Character witness letter example

All names have been changed
I (F34) love my job for the most part. I work at a mid-sized company with several offices across the US. My office is somewhat small, with around 30 employees. We all get along well and are a pretty tight-knit group for the most part. Our office is pretty laid-back and social. I have worked there for about 7 years.
For some time, myself and some others at the office have suspected that two of my coworkers, Ted (M42) and Amy (F46), are having an affair. Both are married and have been for more than 20 years. They have both worked here for 10-15 years and are well-liked by everyone. Amy is extremely outgoing, while Ted is a bit more reserved. Both are good-looking, especially Amy.
It seems to be kind of an “open secret” that these two have some sort of relationship, but no one is sure to what extent. They eat lunch together every day and always sit next to each other when the whole company goes out to lunch as a group. Most of us work some days at home and some in the office. They always work in the office on the same days and leave at same time. Ted is in Amy’s office 90% of the time anytime I walk by. Ted is constantly complimenting Amy, telling her how young she looks and how much fun she is. They often make flirty comments to each other with underlying sexual undertones (again, all of us are close and people like to joke around so this may not be as weird as it would be in other offices). They take vacations at the same time. When interviewing potential candidates at colleges, they will roadtrip to colleges in the state and interview them together. We often will all go out to bars after work on Thursdays or Fridays. I will use an event a few weeks ago as an example. We went to a bar and they spent almost the whole time talking (not unusual). I often glanced over and saw them squeezing each other’s hands or Ted with his arm around the back of Amy’s chair. At one point, I saw her quickly squeeze his waist. I saw Amy hug him several times, but I also saw her hug several of both our male and female coworkers, as she tends to be touchy-feely when she’s been drinking. At one point, I witnessed Ted ask her what the writing on her shirt said while touching the words on her chest. Towards the end of the night, they went across the street to get food and were gone for almost an hour. They left at the same time that night (in different Ubers).
Regarding their spouses- both have been married for 20+ years. I have worked at the company for almost 7 years and have never met Ted’s wife. He does not wear a wedding ring. He talks about his kids all the time, but never talks about his wife. Some of our coworkers that have worked here for 10 years or more have met her, and no one seems to have good things to say about her. They say she is incredibly stuck up and boring, and almost painful to be around. When Ted’s wife is brought up, people often say they feel bad for him or make jokes- “no wonder he has a crush on Amy, his wife is the worst.” Regarding Amy’s husband, I probably see him once or twice a year. He seems like a nice guy. She also talks way more about her kids, but will occasionally talk about her husband. I don’t know much about their relationship, but she’s made a few comments to me like “we’ve been together since high school, you know how that is” or jokingly said “he married way out of his league” (personally, I think he is handsome and don’t think this is necessarily true).
This has been going on for years, but the reason I’ve thinking about it more is because last week, a young employee we hired less than a month ago privately asked me what was going on between them. I wasn’t sure what to say so I told her the truth: they have a very close relationship, but we don’t know to what extent or if it is sexual. I told her that no one really asks a lot of questions. She was shocked to learn Ted was married. She told me she enjoyed working with them both but picked up on “certain vibes”. The fact that someone working here for 3 weeks picked up on those vibes so quickly made me realize how obvious it really is.
I guess I am wondering what I should do, if anything, in this situation? I really don’t love the fact that a new hire already is asking questions like this. I also think most people get pretty uncomfortable when they witness them being really touchy and flirty. I feel bad for their spouses, as they obviously don’t know the extent of Ted and Amy’s relationship. It is undisputed among my coworkers that Ted is infatuated with Amy, but many of them are not convinced this feeling is reciprocated by Amy. I think it’s likely that they are having an affair, but I also wonder- if they were truly having a sexual relationship, would they really be THIS obvious? Do they even know how obvious they are being? To my knowledge, no one has brought up their relationship to them directly and it is only discussed when they are not around.
Also- not sure if this is something that HR would get involved with without a complaint, but we don’t have an HR department in our office, only at the headquarters, which is located in another city. I don’t think HR is aware of what’s going on, but employees in other offices have even made comments regarding their relationship to people at our office (we have work events where people from different offices all meet up). We are encouraged to speak with HR at any time. However, I’m not sure what that would really accomplish. I also want to emphasize that they are both hard workers and I like them both a lot individually.
Any advice or opinions would be much appreciated!

This post contains a set of google docs tracking suggestions on resources/tools, a list of relevant subreddits, general ideas, and subreddit improvement suggestions, as well as one listing past book club submissions. If you have any additional suggestions or additions to any list other than book club submissions, comment below.
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Here is a list of tools, resources, or inspiring media.
Examples of tools, would be fully customizable character sheet templates, sites or apps to keep track of and organize world building information, and even sites like discord that allow you to set up a community for your project. Please comment below with any suggestions
Examples of resources would be, probability sheets, in depth articles on rpg design, or even a link to a resource and tool allocation page/thread like this one. Please comment below with any suggestions
Examples of inspiring media, podcasts or videos that talk about design or rpgs in general, cool rpgs you like, and even music that helps you when you are writing. Please comment below with any suggestions
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fAwgfhHMvjH7oF6uA_k52LNh9oDeg7fuBhjdYNItomg/edit
Here is a list of rpg related subreddits (may eventually become tiered so that design and promotion based subreddits are separate from general rpg subreddits.) Please comment below with any suggestions
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PIh4u0zFojz52lMV-HOKyEqHyBppQhy77DEQ6ZTBcLs/edit
Here is a list of submitted ideas to just throw out there or advice that doesn't merit a full post. Please comment below with any suggestions
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XqHvCKd2WNTAxkifHHMBjCMjMX3Pc5yGwch4777uPWI/edit
Here is a catalogue of suggested post categories and improvements for the sub, as well as a list of improvements and policies I have instituted. Please comment below with any suggestions
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IpadqJUgJsieRimkjbrKdnu3yVX1l9KNvh1xE6Ha4ec/edit
Here are links to each bookclub submission.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TyZdJ8JI4_b66fAvkzYlDYbNcm9v6pLcVL8_Sxtl0kw/edit

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This isn't an ad, so I won't link my site, but my question is, would you pay $50/yr to get this daily?

Ok i definitely need a clarification.
In the end of the 2nd Frontier's film, (my beloved) Sheryl, sadly, succumbed to her V-type Infection and went in coma. Initially i thought she would really stay in that state forever but, rewatching carefully the last frames in the ending theme (and after reading a few articles online) theres that scene in which we see her crying (and probably singing the same song from the ending? Her labial was unintelligible, at least for me). After theres a sound only from the concert she made with with Ranka (in the original version). In the limited one of the film theres the other version, where we actually see their live together. Dont laught but while watching those scenes (i dont know, maybe i was drunk) i thought that was like a troll from the authors, like a goodbye/farewell or tribute to Ranka's and Sheryl characters. Just yesterday i saw the 2nd film of Macross Delta and, togheter with it, Macross F Labyrinth of time, which i didnt even know existed. So, what i would like to know is: 1) the post credit scene in which we see performing togheter Ranka and Sheryl is actually settled after Sheryl's recovery? Has she really waked up from the coma and came back alive? And labyrinth of time (in which we still see comatose Sheryl) is settled before that last live we saw in the epilogue from Sayonara no Tsubasa movie? And if Sheryl has really came back and she's safe, why wasn't named in Delta (or in his films, in Zettai Live Ranka is appointed for example). And before this question, how precisely she waked up from coma if Alto has not returned (am i wrong? The conditio sine qua non for her recovery was Alto's coming back). Or we have to assume that after Labyrinth of time, in which they successfully found out Alto's location, they rescued him and happily came back to Vajira's home planet where Frontier fleet set?

Recently I started wondering about the exact definitions for these two genres of tabletop gaming. From what I've found, the essential difference seems to be that war games focus on army management and massive combat, whereas ttrpgs focus on individual adventures. However, it also seems like people associate wargames with shorter stories, competition among players, and lots of minis. While also associating ttrpgs with campaigns, a GM, and party cooperation.
The thing is that, while all these "extra" associations are mutually exclusive, their traits can be combined into something that doesn't really fit the standard for either genre.
For example: what about a game with massive armies, in which you roleplay as a commander, and cooperate (forming alliances and such) with the other players to face threats ruled by a DM? What if this game doesn't use miniatures and maps at all, and has a focus on a longer overarching war (aka a "campaign"), rather than smaller battles? Would this qualify as a wargame, even though most of its features resemble those of a ttrpg?
And what about the other way around? A game I which you control one (or a very small amount) character going on adventures, but you're actually competing against the other players (and sometimes even fighting them) without a DM as a mediator? And the combat may also be built to such as way that you definitely need minis to play satisfyingly. Would this be a ttrpg, even though the style is also close to a war game?

Hi so I’m honestly at a loss here, my cat will not allow me to have any time for myself. Take today for example, fed him, played with him pretty much immediately afterwards because he was screaming to be played with. I have cleaned his litter, played with him about 3 more times since then. He was chilling out and then instantly started meowing again for attention, I have now brushed him and he settled down for a few minutes. He always will come over and start scratching the couch because he knows it gets my attention when I am doing something. A few minutes after brushing him he was instantly screaming on again, honestly it gets me to my wits end, this happens almost daily where pretty much every time I try and do something for myself (such as have breakfast, or relax and play a game) he will not be happy with me and scream for my attention Any advice for how to help this? My partner is round about half the days of the week and he is never this bad when he is here, for context nothing is done differently when he’s not here, he doesn’t get played with more or anything like that I know he could be missing him but honestly he gets me to my wits end lmao, he demands constant attention

I'll preface this with the obvious: play how you want for your own table! If you're after a tactical wargame, go for it!
A lot of times, when I see discussion around GMs throttling the proverbial gas pedal mid-fight or viciously attacking PCs that are dying 2, there's a lot of discussion around the "logic" of it, e.g.: "Attacking a dying PC is logical if there's a cleric in the party" or "Monsters/animals would perceive active creatures as more threatening than unconscious ones".
This is interesting to me because people in this subreddit tend to be more RAW-focused than many other games, but RAW is rarely brought up in these discussions.
GM Core (and the Gamemastery Guide) actually advises on these situations in a few places, starting on Page 25 especially.

Unexpected Difficulty sidebar (Page 25)

Paraphrase: This recommends letting players stomp creatures if it's too easy, unless it's supposed to be a climactic battle, in which case reinforcements or the NPC sacrificing something significant and escaping might be appropriate. If it's too hard because of GM things like overpowered abilities or hazardous terrains, consider adjusting down as well, but otherwise roll with it unless it's too frustrating or leading to a TPK.
My example: A mandragora can create an extreme DC will save to avoid being sickened 1 on a success, 2 on a failure, and 2 + slowed 1 on a critical failure. 2 of these creatures doing their shriek is likely to push the party from some successes with some failures into failures with some critical failures. And suddenly their high accuracy with attacks gets pushed to extreme for their level instead with a poisoning to boot. This doubling up can make 2 mandragoras very scary for a party of level 3s--perhaps saving the second screech until near the end would be better for the encounter. Or if you've already used both, perhaps removing the confused condition from the poison, capping the duration on the slow, giving circumstance bonuses to wretching, or only letting confusion last one round instead, might compensate for this unexpected difficulty.
Another example: Fighting a fire giant near a lava pit with recurring fire damage is cool, but if your party doesn't have any AoE healing, it might be better to make the lava magically burble and spit out at a random individual for double damage instead. Or alternate between the two as needed, or simply reduce its frequency.

Choosing Adversaries' Actions (Page 26)

Here we see advice that matches common advice: most creatures don't have even good knowledge of the PCs, so avoiding your players cool abilities or aiming squarely at their weaknesses won't make sense. But yes, some creatures and NPCs will research the PCs ahead of time or spy on them and take some notes.

Attacking unconscious PCs

Directly addressing one of the key points of conversation here:

Adversaries usually don't attack a character who's knocked out. Even if a creature knows a fallen character might come back into the fight, only the most vicious creatures focus on helpless foes rather than the more immediate threats around them.

Of course, it's not saying a GM can't do it, but it is saying that such a thing should be reserved largely for "the most vicious creatures". I would say this fits for BBEGs on their last legs, daemons, and sakhils more than beasts, demons, or even terrasques. Obviously, it's open to interpretation and it's not a specific list of creatures or anything, but I think it's important to remember that even with bestiaries full of vicious and nasty creatures, "only the most vicious" should behave like this.
My example: The only PC death I've had in a game I've GM'd came when I explained the stakes and we agreed to it. This malevolent ghost tied to the kineticist's (legendary games' version) backstory wants to hurt that PC more than it wants to avoid destruction, and it knows that the best way to do that is to make that PC watch his friend die while helpless to stop it. This low-moderate encounter against a single ghost became a desperate attempt to keep the summoner alive, who became wounded 1, 2, then an entire final round where it survived with just a trickle of HP left before slaying the summoner. (I've had other very close calls, wounded 3 PCs, a few near-TPKs, a TPKO in Fists of the Ruby Phoenix, etc., but this is the only real death.)

Tactics

As the GM, you're roleplaying these foes, and you decide their tactics. Most creatures have a basic grasp of simple tactics like flanking or focusing on a single target. You should remember that they also react based on emotions and make mistakes—perhaps even more than the player characters do... Running adversaries is a mix of being true to the creature and doing what's best for the drama of the game. Think of your encounter like a fight scene in a movie or novel. If the fighter taunts a fire giant to draw its attention away from the fragile wizard, the tactically sound decision is for the giant to keep pummeling the wizard, but is that the best choice for the scene? Perhaps everyone will have more fun if the giant redirects its ire to the infuriating fighter.

Let's break this down.

• Creatures should react emotionally (well, maybe not the mindless ones haha)
• Creatures should make mistakes
• Creatures should sometimes react emotionally and make mistakes more often than PCs
• Creatures should sometimes change strategies due to players' narrative dialogue and roleplay
• They do usually know how to focus fire and flank
• There should be tension and navigation between true to the creature and best for the drama
• Tactics is not the priority
• Drama and fun are the priorities

Sometimes sound tactics is also dramatic and fun! But it's important to keep this in mind. My advice: use the whole monster and prioritize the fun toys and showing off the various abilities more than just wrecking your PCs' faces in.
My example: I ran two separate groups of PCs (level 3-4) against a Poltergeist (level 5). After its first AoE attack that hit all the PCs and crit one or two, everyone was scared shitless. Now, I could've just spammed that attack every round, stayed naturally invisible, and likely killed some PCs or forced them to retreat. But I instead used telekinetic maneuvers to throw a PC over a railing and down a stairwell, varied attacks to focus on a specific PC to knock them to dying, used frighten often even though it breaks invisiblity, and sometimes just spent turns going undetected so they'd have a round to panic about where it might be before using frighten and attacking.
Also, just because a creature is capable of making 4 attacks and there's 4 PCs with 1 PC dying does not mean that the creature should hit the dying PC. Sound tactics are not the priority! If it's fun and good drama, raises the stakes, then yes, it may make sense to include the dying PC in the attack. Otherwise, killing a PC just because it technically could is rarely good drama.
An aside: During the brouhaha over the dying rules briefly reverting to wounded increasing impact on recovery checks (fixed by day 1 errata), someone who was extremely upset about this said they already kill and TPK their players all the time and this will just make that worse. When I asked why they're being killed so often, it was basically because he had his enemies focus on swarming individual PCs and killing them while they're unconscious and dying (that's -6 AC!). I pointed out that the book says to rarely do that, so he could try changing tactics first to be more in line with the book, and I was accused of babying my players and condescending them by denying them a fight against superior tactics before being ignored. To each their own, but I think it's important to remember that the bestiary creatures were designed with the GM Core mindset of running for drama over tactics!

Ending the Encounter

Surrender

Either side is capable of surrendering, and initiating surrender can shift the game out of encounter mode in favor of a negotiation. Of course, the losing side is kind of powerless here and may just be slain outright, but it's a good option for potential captors or beasts that just want one PC as a meal rather than the whole party.

Total Party Kills

This TPK section was added in GM Core, but was hinted at in the following text only found in the old Gamemastery Guide (you may need to switch "Prefer Remaster" to off to read this quote):

If the PCs decide to flee, it’s usually best to let them do so. Pick a particular location and allow them to escape once they all reach it. However, if they’re encumbered or otherwise slowed down, or if enemies have higher Speeds and a strong motive to pursue, you might impose consequences upon PCs who flee.

This allowance of fleeing is often hinted at in many AP encounters: hard fights often do not pursue beyond the room they started in, especially true for haunted houses.
The GM Core has good advice in general for handling TPKs with your group, but I'll focus on what's relevant here.

TPKs are rarely unavoidable.

This is true both mechanically and narratively.

Usually it becomes evident at some point during the session—whether to everyone or only to you—that disaster looms. What the players do with this insight is up to them, but you have more control and can take steps to avoid the TPK. For example, perhaps the PCs' foe gets distracted by something, an ally arrives to help the heroes, or the villain captures them instead of slaying them outright. The simplest path is to just allow a clear escape route the PCs can take—perhaps with a few characters still falling along the way. It isn't entirely your responsibility to defuse the TPK, but offering such opportunities gives players more say in their characters' fates.

While what's offered here are narrative options,--with at least one PC death as the simplest cost in exchange for an escape--there are mechanical options you can use as well.
My mechanical example: 3 of the 5 PCs are dying. The Thrasfyr Demoralizes and Grapples the sorcerer instead of landing the finishing blow, then attacks the 5th PC at MAP. Oops, a crit! 4 of the 5 PCs are now dying. Now the sorcerer has to risk a 3 action Heal against a DC 5 flat check, or Escape and try to bring up one ally, or maybe the sorcerer is restrained and must Escape first! The tension has increased, the situation is riskier, but a TPK has a higher chance to be avoided. The sorcerer burns a hero point to ensure a Heal goes off, then the Thrasfyr fights the party while keeping the sorcerer in his clutches every round, ensuring the party is facing his MAP instead of his full power while also keeping the sorcerer in a tough spot with tough decisions to make. (Notably, not spamming the infinite use AoE attacks and especially not on the already dying allies allows the close fight to edge until the heros overcome.)
My mechanical advice: You do not have to fudge dice to save your PCs from a TPK--you can choose less deadly attacks or other tension increasing abilities before committing to killing one of them. I don't fudge, that crit is a crit baby!
My narrative example: The lava giant in a combat-as-sport scene had everyone dying but the sorcerer--the last one standing, backed up to the edge of a lava pit, and low on hp. The giant offers the sorcerer a chance to recover his hp before rerolling initiative for a glorious duel. While the lava giant was 2 levels above the sorcerer, the giant didn't get a chance to heal, and the sorcerer flew over lava pits while dodging thrown rocks and slinging spells. The lava giant then airwalked over, massive greathammer in hand, putting the sorcerer in Reactive Strike range. Deciding to Fly away before casting the spell, the sorcerer was crit and left barely alive before getting the spell off. The lava giant failed the save, took barely enough damage to go out and fell, body tumbling into his own lava pit. The PCs and the lava giant developed mutual respect through this, and spent time treating his wounds while he told them stories of his past battles.
While avoiding a TPK through deus ex machina might feel bad for the players, being captured (potentially with those who failed all their recovery checks dying) may make sense and feel appropriate. So may surrendering to a vicious beast who sees you are no longer a threat before stealing your ally away to feast on their corpse. These are still frankly serious mechanical and narrative consequences with real weight to them, and they can happen outside of encounter mode once the last PCs standing surrender.

tl;dr

When it comes to running creatures, according to the GM Core itself:

• Perfect tactics is not the priority
• Killing downed PCs is for "only the most vicious creatures" (even in a game full of vicious creatures)
• Creatures and NPCs react emotionally and make mistakes
• Drama and fun are the priorities

I consider this to be the mindset the designers had while building their bestiary as well.
Play how you want though, don't @ me.

So I am writing this because I love Renata as a character. I love her personality, her story, her voice lines, her appearance. And on paper I do like what her abilities do, but in practice...
First, what I hate about her basic abilities is how her Q and E are ever so slightly short on range and speed. There are so many moments where I felt like I could hit the Q or E but I miss, cause the range is so bad.
Second, how a lot of power is concentrated in "Oh, you can revive allies, that's so powerful.. (🤡)" but then there's so little time for that since the gray bar timer can be reduced further by damage, and when you do revive your teammate, they get a laughable amount of HP so they die again instantly.. Tbh I wish Renata never had the revive and instead the W buff was stackable (cook me).
Her passive, well.. The worst modern passive in years. She should sell a Glasc Perfume to one of her allies at the start of the game and give bonus effects to that ally, like for example, when you cast E, they always get the shield if near Renata, casting W on that ally grants a new effect, etc. Idk.
And her ult, omg.. Sidestepped by everyone almost everytime, OR you use it "to disengage" but if I want that, I'm playing Janna + actually heal and shield my team + have AOE knock-ups.
Renata needs changes, I'll never get tired of saying it. Q and E need to be faster and have more range. Delete the W revive, honestly it's not even that good, people don't even know how to play around it and it weights Renata's other abilities down. And instead make her give a powerful W buff. And the ult can be enhanced too. I am tired of the Renata apologists. I want to ENJOY playing a champion, not survive or fight to make it work.

Hey everyone,
I wanted to start a discussion about those times when a game hit us right in the feels and left us teary-eyed. Sometimes, gaming can be an emotional rollercoaster, and I’m sure many of you have experienced moments that tugged at your heartstrings.
For me, one of the saddest moments in gaming was in Red Dead Redemption 2. Watching Arthur Morgan's journey and witnessing his struggle with illness, redemption, and his ultimate fate was heartbreaking. His character growth and the relationships he built made his ending profoundly impactful.

This request may seem a little odd, so let me give some backstory first (if you want to TL;DR skip to paragraph 6) . I take part in a D&D group of 6 that meets weekly. A couple months back we realized that summer travel was going to completely destroy the group for 3-4 months, due to at least one person being away on the weekend for the entire summer (but rarely the SAME people). This made doing replacement adventures basically impossible - can't do our normal adventure without the whole group, and our backup campaign was also out as different people would be missing each week including sometime our GM.
The solution I proposed was HeroQuest! I had been itching for an excuse to pick up the remake and as the sole member of our group who was NOT traveling I could always be available as Zargon. HeroQuest is story-lite so missing a week wouldn't be a problem, and the characters don't have ongoing stories so we could hotswap the characters on a weekly basis to fit who is present and group members could even swap heroes if they wanted a change. The first session was a roaring success and we've continued on. The players are now about halfway through the base campaign.
The gameplay is moderately homebrewed to fill in the "flaws" of the game with familiar concepts from D&D. Heroes get downed instead of killed, but monsters have initiative and can do common sense things like open doors, run for help, and searching for traps does not guarantee success. This is a group of adults who play cautiously, some of whom have serious amounts of D&D and videogame experience, and the enhanced difficulty has not slowed them down (they blew the Trial out of the water, with the exception of the Wizard getting an unlucky Wandering Monster that crit him for 3 skulls and zero defense, resulting in the Barbarian needing to pour a healing potion down his throat to get him moving again).
I've also increased story complexity, combining quests that make sense to be combined. For example, Rescuing Sir Ragnar ended with an option to move straight into Lair of the Orc Warlord for an easier version of that quest, but with the downside that the heroes don't get to shop. Melar's Maze ends with the heroes getting Raiders of the Lost Ark'd by Grak, who steals the Talisman of Lore in addition to locking the heroes up in his dungeon, which also means they don't get to shop. You get the idea.
When the group finishes the core quest set, I plan on offering them a fresh start with the newer classes. A lot of the joy in HeroQuest is becoming stronger, and after the core quests there's a sort of plateau - there's no good equipment left to buy, and the expansions are quite parsimonious with Artifact rewards. A new start with new characters fixes the problem nicely - I just look at the quests and add gold/equipment/Artifacts where it makes sense to keep the heroes at a good power level. I can tune the loot to whichever classes they wind up bringing.
Prophecy of Telor seems like an ideal quest pack to start a new set of characters in. My modified storyline foreshadows the Talisman's importance, and a bit of playtesting has shown that a base group of the new heroes can murder the first quest with little difficulty. The second quest seems a bit scary, but changing the reinforcements on the fly would easily lower the difficulty while still keeping up pressure. And the quests 3-5 seem so easy I can't imagine doing them with a fully equipped band of heroes fresh out of Kellar's Keep. You'd bore them to death. But then I realized something...there's no opportunity to shop! The shops open in this expansion after quest 6!
As others have pointed out, gold is experience in HeroQuest. Leveling up between missions is how you stay on the power curve. It's also where the player has agency in how they improve - do I get more defend dice through armor? Or do I buy the big battle axe? But in Prophecy of Telor, they don't get to do that.
Assuming they go with new heroes, my party would be stuck with two daggers and a short sword (the warlock would do just fine) for the entire first half of the expansion. They would have no additional armor. If I simply put that armor and weapons into the quests, I remove player agency and powercreep them so that when they DO get to shop they can empty the armory.
Now, I could just allow them to shop in the middle of the dungeon, logic be damned. I want to avoid that if possible. Is there a good way to break up this quest series so they at least get a couple of chances to visit the armory without completely breaking the lore?

As the title says I was wondering if it’s possible to assign multiple animation blueprints to one character?
For example if I start a project with dynamic wall running and want to add into the project another plugin, can I add the animation blueprints from the new plugin to the mesh so that both plugins are enabled?
If not is there a workaround that anybody knows of?

All names have been changed
I (F34) love my job for the most part. I work at a mid-sized company with several offices across the US. My office is somewhat small, with around 30 employees. We all get along well and are a pretty tight-knit group for the most part. Our office is pretty laid-back and social. I have worked there for about 7 years.
For some time, myself and some others at the office have suspected that two of my coworkers, Ted (M42) and Amy (F46), are having an affair. Both are married and have been for more than 20 years. They have both worked here for 10-15 years and are well-liked by everyone. Amy is extremely outgoing, while Ted is a bit more reserved. Both are good-looking, especially Amy.
It seems to be kind of an “open secret” that these two have some sort of relationship, but no one is sure to what extent. They eat lunch together every day and always sit next to each other when the whole company goes out to lunch as a group. Most of us work some days at home and some in the office. They always work in the office on the same days and leave at same time. Ted is in Amy’s office 90% of the time anytime I walk by. Ted is constantly complimenting Amy, telling her how young she looks and how much fun she is. They often make flirty comments to each other with underlying sexual undertones (again, all of us are close and people like to joke around so this may not be as weird as it would be in other offices). They take vacations at the same time. When interviewing potential candidates at colleges, they will roadtrip to colleges in the state and interview them together. We often will all go out to bars after work on Thursdays or Fridays. I will use an event a few weeks ago as an example. We went to a bar and they spent almost the whole time talking (not unusual). I often glanced over and saw them squeezing each other’s hands or Ted with his arm around the back of Amy’s chair. At one point, I saw her quickly squeeze his waist. I saw Amy hug him several times, but I also saw her hug several of both our male and female coworkers, as she tends to be touchy-feely when she’s been drinking. At one point, I witnessed Ted ask her what the writing on her shirt said while touching the words on her chest. Towards the end of the night, they went across the street to get food and were gone for almost an hour. They left at the same time that night (in different Ubers).
Regarding their spouses- both have been married for 20+ years. I have worked at the company for almost 7 years and have never met Ted’s wife. He does not wear a wedding ring. He talks about his kids all the time, but never talks about his wife. Some of our coworkers that have worked here for 10 years or more have met her, and no one seems to have good things to say about her. They say she is incredibly stuck up and boring, and almost painful to be around. When Ted’s wife is brought up, people often say they feel bad for him or make jokes- “no wonder he has a crush on Amy, his wife is the worst.” Regarding Amy’s husband, I probably see him once or twice a year. He seems like a nice guy. She also talks way more about her kids, but will occasionally talk about her husband. I don’t know much about their relationship, but she’s made a few comments to me like “we’ve been together since high school, you know how that is” or jokingly said “he married way out of his league” (personally, I think he is handsome and don’t think this is necessarily true).
This has been going on for years, but the reason I’ve thinking about it more is because last week, a young employee we hired less than a month ago privately asked me what was going on between them. I wasn’t sure what to say so I told her the truth: they have a very close relationship, but we don’t know to what extent or if it is sexual. I told her that no one really asks a lot of questions. She was shocked to learn Ted was married. She told me she enjoyed working with them both but picked up on “certain vibes”. The fact that someone working here for 3 weeks picked up on those vibes so quickly made me realize how obvious it really is.
I guess I am wondering what I should do, if anything, in this situation? I really don’t love the fact that a new hire already is asking questions like this. I also think most people get pretty uncomfortable when they witness them being really touchy and flirty. I feel bad for their spouses, as they obviously don’t know the extent of Ted and Amy’s relationship. It is undisputed among my coworkers that Ted is infatuated with Amy, but many of them are not convinced this feeling is reciprocated by Amy. I think it’s likely that they are having an affair, but I also wonder- if they were truly having a sexual relationship, would they really be THIS obvious? Do they even know how obvious they are being? To my knowledge, no one has brought up their relationship to them directly and it is only discussed when they are not around.
Also- not sure if this is something that HR would get involved with without a complaint, but we don’t have an HR department in our office, only at the headquarters, which is located in another city. I don’t think HR is aware of what’s going on, but employees in other offices have even made comments regarding their relationship to people at our office (we have work events where people from different offices all meet up). We are encouraged to speak with HR at any time. However, I’m not sure what that would really accomplish. I also want to emphasize that they are both hard workers and I like them both a lot individually.
Any advice or opinions would be much appreciated!

What if Eida's reality-altering powers extend beyond the characters in "Boruto" and are affecting us, the readers and viewers, as well?
Consider this: Eida can make anyone who sees her fall in love with her, altering their perceptions of reality and even their memories.
her powers might be influencing other aspects of the series. For example, what if her influence explains why Jiraiya's death still feels unresolved or why no one recognizes Kashin Koji, despite his striking resemblance to Jiraiya? Could her abilities be subtly rewriting our perceptions and memories within his death?
What do you think? Are we under a spell, and there are aspects of this series that we can't take for granted l?

It's gonna be a LONG year....
The amount of parasocial and entitled takes I have seen in the last couple days, not only about the cast, but the characters they play, has been nuts.
The constant bashing on the cast's looks and who is hot, and who is ugly? It's so ridiculous and demeaning.
From a fan perspective, this cast seems to have such a fun vibe, so sorry they're not playing up the ship wars for you, to be parasocial about.
Chris seems to be friends with the cast, including Lola. I have never once seen him be rude or ignore her. Also getting mad at him for not touching fans, when they get photos with him in Wilmington? The dude has talked about social anxiety and he honestly got so much unnecessary hate during the mean girls press tour. It's no wonder he's seemingly very cautious with how he handles fame, given how rude some people can be, and how people still, to this day, don't get the actors are not their characters.
One of the most distasteful press tours I have ever seen, was when Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney did press for Anyone But You. Played up affair rumors, just to sell their movie. Made me lose respect for both actors.
Please realize these actors are doing a job. They're playing fictional characters.
Please stop saying Chris kisses the way he does, because he has a girlfriend, while Gavin is more free. They are ACTORS, playing characters. Maybe read the books and see the way the kissing scenes are described in the books, is how they are in the show.
While I do think they could've marketed the watch party a tad differently, I'm grateful Jenny, and the cast took time out of their busy schedules to give us something.
We're getting the pairings we're getting, probably until the show ends, because I'm guessing Jenny and Amazon, don't want to give away the endgame yet. After endgame is revealed, wouldn't be surprised if the pairings switch up.
Be kind to the actors, respect their relationships with their significant others, respect their friendships with each other, and the work they do.
This goes for all the cast and crew. I'm just using recents examples I have seen. I'm sure there's many more out there, sadly.
I don't mean to come off as an A Hole, it's just the things being said, in the last couple of days, are exhausting.
I hope season 3 is worth the wait and fun for all.
Let's all be good humans in the meantime.

Like many writers, before setting pen to paper or finger to keypad, we’re inspired by an idea.
This idea is then viewed through a variety of lenses. We see it through the landscape of a certain genre or perhaps through the tone of a favorite writer we’d like to emulate. The point being is this inkling is then augmented to a degree that makes it compelling, original, and, hopefully, real.
So when the idea is developed and ready for fruition, I’ll ask myself where would this idea shine the brightest?
The first thought is always a novel because, let’s face it, they allow more creative control, the freedom to convey what can’t be depicted via stage or screen, and there aren’t nearly as many external factors that could affect the story’s final result, i.e. funding, actors, production etc. Plus, novels are the most transposable of the three mediums. It’s not like movies or stage plays are novelized with the hopes of getting a Nobel.
Novels are an active medium where the writer places responsibility on its audience to dream. It’s a medium meant to express internal conflict as well as external.
For instance, a man stands hesitant before his mailbox clutching a letter. If this were a novel, we would read about the man’s emotional state. Perhaps he’s nervous. This can be conveyed through acting but the reason he’s nervous can be expressed in prose. Maybe he just received a letter from someone he hasn’t talked to in a long time. Or maybe he’s about to mail a letter that will set off a chain of events that starts with him placing it in the box and raising the flag for the mailman take
A novel’s power is generated by two crucial elements: internal conflict and thorough exposition.
A stage play on the other hand does not have the luxury of expressing a character’s internal conflict or narrative exposition. These factors are expressed via dialogue and acting.
For instance, a man stands hesitant before his mailbox clutching a letter. If this were a stage play, all internal conflict and exposition would have to be conveyed verbally through the character. “A letter from a William John Boris in Reno, Nevada? I don’t know anyone by that- wait a minute. Could it be? BJ?” As the actor speaks this line, it would be up to them to convey their emotional state through cadence, demeanor, and tone so the audience knows how we should be feeling about this situation.
A stage play’s power is generated by dialogue.
A screenplay, on the other hand, does not have to rely solely on dialogue nor can it rely on internal conflict or thorough exposition (that is unless we have an overzealous narrator). A screenplay relies on visual cues to keep the audience informed.
For instance, it’s pitch black. Suddenly we’re blinded by an arch of daylight. A hand reaches toward us from the light and grabs a letter (we’re inside the mailbox). Cut to the face of the man looking at the letter, confused. Reverse shot on the letter he’s holding. We see the return address. Reverse shot back on the man’s face as it changes from confusion to recognition. He turns pale. Cut to ground-level shot as the letter flutters on to the lawn. In the background we see the man walking back into his house, in the foreground the letter sits in the dirt.
Just from that quick sequence, we the audience are provided limited information while left with a series of questions.
Unlike a novel or stage play, screenplays can convey internal conflict and thorough exposition in a more economic way while exploiting audience suspense.
Though a screenplay combines many elements that some would argue make it the superior storytelling medium (art, music, dialogue, etc), a screenplays’s power comes primarily from visuals.

Something is preying on the roads around the village of Dulwich.
Out on the Lonely Coast, villages like Dulwich rely heavily on trade with the surrounding towns for their livelihood. This far South in Kelvastra is far beyond the watch of The Empire, especially when they're worried about another war with the Lucde Alliance up North.
There will be no help from the Crown.
The residents of Dulwich had already begun filling their cellars for the arrival of The Frost Shepherds, but if things out on the roads don't change soon... Well, a lot of people aren't going to make it to the next thaw.
Rumors abound flow around Dulwich about the Shadowed Keep, a crumbling fortress deep in the pines of the Forest of Grey Spires. A group of bandits are launching raids on the passing caravans. The Goblins of the Blood Moon have returned to stock their larders with hapless travelers. The ghosts of the keep's former occupants have returned to turn the living into a shambling army of the undead.
With a host of other problems plaguing Dulwich's populace; an oppressive baron and his inflexible captain of the guard, skeletons arising out of the graveyard, and a rising thieves' guild robbing the in-town merchants of their goods. It doesn't look like the town will make it through the cold in one piece.
You've heard whispered rumors from the surrounding villages of the dangers of the journey to Dulwich and the strife of its people. Whatever your reasons, story, or methods, you've decided to step out onto the roads and make your way to Dulwich with a group of like-minded travelers.
Take up the sword. Take up the spear. Take up bow or tome or shield.
Brave the wilds. Brave the dangers. Brave potential death.
The tale of your deeds on the Lonely Coast has yet to be written...

🗡 - LGBTQA+ Friendly
🗡 - Beginner Friendly
🗡 - Experience a love letter to the classic adventure T*he Keep on the Borderlands *in 5E and then venture into folk horror-themed uncharted territory!
🗡 - Explore The Lonely Coast, a secluded and dangerous mist and pine-filled stretch of The Empire of Kelvastra, in the Seas of Erund. (This is a homebrew setting with its own original lore, pantheon, and terminology, featuring race restrictions.)
🗡 - Free Session Zero. Early Bird Booking Special.
Game: Tales of the Lonely Coast
Schedule: Saturday Evenings 6:00 - 9:00 PST/PDT Weekly (Intended Start Date: 06/08/24)
Game Style: Character Driver. Mild Sandbox. Roleplay & Combat Focused
Roles Sought: 2-3 Players (18+ Only)
Voice: Discord
VTT: Roll20
Sheets: D&D Beyond
Intended Length: Levels 1 - 12 Roughly a Year
Cost: $15.00 per session via StartPlaying.Games
Links: Roll20 Listing & StartPlaying.Games Listing & Player Application
Now that we have that spiel out of the way, hello potential adventurer! I'm Scott. (He/Him)
Tales of the Lonely Coast is a homebrew campaign, with some existing third-party module input, in a homebrew world setting called Erund. The world is constantly changing based on player input, how previous campaigns unfolded, and current campaign choices. This might be up your alley if you want something new but familiar.
Our game listing on Roll20 contains our Code of Conduct, Character Building Guidelines, and House Rules. They've got our Player Application Link and a short introduction to me, your potential dungeon master.
My tables are safe and inclusive spaces. I've been running online games for seven years and playing various TTRPGs for just over 20 years now. If you're interested in my credentials, DMing Style, and what my current/past players say about me, check out my DM Profile on StartPlaying.Games here: DM Profile

Please know before reading this that it has been 100% proven and fact (with camera footage and multiple witnesses) that my husband did absolutely nothing wrong. I am simply asking for advice on what to do with the aftermath of this terrible situation.
Last night my husband and I had a party, and a woman who has been in our friend circle for over 15 years accused my husband of groping her multiple times in our living room. My husband has NEVER and would never touch a woman inappropriately without consent regardless of being married, single, whatever. We had several witnesses (including myself) agree that she was lying and we also have security footage in the common areas of our home where she alleged this happened. In fact, there was not even a conversation or exchange between them. They truly had ZERO interaction or contact.
It is worth noting that this woman was not invited to our home, she came as a +1 with a mutual friend that she is dating. She also is known for being a compulsive liar, and regularly abuses Xanax and alcohol. Last night she was extremely intoxicated.
She was getting upset with the guy she was dating for talking to another woman at the party, and when he did not react she loudly announced that my husband had sexually assaulted her multiple times in our home. It was humiliating, extremely uncomfortable, and completely ruined the night.
Unfortunately, I am a victim of Sexual Assault and so is my husband. This was extremely triggering for us both and has left us feeling sick and beside ourselves. We take this type of accusation extremely seriously and I feel the need to take legal action against this disgraceful woman.
My husband and I have been together for almost 15 years, and I trust him wholeheartedly. I also know for a fact that he has never disrespected another person in this way and it is entirely out of character for him. It is a disgrace that someone would accuse HIM of this. Thank god for our cameras and all of our dear friends being at our home to confirm that he is absolutely innocent. It is such a scary accusation to make.
It’s a shame that someone would lie about this when there are so many victims out there that people do not believe.
Ps- I am super shaken up and devastated from this whole situation so apologies if my grammar sucks. I’m just so shocked and upset.

Something is preying on the roads around the village of Dulwich.
Out on the Lonely Coast, villages like Dulwich rely heavily on trade with the surrounding towns for their livelihood. This far South in Kelvastra is far beyond the watch of The Empire, especially when they're worried about another war with the Lucde Alliance up North.
There will be no help from the Crown.
The residents of Dulwich had already begun filling their cellars for the arrival of The Frost Shepherds, but if things out on the roads don't change soon... Well, a lot of people aren't going to make it to the next thaw.
Rumors abound flow around Dulwich about the Shadowed Keep, a crumbling fortress deep in the pines of the Forest of Grey Spires. A group of bandits are launching raids on the passing caravans. The Goblins of the Blood Moon have returned to stock their larders with hapless travelers. The ghosts of the keep's former occupants have returned to turn the living into a shambling army of the undead.
With a host of other problems plaguing Dulwich's populace; an oppressive baron and his inflexible captain of the guard, skeletons arising out of the graveyard, and a rising thieves' guild robbing the in-town merchants of their goods. It doesn't look like the town will make it through the cold in one piece.
You've heard whispered rumors from the surrounding villages of the dangers of the journey to Dulwich and the strife of its people. Whatever your reasons, story, or methods, you've decided to step out onto the roads and make your way to Dulwich with a group of like-minded travelers.
Take up the sword. Take up the spear. Take up bow or tome or shield.
Brave the wilds. Brave the dangers. Brave potential death.
The tale of your deeds on the Lonely Coast has yet to be written...

🗡 - LGBTQ+ Friendly
🗡 - Beginner Friendly
🗡 - Experience a love letter to the classic adventure T**he Keep on the Borderlands **in 5E with a horror-themed twist and then venture into folk horror-themed uncharted territory!
🗡 - Explore The Lonely Coast, a secluded and dangerous mist and pine-filled stretch of The Empire of Kelvastra, in the Seas of Erund. (This is a homebrew setting with its own original lore, pantheon, and terminology, featuring race restrictions.)
🗡 - Free Session Zero. Early Bird Booking Special.
Game: Tales of the Lonely Coast
Schedule: Saturday Evenings 6:00 - 9:00 PST/PDT Weekly (Intended Start Date: 06/08/24)
Game Style: Character Driver. Mild Sandbox. Roleplay & Combat Focused
Roles Sought: 2-3 Players (18+ Only)
Voice: Discord
VTT: Roll20
Sheets: D&D Beyond
Intended Length: Levels 1 - 12 Roughly a Year
Cost: $15.00 per session via StartPlaying.Games
Links: Roll20 Listing & StartPlaying.Games Listing & Player Application
Now that we have that spiel out of the way, hello potential adventurer! I'm Scott. (He/Him)
Tales of the Lonely Coast is a homebrew campaign, with some existing third-party module input, in a homebrew world setting called Erund. The world is constantly changing based on player input, how previous campaigns unfolded, and current campaign choices. This might be up your alley if you want something new but familiar.
Our game listing on Roll20 contains our Code of Conduct, Character Building Guidelines, and House Rules. They've got our Player Application Link and a short introduction to me, your potential dungeon master.
My tables are safe and inclusive spaces. I've been running online games for seven years and playing various TTRPGs for just over 20 years now. If you're interested in my credentials, DMing Style, and what my current/past players say about me, check out my DM Profile on StartPlaying.Games here: DM Profile

Just finished the highly acclaimed I suppose, to the point I looked extremely forward to it, chapter 8. Which from what I've heard, was also the last chapter that was available when the game was just released.
Well. HOLY SHIT. HOLYL FUCKING SHIT.
Starting with Lathel cursing, killing his past self in his nightmare. Ahh. AAaaAAA. Why. Why do I feel so ecstatic about it. Why. I don't understand. I think. I think it's related to something like... self-sacrifice...? No, no, this is self- harm. There's also madness, insanity in it.
Yes. I really like this new Lathel.. no. That is wrong. It's not like I like him, or rather, I actually do like him with a bit more of insanity, but looking at him like this makes me also very sad. I think the version of him that I liked the most was during chapter 6 and 7. Old but very angry Lathel.
The new Lathel... which I forgot to ask and check the community name of by the way, certainly still hits my checkboxes for insane and mad characters, as well as the 'growth' of Lathel, but mainly fills me with some... permeating sorrow.
.
That being said, I finally meet Lia, someone I know nothing about except being a the fire Queen DPS I believe.
So, I was most pleasantly surprised by directly meeting her. Liatris being a tad insane is just chef kiss. I like her a lot. I'm not quite certain on the reason she is yandere for Gray, but I definitely dig it.
.
Ah. Wait a moment. It was some weeks ago and I've already forgotten given my horrible memory that borders dementia realms (I'm actually just very busy and stressed to the point I forget what I was doing when I pass through a door...), but... wasn't there a Gray flashback with him being the youngest son of a noble family that was executing some people and he saved a girl?
Then, was that girl Liatris perhaps?
Or am I actually totally wrong and I'm remembering incorrectly? Maybe it wasn't even about Gray. I don't know. But until I get contrasting information, that will be my head canon.
Either way. I definitely like a lot Yandere Liatris. Definitely a very good additional reason to get her as soon as possible other than the Fire Queen DPS, though I heard Eris is also a great addition for that role.
.
But what I like the most, is of course the different flavor of madness the duo of her and Lathel give off compared to say, Teresse and Lathel.
If the latter was a sorrowful madness, Lia and Lathel feels closer to chaotic madness.
It's another type of insanity, but one I also like a lot. Actually, I think I just like insanity in general, so this is cheating as I would love any type of insanity. This highlight once more how much I love, I truly love Lathel's development and... process of becoming a broken person.
I love how the 'MC' is one of the people becoming insane.
And what to say of the Justia and Lathel relationship? The way they are... I don't know, connected perhaps? Is so... poetic. Romantic even. By that I don't mean romance as 'love', but in the, uh, sentimental sense. I'm a 'romanticist' if it wasn't clear enough, as in, I put extreme importance on deep emotions, feelings and inner thoughts rather than 'external' factors.
That is why I love so much this story, as, even though it's a classic tale of 'fighting evil to save the world', it's also very centered on the bonds, relationships and inner growth of the characters as well as their emotions and feelings.
Of course, the characters most fleshed out as of now are definitely Lathel and Justia, though as of late, it's way more prominent Lathel's change.
.
The way both roles got reversed, with Justia becoming a far more understanding and flexible as well as hopeful knight from the rigid, black and white evil slayer she was origially; and Lathel on the other hand, becoming more and more ruthless, almost reaching madness levels, nay, legit becoming insane, when he was a kind, naive, herbalist.... is such a romantic contrast that it almost seems poetry in my eyes.
I love the most how everyone realize and talk about his changes, Justia especially, but also Shera and to minor a degree Gray. I really love it. How everyone acknowledge, regardless of their feeling, his change, and how the narration highlight it so much.
Of course, although I admit I greatly love how he changed, I can feel this 'relaxed' because I'm aware this is by no means his 'endpoint'. This isn't his final 'version'. No. He will experience, develop much more. I'm certain of it.
I mean, I'm spoiled meta-wise due to the existence of so many more Lathel related costumes, especially 'Homunculus Lathel' and the coincidentally future story pack 'Homunculus'.
So yeah. My fondness for him will not stop growing here. I am strangely really fond of him. Strangely because it has been just a... month. Ah.
I've been in this world for a month already. I see.
.
I saw him as a naive herbalist.
.
I saw him witnessing Misha's death.
.
I grieved for and with him, to the point of mourning myself for Misha and still feeling sad over her death.
.
I saw his meeting with Shera, Gray and the whole party becoming closer.
.
I saw him becoming more and more unforgiving towards Cocytus acts of cruelty.
.
I saw him becoming berserk and reaching madness levels in the Mage Tower and alongside Teresse.
.
Now. I see him as a changed, disillusioned avenger or perhaps, empty man whose sole purpose is to crush evil.
.
And I long, to see how much more he will grow, hoping for him to find another purpose other than simply slaying evil.
.
It's my personal... fantasy, delusion even, that I hope Justia might bring him back on the correct? No, who am I to say what's correct and what is not, I hope she can bring him back to a less self-destructive way. Yes. That's more like it.
.
.
...
.
.......
.
.....................so.
.
.
So. You can imagine the shock.
I would have never imagined that Lathel would... die. I didn't particularly think of what could happen, but death was certainly not an hypothesis I even contemplated for some reason.
Thus, my first reaction was... a lack of reaction. No, disbelief perhaps? Denial? That's a little to strong. Disbelief is more correct to describe it I believe. Yes. I couldn't believe what had just happened.
And I'm, after some hours, still not quite 'connected' to what just happened.
.
No. I lied. After few hours. Right now. Especially while glancing at the cutscenes character arts. With Lathel laying down, on the brink of death and Justia crying promising him to cook his favourite dishes when they return is making my nose and eyes feel that familiar feeling when you're about to cry.
It's hitting me hard allright. Yes. It's hitting me hard now. Very hard. Fudge.
This is honestly unexpected. I'm seriously feeling it all now. I'm tearing up.
Damn. The feelings of recalling Misha are also resurfacing. Damn it.
I teared up.
I guess taking a little time to order my thoughts, also unlocked the emotional aspect I had for this specific happening.
....
.......shit. I'm starting to feel my eyes burning up a little again.
.
It's sad. It's just sad.
Lathel's experience is just sad. The more I think about it, the more tragic it feels and the more sorrowful I feel.
.
I actually wanted to say I was a little disappointed by the chapter. Not because it was bad, but simply because my expectations were extremely high and although I said I didn't particularly imagine what scenario could possibly happen, as a veteran I would say in stories, I subconsciously certainly thought of few paths. But I believe what I thought would happen was closer to some, true and uninterrupted this time, emotional climax.
Like, Lathel self sacrificing and Justia barely bringing him back and crying while screaming at him that he mustn't consume himself to 'annihilate' evil. Would Misha want that for him? Would the people that hold and held him dear wish for such ending for him? I would have loved if some of her own personal feeling was spilled at that moment as well, and by that I don't specifically mean romantic feelings, but definitely some kind of affection or closeness.
However. All of that was merely a delusion on my part.
For Lathel died.
Betraying my delusion. I was about to say I was slightly disappointed due to the above fact, as well as due to the automatic preview we have for the next chapter, showing me fast forwarding a year later and Lathel or his clone, homunculus or his legacy, showing up.
.
But now that I'm currently hit like a truck by my own emotions and feelings of sorrow over his death the more I think about it.
I think it was just a delayed reaction.
I actually still think I love the most Chapter 7, as Teresse sorrowful rage alongside Lathel's was most... beautiful.
But this chapter is certainly very special as well.
.
Furthermore, now I look very, nay, extremely forward to the party, especially Justia's reaction at their reunion. Though I am uncertain on Lathel's own reaction. I imagine him having his memory wiped though, so it will be a amnesiac "Lathel" meeting Justia. That on itself is already making me long for such reunion so much I must contain myself from immediately progressing.
Yes, because I think this is a good point to take a break at. As I fear I'll consume the story too fast, risking to suffer from that nightmarish feeling of total emptyness after reading and catching up or finishing a great story. Something... I'm very familiar with given I'm a reader first and foremost. That pain, after so many years, reaching decades even, still affects me so much it's something I believe I cannot get used to.
.
The feeling of suddenly missing something that accompanied you for a while, for the harsh every day. Suddenly disappearing and leaving a metaphorical hole within you. That emptyness.. is seriously painful.
.....I literally just realized. Have I actually been grieving for the 'loss' of stories all this time? Damn... I suppose. They are indeed my most precious thing indeed. No wonder. Though I would like to think I'm not alone in this. I believe everyone, after finishing such great story, be it due to it being completed or because it's the last available chapter, would feel empty inside to some degree. Maybe I'm overly affected. Maybe not. But it doesn't matter.
To alleviate that inevitable, unbearable pain, I'll try to resist the temptation of starting, and finishing, the next chapter immediately.
.
.
.
Then again. Haven't I been saying this for like the last 3 chapters...? I hope to continue loving a lot and for long this story, as it is very precious to me for now. Stories like this are my raison d'etre.
To 'forcefully' take a break, I have half-idea to start Brave Nine to further immerse myself in this world and lore regardless of the gameply. Unless it's completely garbage, I think I can enjoy it, for I am a reader. Hence gameplay is secondary.

Hey everyone!
For this weekly, I thought up a fun exercise for everyone to play around with sensory detail. Go through your most recent WIP (or whichever piece of writing you want to use) and look for any of your concrete descriptions. These involve descriptions that focus on sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch within the POV of the character. Grab as many as you want for the exercise. Then, think about the subject of the description and write a new concrete description for that subject based on one of the other senses (bonus: choose taste or touch for extra difficulty, as sight, sound, and smell are the most common ones used).
Example:

The roots move beneath his skin too, shifting like living splinters, piercing through the upper layer of his skin.

Original: sentence is mostly focused on sight and touch, going to focus on smell and sound

The roots slither beneath his skin, pierce its upper layer. Blood plinks onto the stone, and now every inhale drags in the scent and taste of iron.

New: more focused on sound and smell. It’s not beautiful, but it’s an exercise, so it doesn’t have to be.
Have fun combing your work and playing around with sensory detail. People tend to default to focusing on sight and sound in writing, with the first being the most common, so going through and rewriting descriptions to focus on taste, touch, or scent can enhance the sense of deep POV for a scene. Personally, I also think it’s entertaining to try to imagine different dimensions of sensation for a scenario too and try to really put a reader in the character’s shoes.
Some bonus questions:

1. If you looked through a larger piece of your writing, what sense do you tend to write about the most? Why do you suppose that is? How would the work change if your character didn’t have access to that sense?
   
2. When you move through the world, what do you tend to notice first sensory-wise about something new? What do you notice second? Or does it vary based on circumstance?
   
3. What are some interesting ways taste can be incorporated into a scene that doesn’t involve food or eating? Share examples if you can think of any unique ones from recent works you’ve read.
   

Feel free to share anything else you’d like on this weekly post if you have other thoughts too.