The Terran Union Heavy Cruiser, Roanoke, had spent the last 6 months raiding Naalx supply lines in the Flores sector.
They were finally returning to Terran Space for some much-needed refit and some R&R. But first, they were stopping at the Bateri space station orbiting Emsar IV.
She would be meeting a Terran Union squadron to escort her prizes back to the Couster system. 4 freighters, a massive ore hauler, and a damaged Naalx corvette that answered a distress call sooner than expected.
The Roanoke was one of the new Grenville class heavy cruisers, faster and more heavily armed than the other heavy cruiser classes operating as part of a Terran Union fleet.
They were designed as solo raiders able to operate deep in enemy space, raiding enemy supply lines and facilities.
Their design included several newly developed systems, including a new style of radiator for dumping excess heat.
At 500 m long and painted black as night, she was very intimidating to see on visual screens and even more so at close range. Her CrCoNi (chromium, cobalt, and nickel) hull was covered in 12” of ablative armor covered in a black laser-resistant material able to reduce the effectiveness of enemy sensors and target locks.
The experimental Baxter radiators efficiently released excess heat into space but still left them exposed to radiation detection sensors.
Captain Josef Král had been hand-picked to command the Roanoke when she came into service 18 months ago. He was a popular officer with 20 years of combat experience on just about every ship in the Terran Union’s navy.

He’d also provided technical assistance during its design phase so his familiarity with the ship made him the best choice for putting the ship through her paces. This would be the very first voyage behind enemy lines as a raider.
And it’d been a rousing success, hitting targets deep in Naalx space as reprisal for Naalxian raids on Terran border colonies. The First Naalx-Terran war had devastated both species and left them vulnerable to outside forces. The war wasn’t won so much as winding down to a series of raids and counter-raiding. A gentleman’s agreement to prevent raids and border skirmishes from turning into another full-scale war and the earlier consequences.
And Captain Král was very good at approaching that line in the sand without going over it. Several centuries earlier he’d have been a Privateer sailing the oceans on Earth.
This even led to the revival of the old pirate movies of the 20th century but Captain Král preferred likening it to the submarine warfare of the first half of the 20th century. That didn’t stop his crew from giving him a robot parrot.
He claims to hate it but everyone knows he’s been teaching it his extensive vocabulary of curse words, in dozens of languages, that he loved it.
And if you call him out on him walking around with it on his shoulder, he’ll claim he was just humoring the crew.
Captain Král was relieved to see the Terran squadron had arrived before him and ordered his little fleet to dock. It would be good to be able to get off the ship and move around without weapons.
As Captain Král exited the ship, he was surprised to see Commodore Allen waiting for him. It’d been several years since he last saw his friend and previous XO. Taking his prerogative as a Captain, he skipped the formalities, shook hands, and gave Commodore Allen a friendly slap on the back.
“Mike? What the hell are you doing here? This is escort job is for a Lt. to do” He asked
“I was in the neighborhood and volunteered. I wanted to see this new ship of yours and it’s been too long since we got a drink together.” Mike replied
Captain Král took a glance back to his ship and wasn’t surprised to see his current XO, Lt. Commander Nana Ricci had the resupply well in hand.
With a big grin, Captain Král said, “Let me see to my guests and we can see if we can scandalize the ratings like we used to.”
Captain Král approached the waiting station manager. The Bateri bowed in the formal greeting of her people. Not having the tentacles needed to return the bow, he just saluted her.
“Greetings Captain Král of the Terrans, how may we be of service?” The Bateri asked.
“Greetings Ananu of the Bateri. We request the use of your services,” he replied, finishing the ritual greeting.
“I see you returned successful in your raiding,” Ananu said, “How many bunks will you need?”
Unsurprised that the Bateri knew his mission, he replied “ 72 bunks with 3 more for your med bay, if you have the room.”
One of the most important functions provided by the Bateri was allowing for the return of captives taken in raids. This helped to keep things calmer by freely releasing captives to limit the amount of bad blood created during the raids and conflicts.
Crates of supplies, ammo, missiles, and the various other things needed to keep the ship functioning were being transferred from the smaller Terran ships. With her weapon complement being only slightly smaller than a battleship, she could go through a lot of ammunition. Even without being in serious combat, he liked to run frequent gunnery drills. Some Captains would just let their tactical computers handle operating the weapon systems and just have the gunnery crews handle reloads. But some hard lessons taught him that having the gunnery crews able to take direct control, as needed, was essential. He preferred to use up as much ammunition as needed during training to save lives later in combat.
Seeing everything in hand, he walked back to join his friend for a drink. They caught up on the doings of old friends and Mike’s family, toasts to fallen comrades, and eventually to the Roanoke.
‘How did she operate on her first long-range mission?” Mike asked
Taking a moment to organize his thoughts, Captain Král took a sip of his drink. “She handled better than expected. The new engine behaved itself, surprising for being just off the drawing board, the Baxters were damn efficient.”
Taking another sip before continuing, “ We didn’t use the torpedoes or the turreted railguns in combat but the rest performed as expected. That Corvette didn’t stand a chance so we didn’t get a full test of all the combat systems.”
“Going by the number of munitions I brought with me, you’d think I was resupplying a battleship” Mike joked
“Just about,” Captain Král chuckled. “During the design phase, I had to argue for such an increase of armament.” “It seemed to take forever for them to get it through their thick skulls that we’d be out there all alone and couldn’t call for reinforcements.” “So I convinced them to put the 2 particle beam systems in the bow of the ship and give me the 4 torpedo tubes. They had no problem with the pair at the bow but they couldn’t figure out why I wanted a pair aft. I swear I thought about launching them out of a tube.”

“At least they were starting to get it when I up-gunned the turrets to carry two large railguns. They did get upset at wanting to put on a turret in the middle of the ventral side but were relieved I left the other turret on the dorsal side ahead of the command structures”
Commodore Allen asked,” From the glimpse I got as you docked, it looked like you doubled the usual weapon systems?”
“She still has them 10 secondary batteries but I went with dual medium railguns for them” Captain Král replied, “ I put 4 of the quad-mounted autocannons on each side of the ship.”
“ It should let us save wear and tear on the railguns when we catch unarmed ships or against incoming fighters.”
“ I understand and it also saves on missiles, which with 4 heavy and 8 medium is a lot of missiles to carry.” Commodore Allen replied.
“I’ve also heard you were running tests on a more powerful deflector array to do more than just protect against radiation and small debris. Like maybe actual shields that would work on anything smaller than a battleship?”
“Yeah but not with any success,” Captain Král answered, “Anytime we tried to go past the standard low-power output, it played hell with our sensors.”
It was at that moment when Captain Král’s wrist communicator beeped for his attention.
“Just a second Mike,” he said as he keyed the communicator. “ Král, go ahead”
The sound of Lt. Commander Ricci’s voice came through the speaker, “ Priority message from the bridge Captain.”
“ What is the message?” Captain Král asked, not liking the way Ricci’s voice sounded worried
“ Sensor buoy reports large Naalx fleet dropping out of FTL, 2 million km out,” Ricci reported
Commodore Allen gave Captain Král the same concerned look that he was sure was on his face. “How many?” The captain asked
Ricci hesitated for a moment before answering “37 ships with more arriving every couple of minutes.”
Commodore Allen swore
Captain Král looked at his friend, “How long until you get your crews and get out of here?”
Commodore Allen thought for a moment, “ Maybe 20 minutes at the minimum.”
Captain Král muttered to himself, “They’ll be here before that.”
Both men got up, signaled to any of their personnel in the bar, and started out the door. “I’ll buy you the time but I’ll need to undock as soon as I get aboard my ship, maybe I can catch them off-guard. “ Captain Král
Commodore Allen replied, “That’s a suicide mission, there are too many for one ship to handle”
“Yeah, I know, old friend but if I don’t then we all die.” Captain Král explained, “ Do me a favor, I’m going to send you my non-essential personnel, take them and those still on the station with you. Get them home.”
Reaching the hatch to the docking bay, both men stopped to shake hands. “Of course, Josef.” Commodore Allen replied, “But if anyone can find a way out of it, it’s you, my friend.”
After a final salute, both men parted ways to reach their ship. As Captain Král jogged down the docking bay, he sent orders for Ricci to send all non-essential personnel to Commodore Allen and asked if they had sufficient hands to man all combat stations.
Ricci’s reply reassured him, “ Aye Sir, most of the crew on the station are from the 2nd watch, and the few people from the first watch are non-essential.”
“Be ready to launch as soon as I get aboard.” He ordered.
He passed several members of his crew, en route to join Commodore Allen. He stopped to return their salute. At the disappointed look in their eyes, he told them. “I know you don’t want to leave the ship but the Commodore needs some real sailors to get out on time. You know how those logistic guys are. They’ll get lost trying to find their own bridge”
That look reassured them and after a final salute, they headed down the dock to join Commodore Allen
Captain Král reached the cargo ramp and started up it, calling Ricci and telling her to shove off and he’d be on the bridge shortly.
He sprinted down the corridor, leaping over the lower lips of the vacuum-tight doors.
“Captain on the Bridge!” rang out from one of the bridge techs. Aside from the guards and his XO, the rest of the bridge crew kept working. Nodding his approval at their knowing when to discard ceremony for action. He walked over toward his console before speaking.
“What do we have, Lt. Commander?”
Turning to face him, Captain Král could see just how worried she was. “Current count is 48 ships.” Touching the console’s keys to bring up a list of ships before continuing, “ 18 capital ships and a mix of sub-caps, still trying to ID them.”
“They’re just maintaining position for now.” Ricci finished, her voice slightly puzzled.
“They’re waiting for something or someone,” Captain Král answered the unasked question.
“How many crew did we leave behind?”
“641, Sir” the XO replied
“ Helm, are we clear of the station's shielding?”
“Almost Sir,” The helmsman answered.
“Thank you.” Captain Král returned.
Turning to another tech, he said, “Sound Battlestations”

“Sir,” one of his sensor techs spoke up, “We have 2 more ships arriving.”
“ Thank you, Ensign.” Captain Král returned
“What class are they?” Lt Commander Ricci asked
After looking at her monitor again the tech replied, “1 heavy cruiser and something much bigger, waiting for the computer to ID it.”
Captain Král moved to look over the tech’s shoulder before standing up and facing his XO.
“Fleet Command Ship” he informed the tech and his XO.
Lt. Commander Ricci replied, “What the hell is one doing out here?”
“Good Question.” he answered, “And now that the players are on the field, the game can begin.”
Bringing up the sensor information to his console, Captain Král pointed at the enemy fleet. “They haven’t begun to deploy into battle formation yet.”
“That could be our chance.” Raising his head to look at his XO. “If we jump now we can land close and surprise them. After we land, we drive into the center of their formation and head for that big bastard.” He explained
“But Sir, We haven’t fully tested the jump drive!” the XO exclaimed
“No time like the present, “ Captain Král joked

“We’ll let the railguns and autocannon crews pick targets of opportunity, while we engage the command ship with our particle cannons, heavy railguns, and torpedoes,” he stated
“What about its point defense system, won’t it pick off the torps?” the XO asked
“We’re going to launch all the Hammerheads at it. It should overwhelm the system and let the torps through.” He answered before continuing, “I’m going to save the heavy missiles for now.”
“You’ll need to calculate the launch time of the Hammerheads to hit the point defense system as close to the time for the torpedoes to sneak through.” he ordered, “ But not so far they take out the Hammerheads too soon and let them hit the torps but not so close they set them off either.”
Looking at his XO, “You better get down to tactical Nana, this is going to get ugly, and it’s best we split up.” Captain Král commanded
Exchanging salutes, Ricci simply replied “Aye Sir.” and started for the hatch. Just before stepping through, she turned and said, “Good Luck, Sir.
“What’s the status of the Commodore’s squad?” Captain Král asked
One of his communication techs spoke up, “ They need 10 more minutes”
“Let me know the minute they are clear.” Captain Král ordered
Captain Král turned to comms tech and ordered, “Intraship comms if you please ensign”
“Aye sir” the tech replied before turning to his console and speaking into the mic,” Now hear this, Now hear this. Message from the Captain.”
“ Well folks, this isn’t the fight I wanted but this is the fight we got” Captain Král started
“ I’m sure you’ve heard scuttlebutt about the situation but here it is. We are facing a superior force numbering 49 ships. And we need to give the Commodore’s squadron time to go to FTL and get the hell out of here.” he paused before continuing, “ The plan is to mix it up with the enemy at close range. They aren’t in battle formation yet so we can hurt them.”
“Good luck and let’s make them regret fucking with the Roanoke.”
The sounds of cheers came back over the speakers.
“Helm, are we clear of the station shielding?” the Captain asked
At the affirmative given by the helmsmen, he just nodded
Touching a button on his console, he asked, “Are you in place XO?”
“Aye Sir.” the Lt. Commander replied
“ As soon as we land, be ready to open up with the dual and quad mounts.” He ordered
The XO replied with an affirmative.
“Helm, at my command, jump between 25-50 km to the starboard of the fleet.”
“As soon as we land, hard to port and get us in the middle of them. Be ready for rapid maneuvers, maybe we can throw off their laser battery tracking systems. Might let us survive a little longer” Captain Král ordered. “Aye Sir” the helmsman replied
Taking a quick look around to make sure his crew was ready, he turned back to wait for the signal the jump drive was ready.
At the signal, he ordered “Jump”
He felt the ship lurch forward and shudder. It took less than 5 seconds to jump from the station to within the targeted range, but it felt like forever.
And then they were less than 5 km from an enemy battleship.
“Oh shit!” exclaimed the helmsman and steered to avoid it. Captain Král hid a moment of panic with a joke, “ Someone make note that the jump drive targeting system needs work.”
His joke brought a chuckle from his crew and got them back to focus on the taste.
Stabbing a button on his console, he ordered “XO, fire secondary batteries,”
There was nothing to see or hear from the massive volleys of the secondary batteries coming to life. But he knew the gun crews were already raining devastation on enemy warships. “Helm, Hard to Port!” he ordered, not tearing his view away from the main viewscreen.
Captain Král looked at his console at the images sent to the bridge from the various gun cameras.
He could see the flashes of light from projectiles hitting their shields. He watched as other high-velocity projectiles punched through their hulls. He could just make out the impact of the explosive-tipped slugs fired by the autocannons.
Captain Král turned back to the main viewscreen. “Hard to starboard!”
“Head for that big son of a bitch!” he ordered
The Naalx were slow to respond but they began to return fire with some trying to gain some distance to clear the line of fire of other ships. The helmsman’s evasive maneuvers were also giving the enemy’s gunners fits from repeated misses.
But the damage sensors on the armor told of an increasing number of hits as the Naalx began to respond in an organized manner. The resistance coating reduced the damage from the Naalx laser batteries but didn’t completely nullify it. “Helm, get me a clear shot at the command ship.” the Captain ordered
A bright flash to starboard marked the death of an enemy cruiser. Status reports listed 2 sub-capitals holed and venting atmosphere. Dead or damaged, they were out of the fight.
One capital ship was dead in space with another missing its bow.
5 down too damn many to go The captain muttered
He watched and waited, ignoring damage alarms and the occasional shudder as shots began to get through the armor and explosively decompress a compartment when they penetrated the hull.
He finally saw what he wanted, an unobstructed line of fire to the command ship.
His finger smashed down on the console button. “ XO, Launch Torpedoes. Take the gloves off the main batteries. Drop the hammer!”
He watched the glitter of the particle beams as they bridged the gap between the Roanoke and the Naalx ship. In a moment, he caught sight of the torpedoes' thrusters as they left the tubes and picked up momentum. Holes and brief explosions marked the impact of his weapons. But the sheer volume of Naalxian fire was beginning to take its toll. The armor was failing or had failed in over a dozen spots. 3 autocannon and 1 railgun mount were out of commission.
2 minutes after they launched the torpedoes, the sight of more than 100 Hammerhead missiles was marked by the flare of their drives. Another volley of Hammerheads was launched the moment new missiles were lifted into the racks.
Captain Král called down to tactical, “XO, hold off on another volley for hammerheads.”
Checking his console, “Launch Shrikes at targets of opportunity with no shields, rear tubes target enemy capital ships and hope those torpedoes get through.” he ordered.
Multiple small explosions let him know the point defense systems were taking on the Hammerheads. And a moment later, a pair of massive explosions told him the nuclear-tipped torpedoes had hit their target.
“Captain, The Commodore’s squadron has escaped.” one of his techs announced.
“Thank you,” he answered
“Distance to command ship?” he asked
“ 250 km Sir” was the reply
“Helm, continue advancing on the command ship and pass her on our port side. We’ll give her a broadside and go to FTL after we clear.”
A tech from the damage control position spoke up, “Captain! FTL is down and jump drive is destroyed”
“Ahh hell’ cried the Captain.
“Damage report!” he ordered
“ Ventral turret destroyed, railgun mounts 2 and 5 destroyed, mount 9 damaged but functional. Autocannon mounts 11,13, 23 and 25 destroyed. Hammerhead launchers 3 and 8 destroyed.” The tech checked the screen before continuing, “ Explosive decompressions on decks 3 and 5. Explosive decompression in Med Bay. Ablative armor badly damaged and penetrated in around 20 spots. Engine #3 is down. Power unstable in many areas of the ship”
“FTL down, engineering needs an hour to fix. The jump drive is destroyed. Long-range comms are down” The tech finished.
“Casualty reports!” Captain Král ordered
A different tech replied, “249 dead, roughly 800 wounded with 327 too injured to fight.”
“Thank you.” he returned. Doing the math in his head he had just over 1300 combat effective and 482 of those were his Marines, the other 18 were left behind.
After thinking a moment, “Helm, same course as before but since we can’t go to FTL, circle to the aft of the command ship and lessen the incoming fire for the moment”
Looking over to the comms tech, “ Get me the chief engineer on the horn.”
Tapping the switch on the console, he called down to tactical. “ XO, I’m taking us around to the aft of the command ship and play peek-a-boo.”
“We’ll pass on her port side and I want a broadside from all batteries that can hit it and launch half the Shrikes we have left at it.”
“After we get to their rear, target enemy aft batteries, I want them all hunks of twisted metal.” Captain Král ordered
“Aye Sir.” Lt. Commander Ricci replied. “Ammo count update Sir.”
“Go ahead,” he replied
“Only the two forward tubes are loaded, aft tubes empty, railgun and autocannon are down to 30%. Dorsal turret is at 10% but they are working on transferring surviving ammo from the Ventral turret.
We can launch 4 more full racks of Shrikes and 5+ Hammerheads.” She finished
“Understood. Thank you” Captain Král replied
“Captain, Chief Engineer on the line” a tech relayed
“Route it to my console,” he ordered
“ I need you to place charges on the computer core, all the experimental equipment, engines, and fire suppression control. If we go down, I don’t want them getting a damn thing but blood and pain.”
“Aye Sir.” The Chief replied.

Captain Král turned back to watch as the Roanoke passed the command ship to port. He watched as massive explosions rippled across the enemy flank and dorsal surface. They were too close for the point defense to pick off the majority of the Shrikes.
As the Roanoke got behind and slightly below the enemy command ship, she slowed and allowed her surviving batteries to silence the command ship's aft batteries.
Captain Král called down to tactical, “XO, fire half our remaining hammerheads into her engines.”
“Affirmative,” replied the XO
Captain Král watched as the hammerheads impacted the command ship’s engines and saw the thrust nozzles dim as the engines went offline. The enemy batteries stopped firing and she began to drift.
“Helm, get us 500 km from the command ship and line up to fire our last 2 avalanche torpedoes.” Captain Král ordered
“Aye Sir, 500km bow towards the enemy” the helmsman repeated
The Captain called down to tactical ” Nana, We’re positioning the ship to line up the front tubes and we’re going to kill that bastard. Stay on the line and fire on my order.”
“Aye Sir, we’re ready.” The XO answered
“Helm?” Captain Král asked
“ 3 seconds Captain.” the helmsman replied
Captain Král watched and as soon as he got the angle he wanted, “Fire Torpedoes!” he commanded
The whole bridge crew watched and waited for the impact. Both torpedoes struck amidships and tore massive holes in the hull. As they watched, lines of explosions traveled across the hull and began to rip the ship in half. The bridge crew let out a yell and the rest of the ship after the Captain had the information broadcast over the intercom.

“ Helm, get us the hell out of here. Maybe we can outrun the bigger ships and buy time to fix the FTL.” Captain Král ordered
But before the helmsman could act, there was a massive jolt.
“What the hell?” he yelled
A tech answered, “ We were rammed by a Naalx cruiser and several smaller ships are closing in.“
But instead of ramming the Roanoke, they launched breeching pods.
His finger stabbed down to open the intercom. “ All hands, Prepare to Repel Boarders! Security teams, tactical will relay their access position. “ He ordered
He pulled out his sidearm and checked that it was ready. Several other techs did the same, while his security detachment moved to defensive positions to watch the hatch.
“Target those pods!” Captain Král ordered but he didn’t need to say it, his gunnery crews were on it. Here and there a brief flash of light marked the destruction of a pod.

“XO, fire all remaining missiles. Pick your targets,” he commanded “All batteries, open fire.”
He left the tac net open to track the status of the enemy boarding parties.
He listened to the cacophony of noises coming over the tac net.
“Security team alpha to section 7, level 3. Bravo team section 2 level 1, Charlie team section 12, level 5” Lt. Commander Ricci ordered.
“There’s too many, fall back to position 2…” an unidentified voice ordered
Another voice firmly stated, “Hold your ground, nothing gets past us.”
“Theta team down, a handful of Naalx heading for engineering!” a panicked voice exclaimed
And dozens of others just like it, always with the sound of combat in the background.
“Captain, more breaching pods en route!” a tech exclaimed
“Get me the Chief Engineer!” the Captain ordered
At the Chief Engineer’s response, he ordered “Detonate all sabotage charges except the main computer. Set that one on a manual trigger at my console with a 20-minute timer as a backup. And then set the reactors to overload, we’re not going to hold the ship much longer. And set a charge to breach the hull and decompress Engineering as soon as you are clear”
“Affirmative, Captain. She was a good ship” the Chief replied
Turning to his bridge crew, “Give the order to abandon ship. Have all the pods head for the station.”
The Captain called tactical, “Lt. Commander Ricci, all hands abandon ship. Get as many of them home as you can.”
“ I understand, Sir.” She answered, “I’ll see you at the station.” she said hopefully
“I'm afraid not, Nana. I’m the Captain and I’m going down with my ship.” he stated, “And someone needs to make sure they can’t shut down the overload.”
“Transfer all fire controls to my station and get the hell out of here.”
“Aye Sir, It’s been an honor” the XO replied
“The honor is all mine. You are going to make an excellent Captain. Goodbye my friend” Captain Král finished.
His bridge crew tried to convince him to go with them but he declined and ordered security to get them into the escape pods.
Then he sat and watched as his consoles began reporting each pod as it launched. He also kept an eye on his sensors and concentrated fire on any Naalx ship that was moving to intercept the pods. They knew better than to fire on them but nothing said they couldn’t capture them.
He also prepared a probe with all the ship logs and combat data and fired it toward human-held territory. It would run silently until it exited the system and then begin broadcasting a coded signal for pickup.
He was dismayed at how few pods had left the ship and regretted so many young lives had been cut short.
As he saw the last pod clear the battlefield, he sat back for a moment and then triggered the charge on the main computer.
A hard pounding came from the other side of the hatchway. But there wasn’t enough power to open it. He guessed the pinging on the door was them firing their lasers and trying to blast it open.
He wondered if it would work but a huge rumble, a bright flash, interrupted, and the long career of Captain Král was finally over.
News of the Roanoke’s final battle flashed across news channels on hundreds of worlds. Her courageous and foolhardy charge at a superior force. The damage she did to the Naalx fleet before her destruction. How, of the 1859 members of the crew that went into the battle, only 108 survived.
The videos taken from both sides during the battle played over and over again.
How the Naalx picked up all the escape pods and released them on the station immediately.
And even recovered the bodies of any human they found while gathering their dead.
Naalx losses were the command ship, 2 capital ships, 9 sub-capitals destroyed, and a dozen other vessels damaged in one form or another. Naalx casualties were over 50,000 dead
Only the Naalx’s immense respect for courage, audacity, and bravery in the face of danger kept the skirmish from blowing up into a war.
The Naalx rendered full military honors as they turned the Human dead over to Lt. Commander Ricci.
The Captain Král, A Grenville-class cruiser, was launched 2 years later. Captain Nana Ricci in command.
Authors note- I hope you enjoyed this story. It's based on a historical event. Which according to an idiot on youtube is plagiarism.
If you feel like leaving a tip https://ko-fi.com/tomcarey

Hi. I've been using Messenger for years. Maybe 2 years ago, its calls started to become buggy... mainly, they would stop after I leave the app/if I close the app window. Which is obnoxious! I use it to game with friends.
Now, that wasn't really a problem for two years, because I had the idea to use Messenger Lite! It worked perfectly. The calls flowed flawlessly. No bugs ever. Then, today, I try to add a new friend on my Lite, and... it locks me off? Saying that "For this phone, we recommend messenger". They use the word recommend, but really, they're forcing it. I CANNOT use the app anymore, and upon further investigation, I found out that the app stopped working on androids for over a year now.
My main concern: I want calls that I can have with my phone turned off/while using other apps (without the annoying popup window). Please please please, can anyone help me?

I dont know why anymore,?? something ive noticed is that I constantly feel hopeless and just just a lot of self resentment . it stems from the people I surround myself with and like.
I know who to leave, but like i genuinely cant?? like it’s probably attachment issues but ugh. one of my friends I hang out with in my day to day school lige, has a bit of an ego, and doesn’t understand how some of the things she tells me or does genuinely hurts me or other people ??? I knew her since I was 7, were 15 now, she’s been like passive aggressive towards me or like subtly bullying me since. I feel like bully is a strong word but she’ll make about me in. away that feels jokey but like she means it lmfao😭?? for example, she’ll call me dumb as a joke, but then like belittle me for my grades ??? which I don’t reallycare, but it’s the fact that she goes to ME for math, science, and english . she also treats me like a biohazard?? like she won’t let me write on her paper because I’m, ‘Dirty’ ,which i know she’s teasing but she does it. like a lot. I dont know I have trouble leaving her for a multitude of reasons, The first one being is that we have like all the same friends, and I feel like. my friends perfer her over me??? because they have a lot more in common with her than with me, and like I don’t really see myself as someone likable so I dont know it’s confusing?? I can’t leave them because I still care, and love them but I just feel like I don’t belong anywhere ??? also honestly being alone sucks a lot l??? . She also like portrays herself as a good person to others?? do even if my friends did like me, I doubt they’d believe me. Theres been times where she pointed at my self harm scars and called them disgusting and like gross. but I dont know I feel like she was just teasing and I’m over reacting???
I really do resent myself because like I geniunelu don’t think I’m good at anything; like I’m funny, (at least that’s what others say) but it doesn’t even feel like it anymore because nobody takes anything I say seriously anymore? I told one of my friends I was clinically depressed and she was like “like YOUD know anything about depression” and laughed it off ??? IM DIAGNOSED 😭 . it honestly feels like my friends are laughing AT me and never with me??? I also like feel ugly a lot lol; this has been a problem since I was 11 ish and I dont know what started it,? i always felt fat and I know I’m not but I just . I dont know??? like I’m 4”11 ish and 103 pounds which I know is like good; but all of my friends are thinner and prettier than me, and like I kinda just feel worse compared to them??? like I have an eating disorder and i’ve been to the hospital because of it , but my mom doesn’t believe me because I’m not skinny enough to have one??? and like they’re just naturally skinny and pretty?? I also don’t llll do make up or skin care; because my skin is like clear and I kinda hate my face and I don’t wanna fuck up how I feel about myself further with make up ahha. I also just sound. bad?? like my voice doesn’t have a clear accent because I learnt bangla and english at the same time and I just. sound. stupid lol and multiple people have made fun of me for my voice
Recently ish, 1 month ago during ramadan, my dad left the country for 1 month and a half without any type of notice and like blocked my number and moms number. This scared mr, I thought he was abandoning us . and I felt like it was deserved because I wasn’t good enough for him??? like I feel like I failed him by being tomboyish, having average grades, not being close with him, not being religious and just being a fucking loser??? I cried for weeks about this lmfao and it further instilled my self hatred
like I dont know people say teen years are the best years but like??? dude I am willingly dragging myself through shards of glsss and bleeding out on them. I am causing my own downfall knowing I can probably change . there’s other things i want to write about too but I’m tired rn ughdhdkhxhd

1. Islam is the only religion not named after a person or a tribe.
2. The literary irreproducible miracle is well supported.

Even scholars agree. That's the consensus.
Arthur John Arberry said "to produce something which might be accepted as echoing however faintly the sublime rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pains to study the intricate and richly varied rhythms which constitute the Koran's undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces of mankind."
Karen Armstrong said "It is as though Muhammad had created an entirely new literary form that some people were not ready for but which thrilled others. Without this experience of the Koran, it is extremely unlikely that Islam would have taken root."
Oliver Leaman said "the verses of the Qur'an represent its uniqueness and beauty not to mention its novelty and originality. That is why it has succeeded in convincing so many people of its truth. it imitates nothing and no one nor can it be imitated. Its style does not pall even after long periods of study and the text does not lose its freshness over time."
E.H. Palmer said "That the best of Arab writers has never succeeded in producing anything equal in merit to the Qur’an itself is not surprising."
Also, another quote "Scholar and Professor of Islamic Studies M. A. Draz affirm how the 7th-century experts were absorbed in the discourse that left them incapacitated: “In the golden age of Arab eloquence, when language reached the apogee of purity and force, and titles of honour were bestowed with solemnity on poets and orators in annual festivals, the Qur’anic word swept away all enthusiasm for poetry or prose, and caused the Seven Golden Poems hung over the doors of the Ka’ba to be taken down. All ears lent themselves to this marvel of Arabic expression."
Also, "Professor of Qur’anic Studies Angelika Neuwrith argued that the Qur’an has never been successfully challenged by anyone, past or present: “…no one has succeeded, this is right… I really think that the Qur’an has even brought Western researchers embarrassment, who wasn’t able to clarify how suddenly in an environment where there were not any appreciable written text, appeared the Qur’an with its richness of ideas and its magnificent wordings.”
Not to mention Hussein Abdul-Raof. "Hussein Abdul-Raof continues “The Arabs, at the time, had reached their linguistic peak in terms of linguistic competence and sciences, rhetoric, oratory, and poetry. No one, however, has ever been able to provide a single chapter similar to that of the Qur’an.”"
Yes, all of them are experts in Quran and in Literature. Lots of credible scholars say that the quran is inimitable.
Laid Ibn Rabah, one of the poets of the seven odes, stopped writing poetry and converted to Islam because of it.
The Qur'an's rhyme scheme is very organized, some of the best out there. Not to mention that it came out spontaneously.
It uses ten rhetorical devices in 3 words at one point. Someone tried to use more. Even though it does, people still mocked it for how it didn't meet the challenge. He used punctuation. (https://www.reddit.com/exmuslim/comments/18o5y0w/the\_rationalizer\_had\_a\_version\_of\_the\_quran/)

1. The Qur'an predicted that the Byzantines will win the Byzantine-Sassanid war within 9 years, even though they lost the recent battle.

The Romans have been defeated in a nearby land. Yet following their defeat, they will triumph within three to nine years.

(https://quran.com/30?startingVerse=3)
Now this is massive because it is unthinkable that a defeated army would win a war.

1. The Qur'an knew that pain receptors are in the skin.

Surely those who reject Our signs, We will cast them into the Fire. Whenever their skin is burnt completely, We will replace it so they will ˹constantly˺ taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.

(https://quran.com/en/an-nisa/56 )

1. The Qur'an knew about the rose nebula.

˹How horrible will it be˺ when the heavens will split apart, becoming rose-red like ˹burnt˺ oil!

(https://quran.com/en/ar-rahman/37 )

1. The Qur'an knew that wind holds the clouds up.

And it is Allah Who sends the winds, which then stir up ˹vapour, forming˺ clouds, and then We drive them to a lifeless land, giving life to the earth after its death. Similar is the Resurrection.

(https://quran.com/en/fati9 )
The USGS say, "Even though a cloud weighs tons, it doesn't fall on you because the rising air responsible for its formation keeps the cloud floating in the air. The air below the cloud is denser than the cloud, thus the cloud floats on top of the denser air nearer the land surface". (https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/condensation-and-water-cycle?qt-science\_center\_objects=0#qt-science\_center\_objects)
The 'Scientific American' says, "Upward vertical motions, or updrafts, in the atmosphere also contribute to the floating appearance of clouds by offsetting the small fall velocities of their constituent particles. Clouds generally form, survive and grow in air that is moving upward". (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-clouds-float-when/).
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum says, "There are several reasons clouds float: first, the droplets in a cloud are small. Very small..................The second reason that clouds can float in the air is that there is a constant flow of warm air rising to meet the cloud: the warm air pushes up on the cloud and keeps it afloat". (https://www.naturemuseum.org/the-museum/blog/how-do-clouds-float#).
(https://www.reddit.com/DebateReligion/comments/eg25t7/the\_quran\_is\_a\_scientific\_gem\_quran\_miraculously/ )

1. The Qur'an knew that the atlantic and pacific ocean are different colors. They don't mix.

Q55:19-20

He merges the two bodies of ˹fresh and salt˺ water, yet between them is a barrier they never cross.

( https://quran.com/55?startingVerse=19)
If that's not true, how does one explain this photo. ( https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/do-the-pacific-ocean-and-the-atlantic-ocean-mix)

1. The odd-even miracle.

Add the verse count to the chapter number, we get 57 odd and 57 even sums.
All 57 odd sums add up to 6555. Not only is that odd, that is all numbers from 1-114 added up.
All even numbers add up to 6290. That is how many verses in total there are in the Qur'an .
(https://www.reddit.com/exmuslim/comments/ds6juf/yaa\_ayyuhal\_kafiroon\_the\_quran\_is\_mathmetically/ )
Muhammad was illiterate, so how could he even remember his own numbers?
Also, a verse in the Qur'an hints at it, 89:3.

By the dawn, and the ten nights, and the even and the odd, and the night when it passes! Is all this ˹not˺ a sufficient oath for those who have sense?

( https://quran.com/89?startingVerse=1)

1. The Qur'an gets embryology right in considering that it looks like a leech at one point, looks like a lump with a bite taken out of it at another. Also in that hearing is before sight.

You can see Keith Moore, an embryologist show his work with this document. ( https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1194/79036bd3704127bbb25378174bfcd5b9f088.pdf)
Don't say "Galen" because Galen and the Qur'an contradict on embryology. Also, how did Muhammad know about Galen's work?
This paper by Nadeem Arif Najmi explains it in more detail. (https://www.call-to-monotheism.com/a\_muslim\_answer\_to\_criticism\_of\_\_embryology\_in\_the\_qur\_an\_\_\_by\_nadeem\_arif\_najmi)

1. The Qur'an knew about altitude sickness.

Whoever Allah wills to guide, He opens their heart to Islam. But whoever He wills to leave astray, He makes their chest tight and constricted as if they were climbing up into the sky. This is how Allah dooms those who disbelieve.

(https://quran.com/6?startingVerse=125 )
The highest mountain is Saudi Arabia is Jabal Dakkah, at 2585 meters. (https://peakery.com/jabal-dakah-saudi-arabia/ ) Already, altitude sickness has begun at that height (https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/altitude-sickness ), but I don't think that Muhammad has even climbed that mountain.

1. The Qur'an knew that the ocean is darker as one goes in, and that there are internal waves in the ocean.

Or ˹their deeds are˺ like the darkness in a deep sea, covered by waves upon waves, topped by ˹dark˺ clouds. Darkness upon darkness! If one stretches out their hand, they can hardly see it. And whoever Allah does not bless with light will have no light!

(https://quran.com/24?startingVerse=40 )

1. The Qur'an knew about the water cycle.

Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky—channelling it through streams in the earth—then produces with it crops of various colours, then they dry up and you see them wither, and then He reduces them to chaff? Surely in this is a reminder for people of reason.
(https://quran.com/en/az-zuma21)

We send down rain from the sky in perfect measure, causing it to soak into the earth. And We are surely able to take it away.

(https://quran.com/en/al-muminun/18 )
Infiltration and runoff mentioned.

We send fertilizing winds, and bring down rain from the sky for you to drink. It is not you who hold its reserves.

(https://quran.com/en/al-hij22 )
(https://www.thelastdialogue.org/article/water-cycle-mentioned-in-quran/#Miracle\_in\_the\_use\_of\_word\_%D9%85%D9%8E%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%8B )
13/14. The Quran knew about the big bang. The Quran also knew that before the devonian age, life relied on water.

Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were ˹once˺ one mass then We split them apart? And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?
(https://quran.com/en/al-hij22 )
The second part could mean that even non-carbon life needs water.
Don't say Thales because Thales said that everything came from water, not life.
Bonus: The Sunnah knew that the Arab lands were once green.

The Last Hour will not come before wealth becomes abundant and overflowing, so much so that a man takes Zakat out of his property and cannot find anyone to accept it from him and till the land of Arabia reverts to meadows and rivers.

(https://sunnah.com/muslim:157c )
The Sunnah not only knew that arabia is turning green at the moment, it also knew that Arabia was once green. Ta'ood doesn't mean become, but it means revert. So, it does not mean that it will mean become.
There are lots more prophecies in the Quran and Hadith that have been fulfilled. You can see the yaqeen institute's list right here. (https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/papeed/the-prophecies-of-prophet-muhammad )

Hi, first time ever posting about any of my paranormal experiences.
So me and my family (wife and 2 boys) got a new build home about 9-10 months ago which was great as it is our first family home and nothing really happened for the first 6 months, until me and my wide were in the kitchen tidying late at night when I suddenly heard a low whisper right in my ear, which I assumed was my wife asking me something but when I asked her what she said she just looked at me confused, so I clarified that I heard her whisper in my ear to which she immediately asked "was it a low almost growl? So low you couldn't hear the words being said?" Which was spot on. We just kinda ignored this for that night as nothing really happened after that.
Fast forward a month, my eldest son (5 years old) starts telling us how a "tall shadow demon man" stands in his room watching him a lot, which he still tells us about still, which makes my ears prick up as I'm all about the paranormal while my wife tries to just pass it off as she doesn't like the paranormal being around our boys. So I start making symbols of power and protection to put around the house, hang dream catchers and put lots of crystals around the house, which seems to make my son less scared for the moment.
Now April, my father passes away, which is devastating as he wasn't very old but had been in poor health for a long time. A couple weeks after his passing I'm laying in bed with my wife when suddenly we notice a light comes on in our boys room at 10:22pm , I go in and find their projector has turned on, it's one of those space ones with the green lasers so it makes a low wirring noise, I look around to try to find the remote for it thinking one of the boys turned it on, can't find it at all, so I just turn it off by the switch and head back to bed. A couple nights later it happens again as the switch was turned back on but this time I was camping in the boys room as we were having a movie night and I was the only one awake, I saw it turn on at 10:58pm, no remote in sight, this time I scan the room for anything but nothing, not even a feeling of what it could be so I quietly call out to my dad to see if it's him visiting and checking on the boys but nothing. Then 3 night later at 10:22pm again it turns on, this time I stand in the room with my boys fast asleep and again ask if my dad is there as I'm not getting a bad vibe from this but my wife is getting very concerned now, but nothing, so I just unplugg the projector and am done with it. All of this was caught on our baby camera as well.
There has been so many weird feelings and noises in this house which may also have to do with our next door neighbour passing away shortly after moving in.
Sorry if this is a bit hard to read, never wrote anything like this before and I am rather dyslexic.

Colin and Allie’s texts message timestamps and Testimony

• The text says “here” at 12:10am.
  
• Colin Says he came out and got into the car 30-60 seconds later. We’ll add a buffer and say they left at 12:12am.
  
• Colin and Allie confirm they went straight to his house to drop him off. It’s a 5-7 minute drive max (their words and Mapquest) to get to his house so let’s say 12:20am
  

Colin arrives home no later than 12:20am.
————————————————————————-
Chris and Julie Alberts testimony and video footage from Waterfall

• Chris Albert (his dad) is seen inside about to exit the Waterfall Grille at 12:13:45am so really he leaves at 12:14am.
  
• It’s a 1 mile 9-10 minute walk to his house (there are no cut through trust me) especially with wind hitting him and snow starting to come down and potential slippery sidewalks. Well keep it on the low end so 9 minutes puts Chris arriving home no earlier than 12:22am.
  
• CA states he went upstairs when he got home and got in bed and relaxed for 10-15 minutes BEFORE Colin got home and said goodnight which Julie confirms. Colin also confirmed he got home AFTER.
  

This means that Colin got home no earlier than 12:33am.
People have asked why are 5-10-20 minutes a big deal? It’s a big deal because the time proves that Chris Albert and Julie Albert are lying about their testimony that they saw Colin get home after Chris did. It’s one thing to forget times but you can’t forget seeing someone before or after you got home. That’s different than remembering a time. They specifically and clearly said “he came in our room and said I love you goodnight”. Their extra words make their testimony to Colin coming home at no earlier than 12:33am set in stone.
The issue is that Colin’s texts and statements with Allie prove he got home by 12:20am and CAs video footage from Waterfall prove he got home no earlier than 12:22am. According to them without realizing it, they confirm Colin got home first via time but confirm via their own eyes which are more reliable that he got home after Chris. Add in the fact that Chris said Colin got home at least 10-15 minutes after him means there is NO WAY this story is true. The only way this falls apart is if Colin’s text messages with Allie aren’t real and was manipulated (very well could have been) which becomes an even bigger issue.
… and this is why 5-10-20 minutes matter so much. Their accounts prove a massive lie exists and it’s a matter of which one is it. There is no way around it.

Hi all, For those who’ve had Ménière’s for years, has your hearing improved or ever been back to where it was? Started experiencing severe vertigo two years ago and since then, I’ve lost 40% of my hearing (unilateral) so just wondering if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel from that standpoint. There was one week where my hearing went back to normal (could hear clearly) but then reverted back to its usual (fullness, tinnitus) so not sure if I should still hold on to hoping I’d get it back one day since my doc said there’s no way to tell if the hair cells are damaged or not.
My neurotologist also mentioned that even with the “best” hearing aids, hearing may not improve given that it’s in the lower frequencies and it’s a clarity problem, not volume, and that while some of his patients say it helps them, a lot of them don’t so was very disheartening to hear that bc while I’m (hoping) to control vertigo attacks with gentamicin injections (just began last week as steroid injection didn’t help), in addition to the usual of course (healthier diet/low sodium, sleep, reduced stress, exercise, no alcohol, etc..), the hearing loss has been difficult to “accept” as being out in restaurants or even small gatherings at home make it so difficult to understand people’s words. I’m still going to the audiologist in a couple of weeks to start testing out hearing aids and worse case they can be returned.
Besides sharing your experience, if there are any suggestions, recommendations or questions I should ask the audiologist for first time appt specifically for hearing aids, please share! Would greatly appreciate it!!!
And wishing the best of luck to my fellow Meniere’s community! Stay strong!!!

After about 60 hours, I have finally put the XIII Trilogy to rest with Lightning Returns. I went into this game with only vague high school memories of a bad story, a boring world, and a mediocre combat system, so my expectations were low. But damn, was I entirely wrong. Let’s get into it!
The Story
The Good: I really enjoyed the main narrative here, Lightning’s journey to save her sister and, begrudgingly, as many people as she can slowly turning into a journey to save her own soul is great, and I felt it satisfyingly wrapped up the overarching narrative of the trilogy. I also enjoyed how the side quests expanded on the concepts and themes of the plot and helped undermine some of the facts stated at the start (like Lightning not being able to save the dead or only humans having souls).
The Neutral: I wish that the ending had been a bit more explicit in the fates of the party, because it was dissatisfying not knowing if Serah and Snow ended up together finally and if everyone stayed in touch. I also think the scenes before the final dungeon could have been fleshed out more, especially when Noel returns.
The Bad: they gave Noel Brynhildr and let him take Sazh’s place in the finale. I was very satisfied with Sazh’s story in the main game, but damn was he done dirty in the end. He should have been there while Noel searched for Serah’s soul. The dialogue writing was also quite messy, lots of repetition and “reveals” of things we’d already known for ages.
The Characters
The Good: I loved all of the original main party members in this game. Seeing them all reduced to their absolute worst, desperately needing someone to come and snap them out, was awesome, and I loved seeing them all come to their senses. I also really liked the role Lumina played, intentionally antagonizing each main character after Lightning beats some sense into them to light a fire in them and make them, in a way, save their own souls.
The Neutral: While it was awesome to have Fang as a party member, I wish she’d stayed with you even after the main quest, and that Noel, Snow, and Sazh had been party members after their quest lines as well.
The Bad: there’s not much else beyond Sazh’s sidelining in the finale.
The Music
The Good: the new compositions are generally very good, with the area and most of the battle themes in particular standing out.
The Neutral: I wish they’d used less music from previous entries, it made the soundtrack as a whole feel less fresh as I played through it.
The Bad: there are a few battle themes that are quite repetitive and mediocre, and the game runs into a common open world issue where there’s not enough variety, internal or external, to area themes to sustain large amount of playtime in a given area. Loading screens also cut off the soundtrack, even in continuous zones like the Ultimate Lair, which really ruins the vibe.
The World
The Good: exploring Luxerion, Yusnaan, and the Wildlands was a lot of fun, lots of books and crannies to find treasures and NPCs with quests or interesting dialogue. Having Odin/Angel in the Wildlands helped that zone feel more manageable as well.
The Neutral: The Dead Dunes were a bit too big to not have any real alternate mode of transport. The teleportation statues are a nice feature, but we definitely could have used something like Odin here. I also found Yusnaan confusing to navigate at times, though it got better as I went on.
The Bad: The Ultimate Lair and final dungeon were a bit of a letdown, very simple in their design and mostly just enemy gauntlets. I also found the Temple Ruins in the Dead Dunes tedious to navigate.
The Combat
The Good: Combat in this game feels amazing. Switching schema is a ton of fun and very fluid, and figuring out the optimal ways to stagger enemies is great. I like that the game encourages unique and personalized builds to tackle most challenges as well, and the multitude of healing options at your disposal keep things from feeling too bleak. I also like that you can permanently eliminate monster species with enough effort, it really makes the combat feel meaningful.
The Neutral: enemy variety could definitely have been better, even just having multiple enemies in a “family” like the Vali/Hanuman line. It certainly would have been less repetitive than skewering a Gremlin over and over. I also wish movement outside of attacking was faster.
The Bad: some encounters are incredibly annoying, especially large monsters before the last few days and Archangeli, which just suck to fight. I also strongly dislike the Stagger indicator, which doesn’t tell you anything and would have been better served being the gauge from XIII/XIII-2.
The Character Progression
The Good: having so many ways to customize Lightning is really cool. Between earning your stats from the different quest types, to choosing between specializing or generalizing your abilities, to the various ways garbs, accessories, weapons, and shields interact, to the upgrade systems for abilities and gear, it really feels like you can tailor Lightning to your playstyle. It’s cool that NG+ can be used to continue pushing your stats up to and even beyond their limits. I also loved the dress up aspect for the most part.
The Neutral: it’s unfortunate that equipment upgrading is NG+ only. It’s a system that would have been nice to have access to earlier, at least so you could start gathering the material. Upgrading abilities also takes a fair amount of resources to do, and the lack of input on auto-abilities for them is a bummer.
The Bad: the interface for ability upgrading is just bad, and makes an already tedious process even more so. There’s also a pretty large disparity in the usefulness of some garbs, and I have to say it: while the changes to appearance are cool, some of these costumes are ridiculous and wildly out of character for Lightning to even consider wearing.
The Content
The Good: I like that there are categories of quests. Some of them are passively ready to be completed as you kill enemies, some require much more interaction and may reveal some cool lore, and of course the main quests that can be picked up and dropped at any time are a solid feature for a game like this. I also like that some side quests are integrated into the story, not always necessarily needed to complete the game but certainly helpful. There’s also no minigames or puzzles, which is a huge win after XIII-2.
The Neutral: the quest board rewards feel a bit underwhelming, especially for the ones that functionally require the extinction of a species, and the stat drops in NG+ are a bit drastic.
The Bad: turning in quests at the board is a slog, another victim of the poor menuing in this game. Some quests feel half-baked, and cool concepts brought up (like robots having souls) aren’t elaborated on.
Conclusion
Overall, I absolutely adored this game. It’s got a lot of rough patches, but the good parts more than make up for them. This has rapidly become one of my favorite games in the series and one of my favorites overall. I give it a 9.5/10, second only to the original XIII in this review series.
Thanks for reading if you got through all that. There was a lot to talk about this time. I’m planning to wrap up some NG+ runs and then dive into Type-0 for the first time, though I may detour and try to finish Tactics A2 again. We’ll see, I suppose. Until next time!

After about 60 hours, I have finally put the XIII Trilogy to rest with Lightning Returns. I went into this game with only vague high school memories of a bad story, a boring world, and a mediocre combat system, so my expectations were low. But damn, was I entirely wrong. Let’s get into it!
The Story
The Good: I really enjoyed the main narrative here, Lightning’s journey to save her sister and, begrudgingly, as many people as she can slowly turning into a journey to save her own soul is great, and I felt it satisfyingly wrapped up the overarching narrative of the trilogy. I also enjoyed how the side quests expanded on the concepts and themes of the plot and helped undermine some of the facts stated at the start (like Lightning not being able to save the dead or only humans having souls).
The Neutral: I wish that the ending had been a bit more explicit in the fates of the party, because it was dissatisfying not knowing if Serah and Snow ended up together finally and if everyone stayed in touch. I also think the scenes before the final dungeon could have been fleshed out more, especially when Noel returns.
The Bad: they gave Noel Brynhildr and let him take Sazh’s place in the finale. I was very satisfied with Sazh’s story in the main game, but damn was he done dirty in the end. He should have been there while Noel searched for Serah’s soul. The dialogue writing was also quite messy, lots of repetition and “reveals” of things we’d already known for ages.
The Characters
The Good: I loved all of the original main party members in this game. Seeing them all reduced to their absolute worst, desperately needing someone to come and snap them out, was awesome, and I loved seeing them all come to their senses. I also really liked the role Lumina played, intentionally antagonizing each main character after Lightning beats some sense into them to light a fire in them and make them, in a way, save their own souls.
The Neutral: While it was awesome to have Fang as a party member, I wish she’d stayed with you even after the main quest, and that Noel, Snow, and Sazh had been party members after their quest lines as well.
The Bad: there’s not much else beyond Sazh’s sidelining in the finale.
The Music
The Good: the new compositions are generally very good, with the area and most of the battle themes in particular standing out.
The Neutral: I wish they’d used less music from previous entries, it made the soundtrack as a whole feel less fresh as I played through it.
The Bad: there are a few battle themes that are quite repetitive and mediocre, and the game runs into a common open world issue where there’s not enough variety, internal or external, to area themes to sustain large amount of playtime in a given area. Loading screens also cut off the soundtrack, even in continuous zones like the Ultimate Lair, which really ruins the vibe.
The World
The Good: exploring Luxerion, Yusnaan, and the Wildlands was a lot of fun, lots of books and crannies to find treasures and NPCs with quests or interesting dialogue. Having Odin/Angel in the Wildlands helped that zone feel more manageable as well.
The Neutral: The Dead Dunes were a bit too big to not have any real alternate mode of transport. The teleportation statues are a nice feature, but we definitely could have used something like Odin here. I also found Yusnaan confusing to navigate at times, though it got better as I went on.
The Bad: The Ultimate Lair and final dungeon were a bit of a letdown, very simple in their design and mostly just enemy gauntlets. I also found the Temple Ruins in the Dead Dunes tedious to navigate.
The Combat
The Good: Combat in this game feels amazing. Switching schema is a ton of fun and very fluid, and figuring out the optimal ways to stagger enemies is great. I like that the game encourages unique and personalized builds to tackle most challenges as well, and the multitude of healing options at your disposal keep things from feeling too bleak. I also like that you can permanently eliminate monster species with enough effort, it really makes the combat feel meaningful.
The Neutral: enemy variety could definitely have been better, even just having multiple enemies in a “family” like the Vali/Hanuman line. It certainly would have been less repetitive than skewering a Gremlin over and over. I also wish movement outside of attacking was faster.
The Bad: some encounters are incredibly annoying, especially large monsters before the last few days and Archangeli, which just suck to fight. I also strongly dislike the Stagger indicator, which doesn’t tell you anything and would have been better served being the gauge from XIII/XIII-2.
The Character Progression
The Good: having so many ways to customize Lightning is really cool. Between earning your stats from the different quest types, to choosing between specializing or generalizing your abilities, to the various ways garbs, accessories, weapons, and shields interact, to the upgrade systems for abilities and gear, it really feels like you can tailor Lightning to your playstyle. It’s cool that NG+ can be used to continue pushing your stats up to and even beyond their limits. I also loved the dress up aspect for the most part.
The Neutral: it’s unfortunate that equipment upgrading is NG+ only. It’s a system that would have been nice to have access to earlier, at least so you could start gathering the material. Upgrading abilities also takes a fair amount of resources to do, and the lack of input on auto-abilities for them is a bummer.
The Bad: the interface for ability upgrading is just bad, and makes an already tedious process even more so. There’s also a pretty large disparity in the usefulness of some garbs, and I have to say it: while the changes to appearance are cool, some of these costumes are ridiculous and wildly out of character for Lightning to even consider wearing.
The Content
The Good: I like that there are categories of quests. Some of them are passively ready to be completed as you kill enemies, some require much more interaction and may reveal some cool lore, and of course the main quests that can be picked up and dropped at any time are a solid feature for a game like this. I also like that some side quests are integrated into the story, not always necessarily needed to complete the game but certainly helpful. There’s also no minigames or puzzles, which is a huge win after XIII-2.
The Neutral: the quest board rewards feel a bit underwhelming, especially for the ones that functionally require the extinction of a species, and the stat drops in NG+ are a bit drastic.
The Bad: turning in quests at the board is a slog, another victim of the poor menuing in this game. Some quests feel half-baked, and cool concepts brought up (like robots having souls) aren’t elaborated on.
Conclusion
Overall, I absolutely adored this game. It’s got a lot of rough patches, but the good parts more than make up for them. This has rapidly become one of my favorite games in the series and one of my favorites overall. I give it a 9.5/10, second only to the original XIII in this review series.
Thanks for reading if you got through all that. There was a lot to talk about this time. I’m planning to wrap up some NG+ runs and then dive into Type-0 for the first time, though I may detour and try to finish Tactics A2 again. We’ll see, I suppose. Until next time!

After about 60 hours, I have finally put the XIII Trilogy to rest with Lightning Returns. I went into this game with only vague high school memories of a bad story, a boring world, and a mediocre combat system, so my expectations were low. But damn, was I entirely wrong. Let’s get into it!
The Story
The Good: I really enjoyed the main narrative here, Lightning’s journey to save her sister and, begrudgingly, as many people as she can slowly turning into a journey to save her own soul is great, and I felt it satisfyingly wrapped up the overarching narrative of the trilogy. I also enjoyed how the side quests expanded on the concepts and themes of the plot and helped undermine some of the facts stated at the start (like Lightning not being able to save the dead or only humans having souls).
The Neutral: I wish that the ending had been a bit more explicit in the fates of the party, because it was dissatisfying not knowing if Serah and Snow ended up together finally and if everyone stayed in touch. I also think the scenes before the final dungeon could have been fleshed out more, especially when Noel returns.
The Bad: they gave Noel Brynhildr and let him take Sazh’s place in the finale. I was very satisfied with Sazh’s story in the main game, but damn was he done dirty in the end. He should have been there while Noel searched for Serah’s soul. The dialogue writing was also quite messy, lots of repetition and “reveals” of things we’d already known for ages.
The Characters
The Good: I loved all of the original main party members in this game. Seeing them all reduced to their absolute worst, desperately needing someone to come and snap them out, was awesome, and I loved seeing them all come to their senses. I also really liked the role Lumina played, intentionally antagonizing each main character after Lightning beats some sense into them to light a fire in them and make them, in a way, save their own souls.
The Neutral: While it was awesome to have Fang as a party member, I wish she’d stayed with you even after the main quest, and that Noel, Snow, and Sazh had been party members after their quest lines as well.
The Bad: there’s not much else beyond Sazh’s sidelining in the finale.
The Music
The Good: the new compositions are generally very good, with the area and most of the battle themes in particular standing out.
The Neutral: I wish they’d used less music from previous entries, it made the soundtrack as a whole feel less fresh as I played through it.
The Bad: there are a few battle themes that are quite repetitive and mediocre, and the game runs into a common open world issue where there’s not enough variety, internal or external, to area themes to sustain large amount of playtime in a given area. Loading screens also cut off the soundtrack, even in continuous zones like the Ultimate Lair, which really ruins the vibe.
The World
The Good: exploring Luxerion, Yusnaan, and the Wildlands was a lot of fun, lots of books and crannies to find treasures and NPCs with quests or interesting dialogue. Having Odin/Angel in the Wildlands helped that zone feel more manageable as well.
The Neutral: The Dead Dunes were a bit too big to not have any real alternate mode of transport. The teleportation statues are a nice feature, but we definitely could have used something like Odin here. I also found Yusnaan confusing to navigate at times, though it got better as I went on.
The Bad: The Ultimate Lair and final dungeon were a bit of a letdown, very simple in their design and mostly just enemy gauntlets. I also found the Temple Ruins in the Dead Dunes tedious to navigate.
The Combat
The Good: Combat in this game feels amazing. Switching schema is a ton of fun and very fluid, and figuring out the optimal ways to stagger enemies is great. I like that the game encourages unique and personalized builds to tackle most challenges as well, and the multitude of healing options at your disposal keep things from feeling too bleak. I also like that you can permanently eliminate monster species with enough effort, it really makes the combat feel meaningful.
The Neutral: enemy variety could definitely have been better, even just having multiple enemies in a “family” like the Vali/Hanuman line. It certainly would have been less repetitive than skewering a Gremlin over and over. I also wish movement outside of attacking was faster.
The Bad: some encounters are incredibly annoying, especially large monsters before the last few days and Archangeli, which just suck to fight. I also strongly dislike the Stagger indicator, which doesn’t tell you anything and would have been better served being the gauge from XIII/XIII-2.
The Character Progression
The Good: having so many ways to customize Lightning is really cool. Between earning your stats from the different quest types, to choosing between specializing or generalizing your abilities, to the various ways garbs, accessories, weapons, and shields interact, to the upgrade systems for abilities and gear, it really feels like you can tailor Lightning to your playstyle. It’s cool that NG+ can be used to continue pushing your stats up to and even beyond their limits. I also loved the dress up aspect for the most part.
The Neutral: it’s unfortunate that equipment upgrading is NG+ only. It’s a system that would have been nice to have access to earlier, at least so you could start gathering the material. Upgrading abilities also takes a fair amount of resources to do, and the lack of input on auto-abilities for them is a bummer.
The Bad: the interface for ability upgrading is just bad, and makes an already tedious process even more so. There’s also a pretty large disparity in the usefulness of some garbs, and I have to say it: while the changes to appearance are cool, some of these costumes are ridiculous and wildly out of character for Lightning to even consider wearing.
The Content
The Good: I like that there are categories of quests. Some of them are passively ready to be completed as you kill enemies, some require much more interaction and may reveal some cool lore, and of course the main quests that can be picked up and dropped at any time are a solid feature for a game like this. I also like that some side quests are integrated into the story, not always necessarily needed to complete the game but certainly helpful. There’s also no minigames or puzzles, which is a huge win after XIII-2.
The Neutral: the quest board rewards feel a bit underwhelming, especially for the ones that functionally require the extinction of a species, and the stat drops in NG+ are a bit drastic.
The Bad: turning in quests at the board is a slog, another victim of the poor menuing in this game. Some quests feel half-baked, and cool concepts brought up (like robots having souls) aren’t elaborated on.
Conclusion
Overall, I absolutely adored this game. It’s got a lot of rough patches, but the good parts more than make up for them. This has rapidly become one of my favorite games in the series and one of my favorites overall. I give it a 9.5/10, second only to the original XIII in this review series.
Thanks for reading if you got through all that. There was a lot to talk about this time. I’m planning to wrap up some NG+ runs and then dive into Type-0 for the first time, though I may detour and try to finish Tactics A2 again. We’ll see, I suppose. Until next time!

I love weird people. All my long time friends are weird - or maybe silly is the better word. Quirky? Idk. Before adulting I would get to know people in an intense way and find who was weird and worthy of me being my weirdest self with…but in adulthood I feel like I’m wasting time in the getting to know you phase with other adults that don’t turn out to be fun weirdos like me. Should I start a local weirdo club and just make sure the brand of weird I’m looking for is laid out very specifically? Lol help!

So, in good faith I write a letter and send in a post-dated check to communicate I have every intention to pay on my bill. The post date on my check was ignored and the check hit my bank 3 days later causing an OD balance. I called my bank to stop the payment. I then called the company and told them what had happened and they informed me that they do not hold checks for payment. I then asked what happened to my letter? The agent told me he did not know. So, here I am being responsible and communicating about my account and no one was informed about the letter I wrote. I told them I wanted to file a complaint. They transferred me from one person to the next and I had to tell what happened to each new person I spoke with. Finally, a manager told me he would process my complaint and would take it from there. A few days later after filing a complaint, that same check hit my bank again for processing and had to stop the payment once again on the check. This happened a total of 3 times. I mailed the letter with the check 9/12/22. The check was post-dated for 9/23/22. That same check hit my bank 9/15, 9/19 and 9/20. Two of the times were after I filed the complaint. I realized after several months I no longer received a bill or got any phone calls from the company. I thought maybe they had decided to write off the account. A year later, this past December 2023, I get a call from a collection agency about collecting on this account. Not only that, but I checked my credit report and they posted this account for collections on my credit. I was furious. I informed them about what had happened and they said that was not their concern. He kept asking to put me on a payment plan and I told him it was Christmas in a few days I do not have it and I assumed they wrote this account off. A few months went by and now I get a letter from an Attorney group asking for a dispute. I replied with my dispute and got a call from one of their attorneys 2 days later. He was rude, kept twisting my words around and claimed I had a contract and the complete balance needs to be fulfilled. I asked if he had read my dispute and he said yes, but from our discussion I knew he hadn’t read it. He started telling me I’ll have to pay court costs etc. on top of the balance of $5,441.00. I told him I could not pay that full amount but I would be willing to pay $2,500.00. He said no negotiating. The full balance needs to be paid or we’re taking you to court. Out of frustration, I told him go ahead do what you need to do 😬 Any advice, thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you 🙏

That’s the least amount of times I know I have been physically cheated on in my decade long relationship. For him, I was a rebound from a tumultuous marriage and contentious separation. For me, he was someone older, mature and more fun than the few guys I had met from dating apps in times past.
Things moved quick. Too quick. Within a year I was pregnant and moving in. He had a lot of baggage. A LOT of baggage. Young kids of his own, an ex-wife sent straight from the depths of hell, a large family and ailing parents who were high needs and always around at every minute.
The cheating started around the 3 year mark. It was easy enough for me to confront, be gaslit, then forgive, ignore and move on. Just a dating app notification on his phone. No big deal, right? Then it was empty condom wrappers in his laundry, empty viagra boxes in his luggage upon returning home from a “guys trip”. Somewhere in between all that was the discovery of hidden social media profiles, lipsticks in the car that weren’t mine, a few instances of staying out all night, and MANY MANY nights of staying out til 3,4,5 in the morning while I stayed home. I looked after the children (his and ours), cooked the meals, did the laundry, helped the extended family, gave in to sex multiple times per week, anything I could think of to try to gain his love and respect and feel that I could continue to “earn” my place in this house. I was 100% loyal in every sense of the word from day one. All the while, he was out with his flavor of the week, out for fancy dinners and long walks on the beach. Somehow I had become the live in maid who deserved no respect or emotional attention.
A few times over the years I confronted him with my suspicions. Each time I was met with adamant denial, gaslighting and changing of subjects. After a while I stopped bothering to ask or mention when I had seen yet another red flag. Stopped asking him what time he’d be home because the answer was always the same. Stopped looking his way when he was on the phone for fear of what I might accidentally see.
I lived in constant agony, to the point of becoming physically ill. Yet I kept working harder at being the “perfect partner”, hoping it would be a magic wand to fix all these problems. The past couple years it’s become unbearable. I felt like I’d explode, but kept shoving down the feelings of suspicion, anger; resentment, which tore me down to shreds inside.
The final straw has now broken the camels back. No longer does he even try to hide the cheating. Now it’s on obvious display, as blatant as could be.
So here I am, beat down to a pulp, unsure of who I am, with no identify or purpose of my own besides to serve him and his needs and look the other way to his repeated infidelity.
For the first time in my entire life, I’m packing up, finding my own place and facing the world as a single parent.
I’m not sure what the point of this post is. I know many other people would have likely left years ago. I anticipate that everyone here will validate my need to leave. Yet still I feel a pang of sadness, guilt and a fear of impending loneliness and doom. Likely because I am such a lost and broken human being because of all I’ve been through. And when I type it out and read it to myself, I wonder how in the hell I hung on this long.

Ubisoft has made a lot of Assassin's Creed games. Some hits, some misses. Every game should have taught them something, and considering Shadows is the game AC fans have wanted since the franchise started, this is their chance to prove they've learned from the past games. To give us the Feudal Japan game we've always wanted.
Keep in mind, these aren't necessarily MY opinions. Just the overall takeaway "lessons" they should have gotten throughout the series based on community feedback.
-.-.-.-.-
AC - Main character needs more personality, less stiff combat.
2 - players like customization and a relatable protagonist.
Brotherhood - using allies and abilities is really satisfying.
Revelations - nobody likes Janissaries, or other unavoidable walls of standard enemies. Customized weaponry is only good if it serves a purpose (bombs).
III - players like natural settings (trees, bushes, etc), but if it's too sparse it seems underwhelming.
Black Flag - people want to be an assassin in a game called Assassin's Creed. Not a loud angry mercenary. Also, more variety to stealth tools is needed. Vibrant settings are awesome!
Freedom Cry - the spinoff they never acknowledge. I know a lot of people wish you could change outfits to blend in certain areas, but it always seems to only be a scripted thing for missions.
Rogue - the main character doesn't have to be a good guy to be insanely likeable.
Unity - no one wants co-op, and it really overshadowed the game. Stealth tool options to fit most of your needs keep people happy!
Syndicate - even outstanding gameplay and settings can be bogged down by "meh" storytelling. With the DLC, sometimes being a proper villain is just plain fun.
Origins - people like mythology, magic, and storytelling. Expansive tools for stealth and combat are great to allow people to play how they want.
Odyssey - there is such a thing as making a game too long, with too much to do. If players don't finish the game because of the length, that isn't ideal. Too many RPG elements can be a bad thing as well, detracting from the mechanics, world, and storytelling.
Valhalla - being a berserker is fun sometimes. But not 90% of a game called Assassin's Creed. Making stealth finicky and inconsistent can ruin the game. Character customization is AMAZING.
Mirage - people love going back to the roots of stealth and planning instead of front line melee combat. But, if you focus too much on the mechanics, the world and story can suffer.
-.-.-.-.-
What I'm saying is they don't have much of an excuse to mess this up. It's the game everyone has wanted from the start; they're finally doing it. But unless they learn from the lessons, good and bad, from previous games, even the incredible setting won't save it. To me personally, if they can't deliver, the series will kind of be dead to me. 😔

The whole scene is nothing but characters acting stupid for the sake of plot and nonsensically out of character. The whole problem with the scene stems entirely from 4 points: 1) Adam shouldn't be there. 2) charlie being ill prepared. 3) Sera being stupid. 4) exterminations being a secret.
1) Adam shouldn't be there: Everyone knows Adam is an idiot and a loud mouth, that's his main character traits, so why would Sera, the immortal angel who has been in an important position of power in heaven for millennia, ever think it's a good idea to trust him with anything that requires the most minimal amount of intelligence and subtlety? She shouldn't do that because Sera isn't supposed to be braindead, braindead people don't stay in positions of power for long, if Sera was half as smart as her position requires her to be she wouldn't have put Adam on the trial because he would obviously fuck up, i know he was going to fuck it up, you knew he was going to fuck it up, how did Sera not?
That blunder was so unbelievably stupid i feel it deserves it's own section.
2) "Charlie being ill prepared*: Charlie already begins the trial wrong by bringing in a bunch of definitions, which not only doesn't prove that souls can be redeemed, but is also offensive to the people she is pitching the hotel to because it's a tad belittling. Also not only are those papers with definitions and drawings her opening statement, that's all that she has, which is weird because she was more prepared when she met Adam, in fact she was doing well with Adam, she was explaining what the hotel, what it does, and why they should accept it and even appealing to his clear laziness, the only reason she failed was because Adam doesn't do the exterminations just because they are his job, he does for fun too. If Charlie actually put in the same amout of work and competency she would have brought with her and showed Serpentious to give his own statements about the hotel and his stay there, he made remarkable progress despite being in the hotel for 5 months at best. But instead Charlie is ill prepared and she ends up relying entirely on luck, imagine how much more different the trial would have happened if Angel Dust had been just sleeping, or in the salon cutting his hair, or wanking, or doing literally ANYTHING else.
3) Sera being stupid: Literally every mistake Sera could make, she did.
3.1) she is against the hotel: from the get go Sera is needlessly against the idea of the hotel and sees it as a danger for quite literally no reason, if anything the hotel is a good thing to heaven because the main reason hell is a threat is due to their numbers, the hotel redeeming sinners evens that plain field.
3.2) she interrupts Charlie's opening statement: as i explained before, the definitions were lame and a bad first impression to the council, since Sera doesn't want the hotel she shouldn't have sustained the objection, that would have made her pass for a nice person giving Charlie a fair shot while following the basic principle of "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.".
3.3) "why isn't he here then?": When that question was asked relating to Angel the answer was obvious, in the words of a much more competent character with divine stuff around him "one good action doesn't erase all the bad, and one bad action doesn't erase all the good", i through of this answer as i was watching the scene, how did Sara, the immortal angel who rules a section of heaven didn't?
3.4) "You didn't know": throughout the whole song Sera does literally NOTHING, she just runs like a headless chicken while going "you don't know" a thousand times over, but if she actually had the competency necessary for holding the position she holds she would have put her cock on the table and said "No! We don't know exactly what gets someone into heaven, that's for god/the sector that makes that judgement to know, what we do know is that it's our position to ensure that your people, the murderers and rapists won't come up here to murder and rape. You, Charlie, have shown yourself to be a petuland and emotional child so this trial is over!".
4) Extermination being a secret: Extermination is a very simple thing, in order to ensure that hell can't grow strong enough to invade heaven and rape everything in sight Adam and his gang of goons go there to kill some sinners, it's a secret in two fronts: to sinners it's said that the exterminatons happen due to over population. To heaven it's kept hidden. Both of these are stupid.
4.1) telling hell the exterminatons are due to over population: if you want to ensure hell won't rise up then telling them "look here, bitch, look at how easily i can clip out your strength with a small platoon, try anything and you are ALL dead" would be a good use of fear factor.
4.2) Not telling heaven the exterminatons happen: what do you gain by keeping the exterminaton a secret? Nothing! You just give whoever reveals it first control over the narrative, it's super easy to paint the exterminators as true heroes who every year venture to the land of the depraved to ensure those of good will and morals in heaven stay safe, so why go through all the trouble of keeping it a secret?
Literally every single action taken in this scene is stupidity after stupidity that doesn't makes sense for the characters, Adam and Lute are cocky dumbasses, it makes sense for them to make the mistakes they did, the mistakes from Charlie and Sera don't make sense.
tl dr: the Trial Scene is a complete failure from a writing stand point, nothing makes sense, characters act stupidly out of character.

To start, me and this girl (let’s call her Ava) have been friends since 7th grade (we both just graduated high school) but since December, we have not been hanging out.
CONTEXT: my mom made me stop spending the night with her because her dad is REALLY abusive. Ava would always call me crying because of her dad hurting her, or her family. I would constantly try convincing her to report him to the police, or (sadly) try to film him secretly and take pictures of any harm he does to her. I’ve told my mom this and she began to become a little bit uncomfortable letting me spend the night with her dad there. One unfortunate night, her mom came home crying because of him fighting her in the car. I was there to witness the aftermath and I was 2 seconds away from calling the police before her mom stopped me. She sat down and cried with me as I comforted her and she begged me not to call the police. She told me they both had been drinking and she didn’t want to be in trouble for that, and I sadly agreed to not dial 911 for her sake. I promised myself that next time anything happens in MY presence I need to call the police. Ava’s told me before that she and her family are scared to file a report on her dad because he’s broken a restraining order before and is a VERY dangerous man who will do anything to not go to prison AGAIN. This was my mom’s final straw and she told me that I will not be spending the night at her house again.
She made sure, however, that I knew we could still hang out, just ZERO sleepovers at her house. It took me a week to tell Ava because I felt really bad. I didn’t want her being more upset or embarrassed because of her dad’s actions. The day I told her she gave me a completely different reaction. She was really mad, and she started blaming me for crazy things. I won’t even go into context of what they were because it’s just so irrelevant. She calmed down though and apologized for her mistakes and told me that we can still hang out and be friends (I think we only hung out ONCE after this happened).
Weeks go by and the only contact we’ve had was over social media (sending tiktoks or posts to each other), and occasionally on text. I was fine with this because I ultimately realized I should keep some distance between her and I and give her some space. She would constantly boast about her “work crush” and how all the customers at her work are in love with her and ask her for her number all the time. This felt kinda weird to me because she seemed to REALLY be trying to make me feel bad?? or jealous?? i just felt weird vibes about it. Around this time she would also drive by my house..a lot. My entire family have all seen her drive by more than once. I once saw her slowly drive by, staring into my house. Then, one random night at 10pm, I hear a LOUD thump on my window. (My rooms is a little bit underground but I have LARGE windows that half way look out onto the front yard and street.) I heard a car loudly drive off shortly after that. I get up and see my mom in the living room and say “I think Samantha just hit my window?!” My brother heard me and ran outside to go check and he runs back in saying “No, she egged the house.” My mom instantly ran outside and called Ava’s mom. She asked if she was home, and when she answer was no, she started going OFF on Ava’s mom. They exchanged some nasty words (my mom does NOT play around she gets so scary 😭😭) and my mom called the cops to file a report. (She was already SO fed up with Ava driving by constantly to glare at us.) The police basically tell us there’s not much they can do because it was just an egging and unless it was more serious, they would start building a case. Not even 5 minutes later I called my other friend crying because I was so upset and needed to vent. She calmed me down and hung up. Not even 6 minutes after that phone call she texts me saying “She just egged my house.” I was so mad. Ava HATED this friend for NO reason. Ava and i have argued about this before because she would be so mean to me and act SO jealous anytime I spent time with my other friend. Ava egging this girls house just PROVED that it was her.
It’s been a few weeks since that..and I blocked Ava on everything. She never tried reaching out, and that was that. However, today, as I’m sitting in my room, my window open, I hear “F***K YOUUU” and a loud car drive by. This time, we set up a camera outside just in case she came back. Now I have footage. Here’s the thing: she’s in an unfamiliar vehicle. I know exactly what her family drives and none of them own that. However, the night of the egging, we counted 6 eggs. This meant that she had her NEW friend with her. I know this because when I heard the thump, it was one BIG loud sound. It didn’t sound like she threw multiple eggs at different times, it was all at once. I also believe she brought her little sister because there was 1 whole eggs in the grass at both mine and my other friends house. (her parents don’t let Ava go ANYWHERE with out her sister. and i mean ANYWHERE. she is very spoiled) When you think about a little 6 year old girl throwing an egg from a distance, it’s more than likely that they miss.
Anyways, we have video evidence of her driving by even thought you can’t REALLY see her, and we have photo proof of the egging (which was a pain to clean btw 😭). The whole point of this post is mostly to rant, but if anyone has any input to this I would appreciate that. I’m not really sure what to do at this point. She’s obviously trying to intimidate her because I made her upset.
I’ll update if anything happens.

I'm 18FTM (also has a little to do with this) and she's 35F
School has always been really hard for me, and I've really been trying, but I haven't been getting far in anything at all. Sometimes it seems that she gets that I'm having a harder time than others and other times she keeps getting pissed at it. I also haven't been able to log onto Power school, the website my school uses to look at our grades. I tried to get it figured out in school, but we couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, and I told her, but anytime I mention it she calls me a liar
This morning, she had work, so I had to walk home and feed the dog, and I've never really complained about either, as long as she tells me beforehand if she knows I'll have to walk. It's almost an hour long walk, and since it's pretty much summer weather now, I got hot as hell, I've always been more sensitive to heat since I was a kid, and I could feel myself about to faint towards the end of it. Call it an excuse, but as I went to my room to try to cool down, I completely forgot about feeding our dog. I should have fed her when I cooled off at least, but I never realized that I hadn't fed her
My mom came home and asked if I fed her, I pretty much always remember to, but she asks anyways. I realized I didn't, apologized, and went to feed her and give her some treats as an apology to her too. I didn't tell my mom why I forgot to, since as I've heard many parents do, whenever I try to explain why, she calls it an excuse. She does know how sensitive I am to heat and the weather though, obviously
Then, about an hour later, me and my mom were just talking about the day, and she asked if I thought I would graduate. She got pissed whenever I said yes before, she got pissed whenever I said no, and I wasn't sure if I would, so I said I wasn't sure, that I was trying, but I don't know my grades. She immediately got pissed and started yelling at me, calling me lazy, accusing me of lying about not knowing and forgetting to feed her. She also usually genders me right, but as soon as she gets pissed, she misgenders me, plus today she accused me being trans, picking at my skin (which I do whenever I'm upset, I don't even usually realize) and crying (because of course i started crying) all things that I just do for attention or to "be cute"
Once she was done yelling at me, she took my phone (which she has zero ownership of: she never bought this phone, she never pays for data (I just go without) and she doesn't pay for the Internet, my stepdad does, and he doesn't care about the internet bill) and left, calling my stepdad and ranting to him about pretty much what she said to me
She went outside for a bit, then when she came back she gave me back my phone. She talked more calmly with me about having to figure out my grades and remembering to feed our dog, then she left me alone
It's just confusing and I don't know if I'm the AH or not. I did forget to feed her still, and I should know my grades, but she keeps switching between anger and calm so quick and often and insulting things that have nothing to do with our problems that I feel like I might not be
Sorry if any words are weird or missing, I'm on phone and use swipe type and sometimes it doesn't like me

The players have been made aware of this, and have agreed. This is not meant to be a discussion of railroading.
Each player, some in groups, have had, or will have a private session leading up to the official start. They all start in the same place, against their will. Each character has something unique about them, or valuable, that would be appealing to slave traders. A very popular line of work in this part of the world. With undead being pretty much eradicated, cheap labor had to come from elsewhere. The party are more special than cheap labor.
A orc who wanted to escape the violence of his people and live peacefully. The reputation of his kin follows him everywhere.
An elvish princess, a rare thing in a world where there's around 500 elves left.
A bounty hunter, apart of a very well known clan, who possesses many trade secrets and tools. Many want their revenge.
A pair of twins who stumbled upon artifacts they shouldn't have. Otherworldly powers, and an unfair debt owed.
This corner of the world attracts many tourists for the same reason LA or Vegas does. There is endless opportunity for those willing to work for it, or a life of luxury for those who can afford it. Streets are filled with gambling, and exotics imports from all over the world. Gladiator style areas however is what brings in the most. Warriors from all over to come to show off their strength, willingly or not. For slave traders, this is where the money is. A fighter who can put on a show is a very valuable thing, and why 3/5 of the characters start off as prisoners.
The orc, elf, and bounty hunter are from across the region. Kidnapped for purposes that will be revealed later to them, backstory elements coming into play that made them desirable and worth the risk. The twins are apart of the gang who takes them, but they are not involved with this part. They simple are muscle, and smuggle drugs around for the gang. Session 1 is the first time the twins meet the other side of the business, and it's not for a promotion.
The session starts with the twins arriving to the hideout. Located at an old mining operation in the middle of the desert, it has been fortified and turned into something more. The old gates reinforced to create an area, and the entrance into the mines a jail. Deeper inside has been turned into a temple of Anubis, the prominate god of the area, but not all is what it seems. The twins are brought here to witness a fight. An elf druid, one traveling with the elf princess at the time of her capture is in the area trying to talk an owlbear out of eating with with little success. He wild shapes into a small bird in an attempt to escape, only to be shot out of the sky immediately by a guard with a long rifle. His death is quick, and gruesome as the owlbear does its thing to the prone man.
Afterwards, the twins are escorted inside. Past the jail, into the deeper chambers where they meet their boss. A Dwarvish women who immediately comes across as disliking them. She wants to test the twins loyalty, and this is when the characters are all brought together. The other 3 characters are brought into the room. One by one they are shot by the boss, and brought back by a cleric of Anubis, leaving only the twins left standing. This is just a showing of how she's willing to get her hands dirty, cause the twins want something that belongs to her.
The twins last big job was a heist. They needed to retrieve a silver jewelry box, and they had one rule. Under no circumstances is that box opened. Well, it was, but not willingly. The jewelry box contained a scale of a mercury dragon - dragons are rare, god-like beings here, and a scale like this is akin to an artifact rarity magic item. This Mercury dragon just happens to be the patron of the brother now, as the scale absorbed into him, through no choice or fault of his own. The boss wanted this power to herself, and upon retrieving the box, it didn't appear to be opened. Imagine her disappointment when she found it was empty. The brother was the only one alone with the box.
The sister is presented a deal. Kill her brother, right here, right now. Prove her loyalty without question or they both die. This is the first major decision the players are able to make now. If she pulls the trigger, or not. The boss isn't stupid. The gun handed to the sister isn't loaded. It's simply a test. If both siblings are to be shot, or just the one. The ending is largely the same.
Bleeding out on the ground, the sister, and newly revived party members witness the corpse of the brother forcibly raised from the dead to answer questions. The location of the item in the box. If his sister knew he stole it. Is he still loyal. - my ruling of Speak with Dead is they don't have to answer, but if they do, the answer must not be a lie. He will be brought back, but his answers will determine later interactions. Now, the sister. Every player in the game will have moments in the spotlight. I decided to start with her, as it made most sense, and given the twins background, they will be key members to the party next chapter. She still has the empty gun. If she knows its empty or not will change a few small details. She too is a warlock, and this is the signing of her pact with the Hexblade.
Her interpretation of this place is her own to make. She awakes in a void, and although she is still herself here, she is consumed by nothingness. No pain, no sound, no feeling at all. Not even a heartbeat. Here she meets an entity. A "shadow" that mimics her every movement. It even shifts slightly, becoming a silhouette of herself. When she touches it, it is an overwhelming sense of feeling. Fireworks going off at the tip of her fingertips. The warmth of her blood becoming as hot as the sun, but somehow feels comforting compared to the nothingness shes felt for all this time. Outside seconds have past. Here, it could have been years, or seconds. Impossible to tell. But with this touch she hears a voice reach out to her. "Squeeze". She's back in the room, vision blurry as her life fades. Gun raised, aimed at her boss, who doesn't fear an empty gun. Only, it's no longer empty. This is her new pact weapon. It functions as a gun, but she can choose to shoot normal bullets or eldritch blast from it.
Their escape comes soon after. The hideout is attacked by a Sand Stalker - a purple-worm like creature. Other captives save them, and the campaigns first chapter begins here. They are in the middle of the desert, very limited supplies, uncertain where exactly they are. Few npc trying to get to the capital city to find help. The twins, bounty hunter, and other npc know that everyone who bares the mark of the clan will have bounties out on them, to be returned to their owners. The world in now open to them, as they learn how to free themselves of this debt one way or another.
The slave contract is as good as a deal with a devil. Legally binding, and magical in nature. Each master / house has its own distinct mark to show ownership. Once the debt is paid off, the mark will fade on its own. Their starting debt is 10k gp each. It is meant to be ridiculous. The bounty on a slave is always 10% of their total debt. So, 1k gp to return them if they job is put out, and it will be. If captured the reward money is added to the debt they owe, making it 11k gp now. The system is designed to be nearly impossible to be free.
In the main city there are several patrons willing to help them for one reason or another. Old contacts of the twins and bounty hunter in the party are expected to be called upon. There's multiple escapes from the city I have ready, and I am looking forward to what they come up with. I don't expect them to ever pay off their debt. The main story will later being them back here, when they're ready to take on the challenges of the city in full, and save the world. Standard stuff.
This is a new attempt at an intro. Throwing them into the fire with a clear goal. A long "cinematic" before giving them full control. They all know the stakes, and are in a position of "our chances are better together" apposed from the classic meeting in the tavern and dealing with rats.
Every character has elements from their backstory that matter here, and will drastically effect the campaign going forward. They had all known the basics of the intro, and details where they started prior to making characters. Changes were made to my plans based on their characters, incorporating them into it one way or another. There were always slavers, and they were always going to die. The twins backstories are the only ones from this region and they provided me a lot to work with, and ability to tie them into the scenario.
The boss killing and betraying the twins is a detail I think is very important. The other characters may see them as enemies, so by doing it this way they have common enemies and no secrets about it. Only the sister is not in debt, giving her a few special privilege's while in the city. All the players know each other, have played in other games together, and know what's expected. I am trying to make the party's coming together seem natural by immediately giving them a common problem and no one else to turn to. [BG3 SPOILERS] as the mindflayer parasites provided the main cast common problems, and Out of the Abyss first chapter being major influences. There are many other politics involved also, some sub plots that will come up later that tie to this, and a lot of world lore involved giving insight to why this region functions like this.

Hey post friends,
Been a commercial/short doc (branded and indie) editor for a few years now and am making a comfortable living in those niches as a freelancer. Most of my clients are video production companies and independent directors, so I get called as needed, but nothing super consistent. Most of them have come from referrals and word of mouth.
I'm at a spot now where I'm really looking to grow my clientele with people on my 'hit list', producers, directors and agencies who contract out the work I really admire in my city, and who I genuinely think I could work super well with.
I'm wondering, what are some best practices to make a general meeting with someone you want to work with worthwhile for them? How would you reach out and ask for such a thing? Is that even something editors do?
Maybe I'm overthinking it because you only get one good first impression, but I'd love to hear any success stories on how you started your ongoing relationship with your fave directoproducer to work with.
Thanks friends

Prefacing this with sorry if there's weird formatting, I'm on mobile. And also that I often hold myself to illogical standards that I don't even believe in for others. I fully believe all people are people and deserve every ounce of love and respect and rights.
I think I kind of self imposed my own kind of religious trauma? When I was like 16 or 17 I realized I was Bi and was totally fine with it. Then I went off to college and started working the midnight shift at the campus convenience store with this other guy. Very big on God and we would talk in depth about the books he was reading on I think Calvin and stuff like that. I was still pretty new in practicing my faith in Christianity and really looked up to him because he was so knowledgeable.
He gave me his testimony on how he used to be gay but basically followed his faith in the Lord and got into a bunch of people online and prayed for God to turn him straight and he said it worked. That God put homosexuality into this world because of Man's sin. Even though I never believed in homosexuality really being a sin, I believed him. He had me watch Rosaria Butterfield's videos and basically I prayed a lot. Ah, to be young and naive again.
So for years, I believed I was straight, kept telling myself. Even to the point that when my now husband told me a few years ago that it's okay I'm also attracted to females, I quickly shut that down. I was so ashamed of myself.
But in the past year, year and a half, I don't know. It feels like I can't keep it shoved down far enough anymore. Probably what triggered it was seeing someone really attractive and it put me into a panic because I barely ever felt turned on by my husband at that point, so I was convinced that my Zoloft was turning me gay. Then whenever I went off my meds for more than a couple days, it was basically like HOCD. Not having the Zoloft at full effect, I could feel arousal again, but then without my Buspar, I honestly hit almost every mark for HOCD. Then a spiral of self hatred and telling myself I'm not attracted to women, it's just OCD and anxiety. Another thing that sent me into a spiral was seeing that the same college friend follows a bunch of muscle-y men and and LGBT gym on Instagram and it felt like he was lying to me all along.
But the past few months, the possible OCD hasn't been as bad in the sense that while I still obsess, I've just been able to tell myself that sure I'm attracted to women too, but I can't be bi because I have a specific type where I don't really have much of a type for men.
Then a friend showed me a picture of some pride stuffies that his wife was making for a craft fair and I messaged her that I wanted to buy a bi one. Idk what came over me that made me decide to ask her. But then I was worried all day and obsessing over if I'm bi or just OCD.
It's been a rough week. Looking back at my college friend's messages, idk why I believed him so much. I'm so much more confident in my faith that it feels silly that I even accepted the things he said for myself. I know that my God loves me.
But honestly I haven't even been able to tell myself that I'm bi. Part of me is like, why does it even matter, you're in a happy marriage to a good man and have an amazing 2 1/2 son. Obviously I don't want to act on anything, but it feels more like just a fact about me. But I don't really feel valid.
So idk but thoughts are welcome.