We have been neighbors for 2 1/2 years and have been together at neighborhood functions a few times. We met up at pub with a few other boaters and we’ve invited them to our house twice. It was during a college championship night in our basement rec room that I realized he was getting stranger and stranger. Not obnoxious, just weird.
Later, he offered to fix the power lines from my house to dock for the cost of materials only, free labor. That was a big job! But he said he had been an engineer who knew electric work and a lot more very well. He started hand digging the trench then quit for several days then rented a trencher. It got stuck and wouldn’t start. He tried to solve the problem with electrical and mechanical tools. The next day, he put the machine back together and called the rental yard. They sent a technician that immediately started the machine diagnosed operator error. That upset him and he was cranky so I stayed away. The job was finally completed after many months. We never knew when he was coming to work the job. There were weeks when we wouldn’t hear from him. But, free labor…
Finally the job is done! We gather at the controls, throw the breaker and it shorts. So we start at the beginning and he had crossed 120v AC into a 24v DC circuit frying the irrigation controls. His fix was to disconnect two wires but I knew both now free ends had been connected somewhere before he started repairs. After I traced every wire using a borrowed tester, I asked my neighbor to see if he agreed with the changes to his work.
He was angry when he arrived and started explaining the ‘science of electricity’. I finally erupted that we couldn’t work together if he wasn’t going to let me ask if he agreed with the change I made. He called me a name, I replied in kind and we each told the other to lose our numbers.
I see him most days and we just ignore each other. His mother lived in his house and died last week. I never met her. Two neighbors asked for food donations and we explained that we thought it might be inappropriate and unwelcome. There are several cars at the house again so another activity is underway. Should I: Continue to ignore him, Put a card in his mailbox or Knox on the door to offer condolences?
I live in a tight-knit gated community that relies on many clubs, sports and get together. It’s not like I will have to sit next to him but I’m worried whether the neighbors’ gossip has given me a reputation.

14-minute read.

average monthly nominal salaries and YoY change in Q1 2024

Yerevan +8% to ֏324K/$836
Syunik +7% to ֏295K/$760
Shirak +7% to ֏142K/$366
Yerevan had the highest wages. Syunik had the highest wages among provinces, while Shirak had the lowest.
REPORT: While the average nominal monthly salary does not always show the level of economic prosperity in a region, its rise has made a tangible difference in Syunik.
SUREN PARSYAN (economist): Syunik has higher wages and strong employment. It is the most prosperous province with the lowest unemployment poverty rate in Armenia: 24% in Armenia, 15% in Yerevan, and 2% in Syunik.
REPORT: Over the last 5 years, the average monthly nominal salaries have risen by 40% while the inflation was 21%.
source,

Armenian army launches command staff exercises

They will exercise the practical implementation of deployment and combat plans, evaluate the commanders' skills, improve the synchronized work between various groups, develop the officers' moral characteristics and practical skills during preparation and combat operations, etc.
They will use automated control systems and modern technologies during the exercises.
source,

Armenia and India will form a new working group for defense cooperation

Defense ministries of AM and IN held a meeting on Tuesday. They discussed the 2024-2025 cooperation plan and the creation of a new working group to coordinate the cooperation.
source,

from PM Pashinyan's speech at Copenhagen Democracy Summit:

PASHINYAN: Democracy has indeed become a reality in Armenia. Before the 2018 Velvet Revolution, massive electoral frauds were the usual companion of elections in Armenia. There was no trust among the citizens that there was a real chance for them to elect the government.
Now the situation is totally different; citizens know that they are powerful enough to decide. The two general elections that were held in Armenia after the Velvet Revolution have been acknowledged as democratic, free, and competitive both by the Armenian society and the international community.
Armenia made huge progress in strengthening the democratic institutions, an achievement reflected in reputable democracy indexes:
(a) Now we are the 43rd in the Reporters Without Borders’ Freedom of Speech index, compared to 79th place in 2017.
(b) Categorized as having partially free internet in 2017 by Freedom House, now we enjoy the status of a country with free internet.
(c) In Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Armenia is now 62nd instead of 107th in 2017.
(d) In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s democracy index we are 84th compared to 111th in 2017.
In order to assess this progress, it's essential to note that alongside democratic reforms, Armenia has been contending with external security challenges: the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's invasion of Armenia in 2021 and 2022 and the occupation of over 200 km² amid inaction by [Russia's] CSTO, the forced displacement of over 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, have cast doubts among Armenian citizens weather democracy is the right choice. So, democracy needs to prove its efficiency while dealing with security, economic and humanitarian challenges.
We are pleased with the deployment of EU monitoring mission alongside the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and we welcome EU’s decision to expand its capacity. On the other hand, we hope for the inclusion of Armenia into the European Peace Facility and in this regard, we rely on the support of all EU member states [Hungary].
A new set of commitments aimed at strengthening Armenia’s economic resilience, state institutions, and addressing the humanitarian needs of refugees has been taken on by the European Union and United States during the high-level meeting on April 5 in Brussels. The rapid and effective implementation of those commitments is of utmost importance.
Despite all the challenges, we believe that the real and most aspiring companion for democracy is lasting and sustainable peace. My government took the share of its responsibility for this. Recently we reached an agreement with Azerbaijan to launch the delimitation of our interstate borders on the basis of the Almaty Declaration of 1991. That means that during the delimitation we should simply reproduce the Soviet-era administrative borders. This is the implementation of the agreement reached in Prague in 2022. Now it is time to incorporate and reflect those agreements in the peace treaty and have it signed.
Another key point for our regional stability is the «Crossroads of Peace», project, initiated by my government. This project implies that Armenia and Azerbaijan restore and open transport and other communications in accordance with the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass, and comply with the principles of equality and reciprocity. These elements of the concept were agreed upon during the July 2023 meeting with Ilham Aliyev and Charles Michel. //

... Politico reporter's Q&A with Pashinyan

REPORTER: [Ex-NATO leader] Anders Fogh Rasmussen called your neighbor an autocracy. You are in a very difficult geopolitical and geographical position. How do you solve the security problem in that environment?
PASHINYAN: I would not like to comment on the internal situation of our neighboring countries. Democracy fully corresponds to the mentality of our people. It is a strategy for our government, it is our political belief, it is also our political identity. The members of our political team have spent most of their lives fighting for democracy, the rule of law, and freedom of speech. Now we have the opportunity to realize all these values in our country.
The security situation was complicated because of the regional and global situation; the world order is collapsing at the moment. My assessment is, and I have had occasion to say this publicly, that the 2020 war was a prelude to further developments. And now the main issue is security.
What is our strategic point of view, how are we going to guarantee the security of our country? Recently, I gave a speech in our parliament, where I said that the most important tool for ensuring security is a foreign policy based on legitimacy. This is the reason why we so often speak about the 1991 Almaty Declaration.
It is very important that during the 2022 Prague meeting, two very important agreements were reached. Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty on the basis of the Almaty Declaration and will use it as the basis for the border demarcation. This is the reason why I said that we are not drawing a new border, we just need to reproduce the existing one on the ground. This process is happening right now, and I hope that we will continue it steadfastly.
REPORTER: The border conflict that has occurred in recent years has had a negative impact on relations with Russia and Russia's role for Armenia. What would you say about this?
PASHINYAN: Armenia is a member of CSTO. We are officially a CSTO member, but I have announced that we have frozen our participation.
REPORTER: So are you still a member or...?
PASHINYAN: It is a matter for further discussion, but it is very important to record the current situation. A crisis arose in our relations after Azerbaijani troops invaded Armenia, and according to CSTO procedures, the Organization and its member states had to support Armenia in this situation. But even after the formal application, the CSTO refused to take any concrete steps, and in fact, that is the main reason for freezing our participation in the CSTO at all levels.
REPORTER: Do you expect the West to occupy the current vacuum and ensure your security?
PASHINYAN: We are diversifying our foreign relations in all spheres. Now we are developing defense cooperation with India, France, and other countries. We have a certain cooperation with the European Union because as I mentioned, we are happy about the deployment of the EU Civilian Observation Mission on the border. It is a civilian mission but in a way, it is a new factor for the security of our region. This is the first time that the European Union participates in the security agenda of Armenia.
REPORTER: Would you like to become an EU member?
PASHINYAN: We are waiting for the EU's decision to include Armenia in the European Peace Facility. We also hope to start visa liberalization negotiations, and last year I announced in the European Parliament that Armenia is ready to be as close to the European Union as the European Union deems it possible. This is our position.
REPORTER: Can you elaborate on what initiatives Armenia is taking in the fight against corruption?
PASHINYAN: We have made huge progress but have not eradicated corruption from Armenia. We must continue to be persistent in the agenda of democratic reforms. This is the reason why cooperation with the European Union is of utmost importance for us because today the European Union is our main partner in the implementation of our democratic reform agenda. We hope that the European Union, as well as the USA, will increase their support to Armenia in the implementation of democratic reforms, because, as I said, democracy is a strategy for us.
By the way, in 2019 we started a Strategic Dialogue with the USA, and today we see the strengthening of our cooperation with the European Union. We recently had a tripartite meeting with the participation of the USA, EU, and Armenia. It was an unprecedented format, where we adopted a huge agenda of institutional and economic reforms. It is also very important that we receive more tangible support from the EU and the US to address the humanitarian needs of the Nagorno Karabakh refugees because it is a very sensitive and emotional issue for us.
REPORTER: In which year would you like Armenia to become a member of the EU?
PASHINYAN: This year [as soon as possible]. //
Pashinyan met Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The latter emphasized the importance of the “Crossroads of Peace” project in the context of unblocking the regional infrastructure.
Pashinyan discussed various topics with the PM of Denmark. The latter accepted his invitation to visit Armenia.
full video, source, video, other, other, source, video,

former regime continues to hold protests and briefly shut down roads in Yerevan with demands for PM Pashinyan's resignation

ԳԼՈՒԽ 1
Dozens of participants were detained and released the same day for blocking roads. The detentions decreased from 170 on Monday to ~63 on Tuesday. They want Pashinyan to resign or to be impeached. The protest organizers visited universities to gather student supporters, some of whom joined them with a dance. The organizers also stopped by at a bakery where they were given free food.
A felony investigation was launched after a police vehicle, "with the sirens on", struck a reporter on the street. In another instance, an investigation was launched against a protester who brought a long sword. One other case was launched over alleged threats made on Facebook by a Galstanyan fan who wants scores of people to be beaten in dalans and exiled from Armenia, "մենակ էտ դեպքում էս սրբազան հողը կմաքրվի էս տեսակ շան ծնունդներից, ուրիշ ձև չկա!!!!"
ԳԼՈՒԽ 2
A ruling faction member of Yerevan City Council complained about "harassment" by opposition figures who are attempting to convince ruling party members to join the protests and the impeachment.
RULING MEMBER: That is not how it works. No one will join you with that conduct. People will join if they see you have a legitimate agenda with trustworthy leaders. Instead, you are "ethnically cleansing" the citizens of Armenia [referring to one opposition speaker telling non-Armenians to leave] և հեռու չէ են օրը երբ դուք գուցե ասեք որ հայ լինելու համար պետք է Հայկ նահապետից տեղեկանք բերել: //
ԳԼՈՒԽ 3
Yesterday the protest co-organizer Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan said he received a report suggesting that the Deputy Rector of Yerevan State University supposedly urged deans and others to retaliate against students who joined the protests. Galstanyan said he was unsure whether the report was true, but decided to read it out loud anyway. On Tuesday he rallied his supporters to the backyard of the University where he demanded to speak with the Deputy Rector for clarification.
The Deputy Rector went downstairs and greeted Galstanyan, who shook her hand but wouldn't let it go for an uncomfortably long period, prompting her to ask him to let go of her hand. The Deputy Rector declared that whatever Galstanyan read about her was a defamatory lie.
GALSTANYAN: I never believed it myself.
DEPUTY RECTOR: Then you should not have said out loud something you did not believe.
GALSTANYAN: Listen, there is a recorded fact...
DEPUTY RECTOR: Where is that "recorded fact"?
GALSTANYAN: It was on the media. As I said yesterday, I had no verification that it was true, which is why we came here to clarify it. If it's false, then I apologize.
DEPUTY RECTOR: Thank you. //
The Deputy Rector urged the protest organizers not to enter the building or disrupt the classes, and that "anyone who wants to follow you can follow you, anyone who wants to stay in classrooms should stay in classrooms".
The angry Deputy Rector left. Another university official criticized Galstanyan for not checking the information before reading it to his followers. Galstanyan said he stands behind his words, and that he was "just reading what was on the media", but reiterated that he had no intention to insult the Deputy Rector.
ԳԼՈՒԽ 4
Galstanyan and his supporters visited the monument dedicated to Operation Nemesis. He praised the figures behind Nemesis for "assuming personal responsibility". In front of the crowd, Galstanyan introduced Hambig Sassounian who recently joined his movement. He pointed to the Nemesis monument and said Sassounian is "one of the successors, one of the brightest people." In related news, on Sunday a ruling faction MP complained about receiving death threats with reference to Operation Nemesis.
ԳԼՈՒԽ 5
DANIEL IOANNESIAN (NGO chief): When this protest dies down, we need to discuss the following: (1) The transparency of political and media funding. There are some regulations in place, but they are incomplete and easily bypassed. For example, I'd like to know who paid for Archbishop Galstanyan's giant stage in Republic Square. In 2018 Pashinyan organized a fundraising for it and disclosed a detailed report. (2) Should the media organizations that do not respect the rules of financial transparency enjoy all the mechanisms for the protection of journalists? (3) Are the customs authorities confident that the church is not facilitating the business activities of certain figures disguised as donations? (4) Is it fair for the church and clergy members not to pay taxes? Should they be able to have a Bently and LX570 without paying taxes? [The "Bentley" is based on a true story.]
ԳԼՈՒԽ 6
Archbishop's fans spotted Miss Armenia 2003 and a H1 host Lusine Tovmasyan drinking a coffee at a Yerevan café and approached her.
PROTESTER: (unintelligable)
LUSINE: I was here drinking coffee yesterday, and a year before that.
PROTESTER: Why have you not joined the holy struggle?
LUSINE: Լավ եկեք թարգեք, շատ զզվելի ա, էնքան զզվելի ա․ //
ԳԼՈՒԽ 7
Pro-Kremlin propagandist Alexander Dugin praised the pro-Russian forces' protests in Armenia and criticized the pro-EU protests in Georgia.
Pro-Kremlin Russian politician Semyon Baghdasarov praised Archbishop Bagrat and the ongoing "uprising" in Armenia against the "traitor" [Nikol] who "rigged" the elections with the help of "Turkey, UK, and US". Nikol is a Turkish MI6 agent. video,
ԳԼՈՒԽ 8
Video of a protest recorded from above: video
source, video, video, video, video, source, source, source, source, source, source, source, video,

Armenian government has upgraded other diplomatic channels to reduce reliance on ARF's diaspora structures in the US, says pro-West NGO chief

KHURSHUDYAN: The status of the Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. [Lilith Makunts] has been significantly upgraded. I won't go into specifics because it's tied to our neighbors, but she plays an interesting role there. We have great conditions for the U.S. Congress to pressure Azerbaijan. This is outside of ARF's lobbyist groups in the U.S.
REPORTER: ARF Hay Dat's recent conduct has been shameful.
KHURSHUDYAN: And its influence on the Lemkin Institute was obvious. //
Yesterday Kurshudyan accused the Lemkin Institute of caving to ARF's pressure and meddling into Armenia's internal affairs to assist the protests by the pro-Russian former regime.
KHURSHUDYAN: Lemkin Institute accused Pashinyan's April 24 genocide remembrance day statement of containing "victim blaming". Lemkin did not comment on Pashinyan's statement for several weeks, waited 15 days, and as soon as these pro-Russian protests began in Armenia, they gave them a պաս:
source,

Armenia's four most prominent pro-West opposition parties announce the formation of a unified platform

Republic Party, led by ex-PM Aram Sargsyan.
Hanun Republic Party, led by Arman Babajanyan.
European Party of Armenia, led by Tigran Khzmalyan.
Christian-Democratic Party, led by Levon Shirinyan.
Have the following agenda...
(1) Promotion of Western values in Armenia and Armenia's membership in EU and NATO.
(2) United front against threats and risks of destabilization coming from Russia.
(3) Vetting judges to clean up the courts, and resolution of issues left unaddressed by the Pashinyan administration.
(4) Continuation of border demarcation based on 1991 Almaty.
(5) The use of international law to achieve a fair resolution for Nagorno-Karabakh residents.
The platform is open for like-minded forces to join.
source,

Armenian army chief denies being a Russian citizen

A statement released by the defense ministry denies media reports that CoGS LtGen Edward Asryan is a dual citizen of Russia. His wife is an ethnic Russian with Armenian citizenship and his kids are dual citizens, but Asryan only has citizenship in Armenia. The whole family has resided in Armenia since 2006, said the statement.
source,

Georgia passes controversial ‘foreign agents’ bill despite widespread opposition

The law will require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face crippling fines.
The bill will be sent to the President who is expected to veto it, but her veto is expected to be overruled by the parliamentary majority later.
Georgian PM Kobakhidze had an "honest conversation" with U.S. deputy foreign minister James O'Brien, telling him that the Georgian government is interested in deepening the partnership with the U.S., "which requires mutual efforts and relations based on fairness."
James O'Brien demanded to speak with the manager - Bidza Ivanishvili. The latter refused to meet O'Brien, saying he won't hold any meetings under "blackmail".
The White House said the U.S. will review its relations with Georgia if the bill becomes law.
source, source, source,

how many of the 101,000 Nagorno-Karabakh refugees have left Armenia and haven't returned yet?

As of...
Dec: 6.6K
Jan: 6.9K
Mar: 8.0K
Apr: 9.1K
May: 9.9K
The former Ombudsman of Nagorno-Karabakh said many of them have family members and friends in Russia who invite them to move.
source,

temperatures are rising rapidly in Armenia

REPORTER: The rainy May is not going to be enough to alleviate the negative consequences of the rapidly rising temperatures in Armenia. With a ~3 Celsius anomaly, Armenia had the second-highest increase in temperature over the last 6 months among a group of monitored countries.
WEATHER CENTER: High temperatures increase the evaporation of water and reduce the amount of snow in the winter. In December and January, we recorded rain instead of snow in certain mountainous regions, which is bad for water resources.
REPORTER: A conference was recently held in Yerevan within the framework of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
UN official: Around 40% of global soils are degraded. Millions of people will be forced to migrate from their communities by 2050 as a result of climate problems. Emergency action is needed to reduce the rate of rising temperatures. //
Armenia joined the Convention three decades ago and has assumed the responsibility to restore degraded soil by 2030. The government is promoting drip irrigation systems for farming and wants to plant more trees.
video,

is the decline of Lake Sevan levels finally slowing down?

see the YoY chart

Yerevan Municipality to receive a €25 million loan from European Investment Bank to raise energy efficiency

It's part of the implementation of Eastern Partnership programs. The Armenian government and the EU are co-financing it.
The goal is to raise energy efficiency and carry out seismic retrofitting in 6 medical clinics and 32 kindergartens run by the municipality. The length of the program is 4 years.
video, video,

Gagik Tsarukyan is inside you

there is a bit of Tsarukyan inside all of you
see it to believe it

Gagik Tsarukyan says the new Jesus statue is ready and will be installed by the end of 2025

It will be a tourist attraction site. There will be a ropeway. Also, Tsarukyan needs you to know that he is a man of God and an avid believer.
video,

Armenia and Slovakia discussed AM-EU visa liberalization

source,

Lithuania will help retrain Armenian law enforcement agents to combat cybercrime, analyze crimes, etc.

source,

Armenia's Economy Minister Papoyan met the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt

In a Washington meeting participated by the Armenian Ministry delegation and Armenia's Ambassador, they spoke about the Crossroads of Peace logistics project proposed by Armenia, several topics relating to Armenia's energy and economic security, and the Armenian government's ongoing efforts to classify Armenia as a "market economy".
source,

Armenia and Iran discussed the construction of a second bridge over the River Araks

The first bridge began operating in 1996. It came to replace the floating bridges on the river.
Iran says the AM-IR traffic through the Meghri checkpoint significantly increased last year. Coupled with the fact that Armenia is building a modern North-South highway, they believe it's necessary to have a second AM-IR bridge to handle the rising traffic.
The parties are currently discussing the formation of a working group consisting of experts to discuss the topic.
source,

a new study on mice indicates that more exercise might be better than more sleep for clearing brain of toxins

They injected a dye into a brain and tracked the speed of its movement during sleep and exercise.
The findings show that the clearance of the dye was reduced by 30% in sleeping mice compared with mice that were kept awake. This has not been confirmed on humans yet.
Previous research has suggested that sleep is important for preventing dementia as it is during this time that toxic proteins are cleared from the brain.
source, source,

They've been the major source of Mediterranean food for the past 5000 years and now they're importing food even with major advancements like HYV seeds, GMOs and mechanized ploughs and irrigation??

I'm a long-time player who joined before the NG+ update. I had every perk by then and I played till my fifth NG+, cleared out the Orc Horde on Impossible then stopped for about a year before coming back with the new wave of updates - I've obtained every encounter-related achievement now and my achievement completion is at 97%, while my NG+ bonus is +1311% caps and +131,1% all resources.
These are my thoughts on what prestiges (or "legacy perks") are the best.
S Tier:

• Architecture of Titans - This building singlehandedly takes care of your wood and stone needs - including caps! - and also provides a dramatic output of tools, copper and iron. It's completely worth the 60 fame and a satisfying reward for beating one of the lategame bosses.
  
• Ministry of Interior - Like the Titan Work Area, but for gold and research. And it comes with extra population and supplies, as well as crystals indirectly through the extra professors. Only caveat is that it costs materials and supplies to build.
  
• Guild of Craftsmen - A must for the earlygame when the production of tier 2 resources is directly competing with your tier 1. It will fall off for the individual tier 2 buildings later on but it's still the first building you want to go for whenever you unlock the feudal age.
  
• Craftsmen - Tier 2 resources will be one of your main bottlenecks throughout the game, and these perks provide bigger and bigger boosts to them. After Craftsmen III it stops boosting tier 2 to instead boost natronite and saltpeter, which is less crucial to have.
  
• Shopkeepers and Breeders - This boosts tools, cows and horses. While the latter two are nice to have for extra money at the market in a pinch, it's tool production that puts this perk above other resource multipliers like Enhanced Axes and Irrigation Techniques. Tools will be a recurring bottleneck from the early game all the way to the lategame, and it's always a good idea to get more.
  
• Deep Pockets - We're here to remind you about possibly life's greatest joy of all: MONEY!
  

A Tier:

• Machines of Gods - Like a lite version of Titan Workshop focusing exclusively on tools, copper and iron. It's unlocked later and is less cost efficient, but certainly helps.
  
• Powered Weapons - This buffs your units starting from primitive spearmen all the way to artillery and line infantry. The early perks are the most important to get as they make your cheap, easy to spam units all the more effective.
  
• Enhanced Axes, Irrigation Techniques, Renowned Stonemasons - These are the best way to boost your base resources until you can afford deep runs and beat the Sleeping Titan. Worth noting that Enhanced Axes and Renowned Stonemasons lead to Woodworking and Stonemasons, whereas Grain Storage is already unlocked at the start.
  
• Regional Market - MONEY! You can think of these as a second bank. Probably the best use for your first coin.
  
• Resource Caps - These are vital for early afk play. This line starts weak but gets stronger and stronger. It synergizes greatly with the NG+ plus bonus, though said bonus also means you can just take the boosted caps from base buildings and make do without this perk. Though it should remain very relevant in your first few NG+ runs.
  
• Ministry of War, Ministry of Worship - Both of these greatly simplify core aspects of the game, army and magic respectively, with extra army cap, food cap, faith and mana. Ministry of War turns arquebusiers into one of the best units in the game, and Ministry of Worship grants extra lucky stones, and both of them come with extra jobs and population. The reason they aren't S tier is that in the lategame you can get enough army cap to clear every encounter (at least on normal) and enough mana to have all spells turned on even without these ministries, whereas the extra research and gold always stays paramount.
  
• Clever Villagers - The thing with research output is that it's not your main limiter until it is. When you have the other resources' production down, make sure to not neglect this perk.
  
• Library of Theresmore - This provides a nice boost to most ancient era resources. With 5 of these libraries you have a +10% bonus, which would've cost way more in fame if you were getting all the various Enhanced Axes, Deep Pockets, Strengthening Faith, etc. and you can comfortably afford up to 10 libraries.
  
• Monastic Orders - I agree with u/AGDude's description that "all of the boosts it provides make life just a little bit easier". It also has a lenient price scaling.
  
• Strengthening Faith - This lets you produce more mana and faith which lets you unlock spells faster. Affording an extra spell can be as good as affording an extra perk, or better. It's also a must if you like using Battle Angels or rely on Zenix Familiars.
  

B tier:

• Zenix Familiar - These are cheap, immortal scouts who cannot discover new nations and run on mana rather than gold or supplies. And they give you research. The fact they cannot discover civilizations may seem like a drawback at first, but it also means no splash screen will pop up and block your autoclicker if you've left that on the explore button (there's some exceptions, like the Forest of Markanat and the Demoness Castle).
  
• Hall of Wisdom - More or less like an extra school. Handy although Machines of Gods is a better use for your first Tome of Wisdom.
  
• Stock Resources - These are the equivalent of a few houses, farms and lumberjacks for free at start, which is an appreciated boost.
  
• Gift of Nature, Gift of the Creators - Also a small initial boost, this time in direct production. Lets you get a few buildings up faster.
  
• Rampart - Another good use for a coin. It's like a second wall that costs more but gives you extra fame every run.
  
• Enhanced Pickaxes - I find copper to never be a bottleneck and for iron to very rarely be, but it's handy to invest some points into these, especially if your army strategy is to spam warriors and heavy warriors.
  
• Fortune Teller, Soothsayer, etc. (Lucky Stone perks) - Nice to have, particularly if your strategy relies on getting that extra upgrade from luck buildings.
  
• Ancient Vault - A multi-purpose storage which unlike the rest of the category also raises your gold, research, faith and mana cap. Building 14 of them is fairly affordable and equals getting Ancient Treasury I and II + Service to Gods I and II.
  
• Ancient Treasury - Extra gold cap can be hard to come by in the early game. That said you will mainly rely on vaults and natronite buildings to get the cap high enough for the coin.
  
• Grain Storage, Stonemason, Woodworking - Grain Storage is good in the very early game where every bit of extra food counts - whether it's to send out more attacks, or to free up one worker from food production to something else. I find Stonemason and Woodworking to not be worth bothering with, as at my current NG+ level I can reach Architecture of Titans in fewer runs than it takes to unlock them, but they aren't bad per se.
  
• Elysian Field - This helps militarily even if you don't rely on Battle Angels. It's one of the few ways to significantly raise the food cap, and more stockpiled food means you can send the army out to attack more times per sitting. Besides that they have a niche use in getting the achievement for 15 Altars of Sacrifices, but that's very late game.
  
• Titanic Walls - These walls give you extra fame and - surprisingly - tier 2 resources. But due to how costly they are it's less of a "I must get this immediately" and more of a "When I'm already swimming in tier 2 resouces and fame, I can build these to get even more"
  
• Militia Recruitment - Like a second, more cost-efficient barracks with some added settlement defense.
  
• Free Hands - An average pick, not as good as others. You're better off boosting population through the various buildings you unlock progressing the game.
  
• Army of Men - Also average. The late perks are very powerful and they can help squeeze in just enough soldiers for a tough lategame boss on higher difficulties, but most encounters do not come down to ten extra soldiers and even when they do it's usually a problem of recruitment cost and upkeep rather than army caps.
  
• Battle Angel, Seraphim - Some people swear by them but I don't use these much as early game I have other uses for faith and mana and lategame they fall behind other units. It's pretty fun to summon a battle angel just to clear a cellar full of rats, though.
  

C tier:

• Monument, Heirlooms - A basically-free building at start with some minor assorted bonuses. The bonuses aren't very impactful, despite being costlier than Stock Resources and Gift of Nature, but I like to get one every reset because they need to be unlocked one at a time, so I can have the full collection when it's time for the next NG+.
  
• Service to Gods - Extra faith and mana cap doesn't do much besides affording you an extra level of the Fortune Grove (but you can just get the Fortune Teller line). It's pretty satisfying to clear the Mausoleum of Gods in one, two clicks on faith and mana though.
  
• Charism - I haven't done the actual math and whether at some point a boost to fame might be more efficient than getting the other perks to achieve faster runs, but I only grab this perk when I have fame to spare or have already bought the higher tiers.
  
• Hall of the Dead - Extra population would be handy but this building scales terribly, especially in the tool cost. It's worth to build a few, but you get far more value out of ministries, where population isn't even the main selling point.
  
• Undead Herds - Unless you like cavalry or are trying to get the 15 Altars of Sacrifices achievement, this is not that useful besides for freeing up some workers from the breeder job.
  
• Strong Workers - I hardly ever bother with resource clicking beyond my very first run. There may be some strats that involve building up a stockpile of stone, wood and food during the ancient era before researching feudalism (which removes the buttons), but in my experience in Theresmore the best use for an autoclicker is clicking 15 times on the wall button until it's built.
  
• Spikes and Pits - Uuuuh... neat to have? The best way to deal with enemy nations is by taking them out before they can even attack, and building an army strong enough to pass the age bosses is best done through the other perks. The later upgrades cost relics and buff the Juggernaut.
  
• Shieldbearer, Priest, Juggernaut, Ancient Balor - I never use tanks as the unit's purpose seems sorta defeated. They are meant to be low-attack, high defense frontliners but they are weak to shock which is the most damaging unit type and is very common amongst encounters. Shoutout to Ancient Balor for producing steel and helping me clear out the Orc Horde Assault on Deity, and Religious Colony-boosted Priests are hilarious.
  
• Coin Mercenary, White Company- Mercenaries cost only gold and die before the rest of the shock units. Canava Guard are slightly tankier (but still shock) mercenaries, White Company are offense-focused ranged units. They can accrue a respectable amount of boosts if you get all the Mercenary Agreements perks, but there are better uses for your gold, coins and fame. With that said, if you have Coin Mercenary and White Company you unlock the perk to recruit Cpt Gallard (who gives you gold) and after that you get another perk which unlocks a questline with a new building and new encounters.
  

D Tier:

• Mercenary Agreements - I just don't bother with these unless I'm trying to 100% the perk list. Mercenaries are simply too costly for me to consider.

F tier:

• Weapons of the Titan - Compared to the other titans upgrades it's a complete waste of 60 fame points. The units it boosts aren't my cup of tea for the endgame, either, as crossbowmen and heavy infantry outclass arquebusiers and men at arms once you defeat Nikharul and rebuild the fortress.

So I saw the devs asked for ideas for decoration items.
Which must be pretty hard to come up with new stuff since Ft1 had so many already.
So here in this (real life) video is some awesome stuff in my opinion, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnF5Anlf8Ss
Like a fish feeder (even just cosmetic) with some effect maybe in the water (if there is fish)
Also Yurts and Container homes would be great as many people do now in Portugal and other places.
Some vegetation as decorative items? Like scrubs and even weed-type like fields, water plants, giant 4x4 old ancient trees (like olive, https://www.surinenglish.com/lifestyle/food-drink/malagas-extra-virgin-20220218092148-ntvo.html ) and GIGANTIC palm trees - maybe even 2x2 and 3x3 trees , just like more huge old wood logs and rotten tree stumps just for decoration
Chicken tractors (used to move chicken around on grass fields (great for decoration))
Some stuff from organic/regenerative farming like different soil types with mulch on it (woodchips, straw, could even be a gameplay element where players could put a new item they pick up from a compost bin over crops?).
Signs maybe even with some text elements like "Please plant " here where * is the crop icon you choose (maybe there is other text elements that would be useful like "Welcome to *your farm name), and huge 6-9 tile gates that have players farm name on them?
Worm bin (used in farming), compost, electricity poles (just for decoration), wind-farm/solar decoration, items for like a "tree-school" (like little pots with different crops/flowers/tiny plants and stacks of pots both vertically and horizontally).
Bonsai trees.
Also compost again, like giant stacks of mud/compost (maybe with flies over it and a buzzing sound)/woodchip piles just for decoration purposes
Trashcans
Wheelbarrows (always used on a farm). I think these could have so many uses even acting as a planter, which would look so cool with the player being able to put different crops in it just as with raised beds/garden containers/old truck wheels)
Also different types/variations of sprinklers maybe, like I love these giant grass fields where a sprinkler just shoots water all around, maybe this would be possible and look great on our farms even just as decoration? Plus eventually a watering effect
(even)Tall(er) grass, Wild Flower field soil type (possibly with little bonus effect for bees) or just in general different looks to the default plot (examples https://www.bostonseeds.com/products/wildflowers-seed/wildflower-seed-mixtures-20/ or just do google image search for bee field seeds)
Insect hotels https://www.urbanrevolution.com.au/products/small-insect-hotels
Raised garden beds (planters) out of wood, metal, recycled container, old truck wheels...
Ideas for trees: Cork Oak (where is an animation of harvesting the bark from the tree and the color of the wood changes)
Pomegranate bushes and trees (they can be grown in both ways) and theres dark purple, yellow, red pomegranate in general i think more bushes and berry hedges would be great as they are more convienent to farm than large trees (and you have brought a lot already in the first EA which is awesome!!). Generally i think it would be great if they often looked more unique like the Prickly Pear Cactus over just a round "bush").
Generally more unique looking fruit trees would be great (I understand its probably a lot more work)
Actually for tree ideas you might want to look at this small youtuber who goes around the world identifying rare fruit trees https://www.youtube.com/@allthefruit there is some places in the world where people just are super creative and have such an amazing variety.
Some worker tools, rubber boots on the ground (used a lot in some countries as costa rica), small 1 tile poly tunnels that connect (good for decoration next to fields), watering cans, irrigation lines, rainwater collectors (like barrels with water in them, IBC containers), garden hoes (maybe as fence type?)
(Also just having an idea for a feature maybe some day, where you could create a guided tractor tour if people click it, the tractor will keep following a certain path around the farm (kinda like the train of course, but maybe at the same time watering/plowing fields just by people "activating it" so following a line maybe set up with a tile seperatofence type of item?)
Rollercoaster instead of train going all over your farm (haha kinda meant as a joke but would surely be fun), same as some dinosaurs, elephants and other more "exotic" animals.
Boxes/crates of all the different/some mixed crops/fruit. Wheelbarrows and boxes with produce/plants/fruit/crops in them so you can make your farm look more like a production site.
Starlink satellite, different camper vans, more bonfires
Maybe (some day?) an "ancient tractor", or even like a cow/horse/donkey carriage acting like a tractor. This could be fun!
Different SMALL one tile water fountains (used often in backyard gardening), different Water Pumps.
More varieties of bird feeders. Maybe a tree that has a squirrel on it.
Some more varied wooden benches, chairs, tables as often used in garden areas around the world. Maybe with some garden pots on them.
Maybe some pools and more deluxe items like parasols, sunbeds/deckchairs, sunchairs, so people can decorate a special garden at the player house as in a lounge area (as the farmhands do all the "work" lol)
Also maybe for more posh gardens some white gravel type of soil with some green scrubs in them.
Shovels and other tools sticking in the ground/soil (or on piles as is already in the game with the beautiful hay fork).
Hope this helps this is what I could come up with an hour or so and would love to see tho I realize not all is possible to do or really necessary! And I am happy even with the EA just like its now lol.
Hope we see some other good ideas posted here now! I realized its pretty hard to come up with this stuff!

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)
Rhea Merryweather (sister b.27BC)
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

NOTE: This is my favorite episode of the Strays saga so far. Please enjoy! If you'd like to hear me read this story go here
2064 - Brownsville, Texas
Diego and Manuel stood silently while their grandparents spoke to the man. The boys should be celebrating their tenth birthday this week, but that wasn’t happening now. As the man started to nod their grandmother returned. She spoke to them in Spanish.
“My little ones. As we had feared we can’t send you both. Diego will go, he is younger.” Diego thought to himself ‘only by seven minutes,’ but his grandmother continued quickly. “Manuel will be our representative here, and Diego will go to space and start a new branch of our family tree.” Grandfather returned. They spoke in hushed tones a moment then turned back to the boys, shaking in the morning cold, holding hands tightly. Grandfather knelt in front of the boys, speaking in Spanish as well.
“My boys, there are great adventures ahead for you both. I know this is difficult, but you are strong, you have the name of warriors, and you will carry that name and make us proud, wherever you are. You are Tolama, and you represent us all.”
He was crying and the boys shook, trying not to cry. Grandma reached down and picked up Diego for a massive hug. Grandpa took him from her, squeezing him before setting him down next to his twin brother. Manuel tried to smile through tears as the boys embraced. Diego understood why he was leaving, and they both knew they might be separated. Hopefully Manuel would get on another ship. It didn’t make it easier.
The man that had spoken to his grandparents came over. “Time to go. Which one?” Trying to be brave, Diego turned to face him. He tried to speak but his ragged breath only made gasping sounds. The man smiled a warm smile. He took Diego’s hand. As they walked away he spoke to Diego in English, which, as his second language wasn’t that strong, but he understood enough. “Diego, right? I’m sorry I can’t take you both. My father decided to stay, demanding I take a child in his place.”
This had become common as people began to fear that the end of the world was nearing. Parts of humanity burned the Earth, while others tried to save some aspect of humanity, albeit not on this planet. The man continued.
“My name is Steven, and you are now a part of my family. My wife and daughter are already on board, so we need to hurry.”
On the ship, named “The Exiter,” (Stephen said it was a pun but Diego didn’t understand,) Steven closed the top of Diego’s sleeper pod. Diego watched him climb into the pod right next to him, looking at his family’s pods before closing the lid. Diego’s mind raced, what would happen? Where were they going? What kind of person was Stephen? His thoughts drifted to Manuel, and his grand-pa—re—n——
Diego drifted off to hibernation sleep.
2089 - The Exiter
Diego was awakened by a fist slamming on his sleeper pod. His mind was filled with cobwebs, his vision was blurry, and it took him a moment to remember where he was. The pounding continued. A woman was frantically trying to get his attention, he couldn’t make out her features, just a general shape. She was pointing at a red handle near his hand. He took a breath and the air burned. He coughed, which sent a jolt through him. His brain was foggy but he grabbed the handle and pulled, a vague memory that it was important to remember.
His pod opened and Diego smelled cooler air, still stale, but less painful. His eyes were focusing better but he still wasn’t sure what was going on. The woman spoke. “Are you the boy Steven brought on board?” Diego thought a moment then nodded. She breathed a steadying breath. “OK, come on out. I’m Linda, and this is my daughter Cassie. I’m afraid Steven didn’t make it.” She was so frantic that her voice barely cracked, although Cassie was sputtering through tears, holding tight to her mother’s leg. “The sleeper system has failed, several people didn’t make it.” This brought her to full tears as the two held onto each other. Diego was still fuzzy, barely remembering the events that had happened to him yesterday… or maybe longer? He looked up at Linda who pulled him into the embrace with Cassie. She gathered herself and smoothed her shirt before speaking.
“We are not even close to Proxima, this will be our home now. Maybe for the rest of our lives.” She looked at Diego, and Cassie, who was a bit taller than him but probably not much older. “And, this is our family. It is the three of us now. What is your last name?”
Diego spoke in a hushed tone, “Diego Tolama.”
Linda smiled. “That is a wonderful name Diego. Our last name is Kramer. You can use that as a middle name if you’d like, but keep Tolama, you will represent the family you left behind.”
Diego felt tears flood his eyes as he began to silently cry.
2100 - Exiter - Present Day
Diego was doing the same thing he did every morning, examining his crops. He had quickly learned about growing food in zero gravity, and had rapidly become the leader of the botanical department. It was quite possibly the most important job on the Exiter, or as many now called it, The Last Exit. Of course, the engineers who had managed to increase the speed of the ship got the most excited attention, but without Diego, they would have run out of food years ago.
A cup appeared in front of him, as Cassie joined him. “Coffee!” She smiled. He took the cup from his sister, and wondered how many rations she’d spent on it. Of course it was a special day so it was justified. Although he had managed to engineer several varieties of coffee and tea, coffee was a low yield crop in space, so it was more for special occasions.
Cassie sipped her coffee, smiling. “You know what today is?”
Diego returned her smile. “Of course I do. It’s Mom’s birthday.” She leaned on him as they smiled and sipped their special coffee. Before she passed Linda had loved coffee, often giving up a meal to get one cup in the morning. She was the reason Diego had spent so much time finding a way to grow coffee.
They had launched with more than a year’s worth of food and some water, as a means to survive the initial colonization on Proxima 2. It was obvious from the start that the food and water wouldn’t last. They had to grow food and recycle water.
The supplies they brought from Earth certainly had everything they needed, but recycling was so much more critical on the ship. They could not rely on finding ways to use local materials and supplies. Water was tricky. Diego had a knack for it, growing up on his grandparents’ farm had apparently left an imprint on him. His sister nudged him. “What’s your plan for the day?”
Diego smiled. “Tomatoes!”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s always tomatoes, or potatoes, or onions, or beets.” Diego interrupted her, “Someone has to make the food!”
They were both interrupted as Captain Lee came flying into the storage bay. He had unlocked his mag boots and was yelling to everyone to come into the large chamber. While the majority of the storage bay was dedicated to Diego’s farm, this was the largest space on the ship and still served as a gathering room.
Captain Lee drifted across the room until he bumped into the central beam, grabbing on to stop in the center of the room. Captain Lee was in his fifties, (Technically 25 years older, but hibernation doesn’t count,) and not as spry as he had been in his younger days. People aged differently in space, and some people didn’t do well. For him to practice these gymnastics meant he had some kind of good news, maybe another speed increase!
Captain Lee looked around to make sure everyone was present. “Folks, the Last Exit as flown it’s last kilometer. I have just been in communication with a ship from Earth.” The crowd looked around, had they come across another sleeper ship? Lee waited for the murmurs to quiet then continued. “It seems after we left the war ended and humanity rebuilt the Earth. They also solved faster than light travel and this ship, The Shepherd, has come to save us.” He looked around to gauge the crowd’s excitement. He yelled out “We can go home!” before spinning in the zero gravity.
Cassie approached Diego. “Hey, you haven’t packed.” Diego busied himself around his tomatoes, acting like he didn’t hear. “Diego, I know you don’t want to leave your gardens, but we can go home.” She pulled him to face her and realized he was crying. “What’s wrong?”
Diego took a deep breath, “Manuel died. All of my family is gone.” Cassie hugged him as he stood still, tears flowing. She grabbed his arms.
“I know it’s not the same, but you have me. We can start our families again, Kramer and Tolama, back on Earth. Diego, we can find new people. You can get married, I can get married. We can start new lives!”
Diego huffed, “I like this life. I have a purpose here!”
Cassie paused, “They have farms on Earth, but you can find a new purpose. You can go to school, learn to fly spaceships. You can do anything!”
Diego turned away. Cassie stood silent, unsure what to do. Everyone had already packed the few things to take with them. It was a simple task, and they were ready to leave. Crew members from the Shepherd had helped Diego harvest whatever food was ready. He seemed so happy, but now his garden was half empty. The remaining plants would die, and whenever the time came that a salvage team could retrieve the ship, which could be years, who knows what it would look like in here. Sadly, she put a hand on his shoulder and was about to speak when she heard a click.
Diego turned around and showed her the makeshift manacle he had on his wrist. The other end connected to a chain and was wrapped around the main post of the bay. He sat down, “I’m not going.”
She smiled at him sadly and shackled herself next to him.
Commander Klein rushed up to Captain Gardner, who was ushering passengers into their new space for the trip to Earth. They had room to pick up more Strays but if they didn’t find a ship in this sector, they would be back at Earth within the week. Commander Klein caught his breath. “Captain, we have a problem.” Gardner turned to him and seeing the concern on his face, ushered him to a corner away from the Exiter passengers.
“What is it Commander?”
Klein looked worried. “Remember the garden manager?” Gardner nodded. Klein took another breath, “He and his sister are chained to the ship’s structure. They won’t leave.”
Gardner frowned. It was an impressive garden, they would eat magnificently for a few days as they searched and returned to Earth. “Well let’s go talk to them.” Klein paused and Gardner realized there was more.
“Bren wanted to go document more of the botanical system, he was quite impressed. They chained him up with them.” Gardner’s brow furrowed. “Hostages?” Klein nodded as Gardner turned to go find out what was happening.
As Klein and Gardner walked to the airlock Jeffries joined them. “Captain?” Gardner looked at her, waiting. “Sir, I heard what’s happening. I spoke to Diego when we arrived. I grew up on a farm and Bren and I had taken an interest in his methodology. He’s solved several Zero-G botanical issues that we haven’t yet.”
Gardner grunted, “Yes, I’m sure it is impressive, but we can’t leave them.”
“Sir” She stepped in front of them causing all three to stop. “Can I try talking to him? I think I understand what he’s going through.” Gardner paused, waiting for an explanation. “Leaving my farm was the hardest thing I ever did. I knew I wanted to be a pilot but the farm was such a life affirming place. I get it. Maybe I can connect with him.”
Gardner thought a minute, looked at Klein, and agreed. “OK Lieutenant, you have fifteen minutes.” She nodded with determination and rushed off. Suddenly Gardner had another thought, “Don’t get yourself chained to the ship!”
The airlock led into a small room, then directly into the main storage bay. Bren sat on a stool, examining the various beds of vegetables. It really was an impressive setup. Diego stood and faced Jeffries defiantly. Cassie sat near the beam they were chained to. Jeffries tried to get a read on her but her face was blank.
“Diego, remember me?” Diego nodded. She continued, “My name is Isabella Jeffries, I’m the pilot on The Shepherd.” Diego stood silently. Cassie looked back and forth. Bren poked at chambers full of small green tomatoes, not ready to harvest. Jeffries stepped closer. “Diego, I grew up on a farm. We grew corn, beets, grains, alfalfa. I understand your connection to the gardens. I miss it.”
Diego spoke quietly. “No, you don’t. I was born in Arizona, but when I was six my parents were killed in a car accident. My twin brother and I went to Mexico to live with my grandparents.” He paused, looking at Cassie for strength. Bren looked on, as he felt the dirt cradles surrounding some root vegetables, too small to tell what they were. Diego went on, “It was three days before my tenth birthday that I got on this ship, while my brother stayed behind. My new father, Stephen Kramer died in a sleep pod malfunction, as did 33 others. I met my new mother Linda eleven years ago, she passed three years ago due to a simple illness we didn’t have the proper medication for. Today was her birthday. And you know about Manuel.” Cassie stood up and gently hugged him from the side. “My sister is all I have left, and my garden.” I can’t leave.
Cassie chimed in softly, “I go where Diego goes, he’s my only family.”
Jeffries took them in, imagining this must be what it felt like being separated from his brother. Unfortunately she already knew his brother had passed, she’s the one who looked up his family, and she delivered the news. “Diego, I can’t say I know just how you feel, I’ve lost people, but every story is different. But I did leave my farm, and I know how that felt.”
He interrupted her, his frustration rising, “No you don’t! You had another path. You became a pilot. Your farm kept going. This is my life’s work. I was happy to harvest all that food, but these plants still here, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, peppers, they’ll just die, and all this work will be gone.”
Bren noticed when he said potatoes, and examined the dirt cradles, impressed. He spoke up, “Lieutenant, have you seen his cradles for tubers?” Jeffries nodded. Bren spoke almost to himself, “Quite impressive, the Klaan could learn from Mr. Tolama.” Diego looked at Bren, trying not to lose his anger. Bren suddenly stood up, his mag boots clanking as he jumped. “And the tomato chambers, efficient. I understand The Shepherd has a space for botanical research?”
Jeffries picked up on Bren’s thought. “Yes Bren, we do, but it’s currently extra storage space, we haven’t quite mastered Zero-G growing. But, we have all the equipment, lights, irrigation, compost bins.”
Diego looked confused but Cassie caught on and turned to Diego. “Diego, what if we could get them to take this all with us, would you go then?”
Diego looked at her sadly, then looked around. “But this is our world.”
She took his hand, “I know, but Mom is gone, and the garden can come with us.” She looked at him a moment. “Our world is us, wherever we go, it’s you and me.”
Diego started crying again, as Jeffries got a beep on her communicator. She read a text note. “Diego, I know I told you you had no family, that isn’t true.” Diego looked at her curiously, his eyes red and tired. She read from the message on the communicator. “Your brother didn’t marry, but it seems he may have had a girlfriend, which isn’t in official records. Maria Alvarez, in Guadalajara. She has a daughter. I don’t know if that’s Manuel’s child, but you could at least meet Maria and hear what Manuel’s life was like. Her daughter’s name is Daniela.”
Diego gasped, “That was my mother’s name.” Cassie looked at him expectantly. Diego looked back at Jeffries, “We can take all of this?”
Jeffries nodded, “Yes, and I’m fairly certain our own botanists back on Earth would love to learn what you’ve done here. Bren seems quite impressed. You may already have a purpose on Earth.”
Bren nodded excitedly. “The irrigation systems are ingenious. Some sort of vacuum driven device?”
Diego nodded and reached down to his wrist, flipping a switch to unlock the cuff. He showed Bren who silently pushed the same switch and his cuff also fell away, floating gently away from him. Cassie flipped hers as well. Diego smiled sheepishly. “They don’t lock. We use them to stay attached to move up and down in the bay.”
Jeffries breathed a deep sigh, and gave Bren a questioning look. He raised his hands and shook them, a move that seemed equivalent to a shrug. She spoke into the communicator, “Captain, please send a moving team and clear space in the botany lab. We’re taking the gardens with us. Diego will supervise, and then we can all leave.”
Diego looked around the chamber, holding tightly on to Cassie’s hand. He smiled at her, knowing he wouldn’t leave his life's work, and he wouldn't lose another sibling.

Introduction: In the ever-evolving landscape of agriculture, technological advancements play a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency and productivity. One such groundbreaking innovation that is driving change in the agricultural sector is the Swaraj Code Tractor. This state-of-the-art machinery is not just a conventional tractor; it represents a paradigm shift in the way farmers approach their work, offering a unique combination of cutting-edge technology and traditional farming practices.
The Evolution of Agriculture: Agriculture has come a long way from traditional manual labor to the mechanized processes we see today. With the global population on the rise, the demand for food is higher than ever. To meet this demand, farmers are embracing modern technologies to boost their yields while minimizing environmental impact. The Swaraj Code Tractor embodies this evolution, integrating smart technology into the heart of farming operations.
Smart Farming with Swaraj Code Tractor: The Swaraj Code Tractor stands out as a symbol of smart farming, leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence to transform the way farmers manage their fields. One of the key features is the integration of sensors that provide real-time data on soil health, moisture levels, and crop conditions. This data empowers farmers to make informed decisions, optimizing irrigation and fertilization practices for maximum yield.
Precision Farming: Precision farming is a cornerstone of the Swaraj Code Tractor's impact on agriculture. With GPS technology and advanced mapping capabilities, farmers can precisely plan and execute their activities. This includes seeding, spraying, and harvesting with unprecedented accuracy. This not only saves resources but also ensures that every square meter of the field is utilized effectively, contributing to sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices.
Customizable Applications: One of the most revolutionary aspects of the Swaraj Code Tractor is its customizable applications. Farmers can install various apps on the tractor's interface, tailored to their specific needs. These apps range from weather forecasting tools to crop management applications, providing a personalized and adaptable farming experience. This flexibility enables farmers to stay ahead of challenges and adapt to changing conditions swiftly.
Enhanced Connectivity: The Swaraj Code Tractor is designed to keep farmers connected, not just to their fields but to a larger community. Through connectivity features, farmers can share data, insights, and best practices with each other, fostering a collaborative approach to agriculture. This networked community helps farmers learn from each other, leading to improved efficiency and sustainability in farming practices.
Conclusion: The Swaraj Code Tractor is more than just a piece of machinery; it represents a transformative force in agriculture. By embracing technology and innovation, farmers can navigate the challenges of modern agriculture with greater ease and efficiency. As the agricultural sector continues to evolve, the Swaraj Code Tractor stands as a beacon of change, reshaping the future of farming for the better. As we look ahead, it's clear that smart farming is not just a trend but a necessity for a sustainable and productive agricultural future.

Well, this is the final story I can think of for Naeriu. If there are any more situations you'd like to see him in, be sure to comment on them and I’ll see if I can’t work with them. I’ve been inspired by comments before, it can absolutely happen again.
The first story is here: Endure
The second story is here: Persist
And the thrid story's here: Strive
Being accepted is something everyone wants to be, but sometimes people can’t accept you for who you are. Sometimes, in the most heartbreaking cases, it’s someone you are close to.
Shout out to SpacePaladin15 for the universe.
Memory Transcription Subject: Naeriu, Kolshian Missionary
Date [Standardized Human Time]: January 11, 2150
I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I rode in the shuttle. Even if I knew I was safe here, I wasn’t scared of anything physically dangerous. This planet had gone mostly untouched by the wars that had plagued the outside universe, left alone orbiting an insignificant star in an unimportant location. The only thing useful in this solar system was the planet itself, an agro-world devoted to having as many high-yield farms as possible.
It was a beautiful marble from above, swirling vibrant colors painting the surface intricately. The polar oceans almost made it look like a tennis ball, funnily enough. I could even see some of the larger farms from above, large patches of brown, miscolored green, or any other number of colors broadcasting what vegetables were being grown.
Where there weren’t farms, there were prairies or small forests, the only refuge for any animal, predator or not, to avoid the ire of the farmers. Herbivores would ruin crops and carnivores would taint them, there was no winning against the farmers. However, in recent years, there has been an ecological comeback with the help of the Humans.
Forests were a little bit larger, pests were killed a little less ruthlessly, and the farmers' hatred toward Humans grew evermore. While they were not outright hostile, I could only be thankful I had not heard what they had said behind closed doors.
This planet, Toktkala, was once my home, but now it couldn’t feel any more strange to me. I could only pray for more strength for what I was about to face, being a supporter of Humans and an open believer of Christ was sure to have me ostracized by everyone. I had a feeling that there were only two refuges for me; the UN embassy, something that was never not swarmed with protesters, and my childhood home.
That was the reason my stomach felt like it was turned inside out, I had finally found the time to find my family again. It wasn’t difficult, they hadn’t moved away from the house, but I had broken all contact with them after the Battle of Earth. That was fourteen Earth years ago, fifteen on Toktkala. Fifteen years of no contact, left wondering the fate of their oldest son, I couldn’t fathom what that could have done to them. I wondered if they were even still together, after losing my little sister they were already stressed, losing me might have broken them. It made me feel guilty already, and I didn’t even know if it was true. Hopefully, they managed to stay together for my little brother, Bolop always deserved the best.
I wonder if he hated me, blaming me for our parents’ divorce. I wonder if he hated me for leaving for the military in the first place. I wonder what my parents will say, seeing their dead son on their doorstep.
The uncertainty ate away at me, but the only way to cure it was to face it, and I intend to face it head-on and with full honesty. I’ll take everything they throw at me on the chin and keep walking, relieved no matter the outcome.
The shuttle touched down in one of the very few spaceports built on the planet, all of which were humble in the worst way. Frequent traffic wasn’t a problem, so they had all been equipped with the bare necessities to be classified as a spaceport. Most were little more than a pad, a few administrative buildings, and a luggage check. The only one with any extra expense was located in the only city on the entire planet, on the complete opposite side of where I needed to be.
However, the underfunded port might have been a boon in the end, as it let me experience the rural air sooner. Nostalgia flooded my mind as the familiar scent reignited memories from my childhood. Running through fields with my mother, watching the sunset with my father, eating a home-cooked bowl of kotla on the porch, climbing the lone tree in the backyard when I was sad, swinging from it when I was happy, there were so many melancholic memories tied to this smell, and I would never get tired of them.
I gathered what little luggage I brought with me and waited for a bus to pick me up, mixed feelings caused me to stare off into the distance. It felt great to finally be back in the warm, welcoming, slightly humid air of Toktkala, but that just meant I was one step closer to facing my family. I wouldn’t and couldn’t back down, but that didn’t make me any less nervous.
“Feeling okay, deary? You look like you’re about to run away.”
I blinked as I turned to face the lady, slightly surprised that anyone would bother talking to me. She was an older Kolshian, decorated in old-timey jewelry and carrying an expensive-looking bag. I could tell from her thick accent that she was a Toktkala native, the people from her tended to take their time in everything, including speaking.
I accepted the distraction with a sigh, causing her to sit down and pay attention. “I’m fine, just nervous.”
“Aww, what for? I don’t know anyone who could be down in weather like this. Haven't had a nice day like this in a while.”
“Well, you see, I haven’t been home in a long time. Fifteen years, give or take.”
“Oh deary, that’s wonderful! I’m so glad you could finally make it home.”
“Yeah… I guess. It’s just, what has changed since I left. I haven’t said or heard a single word from my parents since the war, I don’t even know if they are still together. I-I know where they live, but that’s about all I know about my parents. What if they don’t recognize me? What if they hate me for leaving and not saying anything? And I’ve changed so much, I’m not sure they would even accept me for who I am now. I know I have to do this, I’m not backing down no matter what, but that doesn’t make me any less anxious.”
She was quiet for a long moment. “That is quite the predicament. Fifteen years is a long time to not speak with someone, but always remember, it is never too late to reconnect.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle and grab my cross. “Kinda like me and…”
“What was that deary?”
“Uh, nothing important. Now that I’ve given you my side, I think it’s only fair you give me yours.”
She shifted on the bench. “Oh well, there’s not much to say. Just going back to town after a visit off planet. A buyer was looking to buy some crops in bulk and I went out to meet him for some discussion. Really nice boy, almost as old as you.”
“Ma’am, I’m thirty-two.”
She waved a tentacle in chucked. “Well everyone is a boy when you are as old as me, deary.”
I let myself laugh. “Oh you can’t be that old, you barely look a day over sixty!”
She pressed a tentacle to her chest. “Well, I’m flattered. I guess there still are some gentlemen in this world.”
“Oh I think there are plenty, they just don’t get the chance to act like them.”
She tilted her head to the side. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
We fell into silence for a moment, but with no bus in sight, it would be better to keep talking. “If you don’t mind my asking, what kind of crops do you sell?”
She clicked her tongue. “Oh, all kinds, but I think the one you're asking about is the stuff I talked about earlier, am I right?”
I raised a tentacle as if I were surrendering, noticing a bus cresting over the horizon as I did. “You got me.”
“That was some dlut, you know the stuff. Tall stocks, bright purple, sweetish tasting fruit.”
I leaned back. “Ah, dlut. I bet that would be good in a kotla in this weather.”
“It sure would. I just can’t get over who I was selling to.”
I turned to face her head-on. “And that is?”
“A Human, can you believe that?”
I laughed. “You know? I can actually. I’m…”
I considered my wording carefully. I didn’t want to offend this nice old lady accidentally. After a brief pause, I found the right words. “I’m surprised that someone from Toktkala would even be willing to talk with them though, considering the popular sentiment.”
“Oh I know, and I think it’s just dreadful that those people get so much hatred. I’ll be honest, I was in the same wagon at the beginning, but I came around once they became the only people buying my products. After what was revealed about our history… well, I don’t think I need to tell you of all people how Kolshians were treated.”
“Trust me, I know. I just think it’s kind of ironic that Humans, people we all seemed hell-bent on making hate us, were the first to forgive.”
She sighed. “I just wish some of the other foolhardy people here could see that too. With any luck, your parents are like us.”
I nodded as the bus pulled to a stop. “Yeah, maybe. This was a nice chat, hope you have a wonderful day.”
She waved me off. “With a little luck, we’ll see each other again. Oh, what’s your name.”
I paused and pivoted before I stepped on the bus. “I’m Naeriu, and you are?”
“I’m Moelly. And I hope to see you too.”
I waved to her one final time as the bus accelerated away, feeling much better having talked with someone instead of just dwelling on my feelings. I felt more hopeful about my future now that the idea of my parents not hating Humans was rolling around in my head, it let me believe there was a chance my parents might not disown me. Dad was always supportive of me when I said I wanted to join, he had always had complete faith in the Federation, but Mom might be a little more lenient, even if she also held the Federation in high regard.
I wonder if they became the type to claim the Humans faked it all and Nikonus’ accidental confession was fabricated. There were a lot of those kinds of people still around to this day, almost twenty years after the war ended. I could only pray that they would realize the error in their ways and accept reality sooner rather than later.
I stared out of the window for a long time, passing the time by reliving every field, tree, and house that passed by the window. I couldn’t pull my eyes away even for a second, everything looked so familiar, but at the same time, just different enough to make it strange. Some things were out of place or missing, while others were just how I remember them. It was surreal to see how my childhood home had changed, and I could feel my anxiety bubbling back up just as we reached the stop I needed to get off at.
I tugged the suitcase behind me, thanking and tipping the bus driver as I left. He responded with a simple huff of acknowledgment before driving off. I watched him for only a moment before turning around.
At the end of a long driveway, standing just as tall as I remember it, flanked on both sides by fields of budding crops, was my childhood home. Vines crawled up one side of the house, a decoration that Mom refused to cut down despite Dad’s objections. There was an ever-so-slightly rusted shed peeking out from the back, inside should be all of the farming equipment used to control the drones and irrigation systems. Even further behind that, there was a tall, lonely-looking tree with a small swing hanging from one of its sturdy branches.
Everything looked the same, down to the plants on the window sill.
I decided I needed to pray one last time before I met my parents, silently mumbling to myself as I did. I asked God for the wisdom to know what to say, for the courage to face their questions, and for the strength to stand tall if they ridicule me for my path in life. I had prayed like this many times before, and I was surely going to continue praying after.
I finished the prayer with the sign of the cross and a gentle kiss on the cross around my neck as I reached the porch, looking up with hesitation as I climbed the steps. I set my luggage aside and took a deep breath, staring at the doorbell. Every question and wandering thought I had raced through my mind, causing me to stand stunned for at least a minute until finally I shook them out of my head and pressed the button with all of my might.
A strange sense of release and simultaneous anxiety flooded me. There was no turning back now, even if I ran away they could still easily see me. All I could do now was stand here and face the music.
There was a commotion inside, some thumping going down the stairs, and a loud voice calling out. “Hold on, I’m coming.”
It was Mom’s voice. Even if it was muffled through the walls and slightly more hoarse than the last time I heard it, it was still Mom’s. The first of the doors was opened, but Mom hadn’t seen me through the glass one yet. She was looking off to the side, setting something on the side table as she spoke.
“I’m sorry it took so long, Bullo, I was in the middle of making a meal.”
She reached up and began opening the glass door, only to stop in her tracks as she finally saw me.
“Who…”
I could see the gears turning in her head, and the slow realization dawned upon her of just who I was. Tears began welling up in her eyes and her mouth hung open. With a quiet sob, she covered her mouth, trying to form any words. She could only cry and shake her head before stepping forward and hugging me warmly.
“I always knew…”
I returned the hug eagerly, rubbing the back of her head. I tried to find words to convey the flurry of emotions, but couldn’t. “I’m back, Mom.”
She pulled away for a second, wiping a final few tears in her eyes. Suddenly her demeanor changed from overwhelming joy to concern. “Where have you been? Oh, my little baby, where have you been?”
I sucked in a nervous breath. “On Earth, Sillis, Fahl, Skalga… I’ve been everywhere.”
I could see her freeze up for a second. “Then… then why didn’t you come back?”
“I… I felt like you wouldn’t accept me. And every day I didn’t return, I felt like you would only grow to hate me.”
Mom stepped forward, caressing my face with a gentle touch. “Sweetie, I could never hate you. There is nothing you could ever do to make me hate you.”
“I… Thank you, Mom, you don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”
She stepped back and held the door open. “Of course, sweetie, now come inside. You have to tell me all about, well, everything that has happened to you, from the beginning. And while you are at it, I’ll finish making dinner. I bet you missed your mom’s kotla, didn’t you?”
I laughed as I tugged my luggage through the door. “More than you will ever know. Every other bowl I’ve had has left me wanting something more, but I know that the only place I could find it was here.”
Mom laughed as she pulled out a few plates. “Love, a mother’s specialty. Is that the reason you came back, just for some food?”
I sat at the dinner table, taking in the house around me. It would be considered old-timey by modern standards, though that just meant that not everything was super high-tech. There were still rustic aspects to my house, pictures still in frames and not screens, religious symbols that have been passed down for generations, wood used over metal in some places, and rustic pieces of tech that my father refused to change, claiming that it would outlast all of us. It was old, slightly musky, and it was home.
“That’s not the only reason, it’s more like a bonus. I just kept thinking about home, how I effectively abandoned you, and I needed to come back to give you closure. Thoughts of home would pop into my head at the most random times, like signs that I should come back, so I followed.”
Mom turned around from the stove, setting down a steaming pot on the counter before sitting next to me. “Well, I am certainly glad you decided to do so. Your father and I have both been torn up by what we thought was your death, having you here now is a blessing for us both.”
“Speaking of, where is Dad?”
Mom waved a tentacle. “Oh, he’s off protesting at the embassy again. At his age, he should be staying home and watching the field, but he’s a stubborn oaf and when he’s determined to do something he does it, you know that. I told him to give it up and to come home, but he resents the Humans and won't rest ‘till they are off this planet, maybe not even then.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and looked away. This was the worst outcome. Not only did Dad not like the Humans, it sounded like he outright hated them. I’m glad I prayed because I had a feeling that a shouting match was on the horizon.
“Is something wrong?”
I sighed. “Well, we might have… conflicting opinions on the Humans. I’m worried that we might fight.”
Mom sucked in a breath as if she was preparing a response, but it died in her throat before she could speak. She took a moment to recollect her thoughts, confusion growing in her eyes, before shaking her head.
“It’ll be fine. Your father loves you, no matter who you’ve become. You will always be his son, our son. There is nothing that can change that. I don’t know the experiences you've had, maybe I don’t want to know, but I know that you’re an adult now and can choose your own path, even if I don’t agree with it wholly.”
I grabbed Mom’s tentacle. “Thank you, Mom, you have no idea how much that means to me. I was so worried that you wouldn’t accept me, it was eating me alive. I just hope that Dad feels the same way. He is stubborn, you said it yourself.”
“I know he-”
The sound of the garage door opening cut Mom off and caused my nerves to flare up again. Through the walls, I could hear him shut the car door and stomp his way into the house. He had always been a heavy-stepper, but these seemed a little heavier than normal. Maybe he had just put on a little weight since I last saw him.
“Muola, I’m-”
Dad froze as he turned into the dining room, stopping suddenly as he saw me. He looked me up and down, putting the pieces together in his mind. He dropped a bag to the floor carelessly and took a half-step forward.
“Naeriu… you’re… you're alive!”
He rushed forward as fast as his old limbs could carry him, meeting me with a hug just as I stood from my seat. He rocked me back and forth, blubbering with joy and trying to bury his head in my chest.
“My son’s alive!”
He pulled himself back. “Where have you been? I thought…”
His breath hitched in his throat. “I thought you were dead.”
I held his tentacle with compassion. “I’m sorry, I was just so… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, all that matters now is that you are back with us, safe and sound.”
We stared at each other for a moment before Dad couldn’t sit still any longer, almost jumping toward the table. “You have to tell me all about it. Start to finish. You must have some interesting stories for us, right? I mean, you were gone for fifteen years, there has to have been something interesting going on, right? You could start with the story of that necklace, it looks pretty interesting. Is it something from Sillis?”
I glanced down to the cross on my neck as I pulled out a chair for him, sitting back down in mine with a huff after I did. “Not quite. It’s a later story. Why don’t we start from the beginning, like you said?”
Dad flung a tentacle in excitement. “Sure, yeah, from the beginning.”
I took in a deep breath. “After my last call with you, the Battle of Earth started. There wasn’t much I could do with my training, so all I could do was watch and wait. I was scared, and I only got more scared when boarding alarms went off. After they captured the ship, we had to evacuate. With no other option, I had to get in a life pod with the Humans.”
Both Mom and Dad gasped. “That must have been horrible, sweetie, how did you get out?”
Dad shook his head. “That must have been a terrible experience. I couldn’t imagine being trapped in such a cramped space with those monsters. Muola is right, how did you get out?”
I brushed past the casual Human-hate and continued with my story. “I didn’t. We landed in the northern part of the planet and it was late fall. All you need to know is that it was very, very cold. We had to travel with the Humans to avoid freezing to death, clinging to the belief that maybe we would be handed off to an authority later on and not be eaten. In the end, that was the best choice I had ever made. We made it to a cabin, but not after losing two others, a Harchen named Tekt and a Krakotl named Kulilim. It was just me and Kotern.”
Mom gasped. “How is Kotern? You two seemed like such good friends.”
I didn’t respond immediately, letting Dad’s mind run wild. “Did… T-they ate him, didn’t they?”
I shook my head. “No, in fact, they never even hit us. For the next few days, all we did was talk with each other. Just Me, Kotern, the Humans, and a Venlil named Leenek that we had picked up along the way. We just sat and talked.”
I could see the confusion building on Dad’s face. “Were they threatening you?”
I shook my head again. “Only one, Billy, the leader. He was the only one to make any threats, but he never acted on it. He was just angry. Some never even spoke to me, a few had very deep conversations, but only one ever made threats. One, named Brandon, talked to me about God for a while, after I told him that he had probably lost his entire family.”
Dad tilted his head in confusion, but didn’t make any comments, letting me continue with my story. “One day, Kotern goes out to gather some wood. The Humans had rope so we tied it on to him, but he didn’t come back. They sent a soldier named Valya out to find him, and comforted me the entire time he was gone. Around an hour passes and Valya returns, but Kotern isn’t with him.”
Mom leaned forward, engrossed in the story. “So what happened?”
I sighed. “I hid away in a room for a while, depressed that I had lost my friend, when I heard a bunch of arguing. I come out to see what’s happening, and Kotern is there, standing in the middle of the room, waving a pistol around and screaming for them to give me back to him. There were a bunch of people with him, led by a captain named Suklal. They wanted the cabin for shelter, but it ended up in a gunfight. Kotern died first.”
Dad sunk his head in sadness. “He was such a nice boy, you two seemed to get along so well. It’s a shame the Humans did that to him.”
“It wasn’t the Humans. Suklal shot him in the head after Kotern wouldn’t fall back. The Humans only started shooting after Suklal shot first.”
I let out a deep sigh, remembering how everything played out right in front of me. Even now his death brings tears to my eyes, he was such a nice man, he had just been misguided by the horrible teachings of the Federation. Teachings that I knew my Mom and Dad still clung to.
Wanting something to take my mind off of his death, I looked over to Mom. “I think I want some kotla now.”
Mom let out a breath. “Of course sweetie, I was wondering when you would ask.”
Mom got up to get some dishes, but Dad kept staring at me with a growing look of concern and confusion. “Hey son, what’s your opinion on the Humans.”
The bowls in Mom’s hands clattered slightly as everyone froze. I was hoping that I would be able to ease Dad into my opinion, but it seemed he wanted to take the more direct approach. “Well, I’m going to be honest, I like them. In fact, I love them. I love them the same way that I love everyone else. I wouldn’t be here without them, I wouldn’t be the man I am here today without them. It was a Human who pulled me out of the gutter and gave me direction in life.”
Dad sunk his head slightly. “They got to my son…”
I raised a tentacle. “Now, Dad, they didn’t get me. I came to this decision on my own. I looked at all the facts and saw that they were just as sapient as everyone else. They feel empathy, sadness, and regret just like all of us, and not just watered-down versions.”
He closed his eyes and raised his head. “Son, it’s going to be fine, we'll get you some help a-and cure this brainwashing.”
“I’m not brainwashed, Dad, that doesn’t exist. I’m-”
I sighed. “I’m not being controlled by anyone, I’m still the same Naeriu, just older and with more experienced. I’ve been gone for fifteen years, I’m going to change a little, but I’m still me. I just want to come back and reconnect.”
Dad stuttered in his own breath. “But the Humans tried to kill you.”
“Only after we attacked them first. And I forgave them long ago. A-”
I cut myself off before I told Dad that I was a Christian, that might just send him over the edge. I’d have to save that for later, when he’s calmed down a little.
“Can we eat something before we get too into this, please?”
Mom set the bowls down, eagerly accepting the distraction. “Of course, the kotla should be finished setting now anyway.”
Mom reached over and grabbed a wooden ladle, scooping up hearty spoonfuls into the bowls before setting them in front of Dad and me. I could feel the warm steam hit my face, carrying the savory taste of the various vegetables with them. Among the healthy chunks, I could spot the purplish color of dlut floating, slightly lighter now that it had been boiled.
“It looks amazing Mom, I can’t wait to try it.”
But just as I raised my tentacle, I froze. I glanced at my father, who was watching me with concern, confusion, and a little bit of fear. “What’s wrong son?”
I had never eaten a meal without praying beforehand. Sure, I might have sped up a prayer if I was excruciatingly hungry or late for something, but I always found a way to include it. Dad would freak out if he found out about my faith, it would start a full-blown fight.
Should I skip this one time to avoid making a scene?
I blinked and shook my head, feeling disappointed in myself. No, I had never missed a prayer before now, and I wasn’t about to start. I am not ashamed of who I am, I am a Christian and I am proud of it. If that means that my father is going to fight with me, then so be it. I don’t care if he doesn’t accept me, I don’t need him to. I am a grown man, and even if the words he says hurt, I know that I am being true to myself and God.
I am not skipping my prayer.
Slowly, I raised my tentacle and tapped my forehead, before lowering it to my chest, then my left shoulder followed by my right. “Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
I repeated the sign of the cross and closed my prayer, keeping my eyes closed for a moment before grabbing the spoon and taking a bite. “It tastes amazing, Mom.”
She was too confused to speak, but Dad wasn’t. “What was that?”
“A prayer.”
“To who?”
“Christ.”
Dad shared a glance with Mom. “I don’t recognize any god named Christ.”
“That is because He is from Christianity, a Human religion.”
Everyone went silent for a moment, the words I said still ringing in their ears. Mom’s confusion only deepened, while Dad’s turned to anger. “What?! You-You worship a Human god?”
“Yes, I worship God. I am a Christian, a believer in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.”
Dad shook his head and laughed. “You’re not kidding… You really mean it. H-how?”
“I was at the lowest point in my entire life, Kotern had just died, I was alone on an alien planet, I was hungry, thirsty, tired, homeless, and broke. A Human named Ben brought me to a church, the St. Louis Cosmic Christian Church, and that’s where I found God. I opened myself up to Him, and I’ve never felt more safe in my entire life.”
Mom remained stunned, falling back into a seat while Dad stood up. “I-I don’t… I can’t believe this. I cannot accept this. You’re not my son. Naeriu would never… H-he’d never…”
Mom leaned forward. “Solue, calm down. Take a deep breath and-”
“I can’t calm down! Not after that reveal. My son worships Humans. My son…”
“No, Dad, I don’t worship Humans, I worship God.”
“A Human god! Who is a Human! I don’t know if this is better or worse than you coming out as a Linked Chains member, at least they don’t think predators are gods! What does your god call for, hmm? Killings? Blood sacrifices?”
“Dad, hold on, slow down and give me a chance.”
“No. I want you out of my house, now.”
Mom gasped. “Solue! That is our son.”
Dad didn’t even glance at Mom, ignoring the building tears in his eyes. “No, he’s not. He’s some freak trying to impersonate our son. I hate to tell you Muola, but our son died in that war, and he’s never coming back.”
His words sank into my heart, causing me to wince away and take a deep breath. With my eyes closed, barely holding back the tears, I set my spoon down and stood slowly from the table. “If that’s what you think, then I won’t bother you any longer. Mom, it was wonderful to have your food one last time. Dad, I’m sorry that you can’t accept the facts. I’m glad I could at least give you some closure, goodbye.”
I turned to gather what little luggage I had as Mom frantically jumped up from her seat. “Naeriu, wait! Just give us some time to talk, Solue and I are just confused, is all. Please, wait here, for me.”
I paused at the door and sighed. “Anything for you, Mom. I’ll be by the tree in the back.”
As soon as I closed the door behind me, I started to sob. Dad’s words had hurt me more than I imagined they would, twisting my insides around like he knew exactly what to say to hurt me the worst. I stumbled my way around the house, wiping tears away with each step. I could hear Mom and Dad arguing loudly through the wall, both of them screaming with each other over what to think about the situation, though the words were muffled enough that I couldn’t understand them. By the time I reached the tree, there was no hope of me catching a single word.
I wiped away a few final tears and looked up into the tree. The first thing I noticed was that the branch I had fallen from long ago had finally healed, however, it was fixed in a completely new direction. I can vividly remember when I fell from that branch and broke my leg. I had never seen my parents so worried in their entire lives. Dad must have broken every traffic law on the planet to get me as quickly as he could to a hospital. Mom told me that he couldn’t sit still while they were x-raying me, every second that passed felt like an eternity for him.
He cares for me, a lot, and that makes it difficult for him to accept that I’ve gone on my own path now. Of course, I’d be ecstatic to have him and Mom join me, but something told me that they wouldn’t be diverting from their generational ways. They were both rooted in the past, and the tradition that came with it, and that shaped their worldview to a rigid stance where everything stays the same. At least Mom was a little more accepting, though I knew she felt about the same as Dad did, she just didn’t vocalize it.
With a sigh, I slid against the tree, looking out over the fields as the sun set in the distance. It seemed as if my worst fears were coming true, they wouldn’t accept me for who I was. I had changed too much from the last time they had seen me, I might as well have been a new person to them.
After a long moment, Mom finally exited the house through the back door, closely followed by Dad. I stood with a huff as they approached, preparing myself for whatever they would say.
Mom spoke first. “Sweetie, uhm, we are sorry for the fight. It’s just, well, we have a hard time accepting what you say to be true.”
Mom paused for a moment and Dad picked up where she left off. “The last time we saw you, you were still just a boy, barely an adult, and you held… beliefs that aligned with ours.”
Mom glanced between Dad and me. “And now seeing you here in front of us, the age we were when we last saw you, with beliefs that completely go against everything we believed, that our religion taught…”
Dad sighed. “It’s a little much, son, and I’m… I’m sorry I… lashed out like that.”
I looked between them and stepped forward. “Mom, Dad, I don’t expect you to understand me, especially not on the first day of me being back, but just know that you accepting me means more than you will ever know. Thank you, and I love you, both of you.”
I embraced them both in a big group hug, rocking back and forth. Dad only hugged me for a brief moment before pulling away, but Mom clung to me for a long time. After she finally pulled away, she sniffled once more and wiped away a few final tears.
She laughed slightly and shook her head. “I just hope you can forgive us.”
I couldn’t help but melt at Mom’s concern. “Mom, Dad, you never even needed to ask. I forgave you as soon as the words were said. I love you both with all my heart, it will take more than harsh words to prevent me from forgiving you.”
I smiled. “Though, I wish I could have gotten some more kotla before it went cold.”
Dud huffed and turned around. “It should still be warm in the pot, but you better hurry.”
Mom and I watched him disappear into the house, not looking back to see if we were following him at all. Mom sighed before speaking. “He’ll come around, you know he will. He’s just principled. He has his way that he thinks is right and there is not a lot you can do to change that.”
I nodded. “I know that, but I’m sure he’ll be more accepting once he gives me a chance to explain what I believe in. And tell the rest of my story.”
“That will be nice to hear. I’d love to understand what you have been doing all of this time that prevented you from coming home.”
I opened my mouth to respond, only to realize something. “Oh! Now that I think about it, where is Bolop?”
Mom sighed. “He moved away, wanted to be free from Totkala’s chains, he said. Just like you, only he didn’t join the military, thankfully. Just moved away. Haven’t had much contact with him, as far as I know he’s on Fahl, but you know him. He can’t sit still to save his life, he might be all the way in Sivkit territory for all we know.”
“But you still have his info?”
“Yes, but with the time it takes for a message to reach him and the distance he has to travel to get to us…”
“I understand, but I’d still like to have it. I’d like to set up a meeting time sometime later.”
Mom stepped up the stairs to the back door, but paused when I didn’t follow her in. “Something wrong sweetie? The kotla is only going to get colder.”
“Nothing’s wrong, Mom, I just want a second to be alone. I’ll be right in.”
She nodded understandingly and slipped inside, leaving me alone to reflect. I turned around to face the sunset, taking a deep breath as it passed below the horizon slowly. My life had been completely turned around since I left home all those years ago. I became a soldier, attacked a planet, survived the freezing Alaska wilderness, lost my closest friend, and fell into a deep depression, even losing contact with my family. But it was anything but bad, from there I built my life back from nothing, found my faith in God, traveled all across the galaxy doing missionary work, met and talked with an Arxur, only to return home to my family finally. I’ve had some extreme ups and heart-wrenching downs, never knowing just what would happen next, but even now I don’t have any regrets.
Even when I’m being ridiculed for my faith or spat on for my species, I don’t regret a thing. I accept the challenges, uncertainty, and hate, even welcome it, because I know that I am living my best life.
I let out a content breath, smiled a warm smile, and turned to open the door, welcoming whatever would come next.

I’m 4 days post op and had all 4 teeth removed and I’m not sure how many were impacted but at least 1. and I’m literally crying trying to eat in the front of my mouth all the time. I’m not really experiencing pain anymore just a little soreness I’m just really paranoid for infections from food getting trapped or God forbid dry socket. My instructions from the dentist say I can use the irrigation tool tomorrow but I don’t have a follow up for a few days and I don’t know if I can stand the front of my mouth for that long.
any advice or wanna share your experiences?

My cat aged (17.6) was euthanized yesterday (05/11) after essentially an over week long saga stemming from originally a routine dental extraction. On Tuesday 04/30 he went through a successful extraction dental of 3 teeth. Over the next couple of days he ate and drank minimally, but nothing too alarming for a cat just back from surgery. On Friday 05/03 we noticed he was more lethargic than expected at that point, and we took him in for a follow-up and they ended up cleaning out what was a bubbling infection (nothing too bad) and redid the suitures. They said he proably again wouldn’t eat for a day or 2 at most, and to simply make sure he drinks (he wasn’t dehydrated at all, and this cat loves to drink from the bathroom sink). He got put on Clyndomyesin (an antibiotic) and and a short acting opiate and we got sent home with the topical appetite enhancer Mirtaz. He doesnt eat or drink Friday. On Saturday 05/04 he eats about 6 or so bites really only at his dinner and lunch and begins drinking from a bowl and the faucet. After Saturday he did start drinking consistently and does make funmy mouth motions and funny sounds while drinking which is typical of a cat back from extractions.
On Sunday 05/05 he took about 26 bites some little some big and does show appetitiveness for his meals but was still very reluctant to open his mouth. The appetite enhancer doesnt seem to have any measurable effect. We are giving him his Clindomyosin in a syringe ground up with water and he really hates being syringe fed and we worry about hitting the sutures when the syringe is in his mouth.
Monday 05/06: Significantly less willing to eat. Only a few bites all day, but still fairly appetitive. We gave him syringes of food, as he still wpuldn’t willingly open his mouth except to drink water and even then only sips from the bowl or he lets the sink water drip in his mouth. He loves baked chicken from the store he goes crazy for it so we got that out and he did go crazy but when it came to actually eating pieces he wouldn’t do it.
On 05/07 we went in for a follow-up and they ran his numbers again. This is when we learned that despite his numbers being perfect just 4 days prior, his kidney numbers are now sky high in a few categories and he has acute kidney disease, (not the typical chronic kidney disease you see in old cats). The vet says that the AKD was likely caused by a bout of pancreatitis caused by the gas used during the anesthesia for his dental!!!!
He said that it would likely be reversible and that if not he could probably at least transition to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and be on the standard K/D diet supplemented with at home irrigation via subcutaneous fluids like many old cats. They decided to put him on IV for 2 days (he did come home at night where he wouldnt eat much) to really flush his kidneys and see if they could reverse it. When we would bring him home following a day of IV fluids we did start noticing the telltale signs of kidney issues like constant drinking and urinating, still no pooping or eating. On 05/09 they rechecked his numbers after his second IV day and there was no change in the numbers up or down. Which isnt a good sign after that much IV flushing, it meant we were just treading water. The vet said to give it another week and recheck the numbers again but this time get him on a K/D diet. He actually ate the K/D pretty well for breakfast on 05/10 but no other meals and he was noticeablly weaker physically. Interestingly although he felt bonier the vets said he still hadnt lost any weight so far through this whole ordeal, even though he still hadn’t eaten volintarily in a week, and at this point, we’re still syringe feeding and planning on changing out appetite enhancers from Mirtaz to Elura. He’d also taken to at-home subcutaneous irrigation very well. On 5/11 he still wasn’t eating and he’d also contracted a cold over the last few days so was sniffly and had some breathing trouble. Still alert but quickly goes downhill. He is falling over and yowling in distress or confusion. We decide to take hin down for potential euthanasia and to see if he’s in renal failure. It took a while at the emergency clinic for them to find veins and they said he was dehydrayed which indicates he was probably was in total renal failure since he should have been highly hydrated from all the fluids and drinking. We decided to go through with euthanasia.
This loss is particularly hard as this cat had been a part of my life for 15 years. My main question here, is has anyone heard of a sitation like this happening where the gas used during a dental leads to pancreatitis and subsequent Acute Kidney Disease? The vets all thought it would be highly reversible, and I know falling building syndrome, but still he went into renal failure so fast after 2 days of hardcore IV!!

So obviously it's early access and throwing bandits is a great way to give a challenge to the player but other ways and means could be thrown at the player.
A plague (or another debilitating disease) could move in through the town or region cutting your workforce in half and you need to allocate your workforce accordingly. The plague could be deadly, cause deaths, or just incapacitate so the player just has to allocate the workforce momentarily while people rest at home to recover.
An inquisition could come to town. Now inquisitions didn't really mean what we think they mean. Think of the book Montaillou. The "Church" would send inquisitors to town to interview the peasantry on heretics. This would give the church in your town something to do rather than just bury dead bodies. If you've been lacking in your churchly duties by the end of the Inquisition many could be imprisoned or worse burned just outside town. Burning of heretics was relatively rare but this could be a whole campaign idea based on the Albigensian Crusade where instead of bandits you're battling the Catholic church. You could be the town of Cathars or the town trying to keep them out. In this circumstance, people will be burned. This gives those Churches in town a new vital importance.
They don't all have to be negative and still provide a challenge. The king could come to the village which they did during the era the king had to travel and check on his realm. The king would be followed by his extensive camp and retinue. He could park his tents right outside the town and the strain on your food and resources would be taxing perhaps even leading to hunger, if you aren't ready for such a challenge you could have the king leave early at the cost of negative favor. However, the trade in your town would boom and you would get an influx of cash. You wouldn't be able to trade fast enough for all the food so you just have to be ready for the hit you would take. Now you could have less severe versions of this event like say when the king's judges come to the area to administer court cases, setting up tents outside your Manor.
Environmental disasters that aren't just fires. Maybe a field floods and your crops are at risk of being soaked. You could mitigate this by having the villains try to bucket out the water (last resort) or have them build an irrigation ditch to a runoff (which would take time and also depend on where you've built your fields.). Now, just one-off events that punish the player kind of just suck so maybe the player can flood one field into the other to choose which crop will be sacrificed and also the flood will bring vital nutrients to the field so maybe that fallow field will not only not be harmed but get a boost in yield.
Feuding families or guilds. Internal strife causes a town with two powerful industries to explode into violence. The Weavers, millers, or brewers could be at each other's necks. Think Ghent during the 14th century.

Continuing on Party Roll

​
The entire crew in real life are back together, so it was mostly RP last episode.
Sarn finally wakes up and instantly goes into debate mode with the party. Morals, loyalty and trust are the main debate factors, but before we turn to in-fighting, we come upon the none moving Sandcrawler. Things are silent and there isn't anyone around....however there is a glow coming from the front of the crawler. When we go to investigate it, we find before us a long haired man, humming to himself. It's Otto! (Reborn) Seems the gods deemed him unworthy, so they brought him up to their plane, trained him and sent him back as a man. Is he Jesus Christ?! Anyways, the King's guards come out and start pointing spears at us. Seems like they've gone through it these last couple of days. Thankfully, we have Krimbim with us and a gentle explanation is all that's needed to enter. When we get inside we instantly go see the King and tell him what's up. This is where it gets funky. See.... Krimbim is working on getting the crawler working again, meanwhile, the party is having their sidebar with the King, yet we don't have a plan after that. Do we try and head back and stop Sir Onn'd with Alabaster? What if Alabaster CAN bring down the wall? Are there more sinister ulterior motives at hand? Each of these question need to be debated, but time is not on our side. We don't know if we have been followed and it's on good belief that the baddies have a general idea of their location...
​
​
​
Party Roll to beat 19
Mark 17 Matt Nat 20!!! Jose 16 Cory 4 Dusty Nat 1 Vanessa 7
Matt parties with himself. Technically he steamed himself on twitch, so the drinking didn't make him feel totally alone and weird. He ends up crying in the shower.
​
Back to the story
​
​
We jump ahead a few days. The Sandcrawler is fixed, we have AC again, the King is in a better mood.
Sarn takes the few days to atune to the staff we've been carrying around all this time.
The sandcrawler seems to be getting on, albeit a little slower. We've taken a wider path and heading away from the city, that way we hope, to go undetected. Unexpected to us, we come across what looks like to be a pop-up farm. Now for some reason, the King wants us to talk to these guys to warn them about current events. Basically our King wants us to bribe them into not telling anyone who may be passing by about our whereabouts. The King slings us some money and tells our party to give them a floppy excuse; so, CHOP CHOP.
We head towards this farmland area and Otto, loaded with full charisma decides to take the lead on this one. Otto approaches a farmer and introduces himself and the party at do-gooders. But then tells the farmer that nefarious people are after them, but here's a bag of gold to keep you mouth shut. It's not so easy; the farmers have no need for gold. They are on a barter system with each other. So we negotiate; the farmers need seed, food for the plants we destroyed with our sandcrawler and equipment for irrigation.
Ugh, well for a bunch of poor people, they certainly are good at gouging. Krimbim figures he can take some parts of an AC unit and maybe help them out.
Krimbim, roll for mechanics, lol 11 +3 with guidance from Otto, 14 Krimbim can make it seem like the equipment can work, without it actually working.
​
Sledge decides that he wants rakes. His "clever" plan is to have these rakes trail the sandcrawler and "cover" up our tracks so that no one can follow us. \slaps head**
Seeing as the farm has very little and now they are giving up their tools, the farmer says he'll take their gold sack now for the inconvenience. To add a cherry on top, we offer over the deed to our bar in the city that we took. We don't tell him that it's charred to shit.
Krimbim gets to working, Sarn goes looking for seeds. After some time, we've traded an AC, some food, seeds and the gold, keeping the deed to the bar and more importantly, having the farmer keep his mouth shut.
We rig up our rakes to the back of the crawler and as we set off, the tracks disappear and mimic more of a giant snake. Getting back on the trail, nightfall soon approaches and guards begin to murmur about movement out in the dunes. The King is a little worried. We are north of the city and heading east where the massive battles that took place 500 years ago happened. It's a boneyard. It's also the area where the storm wall coalesces and it rains sometimes, raining down magical energy on these bones, giving them life again for a limited time.
Reality starts to sink in. Can we actually continue in this sandcrawler? Is there a way to continue without it? Debate breaks out and we start evaluating our options. It may take weeks to safely get across this area with the Crawler. We decide that misdirection is the best option, so we have the Sandcrawler go off in one direction, have the King and guards go North, towards an old dwarven city in the mountains. We however, will traverse the boneland wasteland on horse back, making our way to the last known spot of the mechanic creators, in search for answers.
We pass this idea with the King who agrees to it.
​
SIT REP
We got ourselves the giant desert in the shape of an Oval. To the north is a Mountain region, where the greedy dwarves live. In the west, the Orciling folk live (orc ppl) They are almost all dead after what happened in the city with the staff and storm wall and the running into it. The south is just desert, where you have the town of Drybed and the larger city In the far east we have a place named 'Ricecomine', the old mechanical city. Its more rocky than sandy
​
​
We gather equipment for our new journey and are introduced to Krimbim's newest creation; An automaton that goes by the name of JBR 5. It's a large, 10 foot tall, very steam punk looking robot. It can carry a couple of people, minimal weapons, meant to carry storage and had limited talking capabilities. Sledge commands JBR 5 and forward we go.
​
Lots of travel happens and first day is pretty uneventful. Night comes and we find ourselves in a more rocky area. We haven't seen any bones yet, but we know we're heading in the right direction. We keep traveling and then we come across a narrow canyon. There IS a path above, but its rocky and would prove difficult with our horses/JBR 5. We decide to use JBR 5 to haul up our cart and horses across this steep rock face. The canyon is only about 20ft deep, so it's shallow. Gathering JBR 5, we path it forward until we come a "T" in the ravine, cutting off in front of us, forcing us to walk a few hundred yards around. Down in the ravine, Meeb notices there are small huts set up. A make shift fence is there and some mean ass dogs are already barking at him. This is a grinders hut. The bone pickers do their processing there and send off their product to the city when it is refined. A stranger spots Meeb and yells at him to identity himself. The distance makes it hard to hear and soon an arrow comes flying through the air towards Meeb....
--- To Be Continued ---
​
Is JBR 5 related to Carl 7?
​
Is this all a metaphor for the war on drugs in the 90's?!
​
What reeeeeeeeeeeeeallly is our plan after we get to the mechanical city?
​
​
Christ, this is getting deeper than a Vatican coloscopy and I sense things are only gunna get dirtier the deeper they go! Find out if it does, on the neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtttttttttttt PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrttttttttttttttttttttttttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
​
​
Quotes
"It's all about Pornhub comment pages now, that's how the kids are communicating these days" - Dusty
"Are you?!" Matt to Jose, who thinks his whore character is Lawful neutral
"Do unicorn horns go limp, whenever they are not aroused?" - Steven
"Their just Dwarfie about their property" - The king, in need of sensitivity training
"Well there is Sand Paul, but no one takes him seriously" - Dusty on a 3rd option for King
"Did you say 'suck the gringo outta you?" - Dusty, always mishearing things
​
​
​
​
​
Trivia
- Sledge gets a new Maul -Otto has become slightly more annoying by preaching to the party about his faith now. With pamphlets.
-And that's how you grow your own Pineapples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4iDBK0U6po
-Sarn cannot fully attune to the staff, but he can use it. It comes with a charm spell.
-Bone pickers are commoners who go out in this world, steal the bones and grind them up to make magical essence. It's very addictive.
-The constructs/mechanics that created the storm wall still exist in this world, but there are only a few left.
-The magic rain tastes like 'Surge' and glows blue.
-Zydrate https://repo.fandom.com/wiki/Zydrate#:~:text=Zydrate%20is%20a%20highly%20addictive,in%20a%20little%20glass%20vial.
-Rory's wife said this was the worst movie she's ever seen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd7HXt6a78w
​
​
​
partyrollpodcast.com
@ party_roll on twitter
https://www.patreon.com/partyrollpodcast
Teener Time https://www.youtube.com/@TeenerTime
www.youtube.com/@PartyRollPodcast

hi guys :) i'm on day 5 of my wisdom teeth removal, i did all 4 at once and I got stitches for them. I wasn't given an irrigator or much directions beyond the first two days, so just kinda basing my hygiene off tips on here.
I'm not experiencing any pain, my swelling is almost completely gone, and I'm able to eat some softer solids if I chew slowly. My only issue now is that it seems like my bottom stitches are getting gunky with stray bits of food. I've kept up with salt walter rinses everyday, but I don't think it's doing much just moving it around gently. On one side my stitches have disappeared 🫢 but the other is intact and seems to be loosening. It looks really gross, but again, no pain. Anything else I can do to clean the area or should I just leave it alone?

I'm writing this because I asked a lot of questions on this sub in a scared panic, and it would have helped me a lot to see someone else going through what I went through.
I had a tooth that I broke almost in half years ago, the dentist somehow restored the broken part with a filling. She said it would probably need a root canal some day though.
This tooth hurt on and off all the time. It kept scaring me into thinking it was root canal time, but then after a week or two of mild burning pain around the gumline, or a weird "pressure" feeling, it would go away.
Eventually one year, after a lot of stressful life events, it came back really bad, and it wouldn't go away.
I got a root canal at an endodontist with a CT scanner and wave irrigation and everything. Then antibiotics because it still hurt after. Then different antibiotics because it felt like the first antibiotics started and then stopped working. Then a second root canal in the adjacent tooth, which, turns out, was necessary! The nerves were all dead. But that tooth never hurt, when they did the hot test and the cold test it simply had no response, the nerve was dead and the bacterial infection was minimal.
Then more antibiotics because that first tooth still hurt. Only now it was even worse. Now it had instant response pain to brushing. I never had that before. I was terrified this meant the filling was loose and it was broken in half again, but they assured me both teeth are 100% fine.
Then I went on opioids. They helped make me less afraid of the pain coming back so I could relax at home, but once it did, they didn't do a damn thing.
I'd take advil and tylenol and I thought it helped a little, but it mostly just made my stomach hurt.
I begged my dentist for more antibiotics, but he said "no I don't think those are gonna help you, I think you should go to your doctor for nerve damage".
He was right!
The doctor gave me gabapentin and it worked 100x better than the opioids. The pain went from searing burning flossing-with-razor-wire to a mild tickle immediately, then after a few weeks it is gone. If I stop taking the gabapentin it comes back.
The clues that mine was nerve pain were:

• it wasn't sensitive to hot, or cold, or chewing pressure immediately (but it did flare up hours after chewing crunchy food like goldfish crackers),
• it was just burning sore all the time for no reason. It felt like it was inside the tooth, even after the root canal. It also felt like the gums were burning.
• It was milder when I lied down or went to sleep, it didn't wake me up, and it wasn't there for a few seconds after waking either.
• It got worse when I exercised or got upset.
• After the root canal, it was irritated by me shaving on the outside of my cheek.
• After the root canal, the "tooth hurts" when I brush it, even though there's no nerves in it, because it is referring pain from a damaged nerve up above.
• After the root canal, there is an itchy spot on my outside cheek skin an inch above this "sore tooth" that keeps itching all the time like an invisible mosquito bite that comes and goes.

I don't think the root canal caused the damage, but it certainly irritated it.
I hope if anyone else is experiencing similar confusing pain, where their dentist keeps saying "I don't know"... you find this helpful. I wish my dentist had referred me sooner, but ultimately I accept there was no way I was getting out of there without a root canal first.

Just as the title says, it's been two months since getting my teeth pulled and one of the holes does not seem to be closing at all. It is also quite sensitive to cold water or hot coffee. I still have to irrigate the area because food is still getting stuck there. There is also a dull ache in the jaw to pair with it.

Hey everyone. So to keep it short for those who dont know about my story yet. Im almost 2 months into dealing with severe T. It started after an ear irrigation. During the first month only one side was ringing. Second ear joined in after a my physio therapy session. I have been to 4 different ear specialists 3 of them said that its not possible to get T from an irrigation unless the ear drum got damaged (apperantely everything looks fine in my ears). I do remember that i still had water in my ear after the irrigation. So i layed down sideways in hopes it would come out by itself. On the next morning i woke up with a very bad case of neck strain which however got better within 1 week. My T consists of multiple tones/frequencies and it fluctuates a lot. On top of that my ears feel full and i do feel like that my hearing is worse than it used to be, though its not visible on the hearing tests. Now i did notice some things. However im not sure if its considered normal or if this could be a sign of the underlying cause for my T.

1. The most noticible sound i experince is a very high pitched hissing/static sound. Its similar to TV static. When i move my head sideways like allll the way this sound actually gets louder and higher in its frequency. The same happens if i clench my teeth tightly. Now im not sure if everyone experiences this "noise" when doing those things. If so then you now know how my T sounds like 24/7 :").
   
2. When i move my jaw sideways i do hear and feel a popping sensation on the left side. It doesnt hurt though. Chewing gum or firm food sometimes causes me to experience a ticklish sensation in my ear.
   
3. When i move my jaw foreward i can hear my ears producing a noise similar to a train that is "letting off steam". But after a few seconds it dissapears. However it does happen everytime i move my jaw forweward.
   
4. Everytime my T is getting really severe like 10/10 it often comes with pain in the facial regions. Especially behind my eyes, upper nose and forehead.
   

To those who are far more experienced with T or actually deal with somatic T. Does this sound familiar..? Could this be the cause of my severe T..? Id love to get some opinions from you 🙏