Hi, I'm new to this subreddit, I have DKC2 and 3 physical SNES cartridges (I use to have DKC1 when growing up and yes I 101% it on NSO recently) DKC 2 is my favorite tho. Crocodile Isle is an amazing location and has very different vibes compared to Donkey Kong Island. The atmosphere is amazing and the music is incredible (my favorite themes from this game is Krokodile Kacophony and Krook March). I REALLY enjoy the challenge this game has, I seen people hey really mad, but honestly I never really yelled or felt that angery, I guess I have alot of patience, and I also just have really fun. The levels are fun and creative. I think it has the best bosses in the og trilogy, all of them are fun and challenging. I love getting all the collectables and getting to play the harder levels in the lost world as I go. Diddy Kong is my favorite Kong, Dixie is a close second. It has my favorite version of K. Rool, I seen a lot of people prefer his original design in DKC1 but I think his design in 2 is just as amazing, and makes him fittingly more threatening looking, he's also alot more threatening in this game, he kidnapped Donkey Kong, and you see at the end that he's abusing him as DK is tied up. His final boss is amazing, I actually prefer Krocodile Kacophony over Gang-Plank Galleon, his attacks are really fun to avoid while still having a set pattern (alot more challenging, complex and fun than his fight in DKC1 imo), and the way DK break free at the end to finish him off is just so good, the secret final boss is really good too (not as good as the the first final boss tho imo) where he comes back and you only get to attack him at the end. I also really love th graphics for these games, I think DKC2 did them better tho, I love the pre-rendered 3D models compressed to 2d sprites and the backgrounds and environments so much. What do you guys think of this game? Honestly it's tied with my other favorite 2D platformer, Yoshi's Island for the SNES. :)

I got into the points game in mid 2022 when our travel picked up significantly.
Our travel patterns are different. But we still travel on average a little more than once a month. Nothing extravagant for the most part mostly domestic long weekend getaways and we are planning at least one trip to Europe/UK a year - economy flights
Our current keepers are:

• Amex Delta Platinum & Reserve
• Amex Platinum/Gold/Green/Blue Business Plus
• Amex Hilton Business Platinum
• Chase World of Hyatt Business
• Capital One SavorOne (mostly for Uber)

Within the last two months I opened the Platinum now that we aren’t flying primarily Delta for lounge access and the Hilton Business to replace the Aspire. I am still working on the SUBs for both
Plans over the next 18 months
Chase Ink Preferred - two of our major bills per month ($2200 a month) codes for 3x - our HOA and our month to month car subscription through SixT. It will replace the Green and will open up Hyatt as a transfer partner. We had plenty of Hyatt points for this year. This will be the last card for 2024.
Early next year I will be getting both the Southwest Business card and personal card for the two year companion pass.
We have one trip planned to Anchorage next year so I will be churning the BOA Business Alaska Airlines card.
Then the Chase Ink Business Unlimited as a churner and finally another Chase Ink Preferred
I am just now getting into the Chase ecosystem aside from the Chase WOH business card.
I will be under 5/24 in mid September

Hey guys,
Recently I watched a youtube video of a music composer analyzing Colgera's Boss Theme and while very fun, I thought it went a little too technical for me. The more I listen to it, the more I´m convinced Colgera's theme is my favourite theme in the whole series. It excels at setting the tone for the fight by way of telling a story.
Full disclaimer : I´m not a major in anything even closely related to music, can´t even distinguish similar musical instruments but bear with me, for some reason I feel like I got the 'theme' for this 'theme. Having said this, I´d love to hear the opinions/corrections of any music specialist on this issue.
Before we begin, please click the link provided or search for "Colgera Boss Theme" on Youtube, should be the first video available. I´ll be providing some time-stamps as examples to explain my reasonings.
Try to visualize the song as a Narrative, the characters are as follows:
0:00, 6:30 - This flute is Link (little slower flute), I think Link might be also a Clarinette sometimes?
0:22, 3:57 - This other flute is Tulin (little faster, higher pitched), I feel like this might be a wooden flute
0:33 - This Heavy Brass thing is Colgera
0:43 - This sinthy "woh" "wah" keyboard is Ganondorf, his theme when you meet him or his phantoms actually use the exact sounds
Not let me try and set the Ambience too:
0:35 - Flight of Cellos going up and down - Strong Wind or Tornado (actually sounds a lot like wind coming though an open window)
3:33 - PIanos going up and down - I feel like this could be Snow.
6:51 - This whole little piece of orchestra is Tulin's Sage powers waking up, could also be the sage himself
If you have beaten this boss, I'd like you to try and visualize the whole song as your battle.
Winds blowing, Storm and Tornadoes everywhere, it´s absolute chaos out there but you´re in the eye of the storm.
Link feels relatively fragile in relation to all this, but stout, somber. Tulin is there with him, his entrance evokes hope(0:22). In front of them, the menace of Colgera(0:33).
1:28 is there to remind of us again how dangerous this whole situation is, also just for a second there, the influence of Ganondorf(1:34) can be heard.
Notice how despete all this, Link never loses his cool, Tulin always comes right after him with his heroic and hopeful tune in this first part.
The song changes a little bit to be a little faster paced and erratic(3:44), it´s like Colgera is angriemore dangerous. Here Tulin changes his tune(3:57), he comes forward a little more, he gets faster, zipping around the battle field, as it were, almost playful. Now Link is the one following after him (4:04), he´s faster too, following him through his wind powers.
From 4:43 the song goes down a bit. It´s almost as if Colegera has the upper hand. Notice how the tone from 4:53 lacks all the heroic/hopeful elements we had till so far, even Link sounds a little hopeless (4:59), but again Tulin, very gradually (5:04) starts to pump himself up until going back to being fully heroic and playful (5:37).
And then 6:51 happens.
This is where Tulin's sage power fully awakens, the climax of the battle. After his awakening, we can hear Ganondorf does a whole lot more to try and influence this fight but obviously Link and Tulin prevail. As this is a videogame song, there is not a clear time-stamp to the end of the fight, sadly.
Lastly please let me gush on 6:51. This is also the part where if for some reason if you had any doubs about killing this cunt, now you don't. This orchestra makes me want to snort cocaine, eat glass and kill Colgera's babies. When I heard this part, I forgot all about Zelda for a short moment. 20 years of history came to me all at the sudden... I remembered all the way back to Medli, Valoo, Revali, that little crying baby kid with the Din´s Pearl... This song made me want to avenge all of them.
Well that´s it guys, thank you for reading it so far if you did, I hope this whole thing made sense to you.
I´d love to hear your opinions and corrections on this if you have!

Shot by shot thoughts on the final trailer (spoilers tagged)
0:00-0:07: A Targaryen approaches the throne. Based on build, hair, and saunter my guess is Daemon, but it could be Aegon too.
0:08-0:09 Jace and Cregan Stark looking out over the Wall? It looks like there are big ice fixtures there (and ICE).
0:09-0:10 Alicent wandering through a field for some reason
0:11-0:22 Rapid fire shots - Three dragon eggs bathed in fire, Jahaerys' crown dropped on a stone floor, a dragon flying over a lake and hills, Rhaenyra backlit, Kings Landing, desperate smallfolk reaching, a mounted dragon flying over woods, Rhaenyra pensive at Dragonstone.
0:22-0:25 Aegon entering the throne room flanked by Ser Gwayne Hightower and someone who I believe is Ralph Davis? Who has been cast as a "Leon Estermont", a show creation. His clothing colouring would suit House Estermont.
0:26-0:28 Rhaenyra trying out swords at Dragonstone.
0:29-0:31 Daemon telling Rhaenys that they're going to King's Landing. She looks unimpressed.
0:32-0:34 "The HBO Original Series Returns"
0:35-0:42 The Green Council interspersed with clips of King's Landings, Aemond and Alicent brooding, Criston's new hair cut
0:43-0:45 "FUCK DIGNITY, I want revenge" Aegon and Aemond bond over planning war crimes
0:46-0:48 Armies marching, Lannister horsemen, a raven in the woods
0:49-0:51 Moondancer?!
0:52-0:57 Otto conjures armies with his words (more rapid shots of armies, some leaving KL, others in what looks like the Riverlands)
0:58-1:00 The Black Council discusses war, Daemon plans his war crimes.
1:00-1:05 House Velaryon shows what they're made of (spoiler: it's ships)
1:05-1:12 Great Caraxes/Daemon flight shot
1:13-1:21 Rhaenyra/Daemon conflict over power?
1:22-1:26 Aegon on Sunfyre flying over King's Landing
1:27 I feel like I should recognize this castle, but I don't. Riverlands?
1:28-1:39 Alicent is conflicted, Aemond is not
1:40-1:41 Jace and Cregan again, still looking out over the Wall?
1:42 MOONDANCER AGAIN
1:43-1:44 Criston galloping into a forest, I feel like that's dangerous? What if you ride into a tree?
1:45 Rhaenyra looking conflicted
1:46 Aegon looking distraught (we know why he wants revenge)
1:47-1:57 Rapid shots - Erryk/Arryk, Daemon sneaking, naked Aemond being comforted, clenching fist, someone walking over bodies, Addam of Hull!, Heleana and backup dancers?, Baela on Moondancer, war crimes
1:58-2:00 Mysaria (much better accent) overseeing what looks like Blood and Cheese
2:00-2:03 Rapid shots - sex, knives, gold cloaks trying to manage riots in KL, Kingsguard shepherding Alicent and Helaena away from the riot
2:05-2:15 Battles. Rhaenys on Melys, Aemond on Vhagar
2:15-2:18 Rhaenyra standing in front of Vermithor

I'm sure you all are probably already aware, but Sizzle Season 2024 is coming really soon for Splatoon 3. And since we're really likely to get a trailer for it this week, I figured I'd go ahead and share my predictions for things like the new kits and stages that will be released in it. I'm not sure how accurate all of these are, but let's have a look at them anyways. To start, here's what I've got for the weapons:
Second Kits:

• Bamboozler 14 Mk II with Toxic Mist and Trizooka
• Custom Hydra Splatling with Ink Mine and Reefslider
• Heavy Edit Splatling Nouveau with Splash Wall and Splattercolor Screen
• Custom Range Blaster with Curling Bomb and Kraken Royale

These kit predictions were made based on qualities like what they consisted of it previous titles, as well as what sub and special weapons other kits in their respective weapon classes have not yet received. As for the Heavy Edit Splatling Nouveau, my prediction for its Nouveau branding is based on the fact that Nouveau is the creator of the vanilla Heavy Edit Splatling. My Splattercolor Screen special prediction is also based on that, as both it and vanilla Heavy Edit were made by Nouveau, and the Splattercolor Screen has yet to be included as part of a Nouveau weapon kit. A lot of people have been saying that the Recycled Brella 24 Mk I and the Douser Dualies FF will be getting second kits this coming season, but me, well, I'm not so sure about that. I can understand why they'd think that, considering the rumors that Sizzle Season 2024 will be the final major update for Splatoon 3, but the idea of two recently introduced weapons getting second kits the season right after the one they were released in just sounds kind of strange to me. But, of course, I could be wrong. We'll just have to wait and see once the season is revealed. Anyways, with that out of the way, let's move on to the possible new kits for the game.
One of the most common rumors for Sizzle Season 2024 is that a new Stringer and Splatana will be introduced in the season. Considering that they haven't received any new models since the start of the game, I guess I can see something like that. However, as far as included subs, specials, or even general themes or gimmicks go for these potential new weapons, I can't think of any possibilities, probably because I don't really use those types of weapons much in the game. Once again, we'll just have to wait and see once the trailer comes out. Anyways, I think that's enough talk about weapons. Let's move on to possible stages.
Returning Stages:

• Saltspray Rig
• Shellendorf Institute
• Skipper Pavilion

Please note that I'm only making a list of possible returning stages because I can't think of any good ideas for possible new stages and, well, if I'm being honest, I feel like Splatoon 3 has enough of those already. I'm sure a lot of you have a good idea for why Saltspray Rig is on the list. That's right, Splatoon 1's server shutdown. You'll also probably notice that Urchin Underpass, another classic Splatoon stage that's now unplayable because of the server shutdown, is not one of my stage predictions. The reason Saltspray Rig is on the list and not Urchin Underpass is because unlike the latter stage, which was included in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a battle course, the former stage hasn't had any acknowledgement since the first game. So, between those two stages, I'd say that Saltspray Rig is the more likely to return in Splatoon 3. As for Shellendorf Institute and Skipper Pavilion, those two stage predictions were made based on how locker decorations based on items found in both those stages were introduced in Drizzle Season 2023, specifically the cephalo cipher stone, orca fossil, and Great Zapfish (as well as a Shellendorf Institute-themed skateboard) for Shellendorf Institute, and the closed-mouth mudskipper and open-mouth mudskipper for Skipper Pavilion. Considering that we got locker decorations that were inspired by those two stages, it would make sense for either one of them to return in Splatoon 3. Also, something else to note is that there's no telling what the new stage distribution will be like this season for the most part, Splatoon 3 followed a pretty basic pattern for stages introduced in new seasons: one new one and one from a previous game. However, that hasn't always been the case, as in Drizzle Season 2024, both stages introduced were new ones (Crableg Capital and Shipshape Cargo Co.), and in the current Fresh Season, we only got one stage: Marlin Airport. For all we know, both stages introduced in Sizzle Season 2024 could be returning ones, or we might only get one returning one. Heck, we could even possibly get more than two stages next season. But for now, we'll just have to wait and see what the trailer has in store for us. Anywho, I think I've said enough about stages. Let's move on to my final prediction for the next season: its Big Run.
For the Big Run in Sizzle Season 2024, I'd say that the most likely stage for it to take place on would have to be Sturgeon Shipyard. I mean, for one, the stage is set in a shipyard, which seems to me like a good location for the Salmonoids to try and invade. Another reason I think this stage is likely is because of its size and different locations, which could lead to all kinds of different battle scenarios against the Salmonoids. There are other stages that could potentially host the season's Big Run, like Mahi-Mahi Resort or Shipshape Cargo Co. but out of all those possible stages, I think Sturgeon Shipyard is the most likely site for it. And that's pretty much all I have to say for this category.
And there you go. Those are all my Sizzle Season 2024 predictions. Feel free to share your thoughts on them in the comments, and you can even share your own predictions too if you want. Hopefully some time this week, we'll find out just how accurate these are.

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

Definitely gaming, I currently play microsoft flight simulator, Battlefield 4, Forza Horizon 5, Cities: Skylines 2, Red Dead Online. I also need this pc to support photoshop.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

$2900 which amounts to around 66 000Kč / czk in my country

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

As soon as I can

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

Only the tower, got everything else

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

Czech Republic, I can order from https://alza.cz or https://czc.cz Those are trustworthy shops. I could probably order from some other stores but preferably this

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

None

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

Definitely not right now, the build should be powerful enough. Down the line if I need I would be happy to, not necessary though

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

Not really

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

I would prefer it to be black to match my setup and I am fond of the hyte y70 which I could get for around 5700kč / 230$

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

No

Extra info or particulars:

I tried putting together a pcpartpicker list myself https://cz.pcpartpicker.com/list/7RDHgB The GPU and cooler are purely aesthetic choices, I'm open to choose other ones if they perform better

Found this very interesting interview. Read the tl;dr part if you hate reading longass walls of text.
Note: Page 1 is mostly about Ryou's early days as a struggling novelist, then mangaka assistant and then mangaka and workflows during analog and digital era, the only important part is that Boy's Abyss is... not much of a culmination of her mangaka career, but a work where she can satisfy her ego the most, so i skipped them due to time. Pages 2, 3 and 4 have more info about Abyss.
PART 2: ABOUT BACKGROUND DESCRIPTIONS THAT SUPPORTS THE HUMAN DRAMA
Sauce: https://youngjump.jp/comic_award/interview/2024/05/index2.html
--How do you decide on the locations for your works?
It depends, but I tend to choose places where I have spent time in the past or places that remain in my memory.
--I see. Is there anything important to remember in order to recall the right location for the scene?
You can't open a drawer where there isn't one, so I think it's important to look at various places on a regular basis to increase the number of drawers.
--In "Shounen no Abyss", bridges seem to appear many times in important scenes, including in the first episode. Is this intentional?
Yes, it is. In the first episode, I put the bridge as a kind of borderline between life and death, and I think that the readers came to feel the danger from the bridge. So I may have consciously chosen to use a bridge in decisive scenes. Also, since Reiji is a person who cannot decide for himself whether to live or die, I have him hovering on the bridge, which is between life and death.
(Footnote for a panel from ch. 2: From the second chapter, "Incognito Date". The location of the bridge makes us feel more that Reiji is wandering between life and death.)
--I see. By having them perform on the bridge, you are also conveying the character's condition and humanity.
(Footnote with a page from ch.87: From episode 87, "After the dream". In episode 87, which is set in Tokyo, Reiji's wavering state of mind is expressed in detail using a bridge as a stage.)
--I feel that the timing of the rain is also very well thought out.
Rain is an indispensable element in a gloomy work like this, so I often think about the weather from the plotting stage. Also, when I draw rain, I imagine myself being in the rain. It is cold, my clothes stick to my skin, it gets in my eyes.... I hope that the reader can feel these things.
(Footnote with the page where Akira betrays Shino'oka and gives in to Yuko's temptation in ch102: From Chapter 102, "Amid the Overflowing Water". The texture of the rain effectively shows Nozoe's inclined mind.)
--you have to think about what kind of environment the person is in and what kind of air he/she breathes.
I think it depends on the type of work. For my works, that kind of accumulation is important, but there are also works where other things are important. I think you should think about it according to the kind of work you want to paint.
PART 3: ABOUT THE PICTURE DESIGN THAT SUPPORTS THE WORK
Sauce: https://youngjump.jp/comic_award/interview/2024/05/index3.html
--I assume that it was difficult to learn to draw pictures from a place with no experience in manga.
I learned by trial and error while actually drawing. Even now, I still have a hard time with drawings.
--I see. I (the interviewer) like the pictures in "Shounen no Abyss" very much because they match the content of the story, but it seems to me that you have changed the design of the pictures quite a bit from your past works. How did you decide on the style?
When I started my first serial, "Hoboreru Hanabi", I didn't have time to choose the style yet, so I drew what I could draw at the time. From the next serial, "Himegoto: Juukyuusai no Seifuku," I started to think about "making the eyes a little bigger" or "adding deformation.
--In the next serial work, "Hatsukoi Zombie," you used a much more deformed style of drawing. Why is that?
I think it was because it was serialized in a shounen magazine called "Shounen Sunday. I was conscious of the drawings of Rumiko Takahashi, who I have been a fan of for a long time.
--Did you have the medium of "Weekly Young Jump" in mind when you created the artwork for "Shounen no Abyss"?
If anything, I tried to make the design more in line with the content of the book. Considering the content, for example, it was difficult to use the same body size and eye size as the characters in "Hatsukoi Zombie". However, in the case of "Shounen no Abyss," the reality line differs slightly from character to character, and the way in which deformation is added is different for each character.
--Do you have any advice for new artists who want to improve their drawing?
I think it is important to be aware of the importance of observing what you are drawing. If you just draw from your imagination, you will end up with buildings whose structures you don't know, or wrinkled clothes that don't convey the texture of the wearer's clothing, which is a habit of mine. The result is a worldview that is not convincing. In this age of the Internet and other sources of information, it is important to observe the subject matter carefully and draw it, rather than making rough guesses.
--Do you still search for materials when you draw props, backgrounds, etc.?
Yes, I do. For example, I think about "What kind of room would this person live in?", "What kind of shoes would she wear?", "What kind of car would she drive? I think that the accumulation of such details leads to the sense of daily life that is conveyed in the work.
From episode 19, "seducer". The decor and accessories in Chako's room give us a sense of her life. (there was a page from that chapter i can't put in the post, gomwnnasai, gomennasai, gomennasai....)
End of part 3
PART 4: ABOUT WEEKLY SERIALIZATIONS (this is the important shit)
Sauce: https://youngjump.jp/comic_award/interview/2024/05/index4.html
-I feel that "Shounen no Abyss" has a great live-action feel to it. The characters' actions and the development of the story are unpredictable, and each time I am surprised to see how the story will unfold. Do you have a rough idea of how the story will unfold?
There is a general flow of the story, but basically, I myself draw the story while excitedly thinking, "Well, what will this person say or do on the next page?" In a nutshell, is this a romcom in which Reiji meets a variety of women and decides who he will fall in love (or into the abyss)? It's something like that (T/N: Ryou answered like questioning and answering to herself in the last paragraph of this section)
--I have heard that the starting point of the project for "Shounen no Abyss" was "a story about a double suicide" Do you often draw the story with the theme in mind?
Yes, I decide on the axis to some extent at the beginning. If there is nothing at all, the project itself will not be communicated, and it will be difficult to start a serialization.
--I think that in a weekly serialization, it is necessary to attract the reader intensely in the first episode. What were you conscious of in the first episode of "Shounen no Abyss"?
It's an ensemble piece, so I was conscious of showing all the main characters in the first episode. I also decided to make a memorable appearance of the heroine, Nagi, in the last part of the episode. I also thought about the order of the characters that Reiji meets. First, he meets Shiba-chan, who is outside of his interest, and then he meets and talks with his friend Chako. Then his childhood friend Gen would appear, and things would take a turn for the worse. Then, his family, which is the most painful existence for Reiji, makes an appearance. Then he crosses paths with a mysterious man, and finally a beautiful and bewitching woman appears. In order to make it easier for the reader to enter the world of the work, I made the flow of the story gradually fall into darkness.
--It's like Reiji is going down a flight of stairs one step at a time.
Yes, Nagi is waiting for him when he descends the last step. I changed the background accordingly. When he is with his friend Chako, the sun is out, and when the sun begins to set, he meets his family, and by the time he meets Nagi, it's already nighttime.
--I'm so impressed...! You have built in the backgrounds and elaborated on the details.
(Footnote for 2 pages from the 1st chapter that were shown: Both are from the first episode, "The Boy from That Town". He meets his friend Chako on his way to school in the daylight, but by the time he meets his family, it is dark and shadowy outside. The contrast of the background also depicts Reiji's descent into darkness.)
--What are the most important things outside of your work when working on a weekly series?
Physical strength is important. I also think it is important to keep your mind clear and avoid unnecessary stress. There are many times when I think, "I should have done this better," or "It will be difficult this time because I did that last time," but there is no use in overthinking things, so I try to switch over as soon as possible.
--Finally, do you have any advice for new artists?
I think it is important to have a lot of input while you are young, and to push your luck a little in creating your work.
--Thank you for your valuable talk!
Now, the tl;dr:
-2: Bridges in this manga are used as a gate between life and death.
-1: rain is important in this manga to depict the characters' overflowing emotions.
0: Ryou had to choose carefully the type of atmosphere and air for this manga.
1: Ryou drew Drowning Fireworks on a rush and could define a proper style, she shifts styles according to the tone and magazine shenis doing her works for.
2: She had to study locations and interior plaves to depict characters, their lives and mental states.
3: Boy's Abyss is a romcom on its structure. And the characters were introduced in a way you could instantly get familiarized with from the start, as it's an ensemble work.
4: characters were introduced in a way you can feel Reiji is going downstairs into the abyss. Yuri being the first because she's the character he's the least interested into, Chako next because she's the sun, the light, she's Kana Arima... okno, and Nagi last because she's Chako's thematical opposite and had to have an impactful introduction. and the endgame and endgoal are already decided since day one. Nagi is waiting for Reiji to do the last step
5: a good physical condition, being resourceful and brave enough are the keys for a successful weekly story.
That's it. See ya tomorrow.

This complete guide on The Fool tarot card is brought to you by psychics4u.net. For more valuable information, insights and resources, visit: http://psychics4u.net/
What does the fool mean in the tarot cards? The fool is the most wild tarot card in the deck that you can ever get in a psychic reading. The meaning of the fool tarot card is all about new beginnings, a journey which is usually spiritual and fast change. It indicates that things are really going to go forward for you whether it’s love, relationship, money, work, career and health. But all of these good predictions will come true, only if you will believe in yourself and take calculated risks.
If you are interested in learning everything about the meaning of the fool’s journey tarot card, you came to the right place. Keep on reading till the end of this guide as you will find here lots of useful information regarding to:

1. The fool’s journey tarot card description and symbolism.
2. Personality traits.
3. The meaning in love, relationship, money, work, career and health.
4. Is the fool a good tarot card or is it bad?
5. Does the fool tarot card mean yes or no?
6. How to read the fool’s journey tarot card in upright and reversed position.
7. The fool tarot card meaning in past, present and future.
8. The meaning of the number 0 (zero) and 22.
9. Interpretation of astrological zodiac sign.
10. Meaning as feelings.
11. The fool tarot card art and history.

The fool tarot card meaning: Description and symbolism
When we take a first look at the art of fool’s journey tarot card, we immediately notice the bright yellow sun light, the worm rays, the orange – yellow sky and the lite brown ground. The fool has loose and comfortable clothes with flowers patterns on them, mostly yellow which also matches the shoes` shade. Yellow symbolize enlightenment, happy feelings and positive energies.
The fool is ready to take the leap of faith – start a journey to the unknown territory. He doesn’t care if he will encounter obstacles down the road or dangerous situations in the way. He is ready to go no matter what will happen. In fact the fool doesn’t even think about the meaning these problems.
The fool doesn’t care too much about the material world. He collected just the necessary items and packed all his little possessions in a small bag, holding it with his right hand. On the left hand he is holding a beautiful white rose. It means the willingness to scarify and devotion to the spiritual path of life.
Look at his face directed forward and up to the sky, they are full of inspiration, vision and confidence in the current moment. He is free of fear but also innocence because he isn’t aware of the fact that bad things might happen during the unknown journey.
He is standing on the hill, one step before the deadly abyss, caught in the moment. He trusts the universe that everything will turn on the right and positive side. The white dog is barking and jumping, trying to warn him about the chasm. The snowy white mountains and hills from behind also represent a potential slippery outcomes.
The fool is in movement, he is not just standing there, he took the first step and willing to take many more steps in order to complete the journey. In the end he is seeking meaningful spirituality, to be developed to a higher self. However, right now he doesn’t know exactly how to achieve it. There is no plan, no logical calculations, not even knowledge nor experience. Just the element of fire – the burning desire to go forward.
When we look at the fool’s face we can’t really recognize if it’s a man or a woman. That interpretation means it has both the male and female energies, working together in symbiosis.
The fool tarot card meaning as Personality (Persona)
The fool is a free spirit that has no worries, doesn’t always aware of dangerous and the consequences of his action, too impulsive, acting before thinking. This is why the fool needs help when making big decisions.
He is just like a little kid who is very curious and loves to explore everything about the world. He knows he will make mistakes and it will hurt a lot. Yet it doesn’t stop him from taking an action. He likes the experiences of life whether they are good or even bad. He can learn from each situation and grow wiser and stronger. His main goal is to go after the possibility, even if it doesn’t look very clear or doable at the current phase.
The art of celebrating the joy of life. Admiring the beautifulness of the little things, very positive, optimistic and looking at the bright side.
Flexible, can adapt to most situation. He doesn’t have a solid philosophy or principle he must apply, other than been carefree. He still doesn’t have a strong personality and foundations. He is waiting to be shaped by the future experiences.
He is new to this world; he doesn’t always play by the social norms or cultural rules. Mainly because the fool doesn’t knows the meaning of most of them yet. But after the experience is gained the personality will be shaped on the positive way.
What does the fool card mean in love and relationship reading?
The fool card in love and relationships is meaning a huge surprise. You might encounter your lover in a sequence of events that you never would predict, out of the blue. For example, a new stranger that comes into town, new neighbour or new work colleague.
It can also indicate that there is a person that is close to you, but you haven’t really thought you two are compatible in terms of romance, or can go along together because you two have different personality traits. You will suddenly realise that it can happen.
When it comes to a new relationship there is a lot of excitement in the air, meaning fresh positive energy and optimism. While it might give you good feelings and joy, you also need to be caution a bit. You don’t see the whole picture and what you can’t see might hurt you.
There will be warning signs and it is advised to take in consideration every weird signal into consideration. Your friends and family might have an opinion about your new love relationship, please note that they are not jealous or want things to go wrong for you. They just care that everything will work on the good path.
Don’t be too much swept of your feet, in the end you will have to face reality. What you think about a certain man or woman and what is going on in real life are two different things. Once you encounter the polarity between the two, you might be very disappointed.
If what you are looking for is a long term relationship like marriage, than this is not a good tarot card. The fool’s journey tarot card is indicating the beginning but not the middle and the end. Things will change or develop. If you want this to success there is still a lot of work to be done. The person you are seeing right now is not looking for a commitment. Maybe in the future it will change.
If you are a woman the fool tarot card also stand for fertility. It might predict a pregnancy – start of a new life.
The fool tarot card meaning in work, career and money
New possibilities are coming in your way. This is the time to take action and do what you always wanted. Maybe you always wanted to change your career, maybe you want to work somewhere else or maybe to have your own business.
The main interpretation or meaning is that you need to go with what you believe in, even if there will be hard times during that period. Some people will not like what you are doing, they will try to stop you and change your mind. Situations like this need to be balance. On the one hand it’s good to listen to them, because they have other point of view and might teach you new perspective. On the other way don’t let it to discourage you from achieving the goal.
Understand that making a change related to work and money has its own risks. You can find yourself unemployed for a while or even loosing money. But when we are looking at the long term of the journey, in most cases there will be a success.
The fool tarot card meaning health
Regarding health, the fool tarot card meaning is good physical conditions.
If you were sick before, the interpretation is that the illness might begin to disappear and you suppose to feel much better.
Another possible meaning and interpretation is regarding to health is physical accident. As you may very well know by now, the fool is taking risks without thinking about them too much. The fool is on the verge of the cliff and if something will go wrong he will slip down.
Is the fool a good tarot card or is it bad?
Basically the fool’s journey is a good tarot card, as the main meaning is a new beginning. Usually when we have something new in our life, it is exciting, gives us good feeling and very interesting and intriguing. At this moment we pay attention only to the good and positive aspects of the event. We normally drawn to the situation, don’t think too much about it and we don’t want to ruin it, just flow with the current.
However, nothing is perfect and you also need to be aware of dangerous situations that are a head of you. There will be warning signs of bad energies. Therefore the best practice is no keep an eye on what is going on.
Does the fool tarot card mean yes or no?
The fool’s journey tarot card is usually neutral. The card is symbolizing something fresh and new possibilities. It can turn bad or good depending or the steps you take during your journey. More often than not it is interpreted as a yes card.
The fool’s journey tarot card upright meaning
Upright keywords: new beginnings, freedom, originality, foolishness, spontaneity, travel, adventure, leap of faith, careless, innocence.
The upright meaning of the fool tarot card is about taking risks in order to improve your situation and gain more of what you really want in life. Every one of us has certain desires and personal goals that we want to pursue. So if this card show up in a psychic reading than it is a good time to start a new adventure.
You have to be brave and face your inner demons and fears. Although the card is generally positive, the road to happiness is not easy and you will encounter some problems. From that reason it is very crucial that you will have faith and believe in yourself. Believe that you can do it, even if right now it is not very clear how, you will find the solution. Even if everyone around advice or telling you that you will fail, don’t listen to them too much and go only with your inner true.
Don’t look back on past experiences. Even if you had bad moments, don’t let them hold you from changing your situation. Remember the lessons you have learned and just keep on go forward all the way.
The fool’s journey tarot card reversed meaning
Reversed keywords: lack of direction, chaos, naive, reckless, lack of direction, poor judgement
When the tarot card is being spread upside down (reversed), it means that you jumped too far without thinking about the implications of your action, this might put you in trouble. As shown graphically in the fool tarot card, he is standing right before the cliff. Every big step or reckless movement can bring him to death.
Even if the fool tarot card is showing in reversed it still means a new beginning, but something is holding you back. For example it can be fear of the unknown future, failure and inability to make decisions.
The reversed meaning in love and relationship: if you are single than you are not ready for a long term relationships, you will not find term partner. If you are already seen someone that he or she doesn’t ready to make a commitment. They just want to have fun and fool around.
With money and career, when the tarot card is reversed, beware that no one is taking an advantage or you. For example someone can offer you a bad business idea or shady investment opportunity. And in the end you will lose lots of money.
The fool tarot card meaning in past, present and future
When we relate to the past, the meaning of the fool tarot card is that you have wasted lots of time and energies on people or work or relationships that you are no longer interested in. you had enough with all of this and you are looking for something different.
The present: right now you need a change, you don’t know if it will turn out to be good or bad. You are standing on a crossroad, you need to make a choice and just go for it. Things are looking too complicated right now, this is fine and you will have to address those issues but not right now. The most important thing is that you’ll move on to the desired direction.
The future: the fool tarot card is mainly concern about the present moment. But it can give us a little projection on the future as well. In the future you will have to invent yourself, adapt and be very flexible. When you will see a new opportunity, don’t hesitate and don’t go back to your old habits, which are holding you back.
The fool tarot card number meaning
The fool tarot card is a part of the whole 22 major arcana cards. It referred to key number 0 (zero), meaning the first in the deck. But it can also be placed at the end – key number 22. Because of that fact, the fool symbolizing the beginning and the end of a life cycle. Further more, the cycle is endless so in theory it goes in never-ending loop forever and ever, repeat itself to the eternity.
During our life, we will go through the 21 keys or elements of the fool’s journey. We will meet people who will teach us lessons about life. We will change our behaviour and feelings in order to continue with the journey. So in the end we will go back to the very first place that it was all begun, but now we are different in the way that we are wiser and stronger. It is more like spiritual voyage of self discovery.
The word fool in French language means a sack that is full of air, not with material objects. This is the reason why everything is possible even if it doesn’t seem so. It is also a symbol of triumph.
The number zero in numerology represents no limitation and lots of positive options to choose from. It is nothing and yet it is also everything together. The order of the numbers doesn’t apply to zero, as it all start afterwards. So there is no past for the fool, only future.
22 innumerology is great transformation energy. It is the ability to turn dreams and wishes to come true to the world of reality.
The fool tarot card astrological zodiac sign
The fool tarot card astrological zodiac signs are Aquarius and Pisces.
Aquarius is the 11th zodiac in astrology, mainly represents the element of water. Liquid flow that travel on earth. Strong current of water that can creates its own path by shaping rivers, lakes and the bottom of the ocean. Always on the move, looking for new adventure and can get bored really quick.
Pisces is a dreamer very much like the fool’s personality from the tarot card. They want to go somewhere, but they can’t decide what the right direction for them is. They have this conflict as depict in the zodiac sign – two fish, each one of them is swimming to another side. Pisces are also very emotional and control by their feelings.
In astrology the role of Uranus planet is to be like a clock, to awake us and get us doing things. This is very similar to the fool’s situation as described in the tarot card. There is some burning flame of fire inside of him that wouldn’t let him rest until he will find his answers. It is a call to take immediate action.
The fool tarot card meaning as feelings
As feelings, the fool’s journey tarot card gives us positive feelings. In most cases the answers to you questions are yes, there are good energies and positive vibes surrounding you. Even if the tarot card show in reversed it is still have bigger aspect of positivity with a minor challenge that stands in your way. In fact, it the ancient days of psychic reading the card was actually a joker – the most powerful item in the deck.
The fool tarot card art and history
Long time ago when tarot cards were used as a game and not for psychic reading, the fool’s card was the most powerful card in the deck. He was outside of the order and if you had it, you could protect and win the game.
Few hundreds year later the art of this tarot card was described more as someone who has unwanted personality in society, and therefore he lost all his magic and power. People didn’t want to associate themselves with this image. It was considered a negative energy and bad omen from the future. It symbolized unsuccessful life, misfortune and tormeneted feelings.
Later on, the fool’s image became a man of courage. Until that very day, the fool’s is still the hero card on the tarot deck. Although he is numbered 0 (zero) which mean nothing, he denotes new journey and possibilities, which is everything we need.
In many myths, legends and folklore story through history, the fool is actually the wisest person of all. He might look a little different or simple or even out of the common norms, but he knows better. Although at the beginning he didn’t had too much wisdom, his actions and failures through life, brought him new experiences and valuable lessons to learn from. All of this could happen just because of one thing: he wasn’t afraid to take the risk.
In fact, those who are dismissing him or don’t understand him, are the real fools because they don’t know how much wisdom he has to offer to the world.
Other names for the fool tarot card: joker, jester, clown, buffoon, folie, fov, il matto, le fou, and le mat.
Feel free to write your thoughts or questions in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you!

Megapost: A list of statements, press releases, and other sources reporting and expressing concern and criticism about Israel's war in Gaza and related aspects of the war. (Part 4)

Notes: This is a work that is currently in progress; please check back for updates. Titles have been edited to provide details.
Part 1 is here: https://www.reddit.com/Social_Democracy/comments/1clx1uc/megapost_a_list_of_statements_press_releases_and/
Part 2 is here: https://www.reddit.com/Social_Democracy/comments/1cmjhpk/megapost_a_list_of_statements_press_releases_and/
Part 3 is here: https://www.reddit.com/Social_Democracy/comments/1coups2/megapost_a_list_of_statements_press_releases_and/
Refugee Council of Australia: Our Letter to the Prime Minister regarding the Israel and Gaza Crisis (April 26, 2024): https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/letter-israel-and-gaza-crisis/
Statement in solidarity with student protests for Gaza [Signed by: 350.org US; 18 Million Rising; 198 methods; Adalah Justice Project; Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association; AF3IRM; Afghans For A Better Tomorrow; Al-Haq; Alliance of Baptists; American Baptist Churches USA; American Baptist Churches Palestine Israel Network; American Friends Service Committee; American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC); American Muslim Bar Association; American Muslim Community Foundation; American Muslims for Palestine (AMP); Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action); Arab American Civic Council; Arab American Institute; Asian American Advocacy Fund; Better to Speak; Beyt Tikkun: A Synagogue without Walls; Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU); Blue Future; Borderlands for Equity; Borderlands Resource Initiative; Breach Collective; Brooklyn For Peace; CAIR Action; CAIR California; CAIR Minnesota; CAIR Oklahoma; CAIR-WA; California Coalition for Women Prisoners; Cameroon American Council; Carceral Tech Resistance Network; Ceasefire Democrats; Ceasefire Now NJ; Center for Constitutional Rights; Center for Popular Democracy Action; Center for Protest Law & Litigation @ Partnership for Civil Justice Fund; Chicago Area Peace Action; Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy; Christians for a Free Palestine; Civic Ark; Civil Liberties Defense Center; Clockshop; CommonDefense.us; Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP); Council on American-Islamic Relations; CWA-News Guild Local 38010; Defending Rights & Dissent; Delaware Democratic Socialists of America; Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights; Detention Watch Network; Disciples Palestine Israel Network; Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM); Doctors Against Genocide; Dream Defenders; Dutch Scholars for Palestine; Eindhoven Students 4 Palestine; Emgage Action; En Conjunto; Episcopal Peace Fellowship-Palestine Israel Network; Faith for Black Lives; Faith in Texas; Fellowship of Reconciliation; Fight for the Future; For All; Freedom Farm Community; Freedom Oklahoma; Freedom To Thrive; Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA); Future Coalition; Gen-Z for Change; Gender Justice Action and Gender Justice; Get Free; Global Campaign to Reclaim People's Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power & Stop Impunity; Green Mountain Solidarity With Palestine; Green New Deal Network; Greenpeace USA; Hawai'i for Palestine; Health Justice Commons; Helena (Montana) Service for Peace and Justice; Highlander Research and Education Center; Hindus for Human Rights; Historians for Peace and Democracy; Human Dignity Project (THDP); IfNotNow Movement; IfNotNow New Jersey; Immigrant Defense Project; Immigrant Justice Network; Immigrants Act Now; Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC); Indiana Center for Middle East Peace; Institute for Policy Studies New Internationalism Project; Interfaith Ceasefire; International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network; International Mayan League; InterReligious Task Force on Central America; Iowans For Palestine; Islamic Society of North America (ISNA); Islamophobia Studies Center; Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Jewish Voice for Peace; Jewish Voice for Peace-Hawai’i; Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ); Just Foreign Policy; Justice Democrats; Just Futures Law; Justice for All; Kairos USA; Libyan American Alliance; LittleSis / Public Accountability Initiative; Living Water Inclusive Catholic Community; Long Island Progressive Coalition; Make the Road Nevada; Malaya Georgia; Massachusetts Peace Action; Mennonite Action; Mennonite Action WA; Migrant Roots Media; Minnesota Peace Project; Mondoweiss; Movement for Black Lives; MPower Change Action Fund; MSA West; Muslim Advocates; Muslim Community Network; Muslim Counterpublics Lab; Muslim Power Building Project; Muslims for Just Futures; Muslims for Progressive Values; National Arab American Women’s Association (NAAWA); National Domestic Workers Alliance Staff Union, CWA Local 1180; National Iranian American Council; National Lawyers Guild; National Lawyers Guild - St. Louis Chapter; National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR); National Partnership for New Americans; New Hampshire Veterans for Peace; New York City Veterans For Peace; The New Justice Project Minnesota; NH Peace Action; North American Students of Cooperation; No Separate Justice; North Carolina Peace Action; The Oakland Institute; Office of Peace, Justice, and Ecological Integrity/Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth; Our Revolution; Palestine American League; Palestine Legal; Palestinian American Community Center; Palestinian American Organizations Network (PAON); Palestinian Feminist Collective; Partners for Palestine; Pax Christi New Jersey; Pax Christi New York State; Pax Christi Pacific Northwest; Pax Christi USA; Peace Action; Peace Action New York State; Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!; Pediatricians for Palestine; People’s Action; PeoplesHub; Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies; Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness; Presbyterian Peace Fellowship; Progressive Democrats of America (PDA); Project ANAR; Project South; Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice; Reparation Education Project; Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment; Rise for Palestine; Rising Majority; Rising Tide North America; Rochester Committee on Latin America; RootsAction Education Fund; Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre; Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights; Sound Vision; Starr King School for the Ministry; Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine at the University of Hawai’i (SFJP); Sunrise Movement; Sur Legal Collaborative; TakeAction Minnesota; Tech Justice Law Project; The Gathering for Justice; The Hague Peace Projects; The Social Justice Center; The Uncommitted National Movement; The Whatcom Peace and Justice Center; Transnational Institute; UndocuBlack Network; Unitarian Universalist Association; Unitarian Universalist Church of the Larger Fellowship; Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice; Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina; Unitarian Universalist Mass Action; Unitarian Universalist Peace Ministry Network; Unitarian Universalist Service Committee; Unitarian Universalist Young Adults for Climate Justice (UUYACJ); Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East; United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network; United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR); United Voices for America; Until Freedom; US Campaign for Palestinian Rights; Veterans For Peace; We Are All America; Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club; Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center; Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press; Working Families Party; World BEYOND War; Young Democrats of America Black Caucus; Young Democrats of America Environmental Caucus; Youth Leadership Institute] (April 26-29, 2024): https://www.mpowerchange.org/gazastudentprotests & https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhlWqDQghbVaPb6K7coBoi0o3w1YDfmrPOSbUw5bqNKEnrhg/viewform
Tom Hurwitz: I was arrested protesting at Columbia in ’68. Today’s student encampments carry on a proud, brave tradition: Like the Vietnam War was nearly six decades ago, to many students, Israel’s assault on Gaza feels deeply personal (April 26, 2024): https://forward.com/opinion/607021/columbia-1968-protests-vietnam-gaza-wa
‘We demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza’ – First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill tells major London demo (April 27, 2024): https://vote.sinnfein.ie/we-demand-an-immediate-ceasefire-in-gaza-oneill-tells-major-london-demo/
Nineteen American Sociological Association Presidents Endorse the Resolution for Justice in Palestine (April 28, 2024): https://www.sociologistsforpalestine.org & https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t-z9OTPbl5JB9_sKnFOqAl-bQV78qZ-SFvjjjMrPUgY/
Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton: Brief thoughts on the wave of campus protests across America (April 28, 2024): https://robertreich.substack.com/p/my-thoughts-on-the-wave-of-campus
We’re Jewish students at Columbia arrested for protesting Israel’s war (April 28, 2024): https://thehill.com/opinion/education/4626720-were-jewish-students-at-columbia-arrested-for-protesting-israels-wa
American Association of University Professors: In Defense of the Right to Free Speech and Peaceful Protest on University Campuses (April 29, 2024): https://www.aaup.org/media-release/defense-right-free-speech-and-peaceful-protest-university-campuses
Anat Saragusti: Israeli media’s inevitable hysteria over U.S. campus protests: The media’s unbending self-censorship in covering Gaza has made Israelis incapable of seeing foreign criticism as anything other than antisemitism. (April 29, 2024): https://www.972mag.com/campus-protests-gaza-us-students/
Attorneys inside and outside the administration urge Biden to cut off arms to Israel: So far more than 90 lawyers have signed on to a legal letter alleging Israel’s conduct in Gaza violates U.S. and international law. (April 29, 2024): https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/29/lawyers-israel-arm-sales-biden-00154958
Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention: Statement in Support of Students, Faulty at Columbia University (April 29, 2024): https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-in-support-of-students%2C-faulty-at-columbia-university
Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders: "I'm hearing disturbing reports that students face suspension if they don’t end their peaceful protests in #Columbiauniversity in the USA. This is a clear violation of their right to peaceful assembly" (April 29, 2024): https://twitter.com/MaryLawlorhrds/status/1785020792197038101
Cas Mudde: Why are US campuses facing an orgy of state repression in the ‘land of the free’? The right has painted nonviolent protests against the war on Gaza as hotbeds of ‘woke’ terrorism. It’s a pretext for repression (April 30, 2024): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/ap30/us-campus-peace-protests-overreaction-gaza
Joint letter to President Biden on humanitarian risk of Rafah operation in Gaza [Signed by: 350.org; ActionAid USA; Alliance of Baptists; American Friends of Combatants for Peace; American Friends Service Committee; Americares; Amnesty International USA; CARE; Charity & Security Network; Children in Conflict; Christian Aid; Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP); Center for American Progress; Center for Civilians in Conflict; Center for International Policy; Church World Service; DAWN; Demand Progress Education Fund; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Humanity & Inclusion; IM Swedish Development Partners; Indivisible; Islamic Relief USA; Islamic Relief Worldwide; KinderUSA; Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; MedGlobal; Médecins du Monde / Doctors of the World International Network; Mennonite Central Committee; Middle East Democracy Center; Minnesota Peace Project; MoveOn; Nonviolent Peaceforce; Norwegian Refugee Council USA; Oxfam America; Pax Christi USA; Premiere Urgence Internationale; Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness; Refugees International; Save the Children US; SEIU; The Episcopal Church; The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP); The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society; Truman Center; Vento di Terra; Win Without War] (April 30, 2024): https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/may/joint-letter-to-president-biden-on-potential-incursion-into-rafah-gaza/
Latino students are key part of pro-Palestine encampment protests (April 30, 2024): https://www.axios.com/2024/04/30/college-encampments-ceasefire-gaza-latino-students
Michael Gould-Wartofsky: Trump Is Wrong. Columbia Isn’t Anything Like Charlottesville: I survived the deadly violence in Charlottesville, and am now a postdoctoral research scholar at Columbia University. To compare the two is unwarranted—and unconscionable. (April 30, 2024): https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-is-wrong-columbia-isnt-anything-like-charlottesville
United Church of Christ Officers issue statement amid ongoing unrest on college campuses; offer continued solidarity with partners and people in the Middle East (April 30, 2024): https://www.ucc.org/ucc-officers-issue-statement-amid-ongoing-unrest-on-college-campuses/
United States of America: UN Human Rights Chief troubled by law enforcement actions against protesters at universities (April 30, 2024): https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/united-states-america-un-human-rights-chief-troubled-law-enforcement-actions
A Statement From Jewish Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni Regarding Indiana University's Treatment of Student Protesters ["Actions are being taken in our name, without our consent or request. Such actions, especially those by the administration, often directly contradict the facts we see daily on the ground at campus. We condemn the actions taken by the administration, ISP, and IUPD against the students protesting on Dunn Meadow."] (May 1, 2024): https://bloomingtonian.com/2024/05/01/a-statement-from-jewish-faculty-staff-students-and-alumni-regarding-iustreatment-of-student-protesters/
Charles H.F. Davis III, Jude Paul Dizon, Jessica Hatrick, and Vanessa Miller: Police Repression Is the Problem, Not the Solution (May 1, 2024): https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2024/05/01/police-repression-problem-not-solution-opinion
Comment from United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain on Mass Arrests of Anti-War Protestors (May 1, 2024): https://uaw.org/comment-from-uaw-president-shawn-fain-on-mass-arrests-of-anti-war-protestors/
Fellowship of Reconciliation Stands in Solidarity with the Students (May 1, 2024): https://forusa.org/fellowship-of-reconciliation-stands-in-solidarity-with-the-students/
Juan González, Veteran of '68 Columbia Strike, Condemns University Leaders' Silence on Gaza Slaughter (May 1, 2024): https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/1/police_raid_columbia_2024_juan_gonzalez
Mike Littwin: As a veteran of the ’60s campus unrest, I know the value of free speech: Despite what you may hear, most of today’s campus demonstrations, including the one at Auraria, are typically nonviolent. (May 1, 2024): https://coloradosun.com/2024/05/01/israel-gaza-student-demonstrations-opinion-littwin/
On Gaza, NY Catholic Worker community echoes Pope Francis: 'Please! Stop the war.' (May 1, 2024): https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/gaza-ny-catholic-worker-community-echoes-pope-francis-please-stop-war
Senator Bernie Sanders: The billionaires who fund AIPAC are not only concerned about protecting Israel's actions in Gaza — they also want to protect corporate interests. That's why they are targeting progressive lawmakers who stand up for the working class and take on powerful special interests. (May 1, 2024): https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1785684580265074707
Syriac Maronite Archbishops denounce military escalation in southern Lebanon, condemn Israeli actions in Gaza and West Bank (May 1, 2024): https://syriacpress.com/blog/2024/01/05/syriac-maronite-archbishops-denounce-military-escalation-in-southern-lebanon-condemn-israeli-actions-in-gaza-and-west-bank/
The Democratic National Committee's College Democrats of America Slams Biden On Gaza And Backs Campus Protesters (May 1, 2024): https://www.huffpost.com/entry/college-democrats-of-america-statement-biden-gaza-campus-protest_n_663278fce4b0849b2edded55
Tope Folarin, director of the Institute for Policy Studies: We Stand with the Students Protesting the Slaughter in Gaza (May 1, 2024): https://ips-dc.org/we-stand-with-the-students-protesting-the-slaughter-in-gaza/
'You are our hope': Palestinian students find strength in U.S. campus protests: “I feel proud that there is a group of students who feel what we feel now — and are helping and supporting us,” said Reem Musa Suleiman Abu Shinar, speaking to an NBC News crew in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. (May 1, 2024): https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/palestinian-students-support-us-campus-protests-israel-war-rcna149296
Bernie Sanders in CNN interview: 'This may be Biden’s Vietnam' (May 2, 2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6rQmvko18M
Catholic Relief Services representative for Gaza fears possible Rafah invasion (May 2, 2024): https://www.ncronline.org/news/catholic-relief-services-rep-gaza-fears-possible-rafah-invasion
‘Disgrace to diplomacy’: Bosnia accuses Israeli diplomat of genocide denial: Envoy to Serbia draws intense criticism for telling Russian media that calling 1995 Srebrenica massacre a genocide ‘diminishes the importance of that term’ (May 2, 2024): https://www.timesofisrael.com/disgrace-to-diplomacy-bosnia-accuses-israeli-diplomat-of-genocide-denial/
Gazans thank US university protesters as Israel calls for students to be expelled (May 2, 2024): https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/01/middleeast/gaza-children-thank-us-protesters-intl-latam/index.html
Helen Benedict, professor of journalism at Columbia University: ‘US student protests seeking peace in Gaza are the new anti-Vietnam War movement’ (May 2, 2024): https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/us-student-protests-seeking-peace-in-gaza-are-the-new-anti-vietnam-war-movement/articleshow/109766893.cms
Hundreds of U.S. Catholic leaders and laity sign letter urging Permanent Gaza Ceasefire and End to Injustice in Israel and Palestine (May 2, 2024): https://cmep.salsalabs.org/ps-may22024 & https://docs.google.com/document/d/16K1RvL3YdSgSChwO_eWB9iSvIglNP59ahqtAQ1aZiGM/
PREPARED REMARKS: Senator Bernie Sanders on the Nationwide Student Protests and the Ongoing Humanitarian Disaster in Gaza (May 2, 2024): https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/prepared-remarks-sanders-on-the-nationwide-student-protests-and-the-ongoing-humanitarian-disaster-in-gaza/
Recalling Civil Rights Era Abuses, Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP Roundly Condemns Rising Violations Against Peaceful Protesters and Calls for Immediate Federal Intervention ["Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) issued a statement roundly and unequivocally condemning the rising civil and human rights violations against peaceful protesters across the U.S. and issued a letter calling for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct an immediate investigation into the treatment of peaceful protesters" (May 2, 2024): https://www.naacpldf.org/press-release/recalling-civil-rights-era-abuses-ldf-roundly-condemns-rising-violations-against-peaceful-protesters-and-calls-for-immediate-federal-intervention/
United Nations Development Programme: As war in Gaza enters seventh month, 1.74 million more Palestinians will be pushed into poverty across State of Palestine according to United Nations assessment: UNDP and ESCWA estimate more than two-decades reversal in human development— beyond earliest recorded levels of 2004. (May 2, 2024): https://www.undp.org/papp/press-releases/war-gaza-enters-seventh-month-174-million-more-palestinians-will-be-pushed-poverty-across-state-palestine-according-united
“Workers Have Power”: Thousands Rally in NYC for May Day, Call for Solidarity with Palestine (May 2, 2024): https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/2/nyc_may_day_rally_palestine_solidarity
A Message to the Protesters From Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.: A call to keep raising the tempests on campus over the Gazan horror. (May 3, 2024): https://chicagomaroon.com/42811/viewpoints/op-ed/a-message-to-the-protesters-from-reverend-jesse-l-jackson-s
Association of Flight Attendants President Sara Nelson on Mass Arrest of Anti-War Protestors (May 3, 2024): https://www.afacwa.org/mass_arrest_right_to_protest
Rashid Khalidi, Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University: Opposed to Genocide in Gaza, This Is the Conscience of a Nation Speaking Through Your Kids (May 3, 2024): https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/rashid-khalidi-columbia-gaza-speech
“This Militaristic Approach Has Been a Failure”: Meet Hala Rharrit, First U.S. Diplomat to Quit over Gaza (May 3, 2024): https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/3/state_dept
Where pro-Palestinian university protests are happening around the world (May 3, 2024): https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/03/world/pro-palestinian-university-protests-worldwide-intl-hnk/index.html
100-year-old Jewish activist Jules Rabin is speaking up again — this time about Gaza [In a podcast on the nonprofit news site VT Digger, Rabin referred to the tragedy unfolding in Gaza as “a piecemeal Holocaust.”] (May 4, 2024): https://forward.com/culture/609442/jules-rabin-vermont-activism-gaza-ukraine-israel/
Israel will not agree to end the war with Hamas as part of any deal [“Israel will under no circumstances agree to the end of the war as part of an agreement to release our abductees," an Israeli official told ABC News on Saturday morning. "As the political echelon decided, the IDF will enter Rafah and destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there - whether or not there will be a temporary ceasefire for the release of our hostages."] (May 4, 2024): https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-hamas-cease-fire-talks/israel-will-not-agree-to-end-the-war-with-hamas-as-part-of-any-deal-109924741?id=109734705
Roseann "Chic" Canfora survived the 1970 Kent State shooting. Here's her message to student activists (May 4, 2024): https://www.npr.org/2024/05/04/1249023924/kent-state-shooting-activists-protests-survivor
‘They’re sending a message’: harsh police tactics questioned amid US campus protest crackdowns (May 4, 2024): https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/04/police-tactics-us-campus-protest-crackdowns
Anton Boonzaier: As a South African during apartheid, I admire pro-Palestine protesters’ tenacity (May 5, 2024): https://dailybruin.com/2024/05/05/op-ed-as-a-south-african-during-apartheid-i-admire-pro-palestine-protesters-tenacity
Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Israeli vote to shut down Al Jazeera; warns of alarming precedent (May 5, 2024): https://cpj.org/2024/05/cpj-condemns-israeli-vote-to-shut-down-al-jazeera-warns-of-alarming-precedent/
Union workers join students in rallies Saturday calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza [More than 200 people attended the Maine Labor for Palestine and Maine Students for Palestine rally.] (May 5, 2024): https://www.mainepublic.org/news/2024-05-05/union-workers-join-students-in-rallies-saturday-to-free-gaza
Oxfam reaction to Rafah evacuation order (May 6, 2024): https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/oxfam-reaction-rafah-evacuation-order
Patrick Gaspard, president of the Center for American Progress: American politicians forget: disruption and disorder are the point of protests: I have trespassed in peaceful protest. I have shut down government offices in civil disobedience. I have made the powerful uncomfortable. That’s the point (May 6, 2024): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/06/campus-pro-palestinian-protests
Save the Children warns of deadly consequences for children following new relocation orders for families in Rafah (May 6, 2024): https://www.savethechildren.net/news/save-children-warns-deadly-consequences-children-following-new-relocation-orders-families-rafah
The campus protesters for Gaza are making America great again: Readers on the demonstrations sweeping colleges and their hopes for the next generation. (May 6, 2024): https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/05/06/campus-protests-gaza-palestine-vietnam/
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF): There is ‘nowhere safe to go’ for the 600,000 children of Rafah, warns UNICEF: With hundreds of thousands of children in Rafah injured, sick, malnourished, traumatized or living with a disability, UNICEF calls for children to not be forcibly relocated, and the vital infrastructure on which children rely to be protected (May 6, 2024): https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/there-nowhere-safe-go-600000-children-rafah-warns-unicef
US campus protests of Israeli ‘genocide’ offer hope to students from Gaza (May 6, 2024): https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/5/6/us-student-protests-of-israeli-genocide-offer-hope-to-students-from-gaza
Brant Rosen: We Tried to Bring Food Into Gaza—but Israel Blocked and Arrested Us: As Israel continues to starve the people of Gaza, a delegation of rabbis marched toward the Erez Crossing during Passover carrying sacks of flour and demanding a cease-fire. (May 6, 2024): https://www.thenation.com/article/world/rabbis-arrested-for-bringing-food-gaza/
Catholic Workers Movement: After Arrests, Students Renew Call for Notre Dame to Follow Catholic Teaching on War, Investments (May 6, 2024): https://catholicworker.org/after-arrests-students-renew-call-for-notre-dame-to-follow-catholic-teaching-on-war-investments/
Hala Rharrit, former State Department official: Biden’s militaristic policy in Gaza is a failure — diplomacy is the solution (May 6, 2024): https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/4646237-biden-gaza-militaristic-policy-failure/
750+ Jewish Students Affirm Support for Pro-Palestine Campus Protests [In Response to Biden’s Speech, 750+ Jewish Students on 140+ Campuses Stand Against Israel's Rafah Invasion, Urge Jewish Institutional Action to Halt Gaza Assault] (May 7, 2024): https://www.commondreams.org/news/jewish-students-support-gaza & https://mailchi.mp/israelpalestinecomms/jstudents
American Friends Service Committee: T­h­e C­o­m­p­a­n­i­e­s P­r­o­f­i­t­i­n­g f­r­o­m I­s­r­a­e­l­’­s 2­0­2­3­-­2­0­2­4 A­t­t­a­c­k­s o­n G­a­z­a (Updated on May 7, 2024): https://afsc.org/gaza-genocide-companies
‘I am leaving for the unknown.’ Palestinians fleeing Rafah describe their fear and despair (May 7, 2024): https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/06/middleeast/palestinians-flee-rafah-gaza-fear-despair-intl-hnk/index.html
Kenneth Roth: Biden Should Not Stand in the Way of the ICC (May 7, 2024): https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/07/biden-israel-hamas-icc-gaza-netanyahu-arrest/
Letter by Ch. Lt Col (Ret.) Stephen Tillett to the Editor: Veteran Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza (May 7, 2024): https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/letter-to-the-editor-veteran-calls-for-ceasefire-in-gaza/2024/05/07
Three Orange County medics describe wartime health care in Gaza: A once-modern string of hospitals has been reduced to desperate physicians and others relying on wits and luck. Most of their patients are children. (May 7, 2024): https://www.ocregister.com/2024/05/07/three-orange-county-medics-describe-wartime-health-care-in-gaza/
ACLU’s national director of policy and government affairs Mike Zamore and ACLU senior policy counsel Kia Hamadanchy: A disturbing national security bill could silence nonprofits and college protests (May 8, 2024): https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4651053-a-disturbing-national-security-bill-could-silence-nonprofits-and-college-protests/
Al Jazeera shutdown in Israel spells 'dark day for democracy,' say media groups (May 8, 2024): https://www.voanews.com/a/al-jazeera-shutdown-in-israel-spells-dark-day-for-democracy-say-media-groups/7603956.html
Blinken Says Israeli Units Accused of Serious Violations Have Done Enough to Avoid Sanctions. Experts and Insiders Disagree. (May 8, 2024): https://www.propublica.org/article/blinken-israel-military-aid-human-rights-violations-leahy-law
Jeremy Brecher: Anti-Genocide Students Are Fulfilling Their Duty to Prevent War Crimes; Will You? (May 8, 2024): https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/students-prevent-war-crimes
Senator Bernie Sanders Statement on Biden’s Hold on Bomb Delivery to Netanyahu’s Government (May 8, 2024): https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-statement-on-bidens-hold-on-bomb-delivery-to-netanyahus-government/
The NYPD’s New Sizzle Reels Aren’t Just Dumb. They’re Dangerous. “This is copaganda, designed primarily to provide the mayor with political cover, but then also to show off the military might and alleged professionalism of the NYPD.” (May 8, 2024): https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/05/nypd-sizzle-reel-student-protests/
Haim Bresheeth-Žabner deplores the rot in Israeli society: 'Israel has turned into a Nazi society': The son of Holocaust survivors, Haim Bresheeth-Žabner believes the majority of Israel has been taught to normalise the occupation of Palestine (May 9, 2024): https://www.newarab.com/features/son-shoah-survivors-israel-has-become-nazi-society
‘It’s not human’: What a French doctor saw in Gaza as Israel invaded Rafah: When asked about the conditions of the hospitals he worked in, Dr. Zouhair Lahna is pained by the memories of the sick, wounded and dying. (May 9, 2024): https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/5/9/its-not-human-what-a-french-doctor-saw-in-gaza-as-israel-invaded-rafah
Japanese American Citizens League Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza (May 9, 2024): https://jacl.org/statements/jacl-calls-for-ceasefire-in-gaza
Republicans Funded by Arms Industry Fume Over Biden Threat to Withhold Bombs From Israel (May 9, 2024): https://www.commondreams.org/news/republicans-israel-weapons
Senator Bernie Sanders Statement on Israel’s Threat to Attack Rafah (May 9, 2024): https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-statement-on-israels-threat-to-attack-rafah/
Trapped in Rafah, I'm watching genocide unfold before my eyes: Gazan journalist Amjad Yaghi's eye-witness account in Rafah describes the horrors of Israel's ground invasion as Gazans desperately try to flee to safety. (May 9, 2024): https://www.newarab.com/opinion/trapped-rafah-im-witnessing-genocide-my-own-eyes
76 Universities in Spain Suspend Ties With Complicit Israeli Universities (May 10, 2024): https://bdsmovement.net/news/76-universities-spain-suspend-ties-with-complicit-israeli-universities
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project: US Student Pro-Palestine Demonstrations Remain Overwhelmingly Peaceful (May 10, 2024): https://acleddata.com/2024/05/10/us-student-pro-palestine-demonstrations-remain-overwhelmingly-peaceful-acled-brief/
Biden’s arms threat to Israel ‘better than nothing’ but too late, say U.S. officials who resigned over Gaza policy (May 10, 2024): https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/bidens-arms-threat-israel-better-nothing-late-say-us-officials-resigne-rcna151454
Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza must end’ – Sinn Féin Chairperson Declan Kearney tells Global Anti-Apartheid Conference on Palestine (May 10, 2024): https://vote.sinnfein.ie/israels-genocidal-war-in-gaza-must-end-kearney-tells-global-anti-apartheid-conference-on-palestine/
Rick Salutin: I protested at Columbia in 1968 and today’s campus protests give me hope (May 10, 2024): https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/i-protested-at-columbia-in-1968-and-todays-campus-protests-give-me-hope/article_a505c180-0e32-11ef-9615-e3f88eb6e034.html
Senator Bernie Sanders Statement on Rafah (May 10, 2024): https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-statement-on-rafah/
Strapped down, blindfolded, held in diapers: Israeli whistleblowers detail abuse of Palestinians in shadowy detention center (May 10, 2024): https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/10/middleeast/israel-sde-teiman-detention-whistleblowers-intl-cmd/index.html
U.S. medical volunteers in Rafah hospital say they've never seen a worse health crisis (May 10, 2024): https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/05/10/1250490688/rafa-hospital-gaza-israel-war-middle-east
Pro-Israel website ramps up attacks on pro-Palestinian student protesters (May 11, 2024): https://www.reuters.com/world/name-shame-pro-israel-website-ramps-up-attacks-pro-palestinian-student-2024-05-11/
Sen. Lindsey Graham says Israel should do 'whatever' it has to while comparing the war in Gaza to Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The GOP senator compared Israel’s military operations to the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Japan in World War II, saying, “Israel, do whatever you have to do.” (May 12, 2024): https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sen-lindsey-graham-says-israel-whatever-comparing-war-gaza-hiroshima-n-rcna151828
‘Total outrage’: White House condemns Israeli settlers’ attack on Gaza aid trucks: Protesters block convoy, throw food into road and set fire to vehicles at Tarqumiya checkpoint near Hebron (May 13, 2024): https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/13/total-outrage-white-house-condemns-israeli-settlers-attack-on-gaza-aid-convoy

I (29 f) will be going on a family related trip with my two daughters (2 and 8). my mom passed away 2 months ago and she had left us some money in the bank for me and my brother (32). My brother lives out of state in California, he only came to Ohio for my mom and the funeral. We had started the process to claim the money with the bank. My brother had to fly back to California for work before we were able to get the money, so the whole process was basically canceled. My brother was about to get fired because he was in Ohio for a little over a month. So we agreed that i would fly out to California and we could do the whole bank process again. At the time i was distant with my partner (28 m) he never liked my mom so he was not there for me while i was going through the grieve of losing my mom. I had only mentioned to him that i would have to go to California to claim the money my mom had left me and my brother. He did not express himself to nicely about it. My partner has an issue of me going to California because that is where i lived with the father of my daughter (8 f) for some years, he thinks im going to go "have fun" as he puts it. My partner has a pattern of acussing me of cheating. Which i have never done.
A couple weeks ago i decide to have a break because i found out he was cheating on me repeatedly in the past, we still lived together but he stayed in the living room. i never mentioned to him about the trip that was already planning, i started looking at flights and possibly an Airbnb to stay at a couple of days with my best friend (25 f) from California. My best friend and i always plan trips that will never happen.
My partner during the time we were in a break, went through my stuff while i was gone, he had confronted me about some things in my past that i wrote in my journal and some hotels i had written down with prices and locations. He brought up how it was an issue that i was going to California without inviting him. He said i was hiding the fact i was looking for hotels and planning a girls trip on the side. He said i was a liar.
In the past i had invited him to California when i would have to send my daughter (8) to go visit her dad during school vacations. But my partner always refused and would say to never ask him or bring up California to him again.
He made a big deal about me not inviting him saying that maybe i was just going to have fun and leave my daughters with someone while i go out with my best friend. The plan was to have my daughters with me the whole time. My partner proceed to invite himself, asking me if there was any reason for him not to go. i agreed it was ok for him to go with us and he then told me that he will not be staying with us, that he will be staying in hotels. He said i would have to have my location on at all times and had an issue with my girls days with my best friend.
He made me feel like i was in the wrong, so am i the asshole for not inviting him on the trip?

Last night I finished the TLOK series. I didn't know anything about the shows weaknesses going into Book One. That first season made me feel so excited for the remainder of the story! It explored interesting themes in a beautiful setting, asked thoughtful questions, and introduced a compelling villain whose motive made a ton of sense and was a perfect antagonist to the Avatar. Amon was so compelling, I found myself actually rooting for him sometimes!
However, I was dissatisfied with how the writers chose to wrap up Book One. This could be an entire conversation unto itself, but to put it simply, I felt that Book One was building up to a moment that said "Hey, the bad guy is actually mostly right. Maybe the correct solution to this conflict is a third option that the two sides had not considered before." I was hoping the climactic battle / action sequence would be something like Batman vs Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, wherein victory in the fist fight was actually a victory in buying time for the people of Gotham to prove their humanity. But instead of a battle over the soul of the city, Amon's 3-dimensional character was flattened into a 2D caricature through exposition: he doesn't really have a grounded philosophy worth exploring, he's just another water-bending baddie with daddy issues!
Similar build up and disappointment played out in each season. And after reading discussions on this subreddit, I can see how a lot of that was due to production issues with Nickelodeon. Not knowing if the show was going to be renewed each season didn't help. And, frankly, I think creating a follow-up to the gold standard of western animated television introduces challenges both internally (writers feeling they need to one-up the size and ambition of the story at the risk of making the show bloated) and externally (viewers always comparing TLOK to ATLA).
Remaking ATLA is nice but unnecessary. I feel bad saying this because, like a lot of you, I've seen how fun all the actors are off-screen and really feel they deserve better. Ultimately, there isn't much that needed to change about the animated series, so the odds of NATLA being worth watching was always going to be a longshot.
Remaking TLOK, on the other hand... I see a lot of potential for a remake to improve upon the original. Unlike for ATLA, condensing the story and characters would actually be a good thing! Fewer characters; only 2-3 side stories; a main villain arc that threads the entire series together; a live action Korra is really fun to imagine!

Recently Gates of Hell released the American faction and did a full overhaul of the German faction, leading to a pair of interesting factions with an incredible variety of historically authentic uniforms. You could zoom in on any of the squads and see the diverse uniforms depicted right down to the insignia on their caps and the regiments on their patches. Shermanator’s interview of Chase/Trudel (the lead animator & 3D human artist) gave me faith in the developer’s passion for the history and the game. This made me quite excited, because we have yet to see a British Commonwealth faction but there is some heavy implication that we can expect one in the future.
I wanted to make this thread, because I wanted to express my desire to see elements in the game that would make the Commonwealth faction a wealth of interesting units, uniforms and nationalities, particularly via the doctrines system that exists within the game. The intention is to throw in representatives across all the major nations of the British Commonwealth as well as some of the Allied armies-in-exile that came under British command. I also want to highlight some of the vehicles that are rarely mentioned in other games due to their obscure theatre or role. For the record, I'm not telling the devs what to do - I'm just making some example doctrines that I came up with as an example of the variety of units I'd love to see and making their inclusion plausible. Mostly to get the community talking.
I won’t talk about early war, partially because ‘Early war’ in Gates of Hell is largely post-Dunkirk, but also because I feel like what I am asking is still quite a lot just for one faction across two eras. I also I won’t be mentioning the more obvious or general units like Stuarts, Crusaders, Cromwells, Grants etc, as I expect them to be added nonetheless. It’s the vaguer aspects of the Commonwealth I wanted to talk about; the weird, wonderful and the diverse.
Mid War Doctrines
I think the mid-war should be largely inspired by the North African Campaigns, centred largely on the 8th Army and utilising the huge variety of cultures that fought within it. Extra bits can be added from the Italian campaign where the faction is lacking, and the Italian campaign can also be represented in the ‘Temperate’ skin for the mid-war faction. There are a lot of inspirations one can draw to create a variety of options for the Commonwealth player and each doctrine should draw from their unique aspects.
All-Round: Inspired by the Desert Rats, the 2nd Battle of El Alamein and Operation Crusader this one balances the various aspects of the other doctrines while keeping it unique. I’d like to see the Infantry include British Desert Rats Infantry, 2nd New Zealand Infantry, & 1st South African Infantry. I’d also like to see South African Marmon-Herrington Armoured Cars (multiple variants) as an early-battle option, plenty of the more common tanks and maybe the Bishop as a slow but mobile artillery piece. As a special call-in, we could probably include the Free French Legionaries as a powerful assault unit, just to really complete the variety in this division.
Defensive: Inspired by the Siege of Tobruk, this doctrine should primarily represent the Australians. Variations of the Australian 9th Division troops as infantry alongside minor British elements with a heavy emphasis on field engineers, emplacements and field guns. Defensive doctrine could also include RAF Regiment infantry, RAF 20mm Oerlikon guns, RAF Rolls Royces, India Pattern Carriers (from the Indian 18th Division), air strikes and, as a special unit, they could even have captured Italian tanks from the 6th Australian Division Cavalry Regiment! As a defensive doctrine, they should also have access to the best mid-war field guns, including the rare (but historical) ’Pheasant’ 17/25 Pounder Field Gun.
Offensive: Inspired by the Battle of Tunisia and Operation Torch, I think this one should show off the might of the UK’s heavier vehicles in the latter stages of the African campaign, particularly the Churchill III, Sherman III, the Priest 105mm and the Stuart Command Tank, alongside the more standard British tank options. As for infantry options, we can include Indian troops of the 4th Infantry Division (India), Gurkhas, and a motorised unit of 22nd Guards Infantry. I would also add the British Commandos in this division - partly because they were involved in Operation Torch, but also because they had an iconic impact on the mid-war (outside of Africa) that it would be a pity not to add them.
Irregular: This one would be quite unique in mid-war as it is effectively the light vehicle special forces doctrine. Although some standard British units would form the basis of the army, they would have access to a variety of assets representing the Long Range Desert Group; Chevrolet trucks with mounted Vickers MGs, Boys AT rifles, twin 303 Brownings or even Bofors and captured 20mm Breda guns! ‘Bamtam’ jeeps with twin Vickers Ks or 303 Brownings. The transport and logistics would be different too, using the Marmon-Herrington 6-ton Heavy Truck or the White 1064 10-ton. Other unique special call-ins would include an LRDG WACO Recon plane and the SAS (armed with the Lewes bomb). The downside to this doctrine, however, is that imagine it to be much lighter on armoured support, relying mostly on towed guns for its heavy firepower.
Other Units: I’ve tried to use inspirations from specific parts of the war to get a rounded but also diverse array of units, but there are loads of obscure units across the mid-war that I’d love to see; the Priest 105mm SPG, the AEC Deacon Gun Carrier, the Daimler Dingo, the Humber Light Reconnaissance, and so on.
That is as much as I want to say on mid-war without labouring the point. I’m sure there’s interesting things I’ve missed accidentally, and I’m afraid there’s some I have missed on purpose. For example, I considered the Australian Matilda Hedgehog, but it turned out to be late war and never used. I also considered the Greek and the Czech Division, but I think I’ve already stretched it too far as regards voice acting alone without adding units that, as distinguished their service might be, are just too obscure without adding anything extra - appearance or gameplay. That said, my hat would go off to the devs if they achieved that.
Late War Doctrines
Here we get to represent the Commonwealth units from Operation Overlord up until Operation Varsity.
All-Round: The quintessential British doctrine, combining bog-standard infantry with hardy tanks and a decent array of equipment. Partially based on Gold Beach, but also Operation Varsity/Plunder towards the end of the war, I would personally give them 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry, RAF Regiment Gunners, RAF Humber Light AC, Churchill AVRE, the Cruiser Mk. VIII Challenger and the Comet. Maybe give them some 6th Airlanding troops and 1st Canadian Parachute Infantry as a reference to the Normandy paratroopers if we feel they need more skilled infantry.
Offensive: The Canadian Doctrine - mostly inspired by the First Canadian Army in Normandy with elements of their experiences later on (including the Battle of the Schelt and Operation Veritable) with the doctrine largely focused on armoured assault infantry. They’ll look quite unique compared to the British because their uniforms were greener and they were the first to use the British-designed Mk.III helmet at D-Day. Troops of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division as standard, supported by assault infantry. Eventually, armoured infantry can spawn in Buffalos (used at the Battle of the Schelt) and, as a special call-in, Ram Kangaroo APCs (sporting an armoured MG turret). The Otter armoured car would be an early call-in, with M4A1 Sherman Grizzly tanks as well as Ram IIs available in the standard tank tab. Some unique but limited special call-ins would include the Skink AA tank (of which 2 saw historical combat in Normandy) as well as a skilled sniper wielding the Ross rifle.
Defensive: Just as the US Defensive doctrine features the 101st Airborne (no doubt inspired by the Battle of Bastogne), the British Defensive doctrine can feature the British Airborne - particularly based on the defense of Arnhem Bridge in the Netherlands as part of Market Garden. Infantry units can include the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry, 1st Airborne Paratroopers, 1st Airlanding Infantry, Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and 1st (Polish) Independent Paratroopers (who are distinctive with their grey berets). Armoured units can include the Tetrarch and the M22 Locust. To suit their defensive doctrine, they should get some decent guns and I’m thinking the airborne jeep-towed 20mm Polsten Gun, airborne 17th Pounder as well as (in a departure from the Parachute theme) the BL 7.2-inch howitzer. The Patchett sub-machine gun could make an appearance here too.
Irregular: Based on Sword Beach, Commandos and the 79th Armoured Division, with the more unusual units in the British arsenal. Probably with 3rd Infantry Division Infantry as standard, this unit could have access to No.41 (Royal Marine) Commandos, Fusilier Marines Commandos (based on No.4 Commando’s assault on Ouestreham), the Centaur Mk.IV QF 95mm, the Sherman DD, the Churchill Crocodile and Royal Engineer Assault Teams deployed in the cute Terrapin 4-ton Amphibious. If we want to be really wacky, we could even add the M3 Grant CDL (an unarmed searchlight tank) for armoured spotting, similar to the 150cm Flakscheinwerfer searchlight.
Other Units: Further unique units that would fit in any one (or multiple) of these divisions (based on balance) include the Land Mattress Rocket Launcher, the Loyd Carrier, the Universal Carrier WASP (flamethrower), the Sexton SPG, Sherman Firefly, the Archer TD, Achilles TD, the Priest Kangaroo, the Morris C8, Staghound and so on. There are SO many strange and obscure British vehicles that don’t often see the light of day, but would be perfect for Gates of Hell.
Post-release Doctrines -
More of a final thought than anything else, but if/when the Japanese get added into the game, I’d love to see a fifth doctrine to represent the British 14th Army to match the Japanese. A doctrine that is mostly comprised of Indian infantry and Indian tanks, with representation from the East/West African Divisions, Gurkhas and the British 2nd or 36th Infantry Divisions. Special call-ins could include the Chindits (using Thompsons and the Jungle Carbine) and paratroopers of the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade. If we’re feeling generous enough to allow the doctrine to encompass the Pacific Islands as well, we could also include an Australian squad armed with the Owen SMG, South Pacific Scouts, the Matida Frog (flamethrower) and the Matilda QF 3-Inch.
Conclusion: I apologise for such a long read. But I hope we see how a bit of ambition could really help the Commonwealth stand out and be worthy of the variety seen in the other factions since their overhaul. While the Germans have Spanish soldiers in their ranks, the Commonwealth can see the UK, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Poland, and France (and technically Nepal) all get some recognition. While the German Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe stand out on the field, the Commonwealth might get the distinctive blue battledress of the RAF Regiment, or the long white tunics of the Foreign Legion. We would see such a variety of hats including pith helmets, berets, kepis, dastars, keffiyehs and slouch hats. Some units, like the LRDG vehicles, might even stand out as unique from any of the nations already in the game. It’s a lot of colourful uniforms, a lot of voices and a lot of strange and wonderful machines.
However, it does come with its downsides. Firstly, Africa and Europe are such dramatically different theatres that their version of mid & late war are incredibly different to one another. So much so that the depth of variety might make the faction too big, making it a lot of effort for the art department (especially with uniforms changing for the map’s climate. Imagine making skins for temperate, desert AND snow). The second issue is whether France is getting its own faction in future iterations of the game (the French flag appears in the loading screen during Axis vs Allies games). The final (and probably biggest) issue is voice acting. I’m no expert on games development, but I gather that getting enough voice actors for a faction is hard enough as it is without having to accurately represent 9 countries at once. I would love to hear the developer’s thoughts on the matter - whether such a project is within the game’s scope and if they have the ambition to take it this far.
Do let me all know what you think as well.

Apologies in advance for the long post. So my mom (who is an emotionally immature parent) has had 2 sets of children. My older brother and sister are 20 years older than my little sister and I. I've been struggling quite a bit with my oldest sister, and wanted to seek some advice.
My older sister has a lot of problems. She presents herself as put together, Type-A, and has narcissistic personality traits (grandiosity, arrogant, aggressive when challenged, etc.). She is a porn star and in an open relationship with her husband (which are not issues in and of themselves, but necessary to the context). She is also a recently sober alcoholic and smokes an insane amount of weed. I also suspect her husband is a narcissist, and he has many similar issues that seem to enable their cycle of disfunction.
As an adult, I have never liked my sister's personality. But the real issue comes with her now teenage-child. I've been witnessing their relationship as I've grown up, and now I find her behavior incredibly triggering. Her daughter tells me about how she's had to care for her mother while she was an alcoholic, her mother allows her daughter to smoke weed (even buying weed for her), and her daughter found her mother's porn at a very young age and it has emotionally traumatized her.
My main issue is determining how to navigate this relationship with my sister, and my own struggle to set boundaries. I am deeply, deeply upset about the way she has (and continues) to actively traumatize her daughter, and I've expressed this to my own mother (who enables this behavior and doesn't see anything wrong with it. Even if she did, she doesn't believe it's her place to intervene in her adult daughter's life).
I do not want anything to do with my older sister, but my mother doesn't seem to understand this. Part of this is because my older sister is in recovery, so she's been doing "better," but at her core she is still deeply disfunctional and has no ethics/morals, and is a person who I believe is truly reprehensible. When I express my distress to my mother, she often says things like, "People make mistakes," and "She's going to therapy now," and that I should stop being so judgmental/the world isn't black and white.
Thankfully my sister lives multiple states away and I don't talk to her much, but she does message me on social media/texts me relatively often and if it was up to me I'd never speak to her again.
I would love any advice on how to deal with this dynamic, with my mother as well as my sister. Part of me feels hesitant because my older sister hasn't "done" anything to me, and my family believes that because of that, there's no reason for me to strange myself from her.
Edit: I also want to note that my older sister does not know I have these feelings about her. My family is very passive-aggressive and ignores issues until they "go away". It has been difficult to break this pattern in my life outside of them, and I've yet to break it within my family due to my CPTSD and becoming incredibly triggered during interpersonal conflict (especially with family).

I (25F) have been best friends with my (26F) roommate for years, we have worked together and lived together for two years. We knew eachother pre work and living together, I actually got her the job as we get along so well I didn’t see it being an issue to spend so much time together. We never fight and there’s been no tensity or conflict since living together.
She has been very stressed lately and has quit the job she had with me because she got into a course that is also very high stress and needs to commit to that fully. It doesn’t start for several months and she wants to travel all summer before beginning this. I was so excited for and we planned for me to join this trip near the end so we can spend the end of summer together. We had dates set out and discussed flights and budgets, as far as I knew this was 100%
She told me out of the blue yesterday she wants to move out. Our lease isn’t up for another 2 years and the only reason she gave is because she feels when she’s stressed she takes it out on people around her and doesn’t want to do that to me, she feels she takes on others emotions and doesn’t want to be worried about mine when so stressed out and anxious herself about this course. She wants to live with strangers and focus on our friendship from a distance. I respected that, I’m obviously upset but if she’s prioritising her mental health and our friendship (in her opinion) I said ok. The issue is I won’t live with a stranger and none of our friends need a place right now meaning I now have to live by myself. I know this is a personal choice not her fault but she did know this would be my case which would mean I have to move out of our two bed and find a new place. She is also leaving in a month for her travels and because we are breaking the lease we need to pay fees and replace the tenants. I need to do this by myself as she’ll be away and I can’t move out before she leaves as it isn’t enough time to find new people, find somewhere else and move all my things. I have to find new tenants, pack everything up, sort out the deep clean, the moving truck, the property inspection, file for deposit all alone while she’s away all summer. I asked her if she’d maybe stay until end of September so we can do it together when she’s back but she says no she wants it sorted before she comes back. I now can’t join the trip as I’ll need to be doing this during the time I was going to be joining. Her quitting when her contract wasn’t up for another three months also leaves me with a lot of additional responsibilities in work so my job will be very intense during this as well.
I feel really blind sided and that she’s being quite inconsiderate with this? She said she’ll pay rent while she’s travelling for some summer but I think the issue is more she’s not here to help with anything and that she never even hinted at not wanting to live with me we only recently discussed how much we love living together. I don’t feel her reason for moving (prioritising our friendship) is very valid as I always try to organise things and she’s often out with mutual friends and doesn’t invite me. All our friends are mutual and I feel bad complaining about it as she’s very stressed with everything and I don’t want to add to her stress but she’s told me she’ll only pay 10 more weeks rent from June and this is a very competitive time to try find somewhere in the city we live.
I didnt expect to have to be stuck with this and moving all our things alone and also being excluded from a trip we planned to take together to do this. Am I the asshole for being upset about this or should I just let it go and respect she’s overwhelmed and given me just over two months to figure it out?

I (25F) have been best friends with my (26F) roommate for years, we have worked together and lived together for two years. We knew eachother pre work and living together, I actually got her the job as we get along so well I didn’t see it being an issue to spend so much time together. We never fight and there’s been no tensity or conflict since living together.
She has been very stressed lately and has quit the job she had with me because she got into a course that is also very high stress and needs to commit to that fully. It doesn’t start for several months and she wants to travel all summer before beginning this. I was so excited for and we planned for me to join this trip near the end so we can spend the end of summer together. We had dates set out and discussed flights and budgets, as far as I knew this was 100%
She told me out of the blue yesterday she wants to move out. Our lease isn’t up for another 2 years and the only reason she gave is because she feels when she’s stressed she takes it out on people around her and doesn’t want to do that to me, she feels she takes on others emotions and doesn’t want to be worried about mine when so stressed out and anxious herself about this course. She wants to live with strangers and focus on our friendship from a distance. I respected that, I’m obviously upset but if she’s prioritising her mental health and our friendship (in her opinion) I said ok. The issue is I won’t live with a stranger and none of our friends need a place right now meaning I now have to live by myself. I know this is a personal choice not her fault but she did know this would be my case which would mean I have to move out of our two bed and find a new place. She is also leaving in a month for her travels and because we are breaking the lease we need to pay fees and replace the tenants. I need to do this by myself as she’ll be away and I can’t move out before she leaves as it isn’t enough time to find new people, find somewhere else and move all my things. I have to find new tenants, pack everything up, sort out the deep clean, the moving truck, the property inspection, file for deposit all alone while she’s away all summer. I asked her if she’d maybe stay until end of September so we can do it together when she’s back but she says no she wants it sorted before she comes back. I now can’t join the trip as I’ll need to be doing this during the time I was going to be joining. Her quitting when her contract wasn’t up for another three months also leaves me with a lot of additional responsibilities in work so my job will be very intense during this as well.
I feel really blind sided and that she’s being quite inconsiderate with this? She said she’ll pay rent while she’s travelling for some summer but I think the issue is more she’s not here to help with anything and that she never even hinted at not wanting to live with me we only recently discussed how much we love living together. I don’t feel her reason for moving (prioritising our friendship) is very valid as I always try to organise things and she’s often out with mutual friends and doesn’t invite me. All our friends are mutual and I feel bad complaining about it as she’s very stressed with everything and I don’t want to add to her stress but she’s told me she’ll only pay 10 more weeks rent from June and this is a very competitive time to try find somewhere in the city we live.
I didnt expect to have to be stuck with this and moving all our things alone and also being excluded from a trip we planned to take together to do this. Am I the asshole for being upset about this or should I just let it go and respect she’s overwhelmed and given me just over two months to figure it out?

A few weeks ago I requested help prepping a DCC hexcrawl and received a lot of excellent suggestions. To that list I'd like to add this great youtube guide which goes into the nuts and bolts of running a hexcrawl in a simple and matter-of-fact way.
u/CurrencyOpposite704 suggested I check out the hexanomicon, which was an excellent idea, in more ways than one. I'd been searching for inspiration for a loosely connected campaign. Which I found on the title page of the hexanomicon, which features a giant 'island turtle'.
The idea is that the party is shipwrecked on a large island that is much more than it seems. The island is a turtle-shaped vessel--a titan--built eons ago by a long-vanished race in order to traverse the astral seas, or whatever. When the party first lands, they have no idea that the island is anything other than what it seems. Centuries have passed; the surface of the island appears completely nature. Exploring the island, particularly the dungeons deep beneath it, will reveal the mechanical heart of the island, and thus repair it, if they choose to do so.
Of course, they aren't the only inhabitants of the island. They won't be the only ones trying to get control of it.
A quick image search led to this map, which works for me. I ran it through gimp and overlayed it with a hex pattern, and now I'm good to go.
I've already run the party through Starless Sea, which was awesome and really set the tone. I'm going to have them wash ashore in the inlet on the southern side of the island, with a path leading up from the shore to the east side of the inlet.
I'd like to seed the island with some adventures. From the small beach on the inlet is a path that winds up the cliff. At the top of the cliff is a painted sign that points north and south. The sign is a warning. North is death and south is not death.
South leads to the village of Hirot and the Doom of the Savage Kings adventure. Once the village is saved the party can use it as a base of operations to explore the island. North I'm not sure about yet, but I'm imagining that something dangerous lives in the swamp north of the inlet.
There are several other points of interest on the map I'd like to get some input on. There are the mountains east of the inlet. The scarred area NW of the inlet screams 'chaos' to me. What's going on it those chasms that seems to be killing the surrounding flora? Whatever it is is probably corrupting the wildlife and poisoning the swamp.
In the NE corner is a large swampy area. I'm considering setting Moon Slaves there, or perhaps even in the swampy area closer to the inlet. Really, I'm open to ideas, though generally I'd like the danger, and thus the level, to increase as the party ventures north.
Finally--and this is the part I really need help with--there is the mystery at the heart of the island. The large mountain chain near the center of the island contains the entrance to a dungeon that leads to the control center of the titan. The control center is guarded by sentient AI, constructs, clockwork guardians, and things of that nature. Perhaps corrupted over time. One idea is that the Patrons/Deities of this island are all different and conflicting personalities of the same fractured AI overmind. The keys to this dungeon are scattered about the island, encouraging exploration and making it so the party can't access the dungeon until the island has been fully explored.
Any suggestions with the control dungeon would be greatly appreciated. Once the party explores the surface and conquers the main dungeon, they gain full access to the titan. The campaign ends with them sailing off on the cosmic seas to future adventure.

I (25F) have been best friends with my (26F) roommate for years, we have worked together and lived together for two years. We knew eachother pre work and living together, I actually got her the job as we get along so well I didn’t see it being an issue to spend so much time together. We never fight and there’s been no tensity or conflict since living together.
She has been very stressed lately and has quit the job she had with me because she got into a course that is also very high stress and needs to commit to that fully. It doesn’t start for several months and she wants to travel all summer before beginning this. I was so excited for and we planned for me to join this trip near the end so we can spend the end of summer together. We had dates set out and discussed flights and budgets, as far as I knew this was 100%
She told me out of the blue yesterday she wants to move out. Our lease isn’t up for another 2 years and the only reason she gave is because she feels when she’s stressed she takes it out on people around her and doesn’t want to do that to me, she feels she takes on others emotions and doesn’t want to be worried about mine when so stressed out and anxious herself about this course. She wants to live with strangers and focus on our friendship from a distance. I respected that, I’m obviously upset but if she’s prioritising her mental health and our friendship (in her opinion) I said ok. The issue is I won’t live with a stranger and none of our friends need a place right now meaning I now have to live by myself. I know this is a personal choice not her fault but she did know this would be my case which would mean I have to move out of our two bed and find a new place. She is also leaving in a month for her travels and because we are breaking the lease we need to pay fees and replace the tenants. I need to do this by myself as she’ll be away and I can’t move out before she leaves as it isn’t enough time to find new people, find somewhere else and move all my things. I have to find new tenants, pack everything up, sort out the deep clean, the moving truck, the property inspection, file for deposit all alone while she’s away all summer. I asked her if she’d maybe stay until end of September so we can do it together when she’s back but she says no she wants it sorted before she comes back. I now can’t join the trip as I’ll need to be doing this during the time I was going to be joining. Her quitting when her contract wasn’t up for another three months also leaves me with a lot of additional responsibilities in work so my job will be very intense during this as well.
I feel really blind sided and that she’s being quite inconsiderate with this? She said she’ll pay rent while she’s travelling for some summer but I think the issue is more she’s not here to help with anything and that she never even hinted at not wanting to live with me we only recently discussed how much we love living together. I don’t feel her reason for moving (prioritising our friendship) is very valid as I always try to organise things and she’s often out with mutual friends and doesn’t invite me. All our friends are mutual and I feel bad complaining about it as she’s very stressed with everything and I don’t want to add to her stress but she’s told me she’ll only pay 10 more weeks rent from June and this is a very competitive time to try find somewhere in the city we live.
I didnt expect to have to be stuck with this and moving all our things alone and also being excluded from a trip we planned to take together to do this. Am I the asshole for being upset about this or should I just let it go and respect she’s overwhelmed and given me just over two months to figure it out?

PURPOSE IN LIFE
The concept of purpose in life is deeply personal and can vary from person to person. For some, it is about finding meaning in their actions, relationships, or contributions to society. For others, it might be about pursuing passions, achieving goals, or fulfilling responsibilities.
Some find purpose in spirituality or religion, while others find it in personal growth or helping others. Ultimately, purpose can be about feeling fulfilled, content, and aligned with one's values and aspirations. It is a journey of self-discovery and often evolves over time as we gain new experiences and insights.
Find Your Purpose In Life Finding your purpose in life is a journey that often involves self-reflection, exploration, and experimentation. Here are some steps that might help you in discovering your purpose:
Reflect On Your Interests And Passions: Think about the activities or subjects that truly engage you and bring you joy. Consider what you loved to do as a child or what you find yourself naturally drawn to as an adult.
Identify Your Strengths: Reflect on your unique talents, skills, and strengths. What are you good at? What do others often praise you for? Your purpose may lie at the intersection of your passions and strengths.
Consider What Deeply Matters To You: Think about the values and principles that are important to you. What causes or issues do you feel strongly about? Your purpose might align with making a positive impact in areas that resonate with you.
Explore Different Paths: Don't be afraid to try new things and explore different interests or career paths. Volunteer, take classes, travel, or engage in hobbies that pique your curiosity. Sometimes, purpose is found through experimentation and experience.
Pay Attention To What Energizes You: Notice the activities or experiences that make you feel alive, inspired, and fulfilled. These moments can provide clues about what resonates with your purpose.
Reflect On Your Past Experiences: Think about moments in your life when you felt a sense of meaning or fulfillment. What were you doing? What made those experiences meaningful? Reflecting on your past can help you identify patterns and themes that point towards your purpose.
Seek Inspiration From Others: Learn from the experiences and journeys of others who have found their purpose. Their stories can provide insights and ideas that may resonate with you.
Be Patient And Open-Minded: Finding your purpose is a process that takes time and self-discovery. Be patient with yourself and remain open to new possibilities and insights along the way.
How Purpose In Life Can Aid In Life Success
Discovering and aligning with your purpose in life can significantly contribute to your overall success and fulfillment in several ways:
Clarity and Focus: When you have a clear sense of purpose, you have a guiding light to direct your efforts and decisions. This clarity helps you focus your time, energy, and resources on activities and pursuits that are meaningful to you, increasing your effectiveness and productivity.
Motivation and Resilience: Knowing your purpose provides you with a deep source of motivation and resilience. When faced with challenges or setbacks, your sense of purpose can give you the strength and determination to persevere, even when the going gets tough.
Sense of Meaning and Fulfillment: Living a purpose-driven life gives you a profound sense of meaning and fulfillment. You derive satisfaction from knowing that your actions are aligned with something greater than yourself, whether it's making a positive impact on others, pursuing your passions, or contributing to a cause you believe in.
Increased Creativity and Innovation: Pursuing your purpose often involves thinking outside the box, taking risks, and exploring new possibilities. This mindset fosters creativity and innovation, enabling you to approach challenges with fresh perspectives and find novel solutions.
Stronger Relationships: When you live authentically and in alignment with your purpose, you naturally attract people who share your values and passions. This can lead to deeper, more meaningful relationships built on mutual understanding and support.
Personal Growth and Development: Embracing your purpose encourages continuous growth and development as you strive to fulfill your potential and make a positive impact. You may find yourself pushing beyond your comfort zone, acquiring new skills, and learning valuable lessons along the way.
Health and Well-being: Research suggests that people who have a sense of purpose tend to experience better physical and mental health outcomes. Living with purpose can reduce stress, boost resilience, and enhance overall well-being, leading to a healthier, more fulfilling life.
The Benefits Of Finding Your Purpose In Life
Discovering your purpose in life can bring a multitude of benefits, enriching various aspects of your personal and professional well-being:
Increased Motivation: Having a clear sense of purpose provides you with intrinsic motivation to pursue your goals and aspirations. It gives your actions meaning and direction, making it easier to stay focused and driven.
Enhanced Resilience: Knowing your purpose can help you weather life's challenges with greater resilience. When faced with setbacks or obstacles, your sense of purpose acts as a source of inner strength and determination, helping you bounce back and persevere.
Greater Satisfaction and Fulfillment: Living in alignment with your purpose brings a profound sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. You feel a deep sense of meaning and contentment knowing that your life is guided by something meaningful and fulfilling.
Improved Decision-Making: Your purpose serves as a compass for decision-making, helping you prioritize what truly matters to you. It enables you to make choices that align with your values and long-term goals, leading to greater clarity and confidence in your decisions.
Enhanced Well-being: Research suggests that people who have a strong sense of purpose tend to experience better physical and mental well-being. They report lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as higher levels of overall life satisfaction and happiness.
Deeper Connections: Living with purpose often leads to deeper, more meaningful connections with others. You attract like-minded individuals who share your values and passions, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.
Increased Creativity and Innovation: Pursuing your purpose encourages creative thinking and innovation. It inspires you to explore new ideas, take risks, and think outside the box, leading to breakthroughs and novel solutions in various areas of your life.
Personal Growth and Development: Embracing your purpose fosters continuous personal growth and development. You find yourself stretching beyond your comfort zone, acquiring new skills, and evolving as a person as you strive to fulfill your potential and make a positive impact.
Sense of Legacy: Living with purpose allows you to leave a meaningful legacy that extends beyond your lifetime. Whether through your contributions to society, your impact on others, or the values you instill in future generations, your purpose leaves a lasting imprint on the world.
Overall Life Satisfaction: Ultimately, living in alignment with your purpose leads to greater overall life satisfaction. You feel a sense of harmony and balance as you navigate life's ups and downs, knowing that you are living authentically and making a meaningful difference in the world.
It Is Never Too Late To Lean Into Your Purpose In Life
It's never too late to lean into your purpose in life. While some people may discover their purpose early in life and embark on their journey with clarity and conviction, others may find it later in life, or even multiple times throughout their lifetime. Here are a few reasons why it's never too late:
Life Experience: As you accumulate life experience, you gain wisdom and insight that can help clarify your values, passions, and priorities. These experiences can often lead to a deeper understanding of your purpose and what truly matters to you.
Self-Discovery is Ongoing: Self-discovery is a lifelong process. Just because you haven't found your purpose yet doesn't mean it's not out there waiting for you. Keep exploring, learning, and growing, and remain open to new possibilities.
Life Transitions: Major life transitions, such as career changes, retirement, or personal milestones, can prompt reflection and introspection, leading to a reevaluation of your purpose and priorities. Embrace these transitions as opportunities for growth and renewal.
Legacy Building: Regardless of your age or stage in life, you have the power to leave a meaningful legacy by living in alignment with your purpose. Your purpose-driven actions can have a positive impact on others and contribute to a better world, regardless of when you discover or embrace your purpose.
Resilience and Adaptability: Humans are remarkably resilient and adaptable beings. Even if you feel like you've strayed from your purpose or missed opportunities in the past, you have the capacity to course-correct and realign with what truly matters to you.
Inspiration from Others: Many people have found their purpose later in life and gone on to achieve great things. Drawing inspiration from their stories can give you hope and motivation to pursue your own purpose, no matter your age or circumstances.
Personal Growth: Embracing your purpose is not just about achieving external success; it's also about personal growth and fulfillment. No matter where you are on your journey, there are always opportunities to learn, evolve, and live more authentically.
The Wrap
Remember, your purpose in life may evolve over time as you grow, learn, and experience new things. Stay open to the journey and trust that you will find clarity and meaning in your own unique way.
Ultimately, when you live in alignment with your purpose, you create a life that is meaningful, rewarding, and successful on your own terms.
Success is not just measured by external achievements but by the sense of fulfillment and contentment that comes from living authentically and making a positive difference in the world.
Finding your purpose is a deeply personal and individual journey. Trust in your own path and timing, and know that it's never too late to lean into what truly matters to you and live a life of meaning and fulfillment.
I hope that these tips aid you in your journey toward life success, whatever that looks like for you.

With Sunday and the Dreammaster's plan being your classic Lotus-Eater Machine plan, with Ena's Dream of Order being the forced paradise onto everyone type of deal, I was wondering how people thought it compares to similar schemes in media. Now that we had a little time to digest it.
It's a pretty common trope these days, but I will say I was surprised Honkai Star Rail pulled this one off so early in its plotline. Usually these kind of schemes are THE end goal that concludes the entire storyline of a series, rather than it being a singular arc.
For some examples in other series I can think of off the top of my head:

• Naruto with the Infinite Tsukuyomi (probably what most people here would be familiar with)
• Negima with Cosmo Entellecheia (probably one of the best long term executions of the idea imo)
• Code Geass with the Ragnarok Connection
• Honkai Impact 3rd's multiple variations of the idea
• Persona 5 had two different angles of it
• Madoka Rebellion
• Final Fantasy Tactics Advance had this as the central plot conflict
• And countless other examples across all sorts of media.

Personally I thought given the limitations they had to work with, it was pretty well-done for the most part. The end goal was something a lot of folks called the moment Penacony was revealed as a dreamscape. Since that sort of setting is just prime material for this sort of thing. But I think what sets out Star Rail's version of this is the way it tied in with "heart" of the protagonists so to speak. That they centered everything so well with the ethos of Trailblazing through Mikhail and the Astral Express crew to clash with the vision of Order turned what could have easily been a pretty standard "No bad guy, people shouldn't stay in dreams, they need to live in reality!" hero debate into something genuinely compelling with themes particular to this game.
It also helps that they did a pretty damn good job of fleshing out Sunday as a character, and his voicelines in the final boss fight (particularly his spin on the Book of Genesis in the final phase) really put some other antagonists (not necessarily villains mind, there's a difference) to shame. And I really liked all the more subtle elements they used to convey this narrative, like Sunday appearing as a Conductor that guides people to his idea of happiness, while Mikhail and the Trailblaze was represntted via a clock/compass that just nudged people in the right direction, rather than dictate where they must go. I always appreciate a story that doesn't insult the audiences' intelligence and lets folks read between the lines. Despite some bugbears I have here and there, I think everything was tied together pretty nicely overall.
So I'd say it's better than a good number of other attempts, but not quite up there with say Cosmo Entellecheia from Negima. But that's with the caveat that we're comparing a manga that had literal years to build up to that plotpoint, while Honkai Star Rail had maybe 18ish hours to sell it to the player. So I think you have to give them credit for what they had to work with.
So what do you guys think of Star Rail's execution of it? Enjoyed it, didn't enjoy it? What do you think was done well, and what do you think could have been improved?

What's the current market like for Amigurumi keychains and plushies? I've started doing these and I can bang them out pretty fast, so I'm thinking about starting an Etsy store for them. I would be using patterns that are okay for commercial use and writing my own patterns in the future. I would have a whimsical/witchy theme.

Have you ever felt upset because your partner texts other people in a flirty way when they're mad at you? It's a situation that can leave you feeling confused and hurt. Today, I would like to answer the question of what you need to do when your partner sends dirty texts to others because they’re mad at you. This situation arises when you mostly raise a concern about the relationship, but instead of resolving the matter, they get mad and sext someone else. Of course, you will feel bad about it, and when you’re afraid of the relationship ending, you may end up apologizing for doing nothing.
Actually, the first thing you need to realize when you’re in this situation is that you’re not in a healthy relationship. This is because if someone goes to that extent of not wanting to solve the issues in the relationship, then there are only two options: either you end the relationship or you just stick with it but end up getting hurt.
Also, when your partner flirts with other people, and then you find yourself asking for feedback in forums, it simply means there’s a problem in the relationship and the problem can also solved by you being honest with yourself and the reality of the relationship. It's about going back to the basics—what are your boundaries? What are some of the things you cannot tolerate in a relationship?
When you don’t have a great relationship with yourself, or when you're neglecting yourself consciously or unconsciously, you tend to ignore the significant and clear red flags because you're afraid of what will happen if you acknowledge the truth about the toxicity of the relationship.
When your partner constantly avoids conflict or gets mad when you raise something, that is an avoidance of conflict, and you will end up getting hurt. You may want to keep the relationship and seek solutions, but often, the desire to maintain the relationship stems from fear of abandonment or being alone. When you're emotionally and physically dependent on someone else, you'll do whatever it takes to keep them because you're not accustomed to standing up for yourself. If your partner flirts instead of resolving issues, ask yourself why you're staying in that environment, or even question if they have the energy to flirt, then they should have the energy to address those issues.
Also, when someone avoids concerns and consistently engages in behaviors you dislike, it indicates that you, too, are avoiding the inevitable. You're sidestepping the reality that perhaps you're not standing up for yourself or that you're tolerating your partner's behaviors. This pattern is common in many relationships, especially unhealthy ones. Over time, you may become accustomed to tolerating hurtful behavior until it becomes normalized, and you're unsure how you reached that point. It often begins with seemingly minor issues.
Therefore, it's crucial to address problems in a relationship as soon as they arise. If you find yourself hesitant to raise concerns, recognize that it's about you. You may be grappling with deep-seated insecurities, such as fear of abandonment, rejection, or not pleasing others. Addressing these fears is key. Once you confront them, you'll realize that perhaps the relationship isn't right for you, or you may need to explore other options.
Note from the Author
If you’re ready and you’d like my help with healing, finding peace in life and breaking free from these toxic patterns, then you can book a FREE BREAKTHROUGH CALL with me HERE. Happy healing 💙💙. Feel free to share and comment! Use this information with caution, it comes from my own thoughts & bias, experiences and research😊.