, orchestras (new), or just visiting cute little coffee shops. I’m also 15 lbs down on my fitness journey!!! Diet + anxiety is a fascinating combo.
Overall I try to be a safe place for people. Non-judgy and optimistic cause I get we’re all at different places in life. So come and vibe out w me!! Just for a little or pull up a chair! There’s space for you :)

By popular demand, I guess...
I was kinda just being a smart-ass, but some of you wanted more so here it is: epilogues for every NPC as if they didn't continue to travel with Gorion's Ward and instead just decided to live their own life. Obviously, there are some implied alignment changes here.
This turned out to be longer than I expected and I kinda just threw it all together while I was working. Please excuse any typos or sloppy writing.
I want to apologize for one thing, though. Viconia's epilogue really only works if GW is a male, so I had to make that assumption for the sake of her story. If it matters any, I easily play just as many female GWs as I do male GWs. In fact, I probably play more female GWs because I don't care for the romances, frequently play the canon party, and want to nip the lame Jah romance in the bud.
But, to have them all in one place, I included my original smart-ass epilogues with the additional ones I created. Now, every character from BG1 and BG2 has an epilogue. I don't have the EE characters, though, because I play the original games and don't really know them.
So, just for funsies, which one is your favorite and why?
"Anomen continued to wait at the Copper Coronet for a party of adventurers willing to travel with him. Maybe it was the grating sound of his voice, or perhaps the way he leered at women, but he continued to remain alone. Eventually, he needed to find work to make ends meet. With Gorion's Ward having disbanded the slave traders and pit fights, Hendak had to find a new form of entertainment for the patrons. As such, he invented an all male review ladies night, and Anomen found work as a 'dancer'. He left the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart to join the less noble order of the pole. He also renounced his faith to Helm and instead allied himself with Waukeen because if you wanna see some groin, you gotta have some coin."
"Despite Gorion's Ward clearing the trolls from her keep, Nalia was not able to reclaim her lands and instead lost her estate to Lord Roenall. The lord offered to let her retain residence in her family's ancestral home, but only in exchange for her hand in marriage. Nalia found the proposition to be repugnant. Instead, she salvaged whatever wealth she could from her family's keep and moved to Athkatla to start a new life. She no longer helped the less fortunate, as she was now among their numbers and had her own problems. Nalia's lack of any practical skills combined with her sense of entitlement sent her into a life of failure followed by drinking and debauchery. She now spends more time back at the Copper Coronet than anywhere else. It is hard to say where she squanders her wealth more, the alcohol, or on the dancers during Ladies Night."
"After the incident with the Planar Sphere, Valygar was finally free of his past, could retire to his cabin, and pursue his true passion: writing. Ironically, the only inspiration he found ended up stemming from his family's checkered past. Valygar's only works that even had middling success were 'Tuesdays with Lavok' and 'Dude, Where's My Planar Sphere', with the latter being made into a production at the Five Flagoons Theater."
"Haer'Dalis continued to work as a performer at the Five Flagoons Theater. Unfortunately, it struggled due to poor management. It might have turned out better if an outside agent with fresh ideas had stepped in, but Gorion's Ward had better things to do than be a bard. While the work was generally steady, the returns were not great and the material was a little low-brow for Haer'Dalis' liking. The tiefling realized he reached rock bottom when he was cast as the lead in a play about a buffoon who apparently lost a plane-shifting apparatus the size of a small castle and had to find it before his parents returned from Neverwinter. After the opening night, he took his own life in his dressing room. His body was found the next morning with a note saying, 'Art is dead and I am art, so I shall join art in death.' Biff the Understudy stepped in for Haer'Dalis despite never having an opportunity to read the script. Nevertheless, the production was a resounding success and launched Biff's career to new heights."
“A heartbroken Garrick found work as a character actor at the Five Flagoons Theater, but eventually gained more success as a writer and director. He found it to be a mostly agreeable situation, aside from a tiefling primadonna who would constantly belittle his work and call it ”trite" and “drivel”. Fortunately, that situation worked itself out in time and Garrick found Biff to be much easier to direct. With the tiefling gone, his ideas had room to grow. He invented a new kind of love story, one where the protagonist doesn't always get the girl at the end but the journey to that ending would be quite amusing. He labeled this genre “the Comedy of Romance” and the works were mostly based on his own life. His plays were quite popular among the commoners, with his top selling shows being 'Sleepless in Saradush', 'Silverymoon Linings Playbook', and 'Crazy Rich Aasimars'. He eventually fully transitioned off the stage into the director's chair. By the peak of his fame, he was married to none other than Queen Ellesime."
“Aerie continued to work at the circus and WOULD NOT SHUT UP ABOUT HER DAMN WINGS. Even Quayle eventually grew sick of hearing about it. This put strain on their relationship. Things took a turn for the better when Ribald Barterman acquired a new curiosity for his shop. It was a magical ring which he sold to Quayle at a reduced rate out of sympathy. This ”treasure" was actually a cursed Ring of Deafness, which Quayle found to be anything but a curse and wore it for the rest of his days."
“Xzar and Montaron were both slain at the hands of the Athkatla Harpers, but this is actually where their story begins. Xzar, as he had done so many times before, had a backup plan of an arcane nature should death befall either he or the halfling. Their mortal essences were pulled to a pocket plane he created. There they could be channeled into restored bodies cloned at his estate. With this particular round of ritual, Xzar had incidentally made a slight error in the incantation and the two found themselves in a time suspended state in Xzar's pocket plane. It was only five minutes for the rest of the world, but it was fifty years for them. This turned out to be a pivot point in their relationship. Having only each other's company in this shadowy void, they were finally able to work out their feelings for each other. When they had returned to the prime material plane, they discovered their mutual animosity was replaced with love. Rather than pick up their life where they left off with the Zhentarim, they decided to pack it all in, moved to Bryn Shander, and start a bed and breakfast. Montaron rediscovered his halfling roots and love for the culinary arts while Xzar would perform seances to connect guests with their late loved ones. Scones and Bones became an overnight success and was consistently listed as a “must see” in Volo's travel guides. In their golden years, the couple co-wrote a memoir of their journey, ‘Brokeback Montaron’, which is sold in bookstores everywhere."
“After briefly crossing paths with Gorion's Ward, Mazzy Fentan continued her crusade as a de facto halfling paladin. She eventually found herself petitioning for membership at the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart in Athkatla after she had singlehandedly saved a village from an ancient dracolich. Despite the extent of her virtue and accomplishment, her petition was denied on the basis that halflings could not possibly be real paladins. This inspired her next crusade, one to break down vocational barriers for all demihuman races. Why couldn't halflings be paladins or dwarves be wizards? And why did gnomes always have to be illusionists? It simply made no goddamn sense. She began to get traction with her quest when she attended lectures by the wizards of the (sword) coast in Candlekeep. With their help, she ushered Faerun into a new edition era where there would be no vocational barriers for adventurers based on their race. Soon, the world began to see roguish halflings that also venerated Helm, while tending to the wilds as a druid. Half-orc bards also studied as wizards while manifesting natural arcane abilities as sorcerers. Tiefling paladins took their crusades to the wilderness and served as rangers, while sidelining as clergy to Mystra. The world was now a liberated place, free to not make any goddamn sense in a myriad of new ways. At one point, Lady Mazzy Fentan of Trademeet (now formally a paladin) crossed paths with a dwarven shadowdancebard and in that moment she regretted everything. Seriously, just take a moment and picture that. It would look fucking ridiculous.”
“Yeslick's clanhome was flooded once again. Despondent and without options, he took work at a smithy in Baldur's Gate but never stopped dreaming of finding both a clan and a home. He found a way to bring this dream to life after a courageous halfling paladin broke down the barriers for, among other things, dwarves to be wizards. Yeslick had an idea. He studied magic diligently until he was able to cast two spells of great importance: Water Breathing and Permanence. He then searched the lands for other clanless dwarves who would be willing to try something new. With the new clan he formed, Yeslick permanently gave all his fellow clansman the ability to breath underwater. They then moved into the flooded Cloakwood Mines and built the first underwater dwarven stronghold. Using his arcane powers, Yeslick also developed the ability to speak with the marine life that shared this stronghold. And, with that, the clan Aquadwarf was born. At one point, Valygar visited and wrote a play based on Yeslick's story. However, he couldn't even get it to stage at the Five Flagoons Theater. The illustrious director Garrick was quoted as saying, “A hero that can breath underwater and talk to fish? Nobody would go for that!"
“Keldorn finally retired from the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and looked forward to a much simpler life. He rekindled his marriage with Lady Maria and life seemed to improve. It was rather early on when the couple discovered that Maria had become pregnant again. It was also not long after that when Peony, the housekeeper, also became pregnant. Maria started to ask Keldorn about this, but Keldorn started to get defensive and asked, ”Hey, who's the Inquisitor here?" Then Keldorn started to do the math with her to track the conception of Maria's pregnancy. She certainly did not want him to get to the end of that equation, so she quickly changed the subject. She suggested getting a new maid, but Keldorn chastised her for abandoning someone in their time of need who had been like family for years. He forbade Peony's departure claiming that his god, Torm, would not stand for it. Maria then made a passive aggressive comment about Torm being the god of loyalty, but she was mostly just muttering under her breath to get the last word in. Eventually, both children were born and had probably the most awkward upbringing of anyone in Faerun."
“After Gorion's Ward helped Coran take down a wyvern, the rogue brought the beast's head back to the mayor of Beregost for the reward and accolades. He thought this put him in a position to be a hero of great renown and perhaps, just maybe, people would stop mocking him for his flashy attire and completely superfluous eye mask. They didn't. He only gained acceptance when he crossed paths with a ranger who seemed indifferent towards Coran's keen fashion sense. Coran traveled the Sword Coast with his ranger sidekick, righting the wrongs against the ‘little guy’ and taking the law into their own hands when needed. This partnership dissolved when he discovered that the ranger thought Coran was the sidekick. As if! Coran tried to correct the ranger, whose argument was, 'Really, man, if that outfit doesn't scream sidekick then I'm Elminster's twin brother.' The ranger was not related to Elminster and shared no resemblance.
“Kivan never was able to get his revenge on Tazok. Unbeknownst to him, that honor was taken by Gorion's Ward. His thirst for vengeance continued to eat away at him until he found himself in a bat infested cave in the wilderness. It was then he snapped. He turned the cave into his secret hideaway, put together a disguise and started wandering the sword coast looking for evil-doers to punish. He would leave his calling card wherever he saved the day, a token of a bat with longer ears like an elf. And bats already had rather long ears so these bat ears were almost comically obtrusive. Nevertheless, his deeds were generally appreciated and the people stared calling him Bat-elf. For a short spell, another elf tagged along with him and tried to help, but he was so flamboyantly dressed that one could pick his sidekick out of the shadows blindfolded. Kivan eventually had to send him on his way. Unfortunately, his vigilante crusade abruptly ended after receiving a cease and decist order from DC Comics. Kivan could fight both monster and marauder all day, but his 14 Constitution wouldn't hold up against a lawsuit for trademark infringement.”
“Skie was deeply affected by both the death of her brother and the assassination of her father. And yes, her father was actually murdered and didn't lol-jk back to life in some crappy DLC. In any event, through these traumas, she came to realize the puerility of what she thought was her brilliant criminal masterminding. Instead, she decided to settle down and live a more responsible life as an upstanding citizen of Baldur's Gate. She took the reins of her father's estate after his death and rose to prominence as one of the Grand Dukes of the city. She maintained her relationship with Eldoth for quite some time, inexplicably, as he refused to get a job because he didn't want to take attention from his band which he swore was going to make it. However, the bard spent most of the day either lounging at Skie’s estate or gambling away his allowance with games of three-dragon-ante at the Helm and Cloak. Eventually, inspired by the book “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar," she decided to call it quits with Eldoth and sent him packing. Shortly thereafter, she met a man who was nothing like Eldoth and they settled down together to start a family."
“Eldoth's dreams of being a world-famous musician fronting the greatest band in Faerun never reached fruition. This was partly because he didn't actually have a band and partly because he didn't have the talent to write music. Instead, he just had a lute he purchased at Lucky Aello's Discount Store that only had one A-string and was missing the E-string. Also, Eldoth could only play power chords and he couldn't really sing and play at the same time. Most of the time he would just strum a chord or two and then talk about what the song would do next, often describing a solo and half playing it on an ”air lute" (while he was still holding an actual lute, mind you) to give people the idea as to how the song would sound when it was finally written. Yeah, he was one of those guys. After Skie kicked him to the curb, he bounced between various barmaids who clearly had low self-esteem, but not low enough to keep him around for long. Eventually, he got one of them pregnant and was forced into a shotgun wedding by the barmaid's father. He now works in the kitchen at the same inn as his barmaid wife. She helps the customers up front and he cooks eggs in the back. Eldoth continues to tell himself that this experience will just provide inspiration for his music and that someday he was going to get the band back together."
“After being rescued by Gorion's Ward, Xan made his way to Baldur's Gate to regroup. He spent an inordinate amount of time beating himself up over his failures and trying to muster the gumption to continue his quest to unravel the political turmoil of the region. However, it took him months to get to this point, and by that time, Gorion's Ward already sorted out the problems in the region. Discovering this, he deemed himself a failure yet again and sunk into a deeper depression. He pulled himself out of it when he met a woman who lost most of her family to violent deaths during the iron crisis, yet she still kept herself together and became a local success in a few short years. Xan immediately fell in love with the recently single Skie Silvershield and began to court her. They eventually married and started a family. At Xan's insistence, and inspired by his wife's name, their two daughters were named Sunshine and Rainbow. Xan was a staunch supporter of his wife's career and stayed home to raise the kids. When they were older and needed less attending, he followed a new dream and became a motivational speaker.”
“Korgan had his revenge against his backstabbing crew and employer, but he felt...empty. It was done, but he felt no satisfaction. Disgruntled and disappointed, he decided to lose himself in his cups at the Copper Coronet. Even this did nothing to alleviate his malaise. One night, having passed out drunk in a peasant room at the Copper Coronet, he dreamt of that final fight but something was different. In the background of the battle, there was a glow coming from the door of a shack and he heard the whispering of a language that sounded like it was from Kara-Tur. When he woke the next morning, Korgan returned to the rooftop and found the shack from his dream. He knocked and was greeted by a priest of Illmater. Korgan told the priest of his dream and he was led into the backroom where he found a man from Kara-Tur infirm and huddled over a cup of tea. The priest explained that he had just reincarnated this man of the faith using a heart delivered by a passing adventurer. Korgan took this as a sign, converted to the faith, and the two paired up to help those in suffering as a result of the schemes of others. The tales of Korgan and Yoshimo were not only told in many of a tavern by the bards, but also collected in graphic serials that were popular among the children of Athkatla.”
“Ajantis' death sent him into an afterlife at Everwatch, the realm of Helm. For his honor and diligence, the devout knight was granted an audience with his patron. Ajantis then told Helm what utter bullshit the god was. I mean, c'mon, he's the god of protection, the Vigilant One, and he couldn't protect a group of knights from a dragon's cheap illusion spell that a mage even tried to dispel with True Sight? It was like Helm wasn't even trying. Helm was stunned by the confrontation but also had no valid defense. Ajantis called Helm to a trial that was mediated by Tyr. After careful deliberation, Tyr determined that Helm was sleeping on the job and the judgment was to demote him to a lesser deity. Now, Helm was the patron of guards, but not actual guards that ever see action, just the ceremonial ones whose weapons and armor are super shiny and probably not even real. Ajantis was then granted Helm's old portfolio and became a god that truly protected his followers.”
“Viconia left Athkatla's government district perplexed. She was rescued from burning at the stake by Gorion's Ward and then immediately dismissed. She found this to be unusual behavior for a male. She was accustomed to men either trying to bed her or kill her, but this casual indifference was completely new. Viconia came to be obsessed with Gorion's Ward from a distance. She spiraled into a fantasy where the two of them had a future together. It was pretty bad. There were some extremely embarrassing vision boards involved and that wasn't even the worst of it. When her mania reached critical mass, her obsession actually collapsed and she had an epiphany. She came to realize that she did not need this man, or any for that matter. She started on a journey of self discovery and took a moral inventory of her past relationships. She wrote about it in the book, “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar”. She then used the revenue from the book sales to open Athkatla's first feminist bookstore. In Her Words became a mecca for women, particularly those who felt trapped in bad relationships. The community that emerged here created the group, Friends of Galia, which strove to free women from abusive relationships. Eventually, the bookstore expanded to include an apartment block above that became a shelter for such women. Occasionally, the partners of these victims would come around to In Her Words in an attempt to drag their partners back home. You can probably guess how a confrontation between a drunken 0-level commoner and a Drow priestess of Shar ends."
“Faldorn was defeated by Jaheira in Trademeet and lost her title of Arch-Druid. In truth, she was relieved to be relieved of the position. Years of pushing forward the Shadow Druid agenda led Faldorn to realize that she had lost touch with the real Faldorn along the way. After some soul-searching, she reinvented herself as a lifestyle guru and developed an entire line of organic health and beauty products under the name, She-Wolf. Both her products and seminars were all the rage in Athkatla, specifically among noblewomen who clearly had too much free time. Faldorn eventually gave up her residence in natural environs for a lavish estate in Athkatla's government district. Her following soon pressured her to petition to join the Council of Six after the fall of the Cowled Wizards left the position open (aside from a short-term replacement). Her petition was a success and she soon found herself on the Council of Six. Under her leadership, she created created the FDAA, the Food and Drink Association of Athkatla. Now, instead of draconian rules governing magic in the city, equally restrictive rules and standards were applied to the food and drink that the people consumed.”
“Barely surviving being gravely wounded by Irenicus, Tiax left Spellhold for Athkatla where he intended to do what he did best: rule. Learning from his past campaign mistakes in Baldur's Gate, he changed his slogan from ”Tiax Rules!" to “Make Athkatla Great Again”. Of course, what he thought would make Athkatla great was putting himself in charge as a despotic leader. But, he toned down that aspect of his platform and instead focused on the history of scheming and backroom dealing of the Cowled Wizards (as if he was any less evil or scheming) and promised the people he would be different than all the other corrupt politicians. Miraculously, despite his obviously apparent character flaws, he succeeded in replacing the Cowled Wizards' representative on the Council of Six. He decided to take their stance on restrictive magic to the next level and banned magic entirely. Since he didn't study the arcane himself, it was no skin of his nose. This move undermined his support base leaving him with only the most backwards and ignorant followers. He was ultimately removed from his position when he insisted the city build a wall around the planar sphere and was expecting that the city's wizards would be the ones to pay for it. After his removal, his few remaining extreme supporters organized an invasion of the main government building under the guise of freedom of assembly. All nine of these “rebels” were rounded up, tried, and sent to prison. Tiax was convicted of treason and reincarnated in Spellhold, which was now just a common prison. After his eventual release, he was prohibited from seeking any position of power in Amn."
"Edwin Odesseiron continued to lay low with the Shadow Thieves for a while. The Cowled Wizards suffered a crippling blow as a side effect of the conflict between Gorion's Ward and Irenicus. Edwin decided to step in and finish the job. His thought was that he could wipe out the Cowled Wizard remnants and then take credit for their defeat, thereby gaining him more clout among the Red Wizards of Thay. After many conspicuous mage battles in the streets of Athkatla, he succeeded. However, the people who noticed his efforts the most were actually the people of Athkatla. They were tired of living under the Cowled Wizards' iron fist and Edwin was lauded as a liberator and hero. He even had a statue in his image raised in Waukeen's Promenade. Edwin was initially nonplussed over people finally giving him the credit he always felt he so rightfully deserved. But, he quickly came to accept their praise and bought in to being a champion for the people. Edwin continued his agenda of liberation when a clearly insane gnome who found his way on the Council of Six tried to ban magic entirely in the city. Edwin and his followers were primarily responsible for having the madman removed from his seat.
“Shar-Teel, Safana, Branwen, and Alora all happened to cross paths with each other at Elfsong one evening. Shar-Teel was looking to fight a man, Safana was looking to shag a man, Branwen was recently petrified by a man, and Alora was just excited to be somewhere new. The four got to talking with each other and, despite having wildly different personalities, seemed to hit it off. Shar-Teel was sarcastic and aggressive, Safana was self-absorbed and man-hungry, Alora was kind and sweet, and Branwen was the matriarch of the group. You wouldn't think this lot would get along, but they actually did, and their differences merely become the fuel for innocuous hi-jinks week after week.”
"With Gorion's help, Cernd was able to rescue his child that he then abandoned again at the druid grove near Trademeet. He promised that he would return to raise the child, he just needed to run to the general shop in Trademeet for some pipeweed. He never returned, but that was pretty obvious since he didn’t even smoke. Cernd continued to wander Faerun. It came to light in Cormyr that Cernd had actually married, and had children, with numerous women in Cormyr, Amn, the Sword Coast, Tethyr, Calimshan, Turmish, Halruaa, Icewind Dale, Chondath, Sembia, Impiltur, the Silver Marches, and even the Troll Hills (don't ask). Furthermore, it was discovered that Cernd was not actually a druid, just a werewolf that had a Ring of Goodberries. The druid con was so that he could have a reason to abandon his wives and children and move on to a new situation. You would be surprised at how many women could fall for a guy that can conjure an impromptu picnic in the park. Unfortunately for Cernd, Cormyr was not the kind of place to run afoul of the legal system. For the crime of bigamy, he was sentenced to life in prison. He never set foot near a druid grove again, but he was allowed to participate in a work-release program tending to the gardens of nobles.
“Kagain returned to his shop and grew even more bitter, but not over what the death of Entar Silvershield's son had done to his reputation and business. Instead, he resented that even the Enhanced Edition of the game didn't give him a remotely decent companion quest. By Moradin's hammer, Cernd even had a pretty involved companion quest and the story there both starts and ends with a deadbeat dad! Also, Kagain can regenerate! Korgan can't even do that. And another thing! He was sick of people confusing the two of them as if all dwarves look alike or something. Ok, granted, they're both old dwarves with greying beards, but Korgan's beard is tied while Kagain's beard is brushed out. Of course, none of this made sense to anyone, even to Kagain who never actually crossed paths with Cernd or Korgan. However, the dwarf had nothing to do with his time except stand in his shop, isolated and alone, until he was done in by insanity and plantar fasciitis.”
“The death of Khalid shook Jaheira to the core. She convinced herself that she could never love again, certainly not so soon after his death nor with anyone that would be a child in her eyes. That would be absurd and rather tacky. After her escape from Irenicus' prison and deposing Faldorn from the druid grove, she took over as Arch-Druid. Being a Harper just wouldn't be the same without Khalid. However, the grove would allow her to explore a new, but comfortingly familiar, phase of life. She had barely been installed as the Arch-Druid when Cernd dropped off his child and disappeared again. He did not even stay long enough to tell Jaheira the child's name. Knowing he would likely not return, she named the child Khalid after her lost love. Realizing there were other children our there without families to care for them, Jahaeira would send her subordinates to wander nearby lands and bring them to the grove for a better life. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of these children happened to be Cernd's. She eventually renamed the grove to Kinder Garden in honor of the grove's new purpose of giving these children a kinder upbringing. Jaheira's headstrong personality served her well with these lost children, who all loved her as they would any mother. The Kinder Garden became the most thriving druid grove in all of Faerun. Jaheira eventually died in 1547 DR, with hundreds of children haven been rescued in her lifetime, and a memorial was erected in her honor at the grove. The inscription read, 'Nature's Servant Awaits.'"
“After being freed from Irenicus' dungeon, Minsc put his boots on the ground at the Copper Coronet. Being the simple man that he was, he found himself unwittingly recruited into fighting in the gladiator pits (before Gorion's Ward was able to free the slaves). Yet again, Minsc took a blow to the head. But this time, its effects were something completely new. No longer was he the slow-witted evil-slaying ranger, armed to the teeth and packing a hamster. Instead, his intelligence and wisdom started to blossom and he explored, through dissertation, the impact of modern civilization on the overall ecosystem of Faerun. Indeed, before Minsc started his work, the people of Faerun didn't even have the concept of an ”ecosystem". He left Athkatla to pursue a residency at Jaheira's grove where he could study and work in peace. He published works like, “The Intersection of Geopolitics and Biodiversity: Living More but Dying Sooner”, “The Essential Symbiosis Between the Savage and Civilization”, and “Moral Urbanization: Seeking a More Comprehensive Prosperity”. Minsc continued his studies and writing and ultimately produced enough groundbreaking works to have his own annex in Candlekeep. It was shortly after the dedication of this annex that Minsc disappeared from Faerun, never to be seen again."
“Jan Jansen's fate was the most impressive of all as his endeavors shaped the very fabric of Faerun for centuries to come. His story truly serves as a moral lesson for everyone and we should heed its virtue quite seriously. Helping Lissa and Jaella planted a seed of regret in Lissa with regards to her marriage to Vaelag. Speaking of seeds, this reminds Jan of a time when he was helping his Uncle Scratchy with his turnip farm. However, Uncle Scratchy was hoodwinked and the seeds he received were actually purple carrot seeds. You can imagine Uncle Scratchy's surprise when they sprouted and he suddenly had a field of purple carrots. Well, as you probably know, you can't make turnip stew, or turnip casserole, or turnip pie with purple carrots. But it just so happened there was a mage tower nearby and the resident mage needed a vast number of carrots. Apparently, her plan was to animate them as a kind of vegetable army to combat a myconid infestation in cave system rather close to her tower. Of course, animated carrots are quite self-assured and were immune to myconoid's confusion spores. Anyway, Jan had a once-removed cousin, Bobil, that was lost in those caves when he was a young gnome. He had wandered so deep that he found himself in the den of a solitary xvart who was obsessed with a magic ring. Bobil happened to purloin that ring but it turned out to not be magic at all. However, it was still worth enough for Bobil to buy himself a nice cottage in Trademeet. He then started his own turnip farm and had better luck than Uncle Scratchy. Wait, what were we talking about, again?”
“Boo continued his mission to study the sentient life forms of Faerun and determine their potential impact on the metaverse. He preferred the continued company of Minsc due to the ranger's kindness and protectiveness. Boo found this to be quite valuable in his current miniaturized state. Even after Minsc's accident, where his intellect began to expand, Minsc never lost his good heart and inherent kindness and the two remained the best of friends. It was a number of years later that the term of Boo's mission was complete. A team of his fellow people arrived on a spelljammer to collect the giant miniaturized space hamster. Minsc (and Boo) were on a retreat in a remote part of the Neverwinter Wood when a vessel shaped like a giant acorn landed in a nearby clearing. A number of human-sized anthropomorphic hamster-like beings, who called themselves the Ysoki, emerged and met with Boo. One had a strange crystalline device which it used to restore Boo to his proper size. Minsc naturally remained composed while all this was happening. He and Boo talked often and he knew this day would be coming. Boo returned to the spelljammer with his brethren to debrief on the mission. The Ysoki wanted to bring a sample back to their homeworld for further learning and study. Boo offered Minsc for the task, as the exemplar human would fit in nicely with the Ysoki's advanced culture and society. Everyone was in agreement and made the offer to the ranger. Minsc felt like he had made every contribution he could to the people of Faerun, so he accepted and boarded the ship. Boo, excited to finally be on a spelljammer again, took the helm and plotted a course for his homeworld. At his side sat his friend and faithful companion, Minsc.”

I remember being a young pre-teen and learning tennis. I had a friend I used to hit with. He got better as he took lessons. At one point, we were hitting and he said he didn't want to hit with me anymore because he wanted to hit with better players to get better. It hurt but totally made sense.
Today, I have a group of friends that I hit with on a regular basis. We don't just hit -- we've formed friendships, sharing our lives outside of tennis, doing happy hours and talking about future possibilities of watching tennis together. Within this group, I'm probably near the top skill-wise though a couple people are on par and definitely can be a challenge on any given weekend.
But every now and then I'll hit with a player (from outside the group) that hits a quality ball that feels like the next level, a higher pace, spin and placement. It messes with my timing because I'm just not used to my clock being that short and balls coming in with so much topspin. Also, during match play, there's so much added pressure tactically. I can stay within the rally though it's definitely uglier on my end with more errors. During match play, I can hold if I can serve well as I have a big serve. I usually can't break.
I feel that hitting more with this latter type of player could help me improve as it requires me to grow my game whereas I feel my game with tennis friends is far more comfortable but also fun and social and relaxed. With the latter group, I tend to create challenges for myself -- for example, during rallies I really try to focus on technique but hold back on power and when serving I focus more on placement or second serves rather than my first serves.
How have you all handled this? How do you mix-up your play? Obviously I'm still going to hit with my friends but I also want to be put outside my comfort zone so my game can grow.

Dated him for almost two years, actually fell so hard and fast for him. He means everything to me, then i discovered his porn addiction and that it spanned so deep he was recording and taking sexually exploitive pictures of people around him, including his sister. Never been so disappointed and disgusted, but i love him so much i just let it go. We argued for months and months because I kept finding more, and eventually he told me he didn’t think it was cheating. That was the first step he took that let me know it was over, and then he started ignoring and avoiding me for days on end. I would see him at school and he’d kiss and hug me and promise to change and nothing would happen. Then he just, dumped me and i’m a wreck. Went no contact, but we could still contact each other? as in we weren’t blocked and i find myself waiting for him to text. One day i made a fake post lying that i had been asked out by a boy, he immediately reacted and spammed me telling me I was his and he wanted me, absolutely broke me more cause he once again became the only thing that mattered. Long story short he got back together with me that night and the next three days were hell, he kept saying his mom had his phone which i knew was a lie so once again i was being ignored. Solid day goes bye and he texts me and says we’re done, blocks me on everything. (also says he lied about loving me and felt guilty which made things so much worse) was a mess obsessive thoughts crying sobbing over everything. A solid week goes by, doing better when his art account he has followed me on instagram and i dumbly accepted it, just to find he’s been drawing me and blaming me for the breakup. Absolutely bullshit, i comment on one being like what are you doing and his best friend who hates me comments back and is like leave him alone. I blew up and left like five paragraphs exposing how he cheated and left and lied to me played me and came back before leaving again and then drawing me on his instagram? Next morning i woke up blocked. He was a bad bf, i know that but for some reason i can only think about the good times , i need help to heal, any advice? (revenge advice welcome as well)

I noticed that all the women seem to have at least their upper arms covered, and sometimes much more. I was curious about the dress code and cultural norms, and tried to find info online. It mostly detailed how the northern part of Nigeria was more heavily Muslim, and there some people wear full hijab and other cultural adaptations of hijab style but with looser Nigerian fabrics. Most of the travel advisories I saw said long dresses with flowing material and modest cuts were appropriate for Nigeria. It said that while casual wear may be OK, shorts should be knee length or longer and in Moslum areas and the coast things like shorts and t-shirts would be frowned upon.
At the women in leadership event , I was surprised to see her and what looked like a red evening gown, whereas the other two presenters on the day we're clearly wearing modest dress past the ankles and have their arms mostly covered (past the elbow for both).
At the Nigeria Unconquered event, all the other women in the photos were long sleeves to the wrist, and gowns to the ankle, and aleo covered their hair. MM wore a strapless column gown
Wt the State Govors House visit in Lagos, she again went completely sleeveless in the yellow Carolina Herrera.
At the Lightway Academy event, it also looked like every other woman there had some sort of sleeves, but MM went sleeveless AND backless....
I have never been to Nigeria, but if I was faking an "official visit" I provably would have read the room and tried to observe the standard of modesty for women that is advertised/ suggested.... but as I have never been to Nigeria myself, perhaps someone with more knowledge than I could shed light on whether this was appropriate attire or not?

Obviously you guys can’t diagnose me, I’m not too interested in a formal diagnosis anyway I’ll be fine when I lock in, I’m just curious.
I'm (19m) extremely introverted; I have no friends, I haven't had a genuine conversation with anyone outside my family in at 4 years, even with family I treat them more like coworkers/acquaintances and I've never been in a relationship. I've never “felt” lonely though; I mean I recognize that interpersonal connection is a huge part of the human experience and I do want to experience it but I’m not suffering due to the lack of, if anything I’m more so disappointed in the fact that I know people will look at me weird for not having been in a relationship or been close with anyone rather than actually not having done it. The lack of an urge to talk to people paired with my increasingly deteriorating social skills and my hypervigilance in social situations makes interactions an overall net negative.
It feels like I’m watching my life from an outside perspective. Not in a dissociative way but in the sense that I’m constantly in my head, not experiencing life but analyzing it, judging it. Like I'm not emotionally connected to life, I just look at circumstances on paper and determine how I should feel from there. I feel like this makes it hard for me to emotionally attach to anything or anyone. I just kinda don’t care, good or bad nothing really evokes much of an emotional reaction out of me, I haven’t been able to cry since I was like 11, no matter what happens, what I watch, what I listen to, what I ruminate on, nothing can make feel sadness. Maybe this is normal but I feel like everyone else feels things with more depth; like I can like things but I don't love things. I still get irritated and angry, I still laugh and feel short term joy but idk nothing leaves an emotional imprint.
I also have a strong aversion to emotional vulnerability, I have a problem with—not maladaptive daydreaming but maladaptive philosophizing if that makes any sense. Like I'm not building a fantasy world in my head but still detaching from present reality via thoughts. Personally I feel like these traits stem from never having an emotional connection to any of my parental figures; narcissistic grandma (maternal figure) and addict father.

I (20M) have had my dog for 3 years. He was my mom's dog and was abused by her husband for about 2 years, then my mom surrendered him to a shelter since he was starting to act out against her other dog. The shelter he went to happened to be the one I was working at, for 6 months I watched him loose weight and decline mentally, shortly before christmas I convinced my mom to let me bring him back home. I was able to keep the 2 dogs seperate since I live in the basement and there is a door to the backyard down here. Upon bringing him back home I discovered quickly that he was now reacting agressively towards strangers, so I took him to a trainer to try to get that fixed. I have been able to successfully get him comfortable around 2 of my (now) exes. The problem is now my mom is selling her house and I have nowhere to go, I had 3 people back out on me after saying we could be roommates and my grandparents have said I can only live with them if I surrender my dog. Ive looked everywhere and there Is no way I can currently afford even a studio appartment by myself, so I would have to live out of my tiny car with a 60 lb dog if I didnt surrender him, which isnt plausable. So I contacted the shelter I used to work at (where I adopted him from) and the director said she would waitlist him, then later told me she wouldnt take him at all. So I reached out to the other shelters in my area and they all said they cant take him because 1. He is supposed to go back to the shelter he came from and 2. He is too high of a bite risk, despite no bite being on record. One of the shelters then proceeded to tell me that BE might be the best option since he is aggressive towards new people and has seperation anxiety. This dog is my world and I was planning on adopting him back as soon as I was back on my feet. I genuinely dont know what Id do without him and the idea of having him put down kills me. But even my mom said that this might be what is best for him.

Hi all,
I have a ten hour layover at Narita airport on my way back to the states from Hanoi. I’m wondering if y’all think it’s worth going through customs etc to get a small taste of Japan for the day. I’ve never been to the country.
It looks like it’s about an hour from the airport to central Tokyo, so I’m hoping to hear from people who’ve spent time or live in that area:

• is there somewhere closer to the airport that’s worth checking out rather than Tokyo central?
• is there anything specific you’d recommend doing or seeing for such a short visit?
• is this…a bad idea? Am I just going to stress myself out and risk missing my flight home?

Looking for any and all advice. Thanks!

For people who have done an online Master of Science in Civil Engineering program or are currently doing one, I wanted to ask several things.

1. What university did/do you go to, and would you recommend it?
   
2. How early in advance did you apply?
   
3. How many universities did you apply to?
   
4. Did/have you had any luck with scholarships to help pay your tuition?
   
5. Are you happy you did it/are doing it?
   

Any other advice would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance!

This book made me feel things. A lot of things. Keep reading if you care to indulge me in a minor brain dump about Book 2 as I process…
From a fantasy and storytelling perspective: utterly enthralling. I loved getting to see Feyre’s healing from under the mountain, her adjustment to immortality, and her discovery of her newfound powers. I loved getting to see more of Prythian and see what happens next following Amarantha’s rule of terror. I judge writing as “good” by the ability to suck me into the story, world, and characters, and Mist and Fury was a page-turner from the start. 5 stars from me on that front.
But I really didn’t like the romantic plot. I wanted to be sucked into the beautiful notion of Feyre finding her mate. I generally enjoy layered characters and wouldn’t have minded learning more about Rhysand and his motivations. Yet I couldn’t read this book without constantly thinking about how much I disliked Rhys in Book 1. Good intentions or not, he behaved pretty horribly in ACOTAR. I can accept that he was protecting his family, his people, but can’t accept that as some sort of redemption arc simply absolving him from his manipulation and kind of awful behavior.
I also can’t help but feel that Rhys’s “redemption” came at the utter demonization of Tamlin. Which… felt a shame after Book 1. Tragic even, considering how deeply Feyre loved him, willing to face absolute horrors to get him back. And based on ACOTAR alone, I got the impression that he truly loved her too. He wanted to see her flourish. It’s post-Under-the-Mountain that his character shifted and he became toxic, and this reflection by Feyre makes me believe that, if we didn’t catch red flags about Tamlin in Book 1… the author probably didn’t intend us to, because they weren’t there yet:
“I had loved the High Lord who had shown me the comforts and wonders of Prythian; I had loved the High Lord who let me have the time and food and safety to paint. Maybe a small part of me might always care for him, but...Amarantha had broken us both. Or broken me so that who he was and what I now was no longer fit.”
I get it. I can accept that Maas told a story different than what I was expecting, and that doesn’t make it bad. I can just admit to myself that I much would have preferred a story where Feyre and Tamlin got to heal through their trauma and brokenness together, and we got to continue the beautiful love story from Book 1.
I gotta hand it to her, though. I don’t know if it’s what she intended, but I give her mad props for writing ACOTAR in a way that can stand alone. I plan to keep reading the series because I do want to know what happens to Prythian, even if the romance has fallen short for me, but love that I can go back to ACOTAR, be satisfied with the ending, and dream of an alternate-reality head cannon where Tamlin was a healthy mate for Feyre.
Anyway. Them’s my thoughts. Thanks for reading this far if you made it. 😂 Would love to know if anyone else shared any of these reactions upon finishing ACOMAF!

29(M) Long story short, my wife has relapsed twice since we’ve been married. Once when she was pregnant with our son, which caused him to be born premature. Second time was less than a year later. I can’t even really look at her. I feel like I resent her. I’m sick of lying to people to save face. I don’t want to have another divorce but I worry about the kids. My record is clean as a whistle. I don’t know what I should do. Anyway, that’s my vent. Thank you for reading

Hi, Nat which is short for Natasha. I miss talking to with someone that you can just vibes with. Talking about anything under the sky and still laughing yourself silly over it because you just enjoy each other company so much.
To connects with someone online is not easy but it’s something everyone here yearn for and I am one of them.
I hate when people Ghost or blocked me. It seriously not a nice thing to do. Let’s respect each other and give each other the closure they need.
So if you’re interested in forming a friendship, where we talk daily and there always genuine effort for each side in wanting to get to know each other, drop me a CHAT.
Tell me an INTRO of yourself (DM with no intro will be ignored). Your ASL and what you looking for in this friendship.
Just looking for someone that around my age or older. A few years younger are fine. Single please as I don’t feel comfortable talking to someone that already taken. Hope you understand.
Thank you! and looking forward to forming something everlasting.

Hey howdy hey :) I’m a single mom from South Carolina living in the mountains in Colorado. I have a 2.5 year old boy who is my entire galaxy. My boss says I’m like Wednesday Addams who grew up. I’m into anything outdoors, reading, records, sewing, doing fun things with my kid, and snowboarding. I’m OBSESSED with GoT and HotD, and have the tattoo to prove it. I’m short, thick, and my hair color changes, but right now I’m green eyed and red haired.
I’m looking for someone to talk to and go from there. I work full time and have my son 90% of the time, so it’s hard to meet people. I’d like to have mutual attraction with someone who’s funny, kind, can put up with my sass, and has goals. My type ranges from Matty Healy to The Mountain, so I’m not super picky. I just want someone to make me smile and see what happens.

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