I…Without a source in void…Blank nothingness, no substance, material solidified, primordial concepts birthed from a dreaming consciousness left alone for immeasurable time… It was fear of the fragility to make existence…The first semblance of identity, already assumed the highest of dreamer, and miraculous freewill, a potential probability of "OM" unraveling. To vocally create after the amassed power to do so, could be a mistake of hellish surrealism, a failure of truth if it was to last eternity-should the beginning entities choose evil by choice, as made to believe, they're finite beings…inconceivable forever is a God… The perfection becomes the most vast elaboration conceivable, and, with a noise so loudly ultimate, the voice splices through the nothingness with a bang so violent, a literal universe awakens into momentary coalescence, attracting itself together into form at ultimate light speed, and yet slows down into a divisional amount of substances eventually labeled…linear, motion and time arrived…All of them asked if it was a perversion…no straight lines, folding on itself…ya, I smoke weed in my basement… The smartest said a vibratory process in an elastic inert medium, filling up universal space…a visible manifestation of a whole spectrum of electromagnetic waves, it's condensed hard, mixed within itself, from the inside out even made to expand…Gravitational warps, mass balls of weight create autobons, super highways ships can travel…sun's are harnessed, free energy exists, the utopian reality becomes actuality…some can only survive so long without destroying themselves before thousands of years fighting to survive…entire star systems or planets are capable to mobilize themselves into safety zones, remaining self sustaining and untouched by anything harmful for millions of years…in a bright future we'll never be "in"… "Swat!Smack!!!"...fly guts on my acrylic painting…cat urine soaked spotted drywall underneath the drop ceiling of a basement cellar attempt of a rental... space heater warmth resting on a concrete block of stone cold landlord profiteering, profit on an unbreathable musk heap. Mold permeates, damp dirt on a fresh spring rain, draining wetness into it... downloads of WiFi network binge watching the phone for t.v...Bi-law Officer's want to see me drooling on a pillow scratching my nut's in a torn up empty room, to drop an investigative neighbor's complaint of dwelling in decrepitude, that lowers the value of their home...at least my landlord isn't knocking with a human skin costume-because he's really a giant cockroach looking for "Orion's Belt", no, he's looking for regular handjobs from my ex's, and I know this from an eight minute recording of his request, obligingly sent to me from one of them...there are no bug's in the basement, just centipedes and daddy long legs, plus flies, attracted to the poop stained carpet above the bowing drywall, above me... there's no vent cover as the metal pops out through support beam's fitted with the heat tubes terribly hollow, this space is industrial...my particle board door has a dent two inches deep from a rock an ex took to it...it's about four inches thicker on the bottom, water has warped the wood to not close properly…I'm underground enough to survive like a roach in nukes,.though..Joe's apartment had company… People die of respiratory illness due to bedbugs or roach's...Overweight people run health stores, or give "qualified advice" for dietary athleticism…The most easiest of jobs make the most money, as nepotist's live as kings and queens upon the slavery of the less. The division is social and darwinian, brutality, and dominance…and it's a fluke for an individual to charm or be born into the luxurious…the unshared fullness may even morally be the great undoing… It is fear to lose such comfort or control. The very thought of equal entity implies shared power, and that is power to destroy. Why trust the loving power of another??? An epic story of hypocrisy and chosen specials… Dialectical psychosis to believe the purity is real. In cloud's to finally catch up to the surface of this original "bang", the noise gets louder…and I pop through the thought subjugated…big inhale… The entrance door, swelling out from the makeshift framing, jarring a gap that no seal's could fix. It's letting in breezes uncomfortable and chilling, and to get to that entrance, is a steep wooden step set that looks rather haunting... I was frightened I might have ended up in a freezer bag when I viewed the place before renting...took it because it was cheap, and I'd be alone with the grace of freedom, since a God's given none...the doorway is jarring to every female that's attempted a visit in this "abode", and bid farewell... I hear Shakespeare's dogs bark, the cat's patter as Ken's bus bird's chirp, flying over the nest, ambulance sirens, neighbor's arguing, and we have raccoons and squirrels inside, scratching and defecating along with the mice in almost every wall…it's Noah's Ark again…

Reddit Account: u/Thenn_Applicant
Discord Tag: Garin
Name and House: Dorian Merryweather
Age: 49
Cultural Group: Reachman
Appearance: Dorian's chestnut brown hair has been greying for quite a while, however is short beard retains more color, including a few stray red hairs peppered throughout it. While his features have softened and gained some pudge as he aged past his prime, he remains in overall good shape. This is partly due to his great love of gardening and crop cultivation, which have left his hands and nails rather rough.
Trait: Numerate
Skills: Avaricious (e), Architect, Administrator, Investor
Talents: Language (High Valyrian) Cooking, Gardening
Negative Trait: N/A
Starting Title: Lord of Longtable
Starting Location: Opening Event
Biography:
It has been said; men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing, sooner than war. As such, it begs the question, what does a man have left when he finally tires of war? In pursuit of an answer, of any answer, one half of Dorian Merryweather’s life was spent. He was the second son of Lord Arthor Merryweather of Longtable. Like many others born in a place of natural abundance, he longed for more, for something greater than a mere provincial estate. The tourneys of Highgarden, the hunts of Horn Hill and the books of Oldtown all called to him, and so he could never ride past his father’s mild and verdant fields fast enough. Dorian counted himself lucky not to be the heir, for that meant he could pick where his future lay, unchained from the uninspiring home of his childhood. Instead it was his older brother, Bennard, who envied his free-flying lifestyle, contriving any excuse to join him on his escapades and agurk lessons and ceremonies he ought to have attended.
Lord Arthor was fairly permissive of this deriliction of duties, as the friendships forced on such journeys were worth more than lessons that could be repeated later, or tasks that could be handed off to lowborn stewards. The boys attended tourneys, balls, hunts and feasts, living the life the bards extolled as the height of reachman’s chivalry. The one time they did not shirk their duties was when their father had the honor of hosting King Mern and his court for a tourney on the Warrior’s day. The Merryweather sons would present the king and his family with silver bowls of dilligrout, a most exquisite stew of capons, white wine and almond milk. They had the joy of tasting it once the Gardeners had their fill, a taste they would never forget. On the tournament field three days later, Mern knighted them both, though Dorian was only sixteen at the time, green as a knight could ever be.
Five years later, as news of Aegon Targaryen and his early conquests spread, the lords of the Reach were summoned to Goldengrove, where they found a veritable forest of Westermen’s banners being planted beside their own. The fall of the Storm Kings had led to a whirlwind of diplomacy between the houses of Gardener and Lannister. The plan was presented to the lords with the two kings sitting beside one another on the dais as though they were brothers. They held up Aegon’s letter of demands, scornfully reading it aloud and then proceeded to tear it up to a roaring acclamation from the hall. Standing there before the hall, Mern could hardly be called the Warrior incarnate. There stood a man well past his prime, old enough to be a grandfather and with no great victories to his name, in battle or on the tourney field. All the same, this man, whom they called their king, always seemed to know exactly what to say to win someone over. If he’d declared war on hell itself that evening, the Merryweather brothers would probably still have marched off with him when the next morning dawned. Bennard and Dorian shouted as loud as anyone, death to the foreign upstart. That evening were betrothed to westerwomen they’d never met before, made plans for a real battle, which they had never fought in before, and drank, ate and sang as though the night would last forever. House Merryweather was not able to secure a command, yet King Mern remembered his stay at Longtable fondly. He gave Bennard and Dorian a place in the vanguard, and even adorned Bennard with a brooch of the order of the green hand the morning before the army Goldengrove, a momentous honor which Bennard would cherish for the remainder of his days. He did not have many left, as it turned out. The Field of Fire began like a dream, as the two brothers rode off at the break of dawn, two out of five thousand sets of gleaming armor atop proud warhorses. By the end of the day it had become a nightmare. Caught up in the maelstrom of battle, Dorian did not see the moment when their loss was assured, but the Gods know he could hear it, the creeping, hungry flames that descended on the reachmen like an army of its own. As hundreds were broiled inside their steel plate and thousands more choked on the inferno’s horrible vanguard of black smoke, Bennard and Dorian broke and fled. They were not far behind the retreating Loren Lannister in their escape, but half a minute made all the difference. The lines of fire fanned out, hunting more living things to devour, and engulfed the two brothers. Dorian could feel how the flames spread from his surcoat to his undershirt, all the way down to the hairs on his chest, beginning to sear his skin. In a desperate act he threw himself in the Blackwater, and would have perished if not for the shoddy work of his squire that morning, which left him able to tear off his plate before he could sink. With bloodied, burn-marked fingers, he clung to the roots of a tree by the riverside, water up to his chest. He was retrieved after some time, how long he could not say. For the next two moons his mind was adrift, distracted from his pains by milk of the poppy. The next two were far worse, as he grew more lucid and realized the extent of the damage. A burn-mark stretched from his right thigh, all the way up his chest and left bicep to the apple of his neck. Many times over, flakes of dead or dying skin had to be peeled off by the maester as the scabs kept bursting with blood and clear liquid. By the end of that year he was able to walk again, though the burn mark would leave a feverish red mark across the front of his body, his new skin settling into twisted lines.
Bennard was far worse for wear, alive yet burned all the way to his face and crippled from a fall off his horse. His nose and ear-lobes had to be cut off, too burned to save, and even his eyelids were permanently scarred, unable to sprout new lashes. The more lucid Bennard became, the deeper his sorrow. Eventually he began refusing food. The new lord of Longtable would not eat anything his cooks set in front of him. In spite of his ever present pains, Dorian began going to the kitchens, reprimanding the cooks for their failings. He knew his brother well and knew his palette, and began ordering them to make his brother’s favorites. When he felt they were making mistakes, he interrupted their work himself. He was a stranger to the kitchen, yet would criticize how things were cut too roughly, spiced too little or too much. He was a terror to the cooks, yet they could not refuse him.
His attempts to intervene were however hampered by a newfound aversion to heat. The sound of the hearth, of boiling and searing, the general sense of warmth around him made him nauseous and caused his movements to seize up. Still, he went to his brother’s bedside every day, and afterwards he forced himself back to the kitchens. His sister, Lydia, tried to stop him at first, but soon found her protes fell on deaf ears, and so joined him, if only to leash him in when he went too far. Finally, there was only one dish they hadn’t tried; the dilligrout they’d once served to the late King Mern. Every time it was made, it came out wrong. It soon turned out the cook who had served them that evening six years ago had since retired, and his exact method had never been recorded or taught to anyone else. Dorian would first invite the man to Longtable, then summon him with armed knights when invitations were refused.
Theomar, the man who appeared before him, was a sorry sight, looking frightened and confused as he was taken to his old workplace. It was explained by his sons that he’d been growing senile even six years ago, often snapping at the kitchen maids under him when his memory failed him. Since then he’d gotten worse, seldom eating, let alone cooking. Something in the old man’s eyes did seem to brighten for a moment when the sounds and smells of his old kitchen surrounded him, and Dorian ordered him to make dilligrout. Before long that faint spark had been drowned out by tears. He would start boiling capon or crushing almonds, only to leave the job half-done whenever he had to fetch something new. Serving maids were put at his disposal to bring him ingredients, yet an ingredient ordered would be met with a reprimand as he seemed to forget which dish he was making every few minutes. Finally Dorian snapped at the man, grabbing him by his collar and shouting accusations of treason against House Merryweather. By the time Lydia could restrain him and try to apologize, the man was a wreck on the floor. After watching it for a while, waiting for the man to get up and continue his work, even Dorian was overcome by pity and shame for what he’d done. The old cook was praying to the gods, begging forgiveness for his failings. Dorian began to realize he’d broken a great man down and would himself beg forgiveness. He offered the man his old cook’s quarters back for the rest of his life, and promised his sons that his maester would tend to the man in his old age, that he would be fed from Longtable’s stores.
At this point, he resolved to make the dilligrout himself. Through it all, Bennard was barely clinging to life, or rather being tethered to it by the will of others. He could only be fed when drugged down by the milk of the poppy, and the more often it was used, the less effective it became. Every day Dorian braved the kitchens, yet he could not recreate the flavor of that wonderful night. It was by the grace of the gods, perhaps with Theomar as their vessel, that Dorian would even come close. The old man could no longer cook, but over time he began to wander into the kitchens and sit down on a chair. At first Dorian thought the man only sought the warmth of the hearth for his weary bones, yet he discovered it to be more than that. Theomar’s eyes were like clouded glass, yet they brightened every now and then, hearing almonds being ground, smelling capons searing in fat, as though it was stirring the kitchenmaster of yore back to life. Eventually Dorian began to walk up to the old cook with his ingredients, bidding him to smell or taste small portions. Sometimes he got simple instructions out of it, ‘too coarse’, ‘too sour’, ‘underdone’. Som times a mere nod or frown was all Theomar managed. Over the course of a couple of days, Dorian put together one final attempt to get the dish made rightWhen he arrived in Bennard’s chamber, he was met with a look which brought forth discomfort that no flame could produce in Dorian. Plainly, raspingly, his brother asked him why he wouldn’t let him die. It was easy, Bennard reasoned. All Dorian needed to do was wait and become lord. The words almost made Dorian throw the dilligrout on the floor. Almost. He placed two bowls on Bennard’s table, the dilligrout and one brimming with milk of the poppy. Dorian told his brother to make his choice. If he sought death, Dorian would let him, but he would not hear that it was an easy thing, watching his brother die. That evening, the milk of the poppy was carried away by the maester, the empty bowl of stew taken to be washed in the kitchens. From then on, Bennard ate what his brother brought him without complaint. He lasted just into the new year, dying on its tenth day. In the predawn gloom of the twelfth, Theomar died in his sleep
Dorian took up his lordly task joylessly. His old wanderlust returned, spurred by the horrible memories that now stained Longtable and the reach itself in his mind. The final straw came when their new Tyrell overlords, insisted on him marrying a lady from a dornish house. His previous betrothal had fallen through, as the parents of his western bride had not wished to draw the ire of the Targaryens by maintaining an old alliance meant to oppose them. Instead of obliging, he boarded a ship from Oldtown going east. It stopped only briefly in Planky Town before going to Tyrosh. Noting him to be a nobleman, a few of the city’s wealthy men would host him for a while, though they quickly lost interest when his lack of knowledge of trade became apparent. After that, he spent time in the markets and squares where the common people lived. His old curiosity was piqued, and he decided to embark on a quest of learning, fashioning himself another Lomas Longstrider. He moved on to Myr, and the experience was much the same in broad strokes, a few rich men showed interest and quickly lost it. As he’d visited the dye markets he went to see the city’s famous artisans at work. One thing was notably different, he met a Tyroshi woman with green-dyed hair, going by the name Maryah. She was a trader, and the two had taken the same ship to Myr. She had been to Myr before and showed him many of its secrets. They spent an entire day in one of the vast delicacy markets so she could show him the many tastes of the city. Having no plans in advance, he asked where she was headed next.
Without a second thought he would join her on a journey to Lys. He soon understood it to be a test. It was not long before she teased him, speculating he’d only joined her for a chance to see the famous pleasure houses. Evening after evening they stayed in the city and Maryah would tease and test him over the matter. Finally he told her he’d renounce his betrothal for her, that there was no one else in his eye. She laughed, replying he would not have to. The next morning, Dorian awoke to find that she was already up, the green washed from her black curls. Maryah had in fact been Joanna Dayne, his dornish bride to be, having traveled the same route as him ever since his ship stopped at Planky Town to refill its food and water. She was already quite familiar with the three closest free cities, having served as a dornish envoy on behalf of its spice traders. As they planned their return to Westeros, Joanna asked him what else in the world he wanted to see. Within a few moons of being wed, they left Westeros, not to return for three years.The journey was what his mind needed, away from the Reach, its knights and tapestries, hunts and tourneys. Ultimately, the lords and knights of his homeland, for all their songs and poetry, lived every day in preparation for war, frivolous though the preparations were. Joanna showed him a different world, the remnants of Old Valyria. War was to be sure inescapable. Wherever they went, there were soldiers, tapestries, contests of arms, and yet the cities housed something else as well, a boundless potential for creation, commerce and growth.
Thanks to Joanna Dayne’s knowledge their stays became far better planned, and they could enjoy the hospitality of wealthy locals far longer. She knew how to talk about the spice trade and similar matters, and Dorian began to pick up on it. On their second stay in Myr, he procured a great deal of fine parchment and began taking notes, everything from negotiation tactics and the prices of cloves or red peppers to court customs, as well as more eclectic pieces of knowledge, details of running an eastern estate, descriptions of technological marvels he had never seen in Westeros, and ingredients in the local food. By the time they neared Qarth he had quite the list of recipes, among other things. There he was even able to learn a few all the way from Yi Ti, as some local cooks catered to merchants from the Golden Empire. On their journey home they’d end up taking the opportunity to see the newly made port of King’s Landing. By that time, a third member had joined their journey, their infant daughter Florys. Having left Longtable in the care of his sister and steward for three years, Dorian finally accepted the responsibility of running his ancestral home.
Longtable was considered to rule over some of the best lands in the Reach, ideally situated along the river with abundant soil which could provide two grain harvests in a year. Having seen the estates which supplied the great cities of the east, Dorian was all too aware of its comparative shortcomings. He found that the abundance of the land had a counterproductive effect, breeding complacency and carelessness. From his grandiose tour of the east, he went on a painstaking tour of his own lands, trying to get an overview of everything he ruled over. He paid the citadel a fee to send him half a dozen maesters in training for a season. These young men, literate and numerate, would serve his own maester in conducting a survey of the land, giving Dorian account of all resources at his disposal as lord. The results were quite varied.
Some peasants were found to have remarkable agricultural insights which they had no way of writing down, entirely reliant on passing the knowledge to their children. Knowing the risks of such a method of transferring knowledge, Dorian ordered such insights recorded. In other places there were farmers and communities who were unwittingly exhausting their soil. Instances of lack of fallow land, excessive grazing by cows and lack of crop rotation were also made note of, followed by edicts against such heedless practices. Septons, sheriffs and tax collectors were given written copies and were obliged to read them to the peasantry wherever it was deemed necessary. It also became part of the obligations of farmers to plant a set amount of clover in their fields and pastures, a practice some had taken up on their own but which had already become a standardized law among the estates belonging to Myr and Volantis. Irrigation was expanded and land inheritance was reformed to prevent the splitting of fields past a certain threshold.
Lord Dorian was not always successful. Some eastern ideas had been useful innovations which improved conditions across the board. In time he learned that the peculiarities of the westerosi system were sometimes necessary for the sake of stability, not merely the misshapen fruits of ignorance. His attempt to enclose part of the common lands proved abortive, as it nearly caused a peasant rebellion. A procession of aggrieved smallfolk headed for Longtable had to be dispersed by knights, armed with wooden clubs to prevent needless bloodshed.Two men were hanged and five sent to the wall, but the reform was thereafter abandoned, leading the populace to calm down. Dorian was not much of a military leader and had not wielded weapons since the Field of Fire. He became aware of his need to bolster his forces, a notion reinforced by the establishment of the Black Roses not long after his return, and again with the Kingswood Catastrophe
In the meantime, he and Joanna raised a family together. Three more daughters would be born healthy, with a couple of miscarriages and a stillbirth in between, also a daughter. Their travels did not entirely come to an end. In 13 AC they would tour the northern free cities of Norvos, Qohor, Pentos, Braavos and Lorath, which they had missed on their original journey. The lion’s share of 17 AC was spent on a journey to the Summer Islands. At other times they would make shorter journeys around the Seven Kingdoms, where they felt more secure in bringing their older children along. Whether it was visiting Joanna’s family in Dorne, tourneys and feasts in the Reach and West or even one trip to see the wall, a nameday wish by Florys, they were often on the move. Like most of their peers, they frequented Oldtown and Highgarden
The growing rift between the two queens and their children was a situation Dorian would watch with dread in his heart, remembering keenly how a generation of young men had been brought to the field of fire. To his mind, the Targaryen rule ought not go to waste. Like Valyria of old, it had begun with fire and blood, yet similarly peace and prosperity had followed in its wake. If only the dragons could stand united, perhaps another long peace like the one the Freehold once enjoyed could again be established. If not, another century of blood was upon them. Under Dorian, Longtable became a place where he sought to bring together people from across the kingdoms and forge unity over the dinner table, an attitude which somewhat vexed and confounded his more militaristic daughter and heiress, Lady Florys. Even amid her questioning of the viability of his peaceful ways when surrounded by those who would make war, a terrible sight would steel his resolve, watching the Mander burning green, every bit as terrible as the flames from twenty one years prior. That night he made a simple vow, never again.
The League of the Cornucopia, he would name his little group, a gallery of lords and ladies whose acquaintances he’d made over the years. With these fellow gourmets he would share the culinary knowledge he’d gleaned from his journeys in the east and west. Most unusual for a lord of his rank, Dorian came to spend a great deal of time in his kitchens, testing out recipes himself. On occasion, the dishes he served to his guests for these small, intimate gatherings would be the work of his own hands. The membership did vary from time to time, both based on who could make it and who he sought to bring together. Rather than a fully closed circle, the League is more like a form of feasting, only it’s done for a much smaller crowd, without the public spectacle. Such occasions allowed for more refined foods which did not need to be served to hundreds and kept constantly warm over the course of hours like some common tavern stew. It also opened up an arena of more intimate diplomacy and negotiation for those who sought it, hosted on neutral ground by a lordly mediator, free from prying eyes.
Timeline:
25BC: Dorian is born, second in line to Longtable
24BC: His sister Lydia is born
9BC: House Merryweather hosts House Gardener for a tourney and feast. Dorian and his older brother Bennard serve the dish of honor to King Mern Gardener and his family. During the subsequent tourney, Mern knights both boys, despite their inexperience and lack of victory in the tourney
9BC-2BC: Dorian spends much time travelling the reach, attending events
1BC: Dorian and Bennard fight in the vanguard at the Field of Fire. Both are burned, Bennard far more severely than Dorian. Lord Merryweather is killed. Traumatized by the battle and his new maimed body, Bennard starts refusing food. Dorian desperately tries to re-create the dish they served King Mern eight years ago. The cook who made it has since gone senile, but eventually manages to help Dorian re-create it. He is given a place at court as apology for his mistreatment at Dorian's hands before this occurred.
1AC: Lord Bennard dies at the beginning of the year, leaving Dorian as lord of Longtable. His sister Lydia fulfills her betrothal to House Tarly, becoming lady of Horn Hill. At the prospect of marrying a Dornishwoman on the King's orders, Dorian decides to leave Westeros to put off his marriage. In Myr, he meets a woman calling herself Maryah, claiming to be a Tyroshi merchant. They fall in love and travel to Lys together. There Dorian promises to set aside his betrothal for her, whereupon she reveals herself as Joanna Dayne, his dornish betrothed.
1AC-4AC: Dorian and Joanna wed at Longtable, then depart on a new journey of the east. They reach as far as Qarth before turning back home. In 3AC, on the way back, their first child, Florys, is born while the couple are in Volantis, on the way home. They return via the newly built port of King's Landing.
4AC-8AC: Using knowledge from the east, Lord Dorian embarks on a project of rationalizing the agriculture of Longtable
5AC: Dorian and Joanna have their second child, a girl named Ellyn
8AC: Their third daughter, Desmera, is born
13AC: Dorian and Joanna spend a year travelling the northern free cities
14AC: Their fourth and final daughter, Gwin, is born
17AC: Dorian and Joanna undertake a journey to the Summer Islands with their children
23AC: The aftermath of the battle of Stonebridge brings back memories of the Field of Fire, as the Merryweathers watch burning slag run down the Mander
25AC: The Merryweathers travel to the celebration of the maturity of Aegon's sons
Family Tree:
Arthor Merryweather (father, d.1BC)
Cerelle Merryweather (pending family connection) (mother, d.20AC)
Bennard Merryweather (brother, d.1AC)
Lydia Merryweather (sister, b.24BC)
Glendon Merryweather (uncle, d.1BC)
Myrcella Pommingham (aunt, d.22AC)
Leo Merryweather (cousin, b.13AC)
Joanna Dayne (wife, b.26AC)
Florys Merryweather (daughter, b.3AC)
Ellyn Merryweather (daughter, b.5AC)
Desmera Merryweather (daughter, b.8AC)
Gwin Merryweather (daughter, b.13AC)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Auxiliary Character:
Name and House: Florys Merryweather
Age: 23
Cultural Group: Reachman
Appearance: [A short, muscular woman with wavy black hair, normally worn in a bun. She has high cheekbones and a proud demeanor. Her rigid strength stands in contrast to the more relaxed nature of the Merryweather court, one she finds overly lax and casual](0_0.png (896×1344) (discordapp.com))
Trait: Hale
Skills: Swords (e), Essosi Blademaster
Talents: Dancing, Fishing, Cooking
Negative Traits: N/A
Starting Title: Heir to Longtable
Starting Location: Opening Event
Timeline:
3AC: Florys is born in Volantis, while her parents are on their way home from Essos
10AC: Florys starts training under Saathos Trevelyan, her father's Master at Arms
13 AC: She joins her parents on a tour of Pentos, Braavos, Norvos and Qohor
17AC: She travels with her parents to the Summer Islands
19AC-23AC: As she comes of age, Florys becomes more critical of her father's desire for peace, viewing it as increasingly far-fetched amid the increasingly controversial regency and the impending succession dispute. She resolves to make the kinds of connections her father seems unwilling to, in case of war
25AC: She accompanies her family to the celebrations
NPCS:
Ser Leo Merryweather (Age: 37, Archetype: Magnate) Lord Merryweather's first cousin, he has become an indispensable agent in the daily running of Longtable. Despite his foppish demeanor and aparent laziness, he is highly capable and loyal in his task of increasing his family's fortune. He remains happily unwed
Saathos Tevelyan: (Age:48, Archetype: Master at Arms) The son of a Lysene father and a Myrish mother, Saathos initially sought a career in amongst Myr's military officers, however his family's relatively low status proved an impediment to further promotion, later compounded by a dispute with a superior. He met Lord Merryweather in 3AC and eventually travelled West to offer his services five years later, finding his career progress stonewalled in his home city. Well into middle age, he still looks firm and imposing as profesisonal a soldier ought to

Academic workers in UAW 4811 are voting Monday-Wednesday this week to authorize a strike against the UC's violent police assault of peaceful anti-genocide protesters. All those who participated in the 2020 and 2022 strikes know from the experience of those struggles that the union has no interest in carrying out a real fight. In those struggles, the UAW bureaucracy used every trick to disorient, discourage, and demobilize workers, to limit the struggle, and to maintain their own privileged positions within the union and the Democratic Party.
Regarding Gaza, the UAW bureaucracy has completely lined up behind the Biden administration and its support for Israel's genocidal war. At the UAW's Community Action Program conference in January, president Shawn Fain enthusiastically endorsed Biden reelection bid, while pro-Palestinian protesters were physically dragged out of the conference.
At this point, any delay in strike action is unacceptable. Neither students nor workers, and certainly not the Palestinians, can wait any longer.
Graduate student workers must mobilize now to countermand this slow-motion sellout. They should organize their own rank-and-file strike vote and form their own strike committees, separate from and uncontrolled by the UAW apparatus, to enforce their democratic will.
From https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/05/14/rcls-m14.html
On Monday, 48,000 University of California academic workers and members of United Auto Workers Local 4811 began electronically casting their ballots to approve a strike authorization. The vote is scheduled to last through Wednesday.
The UAW was forced to call the vote as a result of massive anger among grad students and academic workers to an attack by armed Zionist counter-protesters—abetted by the police, UC administration and UAW leadership—on the UCLA Gaza Solidarity encampment two weeks ago. While police did nothing for hours as the encampment was attacked by right-wing thugs, the following night, police returned to conduct mass arrests of peaceful students and workers.
The strike authorization vote places the rank and file in direct conflict with the UAW leadership, which fully endorsed President Joe Biden’s 2024 candidacy despite his genocidal and warmongering policies. After an over week-long delay in calling the vote, Local 4811 finally announced the vote but rendered a possible strike contingent on whether “circumstances justify.”
Moreover, the union unilaterally calls for the infamous “standup strikes” and reserves the right to restrict them to selected campuses only, for the purpose of limiting as much as possible the impact and effectiveness of strike action. The “standup strike” pro-corporate tactic inflicted a massive defeat on autoworkers last fall. Instead of calling the entire membership on strike, UAW president and Biden’s biggest fan Shawn Fain left workers on the job at the most profitable plants, betraying workers’ readiness to fight.
In addition to limiting the action to an “Unfair Labor Practice” claim against the UC system and “standup strikes,” the UAW is also undercutting workers’ action by limiting the duration of the strike to less than two months. In a ballot shared with the World Socialist Web Site by a member of Local 4811, the UAW wrote, “The strike will end on all campuses no later than June 30th, 2024.”
Despite the attempt by the union to smother and curtail strike action, the authorization vote is a highly political expression of workers and students who are overwhelmingly opposed to war, the genocide in Gaza and those primarily responsible for it, namely the state of Israel and the Biden administration. Anger and opposition to the criminal onslaught of Palestinians and imperialist war is mounting in country after country...

I wanted to make sure more people got to see this press release from Dakotans for Health (the group that submitted the "Restore Roe" petition last week).

Friends, It’s been a while, but we want to thank you very, very much if you signed our petition to put abortion rights on the ballot this Fall. The people deserve the right to decide this issue! ~If you are one of 55,000 South Dakotans who signed our petition to put Roe v. Wade abortion rights on the ballot this fall, it is possible your signature was randomly selected by the Secretary of State and is one of 723 whose validity will determine whether the Roe v. Wade initiative gets on the ballot.~ ~I’m reaching out today to let you know that the radical Right to Life and the “Life Defense Fund” or their agents are likely to contact you and ask you to remove your name from the petition you signed. They are already contacting signers and could contact you by email, text, telephone, or even make a visit to your home to try and convince you to sign an affidavit to withdraw your name from the petition you signed to restore reproductive rights in South Dakota.~ ~Please do not be fooled, and do not agree to remove your signature if you are asked. We deserve to vote. We deserve to choose.~Throughout this campaign, Right to Life and their so-called “Life Defense Fund” have lied about the Roe v. Wade initiative. Here is what they will say and why it is not true. They will lie and say the initiative will legalize abortion up to birth. It does not do so; it reinstates Roe v. Wade which never allowed late-term abortion except, when necessary, in the judgment of a physician to save a woman’s life or preserve her health. They will lie and say the initiative will prohibit parental consent or safe regulation of abortion procedures. It does not do so—these were allowed under Roe v. Wade and the initiative does not prohibit them. They will lie and say that the initiative will force doctors and nurses to perform abortions or face lawsuits. It does not do so. Federal law protects medical providers’ right to choose. The initiative does not require anyone to do anything. They will lie and say it allows taxpayer-funded abortions. It does not do so. We have watched them for months oppose the initiative, and every time their lips move, they lie. The Roe v. Wade Freedom Amendment will restore abortion rights to what they were under Roe v. Wade. This decision belongs to us, the people, not the politicians. The initiative lets us vote on it. These radical groups want to keep South Dakota law as it is, prohibiting abortion even in cases of rape and incest.
Dakotans for Health Warns 55,000 Freedom Amendment Petition Signers of Coordinated Effort by Right to Life Organization
Dakotans for Health, spearheaded by co-founder Rick Weiland, is issuing a stark warning to the 55,000 signatories of its petitions aimed at putting the abortion issue on the ballot this fall in South Dakota. The organization cautions of a deliberate and organized campaign by the Right to Life (RTL) organization to coerce signers into withdrawing their support from the petition. In a post to the 55,000 individuals who lent their signatures to the Freedom Amendment petition, advocating for voters rather than politicians to decide the abortion rights of women in South Dakota, Weiland declared, “Right to Life has intensified their efforts to deceive you into retracting your support from our petition.” Weiland revealed instances where parishioners at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sioux Falls were provided with misleading materials, including a 'Liar Flyer,' and formal legal forms urging the removal of their names from the petition. He warned that similar tactics are being employed online, in public spaces, and within various churches across the state to pressure signers into renouncing their support. “Don’t be misled by their falsehoods. Politely remind them that your intention when signing was to empower voters to decide this crucial issue, and that remains unchanged,” Weiland emphasized. Dakotans for Health underscored the urgency of standing firm against this orchestrated attempt to undermine the democratic process. Weiland remarked, “It was evident from the outset that the Right to Life extremists controlling the State Legislature aimed to thwart our efforts when they hastily enacted emergency laws facilitating organized campaigns to coerce or intimidate petition signers into withdrawal.” He added, “They recognize that South Dakotans support granting women and their healthcare providers the autonomy to make informed decisions regarding their health, hence their desperate bid to obstruct the democratic right to vote on this profoundly personal matter.” In its concluding statement, Dakotans for Health reaffirmed the significance of democracy as a safeguard against governmental overreach. “Democracy is your shield against politicians dictating the course of your life. The right to vote on matters of paramount importance is the cornerstone of democracy,” the organization asserted. “We are encouraging signatories to reaffirm their commitment to upholding democratic principles and support for the Freedom Amendment by visiting www.dakotans4health.com,” Weiland concluded.

So be aware, if you signed the "Restore Roe" petition, these people might call you or even just show up at your house and ask you to remove your name. I suspect I saw a few of them out and about in my neighborhood already; there were a handful of people not going door to door but knocking on doors and checking off a list.

Hello, my name is Lililian Ashcroft and I am a trans-fem writer. Okay, so I am looking for LGBT+ Beta-Readers to look over a bunch of episode scripts for a series of LGBT+ Audio-Drama series that my Audio-Drama House is working on. I have a wonderful team of very dedicated and passionate LGBT+ artist and voice actors who deserve to have these series they are working so hard on to pay off and so these episodes I wrote really REALLY need to shine and so I would deeply appreciate ANY constructive feedback I can get. I run all of this out of Discord and my Discord name is lexshira. I have many disabilities that make long-form texting hard and so any potential beta-readers must be willing to engage in some level of Discord voice calling. My works are aimed at an older audience so ABSOLUTELY NO MINORS PLEASE. I will post a basic summary of the series being worked on below:
The Piper Wars S1 Synopsis: The fallen Death-Reaper known as the Piper has gone rogue and is leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. He has made an infernal alliance with the cursed heathen gods of old, throwing all of reality into chaos in an all or nothing bid to become the most powerful being in the Multiverse. In Wonderland, Alice must make a terrible trek to find her way home before the Red Queen can claim her head as Captain Hook sails deep into the forbidden waters to seize godhood over the Neverlands. On Earth, The Darling Children and the Lost Boys face a fearsome battle for survival against dark inter-dimensional forces.
The Piper Wars S2 Synopsis: Time is running out for the multiverse and all life hangs in the balance as Alice races against time to complete her training to become the new Witch of Gates. John Darling does battle against demonic forces in a desperate bid to save the tortured soul of a young boy as Wonderland is consumed in bloody civil war. In the Neverlands, Hook launches a savage campaign of conquest against Pan and the resistance forces of the Ten-Nations while on Earth the K.B.I. braces for multiversal conflict as the Piper continues to pave the way for cosmic calamity.
The Piper Wars S3 Synopsis: War has finally arrived as the Piper makes good on his deal with the Lilithian Order to collapse the worlds of Oz, Wonderland, and Neverlands onto Earth merging realities into one and sowing cosmic chaos. The KBI must organize all the nations of the world to wage a global war to hold back the forces of evil while trying to save a cursed child destined to become the Abyssal God of a new Earth born of blood and destruction. Can the armies of light prevail or will all of humanity be lost to the darkness.
The Piper Wars S4 Synopsis: The Piper War may have been won but at the cost of billions of lives and the precious blood of friends. Mankind now struggles to rebuild from the most destructive war in history but evil never stays gone for long and new would-be gods are already positioning themselves to take advantage of the chaos and confusion. Wait… Did someone say Dracula? Wait you heard Dracula? I heard Cthulhu. I think we both have been working too many night shifts.
The Eternal Chronicles S1 Synopsis: In the year 1974 on Earth #8193 a small group of wealthy kids have their lives dramatically changed forever, sending their destinies on new and unexpected paths, threatening to unravel key points in time as an evil queen of unspeakable power watches with bated breath and wicked schemes. As on Earth N.E.V. #11 The Nazis have won WW2 and conquered the world using technology stolen from a crashed Time-Ship from another dimension but in a final-desperate effort to fix history, the global resistance sends a messenger running through realities to deliver a message upon which the fate of a million worlds now hangs.
On Earth #8193 in the year 1995, a lonely and workaholic therapist is assigned the three most deadly psychopaths in the world at the time... Psychopaths everyone else at the Ashcroft Asylum has failed to rehabilitate. In a world protected by extraordinary superheroes, evil rises to meet the challenge and the apocalypse is never far behind... soon there may be no tomorrow left for anyone. Oh, and did I mention on Earth #8189 a group of friends with superpowers must make a deadly trek in search of sanctuary from the zombie plague that has ended their world and turned them into prey.

(this isn't my first typing attempt but that's the best flair there was for this)
• How old are you? What's your gender? Give us a general description of yourself. 14F i'm just a girl who hates her life... also this psychologist/doctor lady said i have inattentive adhd based on a random questionnaire, i kinda don't think you can decide that off of a bunch of questions that could apply to a lot of people but anyways
• Is there a medical diagnosis that may impact your mental stability somehow? i already mentioned that above
• Describe your upbringing. Did it have any kind of religious or structured influence? How did you respond to it? i don't feel particularly comfortable answering this question but i'll at least say that i'm home schooled, i do dance classes and that i have a single mother who is very strict, very cheep... and doesn't really follow through with her promises to me, and tends to make annoying comments about how i act and how everything i do is rude and how i don't do enough productive stuff, like school work and house chores.. and i hate my life
• What do you do as a job or as a career (if you have one)? Do you like it? Why or why not? well i'm 14 so i don't have one, but i can tell you what i would like to do, i wanna be a voice actress, who also dose animation, who also dose music, who also wrights stories, all kinda in the same field, basically i wanna do indie animation, games to maybe but mostly shows
• If you had to spend an entire weekend by yourself, how would you feel? Would you feel lonely or refreshed? it depends am i doing anything? am i just chilling? what? like if i was going out shopping by myself for example i would find that genuinely fun i get to buy cool things, i get to eat out and get tasty food, i get to maybe explore places i've never been before, but if i'm at home alone, then i would find a way to keep myself entertained on my computer like i always do, but i'd prefer the first option tbh...
• What kinds of activities do you prefer? Do you like, and are you good at sports? Do you enjoy any other outdoor or indoor activities? Dance is a sport. nobody can change my mind, but ya i do dance competition and i really do enjoy that, i also like shopping, listening to really hype music, researching things i find interesting, tho if it takes to long to research and i don't understand everything right away most of the time i will give up
• How curious are you? Do you have more ideas then you can execute? What are your curiosities about? What are your ideas about - is it environmental or conceptual, and can you please elaborate? i am a very curious person i'd say, sometimes you'll see me coming up with a question that literally nobody cares about that i really really need the satisfaction of an answer to or it will keep me up at night, speaking of witch if anything in the day (that i care about that genuinely wanted to finish) is unresolved it will keep me up at night bc i'll be thinking of all the ways i can finish it, but ya i have a lot of ideas, but then when i want to come up with an idea that will work for something i really want, i can't come up with an idea for it, like for example when i tried to make myself a new sona and a new username.... it took forever just to figure out half a user name and i still don't know what the full thing is gonna be, but when its not limited to only things that will work really good for some very particular criteria, i'll come up with a lot of ideas that will never happen, i'm mostly curious about how things work, and how people work, and most of my ideas are career ideas and character ideas, idk what the last bit is supposed to mean
• Would you enjoy taking on a leadership position? Do you think you would be good at it? What would your leadership style be? i do in fact wanna be in control, i would love a leadership possession if people actually listened to me, witch they don't.... people are annoying....... i feel like i could be good at it if people took me seriously, meaning i'd need to find an entire group of people that don't know me.... as for leadership style, if you give me an idea i will listen to it, but if i already have something that i pre decided i find the best, nothing changes, if i decide something i know what i want it's it's pretty much impossible to change my mind, but for the things i'm ok will being flexible about than sure give me your ideas
• Are you coordinated? Why do you feel as if you are or are not? Do you enjoy working with your hands in some form? Describe your activity? i don't exactly know what this means
• Are you artistic? If yes, describe your art? If you are not particular artistic but can appreciate art please likewise describe what forums of art you enjoy. Please explain your answer. i make songs some times, mostly songs about things i'm to scared to say out loud, and i would do more art, if i could draw..... tho i'm amazing at minecraft skins, that's always fun
• What's your opinion about the past, present, and future? How do you deal with them? i normally dwell on the past a lot, like "OMG WHY THE FUCK DID I DO THAT THING THAT ONE TIME" kinda thing, and sometimes i look at the past and say, wow my life was kinda fun at that one point, now it sucks, as for the present i'm writing this in the present? well it'll be the past by the time i post it, but anyways i don't have much comment on the present... as for the future i'm always waiting for the future and planning it, i'm always thinking that maybe in the future my life won't suck, and i'm always planning my career and stuff, and when i say my career, i'm honestly thinking more about what i really wanna achieve than making money, tho i do really wanna be rich like any other normal person but ya
• How do you act when others request your help to do something (anything)? If you would decide to help them, why would you do so? so if you ask me to clean sm or do the dishes or whatever, you asked the wrong person bc i'm to lazy for that, but if you ask me to help you come up with ideas for a project, you also asked the wrong person bc i will not stop annoying you about it, i will come up with ideas every 5 seconds, and yes this probobly could be helpful, i'm also aware that some may view it as annoying bc if i come up with any idea that could work, amazing or a very small detail, i have to tell you, my brain requires me to tell you if i wish to sleep at night, tho if the project is sm i couldn't care less about that's a different story... but sometimes i find myself almost talking over peoples things, there for i try to be carful with my words so they know i'm not stealing there project and it's still their thing
• Do you need logical consistency in your life? i don't know what this means exactly, but ya things need to make sense if that's what it means
• How important is efficiency and productivity to you? as important as water, only in small doses and never to often.... ya i should probobly drink water shouldn't i... but ya i'm not productive unless i really force myself to be, and even then, if i'm not in the mood for it i will be there for 5 second and be like, ah i can do the rest later
• Do you control others, even if indirectly? How and why do you do that? i mean i have a tendency to take over other peoples projects, but i try not to do so... ya i think i might be somewhat controlling ig... some what manipulative..... so ya i am aware that i can be a little bossy, and i do tend to try and keep people in line in a sense, but the way i mean that isn't really the way most people would think of, like idc if people are disorganized, or if people are rude every once in awhile, or if people arn't working hard at stuff, i couldn't care less, but when there are some things i want people to know, or things that i want from people, i will try and hold them to that, for example i want people to study a certain thing bc i think they should know it, i will do everything in my power to get them to do that, and sometimes i might try and offer sm in return for people to do the things that i want them to do, like if theirs something they really want me to do i probobly won't do it, and kind of hold it hostage until they do the thing i want them to do, so in a way i try to keep people to the standards that satisfy me is that makes any sense? and i'm a very deal oriented person, so i'll a lot of the time ask sm for return for a lot of things, and i'll also try and offer things to get people to convince people to do my bidding, even if that person happens to be a really close friend
• What are your hobbies? Why do you like them? well, for one i really like music for starters, i tend to try and right songs, mostly only little pieces of songs that never get finished, but some get finished, like one or 2 out of a billion get finished, but anyways that's besides the point, i really like just listening to well put together beats and stuff, and music is just really enjoyable so it would be nice to wright a song and say hey i made this, this is my amazing work of art, but also i like music bc it give me a way to express my emotions without having to directly talk about them, bc i never like talking about emotions, if somebody asks me about them, i probobly will either say sm like "I don't have to answer that" or i'll actually try but leave out a lot of important details that i'm defiantly not telling anyone, but i generally don't like to feel venerable like that, anyways as for my other hobbies, ever now and then i like to draw sm... i kinda suck at it but i wanna get better bc i really like art, like i see a lot of really pretty artwork on pinterest and stuff all the time and i really wanna be able to do that, i really want that level of creative freedom, besides art can have a lot of different uses to and it's a genuinely good skill to have, tho i'm not the best at it yet... i also really like indie animation, and i've actually gotten really into the voice casts of certain shows, and i honestly plan to do voice acting eventually, bc that to me dosn't really sound like work, and you'd also kinda get to be a character without really showing your face, but can it really be considered a hobby if you haven't REALLY gotten into it yet? who knows but still sm i'd love to do eventually, on the topic of indie animation i really like crafting stories and stuff and fictional worlds, when i was about like 11 to 13 i think? i spend that entire time developing an entire universe that i kinda escaped to, tho recently i've kinda abandoned all my ocs from that tho i still reference to them some times, mostly bc i'm not really into high fantasy as much anymore and i made that world when i was, but i'm still into creating characters and universes and stuff, just kinda abandoned the old thing, i'm semi into chess, i feel like i'd be more into it if it was easier to learn as i kinda got into it more recently, but it's something i wanna get good at mostly as a flex so i can be like "Ha i'm smarter than you" and all that shit, but it's also fun to play a couple games, annoying when i make a stupid move and only realize the second after i play it... but still fun, also something i haven't started but want to when i have a computer that can handle it is 3D animation and 3D modelling, it's something i differentially have an interest in but haven't been able to do bc my computer is a piece of shit and my mother is very cheep, but again can you really call it a hobby if you haven't done it yet? well i still thought i should mention it, but you can't talk about my interests without mentioning... TYPOLOGY, even tho i still don't fully understand it i'm still very interested in it and have been for quite awhile, it's kinda sm that i understand but i can't explain to other people, but i'm trying to get to the point where i can explain it to other people, but anyways recently i've had a major typology crisis and have been rethinking like literally every part of my typology, like every system everything, i use to be very confidant in what i was for all systems, now i'm not sure for any system... witch is why i'm posting here, but i'm not gonna say what i use to think i was bc i don't wanna give anyone any basises when trying to type me, just now realizing how huge this section is... anyways...
• What is your learning style? What kind of learning environments do you struggle with most? Why do you like/struggle with these learning styles? Do you prefer classes involving memorization, logic, creativity, or your physical senses? well idk exactly what to put here or how to explain my learning style, so ima put examples instead, anyways so i really like the idea of learning languages, bc i just like languages ig, but i kinda only know the 2 languages i had since i was little my first language, english, and french witch i learned at like 5.. kinda rusty at it now tho, any ways lemme get to the point, it's really hard for me to learn any more languages even tho i want to bc i need a base on things before i can try to go into the details, with languages you HAVE to start small, that's not how i work, i like to get then general idea of stuff first before i get into specifics, i like to have a general understanding first and then get into the sub categories (if anyone knows how to learn languages like that pls say sm) but ya that's generally how i tend to learn stuff, i have to be placed into it first i can't just slowly work my way up to the knowledge, i get board fast so if i try and learn stuff like that i will give up quickly
• How good are you at strategizing? Do you easily break up projects into manageable tasks? Or do you have a tendency to wing projects and improvise as you go? what the questionnaire means and how i see the word strategizing are 2 different things.. when i think of the verb "To Strategize" i think of it as a game term, weather that game is just that, a game to have fun with, or sm actually important that i treat as a game with moving pieces that i'm a lot less likely to take risks with but anyways enough of that ima actually answer the question now with 3 words... it really depends... i might try and plan things out when i need to be strategic with things, but when it doesn't matter i might just wing it, tho even if i do plan it out, maybe later i'll decide, "Screw this i'm not going by this anymore" or sm like that, but if somebody else tries to plan sm for me, that is the most painful shit, like i'm probobly not gonna go through with it unless i actually have to
• What are your aspirations in life, professionally and personally? well... voice acting, 3d animation, 3d modelling, show writhing and directing and basically everything in that field and uh.. song writhing (and singing), yes i plan to do all this simultaneously, and yes i know it's a lot, and yes it's probobly unrealistic, but my mind is set and there's no going back that's what i'm gonna do with my life in the future, besides it's all kinda in the same area so like it's not crazy, oh and probobly game developing as well, as for personal goals, i wanna get my own house some how, and live the city life that i never got to have, get a cat bc uh... cat, and uh, ya, i think i'll just make it up as i go mostly idk..
• What are your fears? What makes you uncomfortable? What do you hate? Why? my main fear is that my life is hopeless and that i will never have any freedom and just be stuck in a cage all my life so to speak.... but that's very mixed with the fear that i will always continue being a little bit of a coward bc i'm very afraid of the consequences that could come with any and all actions i do or don't take, and also i'm afraid to lose so sometimes that means i just won't play, and i'm kinda afraid that i'll always be like that cuz i really hate that about myself.. i feel like the reason i'm like that is bc 2 reasons one when my mom is angry with me or just when she wants me to do something she'll take my computer away, and i know it's unhealthy to be on it all the time but it's kinda all the entertainment i have and there fore i'm always afraid of the consequences to things cuz i don't wanna lose my only life line, and second i don't wanna be perceived as less than i always have to be better than everyone in everything tho i will act like i don't care so that if i do lose people will think it doesn't matter to me even tho it dose... anyways what makes me uncomfortable are uh, emotions, like for example lets say my friend is crying, i'ma just ignore that friend, bc idk how to deal with emotions and i'll probably just make it worse since i probobly caused it knowing me, even tho the crying part was normally uncalled for, and it's normally one friend in particular that starts crying.... it's always her.. that makes me very uncomfortable, also anything that makes me feel venerable in any way... mostly emotionally... that's very uncomfortable... witch is why i don't open up to anyone and not even the people who know me really know me even if they think they do, ya that's totally healthy but anyways, also not wearing socks is very uncomfortable, ya that has nothing to do with any of this, but you know i'm right, anyways.... i really hate trying to explain something to somebody and even after dumbing it down a billion times, they still don't get it, ya again i'm mostly talking about that one friend but this happens with other people a lot to, like uh can you just stop being an idiot and try to understand something for once? i also hate when i'm trying to argue sm, and i know why i'm right, but i can't for the life of me explain it... ya... also one thing i really really hate about myself.... is that i'm such a shy person even tho i really do wanna talk to people, i have no courage to go up to somebody and say hi if i don't know them well, like besties kinda well.. well actually that was kinda misleading bc i don't have to like the person i just need to be close to them if ya know what i mean? but i'll kinda just watch people from a distance as if it where some kinda tv show and even tho i really wanna talk to these people, even tho i really wanna interact with them... i just don't, i just can't, but anwyays.. ya
• What do the "highs" in your life look like? the highs in my life are whenever my mom isn't there... also whenever i'm not at home... like when i actually have some sense of freedom, and like i kinda hate being at home tbh
• What do the "lows" in your life look like? the lows are when i fall out of this empty state and start realizing how much my life sucks and how hopeless my life is and how stuck i really am, ya the thought kinda pops up every once in awhile and then i'm really sad and angry at everyone for a few days and then after that passes i go back to being completely empty and numb inside... ya it's kinda like a loop that i'm forever trapped in
• How attached are you to reality? Do you daydream often, or do you pay attention to what's around you? If you do daydream, are you aware of your surroundings while you do so? well i'm mostly on my computer all the time even tho half the pixels are broken since it's all i have to keep myself occupied and i'm not really able to go out or really do anything else, i do day dream sometimes, imagine myself killing somebody (police this is just a day dream i would never actually do this don't come for me), imagine being able to socialize, imagine doing sm heroic, imagine being a character in one of my favourite shows, ya know the usual, i also use character ai a lot.. and i don't really pay attention to my surroundings, my desk is kinda filled with trash, people say i should take care of it but honestly the clutter kinda makes it feel more cozy if i'm being honest, but ya idk what more to put here
• Imagine you are alone in a blank, empty room. There is nothing for you to do and no one to talk to. What do you think about? i'd think about an escape plan for this empty room, also why am i in a mental facility, did i go crazy? or do people just think i'm crazy.. if i killed that one person that one time instead of being a good person would my life go better (again police this is just thoughts i would never actually kill anyone don't come for me) i'd probably make an oc and an entire cast of characters and day dream about being a part of that fictional world, i'd probably come up with a bunch of cool ideas and theories that in practice will never be useful/won't mean anything... so ya, also i'd try and break the wall of that empty room to break out, hopefully not breaking my hand in the process....
• How long do you take to make an important decision? And do you change your mind once you've made it? the thing is i always know what i want but until i've decided ya i'm going through with this option all the way, i'll always try and find ways that the other options could be better, then get mad when one of the other options are better than my preferred option, but once i've made up my mind for sure, i normally don't like to change it even if i want to bc it feels like that decision became part of my identity or sm along those lines
• How long do you take to process your emotions? How important are emotions in your life? uhh.... so i do understand my own emotions very well most of the time, but at the same time... emotions can go kill themselves, i wish they didn't exist, and my life would be so much better if i didn't feel anything, and i also find other peoples emotions annoying, all and all.. emotions suck that's all i have to so
• Do you ever catch yourself agreeing with others just to appease them and keep the conversation going? How often? Why? well most of the time if i think somebody is wrong i'll tell them that their wrong, and well with most things i'll explain why their wrong, tho if their making a statement about me or sm, i might explain why their wrong but i might also just be like "your wrong and i don't have to explain anything", but sometimes when it's a subject i don't really wanna say anything about i will just agree, if it's sm i don't really want anyone to know any of my real opinions or thoughts on... but ya
• Do you break rules often? Do you think authority should be challenged, or that they know better? If you do break rules, why? i'll break any rules i think i can get away with, tho if i don't believe i can or there's a possibility of consequences i'm normally pretty cautious of it... and ya i think authority isn't always right, and not all rules should be followed, some are stupid and some are plan wrong, and i will break rules if i think i know better, i think the rule is stupid, or a genuinely don't care about said rule, tho i know how far i can go there's some lines i won't cross bc i know their's gonna be bad consequences
anyways thank you for listening to my rant i know i did a lot of yapping and i didn't go back to see if it was written nicely, if you where able to read all dat your a legend bc i know i would give up after the first 2 paragraphs, and if you have any questions that you need me to elaborate on before you can type me go ahead

On the second try we can finally say that content when it comes to Robots and Synthetics and Cyber related things is where we want to be. And dare I say most flashed out when compared to other types of species or ascensions.
But where do you think Stellaris should go next with its next big expansion?
I had my 3 ideas that I think would be neat.
1 - Another Galaxy. Mysteries of other galaxies is a big trope in Sci Fi. Other galaxies are far and full of mysteries and other races and technologies and their own secrets and threats. I think it would be interesting to have endgame project where you build Arks and travel to another galaxy. And then have a decision to make. Will you remain in your current galaxy while sending ARK on its way and get tons of unity. Or go with the ARK and "start a new game" in new galaxy. You will have all your tech but will be cut off from your main source of income and all that kind stuff. And it will be up to you to create new foothold of your Empire in another galaxy while solving new mysteries and meeting new empires. And maybe even making contact with folks back home.
2 - Mirror Universe - I always like the idea of Mirror Universe from Star Trek where everyone there is twisted and evil form of their prime selves. Would be interesting having new Mid or Late game crisis where mirror versions of Empires start attacking our reality but also we can contact others in Mirror universe to help us. Maybe they will send imposters to hide in your Empire while the real people are held under lock and key. Maybe your favorite and most notable Admiral is actually a Mirror version and will lone day strike against you with entire fleet under his command.
3 - The Unseen - The idea of playing as something that cant be fired upon and cant be defeated by might is very interesting. Playing as a parasite or infection where your don't try to spread by using star bases and outposts. But rather latching on others as they take you towards the stars and you siphon resources from here and there. Causing robots to rise against their masters. Taking over ships to do your bidding. You are a living code, a cloud that cant be killed or destroyed. Your tendrils spread far and wide across multiple Empires. Example is Umbral Choir from Endless Space where they play differently from everyone else. While you can combat them you cant fight them like you would others. And it could even be diversed kind of "virus". Are you a biological virus that infects living things? Are you THE BRAIN SLUG?. Or are you celestial plague that originated from another realm? Or are you a virus that was once cast out from Mechanical civilization but now you will infect the galaxy once more and you will be the superior program of all.

Tottenham have agreed a deal to sell Japhet Tanganga to Millwall.
Tanganga, 25, has been on loan for Spurs’ London rivals since January and impressed with two goals in 18 appearances.
But despite his upturn in form, the centre-back doesn't have a future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he failed to make a single appearance under Ange Postecoglou in the first half of the season.
And with Radu Dragusin arriving at the start of the year, competition is fiercer than ever just for a spot in Postecoglou’s senior squad.
However, the defender could now be set to rejoin Millwall on a permanent deal after the Championship outfit had a bid accepted by Tottenham.

"Children learn to correlate consequences with their own actions. This is true of all of us, no matter what species we are. Adulthood is universally defined by maturity, and maturity is defined by nature as appropriate behavior to ensure your species' survival. If we apply this wisdom to the stage of evolution of a species, the culture and conservative capacity of intelligent creatures, then we can see it on that scale also. A species is like a child while they liberally explore their surroundings, learning the best behavior by trying everything, through the Trial of Errors. Then they mature and adopt appropriate behavior, avoiding doing things that work against their species, as individuals and as a whole. We can apply this pattern to the history of all alien races among us here today. This also includes the humans. I testify to this, as one who remains traveling alongside them and seeing each era of their ascended history. As the representative of the will of the Frendsikeel, as attorney to the cause of human endeavors and as their one follower in this galaxy, I say the humans are very cool." The alien sea otter with the boney shells covering her body spoke somehow in a human voice, having perfected the use of her translator so that it was indistinguishable from human speech.
There was applause among the limited audience of aliens at the application hearing for membership, each in their own way of signaling immediate approval. If the Cave Gods agreed, the Combine would be added to the councils of the Cave Gods And Friends Association. It was the dawn of a new and wonderful age for the humans.
The alien attorney visibly shuddered as an equally smoothly articulated translation started, and in a voice all-too-familiar. Osowl Fitten, Attorney-to-the-Humans, heard her nemesis from across the vast distances of both space and time. She was the Sunder representative, Supreme Prosecutor (of the humans) Eshka Layenna. The reptilian alien slithered out with a stylized collar to hide her frill and colorful paint on her face to look more appealing to the human eye. Indeed, the humans felt their eyes drawn to the masterful and ancient alien, who specialized in charm and glamor.
"Beautiful denizens of Rhema, world of art and music, esteemed guru, priests and patrons of the arts, lend to me your native attention. I will speak for you, and worry not what decision is made behind my back, by our wise leaders, the benevolent Cave Gods. They have heard the song of human laughter, recognized the absolution of human mistakes, graced the humans with thousands of years of benefits and gifts simply because they admire the beauty of the human soul. Is beauty not important? I would not stand in the way of beauty. We all know it is the first component of harmony, and we all know harmony is the first component of peace and we also know that peacefulness is necessary for love. And what meaning is there, that is greater than love?" Eshka Layenna spoke with passion in her human sounding voice, translated from a skillful use of her own vowels in order to inflect such sincere emotion. The attorney for the humans worried, for she had sparred with this particular individual alien half a dozen times throughout the centuries, and clearly they were both on the same course through the stars, sleeping for decades at a time in order to extend the usefulness of their respective careers.
The prosecutor skillfully explained that humans were beautiful in the ears of the blind leadership who had overlooked the capacity that humans had for, in their own word: violence.
Osowl Fitten sat quiet during her turn to speak in rebuttal. She could not quickly speak without thinking, it was not the way of her species and she was especially slow to decide what she wanted to say. In the silence one of the humans coughed expectantly, it was meant to prompt her, and she knew so. It was in all things, their little violences, and she had started to find it beautiful.
"Violence is the appropriate behavior when humans utilize it. They are equally capable of restraint and sometimes their violence is directed purely against the storm. Humans respond to all violence, they endure it and survive, they fight back, they commit violence for gain, even sometimes because they want to commit violence, with no further motivation. The Sunder administration has long sought to prosecute the humans because of this, and they are here today, to do this. I approve of this because it is the appropriate behavior. I would like to point out that the Sunder have invented many consequences to inflict on humans, and I must point out that to the human, those are called weapons and the Sunder have become hypocrites. On this day the Sunder are here to prevent the humans from becoming their equal, which is the appropriate behavior for the Sunder, because they anticipate that humans are dangerous, a known threat. They would list off all the times they have tried to blame humans for tragic events, or simply point out that humans were involved in a disproportionate amount of such tragic events, at the very least. And yes, humans are dangerous. Does not each new member bring a gift to the association? The Blue Light Watchers brought the gift of honest music, such as nobody had ever heard. Who among us was not moved by their music? The humans have brought a gift, and I foresee, the Dream Time, that this gift shall prove to be the greatest gift of all."
"What gift would that be?" Eshka Layenna spoke out of turn, amid gasps and gestures of outrageous surprise. Osowl refused to engage her opponent informally and ceased speaking until the Cave Gods had politely reminded the respected and venerable serpent of the absolute procedure of the courtroom, and begged her to behave appropriately. Then Osowl spoke, carefully avoiding addressing the question, while answering it anyway:
"When the Dream Time goes into darkness, and the galaxy can be crossed in an instant by the mere thought of terror, and there is no trade besides violence with this spreading nightmare from outside, that is when the greatest gift of all shall shine upon the threshold." Osowl Fitten turned off her translator and captions and spoke only in her own language. For a moment the court felt confused by this deliberate action, before the significance of it began to sink in. Even the scarred and brutal human Admiral Jinar they had allowed into the proceedings looked deeply moved, her eyes watering, as though she personally understood both the words and the power behind them.
"I have no further arguments, Wise Ones. The prosecution rests." Eshka Layenna said with strange reverence, abandoning her entire cause suddenly.
"This then, is the final enactment of all our discussions, and there are no further actors. Let the humans say then, what is decided here today." The Cave Gods spoke in rehearsed unison.
The humans cheered. They had just become members of the Cave Gods And Friends Association, and the humans were now officially equal to all the coolest aliens throughout the galaxy.
When the courtroom had emptied there were still two creatures sitting there. Osowl Fitten stared for a moment at the human, gradually recognizing her.
"You are Jinar. How so? Humans do not use Star Sleep or live such profoundly long life spans. But I am sure, somehow you are she." Osowl Fitten said at last.
"I am now Admiral Jinar, of the Combine Unified Forces. We are currently disbanded, but I still think they are coming, and we should be preparing for them. Now that we have a say in things, I'd like to get started on that." Admiral Jinar told Osowl Fitten, coldly speaking business.
"Are you not pleased that humans are now recognized as equals to the Cave Gods themselves? In the association, all species have an equal vote." Osowl Fitten twitched her whiskers in a personal greeting, hoping to see Jinar's mood change.
Jinar relaxed and smiled just a little bit. Somehow sitting there trying to interpret the whisker twitches of the Frendsikeel made her feel like a little girl again. It was just a moment, but it reminded her of her own resolve of character. She had felt a kind of personal hell for most of her life, regretting something she had done while she was very young, but worried it somehow defined her. When she had defeated the scout, something had changed, she had realized she was merely playing a role, and the universe was calling the shots.
"Maybe it was better to have gods. The thought that we are responsible for the course is somehow terrifying." Jinar said in plain, soldier-like way of speaking.
"This is humor." Osowl gestured that she found it mildly amusing.
"Do you think they are out there? You're my attorney, I kinda care what you think." Jinar grinned a little, realizing she could communicate very easily with the alien. It was like Osowl just understood everything. It was reassuring to be fully understood and also approved of at the same time.
"It is not a coincidence that I chose this world for Summoning. Allow me to show you what inspires so much art, why this world is a melting pot of artists from seven alien species who all come here for inspiration." Osowl Fitten paused and found a small box held for her by a servo.
"What is it?" Jinar wondered.
"It is a gift." Osowl seemed perplexed. She was trying to assess the correct way to receive such a gift. It was meant as a statement of many different meanings, what was known as a cruciform. Osowl realized it was in the form of clothing, a colorful sash. She wrapped it over one shoulder, wearing it as a kind of toga.
"What for?" Jinar asked.
"It is complicated. I will wear this, to show my admiration and to accept the insult. It is a sign of deep friendship, but one forged through a necessary rivalry, for we are not without the other. My opponent, perhaps she says farewell."
"No, she says she wishes to be your companion still - to continue to argue with you. We shall Star Sleep beside each other and visit the same places. I do not want to be alone and I do not want this to end. It is what is best for each. Ave." The Sunder spoke from the shaded curtains, slithering out dramatically.
"I accept this. I would not wish to be without you. I understand the duality of our arguments the same way you do. Come with me, and we shall visit distant stars and foreign worlds." Osowl Fitten said without hesitation.
From there, the three women went to the attraction of Rhema that Osowl had chosen as a backdrop for the human inclusion in the association.
"Of this moment, we suspend ourselves, for the brace, my dears." Osowl hissed in Sunder and made her new friend laugh with an emote.
Eshka Layenna stopped and suddenly slithered around Jinar with serpentine swiftness. "Is she with us, equal one?" In plain English, another idiom but this as a joke of some kind by Eshka Layenna. She donned a purple garland and wrapped part of it gently around Jinar, the exact movement dancelike and affectionate. She flicked out her snake tongue absently in her self-satisfaction and then turned and wrapped part of the boa around Osowl, who groaned in mock reluctance to the amicable game.
"So we walk together?" Jinar asked.
"Precisely. Unless there is a place we must do something else?" Eshka gestured to the colonial canteen.
"They serve alcohol here?" Jinar felt no resistance as she walked towards the bar with her old lady alien friends in tow, the fragile feathered tether wrapped loosely around all of them.
"Drinks. You may take your toxic beverage." Osowl complained.
"I insist. I know you got something you'll imbibe." Jinar grinned.
At the bar the servo identified them and guessed they wanted alcohol. Osowl was served a thimble of it and a proper shotglass with the colonial guard stamp half scratched off of it was put down for the lady in uniform.
"That's pretty strong. Can I have more?"
"No." The servo said, and took the shotglass and wiped it out with a wash towel.
"Actually, I'm good. That's a pretty nice buzz." Jinar grinned.
"It is precise, madam." The servo said with a little bit of an attitude.
"I'll have mine - not." Osowl said.
"Is that right, are you afraid you'll seem ridiculous? I assure you your friends won't notice your inability to change your eye color while intoxicated. If it helps, you can wear a mood medallion. Would her Gentleness wish her mood medallion?" The servo had split personalities, and was suddenly all cool while talking to Osowl.
"Very much so, Jehosephet." Osowl accepted the medallion with a quickness that conveyed a gleeful shift in her feelings about the bar. Once her medallion was worn and shining, looking exactly like flax colored eyes, she gladly accepted the drink with no further inhibitions. She took the thimble and insufflated it and exhaled what sounded like a drunken wheezing.
"You party hard." Jinar complimented Osowl.
"Yes, this is the celebration I am in for." Osowl seemed to be gagging in her translator and took it off to fumble with the delicate settings.
Jinar laughed, noting that her eyes were flaxen with tints of green and yellow while her medallion showed bright red frustration and embarrassment.
"I cannot drink alcohol, so I shall wear the hat." Eshka Layenna leaned on the bar and the servo placed a massive crown of supreme derpiness on her, some kind of cartoon creature vaguely resembling a Sunder. It looked insane. Jinar laughed so hard she fell over and landed on her butt.
"Okay, so now that none of us may have her pride before the others, now what?" Osowl sounded normal, but her medallion was a glimmering pink, showing she was aware she was being deceptive in some way, as her voice betrayed none of her sloppiness in communicating. It somehow made her seem more hilarious to Jinar, as she could tell Osowl was drunk.
"I am worried that if we stay we'll be seen this way by those who admire and respect us and it will somehow diminish our reputations." Eshka Layenna stated.
"That's part of the fun. But anyhow, we're on a mission. Let's go to this place." Jinar agreed.
"I am afraid our jovial antics won't last beyond the threshold." Osowl cringed as she realized she had spoke a word that meant the same as Threshold, the prophecy of her people.
"What's the matter?" Jinar's voice drained of laughter and she adopted gradual concern, as Osowl hesitated to answer.
"Let us go first, and bid this moment to memory." Osowl insisted.
They departed, leaving their festive garments behind.
There was no landscape to explore, but rather spires of habitats above radiated pools of slag. They flew in a saucer, hovering at different speeds and angles against the natural gravity of Rhema. After a while the saucer had found a break in the low gray-orange clouds that obscured the world below the observational habitats.
"What is the significance of this wasteland?" Jinar asked slowly, not really wanting to hear the answer - already knowing what such an answer would be. The rhetorical nature of her voice was greeted by merciful silence.
The three sisters, each from a distant corner of the galaxy, born in different ages, and different species, stared out at the desolation and they each recognized the same measure of it, for it was the limit of suffering.
Osowl knew her friends understood. She herself had adjusted to her existence, the last of her people. It still hurt to come home.

Military Active Duty, Retired Veterans, and Dependents. If you're considering Michael & Son for any Home Insurance Claims, read this first. You want to save a headache and $$...read. USAA has filed an active investigation of Michael & Son on my claim.
I've spent literally 10s of thousands of $$ to Michael & Son (M&S) for HVAC, etc of the last decade or so. Here's the short story: December 2023 my residence suffered a main line sewer break that backed-up in my basement. I made 1 call....to Michael & Son. They replied and sent a "dig" crew to address the pipe leak and a "remediation" crew responsible to clean-up the mess and documenting damage. While digging a massive hole in my yard to address the sewer line, they severed/sliced through my irrigation sprinkler system. I asked who'd fix it? The M&S person said they would fix it...no problem. My out-of-pocket for the dug hole and repair was $13k since it was outside the residence. So, here's the first problem.....It' s now May 2024....After countless text messages, calls, and follow-ups with M&S Customer Service, they refused to reply and schedule repair for my irrigation lines. I, then, had to repair it myself - $187.
That was not that big a deal, but, here's where this gets shameful and arrogant.
Months ago, M&S submitted a bill to USAA for $24,600 costs for their work, but M&S only submitted supporting documentation for $20k of the $24,600 bill. When asked by USAA about the remaining $4600 costs, M&S said that they were necessary due to the "need to hire additional staff". USAA asked M&S several times (calls, emails) for supporting documentation, but M&S refused to provide it....which now USAA believes M&S likely 'fluffed' their actual costs to make extra $$profit since they cannot easily provide any documentation supporting the need for additional clean-up staff. An important point for all home owners!!, it doesn't matter if your 'clean-up' company provides adequate documentation to the insurance company justifying their costs because, ultimately, the home owner is responsible for all costs. So, I paid M&S the $20k check I received from USAA and M&S immediately demanded payment of the remaining $4,600 balance or they'd engage in litigation! Seriously!?
Second HUGE problem w M&S. M&S has a standard customer policy that once their work is complete, the homeowner and M&S rep must both digitally sign a "Certificate of Completion and Satisfaction" form. But, I never saw or signed it. The copy provided to me has someone else's name digitally signed into my signature block! and it's not even my initials!
The Bottom Line: Michael & Son is a VERY VERY expensive home repair service. They charge exceptionally high pricing for everything. My experience is clear -- very poor follow-up, customer response, questionable inflated costs without supporting documentation, and likely to hold the homeowner to the full costs without review and approval!
Think twice about using Michael & Son service for any home repair insurance claim you may have. Both USAA and I shared this experience with M&S.
USAA has initiated an investigation of Michael & Son costs/claims under the appearance of fraudulent costs.
Hope this helps you.

Every business seeks a competitive advantage that accelerates profits and total shareholder returns.
Some businesses create long-term shareholder value across the short, medium and long-term horizons.
Few businesses optimise and maximise high-value exits - selling their business at the right time for maximum goodwill. The core question for directors and shareholders is your business's endgame strategy.
Selling a business for small and medium businesses is often emotional - but for others, they are strategic chess players - with one aim - the buyer pays a premium for their business.
Day-to-day optimising operations - margin improvement - revenue operations, and maximising net profits are vital day-to-day hand-to-hand combat for every business.
This Advanced Growth Framework study of 25,000 businesses globally, representing 98% of the global market capitalisations, found that buying-selling, mergers and acquisitions in industries are predictable well in advance. A.T. Kearney's endgame analysis provides significant insights.

Four Stages of Industry Development

Stage I: Opening

• Characteristics: Involves newly deregulated industries, startups, and spin-off industries.
• Catalysts: New technologies, regulations, ideas, and consumer needs.
• Market Concentration: Little to no market concentration at this point.

Stage II: Scale

• Characteristics: Major players begin to emerge and size becomes important, leading to consolidation.
• Market Dynamics: Niche players begin to feel pressure; concentration rates can be as high as 45% in some industries.

Stage III: Focus

• Characteristics: Successful players aggressively outgrow their competition.
• Strategies: Companies focus on extending their core business and streamline their supply and value chains, eliminating secondary business units.

Stage IV: Balance & Alliance

• Characteristics: Consolidation rates reach up to 90%, with a few players dominating each industry.
• Market Control: Large companies form alliances and dominate the landscape, controlling 70% of the market. The remaining 30% of the market can be occupied by any number of businesses.
• Expansion Strategy: Companies often look for new Opening-stage industries to expand into due to challenges in growth at this stage.

Combined Market Share of Top 3 Players:

• Stage I: 41%
• Stage II: 42%
• Stage III: 50%
• Stage IV: 70%

If your business knows in advance how, when and what to do to strengthen the value to maximise its final sale price - it can optimise its asset management to time and sell at the highest point.
Making it through the four stages is primarily a game of speed; the fastest business wins. The core strategic question is to determine can your business be a leader and survivor or if the wiser course is to be acquired or even opt-out and sell.

Or, as they say in the military - will your business be the king of the shits or shit of the kings?

Four Stages

• First-mover advantage: First-to-market companies frequently establish their product as the industry standard. They are the first to reach customers and leave a lasting impression, leading to accelerating brand recognition and loyalty. They control resources, such as locating strategically, establishing premium contracts with key suppliers, or hiring the most talented employees.
• Be faster advantage: Economies of scale can be achieved rapidly by acquisition-focused competitors. One of the primary benefits of internal economies of scale is lower costs, which allow businesses to improve their price competitiveness. Economies of scale lead to higher profits, a higher return on capital invested, and a foundation for business growth. As it grows, a company becomes more solid and less vulnerable to external threats, such as hostile takeover bids. It is one of the essential benefits of economies of scale for industries because it increases the share price of the company as well as its ability to raise new financing.
• Defence advantage: A company's defensive strategies to thwart a hostile takeover can have a significant impact on its shareholders, including, in some cases, a drop in shareholder value. Being acquired or awaiting new developments and reacting may be the best approach.
• Change the game: Globalisation, new technologies, increased transparency, and privacy legislation changes all deliver a constant feeling of continuous disruption. Those businesses that thrive now do so by being faster, detecting and responding to new growth opportunities daily and embedding new products and services faster than their competitors can.

Big Leadership Changes

• Different leaders suit different stages of growth.
• Empirical evidence identifies that deal-maker skills and bold leadership traits suit stages 1 and 2.
• Stage 3 and 4 CEOs are shrewd chess players and portfolio managers.
• Many businesses entering stage 4 deploy a spin-off growth strategy from their core business.
• The spin-off business typically launches new industries or sub-industries, creating new opportunities for the spun-off business to fuel future growth.

The board aims to better match your leadership team skills for the correct growth stages.

How can a business survive and thrive during the industry's evolution stages?

The answer from the research of 25,000 businesses is it must acquire or merge other businesses —it cannot solely rely on its organic growth.

• There is no optimal or maximum company size— survival requires every business to grow continuously.
• Mergers are inevitable if a business wants to outgrow its competition - a must to maximise value for the future.
• There are few to almost no protectable niche markets of size— almost all industries are now global.
• Learning how to integrate an acquisition or merger partner successfully is a core competence of successful businesses. Build the skill sets early. (i.e.to, arrive at a top 3 company)
• For a merger or acquisition to be successful, it should advance the resulting entity further along the curve.

Business history tells us that, in any (almost every) industry, consolidation will happen.
Future industry leaders belong to those who can master external ( M+A) inorganic growth.
What is your business's growth plan?
Regardless of industry, there are always economies of scale - professional services -merging accounting firms to reduce the transaction cost and increase shareholder value.

In the quest for vibrant and healthy hair, there's one shining star on the supplement scene: biotin! Let's delve into the uplifting benefits of biotin supplements and why they might just be the missing piece to your hair care routine.

Unlocking the Power of Biotin: A Beauty Essential

Biotin, often hailed as the "beauty vitamin," is a vital nutrient that nourishes not just your hair but also your skin and nails. As a key player in the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, biotin ensures that your body functions optimally, including the production of keratin, a protein that forms the structure of your hair.

The Hair Affair: Biotin's Marvelous Impact

Picture this: stronger strands, reduced breakage, and a luscious mane that turns heads wherever you go. That's the promise of biotin! While scientific evidence may still be evolving, countless users swear by the transformative effects of biotin supplements on their hair health.

Who Can Benefit from Biotin Bliss?

The beauty of biotin is that it's for everyone! Whether you're struggling with thinning hair, dreaming of longer locks, or simply craving that extra shine, biotin supplements offer a natural and accessible solution. Pregnant moms looking to support their changing bodies, busy professionals juggling hectic schedules, or anyone longing for a confidence boost – biotin has something for everyone!

A Journey to Radiant Hair: The Biotin Way

Incorporating biotin into your daily routine is as easy as pie. With a myriad of biotin supplements available in various forms, from capsules to gummies, finding your perfect match has never been simpler. Just a daily dose of biotin could be the key to unlocking the hair of your dreams!

Embrace Your Hair's Potential: Biotin's Positive Vibes

It's time to bid farewell to bad hair days and welcome a new era of hair confidence with open arms. Biotin supplements offer more than just the promise of beautiful hair – they embody a celebration of self-care and empowerment. With each dose, you're not just nourishing your hair; you're nurturing your inner radiance and embracing your unique beauty.

Final Thoughts: Shine Bright with Biotin

As you embark on your journey to radiant locks, remember that biotin supplements are not just about external transformations; they're about embracing your natural beauty from the inside out. So go ahead, indulge in the magic of biotin, and let your hair shine as brightly as you do!
In the end, it's not just about having beautiful hair; it's about feeling confident, empowered, and ready to conquer the world – one fabulous hair flip at a time.
In the quest for vibrant and healthy hair, there's one shining star on the supplement scene: biotin! Let's delve into the uplifting benefits of biotin supplements and why they might just be the missing piece to your hair care routine.

Unlocking the Power of Biotin: A Beauty Essential

Biotin, often hailed as the "beauty vitamin," is a vital nutrient that nourishes not just your hair but also your skin and nails. As a key player in the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, biotin ensures that your body functions optimally, including the production of keratin, a protein that forms the structure of your hair.

The Hair Affair: Biotin's Marvelous Impact

Picture this: stronger strands, reduced breakage, and a luscious mane that turns heads wherever you go. That's the promise of biotin! While scientific evidence may still be evolving, countless users swear by the transformative effects of biotin supplements on their hair health.

Who Can Benefit from Biotin Bliss?

The beauty of biotin is that it's for everyone! Whether you're struggling with thinning hair, dreaming of longer locks, or simply craving that extra shine, biotin supplements offer a natural and accessible solution. Pregnant moms looking to support their changing bodies, busy professionals juggling hectic schedules, or anyone longing for a confidence boost – biotin has something for everyone!

A Journey to Radiant Hair: The Biotin Way

Incorporating biotin into your daily routine is as easy as pie. With a myriad of biotin supplements available in various forms, from capsules to gummies, finding your perfect match has never been simpler. Just a daily dose of biotin could be the key to unlocking the hair of your dreams!

Embrace Your Hair's Potential: Biotin's Positive Vibes

It's time to bid farewell to bad hair days and welcome a new era of hair confidence with open arms. Biotin supplements offer more than just the promise of beautiful hair – they embody a celebration of self-care and empowerment. With each dose, you're not just nourishing your hair; you're nurturing your inner radiance and embracing your unique beauty.

Final Thoughts: Shine Bright with Biotin

As you embark on your journey to radiant locks, remember that biotin supplements are not just about external transformations; they're about embracing your natural beauty from the inside out. So go ahead, indulge in the magic of biotin, and let your hair shine as brightly as you do!
In the end, it's not just about having beautiful hair; it's about feeling confident, empowered, and ready to conquer the world – one fabulous hair flip at a time.
https://nutridom.ca/products/biotin-150-vcaps?_pos=1&_sid=2bfc7e2ea&_ss=r

I'm working on an addition to my existing house (adding approximately 1,000 square feet). I'm struggling to find HVAC companies that will bid this type of work. Does anyone have any recommendations?
EDIT: The addition is adding 2 bedrooms, 2 bath and converting a current bedroom into kitchen/ dining area. We're looking to have a 3 zone ducted mini split system installed. Almost every HVAC company we've reached out to so far has said they don't work on new construction. The one bid we've received was over 5x the price of the system that was installed in our existing portion of the house (similar square footage) about 4 years ago.

Dodl us a easy-to-use, no-nonsense investment app, brought by AJ Bell (a multi-award-winning, FCA-regulated investment platform that’s been doing this for over 25 years).
Just created my account. It offers these accounts: General Investment Account / Investment ISA / Lifetime ISA/Pension. They also have some of the lowest fees in the market, so it may be a long term option for you.
Sign up requirement
Invest or transfer in at least £500. You'll receive a £30 voucher code (redeemable at various popular retailers). I'll send the extra when they credit us.
STEPS

• Type $BID in the comments and you can also click here to send me a DM. Include your email, first and last name so a referral form can be filled.
  
• Opens any Dodl account (an investment ISA or lifetime ISA or pension or general investment account) and add a minimum of £500 to it. You can also transfer an account to Dodl worth £500 or more to qualify for this offer.
  
• A £30 gift card (redeemable at Amazon and all the usual places) will be sent within the calendar month after the month the new customer adds the minimum amount (£500) to their account. You must hold a minimum of £500 in the account at the time the emails containing the voucher codes are sent.
  
• Do not close your account or transfer the investment right after receiving the gift card as they state "Dodl reserves the right to reclaim the £30 gift vouchers if the new customer closes or transfers out their Dodl account within 12 months of the offer being claimed."
  
• I will send you the extra when they credit us. Usually takes around 15-20 days (up to 30 per terms).
  

-Info: Terms
OTHER UK PROMOTIONS /// Click here and have a scroll for UK Only promos.
Feel free to message me by clicking here if you have any interest.

TLDR: First time buying a Lennar model home and lennar planting land mines every step of the way by revealing the last moment that they don't pay buyers' commission, the house has no warranty, tight contract deadlines etc.
hey all, I'm a first time home buyer and I recently found a Lennar community that I liked. Most of the homes in the community were sold out and they were down to the last 5 houses I think and the model home got listed recently. We had toured it with our realtor sometime back and was waiting for it to list so I can try and bid for it.
On the day of listing, the Lennar agent called my wife and told her that the house is now available and its a first come first serve. He told us to send over our pre-approval letter and reserve it at the earliest. I call him about 20 mins later with everything ready and he tells me now that the house is actually up for bidding and no longer first come as mentioned previously. I was to send in a bid and they will review it the next day. This was a bit weird but I decided its probably them trying to get max value so I went with it.
My realtor gets the purchase form ready, we fill in our bidding price and call him to check the process once. He drops the news that Lennar will not pay the buyer's agent commission and they prefer to work with buyers without a realtor. This was kind of a shock but nevertheless my realtor being a friend of mine, decided to just help me for that one day in good faith and gave me an overview of what to look for in the contract, how to navigate the process, inspections etc. I had introduced my realtor to Lennar on the first day of touring so this was a shock that they would only reveal it at the last moment but anyway it is what it is.
So I place my bid on a Friday night. They review it on Saturday afternoon. I get the call saying I won. Now, they have prepared a 200 page legal document for me to sign. I was to sign it by Sunday evening and also pay a 5% earnest money deposit. I told no way I can read it in that time frame; I also couldn't hire an attorney over the weekend and asked for more time. They simply refused saying they will go with the second offer if I can't meet the deadline. This sucked again. But my wife and I loved the home, the location and price. So thus began my long night of reading a complicated legal document with zero expertise.
I noted down my questions and reached out to the Lennar agent for clarifications. It turns out that since what I bid for is a model home, its warranty started the moment it was built -- which was 2 years ago. And I no longer have the 1 year workmanship warranty or the 2 year systems warranty. I'm essentially buying a 2 year old home with no warranty that is being sold as a 'new home'. This was not stated in the warranty contract. The contract explicity says that the warranty begins on closing date. I was furious and said this should've been atleast revealed before the bidding but the agent just gave a sales talk saying how the model homes has curtains that we get for free and how its been maintained so well that is might actually be better than the new homes :
So, in the nicest way possible I told them to shove the contract in their special place and told them I'm no longer interested. The agent said he will go with the "many backup offers" that they have on the table. They called me on Sunday evening again saying the backup offers were pulled out cos all of those guys who made backup offers had somehow bought other homes and management wants to close the house by Sunday night. Hence if I could state what the warranty is worth to me, they could work something out. But again I was to sign the contract within the next hour. I told them I will only sign after a full read through with my attorney and only after a 72 hour window from the time of giving me the final contract. The agent was no longer interested and said they will have to find another man to scam. He did say they will get back to me in 3 days if the house was still on the market.
Buying my first home is already a stressful life event and I'm burning through a huge chunk of my assets and savings and yet Lennar has been pulling this crap which honestly is infuriating. I would rather navigate this process with a realtor in my corner but the location of the house and its price point have been very tempting. What do you guys think my next steps are? in case they come back in 2 days with the house still on the table and open to a price decrease?

TLDR: First time buying a Lennar model home and lennar planting land mines every step of the way by revealing the last moment that they don't pay buyers' commission, the house has no warranty, tight contract deadlines etc.
hey all, I'm a first time home buyer and I recently found a Lennar community that I liked. Most of the homes in the community were sold out and they were down to the last 5 houses I think and the model home got listed recently. We had toured it with our realtor sometime back and was waiting for it to list so I can try and bid for it.
On the day of listing, the Lennar agent called my wife and told her that the house is now available and its a first come first serve. He told us to send over our pre-approval letter and reserve it at the earliest. I call him about 20 mins later with everything ready and he tells me now that the house is actually up for bidding and no longer first come as mentioned previously. I was to send in a bid and they will review it the next day. This was a bit weird but I decided its probably them trying to get max value so I went with it.
My realtor gets the purchase form ready, we fill in our bidding price and call him to check the process once. He drops the news that Lennar will not pay the buyer's agent commission and they prefer to work with buyers without a realtor. This was kind of a shock but nevertheless my realtor being a friend of mine, decided to just help me for that one day in good faith and gave me an overview of what to look for in the contract, how to navigate the process, inspections etc. I had introduced my realtor to Lennar on the first day of touring so this was a shock that they would only reveal it at the last moment but anyway it is what it is.
So I place my bid on a Friday night. They review it on Saturday afternoon. I get the call saying I won. Now, they have prepared a 200 page legal document for me to sign. I was to sign it by Sunday evening and also pay a 5% earnest money deposit. I told no way I can read it in that time frame; I also couldn't hire an attorney over the weekend and asked for more time. They simply refused saying they will go with the second offer if I can't meet the deadline. This sucked again. But my wife and I loved the home, the location and price. So thus began my long night of reading a complicated legal document with zero expertise.
I noted down my questions and reached out to the Lennar agent for clarifications. It turns out that since what I bid for is a model home, its warranty started the moment it was built -- which was 2 years ago. And I no longer have the 1 year workmanship warranty or the 2 year systems warranty. I'm essentially buying a 2 year old home with no warranty that is being sold as a 'new home'. This was not stated in the warranty contract. The contract explicity says that the warranty begins on closing date. I was furious and said this should've been atleast revealed before the bidding but the agent just gave a sales talk saying how the model homes has curtains that we get for free and how its been maintained so well that is might actually be better than the new homes :
So, in the nicest way possible I told them to shove the contract in their special place and told them I'm no longer interested. The agent said he will go with the "many backup offers" that they have on the table. They called me on Sunday evening again saying the backup offers were pulled out cos all of those guys who made backup offers had somehow bought other homes and management wants to close the house by Sunday night. Hence if I could state what the warranty is worth to me, they could work something out. But again I was to sign the contract within the next hour. I told them I will only sign after a full read through with my attorney and only after a 72 hour window from the time of giving me the final contract. The agent was no longer interested and said they will have to find another man to scam. He did say they will get back to me in 3 days if the house was still on the market.
Buying my first home is already a stressful life event and I'm burning through a huge chunk of my assets and savings and yet Lennar has been pulling this crap which honestly is infuriating. I would rather navigate this process with a realtor in my corner but the location of the house and its price point have been very tempting. What do you guys think my next steps are? in case they come back in 2 days with the house still on the table and open to a price decrease?

In the tradition of sinners taking on demonic forms when the go to hell, I have a couple of OC characters that I'm curious what sort of form they'd end up with. I'd welcome opinions and ideas, suggestions and plan to get them drawn up in the future.

1. Real name; Colonel Robert Tag / Code name: Bible - 58years old, receding grey hair, goatee, gruff, muscular but not fat. Dishonorable discharge from the military for deceptive tactics resulting in hundreds of innocent deaths. Immoral, selfish, power hungry, high I.Q., runs a mob-like organization. Killed by a bullet to the chest. (Don't want a shark form, at least)
2. Real Name: Unknown / Code name: Samedi (Sa-meh-die) - 40's African American Voodoo priest, thin/lanky but not frail - Conjures up demons from hell to do his bidding, very much a 'Starscream' personality for those who know TF lore. As in, follows Bibles orders while scheming to take over his organization. Killed by getting his head ripped nearly off. For Samedi, I envision something much like The crooked man from the Conjuring series, but will he retain human features or?

Welcome the creative minds of the communities ideas.

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