I love to sleep. Getting into bed, freshly showered, with clean bedding is bliss for me. Reading, performing my night time rituals, my face cream, my lavender spray on my pillow. I feel like I'm doing something really nourishing.
Its been so long since I've shared my bed with another person, I sometimes ask myself if I would be willing to make that space for another in my life and in my bedroom. Should I clear a drawer, in anticipation? Should I tidy the bedside table and make room for a man on the left side of the bed (I hope you dont mind, I always sleep on the right side). You could put your book, your glass of water, your phone there.
How would it feel, to wake up with you? To smell the sheets, after you've left for work?
I've had precisely one dream about you. I was sitting on the floor, petting a little black kitten and you walked in, knelt down next to me and stroked her. Our hands touched in her fur and then our eyes met. We kissed. I woke up. The sheets smelled of lavender, and me, but not you.
I'm tired of dreaming.

I have always hated liars ever since I was a child. It most likely stems from catching my father cheating when I was four, and then being forced to cover for him as he slept with numerous women.
It broke my mother's heart and she gave up all custody of me and I haven't seen her since.
I have made it my life's mission to catch people out on their lies and punish them for it. I know that I am doing God's work and hope that my mother would be proud of me for this.
I walked into the ladies apartment and was immediately met with the stench of cigarettes and cat urine.
She ushered me to a seat but I decided to remain standing. My heart broke as she looked at me confused before starting her work.
Her eyes widened in terror as I pulled the knife from my pocket, and slit her throat before she had a chance to beg for mercy.
She slumped over the table scattering its contents across the floor. I watched on silently as her myriad of cats walked over and began chewing on her fingernails.
I took one last look at the so called psychic and wondered what would happen if I ever met someone who could actually predict what I was going to do to them.

Hello ,
I live in Japan in an apartment. I recently found two tiny black bugs in my apartment that both left behind a bright red stain after being squished that looks like blood. I spotted them about one to two weeks between sightings.
Google seems to adamantly claim that they’re bedbugs, but I’m not too sure. I’m hoping it’s not an infestation but rather just isolated intruders.
I didn’t see them on or near furniture where people sleep, one I saw on the floor in my living room and the other I saw on my dining room table
I also haven’t noticed any bites that can be bedbugs, just one massive bite on my shin that’s more likely from a spider
Is there anything else they could be ? Perhaps spider beetles or ticks ? Do you have experience with bed bugs in japan or exterminators in japan ?

My study is piled high with books. There are hundreds of books on shelves, stacked on the floor and flanking a laptop on the desk. Subjects covered include marketing, psychology, music, business, design, coding, writing and drawing. I love books. However, it has not always been the case. At school, English was my worst subject and I avoided books, like the plague. In an end of term report, one teacher noted, Phil is not a natural, but finds ways to entertain himself.

Enjoying books

One of the greatest gifts adults can give to their offspring and society is to read to children. - Carl Sagan

The following approach to books helped transform me from a reluctant to an enthusiastic reader:

1. Read topics that excite me. By age fifteen, the only book I had read out of choice was Godel, Escher and Bach. I was excited to read about the fascinating connections between maths, art and music. Not that I knew it at the time, but this sparked my interest in books.
2. Drop books that are not holding my attention. I used to feel that if I started a book then I had to finish it. I now have what Nassim Taleb refers to as an Anti-library - unread books that represent an excellent reference source.
3. Have a low threshold for buying books. Books often cost less than £10 (the same as a few cups coffee). For the enjoyment a book can bring, they are incredibly good value. So many of my life changing decisions have come down to reading a book, e.g. this blog came into being after reading Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.
4. Read books in parallel. I often have five to ten books on the go, on different topics. I read physical books for about 30 minutes per day.
5. Listen to audio books. When on my daily walk, I often listen to audio books. I often buy the audio version of physical books I own.
6. Create a conducive environment for reading. I often read in my living room. On the coffee table are about ten books. This makes it easy to read when I sit down. I also have the Books app on the front screen on my iPhone.
7. Read on an iPad. The size and weight of my iPad makes it a great device to read in coffee shops and elsewhere.
8. Self image upgrade. I realised that many people I admired read books. I wanted to be more like them so I became a reader.

Other resources

How 3 Books Rewired my Brain post by Phil Martin
My 5 Step Learning Process post by Phil Martin
Becoming a book reader in my 30s expanded my mind and transformed my prospects.
Happy reading.
Phil…

I was watching tv then my cat randomly started knocking objects off the coffee table. At first, I thought it was just another one of her playful antics, but as I glanced over, I noticed a mischievous glint in her eyes that told me this was no ordinary game of cat and mouse. With a sly flick of her tail, she sent my favorite mug crashing to the floor, shattering it into a dozen pieces.
"Hey, what's gotten into you?" I asked, trying to sound stern but failing miserably as I stifled a laugh. But my question was met with a defiant flick of her whiskers and a cheeky meow, as if to say, "Just you wait and see."
Curiosity piqued, I followed her gaze to the window, where a lone pigeon strutted along the windowsill, blissfully unaware of the chaos unfolding inside. With a newfound sense of purpose, my cat sprang into action, launching herself at the window with all the grace of a startled gazelle. But instead of the graceful interception she had envisioned, she collided headfirst with the glass, leaving behind a comically perfect nose print.
Undeterred by her less-than-stellar performance, my cat regrouped and tried a different approach. This time, she opted for stealth, inching her way across the room with all the subtlety of a ninja in training. But just as she was about to pounce, the pigeon caught wind of her presence and took flight, leaving my cat to faceplant into the curtains in a spectacular display of feline theatrics.
As I watched the scene unfold, a grin spread across my face. Sure, my cat may be a little clumsy and more than a little mischievous, but she certainly knew how to keep life interesting. And as she sat amidst the wreckage of my once-pristine living room, I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer absurdity of it all. After all, who needs reality TV when you've got a cat like mine?

My study is piled high with books. There are hundreds of books on shelves, stacked on the floor and flanking a laptop on the desk. Subjects covered include marketing, psychology, music, business, design, coding, writing and drawing. I love books. However, it has not always been the case. At school, English was my worst subject and I avoided books, like the plague. In an end of term report, one teacher noted, Phil is not a natural, but finds ways to entertain himself.

Enjoying books

One of the greatest gifts adults can give to their offspring and society is to read to children. - Carl Sagan

The following approach to books helped transform me from a reluctant to an enthusiastic reader:

1. Read topics that excite me. By age fifteen, the only book I had read out of choice was Godel, Escher and Bach. I was excited to read about the fascinating connections between maths, art and music. Not that I knew it at the time, but this sparked my interest in books.
2. Drop books that are not holding my attention. I used to feel that if I started a book then I had to finish it. I now have what Nassim Taleb refers to as an Anti-library - unread books that represent an excellent reference source.
3. Have a low threshold for buying books. Books often cost less than £10 (the same as a few cups coffee). For the enjoyment a book can bring, they are incredibly good value. So many of my life changing decisions have come down to reading a book, e.g. this blog came into being after reading Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.
4. Read books in parallel. I often have five to ten books on the go, on different topics. I read physical books for about 30 minutes per day.
5. Listen to audio books. When on my daily walk, I often listen to audio books. I often buy the audio version of physical books I own.
6. Create a conducive environment for reading. I often read in my living room. On the coffee table are about ten books. This makes it easy to read when I sit down. I also have the Books app on the front screen on my iPhone.
7. Read on an iPad. The size and weight of my iPad makes it a great device to read in coffee shops and elsewhere.
8. Self image upgrade. I realised that many people I admired read books. I wanted to be more like them so I became a reader.

Other resources

How 3 Books Rewired my Brain post by Phil Martin
My 5 Step Learning Process post by Phil Martin
Becoming a book reader in my 30s expanded my mind and transformed my prospects.
Happy reading.
Phil…

Wow, 167 was a pretty great chapter of Chainsaw Man Part 2! This is a fascinating new development between our two leads, simultaneously being gross, awkward, and morally dubious. I can’t wait to see what other people are feeling about this chapter, so let’s log onto reddit and/or twitter, and…
Oh, ok. While my expectations for online fandoms are in hell, the reactions to this chapter have managed to limbo under that bar. There’s a lot that’s frustrating, from the gooners to the puriteens, but what’s most concerning is some of the talk about consent. Y’know, when I started studying at uni everyone had to take a course about consent, which was pretty easy to pass, and I was shocked at how some people managed to fail it. Seeing some of the discourse about consent between Denji/Yoru/Asa has made things a bit more depressing, with some comments making me concerned about the commenters ever entering a sexual situation. So, let me give you a crash course on desire and consent, partially to predict what may happen next, but mostly because jesus christ some of you need to read this.
TL;DR: what happened in 167 was definitely some level of non-consent, which is kinda fucked up. The potential for future character drama off of this encounter is extremely interesting

Part 1: What consent do?

OK, in sex every single participant should actively want to be there, and should be OK with every deed they do, with no coercion or deception involved. If that isn’t the case, there’s a special four-letter word for that. Correspondingly, every participant should want to know what everyone else feels during sex, to avoid stepping on that particular landmine.
While you technically can have consensual sex without establishing verbal consent, this is risky and potentially dangerous as you can’t fully rely on body language - you may infer something from your partner that they do not necessarily mean. There have been more than a few situations IRL where one person assumes something that the other does not want, leading to horrible outcomes. Therefore, you should establish verbal consent during sex, so everyone can have a safe and fun time. Also, past consent does not guarantee future consent - if you had a good time with someone last night, they might not be up for it tonight for any number of reasons (e.g. having mental issues), and you should respect that. Similarly, consent to one act is not carte-blanche consent to any other act. In addition, and I cannot believe I need to say this, it is possible for a partner to orgasm even if they do not want to be having sex.
Some of the biggest dipshits online take this as “do you need to sign a contract at every step to establish consent??? Smh my head liberals gone woke”, which a) I do not want to be alone in a room with those fuckers and b) establishing consent doesn’t need to be an ordeal! You can literally say “you good?” and get confirmation from that. Even if it does slightly interrupt your flow (and, from experience, it doesn’t actually do that), it’s infinitely better to be safe than sorry.
There is also the very important aspect of “without coercion”. If the other person has been put in this situation by force or implied punishment - e.g. if they wouldn’t be given a promotion without participating, or if you held a knife to their dick - then even if they say the words “yes I want to have sex”, you definitely shouldn’t! Similar for deception - if you lie about who you are, or what you’re doing (e.g. ‘stealthing’ condoms which is legit sickening), that’s genuinely fucked up. Basically, be a functional human being about this, have sex with people who want to have sex with you.
Right - consent crash course done, you passed, good for you, here’s your course credits. See also here for a good run-down. You now know what to do if you are in a sexual situation in real life, hooray. However, fiction is all about drama, often in messed-up situations, so…

Part 2: Consent in 167, or “wow this is fucked from multiple angles”

To the chapter itself! It’s a really interesting exploration of desire, how feelings can manifest themselves, and how these manifestations can be unhealthy. Let’s establish the dynamics amongst our three participants, and run through the situation:

• Denji: Our resident horndog wants to have sex, and he has established feelings towards Asa (see: aquarium, convo with Nayuta just before the house burns down). As a reader we can probably assume he would be OK with having sex with Asa, even in the back of an alley. However, he is currently mentally distraught due to everything that’s been happening, so he might not want to have sex at this current point in time (especially after breaking down over his sex drive ~2 minutes ago). In addition, he was kinda distressed with the idea that Asa would cut off his dick. Crucially, Denji does not know that Yoru exists as a separate entity who possesses Asa’s body.
  
• Asa: Asa has strong feelings towards Denji, and Chainsaw Man (who she knows is Denji). I can imagine that she would want to have sex with Denji at some point in their relationship. I am less convinced that she would want to do so right here and now, especially considering her aversion to bodily fluids. It’s safe to assume that she has not discussed body-possession with regards to sex with Yoru.
  
• Yoru: Yoru does whatever the fuck she wants. If she wants to kiss someone, she will, regardless of their feelings about it (see the post-aquarium date). I am pretty confident that the War Devil is one of the people who failed the consent course. Her feelings with regards to Denji are intermingled with Asa’s, so she may want to have sex with Denji, but fundamentally the situation is under her control - she chooses to take over the shared body whenever she wants, and she does whatever she wants with it.
  

There is a level of ambiguity to what happened in the chapter, due to the nature of the drawings, and to the lack of verbal communication after the initial kiss. However, following our rules, we can reasonably infer what was happening:

• Denji was initially frightened of ‘Asa’ due to the whole cutting off his dick thing. He did not initiate the kissing or the genital grabbing, however he did seem to reciprocate after the dick cutting was put off the table. At this point in time it’s not clear if he was ‘giving in’ (bleh) or actually into it and consenting (KEY POINT: THIS IS WHY, IRL, VERBAL CONSENT IS IMPORTANT). He orgasms, but as established this does not necessarily mean he consented to sex. I lean towards him willingly reciprocating towards the end, but even so the initial conditions were deeply messed up, AND he was also deceived by the whole body-swap thing. Speaking of…
  
• Yoru forcibly grabbed Denji’s dick and balls with no regards to Denji’s feelings - at the time, he was scared. She kissed him first, first out of dominance(?), and then she kinda got into the mood, maybe due to feeling desire towards Denji through Asa. She did not pay any heed to what Denji or Asa wanted in this encounter - their consent (or lack of it) meant nothing.
  
• Asa was not involved with any of this, as an observer in her own body. We do not know if she wanted to have sex at this moment, as Yoru was in control. Side note: sometimes the pair are shown together in the manga, sometimes only one is shown at a time, as it’s mainly a paneling/perspective thing. There is no evidence that they were acting together here, this was purely in Yoru’s control. Asa only regained her body as Denji orgasmed, insert EoE reference here.
  

So yeah, this is a fucked up situation! I do not think it is wrong to say that Yoru is a grapist. To be 100% clear, this is pretty fantastic in terms of character drama, and I am extremely interested in seeing how each participant will react in future. I imagine that even if Denji was into it towards the end he might be weirded out/feeling like he was taken advantage of (potentially feeling betrayed when the Asa/Yoru split comes to light), Asa will most likely feel violated, and Yoru’s just kinda eating popcorn in the background. The fact that Asa and Denji are actually into each other will make things even more complicated. Ultimately, the Asa/Denji relationship will almost certainly be put on the rocks from this, and it’ll be a significant struggle to repair it, so we have a lot of drama potential in play.
Whatever the case, I imagine that the ramifications of this are not going to be fully explored within the span of the next chapter. We’ll most likely see the initial reactions, which could run the whole gamut from angry to shocked to grossed-out to embarrassed. The full feelings of each character may only emerge in the later stages of this part! One thing we DEFINITELY won’t see is each character turning to the audience and directly explaining their feelings and emotional state. This is because Fujimoto has faith in his audience, which frankly is very optimistic of him, but even so the next few chapters will be very interesting

My study is piled high with books. There are hundreds of books on shelves, stacked on the floor and flanking a laptop on the desk. Subjects covered include marketing, psychology, music, business, design, coding, writing and drawing. I love books. However, it has not always been the case. At school, English was my worst subject and I avoided books, like the plague. In an end of term report, one teacher noted, Phil is not a natural, but finds ways to entertain himself.

Enjoying books

One of the greatest gifts adults can give to their offspring and society is to read to children. - Carl Sagan

The following approach to books helped transform me from a reluctant to an enthusiastic reader:

1. Read topics that excite me. By age fifteen, the only book I had read out of choice was Godel, Escher and Bach. I was excited to read about the fascinating connections between maths, art and music. Not that I knew it at the time, but this sparked my interest in books.
2. Drop books that are not holding my attention. I used to feel that if I started a book then I had to finish it. I now have what Nassim Taleb refers to as an Anti-library - unread books that represent an excellent reference source.
3. Have a low threshold for buying books. Books often cost less than £10 (the same as a few cups coffee). For the enjoyment a book can bring, they are incredibly good value. So many of my life changing decisions have come down to reading a book, e.g. this blog came into being after reading Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.
4. Read books in parallel. I often have five to ten books on the go, on different topics. I read physical books for about 30 minutes per day.
5. Listen to audio books. When on my daily walk, I often listen to audio books. I often buy the audio version of physical books I own.
6. Create a conducive environment for reading. I often read in my living room. On the coffee table are about ten books. This makes it easy to read when I sit down. I also have the Books app on the front screen on my iPhone.
7. Read on an iPad. The size and weight of my iPad makes it a great device to read in coffee shops and elsewhere.
8. Self image upgrade. I realised that many people I admired read books. I wanted to be more like them so I became a reader.

Other resources

4 Life Changing Books talk by Ali Abdaal
How 3 Books Rewired my Brain post by Phil Martin
My 5 Step Learning Process post by Phil Martin
Becoming a book reader in my 30s expanded my mind and transformed my prospects.
Happy reading.
Phil…

My study is piled high with books. There are hundreds of books on shelves, stacked on the floor and flanking a laptop on the desk. Subjects covered include marketing, psychology, music, business, design, coding, writing and drawing. I love books. However, it has not always been the case. At school, English was my worst subject and I avoided books, like the plague. In an end of term report, one teacher noted, Phil is not a natural, but finds ways to entertain himself.

Enjoying books

One of the greatest gifts adults can give to their offspring and society is to read to children. - Carl Sagan

The following approach to books helped transform me from a reluctant to an enthusiastic reader:

1. Read topics that excite me. By age fifteen, the only book I had read out of choice was Godel, Escher and Bach. I was excited to read about the fascinating connections between maths, art and music. Not that I knew it at the time, but this sparked my interest in books.
2. Drop books that are not holding my attention. I used to feel that if I started a book then I had to finish it. I now have what Nassim Taleb refers to as an Anti-library - unread books that represent an excellent reference source.
3. Have a low threshold for buying books. Books often cost less than £10 (the same as a few cups coffee). For the enjoyment a book can bring, they are incredibly good value. So many of my life changing decisions have come down to reading a book, e.g. this blog came into being after reading Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.
4. Read books in parallel. I often have five to ten books on the go, on different topics. I read physical books for about 30 minutes per day.
5. Listen to audio books. When on my daily walk, I often listen to audio books. I often buy the audio version of physical books I own.
6. Create a conducive environment for reading. I often read in my living room. On the coffee table are about ten books. This makes it easy to read when I sit down. I also have the Books app on the front screen on my iPhone.
7. Read on an iPad. The size and weight of my iPad makes it a great device to read in coffee shops and elsewhere.
8. Self image upgrade. I realised that many people I admired read books. I wanted to be more like them so I became a reader.

Other resources

4 Life Changing Books talk by Ali Abdaal
How 3 Books Rewired my Brain post by Phil Martin
My 5 Step Learning Process post by Phil Martin
Becoming a book reader in my 30s expanded my mind and transformed my prospects.
Happy reading.
Phil…

First Prev Next Patreon Ko-fi Discord
PRs: u/anakist & u/BroDogIsMyName
- - - - -
It had been a few weeks since Altier was brought to the run-down shack that his black-scaled companion likely called home, and he could now comfortably say he was accustomed to the…household’s routine. The kobold typically left at the crack of dawn, returned a little after noon, and occasionally left again to forage until nightfall. When the weather was bad or there wasn’t a particular need for something, they half-heartedly chased their rabbit around for a bit, which usually ended with a bout of quiet petting while everyone got ready for the night. It was always amusing to see the energetic side of what he had come to know as a relatively lazy loaf of an animal. As for the routine of the ferrorabbit in question… Well…it was at least more interesting than expected.
Hoppit would begin his own series of activities as soon as his caretaker left—the first of which being a check of every nook and cranny in the shed. He sniffed at anything that caught his interest, varying from morning to morning, but he gave every object or corner its due attention. Once he was satisfied with that, he would eat some of the ragged plants that made up most of his diet, take a drink from his bowl, then jump onto the tro— table and plop himself down, his ears pivoting towards the door. It was hard to say if the lounging spot had been established before Altier’s arrival, but it was somewhat amusing to pretend that the little rabbit was standing guard over his core—if it wasn’t for one particular part of the morning ritual, that is.
Indeed, the ferrorabbit had a habit of licking the obsidian orb that sat in the middle of the room, which thankfully didn’t seem to perturb the system enough to give Altier a headache. He was confused when it first happened, but it was commonplace enough now that he barely acknowledged it. A part of him liked that he was getting attention as a core, even if it was delivered via a strange grooming method. The closest he got to being acknowledged as something other than ‘the dungeon’ was through an unfortunate misunderstanding that he could never properly rectify. He supposed that was hardly worth thinking about now, though; too much time had passed for there to be anyone left to correct. The little oddity of his mornings would have to suffice.
There wasn’t much to comment on as far as the rest of the day’s happenings. Hoppit would end his loafing by shaking his head and ears in a way that filled the silence with soft clacks, give the core a customary tongue bath, then jump off the table to nose his way out of the shed through a hole that was hidden by the storage cart against the wall. Where the rabbit went was anyone’s guess, but he always returned before anyone noticed he was gone, and often did so while covered in small cuts and scratches. Any blood from the lacerations was quickly licked off before it could be seen by the kobold, and in the event that the scaly caretaker happened to return earlier than expected, Hoppit would scurry over to the bundles of blankets to finish the cleanup in secret.
Today looked to be following the usual pattern. The kobold left bright and early with various gardening tools and a wooden pail, and Hoppit had since set off into the great unknown for one reason or another. Hopefully, he returned less injured than usual. It was frustrating to admit that Altier had begun to grow rather fond of the fluffy creature, and seeing the thing come back hurt was bothersome. Was it off looking for food? There wasn’t a whole lot given to it, so that was a possibility, and it could be getting into fights over whatever it found. That still didn’t explain why the animal was so thin, and Altier didn’t have enough to go off of to think of a potential solution. He wanted to help it in some way, like by summoning a creature to act as an escort, or maybe just by manifesting something edible like he once could. No, he could only stare at the ‘Synchronizing…’ that occupied his menu, wishing he had more information to work with.
He never thought he would miss the bombardment of notifications and their lingering presence that filled the edge of his mental vision; at least with that he could surmise enough to hazard some kind of action. Even knowing why the menu was acting the way it did would be a start. Yet, try as he might, there wasn’t a history for him to reference anymore, and he had nothing to work with. He was confident the last message had asked him to ‘accept’ something, then took his befuddled ponderance as an answer, but he was no closer to an explanation for what it wanted, nor why it prompted him in the first place. He just didn’t have another experience to compare against, since nothing like that had ever happened before. Not that he was ever in much of a position to allow it.
The entire purpose of having Altier inhabit a core was for him to become a dungeon of Decay, which entailed all the skeletons, poisons, acids, and whatever else came to mind when one pictured the concept. ‘Living’ creatures were something he only had the chance to experiment with near the beginning of his new existence, though he never dabbled past the first few insects before transitioning to the mindless undead. Having a thinking, feeling, breathing entity touch his core was a rite reserved only for the adventurers and soldiers that bested his trials, and that was usually a painful experience. Now, he had spent what he could only guess was hours being held by a kobold, followed by having a rabbit bump against him, and neither felt like what he came to expect. Instead, both had led to a completely novel reaction from the system. The strange circumstances put him at a bit of a loss as to what it all meant for him.
Sure, he could dismiss the deluge of errors from his companion’s involvement by pointing to the numerous ‘corrupted’ messages before it, and Hoppit was a part of mostly unexplored territory, but the lack of clarity nagged at the back of his mind constantly. Being exposed to activity after potential decades or centuries of unchanging solitude made him despise the informational dead end. If he couldn’t make sense of the rabbit’s circumstances, then he didn’t have much hope of deciphering the reason for why his system was misbehaving so terribly. He also didn't know much about the one who owned the decrepit holdings he was housed inside.
He still wasn’t sure what drove the kobold to take him from the cave. His suspicion of becoming traded goods fell flat after the first week or so, and he hadn’t noticed any cult-like behaviour, which was promising. Granted, a lack of nefarious behaviour didn’t mean there was a lack of nefarious intent, but he didn’t get the impression his companion held that either. The kobold itself didn’t seem quite settled on an opinion of his core, though it was up for debate if the hesitation was due to knowing what he was or not. They seemed to mull something over before bed each night, yet never reached a satisfactory conclusion, staring at the obsidian orb through weary grey eyes until they eventually forced themselves into sleep.
Whatever the underlying reasoning for his abduction was, he had observed enough to know that the kobold didn’t deserve to live in destitution. As beaten as the shed might be, they cared for it as best they could, and did so without a single groan or grimace of complaint. The floors were cleaned with a tattered rag and fresh water, dust was removed regularly, and any stray mess that Hoppit made was dealt with promptly. They even took the time to wipe off his core, which was possibly where the ferrorabbit got the idea to start licking him. The only time Altier had seen discontent from the kobold was when they didn’t find much during their foraging, and thus couldn’t give any treats to the excited and bouncy herbivore.
He wasn’t aware that a creature’s face could make such a painfully broken expression, and he was quick to decide that he never wanted to see it again.
Vexingly, his metaphorical hands were tied; a dungeon could only influence their Domain, and given the state of his system, not even that option was available to him. All he could do was glare at the rotting wooden beams that held up the roof and remember when such an issue didn’t exist. It would have taken a mere flicker of thought and a paltry sum of mana to mend the struts when he was a proper dungeon. He could even outright reinforce the structure by weaving in other materials, leaving the appearance as it was while making everything stronger than iron. Well, he once could. Working with other affinities was something that came to him after absorbing the coloured motes left behind by adventurers, and the accursed stone that stole his mana had taken that ability as well.
An attempt was made anyway, his will ordering the deteriorated wood to absorb any trace metals from the ground, but it was no use. He couldn’t feel the iron or stones beneath the shed like he would have been able to before, all but confirming his suspicion that his connection to the Earth element had slipped away. Nature was much the same; the only way he knew when Hoppit had returned most days was from the subtle noise and the essence of injury. The other attributes—Air, Flame, Luma, Shadow, and so on—were ones he never experimented with to any real extent, so it was less noticeable when he lost his grasp on them. Perhaps they faded early. Either way, all he had left was a waning cognizance of his own alignment, and that wasn’t of much use to him. If he had any appreciable mana income, then perhaps he could do something, but he wasn’t even sure what the upkeep of his current Domain might be. It was entirely possible that he was running on a deficit, which would offer a reason for why his system had been so—
[Do#$@n Ex@#d$%^&d! CRe@#r H-H-H-HoPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP—]
[Errrrrrr—]
[Sy$%^hroni%^$zing…]
[Creeee-tu— Hoppit ha@$ esttttb-hed terrrrrrr-ity f^#% t$e dun@&$n!]
- - - - -
“Well then,” he mumbled to himself, taking in the strange scene behind the shed. For one, he could actually view a small distance beyond the structure now, and two, there was a rather proud-looking Hoppit sitting on his haunches before a pair of significantly less prideful examples of the species. They looked quite a bit bigger than the lazy loaf Altier had come to know, yet they were more cut up and dejected than his furry friend. That answered where the injuries had been coming from, he supposed. Hoppit was probably running off to bash heads with whatever animal population existed here beforehand, and they had only just reached a consensus on who was in charge. Impressive.
One of Hoppit’s ears turned back towards the shed, his head following suit as he gave a lagomorph’s approximation of a ‘Look what I did!’ smile. Altier blanked out mentally, but didn’t have time to question anything before the new leader of the local rabbits imperiously pointed a paw towards the surrounding forest, which was equally surreal to witness. Most surprising of all, the…subordinates? The other ferrorabbits did as commanded, keeping their forms small as they took off into the foliage. Soft clacks came from Hoppit’s pleased shake of his head, then he too left the area with only a slightly lopsided bounce to his stride.
The man-turned-core could only gape at what he saw. Were animals always so…expressive? Had Hoppit heard him? What in the world was happening? Why had Hoppit’s personal conquest led to Altier’s Domain expanding?
He lamented not having fingers, nor temples to rub with them. His system was a garbled mess of errors and inconsistent messages, his residence was falling apart at the seams, his companion was someone who abducted him from the dungeon, yet never did anything past that, and his first real experience with an animal was turning out to be more confusing than he thought possible.
All of this was after an unknown amount of time spent commanding legions of undead to strengthen the very people who he would later learn had lied to and manipulated him, making him into a nightmarish entity just to bolster the power of their forces. He almost missed the days spent gazing out of a mossy window. At least then he knew what to expect.
Nothing made sense anymore.
= = = = =
The soft sound of roots ripping free from soil suddenly stopped, only to be followed by a dull thud of Ceele’s palm slapping against the ground to catch her fall before she landed on her rear. She righted herself with her tail and tossed the stubborn weed into a pile with the others. No matter how many mornings she did this, they always seemed to replace themselves faster than she could remove the pesky things. A sigh slipped from her muzzle as she set about grabbing the next one embedded in the vegetable garden.
Aches and spreading stiffness flared up, but went ignored as she neared the end of her duties, though she was well aware that they would come back with force once she tried to settle down for the day. The impending soreness was an inevitable byproduct of spending so much time working. Still, she knew that if it wasn’t for the kindly old couple that allowed her to call their shed home, she would still be sleeping beneath the stars while making sure nothing tried to get at her Hoppit. Even if it was just a part of the deal, they were owed this much in return, and she would see it done properly.
The sun bore down on her back as she did her usual tasks, which was a departure from the slightly overcast weather as of late. It looked somewhat promising when she checked in the wee hours of the morning, yet as her gardening duties dragged on, so too did the intensity of such a clear sky. A disappointed glance at the empty wooden bucket on the edge of the field was quickly corrected. She hadn’t thought to refill it at the river after watering the crops, and her parched throat was making its protests known, while also reminding her that there wasn’t much water left at home either. One more thing to take care of when she was done.
A gruff cough brought her attention towards the old kobold resting his back against a tree some distance away, safely shaded from the unforgiving rays beaming down. Her displeasure at having yet more to do was hastily wiped away. She was undecided on what to think of the detached audience, but looking so sour while upholding her side of the agreement wouldn’t reflect well on her. Hopefully, he hadn’t seen it. Not that she could tell if he did; he always had the same expression when he watched her work. The elder kobold’s arms were crossed, a finger tapping absently against his bicep, while his tail sat motionless on the grass, the muddy red colour of his scales standing out amongst the greens and browns. ‘Makis,’ was his name, assuming her memory served.
Makis had taken to observing her every so often, usually propping himself against this or that at a distance, the unwavering scowl being as unnerving as it was belying of his age. Somewhat loose skin sagged a bit around his jowls and neck, yet the rest of his face was still taut from how much time he spent examining red-hot metal, and his arms were marred with countless burns and cuts from his profession. He held an oppressive aura, though the crinkles around his eyes and muzzle suggested he smiled as frequently as he glowered, even if Ceele was yet to see the former. There was only the same judgmental expression aimed at her when he was around. She could only hope that he didn’t take offence to some unintended slight, but she didn’t know him well enough to say what might be considered one.
They hadn’t spoken since she took up residence on the outskirts of his land. His wife was the one to introduce them, but it was quickly established that he had no intention of being a chatty individual. He led Ceele to the shed hidden amongst the trees on the edge of the property, then dismissed her with only a grunt coming from the elderly kobold. She supposed that it was for the best. Her experience in socializing was centred around convincing others to employ her, and there hadn’t been much of an opportunity to expand her horizons while living a life on the road. If that had been the end of their interactions, she would have swiftly written the terseness off, but he appeared every few days, taking up residence beneath the shade as he watched her work, never speaking a single word. At least he didn’t openly protest her presence, yet she figured that would be easier to manage. He wouldn’t be such an enigma then.
There wasn’t a whole lot she knew about him besides his penchant for ‘supervision,’ and anything beyond that was what his wife had volunteered during the rare opportunity they had to chat. She was told that Makis worked the smithy out front, and although he had retired from doing so in an official capacity, she could still regularly hear his hammer as she tended to the garden, so she figured he kept himself busy most days. It made her wonder what was so interesting about a vagrant like herself, but when there was so little else to do, she could see how anything could be made worth the attention. It was just him and his wife living in the once bustling home, after all; the couple’s children had long since grown up and made families of their own.
She noticed his gaze shift elsewhere as she tugged yet another stubborn intruder from the soil, his arms falling from across his chest and the perpetually worn displeasure melting to that of curiosity. He wandered off shortly after, and she had to make an effort not to fall onto her tail as the pressure on her shoulders unexpectedly evaporated. Did something happen?
Ceele shook her head free of the distracting thought. It wasn’t her business if he grew bored with watching her work. As long as no one voiced any complaints, she could only assume that she was doing a satisfactory job. Maybe he finally decided that he didn’t need to be so watchful because she was doing well! That could be it, right?
A glance at the somewhat sloppily maintained garden erased the false confidence from her face, but she was just as quick to focus on finishing up, unwilling to allow darker musings to fester. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anything else that needed her intervention. The weeds were all uprooted, the soil was appropriately dampened, and her check for pesky insects or wildlife turned up nothing to worry about. She was free for the rest of the day!
…Or she would be free—as soon as she finished the last of her tasks, anyway.
The black-scaled kobold got up from her crouch unsteadily, shivering and wincing from the pins and needles in her legs. She would have to remember to stretch more often; it was far too easy to forgo that kind of thing just to make the overall work go slightly faster. Her hand reached out to grab the pile of weeds and put them into the bucket as she ran through what needed to be done before she could properly relax. Hoppit’s food needed to be washed, she needed to bathe, and they were running low on water anyway, so she would have to visit the river. Just the thought of dragging herself into the forest again made her muscles protest, but she wouldn’t have the energy to do it later. She forced the smile that had started to fall and took the first of many steps.
- - - - -
The river wasn’t too far away, only taking a few minutes of traipsing through the dense woodlands until she reached her destination. It was an idyllic little spot. The trees thinned out to allow a grassy bank along the water, and there was an appreciably gentle slope from shallows to depths, making for a convenient place to take care of various needs. She had discovered this place during her travels, and it was where a kind older woman found her.
Ceele was washing off at the time, with Hoppit safely taking shelter from the outside underneath the bundled blankets while he waited. The trickle of the stream brushing against rocks covered the sound of footsteps, so she was rather surprised when an aged voice called out to ask if she was okay. Her first reaction was to distance herself and apologize—the why didn’t matter, but she had learned that most people were more lenient of her presence if she seemed apologetic for it, and she usually was. The elderly kobold just laughed at her scrambling, tacking on an assurance that there was no need for modesty. The woman was blind, apparently, which explained how Ceele’s blackened colours hadn’t deterred her.
Strangely enough, there was a comforting sense of ease around the one who introduced herself as Hira. It was a sort of presence that Ceele could only vaguely remember, and it drew her close enough to speak as she finished bathing. The conversation wasn’t anything profound, of course—they hardly delved deeper than surface-level small talk—but Hira lost her smile as she listened to the younger kobold. By the end of it, the old woman posed a series of questions with a dark inflection to her voice, and Ceele struggled to find an answer.
‘Are you tired of looking for something that only slips away? Are you tired of running? Do you really want to be scared and alone?’
If the silence bothered Hira, then it didn’t show. She had simply held out a hand and offered Ceele a way of life that didn’t involve wondering where she would be spending the night, nor entailed cowering in the brush while fearsome predators roamed freely. It would be a simple existence of few fortunes, but it was safe, and it was honest. All she had to do was say yes.
Ceele denied it at first, partially because she knew most people despised Hobbit's species, and partially because she couldn’t shake the offer being too good to be true. Hira was quick to propose a compromise; Ceele could take residence in the gardening shed that had fallen from use, and to satiate the nagging sense of an unfair deal, she would be put in charge of maintaining the garden itself. All Hira wanted was to ‘see’ her favourite space bloom again, since she couldn’t take care of it anymore. The black-scaled kobold stared longingly at where Hoppit was, his little body shivering from the prolonged cold and fear that he would be hurt if he left the blankets hiding him. It was with a heavy guilt that she accepted Hira’s offer, keeping quiet about her true reason for doing so.
That was in the past, however, though she thought about it every time she stopped by and saw the smooth rocks where she and Hira first met. Eventually, she might gather the courage to admit that she was housing a ‘pest’ and beg for forgiveness. Until then, she would just work her hardest to prove it wasn’t a mistake to give her a home. That her endless efforts weren’t meaningless. That Hoppit deserved to be more than a ‘pest.’
That Ceele was more than something she had no control over being.
She cleared her head a bit and started on the reason she came all this way. Her dress was rather easy to wash in the meandering water, and the trees provided a suitable place for it to dry in the sunlight and light breeze. The weeds were fine with a thorough rinse near in the shallows, but taking care of her own hygiene required her to wade farther in, though it only came up to her chest in the middle of the rill. Still, she could scrub off the soil and grime, which was all she really needed. Perhaps some simple soaps would help rid her of the pervasive black that stained her skin and scales, but that was beyond her meagre means for the time being, as well as being mere wishful thinking.
She worked past the dreary mindset that settled in when she allowed it, focusing on how serene the river was. The soft birdsong from the trees helped make for a peaceful experience, and she could feel the somewhat chilled liquid basically pour into the aches and pains throughout her body, washing away the stiffness from spending so long under the unerring sun. It was nice to escape reality and let thoughts drift while held buoyant by calmer waters.
Yet the bliss was short-lived. Even if winter was gone, spring was still far from warming the waters enough for her to laze about for too long. She dragged herself from the soft current and fetched her dress from the low-lying branch she left it to dry on. It was still a touch damp, but it wasn’t anything a bit of time in front of the fireplace wouldn’t fix.
Ceele was only a short distance away from home when she heard a gravelly male voice, but it was the flicker of sight between the trees that made her drop what was in her arms and lunge into a sprint.
Makis stood just outside the gardening shed, a ferrorabbit held at arm’s length by rusty crimson hands placed on the scruff and haunch, the rabbit’s little ears flattened as fear filled its tiny face. Her eyes widened further when she noticed the small stains of blood in his light brown fur. They found out about him. Ephemeral claws of blackness clutched at her soul, ripping the very fabric she was made of as an unseen beast smiled, eager to take yet one more thing from her. Her Hoppit. Her baby. Her everything.
“Hoppit!” she shrieked, her words all but tearing out of her throat in desperation. Frozen blood coursed through her veins, yet poured into exhausted limbs. She broke through the treeline with no regard for the branches slashing against her flesh, panic making each sting fade before it could be processed. The grizzled glare of the older kobold snapped towards her, his usual scowl picking up an actual air of intensity that she never thought could be absent, the promise of violence lurking in his eyes. She skidded to a stop a few paces away, the lump in her throat threatening to clog her airway. “S-stop hurting him!”
“Didn’t,” he barked back, his tone even yet firm. “Cuts ain’t me. I’d’a done worse if’a had ta mind ta.”
The blatant declaration snapped her from blind panic, although his apparent anger didn’t do her fear any favours. “B-but… Then how…”
“‘Hoppit.’ Named it, did’cha?” he grunted, ignoring her confusion and bobbing the rabbit to get her attention again. His gaze shifted back to the animal, the flames of ire cooling slightly. “I was wonderin’ why yer plots ain’t dead yet. Suppose this critter’s why.”
One of her hands hesitantly reached out until she pulled it back, while the other clutched at her chest to stop her heart from hammering against her ribs. She couldn’t act rashly. Not while her baby was in his arms. “I—”
“Soft thing, ain’t it,” the elder kobold commented curiously, cutting her off.
“Y-yes?” she returned reluctantly, struggling to stop herself from lashing out to reclaim the ferrorabbit in his grasp.
“Like fine silk.” Makis tipped and tilted the animal, inspecting this and that with a deep-seated frown, all while Hoppit silently looked to her for help. The pit in her stomach grew. She needed to get him back, but how?
Ceele swallowed the dense dread as she tried to formulate some sort of plan, stumbling over her words and forced smile. “I-it’s nice! Isn’t it nice?”
His eyes snapped back to burrow into her own with hatred. “Wasn’t a compliment, girly.”
“B-but you—”
He released Hoppit’s lower half to jab a claw at the various spikes around his body, plying them with minimal force. “Look. See this? These’r suppose ta break bone. ‘Specially when he’s stiff like this. Ain’t no way I should be able ta bend ‘em. He’s barely more than a walkin’ carcass—all skin ‘n stick. He’s gonna get picked up by a wandering pecker if he keeps pissin’ about out ‘ere. It’s a wonder he’s still kickin’. What’cha feeding ‘em?” His gaze dropped from her face to the rest of her, disgust curling his muzzle into a snarl. “N’ver mind. I can guess.”
She felt the dampness build at the edges of her vision, unprepared to not only worry for Hoppit's immediate health, but also to face such harsh criticism while she was so vulnerable. “I… I try to make sure he has…”
Makis crouched to release the ferrorabbit onto the ground, Ceele dropping to her knees the moment he did. The terrified lagomorph wasted no time, bolting towards his adoptive mother and leaping into her arms, shaking uncontrollably. The rust-coloured ‘bold stared as she started soothingly stroking the animal’s back.
“Yer given’ em the weeds, aren’t ya?” he stated rather than asked. She gave a teary nod when her voice wouldn’t respond for her. The old kobold drew a breath, letting it go in an exasperated sigh as he stood back up, his expression becoming more impatient than antagonistic. “What else?”
“I— Um…”
“What. Else?”
“W-whatever I c-can find!” she sputtered out. Hoppit tried to hide against her neck, prompting her to tighten her hold. She couldn’t stop herself from shrinking, the guilt and confusion pulling her head down. “R-roots, vegetables, fruits… I give them as often as I can.”
His glare continued unimpeded, his cadence cold. “That it?”
There were a million things Ceele wanted to say. A part of her wanted to beg him not to kick them out of the first safe place she had in longer than she could remember, but she couldn’t find the words. She wanted to deny the judgmental tone that stabbed into her insecurity surrounding how good of a job she was doing with Hoppit, but the deadened void in her chest swallowed her pride whole. She knew he was right to critique her. That she was failing in the only thing that mattered anymore. That the feeling of loss would return.
“I try,” she whispered through the beginnings of a sob. “I try to find more, but he needs someone around, and I have to work the garden, so there’s only so much time I can spend looking. He won’t even eat all of what I bring back…” Tears dripped off her cheeks as she aimed a desolate smile at her furry friend. “He wants to make sure I have some too.”
“Yer killin’ em,” Makis pointed out plainly, crossing his arms. “He’ll be dead ‘fore the summer at this rate.”
“I know!” she shouted, forcing back the memories of insidious murmurs that lurked in the back of her mind, eager to creep into her ears again. The hate-filled stares that followed her, the rumours that arrived in towns before she had the chance to make an impression, and the guilt that loomed over her like an executioner's axe… “I know I am… I just… I don’t know what he needs. I don’t know how to make him happy…but I try. I’m trying…”
“…Yer an idiot, girly.”
She looked up to see the elder kobold walking away without another word. Her eyes fell to Hoppit, the ferrorabbit pressing himself against her as much as he could. He was small, thin, soft, and growing weaker by the day, but he never let it keep him down for long. No, he always showed his best for her, giving her joy that wasn’t provided anywhere else. She saw the thin cuts and dried blood, though she didn’t know where they came from, nor how he got out of the shed in the first place. But that was okay. Hoppit was okay, and she had Hoppit, so everything was okay, right?
…But how much longer would everything stay okay? How much longer until her efforts weren’t enough, and she was left desperately reaching for fading memories of what once was? How much longer until she killed her baby too?
How much longer until she was alone again?
Soft footsteps drew near, pulling her from the spiralling thoughts that threatened to gnaw at her soul. Damp, blurry eyes fell on Makis returning with a small wooden crate, the older kobold stopping a few steps away. He dropped the box, a deep, rattling thud produced as it impacted the ground, making Hoppit flinch in her arms. Ceele blinked as she kept him calm, then blinked again, looking up at the man for answers.
“The name, girly,” he spat in irritation. “Ferrorabbit. Ther’ Earth aligned creatures; they need metals. They don’t care where they get it, but they need lots of it. Iron, copper, tin, lead—raw crystal, if they can find it. You name it, they’ll take a chunk out of it. It's why they bother farmers so much; the best soil’s usually top’a gem deposits, ‘n the little bastards have no issue burrowing deep to get it. Dries up the element’s energy ‘n makes the crops weak.”
Ceele’s mouth opened and closed, each unsuccessful attempt to speak making her feel smaller and smaller. More and more lost. Why was he telling her this? How did he know? What was in the—
He kicked the crate with the side of his foot. “Scraps. Don’t’cha look at me like that. I’m a smith, girly. I might be old and retired, but I still work a forge. Now, this ain’t anything pure—it’s just slag and hunks—but I’m sure the critter won’t mind. Your little gardenin’ project pays off, ‘n I’ll see which of my contacts can get in some better ore.”
She ripped her eyes away from the box and met the perpetual scowl of the old kobold, seeing a warmth behind the hostility that she had never noticed before. “…Why?”
He scoffed in amusement, which looked somewhat menacing on such a hardened expression. “Yer a touch stupid, girly, but the missus adores ya, ‘n yer a good worker.” A shadow of a smile formed on his face. “Hira spent more evenings asking ‘bout how the plots are doin’ than I got time in the day. She’d bite my head off if I noticed a critter like that sufferin’ and didn’t lend a hand. ‘Specially when it’s obvious you ain’t tryin’ ta hurt the thing.”
“B-but the garden… Isn’t he a problem?”
Makis rolled his eyes, turning with a dismissive wave of his hand. “If he was, he’da killed it by now. I’d say he’s been keepin’ the others clear ‘n got scratched up for the trouble. That’s more reason to feed ‘em right in my eyes; pay the poor bastard his dues.” He paused after a few steps, shooting her one last incredulous glance. “‘N the rabbit’s right. You’re not much better off than he is. Eat. Before the missus takes my head, preferably. I ain’t need ta hear her worryin’ over you more than I already do.”
And with that, he walked off back to the house, leaving Ceele to sit stunned on the ground with Hoppit quietly nuzzling into her.
“Hoppit…?”
The ferrorabbit perked an ear and gently licked her collar. Fresh tears ran rivulets down her face, yet they didn’t weigh her down. They felt freeing. She adjusted her hold on the rabbit and held him out, taking in the small cuts and numerous other injuries she had never noticed before. He stared back at her with worried eyes.
“You’ve been busy, huh?” she cooed quietly, doing her best to keep her voice from cracking. He shrunk in her hands. “I told you to stay home, baby. What if something happened to you? I wouldn’t know where you went, and…”
Her protests died out as she saw what was unmistakably guilt on his little face. She brought him back to her chest and cleared her throat.
“It’s alright, Hoppit. If… If you want to help momma, then we can work together, okay? Just…please don’t go off getting hurt… I don’t know what I’d do without you…” The rabbit didn’t reply, and she was pretty sure she had never heard him make any sounds that weren’t his happy little ear clacks, but she chose to interpret the nuzzling as an agreement. “Such a smart boy…”
She took a breath and wiped off the excess moisture from her cheeks, setting Hoppit down on the ground. “Let’s bring Mr. Makis’ gift in, and then I need to go get more water so we can clean you up, okay?”
He bounced his way to the door of their home, waiting patiently for her to lug the surprisingly heavy crate into the shed. He was even still behaving himself by the time she returned from picking up the things she dropped in her haste. There wasn’t a single protest from the ferrorabbit as she washed over his wounds with warm water, nor when she asked him to wait as she cut up a small salad for him using an extra portion of her rationed vegetables. Finally, once everything else was gone, she tentatively sifted through the box until she found a chunk of something that didn’t look so sharp, then offered it to Hoppit skeptically.
As startling as it was to see him bite through metal without issue, she couldn’t help but tear up again at how pleased he looked with the bizarre addition to his diet. He munched through the first piece, then stared at the box while pawing at the air, asking for more. She obliged through wet laughs, feeling lighter than she had since he first gazed at her from his burrow, alone and afraid, just like she was.
Her little baby was happy, and that made it okay.
Next
—
A/N: Thank you to my Patrons, new and returning! No Thanks, Emmanuel, and Megathor join the others who get to read 1 chap ahead!

My study is piled high with books. There are hundreds of books on shelves, stacked on the floor and flanking a laptop on the desk. Subjects covered include marketing, psychology, music, business, design, coding, writing and drawing. I love books. However, it has not always been the case. At school, English was my worst subject and I avoided books, like the plague. In an end of term report, one teacher noted, Phil is not a natural, but finds ways to entertain himself.

Enjoying books

One of the greatest gifts adults can give to their offspring and society is to read to children. - Carl Sagan

The following approach to books helped transform me from a reluctant to an enthusiastic reader:

1. Read topics that excite me. By age fifteen, the only book I had read out of choice was Godel, Escher and Bach. I was excited to read about the fascinating connections between maths, art and music. Not that I knew it at the time, but this sparked my interest in books.
2. Drop books that are not holding my attention. I used to feel that if I started a book then I had to finish it. I now have what Nassim Taleb refers to as an Anti-library - unread books that represent an excellent reference source.
3. Have a low threshold for buying books. Books often cost less than £10 (the same as a few cups coffee). For the enjoyment a book can bring, they are incredibly good value. So many of my life changing decisions have come down to reading a book, e.g. this blog came into being after reading Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.
4. Read books in parallel. I often have five to ten books on the go, on different topics. I read physical books for about 30 minutes per day.
5. Listen to audio books. When on my daily walk, I often listen to audio books. I often buy the audio version of physical books I own.
6. Create a conducive environment for reading. I often read in my living room. On the coffee table are about ten books. This makes it easy to read when I sit down. I also have the Books app on the front screen on my iPhone.
7. Read on an iPad. The size and weight of my iPad makes it a great device to read in coffee shops and elsewhere.
8. Self image upgrade. I realised that many people I admired read books. I wanted to be more like them so I became a reader.

Other resources

4 Life Changing Books talk by Ali Abdaal
How 3 Books Rewired my Brain post by Phil Martin
My 5 Step Learning Process post by Phil Martin
Becoming a book reader in my 30s expanded my mind and transformed my prospects.
Happy reading.
Phil…

Hi, I am going to start my pool hall business. May I ask where’s the cheapest but durable furnitures (bar table, bar stool, service counter) I can get from?
Also any suggestions on what type of A/C should I get for a 160 sqm room. Planning to get a floor mounted a/c 3 x 3TR. Any A/C brand recommendations, is the kollin brand okay?

It had been less than twelve hours since the Emperor, her father, had brought her aboard his starship. Her world looked small below her, almost like she could reach out and grab it from the vacuum. She could if she wanted to, she knew, though not in the physical sense, but then again she didn't need to prove her psychic might to herself.
In those few hours she had met two of her sisters: Juno, a refined woman in blue and gold livery, as well as Ferra, who though gruff and kurt had been welcoming to her. They had both come down to greet her before returning. There was a great deal of work to be done before departing from her home system, but they had insisted on introducing their new sister to the glories of the Imperium from a place with a bit more perspective. After a time Ferra had left them for the forges, leaving just herself and Juno staring out the window at her world.
"Is it just the three of us on this ship," she'd asked, enthralled by the scale and grandeur of the ship. To think that humanity had made such beauty was still hard to accept, let alone that, if they were to be believed, Juno had said it was one of thousands of such ships. "The three of us sisters, I mean."
Juno looked down and smiled wryly. "No, sister. There is another of our siblings aboard, though she didn't want to come down to meet you. She's probably in her quarters, down where you'll be staying, if you'd like to introduce yourself. I warn you, though: she's not as, shall we say, 'dignified' as we are."
Strange, she'd thought. Why wouldn't she come to see me. Not a very welcoming type, I guess.
She'd made her way down the passages towards the living quarters, passing crew and serfs who bowed to her as she passed. Their looks of awe were nothing new to her, such was the effect she had on others. It was something she accepted as the way of things, even her sisters had been reverent and respectful when they'd met her in the city plaza earlier that day.
Her wanderings eventually had led her to the door she'd simply known had to be the one. Unlike the other doors it held bare metal aside from placed where the old decoration had been torn off. On it a single symbol had been scratched into the metal with a sharp object. A tad dramatic, she'd thought, and awfully uncouth for a daughter of the Emperor. She'd put her thoughts aside, mustered herself to be presentable, and pushed open the door.
Magnolia entered a large room that looked to have been ransacked, and beheld a savage sitting in a plush chair at its center. A fire was roaring in the hearth behind the chair, obscuring the details of the woman who sat within it. Two large beasts, what one could mistakenly call wolves, looked up from whete they lounged at the savage's feet. Their throaty growls could be felt even in Magnolia's enhanced physiology. Fascinating, she thought, studying the eyes of the beasts; faintly, she could feel intelligence staring back at her.
"Skoll! Hati! Be still, that's no way to greet your new sister," the savage said, a grin tugging at the edge of her lips. Teeth reflected in the lumens above in that grin, teeth long and sharp. The two beasts quieted and returned their heads to the carpeted floor, though their eyes never left the stranger who had entered their packmate's room. "You're the new one, yeah? He must've found you on this little excursion to whatever backwater system we're in. So, what do they call you?"
"Magnolia, they call me the Crimson Queen where I am from," she replied regally, studying the face of the warrior across from her as she did. Her dirty blonde hair was long, unkempt and braided in places, the bulk of it held away from her face with a strip of leather cord. Her eyes were the blue of glacial ice with black paint swathed across them so they stood out even more than normal. An old scar ran down her left forehead vertically down her cheek. She was dressed in the skins of animals Magnolia could not identify, muscled arms and shoulders silhouetted beneath them. Much like the beasts at her feet, Magnolia was surprised to find intelligence behind those azure orbs; in fact she was almost taken aback at the intensity of that intelligence. There was a calculating mind behind those eyes, one that many would not see fully.
"Magnolia? Pretty name, that," the savage said, grabbing an oversized drinking horn on the table beside her and draining the contents in a handful of drafts. Her lack of decorum or any standards of acknowledgement stung Magnolia's pride that tasted bitter in her mouth. "So, Magnolia, what is it that you do?"
"What do I do?" What kind of question is that coming from such a creature, she thought. Can this thing even be called 'my sister'?
"You know, what do you do," the savage said, swinging her arms out to each side. "From those of our sisters I've met we all do something, usually something different. Well, some I've met are a bit more alike each other but don't go saying that around Petra." The woman threw her head back and let out rolling, boisterous laughter that shook the air. It was hard for Magnolia not to smile at the sound, even with the bitterness of the woman's reproach still acrid on her tongue.
"Well, I am much like our father in what I can do in the metaphysical sense," Magnolia said, standing straighter with pride.
The laughter abruptly ended. A dark look came over the woman's face, the lips that once held a smile now turned up in a snarl. "What do you mean by that? Our father is the greatest man to ever exist and you claim to be his equal the second you meet him?" The beasts at her feet began to growl again, their hackles raised.
"I meant no disrespect to the Emperor of Mankind, sister," Magnolia said, shocked by the sudden aggression. The savage's mood had changed in a heartbeat, the very air in the room seemed to hum with the anticipation of further escalation. "You see I am gifted in the ways of arcana, much like our father is. I am by no means his equal, though I hope to learn to be like him."
"And how do you practice such arcana, hmm?" the woman snarled, raising herself up from her seat. Now standing she was large; not at large as Magnolia but far and above the stature of the Astartes warriors she'd seen when the Emperor had visited her on her homeworld of Prospero. She now saw twin hand axes of dark iron were strapped to each hip, the handles wrapped in worn leather with wood underneath, both of which were stained with the blood of battles long since past. The woman's right hand rested upon the haft of its corresponding axe, not yet an outright challenge but certainly a threatening gesture. "I know how malifecarum works, witch, and I've dealt with those who wield it without discipline. So, how do you do your little spells, Magnolia?"
"I-I use a number of techniques, all of which I've mastered and wield with the utmost ability... and safety, of course," Magnolia said quickly. I can kill her now if she attacks, but I don't think that would be wise. Best to find capitulation with this brute. "I am very much of the mind that wielding such forces for the good of our Crusade our father has so graciously allowed me to join."
The woman stayed standing, staring into Magnolia's eyes with burning intensity. Her body was taut, a musclebound spring coiled up ready to leap forward on a second's notice. Her blue eyes never wavered, the snarl bearing her fangs for Magnolia to see in all their obscene glory.
Then she... started to chuckle. Then she started to laugh. She laughed and laughed, doubling over before throwing her head back again so that those on the decks above could also hear her. Magnolia, stunned into silence, watched on in stupefied bewilderment. What in the Hells is she?
"You should have seen your face," the woman cried, holding her side. She mimed a frightened face, bringing about even more uproarious laughter. She sat back heavily into her seat and immediately reached for another horn of alcohol from the table beside her. Her smile had returned, but it didn't reach her icy stare. Those eyes never lost their intensity. "I think I can come to like you, in time. I hope you'll be a good sport and keep coming back around while you can. I'm sure our father will send such a powerful creature such as yourself out into the universe soon. Until then ask Juno to teach you regicide, I need someone new to play against." She leaned back, teeth glinting in the light.
"Well, thank you for seeing me today, sister. I look forward to speaking again," Magnolia said, bowing her head and turning to leave.
"Farewell, Magnolia the Red," the woman called from her seat, her beasts returning to their places.
"I never learned your name, sister," Magnolia said, turning back in the doorway to address the woman. "I wish to know what to call you when we next meet... hopefully under more pleasant and amicable circumstances."
The grin on the woman's face widened, a throaty chuckle escaping from between her clenched teeth and pointed fangs. Those eyes never left Magnolia's, almost burning bright beneath her shaggy hair and eyeblack.
"My name is Lyana of the Russ, the Wolf Queen of Fenris, Lord of Winter and Wrath, slayer of krakens and the Tamer of Morkai. But for you, Magnolia? Just Lyana will suffice."
(I've seen all the lore being posted and figured I'd throw my hat in the ring. I have ideas for how to further their story so if y'all like it let me know. C&C is always welcome. Also some italicizing is lost in this format but shouldn't hinder the reading.) Edit: spelling/grammar

Hi guys,
I’m an industrial real estate developer who is trying to break into developing large workshops to lease. My initial design will feature 3 floors with ramp access to upper levels. Every floor will have about 12m in ceiling height, about 2.5tn/sm floor loading capacity, and a cargo loading platform. The factory floor spans about 200m and about 60m wide.
I’m wondering how standardized is this design? And will It be able to deploy most standardized and advanced manufacturing activities?. If not, I’d greatly be appreciated if you could share some pointers.
Thanks!

Basics

• Feel free to leave a comment here, DM me on reddit or add me to talk on Steam, but a comment in this thread is still needed for a trade!
  
• I am open to any kind of offer, just make a reasonable one
  
• I take any Game/DLC I don’t have already (STEAM ONLY) You can compare here or here
  
• Also taking any Steam Items (Cards, CS2, TF2, etc.) & PayPal offers
  
• Trading my whole Steam Inventory, 15.000+ items if there is something you are interested in
  
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Important Links

• My Steam Wishlist ~ 300+ Games Wishlisted
  
• My Steam Games ~ 3000+ Owned Games
  
• My IGSRep Page ~ 60+ Trades Made
  
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Humble Bundle Gifts
Steam

• 198X (Unused HG)
• 911 Operator
• Action Henk
• Anomaly Defenders
• Arizona Sunshine VR
• Armello
• Battletech – Shadow Hawk Pack (maybe used)
• Beholder
• Between the Stars
• BioShock™ Remastered (RL in some countries)
• Blaston
• Book of Demons
• Borderlands 2: GOTY
• Breathedge
• Broken Age
• Calico
• Crusader Kings II (RL in some Countries)
• Crusader Kings II The Old Gods DLC
• Deep Dungeons of Doom
• Draw Slasher
• Dungeon Rushers
• Elex II
• Embr
• Endless Space® - Collection
• From Space
• Full Throttle Remastered
• Galactic Civilizations Ultimate Edition
• GameGuru
• Going Under
• Golden Light
• Grime
• Guns of Icarus Alliance Collector's Edition
• Guts and Glory
• Hack 'n' Slash
• HackyZack
• HIVESWAP: Act 1
• How to Survive 1 (Unused HG)
• Hyperdrive Massacre
• I'm not a Monster
• Kerbal Space Program
• Killing Floor Incursion
• Kingdom Classic
• Kingdom Two Crowns
• Lust from Beyond - M Edition
• Monaco
• No Time to Explain Remastered
• Orbital Racer
• Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition
• PAYDAY 2
• Pesterquest
• PGA Tour 2K21
• Pixplode
• Popup Dungeon
• Quake II
• Regular Human Basketball
• Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Episode 1: Penal Colony (RL in some countries)
• Rym 9000
• SIMULACRA
• Sonic Adventure 2
• Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
• Soulblight
• Space Crew: Legendary Edition
• Space Pilgrim Episode 1: Alpha Centauri
• Stick Fight
• Stories Untold
• Stride
• Stronghold Crusader 2:
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
• Styx: Master of Shadows
• Superliminal
• System Shock 2
• System Shock Enhanced Edition
• Talisman: Digital Edition
• The Amazing American Circus
• The Inner World
• The Walking Dead
• The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
• The Witness
• Ticket to Ride
• Tooth and Tail
• Tower 57
• Tropico 4
• Victoria 3
• Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide
• WARSAW
• We Were Here Together
• West of Dead
• Westerado: Double Barreled
• Worms Rumble
• WWE 2K Battlegrounds
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (Unused HG)
• Zero Caliber VR
• Zombie Driver HD *Prodeus

GOG

• Liberated
• Wanderlust: Travel Stories
• Disjunction

Origin

• Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
• Dead Space
• Mirror's Edge
• Populous

Rockstar Social Club

• Max Payne 3

Other

• GameMaker Studio 2 Creator 12 Months
• Intro to Game Development with Unity
• Microsoft 365 Single 1 Year Licence Code (Eurozone)
• Musik Maker EDM Edition (Magix Key)
• Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook and Starfinder Core Rulebook
• Race The Sun (Flippfly Key)
• Rooster Teeth FIRST Subscription - 1 Month Free (Rooster Teeth Key)
• Starfinder Core Rulebook and Starfinder: Junker's Delight
• Starfinder: Pact Worlds Campaign Setting (Paizo Key)

Fanatical Steam Keys

• 16bit Trader
• Alien Rampage
• A-Tech Cybernetic VR
• Castle of no Escape 2
• Daemonsgate
• DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition
• Drill Arena
• Er-Spectro
• Eternam
• Fairy Lands: Rinka and the Fairy Gems
• Galactic Lords
• Grey Goo Definitive Edition
• Hostage: Rescue Mission
• King Arthur's Gold
• King's Table - The Legend of Ragnarok
• Marco Polo
• OutDrive
• Overcast - Walden and the Werewolf
• Particula
• Prophecy I - The Viking Child
• Red Risk
• ShipLord
• SPACECOM
• Spiritual Warfare & Wisdom Tree Collection
• Story Of the Survivor
• Timberman
• Trip to Vinelands
• Tropico 5
• TTV2
• UBERMOSH
• UBERMOSH Vol.3
• UBERMOSH Vol.5
• UBERMOSH:BLACK
• UBERMOSH:WRAITH
• W4RR-i/o-RS
• Walhall
• Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide

Retail & Revealed Keys
Battle.net

• Overwatch Digital Extras [Collectors Edition Retail Key: World of Warcraft Winston, Hearthstone Cardback, Starcraft 2 Portraits, Heroes of the Storm Tracer, Diablo 3 Mercy Wings (+ XBOX One Mercy Wings)]
• Overwatch Widowmaker Noire Skin (XBOX ONE Code)

Steam

• 12 is Better Than 6
• A grande bagunça espacial - The big space mess
• Aegis Defenders
• AI War: Fleet Command
• Anomaly Korea
• Anomaly: Warzone Earth
• Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
• Attrition: Nuclear Domination
• Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan
• BARRIER X
• Bear With Me Collectors Edition
• Bioshock 2
• Blood of the Old(OLD VERSION) + Blood of the Old - The Rise To Greatness
• Bomber Crew
• Boys Love (Locked on Steam)
• Chroma Squad
• Clickdraw Clicker
• Dark Deity
• Darkness and a Crowd
• Deadbreed
• Death Squared
• Desolate
• Drift Streets Japan
• East India Company Gold
• Endless Space Collection
• Food Hunter
• Freebie
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• Heaven Island - VR MMO
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• iO
• JDM Tuner Racing
• Journey Down: Chapter Two
• Kingdom: Classic
• Krog Wars:
• LARA CROFT AND THE TEMPLE OF OSIRIS™
• Layers of Fear
• Little Nightmares
• Little Nightmares - DLC Fox Mask
• Little Racers STREET
• Lost Moon
• Lost Moon:
• Mad Games Tycoon
• Mafia III: Sign of the Times
• Magma Tsunami
• Manual Samuel
• Medieval Wars
• Megabyte Punch
• Mighty Party
• Mini Attack Submarine
• Monsti
• Multiple Key for: Brilliant Bob / Why So Evil / Why So Evil 2: Dystopia
• No Turning Back
• Nomad Survival
• One Finger Death Punch
• Paradox Wrench
• Paranormal Psychosis
• PHAT STACKS
• Q.U.B.E.
• Rapture Rejects - Humble Exclusive "Safari Outfit" DLC
• Rise of Industry
• ROGALIK
• Satellite Reign
• Serial Cleaner
• Sins of a Solar Empire Trinity Edition
• Skullgirls
• Snake Pass
• Space Beret
• Space Hulk Ascension
• Space Overlords
• Starship: Nova Strike
• State of Mind Soundtrack
• Stealth Bastard Deluxe
• Switchblade
• Tharsis
• The Deer
• The Next Door
• The Slaughtering Grounds
• The Strangers
• The Walking Dead: Season 1
• Tomb Raider: Temple of Osiris & Guardian of Light Bundle
• Turn Around
• Ultimate Zombie Defense
• Unforgiving Trials: The Darkest Crusade
• Unforgiving Trials: The Space Crusade
• Unknown Battle
• VAULT OF HONOR
• Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa's Rampage
• Warp Rider
• Winged Knights: Penetration
• Witherung Kingdom: Arcane War
• Woodle Tree Adventure
• Yellow: The Yellow Artifact
• Zero Gear

Uplay

• Rayman® Origins
• Watch_Dogs™
• Watch_Dogs™ DEDSEC Edition Content

GoG

• Little Nightmares - DLC Tengu Mask
• Little Nightmares - DLC Fox Mask

Playstation 4

• Tekken 7 - PS4 DLC Theme"
• Project CARS 2 - Dynamic Theme PS4"
• Dark Souls III Transitory Lands PS4 Theme
• Dark Souls III The Ringed City PS4 Theme
• Sword Art Online : Hollow Realization: DLC Maid Costume (Also PS Vita)
• DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 - Masters Pack
• DIGI’ADVENTURE PACK - PS4
• One Piece Burning Blood - Golden Luffy DLC (Also PS Vita)
• Tales of Zestiria - Mystische Artes und PlayStation-Designs (Also PS3)
• Little Nightmares - DLC Tengu Mask
• Little Nightmares - DLC Fox Mask

Xbox One

• DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 - Masters Pack
• One Piece Burning Blood - Golden Luffy DLC
• Little Nightmares - DLC Tengu Mask
• Little Nightmares - DLC Fox Mask

Nintendo Switch

• Enclave HD

Microsoft

• XBOX Game Pass 14 Days
• XBOX Game Pass 3 Months

Coupons & Other Stuff

• 25% Off Coupon for PurePings.com Servers
• Absolute LoJack for Laptops 90 Day Trial Key Giveaway
• Astro Lords: Oort Cloud Exclusive Alienware Pack
• BigHead BASH Alien Head Key Giveaway
• Broforce 25% Steam Discount Key Giveaway
• Civilization V 50% Steam Discount Key Giveaway
• Divine Souls Closed Beta Key Giveaway
• Drunken Robot Pornography 60% Steam Discount Key Giveaway
• Dungeon Defenders Eternity Alienware Helmet Key Giveaway
• Heroes Of Newerth 200 Silver Coin Key Giveaway
• Heroes Of Newerth Account Icon Key Giveaway
• Loadout Exclusive In-Game Alienware T-Shirt Key Giveaway
• Neverwinter's Tyranny of Dragons Prize Pack Key Giveaway
• Shadow Warrior 75% Steam Discount Key Giveaway
• ShootMania Storm Exclusive Alienware Skin Giveaway
• War Inc. Arsenal Bundle Giveaway
• Warface Starter Pack Key Giveaway

Important Links
My Steam Wishlist
My Steam Games
My IGSRep Page
My SGS Flair
My GameTradeRep

Basics

• Feel free to leave a comment here, DM me on reddit or add me to talk on Steam, but a comment in this thread is still needed for a trade!
  
• I am open to any kind of offer, just make a reasonable one
  
• I take any Game/DLC I don’t have already (STEAM ONLY) You can compare here or here
  
• Also taking any Steam Items (Cards, CS2, TF2, etc.) & PayPal offers
  
• Trading my whole Steam Inventory, 15.000+ items if there is something you are interested in
  
• I will go first on keys that are already revealed to ensure the key is still working for you, all other keys are unrevealed & safe keys.
  

Important Links

• My Steam Wishlist ~ 300+ Games Wishlisted
  
• My Steam Games ~ 3000+ Owned Games
  
• My IGSRep Page ~ 60+ Trades Made
  
• My SGS Flair~ 60+ Trades Made
  
• My GameTradeRep ~ 20+ Trades Made
  

Humble Bundle Gifts
Steam

• 198X (Unused HG)
• 911 Operator
• Action Henk
• Anomaly Defenders
• Arizona Sunshine VR
• Armello
• Battletech – Shadow Hawk Pack (maybe used)
• Beholder
• Between the Stars
• BioShock™ Remastered (RL in some countries)
• Blaston
• Book of Demons
• Borderlands 2: GOTY
• Breathedge
• Broken Age
• Calico
• Crusader Kings II (RL in some Countries)
• Crusader Kings II The Old Gods DLC
• Deep Dungeons of Doom
• Draw Slasher
• Dungeon Rushers
• Elex II
• Embr
• Endless Space® - Collection
• From Space
• Full Throttle Remastered
• Galactic Civilizations Ultimate Edition
• GameGuru
• Going Under
• Golden Light
• Grime
• Guns of Icarus Alliance Collector's Edition
• Guts and Glory
• Hack 'n' Slash
• HackyZack
• HIVESWAP: Act 1
• How to Survive 1 (Unused HG)
• Hyperdrive Massacre
• I'm not a Monster
• Kerbal Space Program
• Killing Floor Incursion
• Kingdom Classic
• Kingdom Two Crowns
• Lust from Beyond - M Edition
• Monaco
• No Time to Explain Remastered
• Orbital Racer
• Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition
• PAYDAY 2
• Pesterquest
• PGA Tour 2K21
• Pixplode
• Popup Dungeon
• Quake II
• Regular Human Basketball
• Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Episode 1: Penal Colony (RL in some countries)
• Rym 9000
• SIMULACRA
• Sonic Adventure 2
• Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
• Soulblight
• Space Crew: Legendary Edition
• Space Pilgrim Episode 1: Alpha Centauri
• Stick Fight
• Stories Untold
• Stride
• Stronghold Crusader 2:
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
• Styx: Master of Shadows
• Superliminal
• System Shock 2
• System Shock Enhanced Edition
• Talisman: Digital Edition
• The Amazing American Circus
• The Inner World
• The Walking Dead
• The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
• The Witness
• Ticket to Ride
• Tooth and Tail
• Tower 57
• Tropico 4
• Victoria 3
• Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide
• WARSAW
• We Were Here Together
• West of Dead
• Westerado: Double Barreled
• Worms Rumble
• WWE 2K Battlegrounds
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (Unused HG)
• Zero Caliber VR
• Zombie Driver HD *Prodeus

GOG

• Liberated
• Wanderlust: Travel Stories
• Disjunction

Origin

• Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
• Dead Space
• Mirror's Edge
• Populous

Rockstar Social Club

• Max Payne 3

Other

• GameMaker Studio 2 Creator 12 Months
• Intro to Game Development with Unity
• Microsoft 365 Single 1 Year Licence Code (Eurozone)
• Musik Maker EDM Edition (Magix Key)
• Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook and Starfinder Core Rulebook
• Race The Sun (Flippfly Key)
• Rooster Teeth FIRST Subscription - 1 Month Free (Rooster Teeth Key)
• Starfinder Core Rulebook and Starfinder: Junker's Delight
• Starfinder: Pact Worlds Campaign Setting (Paizo Key)

Fanatical Steam Keys

• 16bit Trader
• Alien Rampage
• A-Tech Cybernetic VR
• Castle of no Escape 2
• Daemonsgate
• DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition
• Drill Arena
• Er-Spectro
• Eternam
• Fairy Lands: Rinka and the Fairy Gems
• Galactic Lords
• Grey Goo Definitive Edition
• Hostage: Rescue Mission
• King Arthur's Gold
• King's Table - The Legend of Ragnarok
• Marco Polo
• OutDrive
• Overcast - Walden and the Werewolf
• Particula
• Prophecy I - The Viking Child
• Red Risk
• ShipLord
• SPACECOM
• Spiritual Warfare & Wisdom Tree Collection
• Story Of the Survivor
• Timberman
• Trip to Vinelands
• Tropico 5
• TTV2
• UBERMOSH
• UBERMOSH Vol.3
• UBERMOSH Vol.5
• UBERMOSH:BLACK
• UBERMOSH:WRAITH
• W4RR-i/o-RS
• Walhall
• Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide

Retail & Revealed Keys
Battle.net

• Overwatch Digital Extras [Collectors Edition Retail Key: World of Warcraft Winston, Hearthstone Cardback, Starcraft 2 Portraits, Heroes of the Storm Tracer, Diablo 3 Mercy Wings (+ XBOX One Mercy Wings)]
• Overwatch Widowmaker Noire Skin (XBOX ONE Code)

Steam

• 12 is Better Than 6
• A grande bagunça espacial - The big space mess
• Aegis Defenders
• AI War: Fleet Command
• Anomaly Korea
• Anomaly: Warzone Earth
• Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
• Attrition: Nuclear Domination
• Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan
• BARRIER X
• Bear With Me Collectors Edition
• Bioshock 2
• Blood of the Old(OLD VERSION) + Blood of the Old - The Rise To Greatness
• Bomber Crew
• Boys Love (Locked on Steam)
• Chroma Squad
• Clickdraw Clicker
• Dark Deity
• Darkness and a Crowd
• Deadbreed
• Death Squared
• Desolate
• Drift Streets Japan
• East India Company Gold
• Endless Space Collection
• Food Hunter
• Freebie
• Galactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition
• Galactic Lords
• Glass Wing
• Dirt Rally
• GROOVY
• GT Legends
• Guns of Icarus Alliance
• Guns of Icarus Online
• Heaven Island - VR MMO
• Heaven Island Life
• iO
• JDM Tuner Racing
• Journey Down: Chapter Two
• Kingdom: Classic
• Krog Wars:
• LARA CROFT AND THE TEMPLE OF OSIRIS™
• Layers of Fear
• Little Nightmares
• Little Nightmares - DLC Fox Mask
• Little Racers STREET
• Lost Moon
• Lost Moon:
• Mad Games Tycoon
• Mafia III: Sign of the Times
• Magma Tsunami
• Manual Samuel
• Medieval Wars
• Megabyte Punch
• Mighty Party
• Mini Attack Submarine
• Monsti
• Multiple Key for: Brilliant Bob / Why So Evil / Why So Evil 2: Dystopia
• No Turning Back
• Nomad Survival
• One Finger Death Punch
• Paradox Wrench
• Paranormal Psychosis
• PHAT STACKS
• Q.U.B.E.
• Rapture Rejects - Humble Exclusive "Safari Outfit" DLC
• Rise of Industry
• ROGALIK
• Satellite Reign
• Serial Cleaner
• Sins of a Solar Empire Trinity Edition
• Skullgirls
• Snake Pass
• Space Beret
• Space Hulk Ascension
• Space Overlords
• Starship: Nova Strike
• State of Mind Soundtrack
• Stealth Bastard Deluxe
• Switchblade
• Tharsis
• The Deer
• The Next Door
• The Slaughtering Grounds
• The Strangers
• The Walking Dead: Season 1
• Tomb Raider: Temple of Osiris & Guardian of Light Bundle
• Turn Around
• Ultimate Zombie Defense
• Unforgiving Trials: The Darkest Crusade
• Unforgiving Trials: The Space Crusade
• Unknown Battle
• VAULT OF HONOR
• Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa's Rampage
• Warp Rider
• Winged Knights: Penetration
• Witherung Kingdom: Arcane War
• Woodle Tree Adventure
• Yellow: The Yellow Artifact
• Zero Gear

Uplay

• Rayman® Origins
• Watch_Dogs™
• Watch_Dogs™ DEDSEC Edition Content

GoG

• Little Nightmares - DLC Tengu Mask
• Little Nightmares - DLC Fox Mask

Playstation 4

• Tekken 7 - PS4 DLC Theme"
• Project CARS 2 - Dynamic Theme PS4"
• Dark Souls III Transitory Lands PS4 Theme
• Dark Souls III The Ringed City PS4 Theme
• Sword Art Online : Hollow Realization: DLC Maid Costume (Also PS Vita)
• DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 - Masters Pack
• DIGI’ADVENTURE PACK - PS4
• One Piece Burning Blood - Golden Luffy DLC (Also PS Vita)
• Tales of Zestiria - Mystische Artes und PlayStation-Designs (Also PS3)
• Little Nightmares - DLC Tengu Mask
• Little Nightmares - DLC Fox Mask

Xbox One

• DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 - Masters Pack
• One Piece Burning Blood - Golden Luffy DLC
• Little Nightmares - DLC Tengu Mask
• Little Nightmares - DLC Fox Mask

Nintendo Switch

• Enclave HD

Microsoft

• XBOX Game Pass 14 Days
• XBOX Game Pass 3 Months

Coupons & Other Stuff

• 25% Off Coupon for PurePings.com Servers
• Absolute LoJack for Laptops 90 Day Trial Key Giveaway
• Astro Lords: Oort Cloud Exclusive Alienware Pack
• BigHead BASH Alien Head Key Giveaway
• Broforce 25% Steam Discount Key Giveaway
• Civilization V 50% Steam Discount Key Giveaway
• Divine Souls Closed Beta Key Giveaway
• Drunken Robot Pornography 60% Steam Discount Key Giveaway
• Dungeon Defenders Eternity Alienware Helmet Key Giveaway
• Heroes Of Newerth 200 Silver Coin Key Giveaway
• Heroes Of Newerth Account Icon Key Giveaway
• Loadout Exclusive In-Game Alienware T-Shirt Key Giveaway
• Neverwinter's Tyranny of Dragons Prize Pack Key Giveaway
• Shadow Warrior 75% Steam Discount Key Giveaway
• ShootMania Storm Exclusive Alienware Skin Giveaway
• War Inc. Arsenal Bundle Giveaway
• Warface Starter Pack Key Giveaway

Important Links
My Steam Wishlist
My Steam Games
My IGSRep Page
My SGS Flair
My GameTradeRep

Basics

• Feel free to leave a comment here, DM me on reddit or add me to talk on Steam, but a comment in this thread is still needed for a trade!
  
• I am open to any kind of offer, just make a reasonable one
  
• I take any Game/DLC I don’t have already (STEAM ONLY) You can compare here or here
  
• Also taking any Steam Items (Cards, CS2, TF2, etc.) & PayPal offers
  
• Trading my whole Steam Inventory, 15.000+ items if there is something you are interested in
  
• I will go first on keys that are already revealed to ensure the key is still working for you, all other keys are unrevealed & safe keys.
  

Important Links

• My Steam Wishlist ~ 300+ Games Wishlisted
  
• My Steam Games ~ 3000+ Owned Games
  
• My IGSRep Page ~ 60+ Trades Made
  
• My SGS Flair~ 60+ Trades Made
  
• My GameTradeRep ~ 20+ Trades Made
  

Humble Bundle Gifts
Steam

• 198X (Unused HG)
• 911 Operator
• Action Henk
• Anomaly Defenders
• Arizona Sunshine VR
• Armello
• Battletech – Shadow Hawk Pack (maybe used)
• Beholder
• Between the Stars
• BioShock™ Remastered (RL in some countries)
• Blaston
• Book of Demons
• Borderlands 2: GOTY
• Breathedge
• Broken Age
• Calico
• Crusader Kings II (RL in some Countries)
• Crusader Kings II The Old Gods DLC
• Deep Dungeons of Doom
• Draw Slasher
• Dungeon Rushers
• Elex II
• Embr
• Endless Space® - Collection
• From Space
• Full Throttle Remastered
• Galactic Civilizations Ultimate Edition
• GameGuru
• Going Under
• Golden Light
• Grime
• Guns of Icarus Alliance Collector's Edition
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Okay so long story but, i got a mystery snail abt 4 months ago now and i started with a 1 gal tank that i hadnt intended on putting animals in originally, it was pretty heavily planted because i was going for a filterless tank, purely a decorational peice but then i decided to order him (my snail) off ebay. i know terrible idea for a first tank. im learning as i go. i started feeling super bad abt the tank being so small so i got a 3.5 gal. moved the snail to it after it settled and whatnot, ph was good temp is good. snail has been in there for the past 2 months. just yesterday though, after cleaning the tank the night previous (nothing major, i vacuumed old food/plant waste and scrubbed the filter. again ph good, temp good), i come home from work though and the snail has exited the tank and fell right off the table into my bedroom floor. he's never tried to leave the tank so it doesn't have a lid, only floating plants. his shell is cracked and i think he's in pain but i dont know what to do. he just seems to be moving strange, like he can still climb the walls and move but it seems to be slower than usual. did he just get curious and jump out? i mean the temp isn't cold or anything, it has changed due to summer temperatures now, so there isn't a heater due to lack of necessity. idk i just really dont want him to die. current temp 68.3, ph is 8. sorry for the shitty image my phone doesnt focus on whst i want