Hi everyone! I'm currently looking for any feedback on the first chapter of my short novel, which has just reached the second draft stage. It's about the main character being forced into eliminating the heads of an island conquered by vampires. The title is referencing a blood moon which remains present only on the island, always draping it in darkness and making it perfect for its inhabitants. I see it as a gothic Suicide Squad with less characters.
Thanks!
The chateau remarked itself as the jewel of the street.
The building rose above its accompanying homes, two stories larger than its nearest neighbours. A grand display of the original owner’s wealth, it now belonged to the vampires, like the rest of Prache. Looking down the street, Hitchforth recognised it from afar, his target for tonight’s mission. He watched stylish vampires enter through the front gate, greeted by ushers at the entrance, checking their invitations. Checking the inner pocket of his greatcoat, he searched for the invitation given to him, satisfied it was there. Hitchforth looked to his left and saw the rookie’s for tonight’s mission checking for his invitation. The rookie searched throughout his body, appearing to have lost the card, but found it before Hitchforth could scold him, offering it to his Educator.
The rookies they gave him rarely survived his missions. Sometimes he thought they were sent as a punishment, a test to see if they could survive. In his old age he had seen countless rookies, forgetting countless names and faces. This one beside him seemed nervous, adjusting his collar, wiping the sweat from his brow, avoiding eye contact with Hitchforth. This one might as well have been sentenced to an execution. What was his name? Anton? Arthur? It wouldn’t matter in the end, but the rookie’s nervousness could jeopardise the mission entirely.
“Tell me,” he said, seriousness in his tone. “Are you afraid of me or the vampires?”
The rookie fidgeted with his fingers before responding, wiping his brow from the new sweat that dripped. “B-b-both, sir.”
“Breathe. Fill your lungs and empty them. Like this.” Hitchforth demonstrated for the rookie, taking extra care to show the slow speed of the action.
The rookie did as instructed, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
“It helps?” Hitchforth asked.
“Yes sir,” the words spoken with more clarity and calmness.
“Good, let’s go into the lion’s den then.”

They approached the front entrance, lining up to be ushered in. Carmilla’s festivity had attracted the richest of Prache’s vampires, adorned in foreign jewels and extravagant clothing. The rookie almost slipped on an exceptionally long dress, caught by the cuff by Hitchforth. Looking behind him, he saw the fury in their red eyes, that Humanity’s Hope had been invited. Reaching the usher, Hitchforth handed his and the rookie’s invitations, inspecting the vampire’s face. The slightest twinge of shock showed on his face, but was quickly concealed with a stern, professional demeanour. He waved them both in, shooting a questioning glance as they passed by.
The building appeared larger inside than it was outside, if possible. The minimal red torches fitted on sconces and the amount of vampires fitted into the building helped accentuate its size. A sea of suits and dresses spread throughout its floor, different colours and materials shining in the ambient light. Imported marble made up the floor, dark and white tiles patterned intricately. Large windows draped by exotic curtains furnished the walls throughout the building, paintings spread in between the spaces. Hitchforth could just make out the paintings as portraits, the closest to him being a group of five vampires.
What surprised Hitchforth the most was the sounds that filled his ears. Music played by a orchestra filled the building with the sounds of strings, woodwinds, percussion and brass sections. Pushing past the crowd that had congregated near the front entrance, Hitchforth saw dancing. Vampires dancing in line with their partners to the music, alternating between partners, spinning with arms outstretched.
Behind the dance floor a grand staircase rose from the floor, providing access to the two other stories of the building. It was there that Hitchforth saw the target for tonight’s mission come down the stairs, stopping high enough to be seen, but low enough to be heard. Immediately the orchestra ceased its playing, the dancers also ceasing their dancing. The congregation around the entrance strode to the dance floor, taking Hitchforth and the rookie with them, waiting for her words.
She was tall and deathly beautiful, more civilised and confident than the others. She wore a dark crimson dress, accenting her red eyes and slender face. Her moonlight coloured hair draped straight down past her shoulders, shining despite the lack of light. Her red lips parted into a savage smile, displaying the pointed canines she shared with every member of her race. Hitchforth noticed she looked directly at him, her eyes sizing him as a lion would to its prey. Carmilla Sanguine had arrived.
She spoke to the guests, keeping her eyes on Hitchforth. “Welcome all, to the festivities of tonight. I hold today’s ball as a celebration of our independence as a species, our freedom from humanity.” The guests cheered at the words, delighted at the words. “And please give our warm Prache hospitality to our sanctioned guests of Humanity’s Hope, who have joined us.”
The vampires did not cheer at those words, hushing and hissing silently as they turned to see Hitchforth and the rookie. It was easy to find them, both wearing their issued dark green greatcoats. Hitchforth had refused formal attire for the event for himself and his rookie, knowing they would stand out regardless.
“Enjoy your time tonight and as always, long live our king.”
“Long live our king,” the crowd shouted out in unison, mirroring Carmilla’s words.
Carmilla stepped down the stairs, her guests returning to conversation and dancing. She mingled with her guests, leaving Hitchforth and the rookie alone.
“Sir, what now?” the rookie asked.
“She will come to us, she can’t help herself,” Hitchforth said whilst looking over her watching her conversations. From a distance he could still see the power she held, the fear in the faces of the vampires she held conversations with. From what he had been told, the heads of Prache kept to themselves mostly, only communicating when necessary. The mission would not be hindered by reinforcements, or so he had been told.
Carmilla made her way over to where Hitchforth and the rookie stood, flanked by two bodyguards in suits. She looked over the rookie, smiling and looking into his eyes. Hitchforth saw the rookie smile back, his nervousness gone. Already her mind games had begun.
“Hello, Carmilla,” he said, breaking her eye contact with the rookie.
“Greetings, Educator Hitchforth. And who might this be here?”
“My rookie. You know my name?” Carmilla had come closer to the rookie, stroking his cheek with her hand as Hitchforth spoke. Hitchforth saw the sharp nails on her hand, softly grazing the rookie’s skin.
“Isn’t fresh blood the best? We don’t get a lot of humans here, I’m sure you know.” Carmilla moved her hand away, turning and answering the Educator. “Of course, who doesn’t know the only Lycan Educator in Humanity’s Hope? I’m sure everyone here has smelt it already.”
“Fair enough. Can we talk in a more…,” Hitchforth looked around, noticing most of the guests were paying attention to their conversation. “Private place?”
“Of course, Educator. Allow me to lead the way,” she said, taking hold of the rookie’s hand and walking ahead. Hitchforth stared at him from behind to let go yet he continued, unable to escape her trance. Playing along, he followed Carmilla up the stairs, leaving behind the vampires to dance and socialise below.

Carmilla lead Hitchforth and the rookie up the stairs to the second floor, passing through multiple hallways and doors to reach their destination. The building’s halls and rooms seemed to continue endlessly, doors leading to more doors and longer hallways. They walked down a long staircase, perhaps made for the servants of the building. They walked through a large hallway containing Carmilla’s thralls, lined up against the wall, saluting as she passed. Eventually they reached a cold room with a large table in the centre with a fireplace emitting red flames. Red ash was a new invention created since the vampires had conquered Prache, a harmless light source for their needs. They had invested heavily into the island as their home and Hitchforth knew they would not give it up easily. Looking above the mantle place, Hitchforth noticed the familiar painting from the ballroom.
All the five vampires matched the descriptions he was told, to the point he could recognise them all. At the forefront sat Harrow Sanguine, the self-appointed king of Prache. He looked younger than the rest of his family, his ashen skin painted flawlessly. His fierce eyes stared back into Hitchforth, instilling fear from even his heart. To his right stood his wife, Rose Sanguine, who bore a strong resemblance to Carmilla, matching hair and all. To the king’s left stood Varney Sanguine, wearing his familiar grey suit and matching brown flat cap. Standing next to Varney was Father Nostra, the religious leader of Prache, wearing his black cassock. Finally, standing next to her mother was Carmilla Sanguine, identical to her real life presence.
“Where are we?” Hitchforth asked.
“A meeting room under the chateau. We won’t be disturbed here.”
“And your guests? They won’t be afraid you’ve gone missing?”
Carmilla laughed. “Those fools will be too blood drunk in the morning to remember their past few days. Our meeting will be fine.” She ordered her guards out of the room, instructing them to stay outside, just in case. “The guards will be waiting outside,” she said, warning in her tone.
“What do you want?”
“When my father sanctioned a member of Humanity’s Hope to visit the island, I was surprised they chose you.”
Hitchforth shrugged. “I’m expendable.”
“Yes, they do see you in that way, and that may be so. But I see more.”
Hitchforth furrowed his eyebrows. “Like what?”
“I see opportunity. I see power. I see a new path.”
“Care to explain?”
“You are the only Educator that is not human. On Prache we can give you freedom, like we have achieved.”
Hitchforth thought over what Carmilla said, processing her words. She had to have been desperate to separate him from any prying eyes, eager to keep her plans secret. The only choice was to continue.
“I see. They say a hand that lends help is matched by a hand that waits repayment. What is the repayment you seek from me?”
Carmilla smiled more than she had before, looking more unnatural than she ever had before. Her smile outstretched to the corners of her face and Hitchforth thought he saw her eyes darken lustfully. Not lust for blood, but lust for power. “The crown. With my connections and Humanity’s Hope, we can topple my father’s regime. He is outdated, out of touch with the population’s desires and needs. I can give it to them.”
Hitchforth scoffed at the words. “And you believe Humanity’s Hope is willing to partner with a vampire?”
“They partnered with you didn’t they? I see no difference.”
“I have no partnership. Something much worse.”
“It doesn’t matter. My father is eager to enact revenge for the prosecution vampires have felt for millennia. I am willing to move on.”
Hitchforth looked to the rookie, who had remained silent throughout the conversation. He sweated through his coat, leaving visible stains. The trance Carmilla had put him through had broken, putting her attention to Hitchforth. He could feel the slight strings pulling him in the direction she wanted, appealing to his emotions and desires. He considered over her terms, it made sense to accept the deal. Why would he protect his captors? His mind travelled elsewhere, to a farmhouse and her tending to her flower garden. He thought of her smile, and the little one that accompanied her.
“Do we have a deal? You have no choice either way, Educator,” Carmilla said, snapping Hitchforth back to reality.
He looked to his rookie, signalling under the table to warn him. Hitchforth saw him nod subtly, trying not to give away the motion.
“No,” Hitchforth said, raising the table above his head, smashing it into Carmilla’s body, sending her flying.

We were at Mauna Lani on the Big Island last November and our 7 year old absolutely loved their kids club, but we are on the East coast so it’s a long flight. My company has “work from anywhere August” and my wife and I wanted to relocate for a week so I can work from a beach somewhere, and we also want a fun kids club so our son can be busy and engaged like he was at Mauna Lani and we can have some free time (or work time, in my case) without him.
Ideally we’d have the Mauna Lani be somehow closer to the East Coast with a direct flight from New York/Newark, to give you an idea of what we’re looking for. My wife and I thought it was the best spot we’d ever visited.
We were thinking continental US/Mexico/Caribbean were most likely to meet our parameters, but are also willing to consider other regions if I’m missing something good (for example, if Europe or South America has something that fits the bill).
I may just end up biting the bullet and flying out to Hawaii again because I don’t know if anything can match Mauna Lani for us, but would really appreciate suggestions.

Trying my luck to potentially find someone to be with in the long run, I'm looking for someone to be in a relationship with and maybe marry one day. If you're on the same boat hit me up and lets start from there.
About me - Working professional - Coffee lover - 5'7 - Photographer - Into tv series and movies - Cat dad - Goes cycling
About you - Working professional - Around the metro - Easy going - Easy to vibe with - Surprise me

Well here we are, FG, our first decades tournament, the 2010’s. Thank you to everyone who nominated movies, and let’s get right into it!
Results of Round 1

• Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (2018) (9) beat 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) (8) and Sorry to Bother You (2018) (6)
• Snowpiercer (2013) (11) beat 12 Years a Slave (2013) (7), and Spotlight (2015) (6)
• Skyfall (2012) (9) beat 127 Hours (2010) (8) and Spring Breakers (2012) (7)
• First Reformed (2017) (10) beat Skate Kitchen (2018) (3), and Steve Jobs (2015) (3)
• 1917 (2019) (9) beat Sing Street (2016) (6), and Stoker (2013) (6)
• Silence (2016) (14) beat 20th Century Women (2016) (4) and Stray Dogs (2013) (3)
• Sicario (2015) (17) beat Sunset (2017) (3) and 50/50 (2011) (3)
• Shutter Island (2010) (11) beat A Field in England (2013) (5), and Tabu (2012) (2)
• A Ghost Story (2017) (13) beat Short Term 12 (2013) (6), and Tehran Taboo (2017) (1)
• A Separation (2011) (7) tied with Shoplifters (2018) (7), and beat The Act of Killing (2012) (3)
• The American (2010) (8) beat A Silent Voice (2016) (2), and Shin Godzilla (2016) (2)
• The Assassin (2015) (11) beat Shame (2011) (7), and A Star is Born (2018) (5)
• Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010) (11) beat Ad Astra (2019) (6), and The Avengers (2012) (4)
• The Babadook (2014) (10) beat All is Lost (2013) (7) and Rubber (2010) (4)
• Annihilation (2018) (15) beat Room (2015) (5), and The Babysitter (2017) (2)
• Roma (2018) (12) beat April and the Extraordinary World (2015) (4), and The Conjuring (2013) (3)
• The Big Short (2015) (7) beat Aquarius (2016) (5), and Right Now, Wrong Then (2015) (0)
• Arrival (2016) (16) beat Raw (2016) (3), and The Big Sick (2017) (1)
• Atomic Blonde (2017) (6) beat Rango (2011) (5) and The Captain (2017) (3)
  
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) (8) beat Post Tenebras Lux (2012) (3), and Bait (2019) (1)
  
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) (10) beat Barbara (2012) (1), and The Counselor (2013) (1)
  
• The Death of Stalin (2017) (8) beat Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) (6), and Beasts of No Nation (2015) (3)
  
• Birdman (2014) (7) tied Phoenix (2014) (7) and beat The Double (2013) (2)
  
• Black Swan (2010) (11) beat Phantom Thread (2017) (8), and The Drop (2014) (3)
  
• Blade Runner 2049 (2017) (11) beat The Florida Project (2017) (9), and The House That Jack Built (2018) (2)
  
• The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) (15) beat Blindspotting (2018) (2), and Paddington 2 (2017) (1)
  
• Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) (7) beat Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) (6), and The Great Beauty (2013) (2)
  
• The Handmaiden (2016) (11) beat Bone Tomahawk (2015) (7), and Only God Forgives (2013) (4)
  
• Once Upon a Time....In Hollywood (2019) (15) beat The Hateful Eight (2015) (8), and Bridge of Spies (2015) (4)
  
• Boyhood (2014) (7) beat Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) (5), and The Hollars (2016) (2)
  
• O.J. Made in America (2016) (10) beat Parasite (2019) (9), and Brooklyn (2015) (5)
  
• Nightcrawler (2014) (12) beat Burning (2018) (7), and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) (1)
  
• Nebraska (2013) (7) beat The Hunt (2012) (4), and Byzantium (2012) (4)
  
• Mysteries of Lisbon (2010) (4) beat Carlos (2010) (3), and The Imposter (2012) (2)
  
• Carol (2015) (12) beat The Irishman (2019) (6), and mother! (2017) (3)
  
• The Lighthouse (2019) (9) beat Moonrise Kingdom (2012) (8), and Cemetery of Splendour (2015) (4)
  
• Moonlight (2016) (9) beat The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) (5), and Chappie (2015) (3)
  
• Molly’s Game (2017) (8) beat Coherence (2013) (7), and Cloud Atlas (2012) (4)
  
• The Master (2012) (11) beat Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) (6), and The Martian (2015) (5)
  
• Cold War (2018) (5) ties Meek's Cutoff (2010) (5), and beats The Missing Picture (2013) (2)
  
• The Nice Guys (2016) (14) beat Contagion (2011) (5), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018) (2)
  
• Margaret (2011) (9) beat The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) (6), and Creed (2015) (2)
  
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) (8) tied with The Raid 2 (2014) (8), and beat Maps to the Stars (2014) (3)
  
• Drive (2011) (17) beat The Revenant (2015) (6), and Mandy (2018) (4)
  
• Django Unchained (2012) (11) beat The Salesman (2016) (3) and Made in Dagenham (2010) (2)
  
• Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (9) beat Train to Busan (2016) (5), and Diamantino (2018) (1)
  
• Eighth Grade (2018) (5) beat Elle (2016) (4), and Long Way North (2015) (2)
  
• The Turin Horse (2011) (10) beat Logan (2017) (9), and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) (0)
  
• The Way Back (2010) (8) beat Locke (2013) (5), and The Tree of Life (2011) (4)
  
• Embrace of the Serpent (2015) (10) beat Little Women (2019) (6), and The Whispering Star (2015) (2)
  
• Enemy (2013) (6) tied with The Wind Rises (2013) (6) and beat Like Someone in Love (2012) (3)
  
• Life of Pi (2012) (9) beat The Witch (2015) (8), and Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) (1)
  
• The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) (7) beat Leave No Trace (2018) (6) and Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) (3)
  
• Ex Machina (2014) (9) beat Thoroughbreds (2017) (4), and Le Havre (2011) (3)
  
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) (13) beat Ladybird (2017) (9), and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
  

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Long story short, I'm getting back to my old career as a merchant Mariner. They fly me out to the boat when it's my time to work, so I don't need to be close to anything except maybe an airport(within an hour or two drive)
I haven't been to Arkansas yet, but it's been on my list of places to consider moving from Florida to once I have my career and finances steady again. I love the idea of being near great places to camp and kayak and, most importantly, would like to eventually buy a nice piece of property with some reasonable privacy. I like Florida and the beaches, but it's just gotten too pricey to justify staying here, even with the good money I make from working on tugboats. Given I'm originally from NC, I don't mind giving up beaches for the woods, mountains and streams lol
Bonus points if it's not too far from little rock. I still wanna occasionally go there and check out the breweries and local scene, but that's a treat, not a priority

I (16M) been talking to this girl (15F). We known each other for almost 3 years and we lost contact last year but started talking again in October when she came back to my high school. We both connected instantly and liked each other and acting like a couple on text and in person for about over 6 months but we never committed and wanted to wait. While I was on vacation a week ago, she said she does not know how our future relationship would go on if we went to different colleges across the state and that her friends got her out of always texting and wanting to talk more in person. I'm on a different boat, I can't always hang out so I always text her to make up for the times we can't see each other but she now acts dry over texts which hurts looking back at our chemistry back then which I got attached to. We got on the same boat yesterday that we'll see how life will go on till our senior year as we still like each other then decide how it would go because she wanted to stay as best friends for a long time and to focus on her friends and mental health (she has an ed and body image problems) more and not feel pressured into a relationship. We both promised we wouldn't date anyone in high school but we do not know about college since texting will take a toll on both of us and 5 months each year isn't enough. I feel like it selfish of me but I really do not know if I should wait for her because I do truely like her as a first love and I'm willing to wait till after college to try again or if it is the best case to move on with my life. We're both young and we do not know what life throws our way.

I’m planning a trip to Italy in July of 2025 with my wife. We’re thinking of flying into Rome around the 2^nd-3^rd of July. The itinerary isn’t set in stone at all, and have not bought plane tickets or air hotels yet. A close outline of what we are thinking goes somewhat like this.
I was going to get the Eurail pass, that is a super good deal and seems to be able to get you most everywhere in Italy.
Arrive in Rome July 3^rd, Spend about 4-5 nights.
Take the fast train to Venice, Spend also about 4 nights
Take the train to Portofino, which I originally was super stoked about, but from what I’ve read, it sounds like it is over run and too busy, and the beaches aren’t as awesome as they make it out to be. We were planning on spending the most time there, like 6-7 nights, but now I would like to know if anyone has advice on a different beach town that would be good for snorkel/ boat kinda stuff.
Then take the train to Florence, and then spend about 4-5 nights there, I really want to see Davinci boyhood home and some vineyard stuff, also Statue of David and good museums.
We were going to take the train back to Rome and fly out from there, the plane tickets seem a lot cheaper to fly in and out from the same place, and the train doesn’t take too long to get back from Florence.
This sub looks like people who have a lot of experience and I haven’t been there since I was like 13 so I have zero info.
I’ve been reading about the Lake Como/ Italy-Swiss border and the Bernina Express looks amazing. Im also open to the Milan area.
I would like to do anything that can be reached by train, just didn’t want to rent a car, but I would be open to renting if it isn’t a total pain. Is it more stressful to try to keep on the train schedule than to just rent?
Also, is it worth trying to switch the date to somewhere later in the year? Is July the busiest time of year for tourism in Italy? I would be open to going sometime in August-September if it means that we would avoid the crowds to a good degree.
Its our late honeymoon, any places that are on the romantic/slower side where we can just chill would be appreciated. Any museums or sightseeing that aren’t as busy would be awesome. Any cities that you would like to recommend would be appreciated.
Thanks guys!!!

My husband and I leave for our honeymoon next Thursday! We have several activities already booked. I am looking for feedback on our "open" days. Thank you so much, this sub has been so helpful!!
Day 1: Arrive in Athens. Acropolis tour, dinner
Day 2: Ferry to Paros, staying in Naoussa. Dinner in town
Day 3: Boat charter to Antiparos, Despotiko, Panteronisia
Day 4: Open. Thinking of renting an ATV/other personal travel vehicle to explore the island. Parikia for shopping/lunch, Lefkes, Golden beach? Lageri beach? Open to suggestions!
Day 5: Ferry to Santorini. Staying in Oia
Day 6: Open. Really at a loss of what to do here. Possibly do the hike to Fira? Amoudi bay day trip?
Day 7: Santorini wine tour. Afternoon is wide open!
Day 8: Depart late afternoon to Crete, staying in Elounda and renting a car
Day 9: Open. Thinking of driving to Knossos palace, and stopping at Psychro cave on the way back? Lunch in Mochlos?
Day 10: Open. Completely unsure about this day! We will probably spend the late afternoon at the hotel for a spa treatment and a late dinner
Day 11. Depart Crete back to US
Open to all suggestions! Thank you so much!!

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I rlly dont get what ppl mean when they say she cosplays being impoverished?? N mind u this is coming from someone who was on Obama care until I turned 18. If u look at verrrry early interviews, she never once said she grew up poor? She literally talked abt how going to a prestigious ballet school affected her, how she got kicked out and how rocky her relationship is w her parents.
The stuff w her giving away all her money and belongings to try to sail a house boat sounds like something someone like her would do. (someone in active addiction) But even in all that she never called herself poor. Her living in crackhouses was probably a result of her, y'know, doing speed for God knows how long? Where tf else would you go to do speed lol.
Also, I know TONS of rich and upper middle class kids who's parents would rather let their kid be homeless before giving them an ounce of help (like an actual crazy amount of kids, even my friends who were trying their best to work through college and pay their own bills were told they couldnt even get gas money to get to work by their parents who both made well over 6 figures) so I rlly don't think she was cosplaying poverty as much as she was just very esoteric.
Idk I know this rant is a little random but I feel like a lot of people feed out hate to her without actually knowing anything about her. Like if you're gonna care enough to judge her life, at least take the time to look into it first? Idk

This is probably the most ambitious project I've done, but I'm on day 62 as of writing this, and it's been a blast! Here are my notes for every day in this: Day 1 (inf-20100607) Did nothing more than make myself a house and get food. Wood seemed scarce, so I mined coal during the night.
Day 2 (inf-20100608) Lit up the area, and made myself a cloth cap and shirt. The first sapling grew today, so I chopped it down and replanted.
Day 1 (again) (inf-20100611) Minecraft decided that my world didn't exist so I had to restart. Not too hard, though. I had to quickly build myself a wooden house (good thing there were so many trees!) and hide in there for the night. I didn't have coal, so no torches, and no torches means no light, and no light means PITCH BLACK nights. I was genuinely scared by this. Also, the skeletons and zombies made player noises. Weird.
Day 2 (again) (inf-20100615) Finished the wood shack and installed windows (not the OS, mind you). Then I added a tube to the back of the mineshaft to get to my house easier, and I also went mining. Found coal, but didn't have enough time to mine it due to it being update time.
Day 3 (inf-20100616-1) Decided to make a giant cobblestone nerd-pole so that I wouldn't get lost when exploring. Speaking of exploring, I did just that... for a little bit. That was very short-lived. I ended up mining for a while, and found the void-lava.
Day 4 (inf-20100617-1) Today was so far the most successful mining trip. I nerded out about the old trees having logs on the inside and the new trees not having that and those two kinds of trees being right next to each other. That's a run on sentence isn't it? Then I went into the mines and found more iron than I can count. Like I said, successful.
Day 5 (inf-20100617-2) Mining trip was good. Got more iron and found some void gold (a gold vein that exposed the void). It was cool.
Day 6 (inf-20100618, Seecret Friday 1) I screwed around with minecarts.
Day 7 (inf-20100624) Decided to light up the area around spawn, but not in spawn. Decided to fight baddies for the heck of it that night. Also made the house look more appealing.
Day 8 (inf-20100625-1) Everything that I placed and did in the last day got reversed to how they were on Day 6, except for my inventory. I spent the day fixing everything. In the night, I went mining and found more iron. No diamonds D:
Day 9 (inf-20100625-2, Seecret Friday 2) Today they added dungeons and some other stuff but it's not very important to me right now. Went mining for the day.
Day 10 (inf-20100627) Nothing interesting was added today so I went exploring to find water. I also made a glass room in my mine to tell the time.
Day 11 (inf-20100630-1) Infdev 20100629 didn't wanna work. So here we are, at 20100630-1. Stairs were added in the last version, so I added stairs to my mine. The stairs sure are finnicky, though! I also filled a creeper blast with water (that is surprisingly calming...)
Day 12 (inf-20100630-2) The last Infdev day. Tomorrow it will be Alpha! To prepare for the long journey of Alpha releases I built a new addition to the house. Finally, I made a sign and a shrine for Infdev. Farewell!
Day 13 (a1.0.1_01) Last version was Seecret Friday, but the file is lost and I have to play this version. But there are so many changes!! Excited! Didn't find redstone in the mines, though. I also finished the new room and organized the chests.
Day 14 (a1.0.2_01) Went exploring for some coal and cooked all my pork chops.
Day 15 (a1.0.2_02) Can't remember much other than that I went mining. That's it I guess?
Day 16 (a1.0.3) Went exploring for some coal but found a cool cave and also found lots of coal and iron
Day 17 (a1.0.4, Seecret Friday 4) Same as Day 16.
Day 18 (a1.0.5) Went back home and decided to go strip-mining because caving didn't go very well. Not much happened.
Day 19 (a1.0.5_01) There is a new project now; I am carving my face on a mountain. Gonna need a lot of stone though. And gravel. Lots and lots of gravel.
Day 20 (a1.0.6, Seecret Friday 5) Cactuses were added. Neat I guess. Also Boats. But that doesn't apply to what I did today because what I did today was work on my face. I went to get gravel. There was a lot of gravel.
Day 21 (a1.0.6_01) Marked the gravel spot, got distracted, and now I'm lost. at least I found a cactus!
Day 22 (a1.0.6_03) Using the power of looking back at the footage, I was able to return home! With the cactus! Yippee!
Day 23 (a1.0.7) Continued work on the face: I did it! Now I am making the body. Might need more gravel...
Day 24 (a1.0.8_01) i died.
Day 25 (a1.0.9) I continued working on my statue of me and got some more gravel. Had 1 block left after finishing!
Day 26 (a1.0.10) Went strip mining, found no diamonds.
Day 27 (a1.0.11, Seecret Friday 6) This update, lots of cool stuff was added but nothing that I can use. Went strip mining and found zero diamonds.
Day 28 (a1.0.12) The splash was "missingno" for some reason. Anyways, continued working on a giant tower. Ladders suck
Day 29 (a1.0.13) Finished the tower. Ladders STILL suck...
Day 30 (a1.0.13_01) Got bored of building so I went in one direction to find some sugarcane. Found some and am going back
Day 31 (a1.0.13_01 1Kin24h edition) The title screen was changed to say 1K in 24h because Minecraft sold 1,000 units in 24 hours! That might not seem like a lot but at the time that was big news. ANYWAYS, got back home and planted sugarcane, and also made a bookshelf. Also, bricks!
Day 32 (a1.0.14-1, Seecret Friday 7) Chickens and chest minecarts and furnace minecarts are added and I WANT A RAIL SYSTEM so I decided that my face could be a cart station. also iron doors suck
Day 33 (a1.0.14-2) What did I do... Oh yeah i put a tower compass thing.
Day 34 (a1.0.15) Played Minecraft, Watched Hermitcraft, Got Gravel.
Day 35 (a1.0.16) Mined some dirt
Day 36 (a1.0.16_01) placed the dirt replacing the sand, also paths.
Day 37 (a1.0.16_02) paths. PATHS!!!!!!1!
Day 38 (a1.0.17_02) Fences were added in alpha 1.0.17 but that version and a1.0.7_01 are lost so this is the one I have to play. Anyways, I got some wood for a farm project. How is that related? You'll see...
Day 39 (a1.0.17_03) See, fences placed underneath farmland makes the farmland UNTRAMPLEABLE. That's nice.
Day 40 (a1.0.17_04) Last a1.0.1x version! Grinding for wood sux.
Day 41 (a1.1.0-1, Seecret Friday 9) Compasses! I WANT A COMPASS. So I don't get lost ;) but i don't have redstone so i went mining for some. NO LUCK as always...
Day 42 (a1.1.0-2) Mining. No. Redstone. Or. Diamonds.
Day 43 (a1.1.1, Seecret Saturday) SNEAKIN' ROUND THE BLOCK, WOOHOO! Spent this legendary version just mining and found BEDROCK. I'll tell you that that wasn't there before. Still no redstone OR diamonds. FOUND A CAVE, THOUGH.
Day 44 (a1.1.2) idk what I did, I cooked pork I guess
Day 45 (a1.1.2_01) I mined out a bit of my face and gave a tour of the world to Pap. Last version with neon foliage.
Day 46 (a1.2.0, Halloween Update) Because this version added the Nether, I desperately tried to get diamonds so I could make a nether portal. Alas, no luck on that front.
Day 47 (a1.2.0_01) Continued mining until my pickaxes broke. After that, I hollowed out some more of my face. That's it?
Day 48 (a1.2.0_02) I tried making a rail way to the resource gathering area, but turns out that furnace minecarts are extremely finnicky. That project will have to wait until Beta 1.5...
Day 49 (a1.2.1_01) Turns out that Alpha 1.2.1 is the only lost Alpha 1.2 version. Go figure. Anyways, I started working on Mama's Mother's Day gift thing, and got ambushed by like a million mobs during the night. This is what I signed up for when switching to Hard mode, what did I expect?
Day 50 (a1.2.2-1) The ability to easily switch between texture packs was added in this version, replacing the ever-defunct "Play tutorial level" button. Also, nether portals with F4. I'm definitely going to use that once I figure out how it works. Update: figured out how the portals work, they seem to be random. I tried it in a test world then in my actual world and it worked! It was really cool in the Nether, but I just so happen to be underground. Ugh.
Day 51 (a1.2.2-2) Spent the day continuing working on the Mother's Day gift. I didn't die this time!
Day 52 (a1.2.3) Coordinates were added to the F3 menu, which is pretty nice. Now I CAN'T get lost! Anyways, I finished the Mother's Day gift and then died due to skelley boi. Man I need to mine... That will be a project for tomorrow.
Day 53 (a1.2.3_01-1) I didn't mine. Instead, I focused on ranged attacks and getting food and leather for armor.
Day 54 (a1.2.3_01-2) I continued to get resources from animals and ended up with a lot of pork chops and a leather shirt.
Day 55 (a1.2.3_02) Started a new mine so that I can get iron and diamonds faster. I found iron actually now!
Day 56 (a1.2.3_04) Turns out a1.2.3_03 doesn't exist. Weird, huh? Anyway, I finished digging down to y11 and am installing stairs.
Day 57 (a1.2.4, a1.2.3_05 in-game) Continued mining out my brand-new definitely not abandoned mineshaft. Got some of the unused rails and put them to good use!
Day 58 (a1.2.4_01) Went a little overtime huh? Well today was kinda uneventful, i mined, mined some more, and mined EVEN MORE. STILL no diamonds. I'm kinda losing hope...
Day 59 (a1.2.5) Only 1 alpha version left! Wow, time really did fly fast, huh? Anyway, I went and made a new room below the furnace room for storage, so that when I am in the beta versions I won't run out of storage. I also need wood.
Day 60 (a1.2.6) It's the LAST version of Alpha, and you know what I'm gonna do? Make an alpha shrine of course! I did the same for Infdev on day 12 if you remember. So yeah, that's what I'll do today. Update: I got killed by a zombie at the last second it COULD have. That sux
Day 61 (b1.0) Immediately, the Alpha shrine got blown up by a creeper instantly. And I died twice. It gets better, though. I continued working on the storage area and got things sorted out. However, there appears to be an inventory bug and that made my life waay harder. Still though, pretty productive day!
Day 62 (b1.0_01) The stupid chest bug was fixed! Yaay!

After a year and 5 months since starting a new island, I have finally completed the whole museum! I was able to get the final three bugs (Giraffe Stag, Horned Hercules, and the Golden Stag) I needed on a Boat Tour last night. All thanks to following the instructions on this video: https://youtu.be/3fZyPHOC4Js?si=nwBY8cYtXBmfGt8V
Now, there's only one question left... Do I dare try to get all the fish and bug models?

i emailed this to agencies that deal with hunting and wildlife problems
pasts@varam.gov.lv
info@wildlifesos.org
reportmisconduct@undp.org
there is no obvious place to report this and expect a serious hearing from someone fluent in English and scientifically minded
the following is what I wrote a month ago after the event
i can't judge after hand how much danger i was in but i would treat it seriously
luckily has not happened again in this country for a month. hopefully never happens again. although the next time i will have the benefit of having experienced it already
when police arrived i demanded prison for the dog owner in clearest possible way i could. after my speach was done they did not ask me a single word. they could tell i was furious of fear. and better to talk another time. i am so drained from global security work that i can't follow up on this but this should be available for anyone to read that might experience it themselves or take upon their self to wander around this globe as i do
i will probably feel guilty if the owner lose his dogs or hunting permit or reputation in his community. i am not going to judge anyone extremely harshly
if they ask me to fill out a criminal report according to some kind of format standards i am not going to do it myself an experienced prosecutor that has done it before is free to report this or pass it along. just not going to fill in report fields in some kind of form. you do it for me if you want to. i am not doing it. should be enough information to find
http://geohash.org/u6p4gj36
is the exact location and anyone can guess where the dogs came from probably the nearest mansion two thousand metres away to the east across p111 near upsede. upsede mansion. good luck asking them about it they don't speak a word of English here development is seventy years behind the west

preface

this is so incredulous that it could be picked up by news
still in shock six hours later at dawn
just the title should give you the general idea
i have never heard of such outrageous neglect in dog keeping in my life
the dogs escape unnoticed at night and hunt without human supervision and presumably return in the morning without anyone doing anything about it
this dog owner would make the top ten list anywhere in history
the dogs occasional howl brought up pictures of wolf movies the grey with that guy from Schindler's list the guy that played Oscar Schindler fighting with wolves with broken glass and a big knife to his death but i can safely discard all theories besides a runaway hunting dog militia on four legs in a large pack sounded like at least ten animals
in that immense fear of a completely unfamiliar situation in a life of hiking around the globe thoughts whirled around all possible night mares before i realised it is obviously hunting dogs all else is pure fantasy wolves are absolutely ruled out
they did not retreat when they sensed my presence but stayed in full alarm perhaps as when they encounter prey on a supervised hunt to alert the humans. even though they knew they were alone and no one to alert, they knew i was probably not prey, did not know enough to EVER be alone unsupervised anywhere but home preferably inside, but did NOT know or predict the length of the prison sentence they just brought on their owner by this nightly escapade. whoops
the locals will predictably put the lid on but the power of the internet is a wonderful thing
i can not imagine any circumstance that would make this less than prison anywhere in the union or West europe. now this is the old east. no one understands English etc. one escaped dog barking in the forest. fine. slap on the wrist. possibly losing care of the animal...ten rabid hunting dogs in full alarm scaring the life out of a hiker resting at night. shake those bars for three months. watch that prison television. and there won't be any Marlborough or beers in prison

the entire report

the exact location is near the highest hunting tower on the old railway trail passing by upsede north east of liepaja that is used for hunting commonly judging by all the towers lining the road there
This began around Four hours after dark on the early night of Sunday 28 April 2024 or exactly 1:00 o'clock
I will first describe exactly what happened and after that separately my interpretation in hindsight when recalling these events three hours later when I can calm down
This is a rather long story so I will get to my point right here before the story
What can I do if I encounter a dog pack like this again except tell at them and calmly leave. What if they hunt me or behave like they are guarding a territory. However remotely that might seems. There is a reason this is a serious crime. Too much uncertainty
Can you confirm that this kind of incessant barking is absolutely impossible in any other animal
In no circumstance whatsoever would any wolf pack or any deer flock behave like this even if I stood right on their den with ten kids inside
The occasional howling is something that dogs still retain from their wolf origin not long ago
It is not unlikely that a pack of hunting dogs alone would howl occasionally
Despite yelling at them several times there was no yell back from a human. Very likely the dogs escape at night without anyone caring about it extremely dangerous and frightening to a hiker that need. Rest at night not the fright of a life time
I could not imagine that in a relatively rich country anyone ever would drive their dogs for a night hunt. Would be absolute insanity. Neglect and alcoholism depression (försupen dumhet Swedish) I can easily imagine. Not outright insanity. Even if night hunting permits are sometimes issued in Germany for "animal control" "population control" of wild pigs. This is a completely separate topic that I will not say more about than that I am working on these issues on and off. My view as a progressive world ambassador could not be further from the idea of shooting at anything anywhere for any reason. Except tranquilizer darts for humane population control of CAPTURED animals not hunted. Captured. It is clear in Sweden that shooting anything anywhere with fire arms does not belong in the future society. Now this is all I will say about this. We are working on this as fast as is possible. The education effort still left on this planet is still enormous and daunting
Regarding dog behaviour in detail I know very little despite inspecting a manuscript by the foremost scientist on the subject that work in Budapest that is most famous for working on the Philippine paradise fish ten years ago before they changed to dogs and removed their aquarium
Dogs in particular have very little room in the professional literature since most pros are not anthropo centric. All mammals share common traits like an early recognition of friend and foe. Dogs in particular has almost never been studied at least not dogs for guarding or hunting. There might be one single work perhaps by one single biologist or behaviour ist ethology biology for shepherds dogs that life with grazing livestock
All books cover territory selection and protection and pack hunting or other flock behaviour. But almost nothing has apparently been possible or interesting to anyone to publish as a professional seeking a career in science in ethology animal behaviour or population biology. so i am not the only one drawing a blank when trying to explain the behaviour with any satisfaction more than anecdotal that is hard to call science

what I experienced

A sudden bark that I expect to be a roe deer that bark and run away. happens all the time
Although the bark was not quite right. more like a dog which I have never encountered at night
Suddenly a roaring festival of barking and occasional howling
The distance is extremely uncertain but perhaps five hundred meters
The direction was towards road p111 to the east toeards Upsede. i am by the big tower. There is one house near the road that the dogs could belong to if they crossed p111
Now my primal instinct set in and I envision a pack, a large pack, of wolves near their den the core of their territory. Frothing over my intrusion and ready to approach in full alarm
In hindsight this is just the occasional howling that caused this and everything about this speaks against wolves
IF wolves can behave like this or has been observed or heard doing this in ANY circumstance whatsoever I absolutely need to hear about it because it would bear on my future expeditions
If there is this single wolf dog hybrid pack maybe only one in Europe that I happened to encounter I absolutely need more information. feral dogs that would possibly go unnoticed in Belarus has crossed over to Latvia?
I have never heard of anything like that
All wolf incidents as rare as they are in Poland or anywhere have been with lone wolves that are sick or hungry and have lost their feir of humans
I have never heard of an aggressive wolf pack in Europe or anywhere on the planet
I have seen wolf droppings so many times and spent so much time day and night in wolf territory that I would never expect them to be so aggressive about human scent or sound like that
I have certainly had wolves near me many times but never heard a peep. In Sweden and Norway on long expeditions all summer and even winter and on and off for years from Spain to France Belgium Germany Poland and now here in the Baltics for one month so far direction Finland
The pack was in full alarm with barking and an occasional howl that dogs will still use. But much less than wolves. Wolves never bark together like this in any circumstance I have ever heard it seen if
It is with near certainty the pack of dogs that have hunted there before that happens to live on the farm on the opposite side of the road and escaped west around thousand metres into the forest.
Perhaps they do this regularly but no one cares
And now I happened to be there
Hiking and trekking and wild camping is MUCH more common in Sweden and Norway than anywhere in the world even Finland that is a close second. It is the Scandinavian spirit. As has recently been proven paleo lithic pre farming humans breed into the farming population only in Scandinavian nowhere else in Europe. I am personally absolutely at peace in nature and hate combustion engines that bother few others
Without getting off track completely I am continuing my expedition around Europe and almost all ground breaking record breaking endeavour of exploration has come from Scandinavia specifically. First settlement of the new world five hundred years before another European country etc etc etc first man on the south pole endless list of did what no one else could ot would. I am not placing my breed on a pedestal just explaining that if anyone would encounter something like this most likely it would be a Swede and the locals are most likely entirely puzzled why I am not living my life in doors at home or in a comfortable guest house
But this is beside the point just a side track to explain my presence in this rare encounter

in hindsight what happened

It is clear to me now that a pack of large hunting dogs. Not the small loud ones. Tax in Swedish. I have never owned a dog or hunted. I am a scientist. So I don't know much of anything about dog breeds. But presumably Large dogs that can hunt and kill on their own that have been trained to not kill the prey but only stalk it or drive it and make a loud alarm to draw the apes (not condescending just scientific classification of my species)
This is all speculation I just can't imagine what I heard to be a pack of tax (Swedish) small rabbit hunting dogs. These were large animals certainly with courage to act alone without humans
But I don't know anything about common hunting dogs in this region or anywhere so I can't suggest what breed it could have been that could behave this way
When I yelled at them they silenced for a moment then the roar continued
They had no intention to move back. I called for a police to meet me on road p111 and moved. I could hear the dogs for one thousand metres which gave me the impression that they moved after me at a safe distance perhaps curious about what I was
Again. If wolves can ever in any circumstance behave with this curiosity or aggressive confidence on human scent AND loud roaring. I yelled at them as a three hundred kilos silver back gorilla would try to show how big and powerful he was. No wolves ever no matter how big their biggest packs are in Europe would do anything but withdraw. These animals stayed at a distance and gave me the impression that they followed me on the road even. But not close
Distance is extremely uncertain but my best guess would be five hundred meters
This location has been used before for hunting and these dogs have been released during supervised legal (presumably) hunting in this exact location
They have smelled or sensed a wild animal and followed it into the forest where they have hunted before

will anyone stop this. how common is this

The police said they would call the nearest farms and ask about their dogs and the hunters that set up the hunting towers there in that old railway road where the dogs live that they bring to hunt there
But unfortunately I don't expect them to do anything when the response is "I know nothing". This is obviously a massive incident since I told them I am a scientist that will likely enquire with other scientist and if they cover this up it will explode big time. this is not s minor incident
Jägarna is a popular Swedish movie about the sad reality of this kind of stuff. anything related to mis management with hunting or dogs is so deeply rooted in human behaviour since the stone age that the local police do anything they can to forget about it. "Probably just a barking deer" or "wolves are common in the forest" and might bark despite my sincere explanation that this is hunting dogs not wolves and carries a prison sentence if heard in front of a magistrate
if you imagine "i like logic circuit design" the absolute opposite is "i like dogs and hunting". it's as different as a von Neumann machine is from sticks and stones in technological achievement. and a massive education effort is still needed for that population should they not cause a complete collapse of civilization like 1930s Germany. you might like NATURE you certainly don't like fire arms or dogs. has nothing to do with investigating nature. it is not conscious behaviour. but only photographers and hunters visit nature? you are obviously not a scientist ("what is this?" looking at bowling ball in small Lebowskis bath room. "you are obviously not a golfer")
I don't expect them to even ask anyone and just hope I forgot about it or they never have any other hikers near that spot at night
The "police report" that I received when they returned from the spot I told them to investigate was exactly that "it was probably just a deer and now I will go home and sleep". that only told ne that the pack had moved or did not respond to a car or they went to the wrong place or most likely could not be less motivated to find them
I gave the female officer that spoke English a stern explanation what would happen in Sweden. Prison. Absolutely nothing else than prison. Grave negligence in dog oversight. No hunting license and no dogs for the rest of his life
This is extremely serious that this is seen as a minor mistake that hunting dogs are stalking wild animals alone at night. Only in Sweden do we understand clearly that HUMANS are in the forest at night sometimes. We have palaeolithic blood lines and the world's foremost paleo biologist among other things. I am a renowned explorer. My father and uncle is one of the world's foremost wildlife photographer for WWF NG etc. Wild life is strictly monitored and controlled and this kind of neglect is absolutely treated with utmost sincerity
Our society is not in a state of civil war. Escaped hunting dogs hunting alone at night. Prison. Period. And the local police that tries to suppress it or treat it with a yawn will be investigated by internal affairs and released from service and prohibited from similar work with a responsibility to investigate seriously
We in sweden have the most aggressive policy in the world to combat this suppression of neglect related to hunting from the local community or any kind of coverup attempt or failure to investigate serious neglect, crime or not, we are not "paragraph riders" (paragraf ryttare) we investigate serious problems. anyone can understand how serious this is before digging after paragraphs

more about dog behaviour in general that might be relevant

Regarding dogs that hunt alone. I will not name any names but I have met a couple that lived in a remote valley in Portugal where their two large extremely aggressive dogs (even after ten minutes they were extremely uncomfortable with my presence and would not listen to their owner's calm regarding my encounter near their caravan on Canary islands) hunt together and bring home food. Literally drag it home to the family. Needless to say they have no kids and I will not say more about it more than the point that large dogs can easily on their own learn to hunt wild game. Possibly several breeds. They are still all close relatives of animals that do exactly that to survive. Guard territory identify intruder stalk and hunt prey is their basic behaviour anything else would result from actively counter acting instinctive behaviour that has become common to convert security staff patrol units and killers to social support animals because morons absolutely need to own a dog
Recall that in less developed countries like Chile dogs bark all night EVERYWHERE and run free in the day
I was in Chile for six months and never encountered dogs at night but had to suffer through the incessant noise if "guarding" at night. EVERYONE has night guard dogs. it is completely incomprehensible if you ever passed first grade with honours that they blindly follow a relict tradition for no other reason. Those dogs are GUARD dogs that have no experience of hunting ever. And when they encounter a human in the forest during their daily adventure they are never aggressive that far away from home
In western Europe outside Spain almost never dogs that bark all night. Same in Latvia. Two weeks in Lithuania don't think I ever heard a dog at night. A welcome serenity from Chile that I just arrived from after completing my record breaking expedition there

I've recently separated from my Fiance of 10 years leaving behind my home, my daughter, pets and life savings having to start again. The relationship was sour for the last 2-3 years, we weren't agreeing, the bedroom was dead and we were both becoming mentally unwell from the situation, I had stayed simply for my daughter.
Shortly before the separation me and a co-worker had began a flirtatious situation in work and after an evening of going out drinking we kissed. I felt terrible about what I had done, 2 days later I ended my relationship knowing I had become capable of something I swore to never do, I was not willing to start an affair and hurt the mother of my child like that, relationship or not she is family to me. I still feel awful about what I did.
I continued to go out with this colleague after the seperation and the same thing kept happening, we would go out, get drunk and be all over each other. She has a long distance boyfriend of 18 months, they see each other once a week max. She has stated she is unhappy in her relationship, doesn't feel the same way about him anymore and has sexual anxiety around him, they don't get up to much. She says she planned to end it past August as she has a bunch of financial stuff revolving around booked holidays and festivals with him (This has always been questionable to me)
What began as drunken displays of affection turned into nights at hotels, which eventually turned into her sleeping in my bed on the regular. Just sex turned into staying over, and drunken nights turned into meals and breakfast on the regular. We have both owned the fact we have feelings for each other and even tried and failed to turn it back into just a bit of fun. It is exactly like having a girlfriend at this point except she isn't. I enjoy my time with her, she makes me really happy but a day like today when she has to go see her boyfriend kills me. I can't have contact, feel lonely and my head just isn't in a good place.
I often feel like I should quit the situation, it's been 3 months now and I'm still in the same boat. The block of festivals and holidays are coming up soon and that's either going to make or break the situation as to if she leaves him or not. I often feel like a fool, fresh out of a relationship sucked in to a strange situation and riding it out way too long. I often wonder if there is something else stopping her from leaving him like him having pictures or a video of her. Her friends are not a fan of him at all either.
I turn 30 in November and have promised myself not to turn 30 and be unhappy, that is my absolute deadline with this situation. Friends have told me to stop, some say just enjoy it as a bit of fun, others say play it out, I'm very confused and all I know is how I feel. I love her. We work together and I see her almost everyday, I can't talk to colleagues as it's obviously a huge secret in work. I have debated a fresh start, leaving my job and moving out of town, but my company isn't doing great and I'm staying in case of redundacy pay which would help me massively right now. I am trapped in that job and trapped seeing her everyday.
Any advice would be appreciated, and yes I have questioned morals on both sides a lot.

Where to start. It's going to get long so the people who do read it all fully, I truly appreciate you and thank you for reading my hurt.
I met this girl at work back in December and things were not good from the start. She said she didn't want to be in a relationship cause she had just got out of one 3 months prior to me talking to her. The very 1st day I meet her at work I ended up coming to her house. We didn't do nothing but smoked, drinked. talked and watched Rick and morty, it was awesome and I knew then that I really wanted to pursue this women since I only desired to know her as a person. Things went good after that we talked more and hung out more times. It was building into something.
Move forward a month she starts to get cold feet tells me that she wqsmt ready for a relationship and ended things. Well to my surprise a week later she wanted to work it out and told me that she's never been with a real caring man before and she was scared it was too good too be true and ran away from me and our relationship. We talked about it and I told her to not give up on me cause I would never give up on her. Things went good after that. Until I started to see some changes in her behavior.
A couple months passed and during those months she would hangout with a friend who was a bad influence on her. Her friend always wanted to go out to the club and would put her in some fucked up situations where then she would call me to come fix or just come pick her up. This happened more times then I could remember. One time I was getting shit faced with some buddies and she called me at 2 am to come pick her up since she was too drunk with her friend. It was a 3 hour drive and I went to help her knowing it was a horrible choice due to me being drunk but I loved her and cared about her way too much so the answer was quite easy to go and help her. Another time she was with her same friend and I caught her going live on tiktoc with her friend and she was in bathtub in her bikini with hwr friend and in the mirror I could see another man standing there mid 40s close to 50 without a shirt on asking them if they needed more drink and towels. I commented on the live and she immediately took it down and blocked me. Th3 next day she said she didn't know who that guy was and proceeded to make excuse after excuse. She told me she was sorry and that it won't ever happen again that she wanted to be with me and only me. we dont talk for about a week after this cause i couldnt believe she would do such a thing to me. That was betrayal to me, trying to be sneaky behind my back getting caught then lying to me about it. She came to my house unexpectedly and gave me a letter professing her love and commitment to me something she's never done before. It showed me change and effort, so I took her back (stupid I know but I really wanted her and gave her every chance to change into a better person) a couple weeks if not a month after that incident, she goes to a casino with that same friend. At this point I told her that it wasn't a good idea to keep contact with this friend cause she doesn't care about our relationship and puts her in some fucked up situations all the time. But it was hard for her since this friend was someone she knew since they were 10 it was hard for her to hear my words. So she calls me at 5 am the night she went with the casino with her friend and tells me that she absolutely needs me that she was kidnapped and needed me to come save her. Sp that's what I did. Drove over an hour and 30 min to get to her. She was walking with her friend when I found her and she couldn't remember where she parked her car she said it had to be in the casino parking lot but we couldn't find it. Where was her car? Just a block away from the people who "kidnapped her" at this point I was done. She done lied to me so many times and took advantage of my heart. I told her that after I help her that we are done. She goes to an extreme and says she's going to kill herself and to just drop her off wherever. I lost a friend due to suicide so this one hit at home and I couldn't let her go thru with it, also cause I loved her and still cared for her, of course. We end up taking a trip the day after for 3 days to get away and help her balance her life again. It seemed to work fine. She was so into me and said she wanted to marry me and have kids and start a family. I was excited yet felt it was too much of a rush. So we waited.
Just last month in April she really wanted a kid and by this time things have gotten much better she wasn't hanging out with that bad friend anymore and she would always come over to stay the night or I would go to her place. It was perfect and everything I ever dreamed off to be honest. So we try to have a kid. To complete us and our relationship. She missed her period in the beginning of May and she was pregnant. Something she thought she couldn't become cause she said she tried many times before with her past partners and it never worked. We were both excited. Just last week she told me she wasn't ready for a kid and wanted an abortion. I asked her why since this was the very thing we had hoped for for some time and she simply said it was due to money and not having insurance the bills would be crazy expensive and that she wasnt ready. I supported her decision since we could always have another baby down the line if she wasn't ready then she wasn't ready. I can respect that. A couple days after that she tells me that she doesnt see herself with me and that she doesnt love me anymore. Just out the blue. After everything we have been through. All the times I forgave her and took her back just to be left out in the cold without her giving me a chance to fix whatever the problem may have been. When she told me she didn't love me anymore and that she lost feelings it made me very confused and lost. Why try to have a baby then just a week ago? Why come back to me asking for forgiveness all those times if you were just gonna play me in the end? I asked her these things and she could only say sorry. That's it. That's all I got. I kept asking why how could you do that out of nowhere was it the baby? She just said she lost feelings a long time ago and doesn't love me anymore. Okay then why try to have a baby with me if that was true? why did she make me believe that she was really down for me and committed to me. These answers I'll never know. Since she just tells me sorry and to move on. But real love doesn't work that way. I'm finding it hard to cope with. Last thing she asked me was if I was going to help with the abortion cost. I told her yes cause it was also my responsibility and not just hers. The abortion is the 21st of this month and I dread each day closer to that date.
Thanks for reading.

Hey guys! Let us take a little break from the shitstorm that's Modern Horizons 3's leakage and have some fun. We all know and love the three-colored combinations. Whether we control the board while slamming huge artifacts in Esper or we attack for the win in Mardu, it's quite easy to see why it's awesome to play three colors. We know what they do mechanically. But what about their philosophy? What are those colors standing for? To make this really fun, let us associate this with a common trope or type of character. Let's start with the shards.

• Esper (WUB) - Esper is the mysterious antihero. Esper is the guy that comes into your salloon on Thunder Junction and you suddenly see all your patrons hiding in barrels or jumping through windows. You know his reputation. You know he could tear you and your salloon a new asshole if he wanted. But you also know he lives by a code. He has the power, he has the knowledge, and he's really messed up. But he tries, in his frustrating ways, to better the world. Media examples: Dexter Morgan, Stannis Baratheon, Magneto
  
• Grixis (UBR) - Oh boy... Grixis is a bully. But he's not your typical bully who used to give you wedgies in middle school while laughing with his idiotic jock friends. He doesn't do that shit... personally. For Grixis, is way more fun to make you believe he's your friend and then make you do stupid crap. He's charismatic. He's fun. He's wicked smart. He's a rulebreaker. He calls the teacher an asshole to his face. But following him and getting to know him, you realize he doesn't care about you. He's a narcissist. He only cares about himself. Grixis wants power and control. You are just his means to an end. Media examples: Greg Heffley (come on, you have to be a Multiverse-conquering Grixis psycho to hurt Rowley), Emperor Palpatine, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
  
• Jund (BRG) - If Grixis is the manipulative villain, Jund is the minion who asks "why should we sneak around when we can kill them now?" That village sits right on that mana-rich deposit you want to tap in and they don't want to evacuate? Send Jund. He'll clean up the village. Jund is rage, passion, and hatred all in one crazy package. For Jund, might makes right and if you've no might, you'll get his right... in your face. But Jund's not totally brainless. Jund loves freedom and, as powerful minions often do, scoffs at being a minion. That green part of him keeps him grounded, preventing him from giving in to his darkest urges, like Rakdos might do. Media examples: Sarah Kerrigan (Infected), Tuco Salamanca, pretty much any monstrous beast that acts on instinct...
  
• Naya (RGW) - Naya is the rebel (with or) without a cause. For Naya, freedom is the most important thing, even more important than Jund. While Jund wants freedom for himself, Naya wants freedom for all. Naya is the guy who runs naked through a packed stadium with "Stop big oil" written on his asscheeks. Naya is the ecoterrorist. If your plane's leader turns into a dictator, Naya will be the first to rebel against them. While an individualist, he can fight together with others if that means achieving his purpose. Media examples: Wildlings from ASOIAF, pretty much any Brujah vampire from VTM that hasn't fallen to the Sabbat and so on...
  
• Bant (GWU) - You're in the schoolyard and two of your classmates are having at it. All your fellow students are yelling "fight! fight!" You're the one who yells "Stop! Why can't we all be friends? Teacher!" Congratulations! You're Bant. Bant is the idealistic nerd. He believes in the rule of law. Bant thinks the Multiverse will be improved tremendously if only everyone will drop their weapons and hold hands. But that doesn't necessarily means Bant's defenseless. He's charismatic and his nice and optimistic nature helps him gain a lot of friends. Bant might not harm you. His fresh-out-of-prison friend, pierced from head to cock, will certainly do. Media examples: Rowley Jefferson (take that, Grixis Heffley!), Neville Longbottom, the Tau from 40K.
  

Now... the wedges!

• Abzan (WBG) - It's Thanksgiving Day and your Aunt Selesnya comes to dinner. You know what's going to happen. She's going to talk your ear off about how society isn't what it used to be anymore, how healthy values are thrown into the garbage for new, shiny stuff that will end up ruining society, how people today are too individualistic and don't give a shit about community. Then she's got too many beers and falls asleep... but Uncle Abzan, on the other hand, doesn't fall asleep. He agrees with what Selesnya's saying but unlike her, he's got the power and the ambition to change society according to his views. Abzan is making a webpage. Abzan's gathering followers. Abzan appeals to those in society who think like him. Abzan's creating a cult. Abzan takes control. It will take years, as Abzan's conservativism will not want sudden change. He's not Izzet, for fuck's sake, right? It will take years. But he'll manage it. Media examples: Logan Roy, Nurgle
  
• Sultai (BGU) - Sultai looks at the world with disgust. To alleviate some of it, he starts eating a banana. But... it lacks something. A bit more... je ne sais quoi, a bit more... more! He'll know it when he'll feel it. But how to modify that banana to be what Sultai wants it to be? Well, he'll enslave a village, use the villagers' blood in an arcane experiment, and create the perfect banana. If Sultai believes something can be improved, he'll do it at any cost. The entire Multiverse is his banana and we are Sultai's villagers. Media examples: Apocalypse, Clan Tzimisce from VTM
  
• Temur (GUR) - Temur is the dashing wilderness explorer, going where no man (or elf... or dragon) has ever gone. He's curious, courageous, clever, and comely. So many C's, he makes Kozilek envious. Temur feels at home both in a lab and in a bear cave. He's not afraid of pushing boundaries but he's mostly well-meaning. Media examples: Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, Reed Richards.
  
• Jeskai (URW) - You're a young kid whose ass was kicked by some punks. You want to never have to experience something like this ever again. Thus, you want to train, both your body and your mind. Here comes Jeskai-san. He's wise. He's seen things. He's done things. He trains you. He's an asshole. He makes you wipe the floorboards. You see no sense in it. But when the time comes for you to wipe the board, who better than someone versed in Jeskai's ways to do so? Media examples: Miyagi-san, Hank McCoy
  
• Mardu (RWB) - Remember that Thanksgiving dinner? Well, here comes Uncle Mardu and boy, he makes Selesnya and Abzan seem like well-balanced folks. Mardu's a military man, like his father and his grandfather all the way to an obscure 19th century lieutenant that served in the Union Army and then retired to a farm in Rhode Island or something (but your Uncle Mardu knows everything about him). Mardu sees you and thrashes your parents for raising a "sissy". He tells you to eat more meat to gain muscles. The Army has no need of matchsticks. Mardu is a warrior through and through. His troops hate his fucking guts but they know he's efficient. He's not nice, though. Media examples: Pretty much most of the 40K Imperial Commissars, Madara Uchiha
  

Whoa! That's pretty long. What's your take on shard/wedges type of characters/philosophies? Do you have any other examples?

Good morning everyone. Absolutely insane! Post pandemic I have seen everything. Many of you do not remember, there was a little Chinese company $HKD around August/September 2022 that ran from 12 to 2,555 in less than 5 days! This company was not short. At it’s peak the market cap was well over 500 billion! It is now 690 million. Look it up! This company was a new IPO with just 1 million shares available for trade. This was not shorted at all. The idea that a company must be short is not correct!
The stock market is a live auction based on supply and demand… Yes, it is correct that if a company is short high. [A figure over 20% is fairly high] it becomes easier for the stock to increase.. the buyers can force the stock to go higher, and brokers will cover, force buy the shorts to close out positions but it is not necessary..
AMC had near 500 million volume and GME 200 yesterday….
AMC had 263 million shares available… AMC took advantage of the volume and printed 72.5 million brand new shares at an average of 3.45 yesterday for 250 million.
Does AA have #FOMO ?
This morning’s peak was 13 for AMC and 80 for GME … AMC does need the money for business, it does suck that they didn’t have more offerings available and had they known, this 250 million would be over 1 billion today!
The point? NO ONE KNOWS!
No one knew last week, no one knew over the weekend! Yes, Roaring kitty, or someone that used their account may have tweeted but no one knows what traders will do with that, or what the highest high or lowest low will be…
I have shared with many of you that the CEO of Reddit RDDT is actually the main Mod at WSB. There is definitely a ton of stock manipulation but I would argue and say that is what 99% of new traders want! They want quick and fast money, don’t care if its fixed, scam, real…
So open the casinos! Most options must be traded during market hours..
I do not blame anyone for playing the volatility.
Yesterday, I did bid 500 dollars on 2 different GME puts for July. I guess I was lucky that neither filled. A 25 and 27 strike… Based on premarket I may be able to 60-70 LOL! If I lose it is a risk I am willing to take.

I would like to buy 3 different AMC and 3 different GME puts. Maybe different strike prices or expiration dates and at most 500 each. The most I can lose is the money in the option. No YOLO! No one can predict the prices, just that it will be hot money…
If you go on the fundamentals :
AMC 330 million shares = 700 to 800 million value means near $2 to 2.50 fair value
GME 305 million shares = 700 to 800 million value means near 2.50
It is obvious that the companys’ themselves can not make enough money to justify the 4 and 10+ billion market caps they will have at open.

I sold PERI at 12.55 from 12.10. I will keep making this trade. They will be doing a 75 million buyback soon. The CFO expects it to start soon and close by June 30^th. The only speculation here is when it starts and if they will have a daily limit… Will they buy in several days? Or buy 5 million a day? 10 million a day? That no one knows… I took a bet a few weeks ago on DNUT because of MCD news.. The earnings were good. I have 1,000 at 13.55, I may buy 1,000 more as it goes near 12…. I am positive when MCD roll out completes there will be a 25% increase in sales… not earnings, but sales….. earnings, I do not know… I have WBA at 19 and 19.25… I am glad they are selling off Boot stores in the UK. They must unlock some value here. I did bid 22.50 on more ACMR.. I did try YOU … I almost sold SOFI at 7.35 [In 1,000 at 7.10] I did make a bid for PYPL . COIN had amazing earnings I am watching… OSCR as well…
Looking for a deal on MTCH again, last sale at 29.. So there are lots of things to do besides memes.. Just be careful out there. It is a roll of the dice!

5 Trade Ideas:

AMC / GME – Open the casinos! I don’t blame anyone long or short, I am willing to make several 500 bets on different strikes and dates.. They will all have time. [Yesterday I tried July GME puts with a 25 and 27 strike, no fills]

PERI – I have 500 still at 22, They will be at the auctions soon and I want to be in first! Last trade 12.10 to 12.55 on 500… I will keep trading more blocks of 500

SOFI – I would like to make 25 cents on my 1,000 at 7.10 and keep trading a block of 1,000

ACMR MTCH OSCR – Some stocks I have been watching with good earnings or value

DKNG COIN – Both great earnings but speculative at valuations, I would risk money in Call options, not shares

The contents of this post are for information and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial, accounting, or legal advice. ... By choosing to make a trade you are responsible for your own actions. Please do some due diligence. These are trades I am making and you can follow along. If you make a winning trade, I do not even expect a bravo or thanks but that’s fine, if you lose on a trade the same difference.. I do not even expect an upvote or reward… The Elite team is aware of the risks and volatility in the market.

Good luck everyone let’s make money. Share trades, ideas here during trading hours. Our main goal here is to make money so I hope we can help eachother. I will be in and out of here as well.

Is it true or not that you are longing for an audacious escape to the tranquil town of Rishikesh without burning through every last dollar? All things considered, this is your lucky day! Rishikesh settled in the lower regions of the Himalayas along the banks of the Ganges Stream, offering plenty of encounters for economic explorers. From yoga retreats and stream boating to investigating old sanctuaries and quiet nature strolls, here's your definitive manual for investigating Rishikesh on a tight spending plan.
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Slow time of year Travel: Think about visiting during the slow time of year (July to September) for lower convenience and movement rates.
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End
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