Nicest paragraph you can write to your friend

I am 15 years old. I feel like I’m living more in my mind rather than in the world. As I grow older I realize more unpleasant things about life which makes it drastically different from my childhoods perception of life. I feel like a boring old person who has lost all traits of boldness. I feel so apathetic. I miss the feeling of adventure and infinite possibilities which my undeveloped mind believed with such certainty. I remember learning about Thomas Jefferson and thinking of how perfect and smart he was. But then I learned that nobody is actually perfect and that the notion of a hero was a false narrative promoted by history textbooks. The internet, once a fun place filled with wacky and mysterious sites you would randomly stumble upon had turned into a centralized and corporate place where the incentive of everybody is to just make money off you and collect your data. In school, people have grown cold. Friends which I used to have last year now just walk past me pretending I don’t exist. Everybody is just too scared to talk to each other. Girls think they you are trying to get them just because you start talking to them and you don’t look like the cool athletic guy. So I guess all these elements in life combined just makes it feel like a dull and apathetic place. But I know I can try to see more meaning in life, to see the positive side that matters. Just somebody please tell me how. A practical example would help a lot.

I'm a glutton for punishment and I'm back for a round 2.
Back in October I made a post lamenting about how I was struggling to meet people in Cornwall. Through that thread I ended up meeting 3 girls, 2 of which fizzled out, and one I ended up dating for a bit. I've seen people say Reddit is bad for this, but my experience was otherwise, especially compared to the bone dry apps.
I'm 32yo man, from Cornwall. Last time I put an age range people shit the bed and accused me of seeking a tradwife for breeding etc... and then I went outside of that age range and faced abject nightmare fuel, so I'm going to lock in with a firm 26-32. If you are outside of that age range, I am simply not interested.
About myself:
Work: Flooring/Demolition/General Contracting Education: College (studied to be an SSW) Hobbies: Gaming, game development, pixel art, writing, my aquarium, hiking/biking, music, cooking Quirks: Introverted with good people skills. Average Throat Singing enjoyer. Lingo sponge. Positives: Fanatically loyal. Can repair your floor, computer, and pretty much anything. Negatives: Easily slighted. Can't bake for shit. Don't like gross things (Though that's rarely stopped me.)
I consider myself a pretty well rounded guy, and I'd say I'm moderately attractive (maybe a 7, hell maybe 8 on a good day lol). I'm big on personal growth and empathy (part of my SSW roots) and I like to help uplift people.
I have my own sort of pseudo-religion which I define my beliefs and ethics around. If you would like to learn more about the Void, I would be more than glad to share. Emptiness is a frame of reference, a manifestation of limitless potential. If you can vibe with this train of thought and would like to go deeper, I would love to take you on that journey through my mindscape.
I do smoke weed... well rosin. I know almost everything about the stuff and worked in pot shop for years. I do not reek of pot and you would hardly ever know I was high. I also enjoy microdosing shrooms. I don't really have any intention of stopping these behaviors as frankly I enjoy them, and they're minimally impactful on my life in general. I will only ever stop when/if I feel like it. I don't touch anything else. No smokes, no other drugs, no alcohol. Pot and shrooms only, right from Mother Earth.
Last time I tried this I was in a different place in life and feeling all kinds of pressure - I can safely say I am not feeling that crisis level BS anymore. I don't need to rush with anybody - but I do tend to hit it off with people and attach fast. Regardless, I'm open minded this time around.
I don't expect to meet a woman who is "like me" because I'm an absolute oddball (and proud), but I would like to meet somebody who is compatible with the kind of person I am. I'm definitely a homebody, I don't mind small trips - but I'm not a yearly international vacation kinda guy. I honestly do not like most social functions and would rather spend my time with my partner or at best my close friends. Generally speaking I want to do small scale hobby activities with one person and I am happiest that way. I really am happy living a regular life free of bells and whistles.
For now I'd like to try to make some connections and see what's good.
Of course, as a human I am more dynamic than I can put in a post. If you think I sound like an interesting person or would like to connect, I guess reach out!?

Hello, Yoimiya_Mains! Today I wanted to show you all a fun little guide I made on how to play Yoimiya in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.
Let’s start off with our goals for this build. First, we need Fireworks, and lots of them. Secondly, we need to use a bow, as that’s your weapon of choice, and have a way to incorporate Fireworks into your shots. Lastly, we need to be bright and cheerful to help influence our friends.
For stats, we’ll be using Point Buy. Roll for stats if you want, just keep your Dexterity and Charisma high for Multiclassing.
15 Dexterity, as that’s the stat for bows
15 Charisma, as you have a bright, happy, and cheerful personality that everyone loves.
14 Constitution, as working with and being near explosives requires a bit of toughness.
10 Wisdom, as while you are empathetic, you are easily distracted, and I’m sure loud explosions have affected your hearing.
8 Intelligence, as you are a bit of a scatterbrain
And lastly, 8 Strength, as you are still young.
For race, Yoimiya is a human, and Variant Humans get a Feat. The Sharpshooter Feat is perfect for an Archer. You can shoot at long range without disadvantage, your attacks ignore all but full cover, and you can subtract 5 from your attack roll to add 10 to the damage. Bump your Dexterity and Charisma with your 2 Free points, take Animal Handling for your Skill of Choice, and the Guild Artisan Background for Insight and Persuasion, as you run a shop, as well as Alchemist’s Supplies, as they’re the closest tools in D&D for working with Fireworks.
We’ll actually kick things off as a Bard, as you are a pyrotechnic performer. 1st Level Bards can pick any 3 skills they like. Acrobatics, Performance, and Arcana would be my picks. You get Bardic Inspiration, letting you use a bonus action to give an ally a d6 they can use to add to an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw within the next 10 minutes, an amount of times per long rest equal to your Charisma modifier. You can also cast spells as your Vision does grant you magical abilities. For your Cantrips, take Prestidigitation and Dancing Lights. For your Spells, take Thunderwave, Faerie Fire, Color Spray, and Silent Image.
We’ll then multiclass a bit into Fighter. 1st Level Fighters can pick a Fighting Style, and Archery will add +2 to the attack rolls of your ranged weapons for more consistent shots. You also get Second Wind, letting you heal 1d10 plus your Fighter level as a bonus action once per short or long rest.
2nd Level Fighters get Action Surge, letting you take an additional action once per rest.
3rd Level Fighters can pick a Martial Archetype, and while there is a ranged Fighter subclass in Arcane Archer, that subclass is pretty bad, so we’ll go with Samurai, as Inazuma is based on Feudal Japan. You get Fighting Spirit, letting you use a bonus action to gain 5 temporary hit points, and give yourself advantage on all attack rolls that turn. You can do this 3 times per long rest. You also gain proficiency in either History, Insight, Persuasion, or Performance. Go for History.
4th Level Fighters get an Ability Score Improvement. Bump your Dexterity for better AC, damage, and initiative.
5th Level Fighters get an Extra Attack for 2 attacks per round, or 4 with Action Surge.
Back to Bard, 2nd Level Bards get Jack of All Trades, letting you add half your proficiency bonus to any ability check you aren’t proficient with. You also get Song of Rest, letting your allies add an extra d6 whenever they spend hit dice to restore HP during a short rest. You also get the option of Magical Inspiration, letting an ally who has a Bardic Inspiration die use it to add to the damage or healing of a spell. For your spell at this level, take Comprehend Languages to speak with your friends from other regions.
3rd Level Bards get to pick a Bard College, and we’ll go with College of Lore, as it’ll make sense later in the build. 3rd Level Lore Bards can pick up 3 more Skills. Sleight of Hand, Nature, and Survival would be my picks. You also get Cutting Words, letting you use your reaction whenever a creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, ability check, or damage roll to expend a Bardic Inspiration to subtract from the result. You can also learn 2nd Level Spells, and Pyrotechnics is a no-brainer, letting you either create a 10 foot wide explosion that forces Constitution saving throws on creatures within, blinding them on a failure for a turn, or crating a 20 foot wide cloud of smoke that heavily obscures the area.
Lastly, 3rd Level Bards get Expertise in 2 skills. Go for Persuasion and Performance.
4th Level Bards get another Ability Score Improvement. Bump your Charisma for better spells and more Bardic Inspiration. For your spell, take Shatter.
5th Level Bards get Font of Inspiration, meaning your Bardic Inspiration now recharges on a short rest as well, and it also upgrades from a d6 to a d8. You can also learn 3rd Level Spells. Leomund’s Tiny Hut is useful to help set up shop.
6th Level is why we took Lore Bard, as 6th Level Lore Bards get Additional Magical Secrets, letting you learn 2 Spells from any class. Take the Spells Flame Arrows and Fireball. For your other spell at this level, take Major Image.
Back to Fighter. 6th Level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement. Cap your Dexterity for the best shots.
7th Level Samurai are Elegant Courtiers, giving you proficiency in Wisdom Saving throws and a bonus to Charisma checks equal to your Wisdom modifier, but that last part is irrelevant since your Wisdom modifier is zero.
8th Level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement. Cap your Charisma for the most Bardic Inspiration and better spells.
9th Level Fighters get Indomitable, letting you reroll a failed saving throw once per long rest.
10th Level Samurais get Tireless Spirit, meaning when you roll initiative and have no uses of Fighting Spirit, you regain one use. The temporary hit points you gain from Fighting Spirit also increases to 10.
11th Level Fighters get another Extra Attack for 3 Attacks per round.
12th Level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. We’ll take the Magic Initiate Feat to grab 2 cantrips and a spell from the Sorcerer list. For your Cantrips, take Fire Bolt and Create Bonfire, and for your spell, take Chromatic Orb.
13th Level Fighters get another use of Indomitable.
Our capstone is the 14th Level of Fighter for one last Ability Score Improvement. We’ll actually bump up our Wisdom to benefit a bit more from Elegant Courtier.
Now that we’ve hit Level 20, let’s go over the strengths of this build. First, you deal solid damage at long range thanks to Sharpshooter and spells like Flame Arrows and Fireball. With a Longbow, Flame Arrows, Sharpshooter, and Action Surge for a Fireball, you can deal 3d8+11d6+45 damage in 1 round, or 105 average damage, with Fighting Spirit giving higher chances to crit. You’re also an excellent party face with a +18 to Persuasion and Performance, letting you put on a show and secure those customers. Lastly, you have some good low-level spells, Bardic Inspiration, Cutting Words, and a bunch of Skills for some nice utility.
For Weaknesses, unless you take a melee weapon backup, you’re gonna struggle at close range firing at disadvantage. You’re also vulnerable to Strength and Intelligence saving throws, meaning you can be easily tossed around and brainwashed. Lastly, Fire resistance and Evasion can render your Fire spells less than effective, and your Cutting Words won’t work if a creature is immune to Charm.

Once upon a time, there was a lonely guy named infinite_b0ner. He sat quietly in his room, contemplating the meaning of life. Why is life filled with so many mysteries? Do aliens exist? Why am I without any friends? That latter question made him stop... He turned his chair towards the window and looked out towards the distant lands. A long sigh left his breath as he saw the petals on the flowers slowly drift down, noting it as an imagery of his own life where the petals represent time cascading down a path of no return. Time was passing and he felt so goddamn lonely. No individual would look him into his eyes and say, "I love you, infinite_b0ner..." Instead they watch him with disgust. They look at his name and say "wtf are you?! Get away from me, weirdo." Mr. B0ner closed his eyes in the moment when those memories of judgement came rushing through his brain. Sort of like when the blood rushes to his... "NO! It's too early for that," he thought to himself. He murmured, "People consider me a dirty beast. I shall not think of such thoughts anymore. I've got to free myself from that identity." He stood by the window as the sun began to set, leaving his eyes closed as a smile slowly took over his sadness. “Nah, this name is too funny. I shouldn’t change myself for others. I shall wear my name proudly and the right individuals will come and accept me for who I am.” infinite_b0ner stood proudly in that moment before sitting back down at his computer to visit this subreddit. “It’s time to make a post and find an amazing, caring person to join me on my journey to be the best, like no one ever was.”
Now onto my info:

• A lonely, single 28 year old dude that apparently loves to write at times!
• I'm into making other people laugh, showing off my humorous side at times!
• A great listener who will spend the time getting to know you. I enjoy being there for others!
• You won't have to worry about me ghosting or lacking in the conversation department. I love to meet people and taking the time to really invest in others
• I also enjoy reading, gaming, exploring nature, working out, and... eating. What's your favorite food?
• I'm an overthinker in life, sadly. Heck, I'm overthinking this post and wondering if anyone will be interested! Overthinkers unite!

What I am crossing my fingers for:

• To meet a wonderful, understanding, respectful friend that is willing to invest effort into this and make it work
• Someone to smile and laugh with, and befriend for good!
• A respectful, caring individual that is here for the right reasons and isn't a magician in disguise who will disappear out of the blue

I think that's the gist of who I am and what I am searching for. Obviously, there is more about me that I can share, but I feel that I should reserve that for our conversation as we get to know each other more! So feel free to message me if you're interested. :)
Thank you for reading and I hope you have an amazing day!!

I’m at a crossroads right now, my head is telling me no but my heart is telling me yes. The story is a bit complicated so I will do my best to explain our relationship so you can understand the full picture.
I’ll start with the way we initially got together. We come from the same country ethnically, but I lived my whole life abroad. When I was 17 I met her in my home country while I was visiting for the summer. We only spent one day together at a family gathering, she was a friend of a friend. Well since that day we became good friends and we started texting for years. Eventually I felt romantic interest in her but she declined because she wasn’t interested at the time. This was 6-7 years ago. Since then we didn’t talk as much. Then about 3 years ago during the summer, I was visiting again and we crossed paths again. It had been like 4 years since we last talked. We had a great conversation and it was as if we never stopped talking. We had extremely good chemistry and we both felt a spark. After that I knew she had interest in me, we kept texting and she sent me a really long paragraph about how she caught feelings for me and she regrets rejecting me in the past, and how she would really love it if I gave her another chance to get to know each other romantically. I felt the same way about her so I decided to give it a shot. Keep in mind I only saw her in person that one time, I left back to my country after just two days. But we were both willing to do long distance because we were extremely attracted to each other and we saw a future together.
So our entire relationship was basically long distance, all of it was over the phone. But our relationship escalated very quickly, she told me it happened like it was straight out of a movie. Eventually she was telling me things like I’m the one and she wants to marry me and she’s never been this sure of anything in her entire life. I felt the same way. It was one of those things where “when you know you know”. I had already know her previously and her personality. We had a really deep bond together. It truly did feel like we were meant for each other. We always seem to find our way back to each other. Our entire relationship was basically perfect up until the end, we never had any fights, any arguments, any problems. She never did anything to make me jealous or angry, she’s is the most sweet kind and innocent girl. Anyways, we didn’t really have a plan to close the distance, but we were willing to stick it out until I could move to her. It would’ve taken 2-3 years. But of course we had to meet each other first and date in person. After a whole year of dating, we planned a trip together to Italy so we could finally spend time with each other for the first time. We waited a long time for this moment. I thought the trip went great and that it solidified our relationship, she told me she had a great time and that the chemistry was still there in person.
Well a few months after that trip, which was last January, she broke up with me. We lasted for almost two years. She basically said she couldn’t do the distance anymore even though she thought she could. And that she wasn’t able to see me only once a year, and keep saying “one day” without an actual plan. Which is completely understandable, I don’t blame her at all. It was probably doomed to fail because of that. But afterwards, I was so heartbroken by the breakup that I reacted very emotionally. I wrote her a long letter explaining my feelings and how I couldn’t understand why she would give up after all the promises. Now I completely understand, but at the time I didn’t because I was blinded by my own feelings. I kept pushing her and bothering her for more answers, and eventually she snapped at me. She said a lot of things that were hurtful and disrespectful. She said that she was forcing herself to be comfortable with me on the trip, that it wasn’t the type of comfort it should be with the one, she said that the distance wouldn’t have mattered if it was the right person (which contradicts her previous excuse about distance), she also said that she just didn’t love me anymore, and she didn’t want to settle for someone she has to learn to love, she wants to find a love that comes naturally to her. She also said that she might’ve just loved the idea of me because it felt different on the trip. And that if we had a base together, maybe it would’ve worked. But we never got to know each other physically, we got into a committed relationship for a year without ever seeing each other in person.
So basically, her initial reason was the distance, but after she snapped at me she said that it was because she didn’t love me and that I’m not the right person for her. Even though she believed with all her heart that I was the right person during the relationship. So maybe it was a combination of both reasons, I don’t know. Maybe the extreme distance led her to lose feelings and realize I’m not the right guy for her. Anyways, we ended it in January and we went no contact since then. Not a single text. I was extremely heartbroken for months and very hurt at the things she said to me. I couldn’t understand how she moved on so quickly and discarded me from her life. As if I never meant anything to her. We were planning our future together.
I just want to add that now 4 months after the breakup I completely understand her. I understand why she felt uncomfortable with me. We met each other for one day and then spent an entire year talking over the phone and got into a committed relationship. We never had the opportunity to get to know each other physically. In a normal relationship you would spend time together in person and THEN decide to commit. So over the course of a year we built up an idealized version of each other in our heads. When we met on the vacation, physically we were strangers. I’ll admit, I felt a bit uncomfortable too, and it felt a bit weird, but after a few days I did feel comfortable with her. I figured it was normal since we have to get used to each other. But I was willing to look past it because I loved her. And she is definitely the type of woman that needs to spend a long time with someone before feeling comfortable being intimate with them. Also, it was her first serious relationship and she’d never even had her first kiss before. She’s a very reserved and shy girl. Maybe I rushed things by trying to kiss her too soon, I should’ve went way slower and just focused on getting comfortable with each other. On top of all that, we were also in a strange environment that we’ve never been to before (Italy), with a person that is a stranger physically. Yes we talked for an entire year but physically we were strangers. We spent a year in a committed (digital) relationship, so by the time we met, there was all this expectation built up of how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to immediately behave as committed couples do. When in reality, what we probably should’ve done was get to know each other first. we should’ve probably just talked for a year without actually committing, and then decide if we want to be together after we actually meet. But since we both rushed into it, there was a lot of expectation. So overall it completely makes sense that we were uncomfortable because we never had a base to build off of.
Now it’s been about 4 months since the break up with no contact. A turn of events happened in my life and I ended up moving to my country this month, much sooner than I expected, for a work opportunity. It’s the same country where my ex lives. I wasn’t planning to move there for another 2-3 years, but it just so happened that I ended up moving back just 4 months after we broke up. As soon as I settled in, my ex reached out to me telling me that she heard I moved back to this country. We talked for a bit and we ended up meeting up so we could catch up with each other. She picked me up and we went for a drive, with no expectations to rekindle anything, just to have fun together. And we actually had an amazing time. A short drive turned into a whole day spent with her. We talked, we laughed, and I felt the same chemistry and spark that I felt when we first met. We hung out the next day, and the next day, then on the 4th day, she ended up telling me that she realized she still has feelings for me and wants to get back together. This time, it would be different because we are actually in the same country, there’s no more long distance.
I told her I needed to think about it, and now I’m here typing this. I don’t know if I should take her back or not, mainly because of the things she said to me during the break up. Yes, distance may have played a role in her losing feelings, and I give her the benefit of the doubt. But I can’t forget the things she said to me when she snapped. She told me HERSELF that she just didn’t love me, and that the distance wouldn’t have mattered with the right person. She made the decision to completely give up on me. She moved on so quickly and was completely fine without me in her life. When she broke up she had it in her mind that she wanted to find someone better. How can I forgive that? I tell myself, all of this happened because we could never be close, we never got to start the relationship the proper way. But I also tell myself, if she was the right person, would she have given up on me? I know that “the one” isn’t some magical feeling you only get with one person, and that circumstances sometimes cause relationships to not work out. But even under all these circumstances, maybe the right person would’ve stayed? Maybe the right person would’ve felt comfortable with me on the trip. I mean, a lot of you guys in this sub were nevermets, and there’s so many cases of people never meeting for years, and they still end up working out. Just because we now have a chance to be together now in close proximity, does that mean I should do it? Do I want someone that would only decide to love me if I am close to them? I don’t know if I am being reasonable by questioning these things. Maybe she is the right person but circumstances actually couldn’t let us be together until now. I can’t tell if I should say no because I should find someone that would stick with me through anything, I don’t even know if that person exists. I don’t know if anyone would be able to handle the relationship we had, so maybe it’s unfair to blame her for giving up on me.
I told her all these things and she gave me a huge apology and said she was wrong. She explained why she felt uncomfortable and why she felt like she lost feelings, and it was basically everything I explained before. But she said now she realized she was wrong and that she is comfortable with me and that she made a huge mistake. She said she confused her feelings and thought that I wasn’t the one when I actually was. I told her that she said she was settling for me. And she said she only said that because I made her mad so she snapped, I kept bothering her so she just wanted to push me away, and that she didn’t actually mean it. Now she wants to take everything back but I don’t know if I can believe her. She said she will do anything to prove to me that she’ll be loyal and that this time she will stay. She also said that she hasn’t dated anyone at all since we broke up, so there was no rebound or cheating involved. It was just because she felt like we wouldn’t work out in the long run.
But now, we’re close together, and we have an opportunity to start over and have a wonderful relationship together, the right way. And we had an amazing time together the last few days, we both have intense feelings for each other. I just don’t know if I should take her back after she gave up on me. Let’s say I did take her back, I would always be worried that she’ll do the same thing again. I would have to trust her again. I understand that the relationship was probably doomed to fail, but I never would’ve given up on her in a million years. Maybe women are wired differently. I honestly still have a lot of love for her, and I still want to be with her. But I don’t want to get hurt again. I’m thinking of just telling her let’s keep hanging out without any expectations and just see where it leads. But if I were to get back together with her I feel like I need proof that she won’t do the same thing again. But how would she prove it? Tell her to wait for me for a year? That doesn’t make sense but it’s the only thing I can think of. What do you think? Should I give it a chance or am I better off finding someone new?
TL;DR - I'm (24M) torn about getting back with my ex (22F). We had a long-distance relationship, but she broke up with me due to the distance and said some hurtful things. Now that I've moved back to our home country, we've reconnected, and she wants to try again. While the chemistry is still there, I'm unsure if I can trust her after she gave up on us once. Should I give it another shot or move on?

The Winds of Winter
Prologue
A storm was coming, but that was not part of the plan.
To the east, dark grey clouds and flashes of lightning were seen afar while thunder could be heard mumbling its rage in the distance. Here where they stood, fierce sea-chilled winds blew from the clear skies of the west. Two weather fronts were on course for a collision, and caught in between was a giant rock that mountains above the shoreline, a hard place. The old natural stonewalls of Casterly Rock were half bathed in gold from the even-falling sun, while the other hid in the shadow of the approaching storm. And soon enough, everything will be clouded in black.
The sound of the strong waves smacking into the face of the stony cliffs can be felt from a mile away, as it was no different from the ones crashing into the wooden hull of their galley. Above their rocking swanship, three tall wooden masts sported simple dark black sails, filled with winds from the west, speeding their eastern course towards the home of House Lannister, ready to hug the coastline tight, fast and dangerous.
The Summer Isle captain at the helm shouted his accented announcement, “Awww shittt! Everyone get yo shields and weapons ready. It’s about to go down! Adventurers and avengers, assemble up to the deck of Motherfunker. Be sharp and stay on yo toes! We’re running this so let’s go!”
“With me to the boats!” the legendary stern knight Ser Brynden Tully called out as his fighting men rallied at the starboard rear of their ship, emerging from the cabins below.
“We all chose to be here. If any man wants to back down now, then do so quickly. I would not die in that man’s company. We elected to do this task for honor and for justice. Some of us are here for vengeance and we may even chance to kill some of them. If so, you may enjoy your short moment of pleasure. But what I offer here is the IMMORTALITY of the songs and tales. And when it is all said & done as we return safely home, the singers will sing of this glorious day, our honorable deed, and their shame of a jape. And they will sing it from this day to the ending of the world, and we in it shall be remembered! We few, we brave few, we band of brothers. For he who shed blood with me today shall be my brother forever in song!”
A roar of cheer exploded in the air, loud and thunderous. As the ruckus died down, Lady Mormont proclaimed, “And a sister too!”
“Aye Maege,” said the Blackfish. “But we have always considered you as one of our brothers. Between your legs, your sacs are larger than most men, especially all the Lannister soldiers.”
“Well that is easy to say, all those Lannisters are a bunch of golden eunuchs!” Lady Mormont declared unlady like.
Laughter swept the deck.
The Summer Isle captain above shouted again and prayed, “Today is The Day, and the moment is upon us my friends. Thirty seconds until the drop zone lads! May the gods be with yo!”
On the starboard stern, three small rowboats hung out from the hull, hovering above the rough waves. Attached over the swanship’s parapet was a roped ladder, allowing the fighters to lower themselves down onto their watercrafts. Each one was designed to hold four pairs of oarsmen abreast, and a single coxswain to steer at the rear.
They were twenty good men and Maege. Each one scaled in black boiled leather armor, with a quiver of arrows slung on one back shoulder, and a Summer Isle goldenheart bow on the other. Most fighters had their own selection of close quarter combat weapons that sat on their belts while a round black-painted wooden shield rested at the center of their backs. They wore no sigils and smeared mud spots on their faces to mimic dark ghostly shadows for this stealthy task. They were lightly armored and had fewer weapons, as their goal required speed. If all goes to plan, they would not need any of them. They could accomplish this mission without a soul lost on either side. But this approaching storm was not part of the plan.
The Blackfish made one last heroic call on the deck of the Motherfunker, before he lowered himself on the ladder, “Come with me and take this song!”
Rico added to the cry, “Come on brothers! Do you want to live forever!?!”
They roared proudly again and began their descent as the Summer Isle crewmen assisted the Westerosi to the ropes, sharing firm ebony and ivory handshakes as they told them they will be back.
Ser Brynden Tully reached the rear rowboat LionsJape along with June, Jory, Jess, Fess, Ben and Benjen. Though it was the end boat, it will be the first to fly.
Aboard the middle boat WinterStorm was Lady Maege Mormont, and the other six oarsmen Phyl, Rico, Sam the Shredder, Ser Barnabus the Goose, Scrooge, and Queen Jeyne’s brother Ser Raynald Westerling.
Lord Galbart Glover commandeered the third boat BattleWolf, which hung closer to the center of the swanship. On it were the younger men Donal, Mikkal, Raff, Leo, and Alesander, all merely teenagers.
As he watched from above, Ser Olyvar Frey thought they were little dark turtles crawling down the ladders with their black shields slung on their backs. As the last turtle, Olyvar hugged & kissed his sister Roslin, and then their brother Perwyn. Ser Perwyn Frey was Lady Tully’s sworn shield, charged with her life’s protection, and her unborn child’s too. Though they were all Frey as family, Rosby blood thorns in their veins as well. We were all just sweet Roses By another name, a horrible name.
Olyvar descended. Alesander Frey was waiting for him adjacent to an empty seat on the boat. He was Olyvar’s nephew, but because they were of a similar age, Alesander felt more like a cousin to him, a cousin that felt more like a brother. He wondered what their mothers would have thought if they saw them there now. As Olyvar sat, he stretched his arms wide at the starboard-bow of BattleWolf and the brothers both grabbed an oar each. Alesander sang and japed, “Are you ready to fly this boat to the moon somehow?”
“Nothing is impossible!” Olyvar smiled.
Ser Olyvar Frey never thought he would be on this boat, absorbing the wrath of the big blue watery roads, rocking BattleWolf as it clung to Motherfunker. But his new knightly confidence was so high he could roar at the Drowned God to look at him and tell him to piss off. But he knew better and kept his silence. With his Frey luck, he believed his corpse would be bedding with mermaids down under the sea if he ever cursed the Drowned God aloud.
The owner of the swanship Motherfunker was an exiled prince of the Summer Isles, a big man with a short black beard, shiny bald head and a dark patch over his left eye that he can’t see through. He was Captain Samullu Jaqenssen, but notoriously called the Black Sparrow … though Olyvar had never heard of him until recently. He and his crew were the only sailors that would assist them in their cause, hypnotized to be a part of their upcoming famous Westerosi song. He was to help navigate his galley at high speeds hugging the rocky coast of the Westerlands. With the three rowboats hung to the side of Motherfunker, it would be hard for the sentries on top of the Rock to spot from above. The Motherfunker stayed far away from the coastline to only emerge near their objective at the time of attack. With a single swanship with plain black sails, the Black Sparrow hoped that the Lannister watchmen would pay them no mind as a regular trading galley on its way to Lannisport or wherever, instead of a vessel for an amphibious assault on their castle. And the stronger the winds and the faster the ship, the window of time to be exposed was much shorter. “They had the need for speed, and the speed needed the wind,” Goose had said the night before. The gods have blessed them with strong winds now. They were to come with the sun setting at their backs in the west, blinding any coastal lookout. Because they were cursed with this approaching storm, the plan changed and they had to depart earlier. Olyvar prayed that this would not compromise the mission. Only time will tell.
Racing onto the storm and nearing the rising cliffs, the Captain spun his ship quickly to a southern course and gave the crewmen the signal to dismount. “Ahhhhhhhhh-ah Ahhhhhhhh-ah!”
“Get ready to push!” the Blackfish commanded.
Each oarsman pressed the tip of their long wooden stick onto the hull of the galley, ready to push off. The Summer Isle crewmen began severing the connections of the mothership and its three rowboats. Single-handed axes swung as LionsJape pushed itself off, the first of three. The rowboat plummeted and the waters swallowed it before spitting it back out just as quick. After allowing itself to lose in Motherfunker’s wake, the oarsmen redirected the bow towards the rocks at the Blackfish’s orders.
The WinterStorm followed right after with Lady Maege’s commands, “Push lads! Push! Push!” as it dropped.
Now it was BattleWolf’s turn. “Gods damn it, I’m too old for this shit,” Lord Glover said as he raised a gloved hand and swung it down, giving the signal to cut. At the main deck, the crewmen swung their axes, gleaming gold in the western sunlight as the oarsmen pushed off. For a heartbeat, the fall had taken Olyvar’s breath away as Lord Glover’s BattleWolf floated in the air. Are we flying? Are we on a dragon? His rowboat slammed into the water, splashing chilled wet droplets inside the boat and out. His hair of short black curls flew and fell, dampening at the plunge. The collision almost knocked Olyvar and the men overboard, but they hung on. The Motherfunker left them with a white salty wake as it headed south. Lord Glover then commanded the starboard men to pull their oars, aiming towards WinterStorm. Olyvar pulled. Once aligned, both sides of BattleWolf began to rev hard. The men were howling and roaring with each tension, trying to evade this dangerous zone of being spotted.
Since the Red Wedding and the death of his beloved King, Robb Stark, Olyvar could not sleep. Grief, anger, vengeance, insomnia and drowsiness took him over the days and nights that felt like half-dreams. But the crashing kiss of the water dive had re-woken Olyvar in shock, as he realized what they were about to do was no fantasy he had ever known. Nothing can stop us now, this is really happening. His heart was pounding to the rhythm of the oars and he wanted to scream his battle cry. He could still hear Jaqenssen the Black Sparrow sounding his siren “Ahhhhhhhh-ah Ahhhhhhh-ah!”
We are brothers loyal to the King in the North, the land of ice and snow. We serve Riverrun and Winterfell, where the hot springs flow. And now the divine winds of the gods had driven our mothership to the Westerlands. To fight for honor, the North will sing and the West will cry. Casterly Rock … Winter is Coming! On we sweep with threshing oars, our only goal will be the western shore!
As Olyvar’s oar rose and fell, he looked up to the windows of Casterly Rock’s tall stony towers, searching for the signaling candle light. But it could not be seen this early. Only when the sun was fully set as planned, this candle would replace it as the guiding light. They rowed by rocks and rocks and more rocks. Seagulls flew in spheres above them, chasing one another. The sun still hung in the air, slowly falling to splash onto the western horizon of the Sunset Sea. They then rowed by a courtyard that just floated on the earth forty feet above the sea’s surface. Suddenly on the other side of their boat, they eyed a whale skimming off the glimmering golden ocean. The boys of the vulnerable BattleWolf did not say a word as the monstrous water-beast swam the opposite direction just twenty yards away from them, paying them no mind. It was a good thing I did not curse the Drowned God as I was going to earlier.
Olyvar, Alesander, Leo, Mikkal, Raff and Donal were seated on Galbart Glover’s rowboat, rowing to Galbart Glover’s commands, “Row! Row! Row your boats you son o’ whores!” and taking in Galbart Glover’s cold stare as he eyed the two Freys specifically when he said it. Olyvar’s arms began to tire, but this was not the place to show weakness to his brothers. So he pulled on while keeping their rowboat as close to the stony walls as possible to avoid detection from above.
They trailed the Lady Bear while following the Blackfish. Soon after, Ser Brynden Tully had found his mark and grounded LionsJape onto a small beach. His men exited, flipped the rowboat above them and dashed forty yards straight toward the rocky edge, where a small barred cave was fitted at the base. Underneath the rusted iron, a thin valley of brown watery slush stank & trickled into the sand & sea. Everyone knew what that was when they agreed to participate in the assault. The Blackfish was told back at Riverrun about a sewer path inside Casterly Rock that allowed all the shit and piss to drain out to the ocean. This tiny hole by the foot of the mountain was all and everything for the mission.
When the sprinting men reached the end with their boat, they dropped it at the skirt and pressed themselves against the wall. The façade was conveniently arched outwards as it ascended, making it difficult to be sighted from above. With the waves muffling the noise of speech, any of them can speak freely outside at sea level. From the cliffs above, their human conversations below would only sound like ghostly whispers. No casual listener should be alerted to such. But hearing and seeing are different things, and they must not be seen.
WinterStorm and BattleWolf soon followed. As Olyvar departed BattleWolf, he cringed at the soreness of his arms that the work had left him. His arms will have to ache again as his squad lifted the rowboat above their heads. They stormed towards the barred entrance, with bow and quiver slung on each shoulder, a turtle shell shield at the center of his back. While the others carried shorter lighter personal weapons, Olyvar was equipped with a longsword that once belonged to his King, Robb Stark.
They dropped off BattleWolf when they reached the wall, waiting for a way in. Ten brothers on one side of the cave, and eleven on the other. The closest ones to the door had their small axes and weapons drawn along with their shields, while the further ones notched an arrow onto their bow. Olyvar had his Summer Isle goldenheart bow ready. The entrance was small, the same size as their black shields, guarding the realm of Casterly Rock, and they continued to wait.
This thunderstorm was coming, and it was not part of the plan. It was the Blackfish’s decision to leave Motherfunker earlier before the storm surges would flood the sewers of Casterly Rock. Their forty yard dash from the beach to the gate may be twenty yards if they arrived an hour later … and there may be no more exit by the time they escape back. But Stark loyalists hidden in the woods outside of the castle were told of executing this assault at the exact evenfall of Queen Jeyne Stark’s arrival to Casterly Rock. The Lannister soldier escorts would be exhausted from their march and acquired a false sense of security when they reached the safe comforts of the castle. The Stark land forces led by Lord Gawen Westerling would create a mummer’s farce with trumpets and drums, sending the weary Lannisters to one side, as the Blackfish himself attacked the other from the sea. Evenfall of this day was the golden time to do this, but they arrived an hour too early. With the storm, Olyvar prayed that everyone else would adjust to the plan. He wondered if Lord Westerling would account for the storm surges. But it makes no difference now. They were here, and they cannot turn back.
Suddenly the rusted iron of the barred cave unlocked and swung open, creaking like a loud squealing rat. Emerged was a crouching older man with a short gray beard and a jaw squared like a mason spice jar. “Welcome to the Rock!” Ser Rolph Spicer declared.
Ser Brynden greeted him with a hug, “I’m so glad you came early, we would be sleeping with the fishes if you were late.”
“It was Edmure’s idea to leave early, he said the storm would flood the sewers, and we prayed you would come sooner too.”
“Like that damn Mill again, Edmure acting prematurely? That boy will never learn! Thank the Gods!”
They both chuckled and began entering through the gate. The others soon followed, ducking into the small hole and into the darkness.
Once inside the caves of Casterly Rock, Ser Rolph grabbed his torchlight and lifted it to the air, showing the brothers the vastness. The lobby was an open abyss where the ceiling was fifty feet high. The walls had multiple rocky openings naturally carved in, small and large. Some were wide enough to walk through. Inside were all shadows, saved the areas illuminated by golden sunlight spying in through each seldom hole or fissure. Where the flames can brighten, hard brown rocks glowed and flickered, as well as old metal tracks, mining carts, abandoned tools, ladders, rusty chains and the occasional plant roots that brewed in the darkness of the caves. The smell reeked. Olyvar was sure there would be no real gold here as it was probably mined out over the centuries. Only shit shits down here in the sewers and caves of Lord Tywin Lannister’s home, not gold, Olyvar thought. This was where Lann the Clever started his legend, swindling the Casterly residents out of the castle, cheating them. It was their turn now to write history, these archers from the sea facing off with their own modern Casterly ploy … accomplishing it without being seen, doing it as faceless warriors.
They followed Ser Rolph and his torchlight in single file, going deeper up into the caves, fitting in burrowed hallways that barely fit them, pursuing his decisions at each fork in the paths, squishing their feet on sluggish wet slopes and steps. The very first entrance they encountered required them to descend a few yards before climbing up the rest of the way. It was hundreds of feet in elevation that they must ascend to. At times, the way was lit well enough. But at other instants, the darkness blinds them, only facing the brother in front of them for their flight. I have promises to keep. And steps to go before I sleep. And steps to go before I sleep.
“By now the guards at the top of the Rock should be asleep after I spiced up their ale,” Ser Rolph Spicer said with a cheeky smile. “Before my sister Sybell married into House Westerling, I explored these parts of Casterly Rock in my youth as a smuggler, going up and down many times. Your legs will tire, no doubt about that. But you lads are years younger than I, and I better hear no complaints unless I am the first one to make it.”
“I’ll do my best,” young Leo announced for himself.
“Your best?” Ser Spicer questioned. “Losers whine about their best. Winners rescue crowned queens.”
“Lady Jeyne Westerling-Stark is THE crowned Queen,” Leo replied.
“Is that so?” Ser Rolph gave Leo a sarcastic look with a raised eyebrow, before continuing up the steps inside the Rock.
“I’ll decide the turns and I’ll establish the security checkpoints. There, we can rest for a moment. A few of you will be left there to guard the area as the others will continue to ascend. Those few will wait until we fall back. But remember, the journey down is far less exhausting. For now, let’s go up and up. Ser Olyvar Frey, would you take the honor of watching our rear?”
Ser Olyvar Frey. The name was still queer to him. As much as he liked the ‘Ser’ in his name, he would like to rid the “Frey” in the surname. He had been the most loyal squire a king could have asked for. He would have stayed with King Robb Stark to the end of the world, but his own blood tore that away from him. Olyvar was not blind though. His young king had made grave mistakes, more than Olyvar wanted to count. As much as he would have favored his sister Roslin to marry him, Olyvar knew you cannot choose the people you love. And Robb genuinely loved another, he hoped. Jeyne Westerling was just as sweet as Roslin. Olyvar would have stayed at Robb’s side as his brother-in-law, or some uncle-in-law by Lord Edmure Tully. Though by choosing Jeyne, it slighted Olyvar’s father Lord Walder Frey. But Seven Hells father, did you have to murder him? At my sister’s wedding feast? Under your own roof? Under my roof? Robb Stark was my king. He was brave and good, and Olyvar Frey loved him. And his soul was tortured in sleepless days and nights, knowing he shared the same blood as the murderers … knowing he could have stopped it if it was not for impulse. You are an honorable fool Olyvar. His father had told him of the treacherous plan the day before, but Olyvar cursed it aloud, defending Robb as it was still his duty. You should’ve been smart and played stupid with father. You could have informed Robb while you were still free, breaking this bad dream. Olyvar shouldn’t have tried to bargain with his father. He should have known he made up his mind a long while ago. Olyvar was imprisoned in the dungeons of the Twins during the Red Wedding. The gaolers were japing at him, “Go ahead, do your duty. Save your king!”
My king. The sad memories faded into blurred flashbacks.

No sharing this post please.
Hello everyone! As the title says my MIL wants to visit. My LO (toddler) has a birthday coming up and she asked to give a present in person. Sounds normal, right? Ofc there's more to it. Mainly venting and background below, but I do need help with a reply to my MIL at the end if you'd like to skip.
Background: I've known my MIL for nearly 10 years. She has put in low effort to get to know me for the first 8 years and it's become even more strained in the last 2 years because I feel she thinks having a grandchild means she can do whatever she wants as a grandma. Yes, distance has played a role in some ways, but our relationship is strained due to toxic behavior. She idolizes her only son, and has made subtle and not so subtle actions and comments to make it known that I'm not as important as her children (I should also note that I'm the only DIL, and none of her other children have dated anyone for years. We are also the only ones to have a child/pregnant.) Some examples, one Christmas she gave me a mug with photos of DH's face all cut out on it and asked him while giggling "Son, what do you think of the gift for DIL? Don't you just hate me?!" She never asked me if I liked it or tried to see what I may like. Another time she opened my mail addressed to me in my name, and claimed she opened it because she thought it was a gift receipt for a gift she sent me (she never sent me a gift, still waiting for it lol). When I called her out on this it lead to a conversation that she wants to be closer but I'm not a daughter or friend, so she doesn't know what relationship to have. She could've started by wishing me a happy mother's day to the mother of her only grandchild, but that would be silly of her! So I know she has no intentions of having a relationship with me. I'm just purely access to her grandchild.
Many of her comments are usually backhanded or mixed in with normal conversations, where I don't realize in the moment how hurtful they are until I take time to process afterwards after feeling off put by them, so in the past I've had a hard time standing up for myself in the moment. They were also the type of comments my DH couldn't see at first as hurtful and could easily give her an excuse for ("oh she didn't mean it like that,...she meant it this way..."). Now it's much better with DH seeing his parents (FIL is even worse, he rated me a 5/10 because he doesn't know who I am as a person after 10 years) actions as hurtful and he's working on standing up more, even though it is hard for him because he's a non conflict personality/people pleaser.
Everything has changed once my first LO was born. I've found my backbone and DH has been a much bigger support. We live across the country from my in laws (which my FIL says all the time he doesn't want to live in the same city as his children) so I've only seen MIL about once a year since we moved back from abroad. FIL has never met my LO and has no desire to, but gets upset if we don't let MIL come visit when she wants to. She's the type of MIL that thinks because in the past she can visit her son or her other children whenever she wants to that she can do the same now (she's booked tickets to visit us before without asking/confirming dates to visit).
Since my LO was born, it is very obvious MIL is regretting or frustrated that she can't have the relationship she wants with my LO. I put my foot down a lot with her because to me, my LO won't grow up to see this is how you treat someone and consider it normal. He will learn that when people (even if they are related) are hurtful, you are allowed to set up boundaries to protect yourself and only allow healthy relationships. With this, I've set up more boundaries and MIL emotionally can't handle it, with my husband backing me up. She has thrown tantrums because she doesn't receive enough videos or photos of my LO or when she's not the first one to see them. For my LO's first birthday we asked for no gifts (we had a "virtual party" since everyone lives far away from us) and live in a small apartment. She sent several gifts with a note reading "sorry not sorry sent the gifts xx" and when we called her out on it she cried saying we are taking the joy away from her from being a grandparent. I've learned that no matter how much we explain or try to reason our side to her, she doesn't care and even uses that to weaponise my words against me. For example, when I explained to her why we can't just send photos on a whim to her because we have a lot going on and the difficulties with PPD etc, she told me "I'm so sorry you're struggling with parenthood. I can only sympathize a small portion when I was briefly a single mother for 2 years." 🙄
Currently: My MIL wants to visit. It's been over a year since she last visited. If it were totally up to me, I would say no 100%, but I do have my DH to think about and am allowing her to be here 1 day (I'm fine with DH spending another day with her, but LO and I will only see her 1 day), working around my LO's schedule. DH is completely on board and supportive. He even said I can say no, but I don't want him to resent me because we do plan on moving countries in the next few years where he will see them even less. I'm also due to give birth in a few months and will not be allowing visitors for a long period afterwards because it's only my husband and I, and I want to make sure I have a full recovery while taking care of 2 kids under 3 without dealing with toxic inlaws. So I figured let's get this visit over with now, as long as things are on my terms.
So I would like help with my reply to make it firm but also gets the point across. I have a tendency to ramble (overthinking and being a conditioned people pleaser doesn't help) and these days I just don't care about being nice anymore lol, so if it needs to be nicer let me know. TIA from an exhausted pregnant momma ❤️
"Hi MIL. If you'd like to visit we are free -date- before I enter my 3rd trimester. LO and I need to get flu shots, so pending on that and as long as everyone is healthy we can keep that date open. If you/FIL or anyone gets sick prior, we will have to cancel (I've had gastro 4x this pregnancy and my immune system is compromised). Will you and FIL be visiting or just you?"

So something that kind of clicked for me, especially after typing out my theory and my continued playthroughs, is the “house” after you complete all the sequences.
This further supports my (highly unlikely, but maybe not so crazy now that I think more about it) theory about her being in a simulation.
Specifically the possibility that Astra wants her to go through the simulation and essentially go through messed up exposure therapy and not be cleared to go on a solo deep space expedition mission until Selene’s mind creates a “normal” planet. One clear and sound of things created and rooted from her psychological traumas and fears.
Potential evidence of this, is the house. After you finish all the house sequences, it’s just.. kind of a house. A rock house of the sorts. And when you compare it to the structures of the Sentients and the Severed, it’s not even remotely close to any of their structures. If anything, it’s some straight-up caveman shit. Nowhere else on Atropos do we see a building/structure quite like this one.
If Atropos in and of itself was completely real, and the house was an illusion, the structure left behind should simply be gone (and replaced by foliage or empty space), or one that resembles Sentient/Severed architecture (things we see plenty of in Derelict Citadel, or even the rest of B1/B4).
To me, this means Selene has processed that trauma, and safely tucked it away in long term memory, where it belongs. She has dealt with it, processed it, and it no longer eats away at her. (If you are familiar with EMDR therapy, I’m describing that concept. If you’re not, think of the movie Inside Out lol.)
Another detail I recently noticed was a bunch of Sentient statues with their stomachs missing. I haven’t paid too much attention in other biomes, but I’ve seen a lot in B3 particularly. In the Tower of Sisyphus, we pick up a scout log that with almost total certainty talks about Selene getting an abortion. It seems that she does this so she can join Astra and have zero obligations holding her back (and that the pregnancy was an accident).
I wonder if there is some deeply rooted subconscious guilt, and that’s where those statues with the stomachs missing stem from.
Anyways, thanks again for reading another story rant. Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas, too! Link to my original theory in the second paragraph. :)

I recently graduated from college and with all the time I have to myself, I thought I could reach out to others on here in hopes of making friends. I've been going to the gym and really started to take working out more seriously, on top of just getting to take better care of myself, getting to focus on things I enjoy besides my relentless pursuit of finding my next job. Apart from that, my main hobbies include: gaming, drawing, roleplaying, walking, and buying new clothes to try on which also technically ties into another hobby of mine, cosplaying.
In terms of games, I mainly play single player games such as the Dark Souls series, Elden Ring, Sekiro, and Hollow Knight. I also built a PC not too long ago and have started playing Overwatch again. Also started playing League of Legends and Valorant, but am not good at either of those games. I've also played Stardew Valley, Tekken 8, Devil May Cry 5, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Have not gotten the chance to play the original nor FF7 Rebirth, trying to save for a PS5 as we speak. I also love Honkai: Star Rail.
Regarding my other hobbies, I've been trying my best to get back into drawing, it's difficult but I'm managing after such a long break. I mainly draw anime-style drawings and love creating OCs and writing stories when I actually get a chance to chill. I also like cosplaying and just trying new things to give me ideas for characters through putting together outfits that I plan to try on.
I'm very open minded and all I ask is that you not be weird or a creep, cause I can admit I've had less than favorable and very uncomfortable interactions with people on here. So, I hope you reach out and maybe things lead to a beautiful & blossoming friendship we can both cherish.

I’m at a crossroads right now, my head is telling me no but my heart is telling me yes. The story is a bit complicated so I will do my best to explain our relationship so you can understand the full picture.
I’ll start with the way we initially got together. We come from the same country ethnically, but I lived my whole life abroad. When I was 17 I met her in my home country while I was visiting for the summer. We only spent one day together at a family gathering, she was a friend of a friend. Well since that day we became good friends and we started texting for years. Eventually I felt romantic interest in her but she declined because she wasn’t interested at the time. This was 6-7 years ago. Since then we didn’t talk as much. Then about 3 years ago during the summer, I was visiting again and we crossed paths again. It had been like 4 years since we last talked. We had a great conversation and it was as if we never stopped talking. We had extremely good chemistry and we both felt a spark. After that I knew she had interest in me, we kept texting and she sent me a really long paragraph about how she caught feelings for me and she regrets rejecting me in the past, and how she would really love it if I gave her another chance to get to know each other romantically. I felt the same way about her so I decided to give it a shot. Keep in mind I only saw her in person that one time, I left back to my country after just two days. But we were both willing to do long distance because we were extremely attracted to each other and we saw a future together.
So our entire relationship was basically long distance, all of it was over the phone. But our relationship escalated very quickly, she told me it happened like it was straight out of a movie. Eventually she was telling me things like I’m the one and she wants to marry me and she’s never been this sure of anything in her entire life. I felt the same way. It was one of those things where “when you know you know”. I had already know her previously and her personality. We had a really deep bond together. It truly did feel like we were meant for each other. We always seem to find our way back to each other. Our entire relationship was basically perfect up until the end, we never had any fights, any arguments, any problems. She never did anything to make me jealous or angry, she’s is the most sweet kind and innocent girl. Anyways, we didn’t really have a plan to close the distance, but we were willing to stick it out until I could move to her. It would’ve taken 2-3 years. But of course we had to meet each other first and date in person. After a whole year of dating, we planned a trip together to Italy so we could finally spend time with each other for the first time. We waited a long time for this moment. I thought the trip went great and that it solidified our relationship, she told me she had a great time and that the chemistry was still there in person.
Well a few months after that trip, which was last January, she broke up with me. We lasted for almost two years. She basically said she couldn’t do the distance anymore even though she thought she could. And that she wasn’t able to see me only once a year, and keep saying “one day” without an actual plan. Which is completely understandable, I don’t blame her at all. It was probably doomed to fail because of that. But afterwards, I was so heartbroken by the breakup that I reacted very emotionally. I wrote her a long letter explaining my feelings and how I couldn’t understand why she would give up after all the promises. Now I completely understand, but at the time I didn’t because I was blinded by my own feelings. I kept pushing her and bothering her for more answers, and eventually she snapped at me. She said a lot of things that were hurtful and disrespectful. She said that she was forcing herself to be comfortable with me on the trip, that it wasn’t the type of comfort it should be with the one, she said that the distance wouldn’t have mattered if it was the right person (which contradicts her previous excuse about distance), she also said that she just didn’t love me anymore, and she didn’t want to settle for someone she has to learn to love, she wants to find a love that comes naturally to her. She also said that she might’ve just loved the idea of me because it felt different on the trip. And that if we had a base together, maybe it would’ve worked. But we never got to know each other physically, we got into a committed relationship for a year without ever seeing each other in person.
So basically, her initial reason was the distance, but after she snapped at me she said that it was because she didn’t love me and that I’m not the right person for her. Even though she believed with all her heart that I was the right person during the relationship. So maybe it was a combination of both reasons, I don’t know. Maybe the extreme distance led her to lose feelings and realize I’m not the right guy for her. Anyways, we ended it in January and we went no contact since then. Not a single text. I was extremely heartbroken for months and very hurt at the things she said to me. I couldn’t understand how she moved on so quickly and discarded me from her life. As if I never meant anything to her. We were planning our future together.
I just want to add that now 4 months after the breakup I completely understand her. I understand why she felt uncomfortable with me. We met each other for one day and then spent an entire year talking over the phone and got into a committed relationship. We never had the opportunity to get to know each other physically. In a normal relationship you would spend time together in person and THEN decide to commit. So over the course of a year we built up an idealized version of each other in our heads. When we met on the vacation, physically we were strangers. I’ll admit, I felt a bit uncomfortable too, and it felt a bit weird, but after a few days I did feel comfortable with her. I figured it was normal since we have to get used to each other. But I was willing to look past it because I loved her. And she is definitely the type of woman that needs to spend a long time with someone before feeling comfortable being intimate with them. Also, it was her first serious relationship and she’d never even had her first kiss before. She’s a very reserved and shy girl. Maybe I rushed things by trying to kiss her too soon, I should’ve went way slower and just focused on getting comfortable with each other. On top of all that, we were also in a strange environment that we’ve never been to before (Italy), with a person that is a stranger physically. Yes we talked for an entire year but physically we were strangers. We spent a year in a committed (digital) relationship, so by the time we met, there was all this expectation built up of how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to immediately behave as committed couples do. When in reality, what we probably should’ve done was get to know each other first. we should’ve probably just talked for a year without actually committing, and then decide if we want to be together after we actually meet. But since we both rushed into it, there was a lot of expectation. So overall it completely makes sense that we were uncomfortable because we never had a base to build off of.
Now it’s been about 4 months since the break up with no contact. A turn of events happened in my life and I ended up moving to my country this month, much sooner than I expected, for a work opportunity. It’s the same country where my ex lives. I wasn’t planning to move there for another 2-3 years, but it just so happened that I ended up moving back just 4 months after we broke up. As soon as I settled in, my ex reached out to me telling me that she heard I moved back to this country. We talked for a bit and we ended up meeting up so we could catch up with each other. She picked me up and we went for a drive, with no expectations to rekindle anything, just to have fun together. And we actually had an amazing time. A short drive turned into a whole day spent with her. We talked, we laughed, and I felt the same chemistry and spark that I felt when we first met. We hung out the next day, and the next day, then on the 4th day, she ended up telling me that she realized she still has feelings for me and wants to get back together. This time, it would be different because we are actually in the same country, there’s no more long distance.
I told her I needed to think about it, and now I’m here typing this. I don’t know if I should take her back or not, mainly because of the things she said to me during the break up. Yes, distance may have played a role in her losing feelings, and I give her the benefit of the doubt. But I can’t forget the things she said to me when she snapped. She told me HERSELF that she just didn’t love me, and that the distance wouldn’t have mattered with the right person. She made the decision to completely give up on me. She moved on so quickly and was completely fine without me in her life. When she broke up she had it in her mind that she wanted to find someone better. How can I forgive that? I tell myself, all of this happened because we could never be close, we never got to start the relationship the proper way. But I also tell myself, if she was the right person, would she have given up on me? I know that “the one” isn’t some magical feeling you only get with one person, and that circumstances sometimes cause relationships to not work out. But even under all these circumstances, maybe the right person would’ve stayed? Maybe the right person would’ve felt comfortable with me on the trip. I mean, a lot of you guys in this sub were nevermets, and there’s so many cases of people never meeting for years, and they still end up working out. Just because we now have a chance to be together now in close proximity, does that mean I should do it? Do I want someone that would only decide to love me if I am close to them? I don’t know if I am being reasonable by questioning these things. Maybe she is the right person but circumstances actually couldn’t let us be together until now. I can’t tell if I should say no because I should find someone that would stick with me through anything, I don’t even know if that person exists. I don’t know if anyone would be able to handle the relationship we had, so maybe it’s unfair to blame her for giving up on me.
I told her all these things and she gave me a huge apology and said she was wrong. She explained why she felt uncomfortable and why she felt like she lost feelings, and it was basically everything I explained before. But she said now she realized she was wrong and that she is comfortable with me and that she made a huge mistake. She said she confused her feelings and thought that I wasn’t the one when I actually was. I told her that she said she was settling for me. And she said she only said that because I made her mad so she snapped, I kept bothering her so she just wanted to push me away, and that she didn’t actually mean it. Now she wants to take everything back but I don’t know if I can believe her. She said she will do anything to prove to me that she’ll be loyal and that this time she will stay. She also said that she hasn’t dated anyone at all since we broke up, so there was no rebound or cheating involved. It was just because she felt like we wouldn’t work out in the long run.
But now, we’re close together, and we have an opportunity to start over and have a wonderful relationship together, the right way. And we had an amazing time together the last few days, we both have intense feelings for each other. I just don’t know if I should take her back after she gave up on me. Let’s say I did take her back, I would always be worried that she’ll do the same thing again. I would have to trust her again. I understand that the relationship was probably doomed to fail, but I never would’ve given up on her in a million years. Maybe women are wired differently. I honestly still have a lot of love for her, and I still want to be with her. But I don’t want to get hurt again. I’m thinking of just telling her let’s keep hanging out without any expectations and just see where it leads. But if I were to get back together with her I feel like I need proof that she won’t do the same thing again. But how would she prove it? Tell her to wait for me for a year? That doesn’t make sense but it’s the only thing I can think of. What do you think? Should I give it a chance or am I better off finding someone new?
TL;DR - I'm (24M) torn about getting back with my ex (22F). We had a long-distance relationship, but she broke up with me due to the distance and said some hurtful things. Now that I've moved back to our home country, we've reconnected, and she wants to try again. While the chemistry is still there, I'm unsure if I can trust her after she gave up on us once. Should I give it another shot or move on?

Ganja Clade is recruiting. Rad Dads are needed to steal reagents from overstretched null bears.
Lowsec PVP group with Shadow Cartel. USTZ as main Corp timezone, alliance runs through EUTZ as well.
Clade is comprised mainly of 30yo+ Dads and dudes that like to hang out on discord while gaming. For PVP content we currently do fleet based objectives like blops hunting and structure fights during the week, while also mixing in small gang content on Friday/Saturday nights when time zones are less of a hindrance. Starting !!Next week!! We plan to chase the new content and raid skyhooks to establish our own metenox empire. If you meet our reqs, but have a close friend who is not there yet, we gladly take vouches. Small gang tackle is always desirable.
Our motto is "farm it during the week to whelp it on the weekend." To help fill your wallet for doctrine ships and the small gang whelps, Clade has a sister Indy Corp suitable for manufacturing and general crabbing activities. This non-wardec Indy Corp has an expansive bpo library, r4 moons for super casual mining, and dudes who will be that extra frigate or destroyer when you're running some abyssals. If you're new to manufacturing, our Indy vets can help ease you into the complex world of T2 and capital production.
While EVE is what brought us together, we also frequently play other new and old games during quiet times in-between fleets and ops. That includes valheim, vrising, helldivers, AoE2, Dota, and others.
Other Things We offer:

• Low cost Corp jump freighters to meet your ship needs
• Standard Corp stuff (discord, TS3, pings, etc)
• High level knowledge (AT pilots, PG(rip) pilots, krabber supremes, industrial overlords)

Minimum Reqs:

• Working mic (TS3/Discord)
• 18yo+
• Omega accounts
• Auth (alliance level)
• At least one night of Eve per week
• No hard SP req, but must be able to fly some of our doctrines (blops, t3c, bomber, logi)
• Bonus points for dread alt or dread alt in training
• Bonus points for useful Alts (cyno, dictor, etc)

Discord
Zkill

Hi y’all! My name’s Lia and I’m on the search for some internet besties! I’m diagnosed with high functioning autism which makes socializing a little difficult in the real world. However I am a yapper with no one to yap to. It gets lonely yapping to yourself after awhile and I’m hoping to change that! Let me tell y’all a little more about me…
My hobbies are drawing, writing, fashion, and the outdoors! I’ve been drawing and writing ever since childhood and I mainly focus on portraiture art. Writing wise, I focus on a lot of horror and romance plot. Fanfiction is where I (unfortunately) shine. Fashion is another hobby I’ve enjoyed for years, specifically J-fashion. I have no real set “style”, it depends on the day and how I’m feeling. One day I could be wearing pink with bows in my hair and the next day I’m in all black looking like I stepped out of an early 2000s Hot Topic. Most days I’m dressed for the outdoors. I love nature and you can often catch me hiking or just enjoying the scenery. My career is also outdoors based as I work in the parks and recreation industry. If you want to share nature pics then I’m your girl! I’m always down to exchange photos of outdoor adventures.
Some media I adore are music, movies, and books. I tend to listen to all genres of music, but my favorites are Kpop, Jpop, and EDM. I’m a huge girl group stan when it comes to Kpop. Twice is my ult group <3 Anyways, I’m a horror movie buff and love anything horror. My favorite movies of all time are the Saw movies. They’re not the best movies ever made, but they hold a special place in my heart. I’m also an avid reader! I love reading crime novels along with horror (who could’ve seen that coming?) Stephen King is my favorite writer. He’s a big inspiration for my own personal works!
This post was long and I hope at least someone read it. If you’re genuinely interested just send me a DM and I’ll give you my discord! If you don’t have discord, that’s okay too we’ll figure something out! Thank you for reading :3

In the hustle and bustle of downtown New York, amid the cacophonous symphony of taxi honks, pedestrian chatter and the near-constant hum of construction, I found myself in the midst of a conundrum. I was a fresh graduate with two job offers in my hands. The first was from a well-established, multinational corporation - a potential gateway to a steady, comfortable career. The second offer was from a small, yet ambitious startup - a roller coaster of a job with all its inherent risks and rewards.
I sought advice from every corner. My folks, bless their hearts, advised the safety of the multinational. My best friend, the eternal risk taker, was all for the startup. I started to lose sleep. Indecision gnawed at me, throwing me into a whirlpool of anxiety and confusion.
Then, one day, I stumbled upon a concept called 'Inversion'. I decided to use this valuable mental model to help me out. Instead of focusing on what to do, I shifted my focus on what NOT to do. I began picturing the worst-case scenarios for each decision. For the corporate job, I imagined myself stuck in a box, unsatisfied due to lack of innovation and challenges. For the startup, I envisaged myself jobless with the company going bust.
Suddenly, the decision wasn't as daunting as it seemed before. I realized that I was willing to risk potential job loss over the idea of having an unfulfilling job. Thus, I took the leap of faith and accepted the job at the startup. Fast forward a few years - here I am, content, challenged, and thoroughly satisfied.
It's funny how a simple twist in perspective changes everything, isn't it?
P.S. Now, before you go thinking I'm some Wall Street hotshot who rakes in millions, let me burst your bubble. This is a hypothetical scenario. But hey, isn't it a convincing way to illustrate how applying mental models like 'Inversion' can make seemingly intimidating decisions a bit more manageable?

Once upon a time, there was a lonely guy named infinite_b0ner. He sat quietly in his room, contemplating the meaning of life. Why is life filled with so many mysteries? Do aliens exist? Why am I without any friends? That latter question made him stop... He turned his chair towards the window and looked out towards the distant lands. A long sigh left his breath as he saw the petals on the flowers slowly drift down, noting it as an imagery of his own life where the petals represent time cascading down a path of no return. Time was passing and he felt so goddamn lonely. No individual would look him into his eyes and say, "I love you, infinite_b0ner..." Instead they watch him with disgust. They look at his name and say "wtf are you?! Get away from me, weirdo." Mr. B0ner closed his eyes in the moment when those memories of judgement came rushing through his brain. Sort of like when the blood rushes to his... "NO! It's too early for that," he thought to himself. He murmured, "People consider me a dirty beast. I shall not think of such thoughts anymore. I've got to free myself from that identity." He stood by the window as the sun began to set, leaving his eyes closed as a smile slowly took over his sadness. “Nah, this name is too funny. I shouldn’t change myself for others. I shall wear my name proudly and the right individuals will come and accept me for who I am.” infinite_b0ner stood proudly in that moment before sitting back down at his computer to visit this subreddit. “It’s time to make a post and find an amazing, caring person to join me on my journey to be the best, like no one ever was.”
Now onto my info:

• A lonely, single 28 year old dude that apparently loves to write at times!
• I'm into making other people laugh, showing off my humorous side at times!
• A great listener who will spend the time getting to know you. I enjoy being there for others!
• You won't have to worry about me ghosting or lacking in the conversation department. I love to meet people and taking the time to really invest in others
• I also enjoy reading, gaming, exploring nature, working out, and... eating. What's your favorite food?
• I'm an overthinker in life, sadly. Heck, I'm overthinking this post and wondering if anyone will be interested! Overthinkers unite!

What I am crossing my fingers for:

• To meet a wonderful, understanding, respectful friend that is willing to invest effort into this and make it work
• Someone to smile and laugh with, and befriend for good!
• A respectful, caring individual that is here for the right reasons and isn't a magician in disguise who will disappear out of the blue

I think that's the gist of who I am and what I am searching for. Obviously, there is more about me that I can share, but I feel that I should reserve that for our conversation as we get to know each other more! So feel free to message me if you're interested. :)
Thank you for reading and I hope you have an amazing day!!

Hey,
I'm a spaniard trying to get into Italian Futbol at the start of the new season. Reasons are multiple but I can break it down into:

1. I'm learning Italian because I have a lot of Italian friends.
2. Spaniards and Italians are basically brothers (at least how I feel it due to similarities in culture, etc.) so I feel that fan culture and similar wouldn't be that different and might even feel welcoming and better than Spanish.
3. I like your football history, tactics, talent, players, teams (in general) etc.
4. I'm planning on moving to Italy in the 2-3 years if possible.

I'd love it if you, as most I assume are Italians or have been following Serie A for awhile, could share the reason you support your team, what makes them so special to you, basic history, fans, how good the higher management is, etc. (I couldn't find a decent video explaining serie A teams currently for this).
About me, I'm a long time supporter of U.D. Las Palmas as they are my home team and I feel a special connection with them (partially because we generally bring up local players a lot and it's a small island, I can say that I grew up knowing some of the current players including Alberto Moleiro and Fabio Gonzalez, currently, while I also met Pedri and Jonathan Viera handful of times when he moved to our island to play and one of our club legends, Valeron, coached my team for 2 years back when I was in Futbol).
I've also followed Real Madrid due to it being my father's team and when I moved to the USA for a few years it was one of the easiest teams to follow as it was broadcasted more often (its my second team and I mostly support them when my team isn't in the same competition as them).
I'd love to follow a team that plays an interesting football and rich history (doesn't need to involve titles since I believe that history isn't just made by winning) and has some international exposure so that it's most likely to be broadcasted here in Spain (shouldn't be a problem with any team though).
Honestly, my only fear for deciding a club to follow is that they relegate to Serie B since its mostly impossible to continue watching their games if they aren't in the top flight.
P.D.: It's pretty likely that the team I start following from the responses here won't be the team from Italy I'll support in the long run but it would help me get to know most teams and choose which team to start watching as I will not have time to watch a lot of games due to work and other personal stuff, etc. Later on, as I know the teams and players better, I'll slowly become a fan of a team and try to follow them.
Edit: My only real world connections with Italy are some (not close) friends (mostly north Italy and Rome and they all support different teams), I have family that came from Napoli (15 years in Argentina, then to Spain [not claiming to be Italian or anything by any means]) and my best friend which is from Vicenza (she doesn't follow futbol at all).
Edit 2: If anyone knows a good article from the last few years that explains most teams I would also gladly read it. It would help me get to know more closely the teams instead of just basic Fifa knowledge of the team names, current players and how good they are in the game.

I’m a bit of an overthinker when it comes to gifts so I’ve written this to see what opinions people have.
So a friend of mine that I met at university (UK) got engaged recently, and he and his fiancée are having engagement drinks at a bar soon. A large group of us friends started off as course mates (mostly guys and I’m one of the few girls) and he invited us all by simply dropping a message on the groupchat open to everyone. I’m also one of those people who finds gifting guys so hard for the fear that they’d look at the gift as useless or they’d laugh, saying “why did you get a gift?” like I’m being extra. The main problem is some of us have never met his now-fiancee and I’m not super close to him either (we don’t talk deeply about our lives or anything but we all used to go on nights out at uni together and over the last 4 years since finishing uni about 20 of us course mates still meet up here and there when we can). Regardless of not being close friends, I’m genuinely so happy for them that I feel inclined to get a gift. I also don’t want to go empty handed.
An easy gift is one of those cards that have a real mini dried flower bouquet on it since it’s easier for them to receive at a party than a regular fresh flower bouquet and I’d get ‘congratulations on your engagement’ written on it. An alternative gift that is personal and a keepsake (rather than a generic throwaway gift), and despite never having met his fiancée I know she likes painting and art: a medium-small watercolour paint style print of one of their engagement photos. The watercolour idea I’m not sure whether they’d think it’d be a bit much coming from me so tell me: 1) have you ever received an engagement gift or any gift from a friend you’re not very close to and felt weird/uncomfortable about receiving a gift from them? 2) Am I overthinking the watercolour photo idea? Or is the dried flower bouquet card more appropriate?
Also they’ve not specified to not bring gifts or anything so that won’t be a problem.

Ni:
I think I understand how processes flow through time for history, current events, for people: the way causality is woven into events creating new events, etc... but I'm absolutely unable to do that for me. I'm totally at a loss when it's about seeing how a project should unwind over time, how the project can grow, and how to build some kind of growth timeframe: I need the result now. I'll eat more than I can chew, systematically. Waiting for time to "hatch" is just boring and foreign to me. I've always lost a LOT of time by being very impatient and mocking things up going too fast. On the other hand, I'm very aware of fate, glory, a sense of history and eternity and that it redeems our useless materialistic life down here. Something higher, some piece of immortality, greatness. And I aspire to it.
Ne:
I'm described as narrow-minded and stubborn about staying on the path I've chosen, not seeing alternatives. Just one way, one vision. I do see alternatives, I just don't care about them. I'm not really interested in random things/accessory things derailing me.
Si:
I have no taste whatsoever for stability or harmony. It's akin to the problem I have with Ni, my difficulty managing the stability of a process including me: I can't just let a process run stable and not touch it. I can't just chill and relax. I can't let go. In relationships I'm very quarrelsome. I'm neither calm or calming. I can't have peace or I need to switch things up so I can feel something. Just chilling on a beach is bland. Just having the same stable peaceful life is bland. I get bored and want something more. Making things harder. Chewing more than I can chew often, crashing, repeat. Like hurting your head against a wall. I feel rapidly If I'm sick of if something is wrong but it's like I don't feel when I'm doing too much or I feel it too late, like I can't adjust smoothly: like trying to adjust the accelerator and the cluch smoothly simultaneously, it's all go or all stop.
Se:
I can be quite forceful . I tend to see myself as some abtract will which just need to want something and force it to get it. "Yes I can. I just need to get serious about it". Like I'm able to go from 0 to 100 instantly and sustainably. I bite more than I can chew. I'm very territorial, but I won't invade your territory, just get off mine. If you get in mine I will push back strong, it can be you being physically here, it can be noise, it can be other things. I tend to see the world as a jungle with some polish on it, therefore I'm very protective of my loved ones. I tend to feel like I'm against the world. I value respect and I have my own brand of integrity but most people don't. I'm in favor or very extreme or radical solutions for many topics, coming back to ni and si I don't really understand gradual changes/evolutions. I have huge appetites. I practice boxing. I think you need to be strong both mentally and physically and that strength is an all-encompassing virtue: it's the core of most other things, strength (not necessarily physical, but as a person overall) rules everything and people try to hide that. Power relationships rule everything. I'm all or nothing. End justifies the means, but again, I have my own brand of integrity. I've always been able to orient myself well in immediate space (like playing catch etc...), but I'm not really seeking thrills or whatnot. I have big objectives, overly ambitious not really realistic.
Ti:
I systematize things, but coming back to the Si/Ni problem, I don't stay with a system very long. I tend to change it rapidly. I don't know why, on the moment I see a problem which makes me change it, but it can be just unconscious boredom. I want to get things uniformized. I'm good at seeing the internal coherence or lack thereof in speech, in systems. How one system influences another, like how the school system is influenced by the economy and how it influences every other systems in society, creating certain trends. I'm known for my strong logical prowess, in mathematics, in debates etc... I always have the last word.I'm "always right". I'm not easily swayed.
Te:
I'm very good at absorbing knowledge and tend to proof check my Ti reasoning with Te facts. To ground my Ti in Te, if you may. I always have a factual example to illustrate an argument. Sometimes I get arguments and understanding through factual examples. I'm interested in optimizing things but get quite bored at data collection and just want to change the whole system instead of efficiently improving it. "blank slate". We learn then blank slate.
Fi:
I don't keep in touch with people much. It's hard for me to know who I like and who I dislike. I think I recently ended a 1 year relationship with someone whose character I didn't like, but I had affection for her. Everything she is I find despicable thinking about it, but I don't really judge or care in the moment. She was fun to be around so I didn't take her character into much consideration. I tend to think I don't need relationships, friends or So. That I need to be self-sufficient because you are alone in life and when you are not it's just an illusion. Also, people tend to try to take advantage of you. I don't believe in (selfless) love except in very specific conditions, like a mother for her children. I think it's mostly all lies. You tell others and yourself. I'm not sure I was ever in love myself. It's like I have a strong safeguard. I can get foolish with SO out of affection, but I just can never buy the whole "man of my life" "can't live without you" narrative. It just feels dishonest or very misguided.
Fe:
I don't really care about emotional displays. I can be very emotionally animated, but more on the negative side: anger. My negative emotions are mostly visible from the outside even when I don't say anything. I want glory and prestige. I lack empathy but I know when something is up with someone based on this person's facial expression. I don't really like emotional display in public except anger. In a group I'm rather silent emotionally.
Test results and personal thoughts about my type:
I type myself and get test results mostly as SLE, LSI, LIE. In MBTI I relate to NTJs and STPs. In the "enneagram" according to my ex I'm a 1, according to my mother an 8. I relate to sexual 6 too, and 3 in some capacity...
systematically gives me SLE. I've done the 734 version...gives me LIE mostly.
Thanks for reading

Warning: very long post
I’m British and we love to complain, so it is a lot easier to point out the negatives than the positives when writing a review, but I will try my best to be balanced. To be clear, I like the game and think it is a great starting point. For a beta, I’m surprised how few bugs there are. There have been far more bugs and glitches on FIFA launch days, so this bodes well.
Some of the things I like most about this game are the animation fluidity and how much more difficult it is to do anything while sprinting. This is how it should be. Sprinting should only be beneficial when running in a straight line. It’s very hard to get out of FIFA habits when playing though. It’s very easy to make mistakes while sprinting. Also, the selection of skill moves is reasonable. Every year, FIFA add new outrageous and unrealistic skills that have never seen the light of day beyond the streets of a Brazilian favela, so well done for showing restraint and only including appropriate skill moves.
I also like the level of customisation. I was surprised you can even customise the time of day in your stadium.
The ranking ladder is good, too. It is good that you can be relegated. For some reason FIFA decided this was a bad thing a couple of years ago and got rid of it. Without relegation, everyone naturally shifts up the divisions and you don’t actually get a realistic ranking of ability.
Access to all players at a fixed price on the market is great to avoid any P2W nonsense and underage gambling nonsense with random packs.
The rest of this post will appear to be a large list of negatives, however please take this all as constructive criticism. I mean no harm from my comments. This is purely the opinion of a long term football video game player.
Agility - does not feel like there is much control over player movement. They feel very cumbersome. At first, I thought this was because I was using bad players. It’s very easy to say mechanics are broken or underperforming when using players with low attributes. However, even players with 80+ agility turn very slowly, especially out of possession.
Server stability - I experienced 2 server disconnects when the match just loaded in. One in my favour and one not. (On the plus side, I’m glad the other player gets the win when one player rage quits or disconnects. EA should still do this.)
Set piece tutorials/practice area would be helpful. I have had 2 penalties and 1 free kick but no idea how to take them properly. A practice area and tutorial would be lovely.
Short goal kicks not safe - opposition attackers can close down the short option during the goalkeeper’s long, slow run up. Opposition players can also repeatedly run into the 18 yard box on goal kicks. This needs to be prevented.
No cancel command - this is useful when you change your mind last second and want to change your pass/shot command. Also, the game remembers button inputs for far too long. I tried to tackle a player the moment he put in a cross so it auto-switched me to a player in the box who automatically kicked the ball away without me giving him a command. I believe it was my slightly late attempt to tackle against the guy crossing the ball.
I won a game 1-0 via a late penalty, but got given a loss on the results screen. My players also didn’t lose any fitness or gain any xp from the game. I think it was just a visual bug as afterwards I went to the Divisions screen and it showed a win and my losing streak had reset.
When purchasing player skills, it would be useful to see their current attribute values next to the +5 boosts to see what they are currently at.
High penalties attribute does very little. The circle is still massive with mediocre power.
High pace doesn’t feel fast. Even playing against Mbappé, it was easy to keep up with him with slow defenders.
Ball velocity is strange. Ground passes are really fast at first, then rapidly slow down as they reach their destination. The high speed of the ball also seems to make it hard to make short passes. The game will decide you wish to make a longer pass and smash the ball through the legs of the intended target even when you lightly tap the button. Velocity of shots is too high. The ball is like a bullet. You can’t see it between the player swinging their leg and the ball hitting the net.
Players struggle to lock on to the ball, instead running around it or ignoring it - most noticeable when receiving or intercepting long range passes.
Through balls feel quite bad. Possibly a combination of the ball velocity and player locking on issues mentioned above. The direction can also be wild.
When I saw players earned XP, I was hoping that meant you could turn 55 rated players into 85 rated players if you used then for hundreds of games like you can in eFootball, not just a few +5 boosts to certain attributes. My favourite part of eFootball was being able to buy my favourite mediocre players and future prospects and upgrade them until they are competitive. It makes teams far more varied and interesting. As it stands, I feel like long term, everyone will end up with near identical teams because these boosts are negligible. At some point, a meta will be discovered and everyone will have the players that fill it.
The other thing I really like about eFootball is being able to manually adjust your defensive line depth using left and right on the d-pad. This is a really cool feature I hope UFL can incorporate. Perhaps change the tactics cycling to up and down on the d-pad instead.
Players really struggle to control the ball and get it out from under their feet. Also noticeable when tackling. The player doesn’t win and lock onto the ball, just tries to hit it.
The menus frequently ignore your first directional input (XBOX SERIES X). There is also a visual error when trying to apply skins both from the Library and from the Squad screen. It can be hard to tell whether you have successfully applied the skin as sometimes they remain blank and the players remain grey until you back out and go back in.
There needs to be a reticle on the pitch showing where every air ball will land. It can be difficult to judge where the ball is going.
No explanation for what all the different currencies are for in the game. It is confusing to have CP, LP, RP and SP with no further information. Also no clear explanation for Team Pass or Premium. I don’t know what these things are for.
The “Born Leader” skill adds “Synergy” to players. I cannot find Synergy mentioned anywhere else in the game so I have no idea what that does.
In settings, I selected Player Info “in the bar” but there is no bar in the bottom corners and I still get player names above their heads even when I tried to turn off all the options for information above a player’s head. For me, that stuff just gets in the way visually. I want to have it all in bars at the bottom of the screen either side of the minimap.
Challenge to complete 10 tackles does not count most tackles. I seem to be stuck on 1 out of 10.
The game says there is a penalty if players are used out of position, but it does not seem to show you what the penalty actually is or whether it still counts if you have a LB playing LWB or RW playing RM etc.
Goalkeeper parrying can be very strange. Feels very random in terms of both velocity and direction. I can’t make up my mind whether I like keepers or not. I tried to buy a good one to see if he was any better but the weird parrying and lightning fast shots they have to face makes it hard to judge.
Some aspects of the game feel too much like a copy and paste of FIFA Ultimate Team. The cards, the positions, the formations, the tactics, the attributes, the attribute categories, fitness…
Speaking of formations, I was hoping to be able to make my own formations rather than selecting from a list of Ultimate Team formations.
Why is fitness a thing post-match? EA got rid of this from Ultimate Team and I think UFL should get rid of it, too. There is no calendar and days of rest so why have low fitness carry forward after the match?
I would recommend not giving everyone the same starter team. It’s a bit boring playing against the same players every game. Hopefully, that was just a beta thing.
I’m not a fan of every player only having 1 position and I don’t like that the alternative unlockable positions are based off proximity on the pitch to the main position. Instead, the alternative positions should be wherever that player plays in real life. FIFA has implemented this well recently.
Occasionally, when playing with “press after possession loss”, I noticed my midfielders run in a random direction out of position. Possibly a slight behaviour bug there.
Again, I don’t intend to rip your game to shreds. I am impressed where it is at for a first attempt and will definitely play this at full release. For a free game, it’s not that far behind premium priced FIFA so I’d rather save the money. Please take my opinions as constructive criticism. I have tried to be as fair, coherent and polite as possible. Well done so far! I eagerly await the full release of this game.

My husband has a best friends let’s call them Derek and Logan. Derek who moved out of state a month before we met with his girlfriend let’s call her Abby in 2016. When my (29f) husband (34m) started getting serious I became friends with her through social media, not like great friends, we were still getting to know each other but the goal was to all be a friend group.
My husbands friend Logan has a girlfriend let’s call her Lauren for years and at this point me and Lauren are best friends for a few years and Lauren always tells me how she secretly hates Abby because she’s a bitch but she has to be her friend for the sake of the friend group.
Abby and Derek ended up getting engaged and then later on we got engaged. Me and her were both talking about our wedding planning together as girls do, we were going to fly there for theirs and they were going to fly here for ours, the colors we like and flowers, ya know that sort of thing. My husbands parents have a beautiful back yard and they have weddings back there so we decided to do that too. I talked to his mom and we were going to work all summer getting the yard pretty with flowers I like for a September wedding.
A month later Abby texts me and asks if they can get married a week before us in my in-laws back yard then they will go on their honeymoon and be back by the next weekend to attend ours so they don’t have to take off so much at work. I talked to my husbands mom and she said absolutely not. Everyone wearing heels and will ruin the grass for our wedding, kids might step all over the flowers that I will spend all summer weeding and watering. So I told Abby no but she can the weekend after us. (I did not say mother in law is the one to say a no too) I took the blame for the no. Well Abby hated me after this.
My husband and I started having a rocky relationship and canceled the wedding (we were drinking a lot- me barely 21, and arguing a lot while drunk) so he was venting to Derek (Derek’s never met me or had a convo with me) so now Derek is hearing what his wife is saying and now what my husband is venting about and they hate me.
Fast forward 2 years , we stop drinking get better and wedding is back on, Derek and Abby has came to visit their family and friends over the 2 years and I tried 5 times to be her friend and get them to like me and get to know me. They act nice to my face but Lauren lets me know that they talk shit about me every time and that they still hate me. So I broke down and told my husband this is exhausting and I don’t want them around anymore. (My husband never saw them being mean to me and he can’t imagine his friend doing this so he never stuck up for me cuz he doesn’t know what he’s sticking up for) it was probably the hardest thing my husband ever did but he stopped talking to Derek.
Fast forward 6 ish years, I’m older more mature ,we have 3 kids, I don’t give a crap about little kids drama from the past. My husband broke down recently about how he misses Derek and it’s breaking his heart. I was like omg go talk to him I just forgot about him I didn’t know this was so heavy on your heart, I’m over it. So they are friends again but Lauren tells me Abby has always been this way and she’s just rude. Really no one likes Abby but everyone pretends to for the sake of the group, my husband doesn’t even care for her. But it’s different if she likes and is nice to everyone but me. What do I do?
Back in the day I tried to have a heart to heart with her and she pretended to my face but then talked crap about me to Lauren. I told Lauren never to stick up for me, no need for more drama although Lauren has put her in her place a few times. I feel like I look like a monster (maybe I am) for keeping my husband from Derek for so many years so now they have even more reason to hate me- I’m older I would never make my husband stop being friends with someone that was me being insecure and immature. I do feel like it’s more her and not derek, but he’s always going to take his wife’s side. I know they are going to take trips here and I have to see them. What do I do? What would you do?

I'm sorry if this is maybe not the right place to be asking for something like this but I thought I'd try!
I'm 36 a little over 290 pounds and probably been stoned every day for the last probably 5 years, I want to give myself a life back.
I have joined a new gym (Something I haven't been to since the start of Covid lockdowns) and fuck am I nervous as they have been posting tagged poctures and videos and I've never felt so put of place seeinghow ripped most peopleare there! It has just opened so I can start going from this week and I also plan to quit smoking weed cold turkey tomorrow, I hate how I feel when I don't smoke but I'm hoping the focus on training again will help me stay off.
Here's the bit I'm here to ask and something I'm a bit embarrassed to ask too.
Isolating myself away so long and always being so high I didn't really go out so the friends I had aren't really around any more as I moved and general life problems got in the way, I'm hoping to find some kind of support buddy who wouldn't mind trying to give me a push to make sure I stay off my arse and keep training so I can finally look at myself and not just see a man made of 80% jelly or even someone who just fancys a chat now and again or maybe you are trying to achieve something similar and we can support each other!
Thanks for your time and reading through all my rambling!

If you aren't sure where to begin in your search for gifts for bride, take a look below, where I've rounded many gifts that are hot right now.
Take a look at this list:
Postcards - Wedding Guest Book - If she’s the kind of person who saves every note and postcard from friends and family members, she’ll most definitely want to have a wedding guest book for her big day.
Bottle with capsules - Cute Capsules in a Glass Bottle - This glass bottle is filled with 25 small capsules, which contain a blank piece of paper to jot down just how they feel about their partner.
Candles - Mr & Mrs Est. 2023 Candle - This candle’s label couldn’t be cuter, but the fragrance is delightful, too (it’s supposed to smell like bubbly champagne and mixed berries).
Skirts - Floral Wrap Tassel Mini Skirt - If her wedding or honeymoon will be taking place in a tropical locale, she’ll need some new, stylish beachwear.
Tags for Luggage - Luggage Tag Set - With these vibrant tags, they won’t miss their luggage on the packed airport carousel going to and coming from their romantic getaway.
Fresh Bouquet - Freshcut Paper Pop Up Card - Instead of gifting her a fresh bouquet she’ll only be able to enjoy for a short time, consider this pretty pop-up card with an arrangement of white roses.
Body Scrub - Bare Botanics Coconut Vanilla Salt Scrub - She’l enjoy pampering herself before the big day with this coconut vanilla salt scrub — packed with vitamin E and argan oil — that will bring spa-like vibes to her bathroom in an instant.
Can Glass - Future Mrs. Can Glass - Now that she’s a Mrs., she needs a glass to match! She can use this 16-ounce glass — complete with a lid and reusable straw — at work or home to enjoy a delicious smoothie or iced coffee.
Bride Hat - White Bride Bucket Hat - Although opening this “Bride” bucket hat may make her giggle, it’s actually super subtle and stylish.
Serums - RoC Vitamin C Serum - It’s formulated to brighten and moisturize skin — a priority leading up to her big day.
For Dating - Date Night Ideas - Married couples need fun date night ideas, too! This wooden game will keep them feeling inspired to do more than just indulge in takeout every Saturday