https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/dissecting-the-new-york-times-plea
"Story at a Glance:
•Repeatedly forcing the public (e.g., through mandates) to use unsafe and ineffective therapies (that injured millions) has created a public relations disaster for the establishment.
• Various attempts have been made to do the impossible—restore the public’s trust in our medical institutions without any of them admitting fault.
• Here, I review each of the previous attempts and how they were used to create the recent infamous article by the NYT—which while monumental for bringing attention to the COVID vaccine-injured, also repeats a variety of strategic and very harmful lies to protect the vaccine industry.
• One of the mysteries of the COVID-19 response is what could have possibly justified breaking the public’s trust in the medical institutions our society revolves around. Here I will review the most compelling explanations we’ve come across after three years of investigating this commonly asked question."
....
"Before we go any further, I'd like to focus on its title, which sadly synopsizes the entire NYT article:
Note: thousands is a very clever word to use here, since if 999,900 people were permanently disabled by the vaccine, it would still be “true” but it implies a far smaller number.
When the word “believe” is used, it can have a few different meanings. For example it could be used:
• When you think something is true but don’t have the ability to back it up (e.g., I frequently use “believe” here because I think it is important to note the claims I am making that I cannot provide strong evidence for).
• To characterize something someone thinks is true an irrational belief that only exists in their head (e.g., a common way medicine gaslights patients ds by arguing the symptoms they experienced from a pharmaceutical injury are actually just “in their head”).
• When you want to acknowledge someone’s feelings to make it seem like you are doing something but divorce the discussion from any factual or substantiative grounding (something which sadly is quite common in the modern left).
In turn, I would argue the NYT was not using “believe” in the way I believe is appropriate to do and instead doing the latter two. Thus, like all good propagandists, they are attempting to find a way to twist the situation so that they can have their cake and eat it. Similarly, if you consider the other underlined phrase, it’s clear someone spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to write something that sounded like an acceptable admission and apology to those injured by the vaccines but simultaneously suggested that those injuries aren’t really a thing and there is nothing to be concerned about with the vaccine." .... "Note: as I show throughout this article, one of the most common scripts used to defend the vaccination program has been that the injuries are rare (e.g., one in a million). The best estimate I have seen of the vaccine injury rate is 18% of recipients experiencing mild to moderate injuries, 0.9% experience significant injuries (e.g., disabilities)—which of course does not include the many who have died (which many estimate at around 1 in 1000)."

(Apologies for the length)
So here is mine. I (37M) made the decision, earlier this year, to leave the company I co-founded a few years ago. I've since been re-prioritizing, working out and improving my health, eliminating stressors, and planning my next business moves (basically self-focus). Last Fall I reconnected with a close friend (32F) that I had lost most contact with for a few years.
We used to work together years before and became close quickly and easily. We were always naturally flirty and still are, and one day she opened up about her feelings for me to which I happily reciprocated. This is where the problems began. Reason being that years prior I had gone through about 3 subsequent relationships/situations that destroyed my trust and desire for being vulnerable romantically. I had just given up for the foreseeable future. This reveal from her occurred during this aftermath period and I was unable to process, comprehend, and alleviate doubts/fears appropriately, preventing me from communicating with her about it almost altogether. She persisted and was graciously cool about what I'm sure was confusing to her with my horrible communication abilities at the time. Eventually she moved on and we just remained friends, with her leaving for a new job not long after. She also entered a relationship with a mutual acquaintance soon after that (randomly, not because of our situation). She was happy and growing in her life and I found joy in that but my missteps haunted me since she moved on. I meant the reciprocation but knew then that I couldn't be what she deserved and refused to use her affection for my own happiness. I also knew that I owed her an explanation, as I couldn't stand for her to possibly think I found something wrong or undesirable about her, leading to my actions before. It just never felt appropriate to do while she was seeing someone.
FAST-FORWARD (Don't laugh too hard at that)...
After leaving the job myself and helping start a company and going my own direction, my feelings never waned off but I didn't dwell. Around 4-5 years had passed. I would see her randomly here and there, still in her relationship, and it was always nice. It was apparent she was excited by my presence and always made the effort to share a hug and some time talking. We have an incredibly solid friendship and banter base that will always be around. Despite that, the occasions she would be where I was became scarce and it was back to the usual. During the days leading up to my decision to leave the company, I just needed a trusted friend to talk to. I ran into a mutual friend of mine and hers and during the catch-up they mentioned they had hung out with her recently and that she had ended her relationship. Now, someone in my position would probably relish in that information. I'll admit I wasn't bummed by it. I realized, however, that I more just missed talking to her and felt I should reach out. So I did.
Now we are caught up (It annoys me as well)...
Since last Fall we have been catching up and bantering better than ever and it has been great. The natural flirtation and everything has been there but more in-line with where we are now in life. She had mentioned her breakup during the initial reconnect, but never mentioned anything further from her end nor inquired about my status. We just focused on the stellar conversation and regained contact. I knew my feelings never went anywhere and they just became more enhanced as we kept talking (only via text to this point). I knew the possibility that she was seeing someone else was there but didn't really care. I wasn't much to expect her to consider letting her guard down a second time with me, especially without having spoken about what happened before. After much thought, I made certain I was sure of how I was feeling about myself, her, and the situation and texted her about meeting up. She was very excited to do so and we set up a plan and ended up meeting recently. I was just purely excited to see her again in-person, but the obvious hopes and desires we as people have are always there. I knew part of me would be gauging it all to see where we both stand.
It was a fantastic meet up but she did mention her breakup quite early on and also that she was dating someone currently. It did NOT hit me like bricks or whatever saying applies. It wasn't great to hear for that part of me that was hoping, but I knew it could be a thing going in. The real impact was the reevaluation of much of the previous conversations we had made, with before having no knowledge of her dating someone during so. It never got out of hand, just that natural flirtation and sharing of trusted information that can seem to have dual tonality to them. You just never know until you know. The evening carried on and we kept bonding really well and having a great time as friends (the tone it needed to take). I'll mention that this person is an amazing, generous, loyal, independent, and confident individual that overcame a lot of insecurities in life (like so many of us do or hope to do), and has incredible integrity. She would not intentionally disrespect the person she is dating. One of her many admirable qualities. We continued catching up and relocated to grab a bite to eat. During this portion we bonded on more things and I was finally honest with myself internally that I can't fight the fact that I do, in fact, love this person and it made me excited. I knew though that I had to now have that conversation about what happened in the past, which was long overdue and needed to happen before anything else could be broached.
I promise I'm going to wrap this up (I appreciate your patience if you got this far)...
It was now nighttime and a reasonable time to part ways. I knew my chance was now or never so I inquired if we could park for a second and chat. We did and I just went into it in the best way I could that respected her current situation (I feel too strongly and respect her too much to let my feelings disregard her boundaries). She listened and received it like a total boss, which is no surprise. Luckily it hadn't impacted her too poorly and the new knowledge alleviated any doubt she may have had about herself. I didn't really expect her to even remember it all anyhow. I just had to know she knew what happened and where I stood/stand. Human nature being what it is, I toed the line a few times with my words but I always made sure she knew I meant all due respect and meant it. Some things just build too much pressure when you hold on the them and they eventually get released. She was very reassuring that I was behaving and even revealed new information from her side of it back then and now. She allowed me to express everything I was able to within the boundaries present and was very kind about it. Obviously I had now revealed that I still maintained feelings for her amidst it all. I am not a pro on the subject of attraction, but I'm not an idiot either. The eyes and mouth can speak volumes, and I saw what I'm sure I subconsciously wanted to see. I knew I would run risk of breaching her trust if I persisted too far and I was feeling bad about keeping her out as late as it was, so I asked if I could make a couple inquiries that were appropriately worded. She agreed and I asked if after my idiocy back in the day when she approached me, was that where her feelings for me had stopped. She quickly and softly whispered "No.". I took that in and decided to ask, hypothetically, that if she had no attachments and I were to approach her, would I receive a half-way positive response. She had a slight pause and said "More than half-way.". Despite a heavy desire to explore further, I knew I shouldn't and by happenstance she got a phone call right after this. She said she needed to take it and it was her dad. I stepped out of the car but doing so I happened to notice the name on the dash screen (we had taken her car the the restaurant). I don't know her father personally or know his exact name, but it wasn't the one on the screen. I didn't and likely won't read into that too much, but thought I'd share it in here. Anyway, she handled the call quickly and got out to hug and say our goodbyes. We shared a long hug and exchanged thank yous and then found the opportunity to enact a fake threat of a gentle kidney goosing from some flirty banter a few days prior. She enjoyed it. We then parted ways asking each other to inform of their safe arrival home. Which we did.
So there you have it. Obviously there are many ways to dissect something like this. I feel we both behaved rather well even though I feel a bit of guilt and hope I haven't caused her any undue problems, as she is in a great place in life (mainly because of her personal and professional growth, not necessarily the dating). I also don't regret unburdening myself the way I did. I think we both deserved it for different reasons.
I suppose I'm just curious of your thoughts on it all. I'm doing alright after it all but know the dynamic is different now. She is likely juggling a thought or two just like I am, but we still talk as friends. She is content where she is but I could tell that, if perhaps the timing was different, we wouldn't hesitate to get together. I hold excitement at the thought but will not wait on chance. She is walking her path and me my own. Those paths may indeed converge one day, but her friendship is something I won't gamble away nor would she to mine. It also may never happen. These are the realities.
Thoughts/anybody else out there?
Thank you for your indulgence.

"The Wings of Icarus" got me thinking about Greek mythology (not to mention the recent release of Hades 2), and I remembered Prometheus. You know, the one who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity, allowing them access to knowledge and technological progression. I think the Mother Flame is going to be stolen from the Gorosei and given to Luffy somehow. The Mother Flame resembles Luffy's hair in G5, and may be somewhat of a solution to the stamina problem Luffy has with maintaining it. BUT I think it will go further than that.
Vegapunk is not someone who thinks of the consequences of his actions, he merely wants to advance science. This has been brought up multiple times, like his idea for the collective database of knowledge, and even in him making this weapon for the World Government. In him stealing the Mother Flame, and presumably telling the world about it as part of his message, I think other people are going to have access to it. Specifically, Judge and Caesar in their Neo Mads group. I'm wondering what Oda is cooking with them, and I think it may be this. In real life, it was Albert Einstein's discoveries that led to nuclear weapons simultaneously being developed by the US and Germany during WWII. I think Vegapunk mentioning this technology to the world will lead to Neo Mads getting some sort of breakthrough on it, mirroring all of humanity getting access to the stolen flame of Prometheus. Caesar and Judge were shown listening to this message and are probably the only people in the world capable of continuing Vegapunk 's work after his death. In fact, all of their scientific feats in the series so far have been either directly a result of Vegapunk's contributions or due to them replicating one of Vegapunk's experiments.
So, where does that leave us for the future of the series? Assuming this myth of Prometheus is used as inspiration, it was the stolen flame from the gods that allowed humanity to progress. Due to his crimes, Prometheus was tied to a rock for eternity to have his liver eaten by birds every day, only to have it grow back and repeat. Prometheus is also sometimes presented as the father of Deucalion, the hero of the flood story in Greek mythology. We have already seen Vegapunk be killed for his crime, just like Prometheus was punished eternally, and he is warning the world about the impending flood. But he is also preparing to tell us the story of Joy Boy. I believe he will tell the world about Joy Boy's return, and Luffy will be the one to save the world from this flood. In a way, Vegapunk will be the way our crew finds out about this danger, and will mirror Prometheus being the father of Deucalion. While we're on this...how did Deucalion become the hero of a flood myth? He built an arc, which floated atop the water until it landed on higher ground at the top of a mountain. Maybe Luffy will take the Noah from Fishman Island and help the residents of FMI settle directly on land. Maybe he helps everyone build arca around the world and everyone lands atop the Red Line until the flood is dealt with. Lastly, it's the divulging of the information of the Mother Flame that will give Caesar and Judge a breakthrough and be able to replicate it, either for the World Government, for themselves, or maybe for a third party (Cross Guild??). Franky may be able to work it into his existing knowledge of what Pluton is. But in any of these cases, once this information is leaked by Vegapunk all of humanity will know about it.
I know this is a long one, and I'm sure you all are better experts on Greek mythology and nuclear science than my degree at Wikipedia Community College grants me so feel free to dissect further.
Tl;Dr: Oda has taken inspiration from the myth of Prometheus and real life scientists like Einstein, Newton, and the race for nuclear weapons to inspire this part of the story.

Seriously, don't even attempt to trivialize it. It's not about waking you up at 3:00 am for mundane reasons like running out of milk or needing your Wi-Fi password. This entity, whatever it may be, operates outside our reality's bounds, and its motives are far from benign. I learned this the hard way recently, which is why I'm cautioning you all against making light of it. But before delving into specifics, let me offer some context, as sleep paralysis is a recent phenomenon for me.
One of my earliest memories of sleep disruption traces back to my grade school days. With my mother on an early shift unable to drive me to school for its 8:00 am start, she would drop me off at my aunt's house. Here, she ensured I was fed, dressed, and ready for school. Most mornings, I had just about an hour left to sleep before needing to rise. Often, I'd find myself in a half-asleep state from the moment my mom roused me until she tucked me into my aunt's spare bedroom.
On one of those mornings, as I lay down, teetering between wakefulness and sleep, I experienced a peculiar sensation. It felt as though my body began to rise, hovering about two feet above the bed, before swiftly plummeting back down. Startled awake, I assumed my mother had thrown me back onto the bed, only to find the room empty upon opening my eyes.
I hadn't encountered any other experiences quite like that, but it was during this time that I distinctly recall a notable surge in the frequency of the nightmares I was experiencing. The nightmares were generally the same, some cloaked being hiding in the recesses of my vision, always there, always watching. I felt as though each passing night terror that it got closer and closer to me, but always just out of reach. At times, I found myself trapped in a dark room, enveloped by an overwhelming sense of malevolence that seemed to saturate the air—and a fear entirely foreign to my waking experiences.
Then I experienced sleep paralysis for the first time.
It occurred at my mother's house, marking the initial instance where I experienced the sensation of my body being effectively immobilized while my mind remained active. I recall attempting to move my eyes and then my body, but all efforts were futile. As I struggled to regain autonomy, it sounded as though a gathering had convened in my kitchen, voices carrying in muted tones. None of the which resembled those of my parents; I even detected snickering and laughter at one point. The conversation seemed to be aimed at me, as my name was uttered several times, yet the other words remained indecipherable. The episode concluded with me returning to sleep without any further disturbances.
As the instances of sleep paralysis became more frequent, they culminated in another peculiar experience. Shortly after moving into my first apartment, still in the midst of unpacking and assembling furniture, the second incident occurred. I lay on a mattress on the floor, surrounded by unassembled bedframe pieces, when I awoke to find myself imprisoned within my own body once more. In the darkness, I heard a faint sound—a presence moving softly over each piece of furniture. Panic gripped me as I strained to turn my head towards the noise, but every effort proved futile. With each passing moment, the unseen entity drew closer until it reached the bedside. Helpless, I closed my eyes, bracing myself for whatever awaited.
Meow?
Relief washed over me as I realized it was just my generously proportioned feline friend making his way around the room. I could hear him moving about, stepping on more furniture and emitting a few disgruntled meows, presumably chastising my laziness for not assembling it yet. As I began to drift back to sleep, I was abruptly startled awake by a chilling sound.
Snnn-orrrff
A primal, guttural snarl pierced the silence, its menacing resonance echoing through the room like a thunderous roar. I struggled desperately to move my limbs, silently screaming in my mind, yet only managing a feeble whimper as I sensed the beast drawing near. Despite my efforts, my body only twitched, while in my imagination, I leapt up and fled. As a mischievous chuckle erupted, I felt hot, pungent breath on the back of my neck. I suddenly awoke, screaming, kicking and punching. I jerked my head to the side and was met only with darkness. I jumped up and turned the light on, a quick scan of the room revealed there was nothing there. Exhausted and recognizing my inability to function effectively, I reluctantly resigned myself to lying back down with the light on until morning. I called into work, knowing that in my current state, I wouldn't be of much use to anyone.
Days passed and soon, it was that time of the month again for my regular check-in from mom. I hesitantly answered the call. After a few minutes of conversation, we eventually broached the topic of my sleep paralysis.
"Honey, it's probably all the stress." she reasoned.
My job had me grinding away tirelessly, but despite my efforts, all I got was a tiny bump in pay. To add to the mix, my landlord decided it was the perfect time to raise the rent. It's safe to say, the stress was really getting to me. "I don't know, it's been happening my whole life, Dad ever had any issues with sleep?"
There was a noticeable pause as she contemplated her reply. "He's definitely had his share of nightmares, he'd wake me up a lot of the times, poor thing would be in tears."
"Jeez, I never knew, but Mom I gotta…" I endeavored to conclude the conversation, as my allotted chat time was expiring, however my mother promptly interrupted me.
"Sweetie, why won't you join us at church? It might help?"
I released a sigh. I staunchly opposed the notion of going to church; I'd rather watch a documentary on the history of paperclips. "Thanks, but I'm not feeling that right now."
"Please, just do it for me?" She pleaded.
Eager to bring the call to a close. "I'll think about, but, alright I'm going to go ahead a hop off here."
"Alright, I miss you, call me later okay?"
"I will, love you, bye."
I concluded the call with a sigh of relief, grateful for its conclusion.
For a stretch, life seemed to fall into place: My job noticed the disparity between my increased workload and pay and offered me a new position that significantly improved my financial situation. Thanks to this new position, I crossed paths with my wife, and we swiftly eloped. She was one of the top account managers, earning a substantial income, which enabled us to afford a nice house together. During this period, the night terrors and bouts of sleep paralysis took a hiatus, granting me a reprieve. Yet amidst the tranquility, a gnawing sense of foreboding lingered, as if a tempest loomed on the horizon, urging me to savor the calm while it lasted.
During this period, my wife and I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of our first child. We were overjoyed as she reached the sixth month of her pregnancy, carrying our long-awaited daughter. However, my suspicions proved tragically correct. I'll never forget the heart-wrenching phone call from my wife, her voice choked with tears, informing me of the terrifying sight of blood. Hastening to the emergency room, we raced against time, but our efforts proved futile. We lost our precious daughter that day. The journey back home was a blur, engulfed in a suffocating sense of loss that seemed to consume us both. It felt as though a part of me had died alongside our daughter, and the profound grief only served to widen the chasm between us as time passed, transforming our once intimate bond into a hollow semblance of what it once was.
Sleep paralysis and nightmares began to resurface, as if some malevolent force was exploiting my already troubled state, and my ability to sleep dwindled. Additionally, minor habits and disparities in the early stages of our marriage, once insignificant, began escalating into cataclysmic arguments. By now, I'm certain even my breathing would agitate my wife. Despite experimenting with various medications, none proved effective. Even vigorous physical exercise failed to exhaust me enough for uninterrupted sleep. The situation escalated to the point where my wife banished me from the bedroom due to my incessant tossing and turning, disrupting her rest. Consequently, I found myself relegated to the couch. Resorting to alcohol became a regular occurrence, partly to numb the discomfort of the couch but also as a means of coping with my grief.
We barely conversed, even though she mentioned marriage counseling, I rebuffed the idea, convinced it wouldn't benefit us. Frequently, I'd discover her in tears, cradling the sonogram of our daughter, yet I would quietly withdraw, allowing her solitary moments of sorrow. She had her unique methods of grieving, just as I had mine.
"I can't keep doing this, we're drowning in debt, and you're just pushing us further into it with every bottle." She pointed to the glass in my hand.
"Oh, come on! I work hard for us, I deserve to unwind a bit!" In a moment of animated expression, I inadvertently spilled some of my beverage onto the floor.
"Unwind? You call draining our savings and neglecting our future 'unwinding'!?"
"Look, just let me sleep in my own bed tonight."
She crossed her arms, and for a moment, silence enveloped us before she finally spoke.
"I just—I feel like I'm living with a stranger." Her eyes begin to shimmer with emotion.
"I'm here, aren't I? What more do you want from me?!" My voice rising in volume.
She attempted to delicately take my drink away, her touch then shifting to gently grasp my hand. "I want us to be a team again, not just two people sharing a bed."
But the moment I felt her touch, I instinctively shoved her hands away from me. "We haven't been a 'team' since we lost—" My voice quivered, then exploded into rage. "You pushed me out! You did this! You don't talk to me about anything anymore! Just get the hell out!" I pointed to the door.
I stood in the open doorway, watching her car pull out of the driveway. With a final sip, I closed the door behind me. Met with silence, I sensed the weight of tension hanging heavy in the air. Deciding one more bourbon was in order, I made my way to the kitchen, intent on pouring myself one last drink. In a bid to ensure a restful night, I opted to accompany my indulgence in alcohol with a hefty dosage of sleeping pills. A reckless choice, I'm aware, but perhaps death was in fact the ultimate form of slumber. I settled onto the couch, flicking through channels until my libation was drained. Feeling sufficiently relaxed, I decided it was time for bed. Ascending the stairs, I stumbled and collapsed onto the master bedroom's mattress. Sleep enveloped me swiftly that night, yet trouble was never far behind.
I recall waking during the night and noticing that the hallway light remained illuminated. It struck me as odd since I distinctly remember switching it off before retiring to bed. However, given my inebriated state from the copious amounts of alcohol I had consumed, I surmised that I must have simply forgotten. I'd just get up and switch it off, but a wave of unease washed over me. Despite my intentions, I found myself paralyzed, trapped within my own body once again. I found myself transfixed on the door, illuminated by the soft glow seeping in from the hallway. In that moment, I discerned a shadowy figure lurking behind the door.
I hoped it was my wife, but a gut feeling told me otherwise; this time felt different, suffocated by an eerie malevolence. The doorknob rattled violently, as if something were struggling to open it. Yet, amidst the noise I caught a sinister snicker. The relentless jiggling of the doorknob reached a fever pitch, threatening to wrench it free from its socket at any instant. Then, as abruptly as it began, the tumult ceased, leaving an ominous silence hanging in the air. The door then creaked open with a slow, foreboding motion.
A sinister, shapeless presence loomed in the doorway, defying gravity as it hovered above the ground, its shadowy form exaggerated by the eerie glow seeping in from the hallway. I whimpered, struggling to stir my limbs in a futile attempt to awaken my body, but they responded only with slight twitches. My gaze remained fixed on the form before me, immobilized by fear. Suddenly, a sinuous appendage extended from the specter's face, resembling a long, black tentacle. It elongated and snaked toward me, prompting me to instinctively shut my eyes. Sensing its proximity, I remained frozen, an icy chill grazed my forehead, jolting me awake in an instant. Sleep eluded me for the rest of the night, so I opted for an early morning, brewing a pot of coffee to chase away the lingering unease.
For the following weeks, my routine remained monotonous: work, microwave dinner, then numbness induced by sleeping pills and bourbon until I could no longer keep my eyes open. I received a text from my mother-in-law stating that my wife wanted to reconcile, but insisted on therapy and my attendance at AA meetings. I refused, firmly convinced that all I desired was to reclaim my bed, and that her reaction was excessive. I contended that the alcohol provided comfort, a gesture I hadn't received from her in quite some time. My mother-in-law and wife were both displeased with my response; it became apparent that divorce was now the inevitable solution.
At this juncture, I experienced sleep paralysis on a daily basis, even in the absence of the entity. Each night, I would awaken multiple times, unable to move, only freeing myself to find dread awaiting the next episode upon returning to sleep. There was one rare night when I slept soundly, only to be abruptly awakened by a late-night call from an old friend. We had a bond stretching back to our middle school days, and were inseparable back then. However, this call wasn't one of nostalgia; it was about money. He needed a bailout for his mortgage, promising a swift repayment.
I moved to the edge of my bed, frustration mounting as I started to rub my forehead. "I can't, I just can't right now, I need to get back to sleep good—"
He interrupted me. "Please, I don't want to lose the house."
I found myself raising my voice in frustration as irritation crept in. It appeared he was wholly incapable of learning from his mistakes. "Look, it isn't my responsibility to bail you out every time you're in trouble!"
"I know, I know, please, at least do it for Eli, Chelsea left me all alone and it's been hard man." His voice starting to crack.
My voice raising to a near scream; "He isn't my responsibility either! You should have been careful! I told you she wasn't good for you and you didn't listen! Sort your own shit out from now on!"
I ended the call and slammed the phone onto my nightstand. So much for a good night's rest, thanks a lot, friend.
As my life spiraled further into chaos, I realized I needed to explore solutions beyond relying on alcohol and sleeping pills to combat sleep paralysis. Perhaps a spiritual approach was necessary. While I knew my mother would be pleased with this consideration, I'm certain what I had in mind would be vehemently discouraged. My mother firmly believed in the existence of demons, warning against interacting with them outside of 'God's protection'. Perhaps she was right, but I grew desperate for a solution. At this stage, I was willing to do anything for peace of mind, regardless of the consequences. So, I concocted a masterful plan:
I'd simply ask it what it would take to make it stop.
Each morning was fraught with dread, pondering whether the entity would manifest itself. I ensured to kickstart my day with a potent drink, maintaining a steady buzz throughout, perhaps to stave off any wavering doubts about my decision. My patience bore fruit one fateful night as I found myself immobilized once more.
This marked the initial instance when the entity directly addressed me, and its words seared into my memory with chilling permanence. It uttered abhorrent, repulsive, unfathomable insults about me, branding me a failure, devoid of worth, as insignificant as a microbe. It dissected my existence, critiquing my choices, appearance, and demeanor with a cruelty I had never encountered. It seemed to possess an uncanny ability to strike at the core of my being, as if it wielded a weapon honed to annihilate my spirit. And then, its merciless laughter echoed relentlessly.
In that moment, I recognized it as my opportunity to retort. However, the barrage of insults stoked a fire within me, igniting a fury that overpowered my intentions. What did this entity presume to know about me? It was entirely mistaken, and that infuriated me. Against my better judgment, fueled by indignation, I deviated from my plan and impulsively blurted out: "What's so damn funny?!"
As the words echoed in my mind, the laughter abruptly ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence. Relief flooded through me as I dared to hope that I had put an end to the ordeal. Yet, my premature celebration was cut short when an indescribable dread enveloped me. A black ichor oozed onto the floor beside my bed, signaling the beginning of a hellish spectacle. From the viscous sludge, a dark figure emerged, coated in sticky tar, yet defying gravity as it ascended, hovering above the ground.
Above me, it loomed, its weighty presence palpable as thick sludge cascaded onto the bed, it halted directly over me. Its head inclined, scrutinizing me with unseen gaze. Tears welled in my eyes, hot and unrestrained, as I braced for the inevitable embrace of death. The figure gradually descended, its feet pressing into my chest with an icy chill coursing through me. As its waist aligned with my sternum, a frigid sensation enveloped me. With a swift motion, it plunged its hand into my chest, seizing my heart, and darkness consumed my senses.
I felt a terrifying pull downward, as if gravity itself had gone haywire. My stomach churned with a sickening weightlessness, reminiscent of a plummeting elevator. As my descent abruptly halted, the sound of wind rushing in my ears gave way to a sudden explosion—a resounding burst, resembling the opening of a parachute. That's when I sensed something coiling around my waist, though invisible to my eyes. Desperate to break free, I reached out, only to recoil in horror as my fingers brushed against scaly, rough skin.
Simultaneously, the air filled with the echoing beat of what seemed like enormous wings, while I experienced the unsettling sensation of being lifted and dropped. Though I had a suspicion about what gripped me, disbelief held me back from fully acknowledging it. So, resigned, I surrendered to my captor's will, allowing them to transport me to an unknown destination. As the darkness yielded, a faint glow emerged beneath us—a jagged line emanating an eerie orange-red light. The creature descended, revealing a sight that churned my stomach: bubbling lava. Its faint glow barely illuminated what seemed to be a cavern.
As I descended further into the cavern's depths, the beast veered close enough for me to sense the searing warmth of the lava beneath my feet. Gradually, our descent stabilized, and my gaze shifted forward, revealing a massive door-like structure. Its design echoed the grandeur of ancient Gothic architecture, adorned with pointed arches and intricate buttresses. The edifice appeared crafted from a peculiar variety of marble, possessing a beauty tinged with an unsettling aura. Its construction defied convention, evoking a sense of unease; never before had anything been wrought in such a manner.
As the creature descended once more, carrying me firmly, we passed through the doorway, revealing the true scale of the chamber. Beyond the threshold, a vast expanse unfolded, illuminated by a solitary spherical light source, casting an unsettlingly dim glow upon a colossal, otherworldly mechanism. It resembled a colossal pillar, stretching upward into the darkness of the cavern, its details obscured by the dim light. Within its intricate workings, gears, wheels, and chains rotated at a languid pace. Amidst this mechanical labyrinth, my attention was drawn to a swirling mass of gray at the base of the mechanism, slowly undulating. The beast appeared to be steering us directly toward it.
As we drew nearer, we sailed past what appeared to be a platform, upon which perched a colossal beast. Its form resembled that of a massive reptilian creature, akin to what one might envision as a dinosaur. Yet, it stood upright on two legs, its powerful limbs chained firmly to the platform. With each short, sharp inhalation, it unleashed a deafening roar that reverberated through every fiber of my being. I couldn't help but notice the protrusion of its jugular vein, roughly the size of my upper thigh, expanding with each thunderous cry. As we approached the swirling mass of gray, a sudden wave of horror washed over me as I comprehended its true nature.
A sea of people.
I observed that they were all bound together by chains, encircling their arms, legs, and necks. These chains converged at the towering pillar, linking each individual to the mechanism. The mass of people moved in a circular motion, driving the turning of the cogs. Their pallid complexion suggested an absence of life, as if all vitality had been drained from them. Their agonized screams pierced the air, mouths devoid of tongues. I witnessed an individual collapse to their knees, only to be forcefully yanked upright by some unseen power, rest was an elusive notion in this place. To my horror, amidst the throng of young adults and the elderly, I saw children swept along by the relentless current of the crowd.
As the creature positioned me amidst the multitude, I pleaded desperately, but it was futile; the chains had already ensnared me. With each movement of the mass of people, I felt the tug on my own chain, pressed in on all sides without an inch of space to spare. The towering figures around me obscured any view beyond their heads, leaving me engulfed in a sea of bodies.
My voice pierced the chaotic symphony of screams, rising in a desperate plea for escape.
"Please! I don't belong here! I just wanted to sleep, this is a mistake!"
As I cried out, the orb of light began to shift, seemingly in response to my desperate appeals. As it drew closer and closer, a sense of dread gripped me. Hovering ominously above, it revealed itself as a grotesque monstrosity, casting a sickly glow that chilled me to the bone. I fought the overwhelming urge to collapse, my knees weakening with each passing moment. What loomed overhead defied any attempt at human description; it resembled a cluster of intertwining tubes, swirling and spiraling in a mesmerizing dance that transcended the bounds of reality. Bathed in a sickly blue light that pulsed like molten lava beneath its tendrils.
The light wrought a profound transformation within me, granting a clarity of self-awareness unlike anything I had ever known. In its piercing illumination, I was confronted with the raw truth of my being, stripped of illusion or denial. It was a sobering revelation, an awakening to the most authentic understanding of myself I had ever experienced.
I belonged here.
I had systematically driven away my friends, neglecting their presence and refusing to open up to them. Even my own mother's attempts at connection felt burdensome, our conversations reduced to mere obligations. But perhaps the greatest tragedy lay in the chasm that had formed between my wife and me—a divide entirely of my own making. I was the architect of my own downfall, responsible for the ruin of my life, with no one else to blame but myself. Every word the entity had uttered about me held a painful truth.
From this vantage point, my life appeared almost sweet in retrospect, bathed in the stark light of self-awareness. Yet, any semblance of hope quickly dissolved, for in this desolate realm, hope found no foothold, no sanctuary to thrive.
With my head bowed low, I trudged forward, the weight of my chain pulling me inexorably onward. In a moment of unprecedented vulnerability, I found myself offering a prayer. Despite my awareness that it would likely go unanswered, I embraced the grim reality of my fate, accepting it with a heavy heart.
God, have mercy on me…
Suddenly the sound of chains breaking shattered the air as I was yanked upward with astonishing velocity. In a sudden blur, the scene below shrank rapidly beneath me. The rush of wind buffeted me, and I sensed another presence, an arm wrapped around my waist. Clutching onto it tightly, I braced myself as the cavern's light faded into absolute darkness, squeezing my eyes shut against the unknown.
With a jolt, my rapid ascent came to an abrupt halt, my back colliding with something soft. Gradually, I realized I was back in the familiarity of my own bed. At the foot of the bed stood a figure, its features obscured by a radiant glow emanating from its form, resembling molten glass. The brilliance bathed the entire room in an ethereal light. For a fleeting moment, we locked gazes, suspended in a silent exchange. Then, as swiftly as it had appeared, the figure began to ascend, leaving my room cloaked once more in shadows.
I sat in silence for a while, grappling with the enormity of my experience. To dismiss it as a mere nightmare or hallucination would be a gross understatement; whatever transpired felt hauntingly more vivid and tangible than my current reality. It would take me months of introspection and contemplation to begin to make sense of it all, to reconcile the surreal with the mundane, and to find a semblance of peace within myself.
Although the experience didn't trigger an immediate transformation, its impact lingered, nudging me towards a path of change. Despite my ongoing struggle with alcohol addiction, I made a conscious decision to seek help. I began prioritizing regular hangouts with my best friend and even accompanied my mom to a few church visits. While I remained uncertain about my own connection to religion, witnessing her joy brought a sense of fulfillment that warmed my heart. In making her happy, I found a newfound source of happiness within myself.
As time passed, a sense of progress gradually infused my life. Achieving a year of sobriety marked a significant milestone on my journey, celebrated amidst the supportive community of AA. Even my wife took notice of my efforts towards self-improvement, leading us to embark on marriage counseling together. Before long, her return to our home signaled a hopeful new chapter in our relationship.
Not a trace of sleep paralysis had haunted me since that fateful night when I was guided from the depths of despair. I'm not entirely sure if it was an angel, or God, but whatever it was, it spared me, and for that, I'm grateful. And now, the most joyous news of all: my wife and I are expecting our first child next week. The doctors assure us of her perfect health, filling us with anticipation and gratitude. As for her name, I already have the perfect one in mind:
Grace

DAY: DAY: MAY 11, 2024

• 5-11-2024WHY DANCING IN SYNC BRINGS US CLOSER TOGETHER Silent discos started back in the 1970s as a convenient way to get around noise restrictions. In those days that meant everyone bringing their own music loaded onto a Walkman. Later, DJs would set up their own radio channels to allow everyone to listen to the same playlist. These events gained popularity in the early 2000s, when music festivals began to host silent gigs with lots of artists streaming on different channels. At a regular disco or nightclub, everybody experiences dancing together in time to the same music.
• 5-11-2024HOW DO EMOTIONS HELP CONSTRUCT OUR CULTURAL IDENTITY IN MUSIC FESTIVALS? 2022 was a record year for music festivals in Spain, hitting historic highs just two years after the entire country was locked down due to the pandemic. Spain boasts close to a thousand music festivals and a live music industry that earned 459 million euros in ticket revenue alone in 2022. This is almost 200% more than the previous year,
• 5-11-2024WHY DO METAPHORS OF SPACE HELP US UNDERSTAND TIME? Space-time projections, ego-moving perspective. Expressions linking space to time are a common part of our day to day lives. You might say the morning “flew by,” or that school exams are “fast approaching.” Right now, you might say summer is “just around the corner,” while anyone with the vaguest awareness of Game of Thrones will have heard the phrase “winter is coming.”
• 5-11-2024THERE ARE NO GOOD OR BAD OIL CROPS, ONLY GOOD AND BAD PRACTICES There are no good or bad oil crops. Credit: Borneo Futures When shopping, have you considered the social and environmental impacts of your vegetable oil purchases? Most products offer limited information on these effects. Labels like “No Palm Oil”—linked to environmental damage and threats to orangutans—or “Fair-trade” are familiar, but many ingredients go unmentioned. How reliable are these claims, and what unseen impacts are we responsible for with our choices?
• 5-11-2024ART-BASED APPROACHES CAN ENCOURAGE FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE Art can contribute to futures thinking in various ways, such as inspiring alternative futures through mediums like science fiction in films and literature, encapsulating future scenarios through artistic illustrations, and posing thought-provoking questions that challenge our perceptions and understanding of the future. As a multidisciplinary field, futures research borrows approaches from different disciplines. However, it often ignores the potential of the arts on a large scale, even though the arts embrace creativity and often depict and narrate imagined futures.
• 5-11-2024‘DOING YOUR OWN RESEARCH’ CAN MAKE FAKE NEWS SEEM BELIEVABLE While it’s healthy to question what we see and hear in the media, those quick internet searches to fact-check news stories can unexpectedly backfire and lead people to believe false stories, according to the director of the University of Oregon’s undergraduate journalism program. As more people tune into the press for the upcoming election cycle
• 5-11-2024CONTRADICTORY THOUGHTS LEAD TO MORE MODERATE ATTITUDES, PSYCHOLOGISTS FIND Researchers present rhetorical tools that can help to reduce the polarization of discussions. When discussing controversial issues such as migration or measures against global warming, strongly opposing positions often clash and discussions become emotional. The polarization that can be found here is primarily driven by people with extreme attitudes.
• 5-11-2024CAN SCIENCE EXPLAIN WHY COUPLES BREAK UP? THE MATHEMATICAL ANATOMY OF A FALL French director Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” winner of the 2023 Oscar for best original script, reconstructs a fatal fall in order to dissect the collapse of the romantic relationship between the film’s leading couple, Sandra Voyter and Samuel Maleski. Far from an exception, breakups of the sort depicted in the film are commonplace: global data shows high levels of marriage failure, with a marked increase towards the end of the last century.
• 5-11-2024WHEN CHOOSING CO-FOUNDERS, ENTREPRENEURS HAVE A GENDER GAP One of the most important decisions an entrepreneur can make when launching a business is choosing the right co-founder. Should compatible personalities guide the choice? Or should the priority be someone who brings resources to the startup? How do entrepreneurs make this decision if they must choose between these two options? New research from Texas McCombs finds there’s a gender gap in making this choice.
• 5-11-2024COMPASSION DOESN’T HELP ALL COUPLES, FINDS STUDY More compassion = a better relationship. This is an obvious rule of thumb for couples. But it doesn’t apply to everyone, as a study shows. Some people prefer to do without it. Whether irrevocably estranged or merely bored with the daily routine: “Couples counseling can improve communication and the quality of the relationship. And it has a positive effect on mental health
• 5-11-2024WOMEN IN RICH COUNTRIES ARE HAVING FEWER KIDS, OR NONE AT ALL. WHAT’S GOING ON? A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in 2023. With the exception of a temporary increase in the fertility rate at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US fertility rate has been falling steadily since 1971. Australia exhibits a similar pattern. Fertility has declined since 2007 despite government attempts to invest in a “baby bonus” to encourage women to have more children. Taking a more global perspective, we can see similar patterns across other industrial nations: Japan,
• 5-11-2024RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW AI TOOL FOR FAST AND PRECISE TISSUE ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT DRUG DISCOVERY AND DIAGNOSTICS A team of scientists from A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Bioinformatics Institute (BII) has developed a new AI software tool called “BANKSY” that automatically recognizes the cell types present in a tissue, such as muscle cells, nerve cells, and fat cells. Going a step beyond conventional AI tools, which can group cells together into clusters if they contain similar molecules
• 5-11-2024STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON CANCER CELL ‘TUG-OF-WAR’ Two malignant mixed mullerian tumor explants on collagen network. Both tumor pieces adhered to the collagen network and started pulling on the collagen fibers, which prompted extensive collagen displacements and alignments, alongside cell escape of cells with a dominant stress fiber-based contractility. The sharp and smooth boundary structure of both pieces further indicates a strong tissue surface tension that hinders cell escape for cells with a dominant cortical contractility.
• 5-11-2024STUDY UNDERSCORES NEW STRATEGIES TO FIGHT DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA
• 5-11-2024BIG DATA HELPS DETERMINE WHAT DRIVES DISEASE RISK
• 5-11-2024NEW STUDY POINTS TO STOCHASTIC CHANGES IN CELLS
• 5-11-2024CHANGES IN PIG FARMING IN THE 20TH CENTURY SPREAD ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT SALMONELLA AROUND THE WORLD, FINDS STUDY
• 5-11-2024HOW CLIMATE CHANGE WILL AFFECT MALARIA TRANSMISSION
• 5-11-2024TEAM DEVELOPS TECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCING BIOPLASTICS FROM AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD BYPRODUCTS
• 5-11-2024STUDY DISCOVERS CELLULAR ACTIVITY THAT HINTS RECYCLING IS IN OUR DNA
• 5-11-2024WANT TO SHOW TEACHERS APPRECIATION? THIS TOP SCHOOL GIVES THEM MORE FREEDOM
• 5-11-2024HOW LIKELY ARE ENGLISH LEARNERS TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL? STUDY SHOWS IT DEPENDS ON RACE, GENDER AND INCOME
• 5-11-2024SELF-CRITICAL PERFECTIONISM GNAWS ON STUDENTS’ WELL-BEING ALREADY IN LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL, SAYS STUDY
• 5-11-2024STUDY EXPLORES WHETHER PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL WILL HELP WITH WORK ENGAGEMENT IN TOUGH MOMENTS
• 5-11-2024NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE REPORTING
• 5-11-2024EXPELLING STUDENTS FOR BAD BEHAVIOR SEEMS LIKE THE OBVIOUS SOLUTION, BUT IS IT REALLY A GOOD IDEA?
• 5-11-2024RESEARCHER ANALYZES 3,356 SIGNS TO SEE HOW LANGUAGE USE IS CHANGING IN THREE LATINO NEIGHBORHOODS IN PHILLY
• 5-11-2024WHO ARE THE IMMIGRANTS COMING TO THE US ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS, AND HOW CAN THEY BE SUPPORTED?
• 5-11-2024STUDY SHOWS FEMALE GAMERS ONLY LABEL HALF OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT INCIDENTS THEY EXPERIENCE AS SUCH
• 5-11-2024RISING KNIFE CRIME IN LONDON IS LINKED TO AUSTERITY CUTS TO YOUTH SERVICES—HERE’S THE EVIDENCE
• 5-11-2024USING AI TO PREDICT GRADE POINT AVERAGE FROM COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAYS
• 5-11-2024DISADVANTAGED ENTREPRENEURS OFTEN FEAR SUCCESS, BUT NEW RESEARCH CAN HELP
• 5-11-2024FEW TENURE-TRACK JOBS FOR ENGINEERING PH.D.S, STUDY FINDS
• 5-11-2024RESEARCHERS SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS TO CONSTRUCT A COMPREHENSIVE WORKFORCE
• 5-11-2024HOW TO TELL IF A CONSPIRACY THEORY IS PROBABLY FALSE
• 5-11-2024AN ANALYSIS OF SECURITY IN RELATION TO THE VALUES OF WELL-BEING, FREEDOM AND EQUALITY
• 5-11-2024CONSUMERS REPORT SIGNIFICANT RISE IN DIET SATISFACTION SINCE JANUARY
• 5-11-2024THE SPREAD OF MISINFORMATION VARIES BY TOPIC AND BY COUNTRY IN EUROPE, STUDY FINDS
• 5-11-2024I INTERVIEWED MOMS WITH FIVE OR MORE KIDS—WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT WOMEN WHO ARE QUIETLY GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
• 5-11-2024ANALYSIS OF MILLIONS OF POSTS SHOWS THAT USERS SEEK OUT ECHO CHAMBERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
• 5-11-2024HONG KONG UNIVERSITY TESTS AI PROFESSORS
• 5-11-2024EXTREME VIEWS ABOUT WOMEN ARE INFILTRATING AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS—WE NEED A ZERO-TOLERANCE RESPONSE
• 5-11-2024GROWTH MINDSET TEACHING HELPS STUDENTS MAKE THE GRADE
• 5-11-2024WORKER RIGHTS ARE ONE OF THE LEAST PROTECTED HUMAN RIGHTS, NEW RESEARCH REVEALS
• 5-11-2024DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU BELONG AT WORK? HERE’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR YOUR HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND PRODUCTIVITY
• 5-11-2024RESEARCHER EXPOSES CHILD LABOR TRAFFICKING AS A HIDDEN CRIME AFTER INVESTIGATING 132 VICTIMS
• 5-11-2024AI KNOWLEDGE GETS YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR FOR JOB INTERVIEWS, SAYS STUDY
• 5-11-2024STUDY EXPLORES EFFECTS OF OVERSEAS BUSINESS ACTIVITY THROUGH EXPERIENCES OF EXPATRIATES
• 5-11-2024STUDY IDENTIFIES LARGE INTEREST GAPS IN US LABOR MARKET
• 5-11-2024STUDY SHOWS AI CONVERSATIONAL AGENTS CAN HELP REDUCE INTERETHNIC PREJUDICE DURING ONLINE INTERACTIONS

MAY 11, 2024

• 5-11-2024WHY DANCING IN SYNC BRINGS US CLOSER TOGETHER
• 5-11-2024HOW DO EMOTIONS HELP CONSTRUCT OUR CULTURAL IDENTITY IN MUSIC FESTIVALS?
• 5-11-2024WHY DO METAPHORS OF SPACE HELP US UNDERSTAND TIME?
• 5-11-2024THERE ARE NO GOOD OR BAD OIL CROPS, ONLY GOOD AND BAD PRACTICES
• 5-11-2024ART-BASED APPROACHES CAN ENCOURAGE FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE
• 5-11-2024‘DOING YOUR OWN RESEARCH’ CAN MAKE FAKE NEWS SEEM BELIEVABLE
• 5-11-2024CONTRADICTORY THOUGHTS LEAD TO MORE MODERATE ATTITUDES, PSYCHOLOGISTS FIND
• 5-11-2024CAN SCIENCE EXPLAIN WHY COUPLES BREAK UP? THE MATHEMATICAL ANATOMY OF A FALL
• 5-11-2024WHEN CHOOSING CO-FOUNDERS, ENTREPRENEURS HAVE A GENDER GAP
• 5-11-2024COMPASSION DOESN’T HELP ALL COUPLES, FINDS STUDY
• 5-11-2024WOMEN IN RICH COUNTRIES ARE HAVING FEWER KIDS, OR NONE AT ALL. WHAT’S GOING ON?
• 5-11-2024RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW AI TOOL FOR FAST AND PRECISE TISSUE ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT DRUG DISCOVERY AND DIAGNOSTICS
• 5-11-2024STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON CANCER CELL ‘TUG-OF-WAR’
• 5-11-2024STUDY UNDERSCORES NEW STRATEGIES TO FIGHT DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA
• 5-11-2024BIG DATA HELPS DETERMINE WHAT DRIVES DISEASE RISK
• 5-11-2024NEW STUDY POINTS TO STOCHASTIC CHANGES IN CELLS
• 5-11-2024CHANGES IN PIG FARMING IN THE 20TH CENTURY SPREAD ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT SALMONELLA AROUND THE WORLD, FINDS STUDY
• 5-11-2024HOW CLIMATE CHANGE WILL AFFECT MALARIA TRANSMISSION
• 5-11-2024TEAM DEVELOPS TECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCING BIOPLASTICS FROM AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD BYPRODUCTS
• 5-11-2024STUDY DISCOVERS CELLULAR ACTIVITY THAT HINTS RECYCLING IS IN OUR DNA
• 5-11-2024WANT TO SHOW TEACHERS APPRECIATION? THIS TOP SCHOOL GIVES THEM MORE FREEDOM
• 5-11-2024HOW LIKELY ARE ENGLISH LEARNERS TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL? STUDY SHOWS IT DEPENDS ON RACE, GENDER AND INCOME
• 5-11-2024SELF-CRITICAL PERFECTIONISM GNAWS ON STUDENTS’ WELL-BEING ALREADY IN LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL, SAYS STUDY
• 5-11-2024STUDY EXPLORES WHETHER PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL WILL HELP WITH WORK ENGAGEMENT IN TOUGH MOMENTS
• 5-11-2024NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE REPORTING
• 5-11-2024EXPELLING STUDENTS FOR BAD BEHAVIOR SEEMS LIKE THE OBVIOUS SOLUTION, BUT IS IT REALLY A GOOD IDEA?
• 5-11-2024RESEARCHER ANALYZES 3,356 SIGNS TO SEE HOW LANGUAGE USE IS CHANGING IN THREE LATINO NEIGHBORHOODS IN PHILLY
• 5-11-2024WHO ARE THE IMMIGRANTS COMING TO THE US ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS, AND HOW CAN THEY BE SUPPORTED?
• 5-11-2024STUDY SHOWS FEMALE GAMERS ONLY LABEL HALF OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT INCIDENTS THEY EXPERIENCE AS SUCH
• 5-11-2024RISING KNIFE CRIME IN LONDON IS LINKED TO AUSTERITY CUTS TO YOUTH SERVICES—HERE’S THE EVIDENCE
• 5-11-2024USING AI TO PREDICT GRADE POINT AVERAGE FROM COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAYS
• 5-11-2024DISADVANTAGED ENTREPRENEURS OFTEN FEAR SUCCESS, BUT NEW RESEARCH CAN HELP
• 5-11-2024FEW TENURE-TRACK JOBS FOR ENGINEERING PH.D.S, STUDY FINDS
• 5-11-2024RESEARCHERS SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS TO CONSTRUCT A COMPREHENSIVE WORKFORCE
• 5-11-2024HOW TO TELL IF A CONSPIRACY THEORY IS PROBABLY FALSE
• 5-11-2024AN ANALYSIS OF SECURITY IN RELATION TO THE VALUES OF WELL-BEING, FREEDOM AND EQUALITY
• 5-11-2024CONSUMERS REPORT SIGNIFICANT RISE IN DIET SATISFACTION SINCE JANUARY
• 5-11-2024THE SPREAD OF MISINFORMATION VARIES BY TOPIC AND BY COUNTRY IN EUROPE, STUDY FINDS
• 5-11-2024I INTERVIEWED MOMS WITH FIVE OR MORE KIDS—WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT WOMEN WHO ARE QUIETLY GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
• 5-11-2024ANALYSIS OF MILLIONS OF POSTS SHOWS THAT USERS SEEK OUT ECHO CHAMBERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
• 5-11-2024HONG KONG UNIVERSITY TESTS AI PROFESSORS
• 5-11-2024EXTREME VIEWS ABOUT WOMEN ARE INFILTRATING AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS—WE NEED A ZERO-TOLERANCE RESPONSE
• 5-11-2024GROWTH MINDSET TEACHING HELPS STUDENTS MAKE THE GRADE
• 5-11-2024WORKER RIGHTS ARE ONE OF THE LEAST PROTECTED HUMAN RIGHTS, NEW RESEARCH REVEALS
• 5-11-2024DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU BELONG AT WORK? HERE’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR YOUR HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND PRODUCTIVITY
• 5-11-2024RESEARCHER EXPOSES CHILD LABOR TRAFFICKING AS A HIDDEN CRIME AFTER INVESTIGATING 132 VICTIMS
• 5-11-2024AI KNOWLEDGE GETS YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR FOR JOB INTERVIEWS, SAYS STUDY
• 5-11-2024STUDY EXPLORES EFFECTS OF OVERSEAS BUSINESS ACTIVITY THROUGH EXPERIENCES OF EXPATRIATES
• 5-11-2024STUDY IDENTIFIES LARGE INTEREST GAPS IN US LABOR MARKET
• 5-11-2024STUDY SHOWS AI CONVERSATIONAL AGENTS CAN HELP REDUCE INTERETHNIC PREJUDICE DURING ONLINE INTERACTIONS

The War Scroll, also known as the "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," is a unique text within the Dead Sea Scrolls that portrays an apocalyptic battle between the forces of good (Sons of Light) and evil (Sons of Darkness). This scroll provides insight into both historical and symbolic elements.
Historical Accuracy:
The War Scroll, while containing detailed military tactics and an epic narrative of the ultimate confrontation, doesn't explicitly reference any specific historical event or timeframe. Some scholars believe it could be a product of the community's anticipation of a future messianic conflict or a reflection of their own community's struggles against opposing forces during their time. Interpreting the historical accuracy of the scroll often involves exploring the context of the Qumran community and the turbulent times in which they lived.
Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
The War Scroll goes beyond a mere description of a physical battle. It portrays a cosmic conflict between the forces of light and darkness, reflecting not just a literal warfare but also a symbolic and spiritual struggle. The text emphasizes righteousness, divine intervention, and the victory of good over evil.
Within the study guide, activities and exercises could involve dissecting the symbolic elements present in the War Scroll, exploring the deeper meanings behind the battle tactics and the metaphysical implications of the conflict. Understanding the symbolism could involve group discussions, comparative analysis with other ancient texts with similar themes, and exploring the impact of this symbolic representation on the community's beliefs and practices.
Here are a few activities and exercises to explore the symbolism and historical context of the War Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls:

1. Symbolism Analysis:

Provide excerpts from the War Scroll and encourage participants to identify and discuss the symbolic meanings behind elements like the "Sons of Light" and the "Sons of Darkness," various weapons, and the strategies outlined for battle. Group discussions or written reflections can help participants explore the deeper layers of meaning.

1. Comparative Analysis:

Compare the War Scroll's themes with similar apocalyptic or eschatological texts from different cultures or religions, such as apocalyptic passages in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible or apocalyptic texts from other ancient traditions. Create worksheets or discussion prompts to highlight similarities and differences in themes, symbols, and beliefs about cosmic battles.

1. Historical Context Exploration:

Present historical information about the era when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. Discuss the political, social, and religious climate of that time, including the turmoil in the region, to understand how these factors might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll. Encourage participants to consider the possible motivations behind the text's creation.

1. Creative Interpretation:

Encourage creative expression by asking participants to create artwork, poems, or short stories inspired by the themes and imagery found in the War Scroll. This exercise allows individuals to engage more deeply with the symbolic elements and interpret them in their own unique ways.

1. Role-playing or Debates:
   Organize a role-playing activity where participants take on the roles of "Sons of Light" and "Sons of Darkness," debating their ideologies, motivations, and strategies for the ultimate battle. This exercise helps in understanding differing perspectives and interpreting the conflicts presented in the scroll.
   

Interpretative variations regarding the river's crossing in different ancient texts reflect the unique religious, philosophical, and cultural perspectives embedded within these narratives. These differences in interpretation offer insights into diverse worldviews and varying theological frameworks present in ancient texts:

1. Mesopotamian Context:

• In Mesopotamian mythology and literature, the Euphrates River often held symbolic significance as a boundary between the known civilized world and the wild, unknown realms. The crossing of the Euphrates could symbolize journeys into unexplored territories or transitions between order and chaos. This perspective reflects a worldview rooted in the physical and geographical division of lands.

1. Biblical Context:

• In biblical texts, such as those in the Book of Revelation or Old Testament prophecies, the crossing of the Euphrates carries eschatological significance. It may represent a divine intervention or a decisive moment in God's plan, marking the commencement of apocalyptic events. This interpretation aligns with the biblical narrative of divine judgment and the unfolding of God's ultimate purpose in history.

1. Gnostic or Apocryphal Context:

• Gnostic or apocryphal texts often interpret the river's crossing as a symbolic liberation or awakening. It might signify the release of spiritual forces or the ascent to higher consciousness, reflecting a philosophical perspective emphasizing spiritual enlightenment and liberation from material constraints.

1. Greco-Roman Interpretation:

• In Greco-Roman literature, crossings of rivers were often associated with mythological journeys or transitions between realms. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize a transition from mundane existence to a realm of mystery or spiritual significance, reflecting a cultural perspective rooted in mythology and cosmology.

These varied interpretations highlight the richness and diversity of religious, philosophical, and cultural frameworks present in ancient texts. The river's crossing serves as a flexible symbol that adapts to different narratives, conveying themes of transition, judgment, liberation, or cosmic transformation based on the unique perspectives of each tradition.
Exploring these interpretative variations allows participants to appreciate the complexity of symbolism within ancient texts and provides insights into how different cultures and belief systems interpreted common motifs like the river Euphrates. It showcases the intricate interplay between religious, philosophical, and cultural elements shaping the symbolism and theological implications embedded in these narratives.
The river Euphrates, a prominent geographic feature in ancient texts, embodies universal themes that transcend specific cultural contexts. Identifying these universal themes helps reveal shared human concepts of transition, boundaries, and transformative events across diverse ancient traditions:

1. Threshold and Transition:

• The Euphrates often symbolizes a boundary between known and unknown territories. Its crossing represents a transition from one state to another, signifying a pivotal moment of change or passage. This theme of crossing a threshold echoes the human experience of transitions in life, moving from familiar to unfamiliar realms.

1. Boundary and Separation:

• As a geographical boundary, the Euphrates signifies separation between distinct territories or civilizations. This concept of demarcation resonates with universal human experiences of setting boundaries, delineating spaces, or marking divisions between different aspects of life.

1. Transformative Events:

• Crossing the Euphrates is often associated with cosmic or transformative events in ancient texts. This universal theme reflects the human fascination with the concept of epochal change, cosmic upheavals, or moments of divine intervention that reshape the course of history.

1. Symbol of Power and Control:

• The river might represent a symbol of power, control, or geopolitical significance. Crossing it could signify shifts in dominance, challenges to established authority, or the assertion of influence. This theme resonates with human narratives of power struggles and shifts in societal dynamics.

1. Metaphor for Spiritual Journeys:

• Across cultures, rivers are often used metaphorically to represent spiritual journeys or quests. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize the pursuit of enlightenment, the passage to higher realms of understanding, or the quest for spiritual transformation.

These universal themes associated with the river Euphrates highlight fundamental aspects of the human experience—transitions, boundaries, transformative events, power dynamics, and spiritual journeys. The river's symbolism in ancient texts speaks to shared human aspirations, struggles, and beliefs that transcend cultural boundaries and resonate across different epochs and civilizations.
By identifying and discussing these universal themes, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the profound symbolism embedded in ancient texts and recognize the timeless relevance of concepts such as transition, boundaries, and transformative events in shaping human narratives and aspirations.

1. Historical Context:

• What historical events or societal conditions might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll?
  
• How does the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contribute to our understanding of this text's significance?
  

1. Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:

• How does the War Scroll use symbolism to convey spiritual or cosmic themes?
  
• What esoteric wisdom or deeper spiritual insights can be derived from the portrayal of cosmic conflict and divine intervention within the text?
  

1. Comparative Analysis:

• Compare the themes and symbolism of the War Scroll with other apocalyptic texts from different cultures (e.g., Book of Revelation, The Book of Daniel). What common motifs or differences in interpretation do you observe?

1. Parallelism in Biblical Texts:

• Explore connections between the War Scroll and other biblical texts. How does the language, imagery, or themes in the War Scroll intersect with passages from the Hebrew Bible or New Testament?

1. Community Beliefs and Practices:

• How might the apocalyptic expectations depicted in the War Scroll have influenced the beliefs and practices of the community that produced it?
  
• Discuss the impact of such intense anticipation of cosmic conflict on communal life and religious rituals within the community.
  

1. Cultural Significance of Cosmic Battles:

• Across various ancient cultures, why do you think depictions of cosmic battles and eschatological events were significant? What might these narratives represent in a broader cultural context?

1. Interpretive Variations and Unique Perspectives:

• Explore the diverse interpretations of specific passages or symbols within the War Scroll. How do different scholars or traditions interpret these elements, and what underlying factors might influence their interpretations?

1. Personal Reflection and Modern Relevance:

• Reflect on how the themes of cosmic conflict, righteousness, and spiritual warfare in the War Scroll might resonate in contemporary society or personal belief systems.

1. Theological and Philosophical Implications:

• Discuss the theological and philosophical implications of a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness. How does this theme intersect with broader philosophical inquiries or theological doctrines?

1. Literary and Symbolic Analysis:

- Analyze the narrative structure and symbolic elements present in specific passages of the War Scroll. How do these elements contribute to the text's overarching themes and meanings? 

These study questions aim to provoke critical thinking, promote in-depth exploration of themes, encourage comparative analysis, and stimulate discussions on the multifaceted nature of the War Scroll's content and its significance within ancient and contemporary contexts.

1. Archaeological and Linguistic Analysis:

- How does the physical condition of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, impact our understanding of their preservation and historical context? - Discuss the linguistic peculiarities or unique textual features found within the War Scroll and their implications for translation and interpretation. 

1. Apocalyptic Expectations and Messianic Concepts:

- Explore the portrayal of messianic figures or anticipated saviors within the War Scroll. How do these concepts align with or diverge from contemporary expectations of a messianic figure in other ancient texts or religious traditions? 

1. Impact of Apocalyptic Literature:

- Analyze the enduring influence of apocalyptic literature, such as the War Scroll, on subsequent religious, literary, or cultural traditions. How have these texts shaped later beliefs or inspired artistic and literary works? 

1. Ethical and Moral Frameworks:

- Discuss the ethical or moral implications of the cosmic conflict depicted in the War Scroll. How do the themes of righteousness and wickedness contribute to the text's underlying moral framework? 

1. Role of Prophecy and Revelation:

- Explore the role of prophecy and revelation within the War Scroll. How do the prophetic elements contribute to the text's portrayal of future events and cosmic justice? 

1. Experiential and Ritualistic Elements:

- Investigate potential ritualistic or experiential dimensions associated with the teachings or beliefs conveyed in the War Scroll. How might the community have engaged with these teachings in their religious practices or communal activities? 

1. Literary Genre and Interpretation:

- Discuss the classification of the War Scroll within the broader genre of apocalyptic literature. How does its classification influence our understanding and interpretation of its themes and symbolic elements? 

1. Relevance in Modern Scholarship:

- Reflect on the ongoing scholarly debates or discoveries related to the War Scroll. How have modern interpretations evolved, and what implications do these new perspectives have on our understanding of the text? 

1. Intersection of Faith and Scholarship:

- Consider the interplay between faith-based interpretations and scholarly analyses of the War Scroll. How might religious convictions or theological frameworks influence academic research and vice versa? 

1. Future Research and Interpretative Avenues:

- Propose potential avenues for future research or areas of exploration concerning the War Scroll. What unanswered questions or unexplored aspects merit further investigation? 

The composition of the War Scroll, along with other Dead Sea Scrolls, was likely influenced by several historical events and societal conditions prevalent during the time of its writing, which is estimated to be between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE:

1. Hellenistic Rule and Cultural Influence:

• The region where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found was under Hellenistic influence due to the conquests of Alexander the Great and the subsequent control by the Seleucid Empire. This era saw a clash between Hellenistic culture and Jewish traditions, leading to cultural tensions and a desire to preserve religious and cultural heritage.

1. Political Turmoil and Resistance Movements:

• The Jewish people experienced political unrest, particularly during the Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule. This period was characterized by resistance movements, attempts to preserve Jewish identity, and fervent anticipation of a messianic figure to deliver them from foreign oppression.

1. Religious Sects and Spiritual Expectations:

• Various religious sects existed within Judaism, each with its own interpretations and expectations of messianic redemption, purity laws, and theological doctrines. The community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls, often believed to be the Essenes, likely had distinctive theological beliefs and a strong apocalyptic worldview.

1. Anticipation of Cosmic Redemption:

• There was a widespread belief in the imminent arrival of a messianic figure or a divine intervention that would bring about cosmic redemption, ushering in an era of righteousness and divine rule. This anticipation of apocalyptic events and a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness is reflected in the War Scroll's themes.

Regarding the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery, its significance lies in multiple facets:

1. Preservation of Ancient Texts:

• The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, provided an invaluable collection of ancient manuscripts that significantly expanded our understanding of ancient Jewish texts, religious beliefs, and the diversity of Jewish thought during the Second Temple period.

1. Insights into Jewish Sectarianism:

• The scrolls shed light on the diversity of beliefs and practices among Jewish sects during that time. Understanding the beliefs and expectations of the community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls helps contextualize the theological and apocalyptic themes present in the War Scroll.

1. Confirmation of Scriptural Accuracy:

• The Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contributed to confirming the accuracy and preservation of certain biblical texts, highlighting the continuity of textual transmission across centuries and supporting the authenticity of biblical manuscripts.

1. Impact on Biblical Studies and Scholarship:

• The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionized biblical studies, providing scholars with invaluable primary sources for studying ancient Judaism, the development of biblical texts, and the context in which these texts were composed.

The historical context of political upheaval, religious expectations, and the preservation of texts within the Dead Sea Scrolls contributes significantly to understanding the milieu in which the War Scroll was written. It provides a backdrop against which the themes of cosmic conflict, eschatological anticipation, and religious fervor within the War Scroll can be comprehended.

The global single-cell analysis market is poised for substantial growth, with a projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) exceeding 15%, reaching an estimated value of approximately USD 7 billion by 2027. Key drivers fueling this growth include the increasing adoption of single-cell analysis devices and heightened investment in research and development within the diagnostics sector. Additionally, recent data from the National Institute of Health (NIH) underscores the urgent need for advanced diagnostic tools: in 2018 alone, there were 1,735,350 new cancer cases diagnosed in the United States, with an estimated 609,640 fatalities attributed to the disease. These statistics highlight the critical role that single-cell analysis can play in advancing cancer diagnosis and treatment, further propelling market expansion.
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Market Opportunities:
The single-cell analysis market presents numerous opportunities for growth and innovation. One significant opportunity lies in leveraging single-cell technologies to advance personalized medicine initiatives, particularly in oncology, immunology, and neurology. By enabling precise molecular profiling of individual cells, single-cell analysis techniques can facilitate the identification of biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and patient-specific treatment strategies, ultimately improving clinical outcomes and patient care. Additionally, there's a growing demand for single-cell analysis tools and services in drug discovery and development, where researchers seek to understand cellular heterogeneity, drug responses, and mechanisms of drug resistance. Furthermore, as single-cell analysis becomes more accessible and affordable, there's an opportunity to expand its adoption in clinical diagnostics, enabling early disease detection, patient stratification, and monitoring of treatment responses.
According to the recent report published by RC Market Analytics, the Global Single-cell Analysis Market is expected to provide sustainable growth opportunities during the forecast period from 2024 to 2030. This latest industry research study analyzes the single-cell analysis market by various product segments, applications, regions and countries while assessing regional performances of numerous leading market participants. The report offers a holistic view of the single-cell analysis industry encompassing numerous stakeholders including raw material suppliers, providers, distributors, consumers and government agencies, among others. Furthermore, the report includes detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of the global market considering market history, product development, regional dynamics, competitive landscape, and key success factors (KSFs) in the industry.
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the obvious answer to this is that they are located in the brain. However if we somehow were to dissect a human brain while keeping it alive, and have a tiny microphone or camera inserted into it, we would see the structures and signals of the brain, but we would not experience the qualia of that mind firsthand, kind of like reading sheet music but not hearing the song. So if it is in the brain, where in the brain is it? If it is not in the brain, where else could it be?

Al Salamu Alaikom Wa Rahmatu Allah Wa Barakatuh.
I found the need to address points this subreddit has been discussing and dissect them thoroughly and debunk the misconceptions and affirm the fundamentals and close the door on interpretation that allows intrusive beliefs to Islam to enter the hearts of believers.
To avoid confusion of any sorts on ideologies I will be speaking freely to the minds of readers but using Islamic beliefs as my Lens, Measure, and Anchor.
The Self.
I,
To say I am, is an affirmation of existence.
What does this existence entail?
(1) The Body:
Science has long been studying Matter in an attempt to understand ourselves and our surroundings. (Biology, Chemistry, Physics etc.) and through the understanding of these aspects comes the application of knowledge in achieving practical goals that benefit the Human Race as a collective, sprouting various industries and practices including but not confined to, engineering, carpentry, medicine or even culinary and so on and so forth.
It was once believed early on that the Human body encompassed elements found in nature.
-Fire; found in Heat and the body’s temperature.
-Water; found in Blood and other bodily fluids.
-Air; found in Breathing, inhaling and exhaling Gases such as Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide.
-Earth; As the Ingredient that made the body of the first Man. and to man’s eventual disintegration into Dust.
Gradually evolving into;
-Elements such as oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen etc.
-Tissues such as Muscle, Fat, Bone, Nervous tissue and so on and so forth.
As Revelation States, two different stages of creation have been implemented to the Human race. One the Creation of the First Man from Clay. Second the descendants of the First Man from Water (Semen).
Unequivocally and undeniably Matter and The Human Body exist. And to deny it’s existence is unreasonable, unscientific, and contradicts Revelation.
(2) Consciousness:
When we examine an infant’s first auditory and visual experiences, we are witnessing individual consciousness being formed.
Through the 5 senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) the infant starts to gather information, this information is used to distinguish sweet from sour, beneficial from harmful, and after digesting this information a process of decision making takes place to choose through an innate predisposition things that bring benefit and joy.
Evolving into a teen and then into an adult and then old age you evolve through experience and your level of consciousness varies in each stage drastically according to many aspects.
One level of consciousness is called Wisdom.
Wisdom is placing every such thing in it’s correctly intended place.
In language when we say a person is conscious we are stating that he is aware of his actions and their implications on himself and onto others and complementing his ability to choose precisely what is deemed correct as in accordance to the general consensus on beneficence or righteousness.
Consciousness as a collective is the direction the human race in general or a particular group of people is taking in the service of one cause. Consciousness as an individual experience is the direction the self takes in the service of itself or others.
To understand each other and be aware of each other is a connection established between two or more living organisms. but to state that “I am my fellow brother” in the sense of relinquishing my own uniqueness and conscious experience is the same as stating that I am infact a tomato. And if you identify as a tomato then good for you. for others with the most basic level of intellect this can’t be true, but since language in itself is flexible in describing certain things and painting different pictures, this statement can be deemed true if what is meant is that “My brother’s needs and desires precede my own in priority” and this is described as being “Self-less” an action taken to benefit another being over your own.
Being self-less does not mean stripping away your consciousness from existence, it means stripping away your egotistical traits from experiences that feed it through acts of giving and as a consequence attain admirable qualities such as kindness and being merciful.
(3) Character:
Through Actions displayed by this conscious human body formulates a set of descriptive attributes, the aggregate of distinctive and moral qualities by which a person is judged apart from intelligence, competence, or special talents etc.
Such Character is built brick by brick, through the continues uninterrupted experience of a distinct self and it’s actions and reactions to it’s surrounding environment.
Characters vary drastically in accordance to the depth and intensity of their attributes, commonality can be found but distinction of each character is an always present fact.
Uniqueness is ingrained in Character.

(4) Deeds:
Each Self is responsible for it’s own deeds, under human law of attempting to bring justice between men this is present, and under divine law revealed in heavenly books this is found clear and distinct.
Each Self carries the burden of it’s sins or the light of the fruitful deeds it has attained.
And Each self will be judged accordingly. And justly.

A Firm acknowledgement of the self must be established and recognized as a fundamental fact that is not to be tampered with by philosophy or subjective experience or foreign ideologies disguised as enlightenment, enlightenment will be addressed separately in a different post. Along with Wahdatul Wujud and concepts pertaining unity and separation.
If it is of truth it is from Allah, if otherwise it is from myself.

I'm not the only one saying what I'm about to say, but each time someone speaks up, they get downvoted and argued with. I'm asking you all to consider what I'm saying here, nothing more.
The speculation is getting out of hand. People are forgetting that we're discussing real people. Reputations get ruined like this. People become conspiracy theorists like this. Reality becomes warped with this kind of hivemind hysterics. Take a second and look at the facts.
This ebonyprince person has everyone spinning but, they've actually already played all their cards. Initially, there were a lot of questions about how he got Drake's stuff, but he's answered that himself many tweets ago. He's an employee at the hotel or adjacent to one somehow. He has access to lost and found. Drake left this stuff, didn't claim it and then, when he found this person was planning to auction it, said it was stolen to stop them. Now this guy's angry his bag got stopped and is putting them up to the highest bidder unless Drake admits they weren't stolen.
Beyond that is nothing. Nothing. The poster is an opportunist who realized people were tuning in for his teasers so started milking them and tweeting regularly, realizing the interest would increase the value of the goods in his hands. You guys reposting, theorizing and legitimizing this is only fuelling him. He's addicted to the online fame already. Stop feeding the troll!
The theories I've seen that the journalist was assaulted or involved in assaulting someone; that his circle has been contacted for info; that his follower list has been dissected for clues...like bruh. This is a real human being whose reputation you could destroy because you dreamt up some wild theory and are crossing the boundaries of decency trying to prove it. Even if disproven, those rumours will follow him around forever.
And even if you're right and you connected the right dots....then what? You get some pats on the back from the sub bros? How do you win by trying to connect the dots without all the info? You don't. We, the general public, will never know the full picture. The damage we are collectively doing, posting pics of children that could be Drake's, accusing someone of following the wrong people, suggesting there is something sinister involving people we don't know anything about...that shit's online forever and it can hurt innocent bystanders.
We don't know what ammo Kendrick has, but we do know it's far more legitimate than anything we can work out or dream up because he has actual insider info. Everyone else- every single one that is adjacent and commenting- is chasing clout and trying to seem "in the know" for their 15 minutes of fame. It's abhorrent. The topics Dot brought up are heavy and serious, we need to proceed with caution and a deft touch. This wilding out and extreme conspiracy stuff delegitimizes and obscures the real facts.
Take a breather, watch this unfold with indifference, take everything with a grain of salt and don't throw words around carelessly. Anything important or notable will be released by the actual people at the heart of the matter, not anyone else. Don't allow yourself to get carried away by stuff that sounds like it *could* have happened, because, that's exactly the break with reality that doesn't serve anyone and is an injustice to the issues at hand.

First of all let me be clear, I like the show alot & I have re-watched it for atleast five times of my own. I love the characters & my favourite duo is Roy and Riza but with all that being said I do see people always claim FMAB as something 'outstanding' or 'flawless' but in reality if you try to be as true as possible with this show then you won't see this anything better than just another 'solid' show. Now, don't come at me by saying "I don't care, it's for teens and I enjoyed it alot". Sure the show was meant for teens but it's also watched by alot of adults and me (18) and when you try to apply the rules told by the show and logic to it then the whole show kinda fall apart atleast to me even if I like alot.

Let me one by one try to dissect every single problem I have with this show which doesn't let me make FMAB flawless

1). Edward Elric & his Alchemy
Throughout, 64 episodes of this anime. You are never shown Edward using his alchemy in any interesting way to deal with the conflicts but that's part of a lesser problem. The main issue I have is that Ed relies on H2H in fights than rather using his alchemy which in many times could have helping alot in dealing with the conflicts. One example which comes into my mind are when Edward & his allies were fighting the white Immortal soldiers for a big time until Roy saves the day. We see Edward using his hands to stop them and make a huge wall to stop them from going in the city which is good but he could have simply create a large dome like hohenheim did with Pride in jungle and could have trapped them inside it in dark instead of fighting all of them one by one. He literally can deconstruct any part of the building and construct it again by his alchemy, this is the least which you should be expecting from a top tier alchemist at that age but still for the time being he forgets about this and just deals with them hand to hand.
Not just this but Edward has shown us that he can literally create tall mountains while running in Rush Valley but he just chooses to never use these techniques in his combat. You can argue that it maybe because his teacher only taught him H2H but still it's dumb that even though you have this power to create huge mountains without joining hands and still chooses to just make a little sword every time. Arakawa could have found better ways imo to nerf his main character in fights as it's lame to see the state alchemist just go without any alchemy in any fights even though his friends are in danger like Roy + Scar + Riza vs Bradley Clones.
2). Greeling and his Ultimate Armor
This is probably one of the worst offenders in my list. Greed can use Ultimate Armor on his body which stops any bullets to damage him but just chooses to forget he has this ability in the fight between Bradley & Pride. The Bradley fight always puts a weird taste in my mouth as he could have won against him had he used his armor and kept pushing him back while Fuu and others attacked him as well. This very well will turn the tables but he is nerfed down which leads to Fuu & Captain's death for just no reason.
3). Father and his stone
We all know that Father came up on the ground after releasing X amount of souls thanks to Ed's dad to create more stones so he can contain GOD inside him but then he just chooses to stand like a bum all the time until his armor is gone and have to block through his hands. This later led to his defeat which is senseless to me because his purpose of coming above was to create stones but he literally just never made a single one after killing 3 guards and just chose to stand utilizing his stone until he is left with 10 HP. We don't even see a single attack from him when he goes above but just him standing and taking every attack which is all regards dumb as hell. This is probably the worst way for the main villain to go down. Don't try to bring the argument here "He was arrogant so he didn't" please. I have seen multiple characters who has similar personality or who are even more arrogant than father but they still fights seriously or atleast complete their goal when their whole existence is in danger which Father not at all does but just dies as a bum?
He literally just have to snap his finger to create a huge ball of energy and aim at them to wipe these ants but he just didn't for WHY? Well it's Plot obviously which is very very bad in my eyes
4). Father and his sacrifices for Promised day
Ok so, father for some lame reason just chooses to not groom Bradley clones as alchemists but instead grooms them to be experts in hand to hand fights to a level where they were able to overwhelm the top level alchemists in the state with just normal swords. We know they are loyal to their creator and if they were groomed to be alchemist they all could have opened Human Transmutation which will later help Father to use them as Sacrifices on the Promised Day but he rather just does nothing with them. I wouldn't even be mad if he was able to gather 5 sacrifices atleast a day before Promised day but father as seen was missing ONE sacrifice and had to force Roy to be one. This basically means that his plan was so sloppy that he just chooses to ignore the most important part and was hoping for his goons to find one random alchemist on the Promised day to do the Human Transmutation, which is extremely risky. His whole plan about this seems senseless to me.
5). Mustang and his Fire
Mustang my guy just forgets to use his Fire power while fighting Bradley Clones and chooses to go H2H until they rip his gloves. He could have simply pin-pointed his fire in the start and burned them but he just doesn't and keeps on stupidly fighting without his fire until Bradley comes and forces him to do transmutation which leads to his eyes gone.
I am sorry but this whole exchange is just very bad to me because you first nerf both Roy & Ed and restricts them by not letting them use basic alchemy and forces them to do a H2H fight against people who literally have been practicing H2H for their whole life. Don't bring that they were very speedy because both Mustang & Ed was able to dodge and attack so throwing long range attacks by their alchemy was never out of the question but just simply plot induced stupidity to make Roy lose his eyes anyhow.
Also, why doesn't he moves with extra pairs of Gloves if his circles are sooo important for fire?
6). Ending of Two Brothers
In the end we see that Edward just simply does a human Transmutation and bargains with Truth with his own door which leads to his Alchemy gone and thus Alphonse coming back as Alchemy was enough of a toll to bring back his brother from the portal. All of this on paper makes sense but the problem lies in this
1). Why didn't Edward do the Human Transmutation before Episode 63? 2). If you claim, that Edward in between 62-63 episode was able to learn some secret about doors which led him to this conclusion then show me what panel of Manga or frame of Anime discusses about it which helps in enlightening our MC to know about bargaining your own door with Truth. 3). If you claim, that it was his arrogance which led him to not bargain before then it's incredibly stupid as we have seen how these two brothers love each other and always is ready to sacrifice each other for one's benefit. Saying that it was arrogance which later developed into love strong enough to let Edward give up on his alchemy sounds good on paper but is extremely opposite of Edward elric we are shown/told since Chapter 1/Episode 1. 4). Last but if you claim that they two always knew about this method to bring back the body but since it was just too risky they never tried. Edward had no other option than just putting all his faith onto his brother and commit the taboo once again and tries the last resort to bring back his brother (why was he confident tho if that's the case??) and he becomes successful thanks to the knowledge he gained through this endless journey & is able to bargain his door with God.
This one sounds the best but I must say the show makes us believe that from 1-63 episodes that this is the story of two brothers who are trying to bring back their body somehow and has NO way up until now but according to the logic people give this is a lie and we are rather watching two boys who KNOW about one way and is trying to find an alternative to bring back their bodies as the first one is dangerous. This whole retcon/late game addition sounds very very bad to me especially as it's about the whole conclusion of the show. This is literally what we waited for but not a single head-canon makes sense and show just never bothered even once to show WHAT, WHY, WHEN he learned about these and if he always had it from episode 1 then it's a BIG change in storyline which gives a weird taste to me for the ending.
Anyways, there are tbh little more inconsistencies with the show but these are the biggest offenders in my eyes and restricts the show for being flawless. Honestly I can literally ignore all the problem if the ending and the main villain was gone out in a better way but even they were trashed in the worst way possible. (atleast the main villain was)
Have a good day ahead and I hope I haven't offended anyone here, let's just be civil in comments.

I’m starting to think Djen was the one who was discovered and she was victim number 1 in that basement. The senators son got obsessed and started to try to find more by torturing/ dissecting humans to do so.
Still don’t know how Olivia is connected though.

Dr. Cultivar, mad botanist, is disappointed in the failure of his Children of the Garden. These were completely sentient plants meant to be super-soldiers who quickly rebelled on their creator and attempted to subjugate the world. Only the swift action of the Premiers routed their plans.
But now Cultivar is planning on trying again, reasoning that there must be something missing, some unknown X-factor that would keep a plant-person from rebelling. And that something might be found by studying... dissecting if necessary... humans with plant-like super-evolutions!
He's sent his Creepers—mindless humanoid plants—out to kidnap four people and return them to his lab for study. They each come from different walks of life, some have already chosen to use their powers, some are trying to hide their strange abilities. They'll have to work together to escape...
Willow's coworkers are always asking her why she doesn't eat on lunch breaks and why she doesn't like anyone touching her in any way. The truth is that her photosynthetic body is capable of producing every raw drug, toxin, and chemical substance produced by plants. From allergens and poisons to painkillers and psychadelics, Willow's very touch can do everything from heal to kill. She's been trying to quietly live her life as normally as possible after aging out of a foster system for super-evolved children a few years ago, but it's been hard. Willow thinks she just wants a quiet life, but she's been settling for a repressed and lonely life instead.
Mateo "Saguaro" Brown is a troublemaker. He rides with an Arizona biker gang, he hires himself out as muscle, and has a general disregard for peace and order. In addition to incredible endurance and stamina, Saguaro's arms and back are covered in cactus spines and bristles. Mateo doesn't care about anybody because he believes nobody cares about him. Not even his gang—to them he's just a spiky set of fists and good in a fight. Being kidnapped just for his body only further cements this thought. It's going to take a lot to convince him otherwise.
Midnight Green has been operating as a local protector at a seaside city for a while now... motivated mostly because it's one of the few ways a person like him can be accepted. Green's superevolution has made him akin to a humanoid mass of algae! This grants him complete command of body at the unicellular level. He can sink into soil and reemerge elsewhere, re-shape his body into tools and weapons, and even reattach or regenerate lost limbs. He's good at being a hero, he likes the feeling of respect, but he can't help but feel like there's something more.
Banyan hails from New Orleans, and possesses a super-evolution giving him great strength and supremely durable bark-like skin! He's a bit of a minor celebrity in the Big Easy, operating as a street-level hero and keeping his section of the Bywater district safe. Kind and tough, intimidating and safe, Banyan is probably the chillest dude you'd ever meet. If anybody can rally together this group, it's the patient empathetic ear of Banyan.
Flower Power is a woman who allowed Cultivar to experiment on her to be as beautiful as the flowers she so loved... and has been coerced into assisting him to pay off her incredible debt. Literal flowers bloom all over her body, producing pheromones that she can use to command and control insects! Flower has made a lot of bad choices in her life, this is another one, and even though she's not happy about being a party to these kidnappings she doesn't see another way out.
Cultivar has a stronghold and army of creepers at his disposal. Will this disparate group be able to come together and escape? Will they be able to best his new crop of Garden super-soldiers? And if they get through this alive, what next?

Ever since chapter 1, Itadori torments our protagonist Ryomen Sukuna and fools around doing villainous acts, much like Dio to Jonathan. He woke up sukuna from his slumber, just to lock him up and force him to watch the human worm series, in a clockwork orange fashion. Sukuna rightfully flees from his body and he chases him like a creepy predator. Itadori also kicked a defenseless dog (mahito), just like Dio. Him and Sukuna's techniques are of the same type, much like Dio and Jotaro. He is also able to shoot laser (blood) beans, just like phantom blood Dio, and to top it off, his variation of shrine could be foreshadowing Dio's ace move, hear me out.
Sukuna seemingly is a cook, since his CT contains a cleaver, a knife and a furnace. Itadori however, decided to be a stylist. With scissors, he opens up the ability to build a curse technique reversal that allows him to weave (his lies), but EVEN worse, if his ace move also has to do with heat, much like the flame arrow, it must mean that Yuji's arrow is a giant iron, which Itadori will fling at Sukuna, trying to flatten him, much like Dio's road roller. Of course, Sukuna has it's merits as being Jotaro
Both are generally mean to women, both have a dog companion (Iggy and uraume), both are followed by a shady geezer (Joseph and Kenjaku), both had a squabble with a white haired dude they came to appreciate later (polnareff and Gojo), Sukuna also shows interest on marine biology by saying he wants to dissect Gojo like a fish. Both tried to end themselves while in jail (jotaro with a gun, sukuna by removing Itadori's heart) and, to top it off, both have a near invincible spirit fighting for them (star platinum and makora).
For my next analysis, I'll do Todo is Okuyasu

I recently found this old post from the FDS sub that I found to be very eye opening in terms of describing what actual “femininity” and “masculinity” truly mean, while at the same time feeling like it was common sense. And all without any of the gender roles and patriarchal ideology bleeding into it that you usually hear anytime anyone tries to describe universal“femininity” or “masculinity.” It is obviously from that sub’s perspective, but I really think it’s common sense and that everyone should read it and share what you think no matter what side you fall on.
https://np.reddit.com/FemaleDatingStrategy/s/ALnwOJA3rK
EDIT: For a summary of this post, see my reply to u/edgyny. I realize the FDS post I linked is long and people probably won’t read it, so please at least read that comment.
CONTEXT:
Living in modern times, people no longer are forced to marry for land, wealth, status, or “legacy.” Partnering up and marrying for love is a very new modern concept, and we haven’t yet collectively figured out how to deal with that. Women all over the world have been slowly but surely over time gaining more autonomy and rights to achieve equitable opportunities as men have had in patriarchal society. And what’s even the point of a society and making it healthy and sustainable if we’re not aiming to be pro-social and treat everyone with humanity and consideration? But we’re still figuring out how to adjust to this idea. As a consequence of people trying to learn what love is and what it means to live more authentically and happily without being forced into a restrictive box anymore, we’re also dissecting gender and gender roles, and inevitably most people are just very confused and trying to grasp at what it all even really means. We are buckled in for this wild ride to continue unfolding through time at this point in history, no matter how hard some people are trying to suppress it and live in the past.
So I come across this post, and I feel like maybe it would help others gain a more solid sense of feeling what femininity or masculinity really are, stripped of our cultural conditioning. It’s a lengthy post but I hope you all take the time to read it, despite your feelings about the FDS sub.
I think it’s also very relevant to PPD because so many people here seem convinced that femininity means just being agreeable, self-sacrificing, weak and dependent, nurturing others, doing domestic labor for others, excessive grooming, being indecisive, or basically just existing to “follow a man’s lead”…and basically just boiling it down to masculinity being about having more autonomy and control in your life while femininity being the opposite. I think it’s a very dumb way to try and think about these ancient concepts because this framework is designed to keep them forever in a power imbalance.
It’s patriarchal propaganda and not natural at all, because if those roles were so natural then we wouldn’t need men to create artificial patriarchal structures in order to enforce it. Yin and yang in Chinese philosophy are equal forces and not imbalanced, as they naturally flow together, so why can’t people see how dumb it is that we’ve been thinking of sexual duality in such a biased way? To put it plainly, it’s just a master-slave dynamic. And we’ve been brainwashed into thinking it’s “natural.” Men just seem less likely to challenge this idea or think outside the box about it because they get to be the masters in this dynamic.
Since TRP ideology seems rooted in believing that their worldview is the most “natural,” I’m especially interested in those people here reading that FDS post.

I am of the Opinion that, the Better a Game is, the more Jank it's allowed to have. If I'm having fun who cares if shooting a Charger in the head creates the Galaxies first 'Terminid Space Program' and this Game is a lot of fun. It's also quite janky. Unfortunately however for that scale, the 'fun' has been getting less over time due to certain, sometimes even hidden decisions.
However mind you this post isn't meant to be purely negative, i just felt like I'd want to voice my own (perhaps humanly flawed) views and dissection on how to make this Game the best it can be. Because i care.

Support Weapons:

The Machine Guns: The Stalwart actually really grew on me, people don't give it enough credit. The other two however i cannot say much positive about. Simply the fact that you have to stand still for as long as you do to reload is just not justifiable for 'just' a Medium Penetration Weapon. Give the MG and HMG an 'Optional' Ammo Backpack where you can lay down prone to be able to just keep on firing through all of your Magazines without having to reload. (Maybe then we would finally have a use for the 'Use Backpack Function' besides the Supply Pack)
Anti-Materiel Rifle: This weapons really highlights the problem with the First Person View, why does your FOV slider affect how close you hold your weapon to your head? The FPV should always treat your sights as if your FOV was at it's lowest possible value. This is really a problem with any weapon in the game but it's just especially noticeable for the AMR. Though despite this my biggest gripe with the weapon is actually the fact that it's so incredibly wobbly. Realism is fine and all but "it would be real nice if you could hold still for like two storming seconds so i can actually line up this shot." Personally i also find it quite baffling that "Anti-Materiel Rifle" only has an Armor Penetration Value of 4 because last i checked, Turrets and Tanks are in fact made out of Material.
Recoilless, Airburst, Spear: Those three really suffer from the same issue as the MG and the HMG, however here it is somewhat more justified that you have to stand still to reload, compared to their relative power. Speaking of the Spear honestly, even if the lock-on would be fixed the fact that it aims for Center Mass instead of allowing you to target specific weak-points means it will always be inconsistent at taking out the big and dangerous targets that it is supposed to be good at taking down, like Bile Titans, Factory Striders or even just Dropships. As for the Airburst, i don't think i need to reiterrate how much of a bust this one was. A Anti-Air Launcher that cannot take out Dropships is frankly tragic.
Autocannon: I think this one is perfect actually. Even the fact that you have to stand still to reload, which I have criticized for the previous weapons makes complete sense here, because you have control over it. It rewards trigger discipline and Ammo management.
Railgun: Oh the Railgun, no conversation gets quite as heated as Helldivers talking about the Railgun. First of all i would like to say, that i actually agree with the initial intention of the Railgun nerf, if we go out of our way to make a Risk Reward Weapon that could potentially, literally blow up in your face, then it makes sense that players would have to interact with said Risk to get said Reward. However as it stands right now the Railgun simply does too little damage. Without the PS4 bug the Railgun would take 4-5 Shots to kill a Bile Titan to the head pre nerf. This is what it should also do right now. Somehow there is a belief that firing at a Charger Leg twice to break the armor to then finish it off with any weapon is boring and easy, yet one-shooting one with the EAT is somehow very skill expressive. Currently you could unload all 21 shots into a Bile Titan and still not kill it. Bile Titans should die to at most 4-5 shots, Tanks and Turrets should blow up in 3-4 if you hit it in the vent or Line it up to hit the Vent from the front, Gunships should drop in 1-2 shots to the head/searchlight or thruster, Factory Strider Gatlings should be destroyed in one shot and attacking the underbelly should destroy it in 4-5 as well. Another point that I however could really add to any Category is the fact that Sight on the Weapon is horrible. It obstructs the thing you are trying to aim at. Most of the Sights in this game are truly poorly chosen. Why do weapons with aggressive Bullet Drop like the Punisher Plasma and Explosive Crossbow get regular Sights but instead a Shotgun gets a tall sight to measure distance with that it has absolutely no use for? The Sight on the AMR and Counter Sniper is cluttered for no reason, it should instead get the Sight that is on the Assault Rifles. Lastly, the muzzle velocity on the Railgun is too low as well, it's a Railgun, it fires Projectiles that move at Mach 8, as far as i am concerned the weapon may as well be Hit Scan.

Primaries:

Assault Rifles: They all can be summarized by saying "They are boring." With a special mention to the Adjudicator that at least has that bit of uniqueness that it kicks like a Mule and stings like a Ladybug. Sure it technically has the highest damage of the bunch but that does not really do any good if you cannot hit anything for lack of ammo or lack of vertical targets. I actually found it very unique that the Penetrator had to be used in Burst or Single Fire exclusively, well until it didn't. There would be many ways to make Assault Rifles Unique, make it so the longer you Fire the higher your Fire rate gets or the more Damage you do. Really just anything to make them stand out. When in doubt steal borrow ideas from other games. The sky is the limit.
Marksman Rifles: Even less to say here, the Counter Sniper is pretty alright, the Diligence however seem to have a bit of an identity crisis trying to find out who this weapon would actually be useful for.
Submachine Guns: I will be the first to say, that i actually think the Knight is pretty good. Put it into Burst Fire and you can have a grand-ol time. The Problem really lies in the fact that there is absolutely no reason to not just use the Defender instead. The Pummeler is fine, bit inconsistent with it's 'Stun' but it's fine.
Shotguns: These are actually quite well balanced I'd argue, the Spray & Pray is probably the worst weapon in the Game but other than that they all have their uses.
Explosive: The Exploding Crossbow should be One Handed. It's also kinda not really good at anything. In the initial leaks it was able to destroy Fabricators and close Bug Holes. Certainly having it be able to destroy Fabricators from any angle was too powerful but this went too far in the opposite direction. Well be nice to be able to get it on the same functionality as the Erruptor. Speaking of which, i will not regurgitate the many posts already talking about this weapon, just revert it, make the shrapnel be unaffected by the ricochet changes that were made last patch if that's what it takes. The only thing i really have to say about the Dominator is that i don't quite understand what it's doing in the 'Explosive' Weapons Category. If i had to place it it would probably fit better with the Marksman Rifles. Oh also, i think it's a great Weapon and the buff it received a couple patches ago was a amazing choice towards Variety.
Energy-based: I think all of these are actually Unique and interesting. For the Scythe i would say it would be pretty neat if you could 'Super-Heat' ArmoBody-parts to reduce that parts' armor rating slightly for a couple of seconds

Pistols:

The Peacemaker is the Secondary you start with, even if it was a good weapon you would swap it out for something new, that being said, it's really not good. The Dagger is the weak version of the Scythe and it really shows and unfortunately there is not really any mission type where it's one upside, the fact that it has potentially infinite Ammo, would be helpful. You are never really starved for Ammo ever. The Senator is everything you'd want out of a sidearm. It's effective but most importantly it 'feels' good to use. The Sound Design and overall feel of this weapon is impeccable, however it also Contrasts that one issue that many weapons as well as enemies share.
Audio: The Auditory feedback in this game is basically non-existent. The weapons and explosions are loud, so loud it almost blows your eardrums out but you cannot hear a 5 Ton Behemoth charging at you from off screen until it literally hits you. All of the 'important' sounds are either excessively quiet or don't even exist to being with. The Railgun for example should have a distinct beeping noise for every "Damage Tier" that you charge so that you can start using the weapon based on Auditory Timing instead of having to rely on looking at the charge meter, though a charge meter next to or around your third person crosshair would also go a long way.
You should be able to hear by the sound your Gun made that you've shot your last round, before needing a voice line to tell you so (Also there should be an option to auto reload when you try to shoot on an empty mag but that's just me). Give us the option to tone down High/Loud end and increase the Low/Quiet end of Sounds. And most importantly, most weapons don't 'feel' good to use, there are many reasons for it but sound I'd argue is one of the most important factors. Loud =/= Satisfying. If you allow me to go off a quick tangent for an example of what i mean, watch this and tell me that this Weapons Sound Design is not the gnarliest, most excessive, absolutely satisfying thing you have ever heard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEktHiBnc4M

Enemies:

Hunters: Honestly i am not sure what to say about Hunters that has not been said before. And I'm not sure if i want to actually argue for nerfing them but to me at least there seems to be something fundamentally wrong with Hunters. It's the fact that if they get on you, your only option is to kill them right now, because if you cannot kill them the second they pounce and damage you, you will die. You cannot dive away from them, because they are fast enough to follow you and now you can't stand up because they are right on top of you. Or you can try to stim to buy you some time but instead you get stun locked and killed before you manage heal. Of course in the worst case scenario you have a melee attack you can use to deal with one of them... but there's never only ever one Hunter.
Chargers: There should be more ways to effectively take down chargers. On the Automaton side, you are able to still take out Hulks even if the only thing you have on hand is your primary. If you do not have a support weapon specifically capable of dealing with a Charger your only other hope is to unload 3 Magazines 30 seconds worth of small arms fire into it's squishy part to deal with a single one. That's not okay.
Bile Titans: This is even more so true for Bile Titans, after you have destroyed it's 3 sacks you can't even damage it with conventional weaponry anymore, it also becomes immune to fire and gas for some reason. You have to run away for 3 whole minutes while it chases you hoping it bleeds out before it stomps on you. Why does it take so long? It shouldn't take that long. And the worst thing of all most of the time it's not even a living Bile Titan that gets you. A dead one is more dangerous that a living one and i don't mean it just falling on you, the collision on them is so absurdly broken that sometimes for absolutely no reason whenever you are within the same post code as the recently slain Titan your Helldiver may just randomly decide that they want to get back to the Super Destroyer on the most direct way possible.
Heavy and Rocket Devastators: Something must've change in the AI of these guys that despite the fact that rockets no longer one hit you (well they still do but now the reason you die in one hit is just because the game is broken and not because of a bug multiplying explosion damage) they are still easily the most dangerous enemy on the Automaton side, even Factory Striders and Hulks are not going to kill you as often as these guys will. Heavy Devastators in particular shoot with such unerring accuracy now that you may as well call them Aimbots.
Gunships: In contrast to the Devastators, Gunships are the only Enemy that has ever made me Rage-Quit a Match. They combine all the worst traits of the Automatons into one. Rag dolling has got to be the most infuriating feature in this game, any explosions even in your general vicinity makes your character completely helpless and unlike in other games you do not even get reduced damage while in this state, no if you fall, you will absolutely get gunned down without question and you can do absolutely nothing about it. If for example being prone made you immune to knockback then at least you could justify that all this saying that there is some counter play. And Gunships were buffed in the last two patches. Like I genuinely have to wonder if we are playing the same game.
Helldiver: "Man i ain't readin all that."

First off, I'm so excited that I discovered this subreddit! Didn't realize there was an active community of other people who enjoy diving into the lore and symbolism of Eidola's lyrics, so I'm excited to read everyone's interpretations and observations, and share a few of mine.
Anyway, going back to To Speak, To Listen now that Eviscerate is out has me pondering about some possible connections between the albums and the insight TSTL provides into the character of The Alchemist, and one aspect that really stood out to me was the possibility of a pretty direct connection between Tetelestai and The Weight of Sin. These are just my interpretations - and very loosely held ones, at that - so I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have on anything I've mentioned. I have some thoughts on other songs, but this post was getting longer the more I thought about it, so I decided to keep it to this one song for now!
Tetelestai
"If you stay and help me cope
You'll see me fly into the sun
Into their vacant minds
To seal their fate, time after time"
There's some interesting lines in this one that reflect The Alchemist's mission to save humanity from itself and his eventual fall as a result of his hubris, but the flying into the sun line really felt relevant, since The Alchemist is now dealing with the repercussions of his actions. The Alchemist wanted to experience these great spiritual existences in an attempt to save humankind in every timeline, to seal their fate for their own good. Samsara knows that being a savior may require him to get his hands dirty ("You claim to be a martyr, but your hands are far too clean" - Compromise), and the theme of sacrifice comes back up later in the album, in Houses: Movement III, at which point it seems like he was also expressing doubt about the ability or willingness of the divine to save humanity - "I'm starting to believe the path is flawed - a paradigm. I'm starting to believe we're on our own." It's also interesting to note that there's the line "Now I've heard you need a savior, just tell me that it's anyone but me" in Dendrochonology two songs prior to Houses, but now I'm starting to meander (as one is wont to do when trying to dissect Eidola lol) so I'll get back to the topic at hand.
So back to Tetelestai, the song as a whole kind of feels like it directly ties into The Weight of Sin.
"When you give yourself away, they will choose to believe the words you say" (Tetelestai) connects pretty seamlessly to "Take everything and leave me empty-handed, 'cause it's a pointless conversation" (TWoS). In Tetelestai, The Alchemist experiences how generosity and service helped to endear people to Jesus' teachings, but instead he's found that despite giving all of himself and dedicating his existence to saving humanity, he's only brought chaos and evil into the world. The "pointless conversation" could also refer to his conversation with The Architect throughout Eviscerate, since the album eventually concludes with "pray to God this only ends in violence." It doesn't matter what The Architect thinks of him at this point, he's attempted to reconcile and found The Architect was unwilling to compromise (I presume that will change in Mend).
"Pull yourself together, you're the only one who's left getting blood from stone" is an interesting line, too. While the "blood from stone" part is idiomatic, I feel like there's still some really intriguing imagery that pairs well with "we bleed the same blood, and now it's running down the stairs" in The Weight of Sin. I admit that might be a bit of a stretch, but it could tie back to the "pointless conversation" mentioned above, too, since "getting blood from stone" is an idiom to refer to a pointless or fruitless task.
"I love until it hurts and every blessing feels just like a curse" (Tetelestai) also seems like it could be a bit of a throughline to "I don't even love you the way that I used to when I was still part of your plan." (TWoS) The Alchemist's love has been corrupted into something dark and controlling, like a blessing turned into a curse. And now his love (presumably for the true godhead, although the rest of the song seems to be referring to The Architect as the second person, so this is definitely a possible misinterpretation) has completely expired.
The title "Tetelestai" means "it is finished" and can refer to a debt being paid, and I think The Weight of Sin seems to be The Alchemist struggling with his misdeeds and how he's meant to reconcile that debt he now carries (or if he even wishes to). He's the one who can't forget the past, he's the one who has made all of these mistakes, leading to the literal end of a world, and there's also the line "Lecture me on all the ways you think that I should pay" that could reference back to that concept of a debt paid. In the song Tetelestai, The Alchemist was vicariously experiencing the paying of the debt of humanity sins by Jesus Christ, and now he's carrying the weight of his own sins, brought about by his arrogance and pride in thinking he could save humanity on his own.
There are some questions I have, though, that poke some holes in some of my thoughts. I'm not entirely sure who the second person is in Tetelestai, I always kind of thought of it like The Alchemist was the "I" and was kind of talking to himself in a generic, universal sense with the "you" statements but now I'm wondering whether there may be two separate characters in the song.
Another "you" statement that has me a bit tripped up (I think the most challenging part of analyzing any Eidola song is identifying the speaker, but that's also part of the fun since there can be multiple interpretations depending on the speaker's identify) is in The Weight of Sin, as I mentioned above. I'm pretty loosely interpreting the song as mostly The Alchemist speaking to The Architect - I think lines like "Don't you know I know my mistakes will leave you contemplating about your demise" and "You wear me out 'cause you know I can take it, lecture me on all the ways you think that I should pay" point to this interpretation. That said, I think the chorus could be either The Alchemist speaking to the divine or The Architect speaking to The Alchemist, since I don't really see The Alchemist as ever having been a part of The Architect's plan. The Architect's dedicated himself to opposing The Alchemist's plan, so that makes a little more sense, but I think the most likely interpretation is that it's The Alchemist choosing to shut himself off from the godhead. It's definitely something I'm still mulling over, like most of this album!
So I'm not 100% sure that I'm picking up on actual references, but it doesn't seem like too much of a reach. Hope I could provide some interesting/entertaining food for thought, even if I'm completely off base!