A long time ago I owned a Star of David necklace, with the Star made out of some beautiful old dark wood. I have long since lost it, but recent events have made me want to replace it.
While I have found lots made of gold, silver or other tacky looking jewelry, I can't seem to find a place to buy just a basic wooden one. This seems strange to me, but there it is, after many web searches.
So any of you know what I could buy one? I've gotten many links to Etsy, but in every case I get an 'Item Not Available' message.

This wipe i’ve made it my goal to collect all the boss gear. I thought it couldn’t be too hard for a solo player, just gotta play smart and kit up. As you can probably already tell, i was wrong.
(This is a long read, scroll to bottom for TLDR)
This weekend I decided i wanted to start my boss farming with the collector gear, get the hardest boss out of the way and then only slightly less suffering for night Island. What proceeded this decision was probably 50-60ish raids of peak highs and rock bottom lows.
The worst part about the Collector is how rare his spawns are, which i get, rare things wouldn’t be rare if they showed up all the time. But surviving about 12 raids in a row and not seeing him starts to grate on you.
He showed up less times (2) than the amount of purple cards out of random containers i pulled (3) looking for him.
The first time i saw him i was caught with my pants down, i had just come off of a raid where i lost a T5, full kit AK Alpha build I graciously traded from another player for the low price of one grenade.
Some how feeling frustrated about losing a kit that cost me nothing, i jumped into a Matka raid naked, just running around looting, i find another trusty grenade and was able to take out another kitted player at the steps of museum.
As i run over to grab his kit the Collector just materialises, i panic, no armor, and a Glock to my name, i hide behind a car and as the collector isn’t the smartest guy, he cant shoot me, but he does periodically edge closer to my side of the car so i just keep circling away from him.
Obviously this is when some street Fenix decide to see what all the commotion is about, now i have to try take them out while still circling this car, fortunately his goons were nowhere to be seen, i took out the Fenix, now it was just me, an almost empty glock and the collector.
I put the last few shots i had into the collectors head through the car windows. i might as well have been throwing paper balls at him. as i last ditch effort, i opened my mic and pleaded for help, at the same time the collector remembered my comments about him not being very smart and pulled off the cleanest juke around the car and one tapped me.
I was in pain, the one time he decides to show up, im on a naked frustration raid. I decided then and there i will have to go kitted every time, even if i lose a great kit. And that mentality led me to finally get the collector.
Cut to today, I had just lost a fully kitted Scar, T5 Armohelmet, stocked bag, the works, great fight but a shame not to have won it. Normally i would run a naked raid after losing a kit like this but I remembered last time, i went right back into my armoury and made up an almost identical kit and jumped right back in.
the raid started like any other, i made my way to the museum, i was able to take out a player on the way there, my spoils being a Makarov. I get to the museum and see a couple normal street fenix making there rounds, i take them both out and make my way into the museum, nothing out of the ordinary.
At this point i assume the collector isnt here as i haven’t really heard anything, so i don’t even check the stage i just run up the stairs in the corner closest to the stage room. As im going up the stairs i hear tons of footsteps like a stampede in my ears, im thinking "huh", i turn around and i see a collector goon!
I dont engage him, i already know im asking for trouble trying to fight him on the stairs, i run to the top of the stairs and down the hallway to a little indented area that has a tan box, i already know the AI gets a little stupid when you position yourself behind a box. My heart rate is climbing, "This is he moment you've been waiting for" is ringing around my head, i am fully kitted and the collector is here, his goons follow after me first, all in a nice straight line for me. My AP Scar makes short work of them.
Then i see my old friend, the collector.
I fumble with my mags and ready a grenade, i've been waiting to put a grenade right between his legs since the moment we first crossed paths, unfortunately for me the nade fell short, but it still did some work, i aim for his head and dumped a full mag of AP into his noggin.
The Collector dropped, i had finally defeated him, but i wasn't in the clear, my shots were silenced but the amount of shots i fired would have brought in the other players like Hyenas. before i could even look at fruits of my labour another play was already here.
A naked i blessed with full goon gear was coming to take what was mine, unfortunately for him, goon guns dont come filled with AP, we square up, i win the fight barely, with only a few ticks of life left, i reach into my bag and make use of my last stim, just enough to get me back to 2/3 health.
I hear the exfil alarm, there would be more players soon, i swap into the collector gear, grab all the mags, green key card and deagle. I also grab a couple goon pistols too for good measure. Now i just need to get out, i creep my way out of the museum, checking my corners. All clear, i had the corner exfil, please just let me cross this street.
Like any good citizen i looked both ways before crossing. I saw a player, my heart stopped. My instincts took over, i raised my new XM and mowed him down in just a few shots. I successfully cross the road, exfil and make a victory noise i dont believe i ever made before.
TLDR: After around 50-60 raids trying to collect the collector i finally defeated him.

Race Information

• Name: HamdenFest Half Marathon
• Date: June 8, 2024
• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Location: Hamden, CT
• Time: 1:46:36

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Finish	Yes
B	No Walking	Yes
C	Sub 2:00	Yes

Splits

Mile	Time
1	8:34
2	8:15
3	8:24
4	8:12
5	8:03
6	8:06
7	8:00
8	8:08
9	8:09
10	8:14
11	8:14
12	8:15
13	7:48

Training

I think I posted a race report with the same HM goals about a year ago. Well - since then I sustained a pretty severe stress tibial stress fracture (July probably but then I ran on it for a month because what is pain but a minor inconvenience?), spent 3 months on crutches (mid August-mid November), started PT (December), completed a return-to-run program (February), and then slowly ramped up mileage while battling complications with just about every other part of my left leg (which had decided to retire while I was on crutches).
Because of my schedule, I ran 5 easy miles before work on Thursdays and Saturdays, long run (got up to 11 miles) on Mondays, and another 5 miles on Tuesdays which started out as more easy miles but turned into some low key speed workouts towards the end. My peak week was 27+ miles and I didn't really taper - ran 8 last Monday, 5 on Tuesday, and a quick 5k shake out on Thursday. I also did 30-45m of mobility/PT every day, an hour of strength training daily, and rode the exercise bike on the days I didn't run.
Getting to the start line was really the A goal; I didn't have any illusions of grandeur (or PRs). My PT thought it was unlikely I could run sub 2:00 which I thought was a little out of touch given the paces I ran during my long runs, but I was also battling big mental challenges around trusting my left leg so I was trying to keep pace goals out of it.

Pre-race

Got up at 5, did some mobility, and then had breakfast (bagel/pb + coffee). Did a little rolling then headed out. I had some LMNT on the drive over. This was not a big event (like 150 starters in the HM) and only 20min from my house, so very low stress. The weather was absolutely beautiful with a light breeze and low humidity. I had plenty of time to check in, walk around, do some dynamic warmup, change shoes, etc. I had half a bag of Skratchers gummies about 30min before the start and a piece of MEG caffeine gum about 10-15min before the start. I carried a handheld water bottle and my own fuel even though there were aid stations.

Race

90% of this race was on a paved canal trail that I run all the time, so I was already familiar with most of the course (part of the reason I chose this race).
Mile 1-4 - I was relatively near the front to start (not that hard, not that many people), but the race started across some not manicured grass and rocks which is super fun in road shoes (adidas pro 3 - decidedly not off-roading shoes lol) and then went to a narrow paved trail that was about 2 people wide. We popped out onto the main canal trail after about .25mi(ish) and went right up a small steep hill and then it was just pretty flat. I had already decided to not look at my watch for the duration so I just settled in and cruised along. The turnaround was around 3.5 and I took a couple SaltStick chews around Mile 4.
Mile 5-8 - I had my first gel (Maurten 100) at Mile 5. Around 6 we crossed paths with the turnaround for the 5k that started 30min after us. There was a little congestion until we passed the point where they turned back into the park but not too bad. At Mile 8 I checked in with myself and felt really good - everything felt smooth and no pain.
Mile 9-10 - This was the toughest part for me because it took me down the canal trail further than I've ever run and I had no idea where the turnaround was (still hadn't looked at my watch and there weren't markers at every mile). We did eventually turn around at about 9.5 and I had another gel at 10 (Maurten 100 Caffeine).
Mile 11-12 - Starting to feel ready to be done; getting a little hot and feeling a little slow but nowhere near hitting a wall. I was running all alone and definitely lacking the motivation to push too much without company.
Mile 13 - I came down the last little decline and suddenly had someone running next to me. When she didn't fly by me I realized I could keep pace with her if I pushed just a little. It felt easy - smooth and sustainable for at least a little while. We ran side by side until we re-entered the park on the narrow trail, at which point I'd actually had enough and chose to maintain while she kept pushing faster. Once we got over the uneven grass and rocks and onto the flat grass, I had enough left to kick on to the end - and got my first look at my time.
I crossed the finish line and grabbed my medal, then glanced at my watch and saw that it was reading a little short (not surprising since it had buzzed late for every mile marker I passed) - so I weaved through some people and kept running down the access road until I was at 13.2 (overkill, but whatever).

Post-race

Walked back to my truck, had a banana and some water, checked the live results online and saw that I was 3rd in my age group so changed shoes and walked back to the start to pick up my award glass. Walked back to the truck, had a BCAA/electrolyte drink, did a little stretching, and then drove home where I had a nice epsom salt soak.
The plan is to take a down week (no running/exercise bike only, switch up the strength routine to something different for a few days), and then jump back in to get ready for a HM in mid-September. My goal is to add a 5th day of running, get more dialed in on workouts, and build to 35-40mpw (basically where I was at when I got hurt).
Made with a new race report generator created by herumph.

Folks, I don't know how to explain what happened to me this evening except that He was with me and made a miracle happen. My girlfriend and I were driving home around midnight from a gas station where we had purchased some (non alcoholic, for the sake of clarity) drinks.
As I made the final turn from the cross street on to my street, I saw what looked like an explosion, heard an extremely loud bang and the immediate burst of tinnitus that comes from a gunshot, and instantly felt a sharp pain just below my left ear. The street we were on is dark and while we both know in our hearts what happened, we didnt see who fired the shot. Best I can recall, there was nobody on the street except for someone way too far away for us to have heard the shot so clearly and felt it's impact so instantly.
Somehow I managed to continue driving and make it back to the confines of my apartment parking lot, while holding my ear- having now seen some blood on my hand that was pressed up against the earlobe. On inspection, we found a bullet sized hole in my driver side door and a matching sized hole below my earlobe.
Here's where things get truly miraculous. My girlfriend is completely fine. Not a scrape on her. My ear is basically fine as well. There's a scrape on the lobe and the aforementioned hole just below it. We went to the ER and they confirmed via CAT scan that there is no bullet in my head or body, nor was I able to find any further holes in my car. At the ER, I got the wound cleaned and sutured.
Given how loudly we both heard the bang from the shot, there is no logical explanation as to why I still have an eaam still alive, and why my girlfriend suffered no injuries at all.
This was His work to keep us both as safe as possible in what was a harrowing ordeal. I can't describe to you all how thankful I am that He was with us both tonight. It's a terrifying world out there sometimes, but His plan is always in place. Peace and love, all. Stay safe.

The start of feed seems to go decent, I help him latch (I usually have to flip his lips bc they fold inwards) and he will feed for maybe 8-10 min each side well. Then he starts latching shallowly and de-latching and wiggling. I alternate holds but nothing sticks. If I use straddle hold he sounds like he can't breathe, cradle, cross cradle and football hold he will suckle a bit but flail his little hands, and wiggle.
I delatch to see if he's done but then he sucks his hand. Is hand sucking not always a sign of hunger? I've broke down so much worrying he's not getting enough, the only time I'm not anxious is when I feed him the measly 2 oz I had to power pump for an hour for because at least I know how much he's eaten.
Forgot to add, towards the time he gets wiggly and de-latching, he will stop and start sucking.. so even when I do latch him he just sits with the nipple in his mouth and occasionally suckle. If he's hungry he'd try harder? This is just frustrating as a FTM, the LC at the hospital were yes men who just told me that my latch was great and ignored my worries.
Also if I'm able to hand express milk out after feeding does that mean he's not emptying the breast?

Currently a grad student at the business school, and I want to cross register for a few classes from other schools for the fall. Does anyone have any recommendations for their favorite classes they've taken?
Also as a side note, I want to get more involved with the Columbia community as a whole, outside of the business school. What would be the best way for me to do that? I would feel weird going to undergrad events since I'm a few years out of undergrad, so are there events that grad students plan/host? The business school is on its own campus and though there are so many events every single day just for the business school, I don't feel like I am part of the Columbia community outside of the b-school.

First: https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/14vo5lb/troublemakers_deaths_pity/
*previous:* https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/1d3yvie/troublemakers_parabellum/
......
Go'mon stormed through the castle corridors. He'd sensed something slip beside him during his encounter with the vampire lord. It wasn't just that damned top hat with the thief's prints. No, it was more subtle than that, it was the sound of a gossamer chain rattling against cloth. He scanned every square inch of the hallways as he walked, slowly twirling the Warhammer in his off-hand as he calmly held the pistol muzzle-up towards the ceiling. He'd barely gotten a glimpse of what almost looked like mist as he stomped through the grand halls with paranoia-fueled, seething anger. Abruptly turning a corner he fired the revolver at what he thought was that pesky invisible parasite.
The shimmer shuddered and he switched to the visible spectrum to find out it was just a tapestry in front of a heating vent.
Go'mon let out an enraged scream, tearing the tapestry apart with his bare hands after casting his weapons aside in a fit of rage and impotence. The visage of Monarch D'vinn looking out from the top of a bombed-out hill in battered armor at the shattered remains of the once human-occupied city, being shredded like single-ply latrine paper by go'mon's molecularly edged cybernetic claws. Having spent his rage on the tapestry, he panted dramatically as his heart pounded in its cask. Turning around he let out another furious scream, howling madly as he scanned the hall with thermals. His Hammer and revolver had disappeared without a trace.
The sudden blare of a Klaxon made him pause as he adjusted his armor, forcing himself to calm down as he examined his molecularly edged claws. The main enemy was at the gates, he should go meet them.
...
Cassius' Heart pounded as he took shallow breaths, Go'mon's backplate inches from his own chest as he held onto the Hammer and Pistol for dear life. As the general strutted outside, Cassius moved in perfect synchronization, his left leg rising with the general's before being placed down in sync. He'd been practicing for weeks with the security droids at the mansion, practicing to keep inches from their backs without touching their metal carapace. Now he strutted behind perhaps the second most powerful being he knew like a silent specter. As Go'mon slammed through a door, breaking it into splinters, Cassius lifted his right leg and rotated out of the way just as Go'mon's tail would've brushed against his Calf, giving him away. As the General strutted out into the middle of the courtyard, Cassius used the various straps attached to his gambeson to affix the weapons to his waist before grabbing his Kama and weighted chain from a small pouch at his belt.
Cassius tossed the weighted end of the chain over the wall of the castle after a short run-up, wrapping the gossamer chain around his hands with each rapid step he took up the wall. Reaching the top, he unhooked the weight from the small bar he'd tossed it around quickly disentangling his hands from the chain. He groped the air on the outside of the wall until he touched the enchanted ladder the Top-Hats had left him. Sliding down the ladder, he spotted Drake sitting astride Barney in the middle of the street. The rest were nowhere to be seen but that indeed was part of the plan. Sprinting over, Cassius leaped onto Barney behind Drake and slipped Go'mon's revolver into the empty holster at his belt. Drawing out no reaction save for a few words from Drake, who didn't turn his head lest he give the gambit away.
"Good work Cassius, Fall back and get a gas mask on. We still don't know what's in those canisters because they inked out the labels."
Cassius slipped off of Barney's back and slipped into a nearby building before De-cloaking as he pressed himself against the wall next to a Warmonger who passed him a spare gas mask. He pulled it on and checked the seal before sitting against the wall as his legs jellied beneath him. His mouth was dryer than the scrubland as he accepted a Volunteer's canteen, drinking heavily through a port in the mask as he rode out the adrenaline crash. He glanced over to where their fighters had pried open a sewer access hatch and were dropping in, the smell of sewage souring the air. A few warmongers closest to the opening had comically attached wooden clothesline clips to their noses.
...
Caz lay atop the second-tallest building in Golgatha, trash and debris piled up around her for camouflage ash she drew a bead on the strutting Go'mon. Her god-given eyes were able to see the purple miasma that rose from him like mercury vapors. She didn't even turn her head as she softly asked.
"Distance?"
The man with Heavy cybernetic augmentations pulled casually from a large pouch of grain alcohol, camera-lense eyes extending from his face as he chewed on a bullet thoughtfully. Slowly he stated.
"One thousand five hundred and sixty-seven meters, If you're keeping it under auto-ignition velocity, you should be able to hold it one mil above and..."
The sound of the bullet in his mouth getting chewed filled the air before he stated.
"Two mils right, wind fluctuates between us and the target, expect a half minute of angle deviation."
Caz adjusted her optic, bringing the point of aim directly onto her crosshairs. The man next to her had called himself "an Olympian" an old sect of bionically enhanced warriors from even before the betrayal wars. In the small amount of time she'd gotten to know the man, she'd found him palatable at the very least, soft-spoken with a touch of crazy, it was refreshing. She tried to ignore the artillery-sized rifle he laid behind, the barrel itself bigger around than a drainage pipe, a suppressor of equally massive size almost protruding over the edge of the building. She watched from the corner of his eye as he pulled the breech open to the side and selected a shell thicker and longer than her forearm with a fused tip. He rammed it into the gun with the same ease she loaded her flechettes with.
They both had different jobs despite sitting on the same roof. She'd take care of anything on two legs, and he'd handle anything that had an armored skin. From her vantage point, she watched as the Agri-bots moved into position, planting their artillery pieces against the ground in preparation to fire. They weren't using High explosives much to Remin and Destrier's chagrin, but with their attack plan, they couldn't risk collapsing the sewers. They were instead armed with a chemical weapon known as "CS Smoke" which would obscure visual sightlines for anyone with unaugmented vision. Lucky for her and the Olympian, that wouldn't be an issue with her clear-sight and his advanced optics. She slowly swiveled her focus onto Drake, keeping the center of the crosshair off him as she watched him.
Sitting astride Barney, Drake looked every bit the warrior he was. His dark helmet and armor were almost lost in the dark night. But the red shock of his Helm's mohawk could not be mistaken, glowing brightly against the darkness. As his palm came to rest on the pommel of his sword, she saw something entirely different for a moment.
A warrior in battered, rusty armor, the flesh falling from his bones as a pair of white lights gleamed behind the helmet. A skeletal hand held a rusty sword in its sheath, Its pale, emaciated steed's head hanging low, milky eyes soulless and empty.
But as soon as she saw it, the image faded and she swiveled her crosshairs onto the castle's inner courtyard. A small, dim red light blinked on the side of the Olympian's skull as the Geknosians organized into fighting lines. Hulking Geknosians in overbuilt power armor manned emplaced turrets and the looming Gas generators. A small feed from the Olympian's perspective overlaid itself on her scope before minimizing to one corner. She watched as his crosshair fell onto one of the two Gallicks. The horseshoe-shaped APCs presenting their bulk to the gate as a bulwark. Caz switched her aim to a heavily armored Geknosian, slowly dialing the small wheel on the forend of her rifle to half-power, just under auto-ignition velocity. The geknosian seemed to get uncomfortable as her crosshairs landed on his chest, fidgeting at the controls of their AA plasma Beam-cannon.
The moment the Agri-bots fired their artillery, she'd remove him from the gene pool and take that AA gun out of the fight so Destrier could get into position.
...
Destrier and Remin ran last-minute checks on the small fleet of two-wheeled land vehicles the Top Hats had called "Dirt bikes." The variable electric powerplant produced little to no noise, even now, powered on and ready to roll they didn't even humm. Stepping back, Destrier let the forearms of his power armor clamshell close as he retook the hand controls. Contrary to popular belief, the hands of power armor weren't at all like gloves. A handle with a pressure sensor for each finger was clasped in his hands, allowing him to manipulate the hands of the armor like his own. Destrier turned his head, helmet whirring on its bearing as he watched Remin mount one of the Dirtbikes, the black scimitar strapped to the suspension of the bike within arm's reach. The old man's Mongolian lamellar draped over either side of the bike like fabric, small metal plates clinking and clattering softly as he pulled his fabric-wrapped helmet back on. Destrier clomped over, hardly noticing the backpack with over two hundred rounds of 13x110 mm HEP.
Remin looked up with a grin and met Destrier's arm halfway in a forearm-gripping handshake, their metal hands clanking together as they slid their arms back into a grip around the base of each other's thumbs, then to a normal handshake before waggling their fingers at each other.
Destrier chuckled softly and looked up at the sky, night vision lenses making it appear stuffed to bursting with stars.
"What's on the black samurai's mind?"
Remin asked softly, head tilted back to also look at the stars between the rooftops.
"Well... I'm looking forward to the fighting to finally being over... Maybe I'll finally be able to settle down and invent something with Martha..."
Remin chuckled softly.
"A noble goal... I'd expect nothing less from you Destri... I'm actually hoping to catch a ride back to human-controlled space. I'm too old for this shit, I want to settle down and live out the last years of my life in peace..."
Destrier nodded in agreement, slowly turning his gaze back to the helicopter, blades slowly turning in preparation for takeoff.
"How old are you Remin? I don't think I ever asked."
The old man paused, thinking for a long time.
"Oh... I'd say I've made it past a century at this point. Got a cybernetic heart when I was a kid thanks to a car accident, Ol' things been keeping me going far past when I shoulda dropped."
Destrier nods and laughs softly.
"Damn, and I thought you were only in your fifties."
Remin laughed in agreeance, setting his hands on the handlebars.
"I don't blame ya, I feel like it. Especially now that my legs aren't filled with creaky arthritis."
Destrier sighed softly, gently punching the old man's shoulder as softly as he could in his power armor.
"See you on the other side old man... whether that be the living side or the dead one."
"Here's to hoping it's the former not the latter."
Destrier chuckled his agreement and boarded the helicopter, making the landing gear compress slightly as he put his weight on the flight deck. Unhooking the feed chain from the side of the backpack, he clipped it into the Ma-deuce's feed chute. It whirred as the heavy cartridges were funneled down the chain and into the gun with a click and a clatter.
...
Barney shifted from one leg to the other beneath Drake, Death's chosen reaching down and gently patting his neck fondly as he softly whispered.
"Just a moment longer boy... There's someone I need to talk to."
Drake closed his eyes, letting the Darkness envelop him for a moment before opening them again.
He looked at Death, who was casually swirling a glass of black bourbon thoughtfully.
"You said you wanted to talk to me right before the battle?"
Death nodded and slid the glass of black bourbon his way.
"I did, I want you to drink this before you go into battle."
Drake picked up the glass, inspecting the pitch-black, inky liquid curiously. Before sniffing it and coughing as his eyes water.
"No offense, But I think something died in your liquor bottle."
Death laughed jovially, pouring his own glass from a red crystal decanter.
"That's because this is made from the blood of my predecessor. I thought i might as well get it out of the way."
Drake suspiciously looked at the glass.
"Okay, what happens when I drink it?"
Death paused, slowly swirling his own glass of black bourbon pensively. Then, he slowly knocked his own back, eyes dilating wide before returning to normal.
"Well, It should allow you to control your power, bypassing the decades of training most need."
Drake gave Death a side eye, sniffing the foul drink one more time asking.
"What's the catch?"
Death frowned, then set his glass down.
"Considering that it's going to completely restructure your magical and circulatory pathways. It's going to hurt like nothing you've ever felt before. It also may or may not bind your guardians to your soul."
Drake's head snapped up.
"Guardians... you mean my parents?"
Death nodded softly.
"Guardians, souls that loved someone so much that they remained on after death to watch over them. Your parents loved you... loved you enough to stand by your side even in death... and before you give me some bullshit about this not being what your parents would want... Remember, they'll always be at your side until you die one way or another."
Drake slowly swirled the bourbon before nodding softly, bringing it to his lips, he downed it in a single gulp. It burned on its way down, the tingling feeling intensely spreading throughout his body and to his fingertips in a moment. His nerves burned, and his very being felt as though it was being scalded by burning hot water. But as he set the glass down on Death's desk, he smiled softly. There was a warmth to the pain, like a cold rag against a feverish forehead. The sting of a garlic poultice applied to a fresh whip-wound. It was the crack of his father's wooden sword against his knuckles during their sparring, the sweat that would drip into his eyes on long evenings working the fields. Drake opened his eyes slowly, no longer sitting in Death's office, but his own soulscape, looking at the long-neglected buildings halfway through construction. But he wasn't alone.
Drake smiled at his mother and father. His mother gave him a soft smile as she touched the scar across his face, the wound in his cheek where a gauss slug had torn it open, then, she took his hand to gently touch the scarred wound where Garravan's knife had pierced his hand. His father just sat cross-legged, drinking a stout mug of scrub tree tea with a proud smile on his face. drake looked between them before holding out his hands.
As his parents took them, they dissolved into motes of light that drifted into his chest. His veins burned, and his eyes and nose bled. His entire existence felt like a blistering inferno as the ground of his soulscape rumbled, small, red flowers the color of blood and the shape of gunshot wounds popping up from the ground. But even as the pain grew, and grew, and grew, He found himself simply laughing, grabbing what felt like an invisible pair of chains and pulling up on them as he stood.
The ground erupted in the middle of his soulscape, a massive, gnarled oak tree sprouting from the ground. Its sturdy trunk protecting a small patch of pink carnations interspersed with curly-petaled white Gardenias. Drake felt something form atop his head and reached up, feeling a thorny crown, he gently pulled it off, looking at the black-petaled roses fondly before returning it to his head. The thorny veins grew down from the crown, snaking their way deep into his flesh only to bloom into what felt like new muscles and tendons that weren't attached to his physical strength. Looking at his upturned palms, he curled his fingers, a steady, smokeless pale flame popping into existence in his palm with next to no effort.
As the pain subsided, Drake closed his eyes, relishing its departure before opening them to the shocked and concerned face of Death. Drake gave him a curious look and Death coughed softly as he composed himself before speaking.
"Look, I know I can hide pain well... But that smile you get when you're hurting is capital C Creepy."
Drake touched his grinning face with a soft laugh, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose.
"Well, guess I can add that to my achievements list, Creeping Death out with a smile."
They both chuckled softly at the joke before Death sighed softly.
"You should get back to them, they're almost ready."
Drake nodded and stood, stepping over to the door.
"Wish me luck."
"Good luck, my Champion. Give them hell."
Drake smiled softly and stepped out the door. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the real world, staring up at Go'mon who'd perched himself atop the castle wall, eyeing Drake hungrily.
Giving Go'mon his signature grin, He reached up and depressed a countersunk button on the side of his helmet.
"Hit 'em"
Drake stated, the sound of artillery rocking the city as Go'mon's hungry look quickly turned to rage. There was a loud, screeching whistle as the artillery shells streaked in, blanketing the area in stinging fog. Drake drew his sword, extending thorned vines of power into it as the blade ignited with pale flames. Barney snuffled excitedly and roared as Drake nudged him forward, the Dinosaur leaping over the wall in a single bound. The final battle for Golgatha had begun, after this, they would either be free...
Or they will have died free.
......
Part 112: will be linked here upon completion.

I was hoping for vagantin to be available in Germany soon again but unfortunately it will take at least until 2026.
Yesterday I started with Oxybutynin but I am a little scared of it because I read it crosses the blood brain barrier and can cause dementia and I only wanted to try it until vagantin is back.
I am 35yo so I still consider myself young , would I be able to handle that side effect well if I use oxy for the next 1.5 years?
I was wondering if there are any alternatives in Germany for craniofacial HH?
I recently signed up at DHHZ and that’s where I got my Oxybutynin. I will also aske the doctors there for alternatives but thought because it’s weekend that I could ask here too as reading that news makes me a little sad.
Thanks in advance

Hello there, fellow Alexandrians!
This is a 23-year-old out of shape guy looking to lose weight and get some outdoor time. It's summer, and I am about to start my coldcalling job soon. Hence, I will be mostly free early in the morning (around 10am keda). None of my friends are into running, and I would like to avoid carrying and wearing sweaty headphones with me.
I start my run near Khalil 7amada. I walk to the nearest traffic light, and cross to the other side from there. If anyone lives nearby and/or runs somewhat close to me, then we can meetup and do this run together. It would be nice to have someone to chat with while I'm jogging.
I plan to run everyday——literally! You do not have to join me everyday, bas it would be nice if you were consistent a bit.
Also, I am accepting of every one! I like to meet new people and listen to new perspectives regardless of how wild/extreme they may seem. I have Islamist/Jihadi friends and Atheist/queer friends. Everyone is welcome in my book! As long as you can jog a fair bit, and you can hold a convo going, you are most welcome to join me!
That's all. I hope everyone is having an awesome day!

i want to say the Chosen one
but i do not want to review the unspeakable that is brangaras brain but the future is bleak we got to see the direction inala is having his quip clan but im mad why is it that inala is somehow going to become a patron of yarsha and incase you dont understand the coming future brangara had a moment about it and yarsha will not be ready and powerful enough, they will have a child and yes i wanted her to also bear inalas in someway but i understand so i want the next best thing.
i want OPs generated by the dozens in the quip clan what i see now is that the quip clan will have people strong enough to be chiefs no genius futures and in my words i want brangara and yarshas final child to be female and to be inalas future wife and before you talk about that mammoth clan girl pls understand i am biased but even evolution does not change what im about to say i dont want another Resha cause it seems like inalas outcome with granny oyo was diliberate to make inala like resha and the wife to be mammoth clansmen miss the good ones for the crazy mammoth clan woman even if she is good it is not enough sure evolution can lead to the quip clan getting another gold variation with the ability to use the accumlated and selected influences of other prantic beasts pain and zinger shreik someone to think that they are a certain pranic beast like this
'with the akashic biome she cause everyone within her spirit weapon range and the range of her shreik to lose their senses and even experience the feeling of having zero prana at lifestage it was like they were normal humans from earth with no supernaturals and she could also have others experience torture she induced to beast or the pain extracted from the life time of certain beast like a saved file of pain which means some pains can be like a curse a person can experience a lifetime of them and these saved files make this quip clansmen the Curse mages of the clan as they can inherit the spells of previous generation with curses like weakening which induces someone to a weaken state as their bodys influence and prana believes it is weaker and therby weakening the individual cursed ,bloodburn ,disorientation ,sense loss and many others sure it is a good idea but im greedy.
i want pinnicale so i came up with this since i cant get cultivator the normal way ill force it they want for the child to be born at body stage with an avatar minor treasure and have the advantages of bloody affection and Vara well i want inala to be influenced by something he made to influence others aka the elixir teas he made in bringam empire
since it was not a nature but the outcome of fusing the prana liquid with subtle influence and made into a drink yarshas nature could not do anything to it so the influence grew with no one knowing and even inala had no knowledge but because of sumatra gold a connection with the related influence was made. the previous cause of inalas loss of mental faculties when seperated to male and female was not just because of the genders influence was growing but because astral chart was still influencing inala because it was drawn to the sumatra gold and started bonding with him when the bolts of transendence struck him and merged it into his genes and attribute influence and it was unawakend as yarshas influence was still growing and not yet merged her with contact between them not being close and far from each other
the birth of the child would have been memorable and miraculous but the came ingedients to the unexpected sure enough the child absorbed what they imagined and more as yarsha had the influence growing in her absorbed and amplified during the process and being at body stage cementedd it as with brangaras astral world influence and the ability to go through lifestage as a free human an anomaly happend as the day she was born the connection between the prana cycled in inalas heart ,the cemented influence awakened by her birth and the direction yarsha and brangara wanted for her to be like the mystic paths
but now that inala has space for a tertiary nature the influence has direction for awakening and strengthening the connection but on her birth she was destined to have a nature with connection to natures,inheritence and the abilities accumulated by her parents but then came inala he has become a being that has attributes abilities of extending the influence of natures to become available naturally in prana without activating natures which further increases compatibility with her nature and the connection somehow did what brangara wanted and more as inala was connected to her naturally and due to the connection her free human birth and avatar inala gained also gained the ability to progress through lifestages as a side effect and with the ability to gain the accumulations of the quip clan as an inheritence similary like what brangara and yarsha wanted regardless of distance and the quip clan being able to open it as well but split into grades on what they can access
now comes the true effect of the nature on inala it does not force inala to be someone else like the mommath clan natures and influence but it does make them feel close to each other and since it was unintended they would understand each others intentions and as she grows it will go from feeling each others emotions at unstable times to being able to communicate when she turns 16 and with the communication taking prana of the initiator and their accummulations can be accesed by the other with permission and with there being initial trust between them as their nature dictates that they will never be friends but lovers only as a natural state and no it does not force that state they have to truly accept it for it to become official and they will know and another thing is that they can meet in the connection and just like the ring grandpa it would start as mentor realationship cause hey inala is suited for that
drawing upon inalas power the connection is like a virtual world where environments can be simlated based on stored data and it can be accesed by the quip clan at a cost of lifespan at different grades but inala and brangaras daughter can access it at the cost of prana.
and since the place was created using the connection of a mystic path and a chosen one it allows for those who have come inside to operate at the level of mystic insight but not memory when inside and time would flow at one day= ten days but it would cost prana to stay a long time with those at body stage mananging ten days inside and forgeting anything above their grade so it means that those at iron grade may have mystic insight but it is not enough to change anything as they only result in better understanding and comprehending more about their iron grade powers.
nature----Astral zone
again i could not compile my idea so i just went with it​

Below you will find a weekly reminder of our Rules and partial FAQ. It's definitely a long read, but it's worth your time, especially if you are new to the community, or dropping by as a result of a link you found elsewhere. We periodically revise our rules, this weekly notice will help keep you informed of any changes made.
NOTE: These rules are guidelines. Some moderation discretion is to be expected.

Community Rules

1. Kindness Matters

Advise, don't criticize.

• Post with empathy, thoughtfulness, and constructive commentary rather than judgment. Don't be an asshole.
• Name-calling, slurs (including gender or race based slurs), and insults towards other community members will not be tolerated. Do not attack others for their personally held values, custody situation, marital status, physical distance from stepkids, or economic status; or on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, or ethnicity.
• No name-calling toward children, including the above-mentioned insults or the term "skids", or terms such as "mini-wife" or "mini-husband."
• Comments advocating spanking or any mention of wanting to harm children are not allowed.
• This is a support sub, not a judgement sub, assholes are not tolerated. Comments with terms used in other subs to pass judgement on assholes will be removed.

2. No Drama

This is a support sub.

• Bickering, nitpicking, and thread derailment will not be tolerated and will be subject to removal at moderator discretion.
• Do not repeatedly badger a poster demanding answers, or refuse to acknowledge an answer that's already been given.
• Do not use sensitive issues from past posts (either from this sub or other subs) to attack another user, as we are all discussing vulnerable topics.
• Crossposting anything from /stepparents to any other subreddit might result in a ban and may result in the original thread being locked. Brigading our sub will result in an immediate ban.

3. Report, Don’t Rant

No backseat modding.

• If you see someone breaking the rules, report the post or comment to the mods rather than engaging them in an argument. Failure to do so may be subject to comment removal at moderator discretion.
• No meta posts complaining about rude comments, DMs, or general sub issues.
• If you think someone is a troll or previously banned user, either use the report function or message the mods to direct their attention to the issue.

4. No Naming & Shaming

No userpings or links.

• Tagging/pinging users or other subreddits in an attempt to bully, harass, or complain will not be tolerated. Do not tag other subs, ever.
• If you want to complain about another subreddit being hostile to stepparents, do not name the subreddit. "Other parenting/advice/judgement subs" will suffice.

5. No Platitudes

Nobody knew what they were getting into.

• Comments like "You knew what you were getting into", "Love them, love their kids!", "They're a package deal!" and "You have to love them like your own!" will be removed.
• Comments suggesting that OP is not cut out for stepparenting will be removed at moderator discretion.
• Comments like "This is just a part of parenting, deal with it!" will be removed at moderator discretion.

6. No Trolling

We have zero tolerance for trolls.

• This is a support sub. Our subscribers do not have the time, nor inclination, to provide support to internet trolls. Posts that are suspected to be trolling attempts will be immediately removed, and the poster banned.
• Concern trolling, devil's advocating, gish-galloping, sealioning, and general asshattery are subject to immediate removal and banning without warning or notice.
• Any attempt to circumvent the ban by creating a new username will be reported to reddit admins and possibly result in account suspension.

7. No Personally Identifiable Information

Use discretion when posting.

• We highly recommend using a separate account for support subs to help prevent being doxxed. Do not post any information that may allow others to figure out your identity.
• Do not post photos of children, or any other photo that could be used to identify you or another user on the sub.
• Any image that contains a name or other identifying information should have the name or identifying information blurred out. This includes drawings, notes, and screenshots.
• Do not link to social media or any articles/blogs where you or another user on the sub is mentioned by name.

8. No More than 2 Posts per 24 hours

Use the daily threads.

• We are not a huge sub, but we are no longer a small sub. If you have multiple grievances to air, use the daily discussion threads instead of multiple posts.

9. Follow Reddiquette

Remember the human.

• Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life.
• Read it in full here.
• Downvoting is reserved for comments that don’t contribute, and shouldn't be used to indicate disagreement.
• If you believe someone is in violation of the subreddit rules, please either use the report function or message the mods to direct their attention to the issue.
• Suspected brigading will be reported to reddit admins.

10. No Porn, Spam, Blogs, or Research Studies/Surveys Without Mod Approval

Just don't.

• This is a SFW subreddit. Posting pornography will result in immediate post removal and permanent ban.
• Advertising on the subreddit (outside of Reddit's own advertising) is not allowed.
• No personal blog posts are allowed without express moderator permission.
• No advertising without prior mod approval.
• No asking for money/posting fundraisers/etc.
• For links to parenting research studies or surveys, please message the mods for permission before posting.

11. Disputes in Modmail Only

Don't argue with the mods on the sub.

• Any issues specifically related to how a mod is moderating should be addressed to the full moderating team via mod mail. This ensures that all mods are aware of any concerns and prevents disintegration of the topic thread at hand.
• This means to do not message or send chat requests to individual mods. All discussion and complaints about mod actions need to be done in mod mail ONLY. Failure to follow this rule can result in an immediate permanent ban.
• Comments in threads asking about mod decisions are subject to removal without notice.

12. Moderator Actions

We aren't kidding.

• Users are expected to know the rules before posting. If you are warned or banned for violating the rules, ignorance is not an excuse.
• Moderators will remove posts and comments and/or lock threads in accordance with the rules above. Typically this happens when threads have gone off-topic in a way that is not productive for the OP, or comments overall have become contentious or disrespectful.
• If a poster continues to argue or to willfully violate these rules, temporary and permanent ban procedures will be followed. Any attempts to avoid or bypass temporary bans will result in a permanent ban. User bans will not be discussed in the sub. Questions posted about user bans are subject to removal and the poster subject to warning/ban procedures. The mod team will not discuss a specific user ban with anyone other than the user involved.
• New accounts are subject to manual approval until they are no longer deemed "new" by the mod team. This helps to weed out trolls and ban evaders.
• We rely on Automoderator to scan for specific words and phrases that are not welcome here and notify the mod team to review the comment or post. This includes slurs of any type and platitudes such as "Love them as your own!"
• The mod team uses a combination of blacklisting and banning when dealing with trolls.
• We employ the use of a bot that automatically bans anyone who comments in subs that have historically harassed our users. If you are picked up by the bot for telling trolls to get fucked, reach out via mod mail and we'll get you sorted out.
• The rules above as well as ban procedures are considered guidelines only; some deviation may be necessary on a case by case basis and/or at the mod team's discretion.

13. Ban Procedure

These actions are at moderator discretion.

• Pornography will result in an automatic permanent ban.
• Extremely egregious content will result in an immediate permanent ban.
• You may receive a 7 or 30 day temporary ban for first and second rule violations, depending upon severity.
• Continued rule violations will result in a permanent ban.
• Willful attempts to avoid or bypass temporary bans will result in a permanent ban.
• We recognize the reddit site-wide rules of using alt names to get around bans and will ban those as well as report them to reddit admins.

​
​

FAQ - About the Rules

What does Kindness Matters mean?

• Shortest version? Don't be an asshole. People come here for support and advice, they do not come here to be yelled at or told they are the reason everything is going sideways. There are ways to point out that someone may want to do some reflection on their own actions and reactions without being an asshole about it.
• The purpose of this subreddit is to provide support and a sense of belonging for struggling stepparents. We aren't here to pass judgement, but rather to offer support, empathy, and constructive commentary. That does not include "hard truths" or "tough love." Stepparents get enough of that in every other subreddit, we're not passing it out here. Be respectful.
• Remember, most people aren't going to come to a sub like this when everything is going great and everyone is getting along. People are coming here when they are down, when they are feeling defeated and stretched to the limit. Kicking someone when they are down is shitty behavior and we don't tolerate it.

What about being kind to the kids?

• "Won't somebody think of the children?" Pearl clutching isn't needed here. If you read the Kindness Matters rule closely, you will see that there is a clause in there about name calling children. We don't allow it. We also don't allow people rolling in telling OP that they feel sorry for their stepkids because OP is feeling overwhelmed and overloaded.
• If anyone is advocating slapping, spanking, or any other form of violence, report the comment immediately. We do not advocate violence towards children of any sort. The mod team does not advocate any sort of physical punishment at any time.
• Venting about behaviors is not the same as insulting the kids. However, if you see a post or comment where kids are being name called or dragged to the point of no return, use the report button. We try to catch the posts and remove them before they hit the sub, but we cannot see every comment without your help. Use the report button to bring problematic comments to our attention. Don't engage in a war of words on our subreddit.

Why is this sub such an echo chamber?

• Not allowing contributors to pile on and tell OP that they are a terrible human being who should never be around children does not equate to being an echo chamber. Many contributors here will offer OP suggestions to help them work through their resentments and frustrations, and the most egregious situations are called out. We simply ask that it be called out with respect.
• If you feel that a post is simply too much for you to handle without following the rules, move on to another post.
• If you believe that a post itself is crossing the rules report it. If the mod team has approved the post, it is because the mod team believes that the OP needs help from the community or needs a moment to vent and move on from their vent. That does not give you license to pile on disrespectfully. Unless it is proven that OP is a bot, assume that OP is a human being with real thoughts and feelings and has posted from a place of vulnerability.

Why can't I tell OP that they are an asshole?

• Because this isn't a judgement sub. We aren't AITA, we don't want to be AITA.
• Comments with terms like YTA, NTA, ESH, NAH will be removed.
• Don't start your posts with INFO either. We generally recognize that as a fishing attempt for more information to pass judgement on OP, and again, we are not a judgment sub.

But OP asked if they were an asshole?!

• Their post somehow got past our automoderator. Just use the report button. We will address it with OP.
• If you've asked if you are an asshole, a-hole, a*hole, a**hole, whatever, don't be surprised if your post is removed without warning. This isn't a judgment sub. If you want judgment, you know where to go.

What is a gendered slur?

• While it seems that everyone understands what racist slurs are, people struggle understanding the concept of gendered slurs. Generally speaking, we are talking about derogatory nouns or verbs that are used to negatively describe people or situations based on gendered terms.
• We've gone back and forth on this a few times, and the truth is, we get it, it's your safe space and you want to be able to vent about BM/BD how you want to vent about them, without us telling you how to vent about them. Fair enough. Vent away. What we are going to stick to here how people are referring to other users and to stepchildren.
• Examples that are not allowed:
  • "My SD is such a little bitch."
  • "She dresses/acts like a slut."
  • "My SS acts like a pussy."
  • "My SS is such a beta male."
  • "You are all fucking whores."
  • "Any dude who is raising some sluts kids is a cuck!"
  • "Little Lord Fauntleroy over here thinking he runs the house!"
  • "You're just the bangnanny, get used to it."
• Don't call users here names, don't call stepchildren names.
• Masking the term with asterisks or other neat little tricks might get you around the bot, but if we see it, we're removing it and quite possibly giving you a time out. The intended word is still there and you deliberately tried to skate the rule.
• As there is not enough space to list every term that is offensive and does not belong, nor every situation in which term or phrase may be allowable in context, this rule is enforced based on moderator discretion.

Seriously? You are the language police now?

• We're here to talk about stepparenting. And we would like for that to happen in a respectful way. Attacking each other doesn't help. Belittling stepchildren draws in trolls who don't understand your frustration, all they see is an evil stepmonster talking shit on the internet about a poor, innocent baby. Yes, even if that "poor, innocent baby" just robbed you blind and set fire to the house on their way out the door. That's just how it goes.
• We are aware that this is a relatively new rule and a lot of older posts and comments contain a lot of problematic language, including some from mods themselves. We are growing and evolving, and rules change as the sub grows and evolves.

What does No Drama really mean?

• Pretty much what it says, do not bring drama from other subs into this sub. Do not engage in vote brigades. Do not try to incite other subscribers to riot in a different sub. Don't follow posters into this sub from other subs to continue to harass them. Do not badger someone or derail threads. Do not harass community members because you don't agree with them. There's enough drama in the daily lives of subscribers, more isn't needed.

What is thread derailment?

• When a comment chain has devolved to the point where all you are doing is arguing back and forth with someone about the same thing over and over again, you have derailed the thread. Also known as bickering. It's what children do. We assume if people are in a stepparent role they are adults. We expect you to act like it.
• If you aren't a stepparent, or in a stepparenting role, consider that perhaps this subreddit isn't for you. If you want to participate, do so with respect. Thread derailment, arguing, bickering, and nitpicking are not allowed.

But what if they didn't answer my question?

• No one has to answer your questions. This is a support sub, not an inquisition. Jumping on a bandwagon with "OP is evading the question" in a 20 comment long chain is the epitome of thread derailment. You'll find more information about trolling below and how this might be considered such.

Why am I being silenced? I'm just asking for a back and forth!

• Thread derailment, badgering, and nitpicking are considered harassment. Continued harassment of either community members or mods will get you banned.

Why can't I look at someone's post history and comment about it?

• No mod in the history of this sub has ever once said post histories are forbidden. What we do frown upon is using someone's post history to attack, belittle, or otherwise harass someone.
• Example Post: "My stepkid's mom really hates me. How can I make this better?"
  • Okay: "Based on the timeline and your post history, it looks like this may have started as an affair. Unfortunately there's going to be outstanding issues for a long time due to that. Try focusing on yourself and how you can move forward without worrying about how someone else feels about you."
  • Not Okay: "Holy shit! You were the OW! What the hell do you expect, homewrecker?!"
• Example Post: "I am completely overloaded and feeling very down about myself."
  • Okay: "In your post history you mentioned that your spouse wasn't really helping around the house. Has that changed at all?"
  • Not Okay: "LOL, you already got the answers you need in your post on relationships. You are stupid for sticking with your lazy spouse."

Why can't we crosspost stuff to other subs?

• We can't stop you from doing so. The problem isn't that something has been crossposted, it's when the community that it's been crossposted to feels the need to come over here and harass OP. When we see that happening, we lock the post and start passing out bans. If you did the crossposting, you'll be banned. If you participated in the brigading, you'll be banned.

What if it's my own post?

• Again, we can't stop you from doing so. We prefer that you don't technically crosspost, but rather just copy and paste your post. Why? Because inevitably the above will happen. Redditors from other subs will follow you back to /stepparents and start attacking users here. It just happens.

What is "brigading"?

• Reddit defines vote manipulation and brigading as follows:
• Using multiple accounts, voting services, or any other software to increase or decrease vote scores.
• Asking people to vote up or down certain posts, either on Reddit itself or through social networks, messaging, etc. for personal gain.
• Forming or joining a group that votes together, either on a specific post, a user's posts, posts from a domain, etc.
• We, along with pretty much every other subreddit that has ever had to deal with this nonsense, further define brigading as this: You saw a post on another sub that linked to our sub either via a link in a comment or a crosspost. It was basically saying something along the lines of "OMG, check out these assholes over on /stepparents! They literally hate all their stepkids!" And then you and your friends come over and start hammering on OP and telling OP how much they suck. Congrats, you have just participated in a brigade.

What is this whole Report, Don't Rant thing about?

• If you see a post or comment that breaks the rules, instead of engaging, report it. When you report it, it sends notification to the mod team. We will act on it where appropriate. Engaging with bad faith users may result in your comments being removed. If you repeatedly do so, you may end up being banned.

What if I see an obvious troll?

• Report it.

What if they are being really mean in comments?

• Report it.

What if they are harassing me in private messages?

• Step 1: Report them to admins. You can report harassment to reddit by using this link or send a DM to reddit admins. Include the link to the DM, admins can see your inbox and providing a direct link is helpful for them to weed out bad actors.
• Step 2: Block the person so they cannot directly contact you again.
• Step 3: Send us a mod mail and let the mod team know. Tell us who they are and what they said, send us a screenshot if you can - admins can see your DMs, mods can't. We'll take action where necessary by banning from the sub if they aren't already banned.

What do you mean by No Naming & Shaming?

• Just as we prefer to not be linked to or crossposted from, we do not allow linking to or calling out other subs by name. If you see something you want to share, say it's a hot post that has hit the front page and a stepparent is being absolutely flayed, just refer to it as "that hot post that hit the front page." If you want to complain about other places in general, "other parenting/advice/judgement subs" will suffice. Absolutely under no circumstances should you link to anywhere else.

I can't link to other subs?

• Do not directly link to another sub. (e.g.: "/insertsubnamehere is ridiculously hostile to stepparents!")
• Do not name other subs. (e.g.: "I won't link to it directly, but insertsubnamehere is ridiculously hostile to stepparents!")
• Do not abbreviate other subs. (e.g.: "I know that ISNH is ridiculously hostile to stepparents!")

I can't ping other users?

• Do not summon another user with a username ping/tag. (e.g.: "insertusernamehere was being an asshole.")
• If you are agreeing with someone, it is okay to link to them. (e.g.: "I agree with insertusernamehere, you need to take a couple of steps back and reflect on this.")

What does No Platitudes mean?

• Sanctimonious, overused clichés that grossly oversimplify the stepparenting experience are neither wanted nor allowed here. We have all heard it a thousand times before, we don't need to hear it again. It's not nearly as insightful and wise as some would like to think.

Why don't you people understand it's a package deal?

• Any comment that suggests that OP should have known what they were getting involved with, or that they needed to understand that the kids were part of some package they needed to accept before signing up for marriage is subject to immediate removal.
• This is one of the most insensitive things you can say to a stepparent. Most stepparents were aware of the children, but they were probably not aware of all of the family dynamics.

Why can't you just love them like they are your own?

• Demanding that a stranger you do not know love children that are not biologically theirs as if they were theirs can be incredibly damaging to someone who is already in a vulnerable situation. Any comment that falls along these lines will be removed.

What do you mean by No Trolling? I was just...

• No means no. No trolling. No pretending to be a stepparent and then whipping out the Greatest Hits Bingo Card of The Worst Stepparent in the History of Stepparents. We see you. We've seen you a thousand times.

What does "concern trolling", "gish-galloping", and "sealioning" have to do with stepparenting? This isn't a debate sub, why are you using debate terms?

• That's absolutely right, this isn't a debate sub. And yet, here we are, day after day, having to defend ourselves against this sort of thing. So, enough. No more. Usage of any of these things will get you banned.

What is "Concern Trolling?"

• A concern troll is someone who disingenuously visits sites of an opposing ideology to disrupt conversation by offering unwanted advice on how to solve problems which do not really exist.
  • Example Post: OP expresses concern that she will feel, and possibly act, differently towards her stepchildren after her husband decides that no, he doesn't want anymore children after all.
  • Example Concern Troll pulled from actual mod mail after their comment was removed: "Possible child abuse claims need to be sorted out well before whatever empathy you believe the OP was looking for."

What is a "Devil's Advocate"?

• "I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but have you considered that maybe BM is just really tired and needs a break, too?" BM has dozens of different mom based subs alone on reddit she can complain on, this sub is for stepparents. The stepparent doesn't need to consider that maybe BM is just really tired and needs a break.

"Gish-galloping?" What does that even mean?

• The Gish Gallop is the fallacious debate tactic of drowning your opponent in a flood of individually-weak arguments in order to prevent rebuttal of the whole argument collection without great effort. The Gish Gallop is a conveyor belt-fed version of the on the spot fallacy, as it's unreasonable for anyone to have a well-composed answer immediately available to every argument present in the Gallop.

And "sealioning?" What's that?

• Sealioning involves jumping into a conversation with endless polite, reasonable questions and demands for answers, usually of entry-level topics far below the actual conversation (e.g. "please prove sexism exists"). This tactic differs little from harassment; instead of discussion, the point is to derail discussion, receive criticism (for their ignorance) so as to look like a victim, or to make someone feel overwhelmed and quit talking.

Who gets to define what is considered asshattery?

• The mod team, of course! If we feel that comments are out of line, are trolling, are leading up to a fight or "just asking questions", we are going to remove them and most likely ban the offender.

​
​

FAQ - Sub Questions

Posting Guidelines for Stepparents

• Body text is required, we suggest you use line breaks between paragraphs as a wall of text is difficult to read. Posts that have only a title are likely to be removed. Instead of using names (even fictitious ones), try to use the sub acronyms. It helps our users to follow along if you use the acronyms and not names.
• Assign a post flair that accurately describes what your post is about and what you are seeking. If you are posting an update from a previous post, include a link to that post.
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Posting Guidelines for Bioparents

• Stepparents is a support community for stepparents, by stepparents. As bioparents, you may want to have more insight into how the stepparent in your life feels or thinks. You may have questions on how to ease the transition for your partner. However, please keep in mind that this community was not created for you. It was created for your partner or your ex's partner. If you are seeking support on how to deal with a stepparent, there are other subs more suited for your situation and your post is subject to removal.
• There are some posts from bioparents we will accept:
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  • Seeking resources for your partner
• There are some posts from bioparents we will not accept:
  • Complaints about how the stepparent is too involved in your kids lives
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• Comments from bioparents that are helpful and supportive are welcome and appreciated. Comments from bioparents that are not helpful or supportive are not welcome and subject to removal. There are several other subs that may meet the needs of bioparents better than we can. We recommend /coparenting, /parenting, /parents, /blendedfamilies, and /singleparents as starting points.

Guidelines for Stepkids

• At this time, we do not generally accept posts from stepkids. Comments from stepkids that are helpful and supportive are welcome and appreciated. Comments from stepkids that are not helpful or supportive are not welcome and subject to removal. If you are a stepkid seeking support, we highly recommend /stepkids. It is a very supportive community specifically for stepkids. We also recommend /blendedfamilies as another potential group for support.

What the heck are all these acronyms? I'm confused!

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Reference video (23:21 to 23:30)
(Analyzed through the Reader-Response lens, which doesn't emphasize authorial intent and draws from personal thoughts.)
In the cutscene, the Guardian, Crow, Ikora, and Zavala each releases the sky lantern into the air.
The Guardian's releasing motion is the most energetic out of the four, and their lantern initially flies upward the highest. The Guardian also glances at Ghost before looking back at the lanterns.
Crow's and Ikora's releasing motions are similar but still have some differences, including the openness of the hands (Crow's hands are more closed while Ikora's are opened outward to the side). Crow's lantern initially flies higher than Ikora's before maintaining the same elevation as the latter's. Crow's hands rest on his mid thighs similarly to the Guardian's while Ikora's become crossed in her lap after releasing the lantern.
Zavala is the most distinct out of the four. Instead of pushing the lantern upward like the rest do, he appears to passively release and let the lantern float away from his hands, which mostly don't leave his lap and are quickly crossed. He also looks downward initially before looking upward like the others, whose gazes are always upward and follow the lanterns from the beginning (not counting the Guardian's glancing at Ghost for a second). Zavala's lantern floats at the lowest level out of the four's.
Zavala's body language and lantern's elevation level can reflect his age and years of duties, griefs, and burdens weighing him down. They can be an indication of him still recovering and being weak after losing Targe and the Light. They can also reflect the person he is—difficult in moving on, difficult in enjoying and celebrating, difficult in compartmentalizing work and leisure, difficult in letting go.