I've had lyme for probably 10 years now, but wasn't diagnosed till 3 years ago. I'm going to share my symptoms, so that maybe if you have similar symptoms it will help.
So for some reason, when I eat almonds, like a huge handful, my breathing problems from lyme start to get a bit better, my nervous system feels stronger, and just overall better. This even has an affect like minutes after I eat a huge handful of almonds. It doesn't seem like placebo, because I've tried many many things that haven't worked, tried to believe they would work, and didn't. But almonds for some reason, and other nuts seem to help a ton. Probably because the brain is mostly made of fat and I have lyme brain.
Also interesting enough about almonds:
There was a story, not sure if it was true, but a guy had dreams that kept coming true. Eventually he had a dream to just eat 1 almond a day, and it would solve a lot of health problems. Now we don't know if thats true, but if it's true that this guy really had these prophetic dreams that were coming true, maybe there's something to the almonds.
Anyways... I had it BAD. I seriously couldn't breathe 24/7 for 3.5 years, and I still have troubles. I couldn't and still can't sometimes, even go anywhere, stand in a store without being so dizzy that I'm falling over, or my legs getting weak. So yeah, that breathing thing was constant and pure hell, I'm not one to exaggerate, and it makes me mad when people often say they're in hell when they lose their phone or something, they don't know what it's like..
So yeah, if you had breathing problem, a horrible nervous system that even someone talking to you hurts and you can't process anything, your muscles are burning always, any of that...
Then try eating almonds often, as long as you aren't allergic to them or any nuts.
Seriously... It's the weirdest thing. If I'm feeling absolutely horrible, eating those most of the time helps. Diet overall is hugely important, like man I was drinking coke for years, lots of junk, and quitting that truly makes a difference. It's no joke... you always hear about diet and think it's so basic that it couldn't work but it does.
Other tips:
For some reason, even when I could hardly do a pushup and I was at my worst with lyme, forcing myself to do pushups when I couldn't breathe made me breathe easier for 30 seconds, then it would mostly go back to impossible to breathe. So if you're in that position having shortness of breath 24/7 and need even some seconds of relief, try some pushups. I had lyme brain, so i'm guessing these things just help activate parts of my brain for a bit that make it easier to breathe. I think the pushups also helped stress out my INSANELY tight muscles from lyme. Man... I used to do gymnastics, and all of a sudden I couldn't do anything, couldn't even jump cause I was so stiff, I was in my early 20s when that started, just turned 29.
I advice you to honestly keep going on, I don't even know how I did.. I couldn't even sit in my bed my nervous system was so bad, it was constantly inflamed and weak and any little thought I couldn't even handle for 3 years... You feel like you're actually dying... So if you didn't have it that bad, seriously, be thankful... If you do, keep going, stick to the diet, quit addictions to help your brain opperate more, exercise even if it's light weight. I even had narcissistic parents gaslighting me, harassing me, making me scream when I couldn't throughout all of this too. As I said, keep going. With all this happening I'm getting better.
For some reason also, my nose was incredibly incredibly stuffy on top of all this, like so bad that it was all fully blocked and made everything even worse. Nothing like i'd ever experience, nothing would come out, no sinus infection, nothing. I think all that brain inflamation was getting to my sinuses, but nothing showed up to the docs.
What I take:
I started with an antibiotic (doxy) for months years ago, didn't feel like it really did much, but glad I did as it might have helped.
I am on cryptoplus, helps if you have babesia as well apparently.
Green tea extracts, high quality fishoils, magnesium, vitamin c, probably few others I used to take that i'm missing that not sure if it helps.
If you test negative but think you have lyme due to a tick bite
I tested negative for the I think Western Blot, but I tested Positive for the C6 Peptide test. If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't have ever thought I had lyme, and who knows what would have happened... They then found many other indicators of lyme such as me having 3 bands, whatever that means. Many other tests too that indicated potential lyme that I don't remember.
This is all based off my observation with lots of personal testing.

Dear Broadchurch fans, I have posted a series of rewatches of season 1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadchurch\_series\_1) of Broadchurch. Now I find it is time to review some of the prevalent themes within the series. Please be aware that I will discuss season 1 as a whole, so there may be spoilers ahead.
If you enjoy reading this essay, feel free to stop by my AnalysisVault to see if you find some more of my work to your liking. Please note that this subreddit is read only and comments should be made with the original posts rather than the cross-posted ones.

Egotism vs Altruism
One of the more prevalent themes in Broadchurch is the question of egotism vs altruism. I will give you a short overview of both concepts as well as the spectrum they represent, then speak about their implementation in the series and finally make a statement about why the makers chose to make it a central theme.

Wikipedia states:

Egotism is defined as the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself and generally features an inflated opinion of one's personal features and importance distinguished by a person's amplified vision of one's self and self-importance. It often includes intellectual, physical, social, and other overestimations. The egotist has an overwhelming sense of the centrality of the "me" regarding their personal qualities.

In essence, egotism is the personal philosophy of “me first”. A person with strong egotistical tendencies will make sure their own needs are met before those of others. Think, if you will, of the people who will take the best slice of cake for themselves or drive a gas guzzler out of convenience or cut the line at the airport to get the best seat. All of these are egotistical actions. On the other hand, some egotism is warranted for self-preservation. The parent who gives their all for their children but runs themself ragged in the process may need to exercise more egotism. The health care professional who routinely skips their break to care for never-ending patients may want to be more self-preserving by being more selfish. Things like that. In general, society views egotistic action and unfavorable while oftentime people with egotistical traits tend to be more successful in certain areas of life.

Altruism is the principle and practice of concern for the well-being and/or happiness of other humans or animals above oneself. While objects of altruistic concern vary, it is an important moral value in many cultures and religions. It may be considered a synonym of selflessness, the opposite of selfishness.

In essence, altruism is the personal philosophy of “others first”. A person with strong altruistic tendencies will make sure the needs of others are met before their own. Think, if you will, of the people who will hand out food to others happily but forget to get any of their own, take great strides to pick up trash in a local park or offer up their seat for a disabled person on the bus. All of these are altruistic actions. In general, society views altruism as beneficial and a trait to strive for while oftentimes people with altruistic traits tend to be less successful and may feel taken advantage of.

Basically, egotism vs altruism is the Captain Kirk vs Mr Spock discussion. Spock says: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”, goes into a highly irradiated engine room to save the Enterprise and dies in the process. Kirk says “The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many” and risks war with the Klingons because he can’t live without his buddy.
However, every action has aspects of both in them. Each action every person takes has both egotistic and altruistic nuances to them. The interesting part is where the balance falls. I will let you decide for yourself which way the pendulum swings on the following examples.
Some examples:
The healthcare worker who overworks themselves acts in an altruistic way because they support patients and help them get better. But they are also egotistical in their own way because being “the supportive one” strokes their ego.
The person who drives the gas guzzler acts in an egotistic way because they pollute the environment unnecessarily, take up a lot of space with their vehicle and probably stink up the place with their fumes. But they might also have an altruistic aspect because they need to move large groups of people, feel they are supporting an industry that gives jobs to workers or even further the economy by spending money.
The person handing out food but not taking any for themselves can be very altruistic but depending on the person they can be very egotistic instead, for example when they decide to hog the table, demand ever-lasting gratitude for their “sacrifice” and/or post their actions on social media for clout.
Finally, a person who writes lengthy analyses and posts them on Reddit may appear altruistic because they attempt to enrich the lives of others with their observations and (hopefully) witty posts. They may also be egotistic in an attempt to garner attention and positive reinforcement through the community they choose to post in.

Implementation in the series:
One of the great things about the series is the fact that they are aware of the different sides of egotism and altruism and allow the viewer to form their own opinion. Hardly ever is anything said bluntly, most of the time we are left to figure out things of our own. We see the way the characters act, we see the way they interact and are interacted with and we are left to make our own decision. Hardly ever are things black and white, hardly ever are we given the one true answer ™.
This is one of the main reasons the series is as emotionally impactful as it is. Because life is messy. Life isn’t neat. Life isn’t simple. Stories with simple and clear answers are not realistic because life doesn’t work that way. Think about it. In the last decade or so there were a lot of shows and movies looking deeper into the question of fairy tale villains and whether they were villains at all. Star Wars does this masterfully by looking at Anakin Skywalker’s arch. He seems like a clear-cut villain in episode 4, the first to hit the screens, but as more of his story is revealed, he becomes much less cartoonishly evil.
In fact, the idea of egotism vs altruism is the driving factor in the various aspects of the investigation the detectives conduct. Look at the different suspects, if you will. All of them have (at the very least) some very egotistical behaviors. Steve Conelly, con man and maybe psychic is getting a feeling of importance when passing on his “messages” to the great expense of Beth Latimer, among others. Mark Latimer is so very much wrapped up in his selfishness he neglects just about everyone around him unless caring for them fulfills his needs. Nigel Carter engulfs himself with righteous anger against Jack Marshal, not for the community but seeking Mark’s approval. Paul Coates revels in the attention he and his church gain from the case. Susan Wright is so eager to protect herself, she harms others pre-emptively. Jack Marshal, the man who slept with a child, then married her. No 40-year-old man would do that for selfless reasons.
All of the suspects we are presented in the show are – in one way or the other – selfish. And that’s perfect. Murdering a child is an inherently selfish action. The true joy of the show comes with finding out that the murderer is a man who we are made to perceive as deeply selfless.
Let’s take a look at Joe Miller and how he is portrayed on the show. As I have stated in the various rewatch posts, most of the time Joe Miller is shown as loving, caring and genuinely supportive parent and partner. As u/Vioralarama stated so well in my post about episode 5, “He's got the plot armor of the supportive spouse who handles all the emotional work for the person working the crime.” On the surface, he does. Every time we see Joe Miller, he is seen with a member of his family. And every time he is seen he is doing some sort of supportive work for them.
Case in point, when Joe and DS Miller invite DI Hardy to their home for dinner, Joe does it all. Puts the kids to bed, prepares dinner, does the dishes. He tries to mediate between DI Hardy and DS Miller, too, and makes a great effort to lighten the mood.
Once you look below the surface, though, things look entirely different. We see glimpses here and there that things are not what they seem, mostly through things we DON’T see rather than the things to DO see.
Joe Miller shows some worrying signs of being a neglectful parent and partner quite early on in the show. To pick up the example of the dinner experience, when DS Miller leaves the room, Joe Miller uses the time he has alone with DI Hardy to probe him for information. If he truly were the supportive husband the show wants us to believe, he would’ve used that time to help both find common ground in their working relationship. DI Hardy is the one who brings that up and asks about whether DS Miller likes him. The conversation is cut short though as Joe Miller filled the narrow time slot with questions about the case and didn’t leave DI Hardy enough to ask about how to improve his working relationship with DS Miller. Case in point, DS Miller keeps complaining that DI Hardy addresses her as “DS Miller” instead of “Ellie”. This would have been a great talking point for Joe Miller in that moment, asking “why” and mediating between them. Also, did Joe Miller make a dinner invitation to help DS Miller and DI Hardy form a working relationship or did he do it to garnish information?
More examples:
When DS Miller and Joe Miller tell Tom Miller about Danny’s passing, both leave him alone in his bedroom. Neither offer a shoulder to cry on. Sure, DS Miller is just as responsible as Joe here but Joe is the stay-at-home parent and therefore the more direct caretaker than DS Miller. Also, over the course of the show we never see Joe actually engaging with Tom, there is no attempt at comforting him, not even when he is obviously distraught. Joe Miller lets Tom out of his sight at the Arcade in episode 5, right in the middle of the “pedophile panic” surrounding Jack Marshal. Just in general, Tom spends a LOT of time wandering the town alone. This image doesn’t sit well with the façade of caring, loving, altruistic father.
Indeed, the filmmakers are pulling one over our eyes with Joe, who turns out to be one of the most egotistic persons in the town. Joe spends time and family money on Danny, he breaks into a holiday hut to do so, manipulates the boy with abuser language and, when threatened to be deprived of his attention, gets so angry he strangles the boy. Whom he still believes to be his son’s best friend. And who is his best friend’s son. The same best friend he then begs for praise because he didn’t drop the body into the ocean so he didn’t have to spend years wondering what happened to the boy.
But why do the filmmakers do this? The series REVELS in red herrings, side plots, dead ends and misdirection. The greatest misdirection they can give us is showing us the “perfect” man and making him turn out to be the most terrible one of all. It’s an emotional gut punch and the type of storytelling that works really well with the type of story they want to convey. Because the story of Broadchurch is not about Danny’s murder, it’s about the fallout that follows. A community like this learning that one of their “best people” is indeed a child murderer has to have a terrible ripple course through it, upsetting it deeply.
With so many other characters filling the “egotism” bill, we are offered a view beyond the picturesque coastal town in Dorset, England, where things look perfect, harmonious and just lovely. The series revels in showing us this image and dissecting it piece by piece, looking deeper and deeper into the cesspool of secrets and bad decisions. As such, the viewer is given the change to observe the deep hurt inflicted upon the more altruistic characters – most of which happen to be women – by the egotistic characters – many of which happen to be men. It is the direct and even more terribly indirect hurt that is inflicted upon the altruistic ones that gives the story the emotional impact it has.
Case in point, Beth Latimer and DS Miller both are exploited by their husbands and end up not only dealing with the direct fallout of their respective actions but hurt to a point they cannot even rely on each other anymore. They are both stripped of the delusion of happiness and family being their haven. They are also both stripped of a friendship which could supply each with a friend who “gets it”. Heck, just for the fun of it the makers toss in Susan Wright, a woman who has been so terribly hurt by her husband that she became jaded enough to “join the other team”. She has become the egotistic abuser her husband was simply because she (probably) used to be altruistic. Her experience with her husband, the police and the loss of her kids have kicked her to the other side of egotism simply out of a deep need for self-preservation.
Before the question comes up, no, the series is not about men vs women, or men = bad, women = good. And neither is this post. There are egotistic women in the story, like Karen White, Susan Wright or Becca Fisher. There are altruistic men in the story, too, like DI Hardy. But the trend is quite distinct. In my own personal experience this comes from the general societal expectation that women should be altruistic and work for the group. An expectation that is not socialized as thoroughly in men. The show picks up on this and showcases it to great effect, placing a great emphasis on the price some women are made to pay for following this expectation.
Finally, the question of egotism vs altruism is a thinking point the viewer is left to ponder with beyond the end credits of the last episode. The discussion of who is what and how much can keep the viewer’s mind busy for some time. Several people on this sub posted they hated Mark Latimer’s selfishness, and many commenters agree. If you ask me, this is a great result for a series, making the viewers contemplate things such as this beyond the actual viewing experience.

Exploring Firebase Authentication in React Apps

In the world of web development, securing user data and ensuring only verified users can access certain functionalities is paramount. Firebase Authentication offers a robust solution for managing user sign-ins in React applications, including features such as email and password authentication, social media logins, and, importantly, email verification. This email verification step is crucial for confirming the authenticity of users' email addresses, thereby enhancing the security and integrity of the application.
However, integrating Firebase Authentication, especially the email verification flow, can occasionally present challenges. For developers, setting up the initial authentication flow with signInWithCredentials often goes smoothly, leading to a satisfactory sign-in process. The subsequent step, verifying the user's email address, is designed to further secure the account by ensuring the email belongs to the user. Yet, issues can arise post-verification, such as encountering a 400 Bad Request error when attempting to sign in again with a verified account. This issue signifies a hiccup in what should be a seamless process, prompting a deeper dive into potential causes and solutions.

Command	Description
signInWithCredentials	Authenticates a user with email and password credentials.
signInWithEmailAndPassword	Signs in a user using their email and password.
sendEmailVerification	Sends an email verification to the user's email.

Initializing Firebase Authentication

JavaScript in use

import { initializeApp } from 'firebase/app'; import { getAuth, signInWithEmailAndPassword, sendEmailVerification } from 'firebase/auth'; const firebaseConfig = { // Your Firebase configuration object }; const app = initializeApp(firebaseConfig); const auth = getAuth(app); 

Handling Email Verification

Using JavaScript SDK

const user = auth.currentUser; if (user) { sendEmailVerification(user) .then(() => { console.log('Verification email sent.'); }) .catch((error) => { console.error('Error sending verification email:', error); }); } 

Sign In Post-Verification

JavaScript for Firebase Auth

signInWithEmailAndPassword(auth, userEmail, userPassword) .then((userCredential) => { // User signed in const user = userCredential.user; if (user.emailVerified) { console.log('Email is verified'); } else { console.log('Email is not verified'); } }) .catch((error) => { console.error('Error signing in with email and password:', error); }); 

Troubleshooting Firebase Authentication Issues

Facing a 400 Bad Request error when trying to sign in with a verified email and password can be a perplexing issue for developers integrating Firebase Authentication into their React applications. This error typically indicates a problem with the request sent to Firebase's authentication server. Possible causes could include incorrect API usage, a misconfigured Firebase project, or even a temporary issue with Firebase services. It's essential to review the implementation of the signInWithEmailAndPassword method and ensure it matches Firebase's documentation and best practices. Additionally, checking the Firebase console for any alerts or messages regarding service disruptions or configuration issues can provide valuable insights.
To diagnose and resolve the 400 Bad Request error, developers should start by ensuring that the email and password provided are correct and meet Firebase's authentication requirements. It's also worth examining any recent changes to the authentication flow or Firebase project settings that could have inadvertently affected the sign-in process. Implementing detailed error handling in the authentication logic can help identify the specific cause of the error, enabling a more targeted approach to troubleshooting. If the issue persists, consulting Firebase's support resources or community forums may offer further guidance and solutions from developers who have faced similar challenges.

Understanding Firebase Authentication Issues

Firebase Authentication offers a comprehensive solution for managing users in your app, including signing in with email and password, social accounts, and phone numbers. One common challenge developers face involves the email verification process. After setting up the initial sign-in mechanism, integrating an email verification step is crucial for ensuring that users own the email addresses they use to sign up. This step not only enhances security but also enables developers to maintain a high level of data integrity within their applications.
However, issues can arise after a user has verified their email. For instance, a verified user might encounter a 400 Bad Request error when attempting to sign in again. This problem indicates that the signInWithCredentials method is failing post-verification. The cause of this issue might be multifaceted, ranging from configuration errors within Firebase to incorrect handling of user sessions in the application code. It's essential to delve into Firebase's documentation and debug logs, and consider reaching out to Firebase support or community forums for further assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions on Firebase Authentication

1. Question: What is Firebase Authentication?
2. Answer: Firebase Authentication provides backend services, easy-to-use SDKs, and ready-made UI libraries to authenticate users to your app. It supports authentication using passwords, phone numbers, popular federated identity providers like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, and more.
3. Question: How do I enable email verification in Firebase?
4. Answer: You can enable email verification by calling the sendEmailVerification method on a user object after they sign up or log in with their email and password.
5. Question: What does the 400 Bad Request error signify in Firebase Authentication?
6. Answer: A 400 Bad Request error typically indicates that the request sent to the Firebase server was invalid. This can occur if the email or password is incorrect, or if there's a misconfiguration in the Firebase project settings.
7. Question: Can I customize the verification email sent by Firebase?
8. Answer: Yes, Firebase allows you to customize verification emails from the Firebase console under Authentication > Templates.
9. Question: How can I troubleshoot a failed signInWithCredentials method after email verification?
10. Answer: Start by checking your Firebase project's configuration and ensure that the email and password are correct. Look at the console for any error messages, and make sure your app's logic correctly handles the user's verification status.

Tackling Firebase Authentication Challenges: A Recap

Successfully integrating Firebase Authentication into React applications requires a deep understanding of its workflow, especially regarding email verification. This process is vital for ensuring user authenticity and securing access to various app features. While the setup for sign-in and email verification might seem straightforward, developers can encounter challenges, such as the perplexing 400 Bad Request error during subsequent sign-ins. These issues underscore the importance of thorough testing, proper error handling, and continuous learning from Firebase documentation and community resources. Ultimately, overcoming these obstacles not only improves the app's security but also enhances the overall user experience. By addressing these challenges head-on, developers can create more robust and user-friendly applications that leverage Firebase Authentication's full potential.
https://www.tempmail.us.com/en/firebase/implementing-and-troubleshooting-firebase-email-verification-in-react-applications

Half of these could be you. Because half of what is written is half of what is true. I want to let it all out to show you what you fail to leave out. I can take your pointing the finger at me. I know your words are just another simple story that you sell to the people your with. I have no need to go down a path that carries me nowhere. The things you do to make me feel loved are so far away from that I couldn’t possibly express it in the short time on earth. You will never stop the lies until you finally realize that you need help. Everything you have done was that done in love, because NO thank you is what I would say! I’m close to being done with this too. It’s pointless because you won’t show me your true face. Or talk to me face to face. I’m tired I’m lost. I know one thing! I can not go back to you and that’s a saving grace. I don’t wish any thing bad for you. I wouldn’t waste that wish. What I wish for is for you to seek professional advice. Talk to someone that will listen, and try not to lie. Thats the hurdle you will struggle with most. Stay safe, stay warm, stay positive. Someday I might reach out and ask how you are. But it’s not at the top of my list. And probably for the best. Take care. Good luck.

TLDR: How many groups weave AP’s plots together, campaign after campaign, versus just function as disparate, stand-alone stories? Also, AMA for Giantslayer, Ruins of Azlant, and Rise of the Runelords.
Our current group started before one of my co-workers and I joined it, but in its current configuration we have been going for around seven years. We’ve finished three AP’s start to finish: Giantslayer, Ruins of Azlant, and as of last week, Rise of the Runelords. This post will contain spoilers for all three so please be aware. I entered Giantslayer at the start of Book 5 along with a co-worker who had never played a tabletop before, and for me it had been years since I played, I typically have been stuck in forever DM mode. We fit in pretty well as the group was willing to work around our extremely busy and complicated work schedule. Over the course of about a year and a half, including a change in venue, we managed to finish the two extremely large back-to-back dungeon crawls of books 5+6.
For our next campaign our DM wanted to do something different can gave us a 25 point buy and 35-point custom race creation, told us we were bred in a lab, and to go crazy. We came up with some unique creations and spent the next 3 years (thanks, pandemic) running our custom creations through a modified version of Ruins of Azlant, replacing the Azlanti Spindle Society with Aperture Science, including GlaDOS signing Still Alive to us. As we were winding down that campaign, our DM asked if I would be willing to DM the next one, since he wanted to get a chance to play. Considering that I had just had my longest uninterrupted period of time as a player, I said sure.
After some deliberation, I decided that we would play through Rise of the Runelords. Overall, I thought it seemed well paced and enjoyable, but three parts immediately stood out and made me want to run it: book 2’s hunt for a serial killer through a haunted house, book 3 effectively being Pathfinder’s version of the Hills Have Eyes, and the last books Wendigo assault on an isolated mining camp. Those three portions clinched the deal for me over other AP’s.
Each campaign I set myself a goal. For Giantslayer, it was to relearn the rules and the differences from 3.5. For Ruins, it was to master the intricacies of the feat system and combat maneuvers through playing a BrawleMaster of Many Styles combo. For this campaign as a DM, I had three goals: 1) allow the PCs to hit level 20, (2) tie all of our campaigns together somehow, and (3) having just finished replaying the Kingdoms of Amalur remaster, I wanted to throw a Crudok in there somehow.
After four years or so of playing at this point and topping out each AP at around 16, I wanted to give my players the opportunity to see 9^th level spells and capstone abilities. I knew I was going to have to create a bunch of content to add in to get them there, but I can do a lot of that at work, so I wasn’t too worried. I knew I wasn’t going to be running Wrath of the Righteous right after either, so this was the only chance for the foreseeable future for them to get to 20.
The whole point of this post was the tying of campaigns together. I wanted to give some fanservice to our previous parties and their actions and started thinking over how to do this organically. Funnily enough the catalyst was Volstus the Storm Tyrant, easily one of the weakest antagonist’s (by background and characterization, not necessarily power) Paizo had written. I asked what if his fall from grace in greed and covetousness was caused by an external force, say the Runelord of Greed.
From that point of conjecture forward when Volstus ventured into the Kodar mountains and came back with an Orb of Dragonkind, it was from Xin-Shalast that he found it, and it came engraved with a Sihedron Rune on it. Volstus thus became Karzoug’s Proto-Mokmurian, and his death and loss of his army sent Karzoug back to square one. Additionally, when we started book 6 in Giantslayer we managed to avoid every confrontation before the cloud castle, so there were ready made adversaries to throw into later books already available. Krellan, the shadow giant inquisitor of Zon-Kuthon also gave my PC double middle fingers when she “noped” out before her death, so I knew I wanted vengeance. Our Ruins of Azlant tie ins were not as many, but we ended the campaign right after we killed Ochymua, so we never recovered or did anything with Auberon the Drowned’s phylactery. I figured we would bring him back somehow and go from there.
From advice on forums, this sub, and the Rise of the Runelords dm discord, I worked to tie in Aldern and Ironbriar to the pc’s from the get go; Aldern just with a little bit more roleplay and interactions with them. I had Ironbriar there for the dedication to the Sandpoint cathedral and my surviving Inquisitor (also a member of the Pathfinders) there upset over Cayden Cailean not getting a shrine within. After the party fought off the goblins Ironbriar threw some gold at one member in a private interview, seeming aloof but fair, and proposing sponsoring the group. Another member began a series of interactions with my old pc, the best part of which is that no one remembered his name, so they didn’t make the connection till book 4. I threw in a book in the marketplace that another pc bought, about fables and legends in Varisia, seeding the Sandpoint Devil, Black Magga, and Crudoks in general, and their progenitor, Grandfather Crudok, a rebellious Tane, in particular.
The rest of book one occurred as normal, with a few additions or changes; I fleshed out the rest of the Goblin Chieftains described by Shalelu. I had the pcs encounter them coming back from a meeting at Thistletop from meeting Nualia seeking alliances. Nualia became an Anti-paladin, which worked out really well.
Book Two went swimmingly as well. The pcs were setting into their sin/virtue characteristics by now, so when they got to Foxglove manor, I assigned each type of haunt to one specific sin, which they all were kind enough to have already began to roleplay. Aldern became a Serial Killer Vigilante, which I though fit in well with his multiple personalities, also making him a little more sympathetic. Searching for clues on the Sihedron lead them back to Bishop Malakon (my old character’s name), who revealed the tie-in to Volstus and sponsored them into the Pathfinders. The rest of book two went mostly to plan.
By the time they were making it close to Fort Rannick I was beginning the mass of insanity that would become the rest of the campaign, as I began to customize each encounter to either become easier or present more of a challenge. Almost every major encounter was rewritten from this point on, mostly due to adding another player (playing a pet class), and another pc taking leadership. Between the increased pace of leveling to get them to 20 before the Eye of Avarice and having effectively 9 party members (pcs and pets), it was the easiest way to continue to provide them challenges, but also be able to throw them a softball every so often, so each encounter wasn’t too stressful. Outside of customizing the Ogres and Ogre kin, most of book 3 stayed faithful; Lamatar became one of my friend’s characters from Giantslayer (I didn’t feel too bad about making him undead since he had ended the campaign dead and was only resurrected in our epilogue). He was later reincarnated as a gnome and chose to become the druid of the Shimmerglens after Myrianna passed on. Lucrecia managed to escape both the Fort and then the Clanhold, taunting the party before teleporting away.
Book Four was fun to set up. The Giant invasion ended up involving all of the Stone Giants and the dragon of the written encounters, but I added all of the Ash Giants, the siege weapons, and the Black Scorpion from Giantslayer book 6. The PCs gathered what allies they could, teleporting to Magnimar to spend their money and alert their friends, and built-up Sandpoint’s defenses as best they could. Also, through tracking the dates in game every session, the attack occurred in the middle of winter, with much of the water around Sandpoint frozen.
As the war drums started beating and the party saw the army of giants following a colossal scorpion with catapults on its arms and back firing at them, I could tell they felt I had maybe overplayed my hand, especially when the dragon set the Hagfish on fire. So even though the Deus Ex Machina was really tropey, when our current Swashbuckler’s character from Giantslayer came to the rescue with the flying castle she kept at the end of that campaign and proceeded to engage the Ash Giants with her friend Ferin (from Forge of the Giant God) and her murder chicken Axebeak mount, the expressions on my players faces made up for it. The players raced to engage the dragon before he burnt down Sandpoint and directly after the fight were engaged by Lucrecia and a party of assassins tailored to take out the party (it helped that one pc kept wearing the Sihedron Medallion until the Runeforge; scrying on them was always happening). After winning that fight, I threw them another curveball.
They had stationed all of the Sandpoint defender NPC’s defending the lower portion of Sandpoint, and they now had to play them, trying to hold the attacking Stone Giant’s off for the 10 minutes or so their character had already been engaged. So, they played a waiting game while running Ameiko, Tsuto (out on good behavior), Lyrie and Orik (whom they had spared), Sheriff Hemlock, and Father Zantus, and the only survivor from Fort Rannick, Vale Temros. They did an incredible job, managing to hold off a force of twelve Stone Giants and Teraktinus for almost 8 minutes before Zantus was killed, and Ameiko, Lyrie, Orik, and Sheriff Hemlock were captured; Vale and Tsuto managed to escape and point the pcs in the right direction. On the way to Jorgenfist the party encountered it’s first Crudok. On the bank of the river, outside of the Deathweb’s cave, the party also fought the undead body of Black Magga, who they happened to have killed in the encounter during the flood in book 3 (I used a Bloathsome from Green Ronin’s Freeport Bestiary for her). Outside of some stat changes the rest of book four went as planned. Same with book five.
I had been leaving little hints as to Trelmarixian throughout the campaign so far; I like him as a villain and I never would have expected Famine to be the most interesting Horseman, so kudos, Paizo. I had decided at this point that the Wendigo being themed around hunger would work with this. I statted up Grandfather Crudok as one of the Tane who had been corrupted and converted to a worshipper of the Horseman of Famine, and it was his corrupting influence who had drawn the Wendigo to that corner of the Kodar mountains. After defeating Karivek’s ghost and the Wendigo, the storm’s end revealed a summoning circle that activated a portal, through which Trelmarixian, Horseman of Famine, rode through on his Apocalypse Horse. Joining him was his summoner, Grandfather Crudok, a mythic version with druid and evangelist levels, who’s animal companion (sic) was a lesser Jabberwock, and for good measure, the Horror Tree became a Sard. The party froze, asses already kicked from their fights in the cabin, and a scroll case that they had been given back in book two and carrying since then, began to glow. A portal to a tropical area opened up, and our characters from Ruins of Azlant stepped through, leveled up and given four mythic ranks. Our old characters fought this battle in one of the most fun one-shots I have ever run, and all of the work I had put in to get my players to this point was worth it as I got to both challenge them and see them let loose with some member berry comfort food.
We just finished our fight with Karzoug last week and this coming week will be doing a campaign wrap up and session zero for our next AP, Strange Aeons. I think this one is going to mostly be going by the books, since I am going to be writing out 5 backstories as it is. I was just really curious how many groups last long enough to link campaigns, and whether or not any dms go through the efforts to do so.

I'm looking at houses on List.am and I'm wondering about a few things that i don't understand. And I am trying to get some insite in these matters.
There are many ongoing unfinished projects for sale, assume this common in Armenië butt in Europe (Holland) this is not. Why is this? I understand that when you run out of funds you cut your loses. Butt normally ones gets the capital before builinding. Finished houses bring more money I would think.
Is the building off your own house a risky endeavour in Armenië or are the prices of materials not stable. Or are the contractors not trustworthy and need to checked constantly 🤔.
How is de building quality? Wondering mostly about the electrical installations. Is a earthfault measurement common and is the standard as in Europe. Looking at some older houses there was no earthfault safety only short circuit breakers. Are the electrical wire in the walls tubbed so they can be replaced or improved.
This worries us a lott we rented a flat near the opera for a while and down stairs the electrics was on fire. The fire department was called butt the building was not evacuated. Strange feeling seeing two fire truck in the street and most people in the building where looking at the fire from the building😪
The term Urgent is mentioned quite often at these advertisements and was wondering why. In my opinion this undermines you your position during negotiations.
Sometimes you see houses with a broken down pool and all is in a bad shape. Butt looking at the prices they still ask for a premium. Are these price real evaluation of a realtors or just wet finger guessing. And why place unflattering pictures if you no they are not helping to sell. I know if you have lott of land or a good location its worth a bundle, butt a shaggy hut with 1000 m2 in the middle of nowhere for 300k seems excessive.

I'm writing this on a throwaway account since these people know my main and actively engage with it. This is also gonna be a pretty long post since I'd like to provide context on how I even ended up where I am today so strap on in. Also apologies if any of this doesn't make sense, I'm pretty upset and stressed out and I've not slept in what feels like weeks. I have a lot of anxiety about all of this.
I started my first year in uni last year in September and met a couple of people I thought were nice enough on the first day. I'll call them 'G' and 'M'. I thought they were nice at first and we got closer as the weeks went by. G and M are also engaged so we talked about weddings quite often. They're are also cosplayers which becomes key in this. We got a lot closer around a time they were going to a con. Their previous friend had dropped out last minute but since they had already paid for everything they invited me. I also wanted to get into cosplaying at the time so I saw this as a perfect opportunity. I would spend nights at their dorms getting know them and we instantly got a long.
At the time, I was very nieve to all the red flags they were presenting as they were unusually willing to let me know EVERY detail of their life, including their sex life and what not. I found it werid but chalked it up to them being very comfortable around me which I found to be a compliment at the time but looking back, I now knew what was up.
(A little but of important info here but I had just feld a country 5 months prior to escape the abuse I was experiencing at home and went to live with my mum. G and M knew this and knew about my dad in depth)
Con comes around and they introduced me to a group of friends who were instantly very reserved around me. I chalked it up to nerves and thought that maybe they're just nervous which is understandable. This was until everytime I would speak they would give me dirty looks, talk over me and even dismiss me. M had also picked up a habit of making a lot of things about himself and anything I found interesting, he would make it clear that he didn't want to know, even telling me that he just doesn't want to hear it. When I went to meet a YouTube who attended the con, he seemed annoyed when I was excited and told me to stop being so excited since this was his 3rd time meeting them.
By time I got back home, their dismissing and also just really shitty attitude throughout left a sour taste in my mouth. However, I just chalked it up to nerves at the time.
A month goes by and they intoeduce me to another cosplayer who I quickly became friends with. When I told G about this, they told me to stop talking to them since I'll brea their heart as they "fall in love easily". I really didn't get that sentiment but still continued talking. Nothing romantic was ever talked about.
Then I started feel more attached to these people. They were practically in my life 24/7, I wa sin their dorms over nights almost everyday and began picking up the same eating habits as them as well. It's also worth noting that these people are "disabled" which is still up to debate.
They would frequently interrupted anything I enjoyed and conveniently pass out EVERYTIME I talked about something I liked or wanted to do. I also suffer with VERY acute psychosis which has been well treated for many years. They would constantly tell me that any doubts I had were just to do with my paranoia and that I should just ignore it. That or they would tell me that I was being manipulative and seeking attention.
This was all very sus but up until the incident I chalked it up to learned behaviour as I know one of them suffers with PTSD like I do.
At some point around this time, I had developed a severe kidney infection which almost turned into sepsis and I had to get the ambulance out to me. I'm no stranger to ambulances as I also have them out frequently due to severe panic attacks which almost cause a seizure and a heart attack I'm some cases.
Strangely after this, despite telling me that they've never had an ambulance out to them, for anything small like an ache they would call 111 which they didn't know before I had told them. 111 in the UK is the none emergency line that can send out am ambulance if you need it. However in a lot of the cases M had, they were perfectly fine but would cry and sob on the phone and say they felt like dying. Of course they send out an ambulance to check on them but it would always be fine.
Worried as I was all the time, I neglected my studies to take care of them and I'd spend a lot on them since I felt the compulsive need to take care of them. They would also guilt trio me with the fact that they were both previously homeless in their childhoods so I needed to get them something in return. I ended up spending over 300 pounds a month on them.
I caught M out one though since the uni I go to, require the ambulances to inform the reception first for permission and to unlock all the doors for them. Before going up to M, I had to go to reception to ask if they would let me in. When I informed they why, they were confused and said that there were no ambulances that parked up at all, not even firefighters which sometimes arrive for medical aid occasionally.
Moving forward a lil I had started to grown attached to them more to the point where I thought I liked them. They expressed to me previously that they're poly and so am I. M had even stated to me that when they first met me they found me attractive and wanted to potentially have relationship.
One day I decided to just confess over text making it extremely clear to them that they had to think about it first so that we did not rush into things and make things worse. If they wanted to be friends then i would be ok with that and I made myself very clear 3 or 4 times within the text.
Instantly, because i was in the room next to them, they came in and told me that they loved me. They hugged me and cuddled me for a while until we went into M room. I was in G room at the time. Suddenly, they both got completely naked in front of me. I had told them that I'm ok with boxers and a shirt since they were more like shorts but getting naked? I was shocked but just went along with it. I was in a shirt and boxers until they told me that i should join them and take my top and bra off (we're all under the trans umbrella). They both persisted and feeling pressured I took my shirt and bra off and joined them in bed. Then G opens up a folder on their phone of their nudes together which I was in shock for. I knew they had it but tbh, I didn't really want to see it. They then expressed how our previous shopping trip to a sex store (we're adults and we go in there cause why not) was a test to see if I would take the hint they liked me. I'm autistic but even I could tell that that was a lie. There were never any discussions of that nature that took place that day.
They then went on about their sex life in full detail. I'm not particularly fond of the idea of personally having sex within the first few months of dating since I'm very frigid about that sort of thing. I'm not stranger to sled pleasure but anything like that is entirely different and I wanted my boundaries to be known then and there. There were a few touches here and there after that, all of which would explicitly done with consent as I have had encounters with SA previously. They knew this.
After that day, they all of a sudden stopped talking me completely. We were on uni break so it wasn't like I could talk to them in class about it either. I felt alone and like I had done something wrong. This sent me onto a pretty bad depressive episode which triggered a small psychotic episode to occur. During which they would constantly tell me when they did feel like talking to me that i was just like my dad (abuser) and that I was being annoying and paranoid about everything. I have since talked to me my mum about this since my memory is a little hazy from that time and she said that the only thing that could've given the episode away was my sudden belief in a god and afterlife. I'm an atheist and grew up that way. But G and M were mostly referring to the fact that on numerous occasions I had called them out on body shaming me, using me as fatspo to fuel their own anorexia and belittling language they would against me constantly. This was even present in class alot since some students who I'm now friends with even stated that they acted as if they ere higher than everyone. Anytime you didn't give them attention, they'd start going on about suicide or passing out only to wake up seconds later.
They also claim to have DID and that one of their alters had encephalitis. This wasn't just a symptom holder either. They would claim they all had it and even told paramedics who were caring for another patient who had broke their leg on campus at the time that they had it. Although after this, they came back pissed to the paramedics caught on pretty quickly that this was a lie.
Months of this built up a full mental breakdown and I had one of the most server panic attacks of my life. I had to be admitted onto A&E where u saw the mental health team to discuss as safety plan since I was have frequent bouts of this. I've always felt with hallucinations since I was 8 but never like I had on that day and to this day, the only thing I can fully remember is the feeling and vision I had. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
G and M response to this? They went to my friend who was packing my bag at the time and told them that if they didn't pack it the right way I would hate them. They actually cold apparently and not once did they ask how I was. When I got home, I only saw one text saying "hey, Ik your in A&E but you can tell me in your own time what happend."
They were very much disinterested me and I began to be fed up with them. I had an upcoming concert with them not long after so I figured I'd keep the peace until them and they distance myself from them since I was clearly suffering from it all. Around this time, I had randomly been kicked out of the discord we had together with the people we met at con. I asked around they just gave one word responses. I had attempted to be friends with them before but annoyed by their sudden disinterest in me again, I just moved on.
Fast forward and I'm logging in on minecraft to a shared server we had. I used this server as a coping mechanism since it was literally the only thing that got me out of bed and moving to a degree some days. However everything I ahd built was gone. All my pent uo frustration just let itself out and I started crying down the phone over a voice message to G. I was a bit pissed but overly. Key thing note however is that I was having a go at them and in no way screaming at them which they later claimed I did. I even showed my mum and therapist and they were both in agreement that I was not shouting nor did I even raise my voice. It sounded more like I was upset than anything else.
G then said that they lost trust me because of this and that they wanted some distance for a while. I apologies profusely, even getting my mum to help me since I was I no way fit to text. However, a dumb mistake we made was sending the same apology over to the both of them, the only difference being their name. G then stated that because of the name, that they felt like I wasn't actually apologising and didn't wanna hear it. I tried to clear things up but the they told me that I had no excuse to act this way towards them since they were "such a good friend to me". After this, i went on call with a friend of mine who is my ex. However we ended on pretty good terms and are still close to this day. They even look after my cat for me.
I'm gonna call him J. J can be the over protective type so in response to my distress texted G ti find out more about why they were so cold about everything and in his mind, over reacted to something so insignificant like minecraft. This is where they made the claimed that I had screamed at them and I sent them into a PTSD attack. What J did notice though was that the story they gave was almost word for word of a panic attack in had explained to J about, almost like they copied it and changed a few things. They the proceeded to tell me that I was abusing them in that moment and that i was exactly like their dad (who's a pedo btw). Hurt by this and the fact that I had told J to NOT text G at all, I ended thinsg of stating my true feelings about everything and said that I never wanted to see them again. It felt good to get it off my chest and honestly freeing. The weeks after that were spent healing in therapy with my mum who both agreed that their actions in the past were more akin to.emotional bullying. Om still coming to terms with this I had trusted them with every fibre of my being. It felt like my heart was being ripped apart whoever, I stated talking to new people in my class around that time. Each of them said that they had notice the same behaviours towards me themselves and were honestly concerned for my safety since they would frequently talk shit about me behind my back. They then put on their snapchat story the next day that they were greatful for the friend they had and got rid of dead weight in their life. They also chalk up their sudden change to be apart of their BPD which if you have seen the eyes of someone who's manic, you'd know that it has a distinct look. The photos they took of themselves really disturbed me as you can clearly tell they're not right in the head at all. The eyes were dark and blown fully. Their eyes just looks black and soulless. I showed another friend who has BPD to confirm if it was what I was thinking and they agreed. It was unnerving and I honestly felt uncomfortable. I couldn't sleep well that night. They looked like they belonged in those headshots of convicts who had just been arrested and still are clearly under the influence. After this I also sent out a text containing context to everything to the group chat since I knew they were gonna manipulate things. I have seen them in person do it and it's honestly disturbing to see. Each one responded telling me that I was a liar and that I should feel ashamed of myself. One even told me they weren't gonna hear me out since they didn't know me well which I think is just a werid line of logic to have tbh. One even accused me of faking my disability which I quick proved to be false which silenced them. I've since blocked every single one of them since I don't wnat anything to do with them at all. I don't want them to know about my life and twist things again to hurt me. Forgive me if I'm over doing it but honestly, it was like I was talking to group of psychopaths who didn't care for anyone but themselves. Their past actions certainly proved that much.
Fast forward a week and I'm out shopping with friends all of a sudden, at even location we were at G was there. These were bookshops that were not well known the area and hidden very well so there would be no way G would know about them, especially since they don't like reading. G still followed one of my friends on snapchat and we found out by testing that every post we'd make, with or without the location attached, G would be right there moments later. Creeper out we ended the day for our own safety and went home.
Ever since all that, I have been taking to a friend of mine who G and M claimed abused them although with the evidence I have seen, it was the complete opposite. G was a regular drug user and would constantly use drugs as an excuse for their actions. My friend also suffered heavily with mental health problems and physical ailments that they need physio therapy for. G and M would constantly tell them they were faking and that they should stop acting like they were in pain. This is similar to an incident where they stated that I was not physically disabled cause they couldn't see it. Which is stupid honestly. By law, I am classed as disabled as to this day I struggle diary with ankle and knee problems due to a late development. I frequently use my braces but I don't use a cane since I'm too self conscious despite it being recommended to me by my doctors.
It hurt to see that they were treated this way and we bonded over shared experiences. There were also other people they had done this too.
Finally getting to the main issue, recently a con just took place which I had to cancel last minute since a family member died and I had to fly back over to my previous country to attend the funeral. The friend that G and M introduced to me started getting closer to them which I honestly didn't pay much mind to since I'm now just done with that shit. However, it wast until now that I feel uncomfortable. All of a sudden, this friend, ill call them O, had removed me from their private account for "safety reasons" and said they had done this to othe people. It didn't take long before I saw with my own eyes that it was just me. G and M have a nasty habit of spreading false rumours and if you know the cosplay community well, that shit spreads liek wildfire. It doesn't have that they have a sizable following compared to mine and know alot more people than I do. I honestly think they're tryna turn people against me and I don't know what to do at this point. I want them to leave me alone and keep my name out of things. I have had so many great days ever since we stopped being friends and my health has also improved dramatically. I'm not having as many panic attacks or severe ones either and I've not had a depressive episode like the ones before ever since.
I don't want to be dragged down like this and I wanted to defend myself however I know for a fact they have more influence then me so many people will side with them just like the group chat did. I don't know what to do anymore and I really don't want things to kick off again either. If I sense any drama starting at all I will just block people cause I'm just not having it. It's all child's play and they honestly need to fucking grow up and grow some balls or something. I just don't know what to do anymore. Thoughts?

When I was in high school 25 years ago (ouch), I had the same math teacher for both junior and senior year. She was a hard-ass and a riot. She liked that I was good at math; she did not like that I did not give a crap, study, or do my homework for math class. I still got As on my tests and quizzes, which were the vast majority of our grades. I had, in fact, done the math and realized I could go all year without doing any homework and still get an A, so long as I participated in class regularly.
Anyway, one of the rules for our math tests was that we were normally permitted to use a freshly-wiped TI-83 calculator. However, for some of our tests, she warned us that we were not going to be permitted to use any kind of electronic calculator for the test. She gave us a sheet with the instructions for the test, what was being tested, etc.
I heard that, immediately spotted a loophole, and heard a challenge being issued.
Went home and asked my father — an attorney, so also a fan of malicious compliance — if he could show me how to use his scientific slide rule. It was the same make/brand that NASA used on the Mercury and Apollo missions, so HIGHLY accurate, and he had it because he went to a prestigious tech school (think MIT-quality). Once I had the hang of it, I happily brought it to class for the test a few days later. I sat in the front row (assigned seating) so she saw it immediately.
‘Freckles42, no calculators on this test.’
‘Miss, the sheet you gave us says no electronic calculators.’ I handed her the sheet she’d given us at the beginning of the week.
A long silence.
‘Do you know how to actually use that?’
‘Yes’m.’
A sigh. She asked me to demonstrate with a quick equation. I did just fine and she finally just shrugged and said I’d still have to show my work.
I would have had to anyway, but it was good to be able to confirm my answers were correct, which was the entire point for me, really.
Next test said, « No calculators besides your brains and your fingers are allowed to be used on this test. » I’m guessing she didn’t want someone to turn up with an abacus.

i can hardly belibe it. my digustingi neglecudul abysibe egg and sperm donor told me that they didn't beat me enough when i was younger which is why i'm so 'disrespectful' now.
such fucking bullshit. im tired of the bullshit and the lies. they didn't beat me enough. what fucking retards. all they ever did was beat me. it's exactlty the reason why i act the way i do now. but the bastards insist on the lie. on the lie that no one has ever done anything to me. that i was just mentally ill and depressed for no reason. 'shes just having an attitude. somethin no right wit am. ih nee foh be mentally evaluated.' retarded idiots.
all the fucking lies. you never beat me enough? you fuckning retards. all the lies. you think I buy those lies? you think i'm believing in those damn lies? i rememebr the beatings, the shoutings, the yellings, how disgusting you were to me always. i will hate you forever disgusting pieves of shtis. fuck you. for the abuse. fuick you for the lying. fuck you for ganging up on me. stupid hood rat fucks. fuck you for trying to take whats MINE AWAY FROM ME FUCKDRESSSS. FUCK you for the late nights abusing me until one in the morning. acting liek the neighbors didn't hear you. acting like the neigfhbors don't know about your hoodrate ways. it's so embarrassing living with stupid narcissistic evil parents. st8pid delusional idiots. you think i've evr believed you? you think you ever were gonna have me vbelieve that i was some bad problem child? did you really think i was as dumba s you? did you really think i was going to believe you? that i was doing anything wrong or bad? that i deserved the abuse? I WILL NEVER BELIEVE YOU LIAR. I KNOW AND YOU KNOW AND EVERYONE ELSE fuCKING KNOWSX I NEVER DESERVED THE ABUSE AND NEVER WILL. liars. tried so hard to make me have low self esteem and to hate myself. uh oh, the grand scheme didn't fucking work losers. i know youre nothing bnut a liar.
how dare you disrupt my fucking fami\mhy with your narcissism? how dare you disrput my fucking family witj you temper tantrums? from the time i was a hcild all you knew how to do was athorw a tantrum and hurt someone. how dare you.
and now you deprive me even more just to rub salt in the wounds. take away things you think are important to me. things that i need just to drag out unnecasary drama. to continue to provoke me just because youre a sad miserable idiot? i hate you.
no empathy for me ever from you so called "people". no care for how I was doing, how I was feeling. for the things i fucking needed. didn't even care i needed my phone when i was in school to talk to driends or for my work. nothing. you didn't give a shit about me.a nd i will neevr give a sdhit about you. bullies. leavbe me alone stop trying to harvest my energt, demons.

mkdir png 

ffmpeg -i "Roaring Kitty Live Stream - June 7, 2024-U1prSyyIco0.mp4" -vf "crop=80:30:160:240" png/dfv_%06d.png 

import os import cv2 import pandas as pd import pytesseract 

files = sorted(os.listdir("png")) results = [] for file in files: path = os.path.join("png", file) img = cv2.imread(path) text = pytesseract.image_to_string(img) results.append(text) 

raw = pd.Series(results) raw.to_csv("price_extraction_raw.csv", index=False) 

import numpy as np import pandas as pd # Loads the csv raw = pd.read_csv("price_extraction_raw.csv").squeeze() # Strips out unintended newline characters. raw=raw.str.replace(r"\n", "", regex=True) 

# Shows the rows with detected text. raw.dropna() 

# Eliminate any characters that are not numbers or decimals. cleaned = raw.str.replace(r"[^\d\.]", "", regex=True).str.strip().replace("", None) # Clear any rows that have less than 5 characters (two digits, a period, and two decimal places). cleaned = np.where(cleaned.str.len() < 5, None, cleaned) 

# Converts the single column Series into a multi-column DataFrame. cleaned = pd.DataFrame(cleaned, columns=["price"]) # Creates the time columns cleaned["m"] = cleaned.index//3600 # 60 frames * 60 seconds per minute cleaned["s"] = (cleaned.index // 60) % 60 cleaned["f"] = (cleaned.index % 3600) % 60 

cleaned[cleaned["price"].str.len() > 5] 

# Removes trailing characters when there are more than 5 of them. cleaned["price"] = np.where(cleaned["price"].str.len() > 5, cleaned["price"].str[:5], cleaned["price"]) # Changes the datatype to allow calculations to be made. cleaned["price"] = cleaned["price"].astype(float) 

# A list of the start and end of every trading halt in video (by price change). halts = [(10802, 19851), # Initial video halt (26933, 45977), # 2nd halt (61488, 80414), # 3rd halt (81325, 100411), # 4th halt (100778, 119680), # 5th halt (136992, 119680), # 6th halt (166473, 178210), # 7th halt ] # Uses the halt frames, to indicate halts in the dataset. cleaned["halted"] = np.where(cleaned["price"].isna(), None, False) # Assumes no unknown values for (start, end) in halts: cleaned["halted"] = np.where((cleaned.index >= start) & (cleaned.index < end), True, cleaned["halted"]) 

cleaned[cleaned["halted"] == True] 

def assess_halt(df, index): # The frame that is exactly 5 minutes before the frame examined. frame_offset = index - (5 * 60 * 60) # Since there will be no volume during a halt, we want to exclude # remove values where a halt is indicated. prices = df["price"].copy() prices = np.where(df["halted"] == True, np.nan, prices) # The price at the requested frame. halt_price = df["price"][index] # the frame right before (to rule out the halt suppressing the actual amount) price_before_halt = df["price"][index-1] # The average of all extractable prices in the five minute window. average = np.nanmean(prices[frame_offset:index]) # If there is insufficient at the specified frame, this ends calculations early. if np.isnan(average) or np.isnan(price_before_halt): return halt_price, price_before_halt, None, None, None, None, None # The count can help gauge robustness of the estimated average. count = np.count_nonzero(~np.isnan(prices[frame_offset:index])) seconds = count / 60 # The estimated bands are calculated by adding and subrtracting 5% from the average. band_low = average - .05 * average band_high = average + .05 * average # Logic to test whether the halt price or the price just before the halt is estimated to be beyond the 5% bands. outside = ((halt_price < band_low) or (halt_price > band_high)) or ((price_before_halt < band_low) or (price_before_halt > band_high)) return halt_price, price_before_halt, average, seconds, band_low, band_high, outside 

rows = [] for halt in halts: row = assess_halt(cleaned, halt[0]) rows.append(row) assessment = pd.DataFrame(rows, columns=["halt_price", "price_before_halt", "price_average", "seconds_of_data", "band_low", "band_high", "outside_bands"]) assessment 

Reached last sector on like the third run, not hard when I retreat out battles I can't win.
No wait, I HAVE to fight a boss? So this is not a survival game that requires wits and brains then? I have a bad feeling about this...
But let's see what's what first. First stage, no issue. But they retreated, as expected. Old tricks. Second stage, hold on, the attack frequency doesn't sound right.
Had to retreat halfway, because my crew is not skilled enough to handle boarding drones. And who will be, it's supposed to be about resource management and survival, isn't it? My bad feeling intensifies.
Repaired and fighting second stage for the second time, I was crossing my fingers hoping it's going to be RNG but not the same attack pattern...
Nope, it's the same. Watched the recording and did a rough calculation on boss's DPS, even if RNG is on my side, it requires at least 3 shields which I don't have.
My bad feelings confirmed - This is not a survival game, but a stat-based RPG ripping off FF4/5/6's combat mechanic.
This is going to be a good use of time... but I'm still hopeful. Resources are finite from stores, aren't they?
Nope, turns out time pressure, the map, and the fuel limitation - all smoke and mirrors. Out of fuel on its own is an event generator.
Okay, not ideal. It's now simply a matter of grinding every single sector. Turned difficulty on Hard, started a new run.
Yep, there's no resource management, no survival. Okay, maybe a bit at the beginning, but soon not just battles, but the entire game became an absolute slog.
At one stage I began to put battles on autofire. Because 2 minutes of hands-off time is more valuable to me than 15 seconds of hands-on waiting to click time. Good luck surviving multiple shields and multiple sets of burst laser.
When I have enough ""scraps"" to buy every store empty, it simply shows how poor UI is:

1. I've never missed a beam weapon, never in over 50 shots - it's either bugged or have innate 100% accuracy. Was it stated? Nope.
   
2. Bombs bypass defence drones. Good luck when RNG is not on your side and have to fight the last battle with missiles. Would you know that? Nope, of course there won't be a list of weapon catalogues; and of course the fanbase will tell you it's part of the rouge-lite fun. Same for super shields and hijacking rewards - good luck finding any info about it.
   
3. Intruders on ship will show you their names instead of any usual racial information. I bet they come wearing make-ups with a welcoming smile on their faces too. Good luck not encountering any new race in-store, because then you wouldn't know their racial bonus and wouldn't have to remember their pixel arts. Just run blind into a brick wall, the fanbase will tell you it's fun.
   

So here I'm, back after witnessing the replies from confrontational mansplainers seemingly brought up by self-obsessed patriarchy and a strong sense of self-righteousness. Completed the game and presenting an one sentence review:
TL;DR FTL is a stat-based resource-hoarding linear game that rewards simply based on time invested, stay away if you are after a puzzle that needs a brain to solve.
If you still insist to play, go RTFM (Read the fucking manual)... oh wait, there isn't one :)

I think (20f) was in an abusive relationship with my best friend (20) for two years.
They were abused emotionally (I think a bit physically) from a young age, and it also carried on into future relationships too. We met during school, and it seemed go be going well. But when it was bad, it was awful.
I had to constantly watch how I phrased things, how I spoke (I have autism so sometimes I speak monotone), who id hang around with, and one thing that really got to me was what time I went to bed. It was a slow descent into guilt-tripping and weird little manipulations that I don’t think were actually intentional, but the effects were still there.
During this friendship, I became isolated. They would talk shit about anyone I wanted to be friends with, and I would tell them how mean it felt and how awful I was, and they would say, "You're not mean, you're being honest." I'm not going to sugar coat it, I said some awful things about people. I guess the reason was I was alone, and mad. Like why could they all go out together, but I couldn’t in fear of getting slagged off and ignored. That's another thing, they’d just ignore me and give me silent treatment if I did anything wrong. They would also chat shit about every single one of their friends daily.
They would also shit on autistic people. Being like “err I'm never dating another autistic person.” “ Hate autistic people.” and if anyone would d suggest that maybe they had autism, they would be so mad about it and angry. (this is important to the story)
I split the friendship up last December. It was getting too much, and I'd grown out of this awful habit of chatting shit and being mean because I was being hurt. I also felt pressured to do a lot of things to not upset them. It took a while, and after trying to communicate and being made to feel guilty, i just left. They told people I screamed at them down the phone, when I was really calm and told them as kindly as I could how their actions made me feel. (Someone was in the room with me to make sure I was being calm about it all.)
Once I had fully left, I wanted to start a new with the people I had hurt. I had told them all what I had said about them and how sorry I was, and everyone seem to understand and say “we've all chatted shit about each other before.” and we all seemed to get comfortable with each other, and also talked how the ex friend made us all feel.
Fast-forward to this month, and this person isn’t dropping it. They invited one of our mutual friends out to drink, and decided to go onto our old private messages and show this mutual what I had said. This has happened on multiple occasions apparently, and it's devastated to me. I've lost a friend over it, and it doesn't feel like they're stopping there.
They tried putting my closest friend against me, being like “you know she's said this that and the other about you, right?” to my close friend, and said friend replying “yes, but so have you.”
They have labelled me, and 3 of my best friends as “bullies, who hate autistic people and are transphobic.” while exbsf is going around telling people I stopped them from being autistic. I have never stopped them, I just agreed with them when they said they weren’t autistic.
I feel like this is never going to end, and I got my new friends into such a bad situation. Do you think this is abuse, or am I just being dramatic?

Hi all,
After recently founding yet another settlement I have started to get annoyed/frustrated by some mechanics. I will just spit out my unorderded list and we can have some discussion about it. Maybe we're lucky and the devs read this.

• There should be a birds-eye perspective mode when placing buildings. Sometimes it's difficult to get the placement right and it starts to get frustrating when you have to delete the blueprint and place it again. Another case could be made for a "snapped" build mode where you can place buildings in a nice grid. I know that some imperfections in the settlement layout make it realistic, but I see no reason why you can't offer both.
• Remove the tedious tasks like felling trees, mining ore/rocks, digging for clay, working the fields, etc... with one continuous animation. The stacking speedup boost from the perk tree can still work, i.e. it just works faster. There is no fun in hitting a tree by holding down a button and waiting until the action is done. This is especially bad for field work. Once a field gets large and you work on it yourself, it's just annoying to walk a pattern down a 10x10 field to fertilize it, plow it and sow the seeds. Just make it a single animation that plays out and we can lean back. For anyone arguing this, a mechanic like this already exists when crafting, i.e. it can be done similarly. With fast crafting enabled, the animation is short, otherwise it will just play out like normal but at least we can lean back, wait and watch.
• Speaking on the topic of fields, please give us the options to do automatic crop rotations, work priorities and assigned work areas. This should be pretty self-explanatory. Of course you could just lay down an ungodly number of fields, assign them a certain crop and leave them be, but this is extremely space inefficient and, paired with a missing field priority and work area assignment, can sometimes lead to missing crops.
• The way gathered resources work should be redesigned. Instead of placing a gathering building in the middle of nowhere, but it is still able to produce the resources irrespective of whether they are close and always in the same quantities is extremely damaging for the immersion. In the end it just feels like I am creator and participant of my own medieval Truman Show. Instead, similarly to the suggestion with the fields above, give extraction buildings an option to assign work areas and then have the workers actually work on the resources (possible even deplete them). This could work for so many things - berries, mushrooms, trees, fish, animal hunting, ore, etc... I know that this will probably be an even heavier work load for the PC with the increased simulation, but honestly I think it would greatly improve actually thinking about where you want to place your buildings/settlements.
• As a corollary to the previous point, production should also be done differently. Adjusting the slider for the correct production quantities makes sense in some areas (basically production buildings like kitchen, smithy, etc...), but I find it weird that I can have 7 hens, but somehow can still decide to only produce 10% of the egg production. In the specific example of animal production, just let them produce their stuff and let the workers pick up the products from the building instead of manifesting them out of nothing. On the topic of production buildings, it should be much simpler. Instead of putting the slider to X%, just offer a tick box what to produce and a priority, e.g. the smithy will just produce iron bars (4), iron hammers (1) and iron knives (1) in that priority order and with those quantities.
• Speaking of animal products, why do animals only have such a limited set of output resources? I want my pork and beef meat! I know all animals give the same type of meat, but maybe this should be changed too. Give us mutton, venison and rabbit meat!
• Please give us something that allows us to get a better overview of what is being produced and how much. Maybe it can even be another service building where we can employ a worker and he will just gather production statistics. You could even introduce paper and ink resources which have to be used in order to keep track of everything. I want to see how much firewood I'm producing and if I'm net-positive without jumping through countless menus and then it gets messed up again when a worker levels up and has increased production.
• More buildings would be nice - churches, schools, entertainment? Maybe these things can even be required by the villagers for them to be happier.
• Villager requirements could be more complex, i.e. they don't care if all they get to eat is dried meat and water to drink. Why not have some tiers for the villagers (e.g. depends on growth of the settlement) and the higher it gets, the more complex the provided goods and services have to be.
• Clothes should degrade (also for villagers, see above). I know this is a hefty one because I tend to unlock clothers very late because the requirements are very steep. But maybe the degradation could be very slow? Otherwise there is virtually no need to produce clothing except for trading.
• Villagers should actually require tables and seats + cutlery to actually sit down and eat. We already have things like spoons, knives, jugs, mugs, etc... but they're mostly decorative. The nice side effect would be that settlements will automatically look much more organic because you will have to place some eating areas before continuing to expand the settlement.
• The tavern is too late in the tech tree. There should be more tiers to the tavern, with earlier tiers offering the ability to produce juices, the medium tier things like ale and beer and the highest tier wine/schnapps. This will give an incentive to place orchards early and get some fruits ready for a more diverse variety in drinks. This also ties in neatly with the proposed increase in complexity with villager requirements.
• Have villagers also benefit from potions and food/drink effects. Maybe this requires some more tweaking to the buffs/debuffs that they all give but this could be such a nice addition. Just imagine you can boost your mining production by additionally providing some stamina/weight potions for the workers there.
• Traders should only buy items that fit to their store. The number of times I have dumped my sheer endless number of bronze knives to all traders just to extract every last coin is heavily breaking immersion and quite frankly doesn't make a lot of sense.

These are mostly the ones that bug me the most/would improve the game massively. I know that it's probably never going to be added, but I swear I'd gladly pay 80$ if the game offered mechanics and complexity like this. I also realize that this sounds a lot like a Medieval Dynasty meets Banished, but it would be such a banger of a game.
What do you think?

Hello, I hope everyone is having a good day. First of all, I'll be using a throwaway to ensure that anyone who knows me doesn't understand what I've written. I'm writing here to get different perspectives, and I'll try not to go into too much detail. For easier reading, I've written headings for each paragraph for your convenience.
General info -> I (22f) and my mom (57f) have been close since childhood, but not very intimate. My mom has improved herself in many areas. She's a teacher but has undertaken many projects on her own, traveled to many countries, gained numerous certifications, and has many friends. She has read all the books in our two large libraries (now listening books often) and taken notes in most of them. As for myself, I'm successful in my studies, have a strong academic career, a few friends, a bit shy, and enjoy individual activities.
Her childhood -> My mom had a difficult childhood, being the oldest among many siblings, some of whom had severe psychological issues, and the adults at home were entirely unstable, leaving her with many responsibilities, making her the strong one. However, this affected our mother-daughter communication.
During my childhood -> Many of the difficulties I faced during my childhood were never a problem for her, insisting that I solve my problems myself. I always felt alone in my struggles. I often faced bullying at school, and even when it escalated to physical altercations, she insisted I solve my own problems. After talking to my psychiatrist during this period, I started taking antidepressants because I had a lot of trouble with sleep, especially, and still do. Besides, I was diagnosed with anxiety about 5 years ago from another psychiatrist. Whenever my voice trembles, my mom reacts with a weary tone like "oh, again? I'm tired of these situations." In comparison, I can express these feelings more comfortably to my dad. My mom is quite bothered by my dad's softness and claims her behavior is to balance his leniency. My dad is a bit overprotective and risk-averse, but I think my mom's attitudes do not really help this.
Sudden comments -> Sometimes, out of nowhere, she makes negative comments (like looking at my face and saying "your mustache has grown, why don't you remove it," or "Why are you walking like you've wet yourself," or comparing me suddenly to other people's children).
Our disagreements -> When we have a problem, she completely stops talking to me and refuses to answer my questions in any way. She has rarely apologized to me. She often uses words like ungrateful and spoiled with me. Her most frequently used phrases are like "Sure, I'm the worst mother in the world. You haven't seen any evil. Ask your friends how their mothers are. You have a boyfriend, you chose your university department yourself, we didn't force you, we don't interfere with your clothes, etc." But I always try to talk calmly and try to explain my side so why get defensive all of a sudden?
Her with my brother -> In contrast, she has a much better relationship with my brother. For example, when talking to me on the phone, she would say she has something to do and hang up, but then she would call my brother and talk for almost an hour, and they talk frequently. But what I don't understand is that I'm the one who actually does what my mom wants. In fact, my mom always says that my brother agrees with her first but then does what he wants, while I always argue at first and finally do what my mom says. My brother and I get along well. He has always been a perfect brother to me since childhood. There is a 5-year age difference between us. He always speaks respectfully to me and is very supportive in many areas.
What others think about my mom -> Whenever I talk about my mom to people, they immediately take her side. They say she cares about my well-being and she is rational.
What I want -> I want my mom to understand that our personalities are different and to be more open to communication. Unlike her, I don't enjoy being social. Social situations, places of entertainment, etc., stress me out a lot, and I get mentally exhausted. Yes, I have friends, and I constantly try to step out of my comfort zone. I handle many household chores myself. I don't have any harmful habits. I am quite committed to manners. Since childhood, I have tried to make my family happy and not be a burden to them.
Her comparisons -> But my mom compares me to others, especially very social people. If she learns that I haven't attended any social events, she immediately becomes aggressive towards me. The person my mom wants is perfect in every way, and I can never be enough for her. Even if I try to talk to her calmly about this, she immediately becomes defensive. The worst part is that people around her agree with her. I always feel like I'm in the wrong. I'm afraid of making any decisions on my own because my mom never likes the decisions I make, which further lowers my self-esteem.
Summary -> In summary, I don't know what to do about this. Everyone around me agrees with my mom. Many people, especially my brother and mom, believe that I am not psychologically mature and that I am unnecessarily emotional. Is that true? My mom is quite insistent on not seeing any therapist. As I said before, she is both social and successful in many areas, so she always sees herself as right. She's usually quite judgmental towards others. But she values my education a lot and is quite supportive in some areas. I also do my best to support her.
My question -> My question is: Why does my mom behave like this? Are these behaviors normal? Of course, I can't expect my mom to be perfect because neither am I, but the answers you provide could help me understand her better. Maybe the problem really is with me. If that's the case, the answers you provide could help me correct myself, but I don't currently have the means to afford therapy. I'm not sure if my mom is narcissistic because 40% is like that, but the other 60% is very good. Although the 60% part is not entirely opposite, she offers to spend time with me and go places, sometimes I see her buying clothes for me when she comes home, we have nice conversations, and she listens to a few of my problems. She may find my problems very simple because she had a very difficult childhood herself, but as we try to have healthy conversations about this, she says I'm being unnecessarily emotional. Thank you in advance for your answers.

Me (18F) and my ex best-friend, Noah (fake name, 18M) have been friends for 7 years (2017), we had met from a middle school I used to attend before moving out of state at 13 years old with my mom (53F), her ex (53M), and my brother (21M). We had started interacting around the end of 5th grade after I found out he is cousins with my other ex best-friend, Aisha (fake name, 18F). (Some of the earlier actions may not be mentioned due to serious/triggering subjects involved.
So, our friendship has been mostly on and off constantly throughout the years due to massive arguments sparking out of the blue at times. We connected through the internet since I moved. He's had a habit of stalking me using other accounts or weird tools from his computer to see access my screen if he had my phone number or email, whenever I attempted to leave up until 2021. He has tried to be forceful on who I should be friends with and had claimed it was for the better of myself but whenever I tried to give advice on his toxic friends who joked about serious matters and targeted certain groups, he'd still deem them as good people and would brush it off as me being dramatic.
In recent years, he has changed the way he reacted to arguments while still seemly having the same intentions, criticizing me on things I liked (such as music taste, my drawings), etc. Before, he'd constantly insult me in arguments, claim I am just using him for "emotional support", and try to find my group of friends to have them take sides. In recent years, he'd take a different approach. Whenever I decided to remove myself from the conversation, he'd right a "heartfelt" apology, and would want me to call him. Whenever I did this, his tone would completely change, seemingly irritated and would constantly put the blame on me. However, I'd put up with it because I was "the only friend" he had to come to, and he was going through a lot. I pitied him, greatly. However, I became agitated around him, trying to avoid talking to him more and more in recent years, and becoming less and less open to him about my personal life (I usually do this when someone has affected me a lot, while still trying to put up with it). He'd constantly disrespect everyone I was around, but if I argued about it, he'd gaslight me into thinking it wasn't that serious. If I tried to leave in recent years, he'd say "I would've never done that to you" while also telling me if I left, he'd still wait for me to come back, whatever it takes.
What ultimately led me to leave was back in April, I dealt with a serious situation with my last online ex boyfriend (20M), who seemly used me for nonconsensual lustful roleplays (through voice and text), Noah brushed it off and said I should not even pay any mind to him when Noah knew the whole situation. He also interrupted a game with me and my other friend (18M) from my current school (I graduate tomorrow) just to ask me why I wasn't responding to him, when I was dealing with an uncomfortable phone call when that friend asked if I wanted to play but not calling, and I needed something to distract myself in that uncomfortable situation and not really apologizing about it until my best friend, Jacob (17M) was very uncomfortable when I told him what happened and considering distancing himself. Before I told Jacob, I was having a meltdown in front of Noah because I was already uncomfortable, and Noah knew that I would feel even more uncomfortable. Though, he felt dramatic and brushed it off as me appearing dramatic. I haven't had a met down in front of him about him like this since 2021. I did block him; however, he wanted a mutual of mine to tell me to unblock him to "talk things out". We did and I felt that I had to sweep it under the rug, though, I could feel myself reaching a breaking point. About 3 days ago, Noah came to me with a mental health crisis but seemed to act unusual which made me worry about his safety. I told him that I would like to talk about what happened to him or I could try to get him help since he didn't seem like he could be safe. He said that it is not necessary and that I am overreacting and being impulsive. However, I hung up from that call a few minutes later to call somewhere local around his area to do a wellness check. I called him back and told him I got disconnected, then we chatted like normal while trying to keep him calm and making sure he is okay. A few minutes later, I randomly tell him that I just wanna make sure he's okay and that he gets help soon. I was about to tell him that I reached out to get him help and they already called him by the time I was going to tell him. He put me on hold, and then when he got back, his response was "I'm gonna beat your ass" so I hung up immediately out of fear. He had constantly spam called me and texted me, while Jacob and my other best friend V (21F) were trying to reassure me that I just wanted to get him some help. I called him back after the 4th time trying to reach me and he was telling me "Oh we were just fine, you didnt have to do that" and I lashed out saying "How the fuck was I supposed to react to you telling me you were gonna beat me ass?" and then explained that we shouldnt have this conversation. He demanded that we have the conversation now otherwise this is not going to be mentioned again. I explained that I am too anxious to have this conversation and I wouldn't be rational enough. He said "You were anxious? How did you think I felt when they called?" and proceeded to shame me for what I had done. I repeated myself once more and then hung up.
He then sends me a text an hour later or so, telling me that I was still in the wrong and that I could've handled it a different way instead of trying to reach out for a wellness check. By that time, I had already decided I was going to cut him out of my life. I have already thought about it for 2 years, but since this January, the urge had been very strong. I already wanted him out of my life, I really do care about him. But I had felt nothing but burdened being around him. I felt guilt, which was the main reason I stayed. I just wanted him to be okay, despite the fact he had constantly hurt me and the people I love. I was unhappy and uncomfortable being him friend for a few years already. And I admit I should've been more communicative, but I was really afraid of him. It got to a point where I constantly lied to him and hid things from him even if it had nothing to do with him because I was so uncomfortable. I even felt freer to continue doing my passions of writing and drawing more even though it's been a few days. He used to tell me whenever I tried to cut him off or I wasn't in his life for a short time, he'd run out of motivation to do his own passions. I have done better in standing my ground this year, I have cut off a lot of people that I felt uncomfortable around. HOWEVER, there are random moments when guilt lingers in or "good" memories of me and him pops up. It's not the type of guilt where, "Oh, I miss Noah" type of thing but where it's like fear of what he'll try next and also like "If I come back to him, will it prevent him from stalking me and hurting my friends" and that type of anxiety where he's all I know but I am determined to cut off the bad cycles. But, this anxiety of being away may get to me eventually and I wanna know how to stop it
TL;DR: My ex-best friend was very manipulative, I tried to help him (it backfired), then I cut him off

My ex Sarah, initiated a breakup because I was too physically ill for her to want to take care of me. Long story short but she gave me a rare STD from a past partner that caused permanent damage to my body. I knew it was her because I had only ever had two sex partners my entire life and my other partner had tested negative for that rare STD. Before doctors could find out what was wrong with me, I developed severe and sudden onset symptoms including frequent vomiting and nausea, severe weight loss, and limping as my legs no longer worked properly. It bothered her that we couldn't party and do all the things she wanted to do. Also, Sarah transitioned from male to female in the middle of our relationship and I welcomed it with open arms because I loved her. I went to clubs with her even though I was disabled and tried to make sure she felt loved and supported as much as possible.
Sarah however, would never return the favor. She would often become cold and distant when I was sick and once even left me on the cold floor of a hotel covered in my own vomit and urine. I begged her to call an ambulance and she turned around and pretended to sleep. When I was finally able to get the strength to get off the ground 7 hours later, I called myself an Uber to the hospital. It turned out that I had a stomach blockage. When I confronted her about this she said she didn't believe that I was ever sick because she "had an ex who lied about having cancer". I showed her official paperwork of multiple diagnoses as a result of this STD. She apologized, told me she believed me, but even then still treated me as though I was still an inconvenience. I felt so embarrassed every time she wanted to go out and party, and I could barely even walk.
There were many instances of verbal abuse as well, often in public places. For example, we went out on a date at a bar once. I had let her know that due to a family emergency, I might take out my phone a few times. The second I take my phone out, she bashed the table, tossed the chair, left a $100 bill on the table and walked out even before the food even came. I was so humiliated and other people asked if I was okay. She apologized after, but that is just one of many instances of this kind of behavior. I am not a perfect human by any means but when I tell you not ONCE did I ever raise my voice at her in the entire relationship... I have a very big fear of confrontation so the way she responded to things caused me to develop panic disorder and symptoms of schizophrenia. I was hospitalized 42 times in one year usually with a BPM over 150 and was admitted to a psych ward. Keep in mind, before I met her I had no prior mental health history. I had a stable job, a healthy body and was never on mental health medications. My only prior relationship of 5 years was also stable and loving but my partner moved across the country so we chose to end things.
The underlying issue was that Sarah was on a cocktail of medications, Antidepressants, anxiety medication, ADHD medication and another drug for mental health which I can't recall. Because of her ADHD, she would sometimes forget to pick up her medications. At the same time, she was experimenting with different medications and dosages (under doctor supervision). This meant she was always on a different combination of psychiatric medications throughout out relationship. Her mood was really unpredictable and I never knew when she would snap. For example, we had just went to ikea that day and everything was great. We had a fun time installing curtains in her new apartment. I would sometimes suffer from really bad brain fog from the antibiotics and panic attack meds I was always on. Well apparently I didn't realize I made a face after she asked me to pass her something, which caused her to yell "Stop making that stupid fucking face I cant stand it". Then she proceeded to mock me...
She would also go through my phone behind my back, accusing me of cheating when I would never do such a thing and there was nothing to even possibly HINT at the thought. She said she did this because her "exes all cheated". Even though she would always go to gay bars alone wearing nothing but lingerie. And I never bothered her once about it. I didn't want to interfere with her freedom of expression. She was finding her new identity (transitioning from male to female)
After 4 long years she broke up with me in public after I coincidentally bumped into her at a bar when our mutual friend and I went out for drinks. Sarah was talking to other girls but I was just so happy to see her and ran to give her a hug. But she seemed upset that I had ruined her day. She went on a rant for 20 minutes about how she can't stand me always being sick and said she fell out of love with me a few months back but didn't want to tell me. She told me soulmates don't exist (I never said they did), how I am "not special" (never said I was) and she could "find someone tonight if she wanted to".
The panic attack I had from her yelling at me so much in public was so bad that I started puking blood. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and after she never checked up on me. Instead I woke up in the hospital the next day to see that she started following hundreds of plus sized porn stars and sharing their posts. After causing me to drop to 91 lbs at 5'8".
After that I blocked her on all social medias. I had also blocked her number. One day about 6 months after the breakup I received a voicemail from her from another number. She said it was an emergency and was crying so I called her back. She told me how her hamster died because she forgot to feed her and was crying and blaming her ADHD saying she basically forgot the hamster existed. This turned into a long conversation about her apologizing, her feeling lonely because no one wants to date her. She moved across the country and I made it very clear, I had not even the slightest interest in getting back with her.
She said she cared about me as a friend and missed the friendship we had. I agreed to remain friends but only unblocked her on Instagram. She then started sharing with me intimate details of her sex life with strangers and other people she would meet at bars. It seemed like every conversation would turn into her sending me memes about sucking off trans girls and trans penises. Then she would tell me how she was good at sucking dick and would only top people. Then it progressed into telling me how trans girls anuses felt better than vaginas and that was really the last straw for me. I had told her numerous times this made me uncomfortable. She said she was just sharing information that she shares with all her female friends and made me seem unreasonable for not wanting to discuss her sex life. Especially when she knew I was dealing with a death in the family at the same time. And I'm not just a female friend, I pictured myself at one point spending my life with her. Why do I want to picture her sucking dick and what her partner's penises look like?
I make it clear that she has a very bad issue with respecting boundaries and I block her instagram. About 3 weeks later, she makes a new account with the same picture and almost the same name. She likes my posts and all my stories. I go to the page to check the account because I was confused as I thought I blocked her already. As soon as she liked my posts with this alt account, she uploads photos of her making out with other people and talks about how good dick is. Was this behavior intentional or am I just looking too hard into things? I just can't understand what I did to deserve any of this...

As stated above, I'm currently running the Dragonheist campaign, so if you're currently playing it and haven't at least completed the Zhentarim's second sidequest, I would advise against reading the spoilers.
The stars of this particular tale are a pair of evil party members: The jester, Stitches, and the former Zhentarim thug, Kanno. Stitches is a College of Lore Bard with the Charlatan background, whose favorite con was impersonating others. Kanno is a Fighter, whom I had worked out with the player to be a former follower of Manshoon, who left after a betrayal by his former master. As a result, Kanno was quick to seize opportunities to make money, which he needed for his revenge.
The party has just experienced the beginning of the "Fireball" event, and conducted a fruitful investigation. Afterwards, they were questioned by Barnibus Blastwind and Saethe Cromley. Once the two had left, Stitches' player asked me whether their conversation with Barnibus had lasted for more than a minute. I answered in the affirmative, asked why, and then suddenly realized that he could now impersonate Barnibus. I didn't expect that to come into play so soon, though.
The party's first stop was to meet with Davil, to find out what he knew about the Zhentarim operatives that were killed at the scene of the blast. Since the men who died don't work for him, that lead was a dead-end. However, I took the opportunity to provide the party with the second Zhentarim sidequest, to deliver potions for Skeemo Weirdbottle. Since the party couldn't think of a next step for their investigation, in spite of all of the clues they had gathered, they decided to do the job to make some quick change.
It was here that Stitches began scheming. On the way to Skeemo's, he stopped at another apothecary, and was able to convince the man to tell him what a Potion of Mind Reading looks like. He also explained his plan to Kanno, operating under the assumption that it would be a large shipment, and that nobody would notice if a bottle or two were to "break" or "be confiscated by the Watch" when they made the delivery. Fortunately, they at least had the sense to realize that losing one bottle out of a delivery of four was not feasible. It was my mistake to think that this would be the end of the scheme.
Arriving at the Godcatcher with their cargo, they quickly spotted the intended recipient sitting in a hire-coach. After delivering the box, the woman inspected the goods, then quickly handed the party their reward and told the driver to get out of there. It was then that Stitches acted. Casting Message, he informed the driver, "Eyes are on you, take a roundabout route." While I had originally intended for the driver to take a circuitous route back anyways (I assumed that the woman was already taking precautions, given the nature of the sidequest), I had Stitches roll Persuasion. His result was good enough that I decided that the driver wouldn't tell his client about the missive, assuming that he was being reminded of his instructions by a compatriot of hers.
Meanwhile, Stitches hailed another hire-coach, and informed the party that he and Kanno would be "Following up on other leads", and that he hoped to "Earn a little bit of a bigger tip", or something to that effect. I didn't really want them to try to follow her, especially since what they were planning was obviously going to involve committing a crime of some kind, but I also wasn't going to just give them a hard "No", so I decided to make it difficult.
First, I rolled to see how many turns would pass before they could get a cab, and got a result of 3. Well, that's to be expected, it's a pretty well-travelled area, so cabs should be readily available there. I then had the driver balk at taking them without a set destination in mind, since fares are negotiated and paid before travel begins. Stitches, thinking fast, tells him to take them as far as 1 gold would go, and given the cost of a hire-coach, I had him reply that, "Sure, you've got me for an hour".
Since the module doesn't really contain rules for a vehicular chase, and I didn't want to waste time flipping through the DMG looking for something, I decided to modify the chase rules found on page 72. I had one of them roll a d20 for the outset, and Stitches rolled a natural 20, so they encountered no obstacles leaving the square. But they'd still have to actually find their quarry's vehicle, since it was currently going around the square a few times, and ducking up and down sidestreets. Oh, no problem, a 15 and a 22 on Perception quickly spotted the woman's cab, and a quick lie about their intent set their own driver to following her at a distance of about 100 feet.
I then began a few rounds of rolling d20s to determine how the chase would go. After both their cab and the one they were following rolled well enough to avoid mishap on two successive checks, I informed them that their quarry had finally stopped its erratic travel, and was now moving straight up The High Road, seemingly now on its way back, and called for one more round of checks. My hope was that they would follow her home, see that they were messing with a noble, and back off. Instead, I rolled a 2 for the NPC's coach, while they managed to avoid mishap once again. Since they had just been asking their cabbie about possibly finding a shortcut to head them off, I decided that they would see the hire-coach ahead of them stopping due to a fruit-cart in the middle of the road having a broken wheel. I informed them that the coach they were following was waiting for a break in the oncoming traffic so that it could go around.
Once again, they defied my expectations. Playing their previous lie to the hilt, they departed from their cab and approached the stopped vehicle, where the dice gods granted their blessing upon the absolute Indy Ploy they rolled out. First, the two ducked into an alleyway, where Stitches cast Disguise Self to make himself look like Barnibus Blastwind. Then, using his Performance to do a bit of voice mimicry, he approached the fruit cart vendor, slipped him a silver piece, and started making a big production about "Reckless drivers these days!", and the negligent driving that damaged the wheel on this poor fruit vendor's cart!
I called for Persuasion, and with a 19, the fruit cart vendor decided that he wasn't one to say no to free money, and started playing along, albeit very passively. A Performance result of 23 ensured that not only was Stitches able to do a spot-on impression of Barnibus' voice and mannerisms, but that he was starting to draw the crowd's attention as well, just as he had hoped. Stitches started demanding compensation from the hire-coach driver, who was incredulous that he was being blamed for this. The fact that Stitches was demanding two Platinum as compensation only made him more certain that this was some kind of shakedown, and he adamantly refused to pay for something that he had nothing to do with.
For the lady's part, I rolled absolutely abysmally. A natural 1 on her Insight check led her to also assume that this was some clumsy attempt at extortion, and she chimed in that even if her driver had damaged the cart, he would only have to pay damages to the owner, not the exorbitant fee that Stitches/Barnibus was demanding. She also demanded to know exactly who he was. Stitches obliged.
...And here, ignorance proved to be a strength as well. See, Stitches didn't actually know Barnibus' last name. Nor did he know that Barnibus was only a consultant, and not a member of the Watch. And so, he introduced himself as "Inspector Barney of the City Watch". And the woman, failing yet another check, didn't question the obvious lie. And besides, as a secret member of the city's criminal class, she's not exactly looking for a confrontation with the City Watch right now. And so, the two started talking in circles for a bit, both the lady's driver and the lady herself being a little confused by what exactly Stitches was looking for, since even his own demands were, by design, self-contradictory and bizarre. The only reason they didn't just leave was because the traffic on their side of the road was at a standstill due to the broken cart.
Meanwhile, while Stitches held their attention, Kanno emerged from the alley he was observing from and slipped around to the other side of the lady's hire-coach. After ascertaining from him exactly what he intended to do, I had him roll Stealth, but informed him that there was a fair-sized crowd gathered, and that while the hire coach would block people from seeing him on their side of the road, and the oncoming dray would block the view from the other sidewalk, he would still be visible to the people on board the dray, and that a bad Stealth roll would mean that he's spotted.
So, Kanno steals up to the hire-coach. His intent is to try to sneak up, open the coffer full of potions, and swipe one. He asks where it is, and I decided that it was about a 50/50 that she'd either be holding it in her lap or having it sit on the seat next to her. I rolled a secret d100, got a 4, and had him call high or low. Kanno called low, so to his great fortune, the box was sitting on the seat next to the woman, who was currently engaged in a heated conversation with Stitches over the poor fruit vendor's cart damages.
At this point, I also had the cart vendor realize that this wasn't going well, and have him start to meekly assert that "It's not such a big deal", and that "I don't think they were the ones who even hit me in the first place", to put a time limit on this exercise. On the other side of the wagon, Kanno rolled Stealth once again to try to steal a potion from the box, and Stitches, running brilliant interference, hit the woman with Cutting Words to reduce her Perception check. It ultimately proved unnecessary, as Kanno's Stealth check was good enough to beat the woman's Passive Perception, but I wanted to highlight the move anyways, as it was a great assist.
And so, Kanno slipped away with the bottle tucked into his pocket, giving Stitches a wink to indicate a job completed. Stitches, playing along with the vendor's second thoughts, stated that "Since the man himself has decided not to press charges, I'll drop the matter", and departed. And just for the sake of adding a little flair to the scene, I described to the two how, as they were leaving, they heard the sound of a member of the City Watch arriving to direct traffic around the broken cart while it was being removed from the road.
And so, the two got away with their dastardly scheme. The woman completely fell for Stitches' trickery, and since he played his role so well, she now believes that "Inspector Barney", purportedly of the City Watch, has tried to demand a bribe from her. She never saw Kanno, and nobody noticed him stealing the potion from her box, so all she knows is that the "inspector", and possibly the fruit vendor, coordinated a scam to rob her of her potions. Additionally, since we were playing on Roll20, and I accidentally did a couple of the woman's rolls in the open instead of as secret GM rolls,they now have the OOC knowledge that they managed to get one over on the infamous Black Viper.
It wasn't where I was expecting that short sidequest to go, but it was one of the funniest and most memorable roleplay experiences I've had in a long time, calling to mind the absurd stories of the old ad hoc roleplaying sessions we used to do using the Dragonstrike game rules. I think it's a good example of how your players can disrupt your game in a way that's fun for everyone at the table, turning a nothing task into a fun story. They knew what they were risking, it was entirely in character for both players to do it, and they profited from their daring. And really, while she might be annoyed and want to find out who did it, I feel like The Black Viper could at least appreciate a robbery smoothly committed, and draw inspiration from it. Besides, I can't wait to find out how these two discover that their stolen "Potion of Mind Reading" is actually a Potion of Poison *evil laugh*.

What I think happened was. 1967. November 29th. A baby is born on Rokkenjima and taken in by Kinzo Ushiromiya, still deep in his mourning of the Golden Witch Beatrice. As this baby grows up, Kinzo shapes their identity under his upbringing and they grow up with a very stunted sense of self. EIther as some sort of disguise or to give themselves more fulfillment, they assume the identity of a young maid named Shannon and a younger servant named Kanon. This helps them navigate their life on Rokkenjima fine until the larger Ushiromiya family enters the picture, specifically Battler, Jessica and George, whose love for them begins to pull their identity apart. After a conversation with a 12 year old Battler about the kind of woman he likes, and getting even closer with George and Jessica in the years after, this person is at a crossroads on whos wishes get to be fulfilled: Shannon’s, Kanon’s, or Beatrice’s, and this all comes to a head on October 4th, 1986, where they facilitate a series of murders as an internal competition and as a demonstration to the person who affected them the most: Battler Ushiromiya.
….I THINK. I didn’t have the epiphany I thought I would have, more like a slow slow realization when I began to piece together the early-suggested possibility that Shannon was behind the appearances of Beatrice that Maria sees, the weird status of Kanon’s body at the end of almost every twilight, how Kanon had to bail Battler out in the first place, and the Love Duel itself, Shannon, Kanon and Beatrice all being on equal footing within it, and why Shannon and Kanon’s (and Beatrice’s) love had to be mutually exclusive in the first place. Plus more little details like the 19 paces coinciding with the perceived 19 people on the island (family + Beato) and the 19 years since the master of the game had been born, the narration and several characters like Featherine saying that the solution to the previous question or to the logic error could be the key to the whole mystery and is a part of Beato’s heart (her identity). George’s reminiscence of Battler and Shannon as a 12 year old with Beato’s own reminiscence of it coinciding with it. The fact that Battler has literally never seen Kanon and Shannon in the same room and the mystery of how Battler saw Beatrice after the murders of the fourth game. But I think that Shannon, Kanon, and Beatrice are all identities of one person, the 16th person after subtracting Kinzo, Kanon and Shannon from the initial 18, and that their disguises and faked deaths are the key to solving not just the logic error room, but the entire game and magic as a whole. Granted I don’t have *everything* figured out with this yet but I feel like I have my foot in the door finally.
Just starting with the logic error room, we know that Erika and Kanon entered and Batler left, the chain was reset when Erika entered, yet by the end of Erika’s search, Kanon was nowhere in the guestroom. Airtight locked room murder, practically no way to get out of this one, at least through the door. And for good measure, Hideyoshi, George, Nanjo, Kumasawa and Shanon are in the next room over while *everyone else* is in the cousins’ room, and during the escape, the seals to the doors of these rooms are intact. Genuinely the only in that I had on this one at first was the “everyone else” wording with Kanon’s status as furniture as my teeny little screwdriver I was trying to pry this thing open with. Of course the furniture thing is mostly a metaphor for the crested servants’ character arcs, and Genji is considered a person who would be included as “everyone else” but it was a start. Incidentally, my attempts before this episode had me reassessing the idea that Shannon could have disguised herself as Beatrice for Maria from the earlier episodes, and it was like I needed something to bridge these two ideas. And the fact of Kanon coming to save Battler being confirmed in red makes it seem useless to try to figure out how he got out of the cousins' room, but figuring that out was an important first step to my reasoning, as it helped me begin forming the idea that, somehow, to have been out of the cousin’s room, he would have had to be somehow less than one, to not be his own person, to not be included in “everyone else”. And taking this to the guestroom, it eventually dawned on me that, if *he* wasn’t his own person, and his love for Jessica couldn’t exist if Shannon was going to be with George, then maybe these two got in the way of each other because they were the same person, and if this was true, Kanon could escape the guestroom by discarding the disguised and identity of ‘Kanon’, removing him from the guestroom, since it was never specified that nobody was in there, only that Kanon wasn’t. ‘Shannon’ in the next room over could have gotten out through the window, since the status of the seals on the window is a hole that is pointed out in the episode, but Dlanor forbids it from being used, I think because bringing it up without solving Kanon’s identity would be solving the mystery incorrectly or at least out of order.
From here, you can take this to many of the other murders in Question arcs. I think I pointed out that Shannon’s body was hidden from George by Hideyoshi in episode 1, but rereading made me realize that not only had Battler not properly seen it either, but if Kanon was at the scene too, following my theory, the body could not have been Shannon’s. Whose it was I’m not sure. If Kumasawa got into her closet for this that would be funny. If they had a body prepared then sure. But this in conjunction with Kanon’s death not being seen by Battler later leaves this person without the identity of Shannon OR Kanon, free to run around the mansion murdering as they please. Even better if they are prepared to disguise as Beatrice as well, as this would have allowed them to have Maria turn around so they could kill Genji, Nanjo, and Kumasawa without harming her, and when the 4 others would come in and investigate, this person would slip out and kill Natsuhi. For Eva and Hideyoshi, since it was Kanon (and Genji who came upon the crime scene), I think it’s possible that the chain being locked was a lie on Genji and Kanon’s part.
As we know in Episode 2, Kanon’s corpse disappears after his death to the confusion of almost everyone, but this is because the body, as Shannon, is in Kinzo’s study “informing him of the murders” which after learning of Kinzo’s pre-game death means she can be doing whatever she wants. Since Kanon never shows up again, she operates as she needs to until she dies with George and Gohda. I think Shannon struggled with killing both of them. It seemed like there was a genuine struggle to even get the door open and overpower George and Gohda, so her and George could have killed each other, or she kills herself after killing George in mourning, because the final twilight is complete, or because she believes Genji or Rosa will take care of the rest. If Shannon was alive, Rosa stopping Battler from disturbing the body and then chasing everyone out would work for that, but Battler also witnesses like, the viscera of her head spilling out of the hole in it, which could constitute as a body check..? Maybe there’s some fuckery with how this Shannon looks to us and to the people inside the story, and that’s how she bypasses Battler’s body check? idk this one isn’t so solid but Kanon’s missing body is so damning to me. Battler does see Beato and Kinzo at the end and this could have been the culprit as Beato. Battler doesn’t get a good look at her and only sees Kinzo’s back as well. And the magic stuff at the end of every episode in my interpretation is Battler having died and the anti-magic, objective perspective being removed. So idk still working on that one lmao
The biggest thing for Episode 3 is the locked room chain, and having two of the servants being assumed identities really helps. Kanon’s body is ‘found’ in the chapel, a very remote part of the island, so his body is hard to confirm. On the other hand, Shannon is ‘found’ in the parlor, the easiest room to operate from and one that the adults were likely to break the locked room status of by shattering the window. Because Battler sees none of these bodies, the true nature is never confirmed, and it can be assumed that the culprit, having (momentarily) discarded Kanon and Shannon, once again has free reign over the mansion. This comes into play after Eva’s murders take the group into the mansion, starting with Rosa and Maria’s deaths as its unlikely the culprit would kill Maria this early. Kyrie kills Hideyoshi here, briefly surviving a shot to the stomach and either trying to hit Eva or retaliating against her where it would hurt (unwittingly damning her own daughter so yknow that’s not horrible at all). Back when I was a Kyrietrice truther (how I miss those days) I thought she survived much longer and killed George and Nanjo, but it turns out Battler checking her corpse in the metaworld means that Battler confirmed her death in the game too so bleh. But I think the culprit killed George and laid him in the parlor, possibly leading him in as Shannon. From here I think she plays dead as the survivors come in and while they’re distracted (Eva, Jessica and Nanjo are caught up in a fight while Battler overtly is checked out of the situation, not looking closely at the corpses at all), she sneaks out, only to be caught and shot at by Eva, which is what blinds Jessica. The shot isn’t immediately fatal but ‘Shannon’ is bleeding out fast and before she dies, she finds and kills Nanjo, “revives” Kanon, as Beatrice puts it, and leads Jessica out to where they will rest for the remainder of the game.
Chapter 4 is weird, it feels impossible to substantiate anything concrete when the whole island is a huge catbox to Battler, cooped up in the guest house, until after almost all of the murders are committed. WIth Shannon/Kanon in the dining hall with everyone, the best I can work out right now is the first six are shot down by them, the rest escape but are killed as well, at some point in between the 8th and 10th killings, ‘Kanon’ is discarded, making him the ‘9th death’, George and Jessica are killed, not before Jessica sees the dead bodies, is chased to her room and works out that if she gets caught, she’ll probably end up like the rest of them, which she tells Battler. At some point, Kyrie manages to get to a phone and call Battler before being killed. The most concrete thing I can deduce is that the hostage group was potentially never in the dungeon, the status of the dungeon’s existence in that space being up in the air, Kanon’s body is not at the bottom of the well that Battler cannot access, when Beatrice shows up to Battler at the end of the 4th and is spurned by Battler not remembering his sin, she finds a way to die as Shannon and be found.
Very hazy still obviously but idk how else Kanon escapes. Honestly "these clues and circumstances make one body unaccounted for so they can go do whatever" feels sorta cheap which makes me second guess all of this, obv theres some tricks to the locked rooms themselves still but I didn't anticipate that one possible theory would clear up so much. Also relies on the cooperation of some adults and Nanjo. Even tho I believe he’s nice I think Nanjo isn’t difficult considering he lies about Kinzo’s death for so long, and I feel like it wouldn’t be.. too hard to get any of the adults in on it if related to the inheritance? I still think some of Eva and Hideyoshi’s ep 1 behaviors are suspicious and it would be really funny and interesting if Kyrie was fuckin shit up. To me.
Overall if this is what the twist is, I think it's neat since Kanon and Shannon have been among my favorites from the beginning and the idea of them being so closely tied to the thematic core of the story is exciting. My idea of magic is so heavily informed by Ange’s story, it makes me wonder, since the Beato we saw in 67 seemed to live in a great deal of emotional neglect, neglect of her own self rather than of “Beatrice” (probably her mother lol), if this culprit is the same in that she was born from Kinzo and a Beato, likely the 67 one, and their personhood was ignored for the sake of Kinzo having Beato again, maybe “Shannon” and “Kanon” are similar to how Maria summons Sakutaro or Ange summons the sisters, and she summons the servants as a way of enriching her sense of self? Would be sort of interesting but it also feels like its crossing over into like DID territory and after playing like 2 danganronpa games worth of poorly handled stuff like that I dont know. I do kinda feel sad for Jessica not really getting to be with Kanon. They constantly get the short end of the stick, obviously because their love hasn’t developed like George and Shannon’s did over the past few years or even how Battler and Beatrice’s did over the past 5 games, but their love is so full of potential, and I love both of them so much. I’d love to just see them happy together but its not Jessica’s fate sadly lmao.
If we’re to believe that it was Battler’s sin that influenced all of this, I do find it to be really interesting how Battler tends to parallel Kinzo, as another extension of the idea that Kinzo keeps this very harrowing grip on all aspects of Beatrice’s/the culprit’s life. That Battler echos Kinzo’s yearning for the old Beatrice isn’t even solely tragic for Battler’s situation, it also has a lot of terrible implications for what we haven’t seen of Kinzo yet, if Battler’s projection of Beatrice as his former lover onto a girl who sees him as her father is any indication of what Kinzo was like. At the very least, I still love Battler and I think he differs from Kinzo by holding onto the love he had for his family. Even after six games, he’s still just as disgusted at the murders, especially so here, and the portrayal of the mothers of the Ushiromiya family in Battler’s game shows that Battler’s capable of a great deal of reflection and understanding, something that’s hard to believe Kinzo was ever willing to offer. For the sin itself it feels like it’s between Battler being like his grandfather, him neglecting the culprit in some way or him denying magic to her and by extension, her way of like and her worldview, like what we saw with young Ange and Maria.
My last thought on this theory is that it makes so much of the love game in ep6, specifically Zepar and Furfur’s commentary, incredibly funny with how on the nose it is, and shifting from the perspective of the elder Beato who doesn’t get it to that of Kanon and Shannon who are painfully aware, is very eye opening to how heavy handed their dialogue is. Yet another moment of the writers desperately trying to guide you to the heart of the mystery which is comforting as a staple of this whole story.
Looking back at the last post, it is funny how little I had to say about Erika Furudo then. She’s like my second favorite character now, as horrible as she is, and everything she does is in line with how she acted in ep5 (with one caveat we’ll get to), but just way more severe and like mask off about her cold-hearted rejection of emotional truths and desire for complete domination and control of what is accepted as the objective truth which is. very entertaining! Obviously saying a ton about the more clinical, quote unquote “intellectual” camps of mystery readers and writers and about how objective truth really is, which is all incredibly important to understanding the overall mystery, almost like a what not to do when playing Umineko.
But just focusing on Erika herself, she just feels so steeped in every detective trope you’ve ever heard of, and in a story that takes the time to build such nuanced dynamics and relationships between characters, the way she operates can be so two-dimensional it’s actually delightful to watch. Even when she’s given a backstory, it almost feels pre-packaged and thrown in to hastily give her depth and personal relation to truth on a conceptual level, as she is a detective, altho I don’t know if it’s completely hollow. Her back and forth with Dlanor is neat and her final response to it is an early tell that her refusal to recognize the emotions behind people’s truths is a fatal flaw of hers, probably caused by her falling out with her boyfriend. And with the whole game trusting you to see the emotions in everything and to not be cold and clinical in your assessment of the story, I can’t wholly believe she’s completely flat as a character, altho the commentary is still very unsubtle so idk fully. It’s not like bullshit characters can’t be meaningful, and I think there is a level of tragedy in the way she was fashioned on the game board as Bernkastel’s piece, trapped in the position of servitude to Bern, constantly emulating her callousness and seeking her approval, as if she’s like an author insert begging not to be removed by the author herself.
Like I said, she exhibits almost all the same behaviors she did in the last episode, just more brutally here. It’s almost like after failing to beat Battler at the end of episode 5, she’s trying to prove with everything she has that she really is a completely deplorable person, which she does when she fucking kills 5 people in what was supposed to be a non-tragic game, and she does this using the one thing that makes her different from last time: her lack of detective authority. Not only is is a cool trick that runs alongside her casting off the image of a noble seeker of the truth so she can debase herself in order to chase down a more twisted conclusion, it speaks a lot to her own capabilities that even without the privileges of a detective in a classic mystery story, she’s still able to bend the Ushiromiya family to her will and think miles ahead of Battler, making her all the more terrifying. Another thing that makes her different here is that she’s not just trying to solve the murders anymore, she is actively trying to catch Battler in a logic error, trapping him in the broken rules of his own game forever, and once she convinces him to give her seals to a few of the rooms, she does this incredibly easily, guiding Battler to his own damnation in what is, in my opinion, the best battle between the human side and witch side in the entire game thus far. It is absolutely fucking insane the lengths Erika goes to in order to completely destroy Battler. Her command of the game from the very start as if she had planned every mode both of them were going to make is just diabolical and after being a bit desensitized after the past 5 chapters of killings, her BEHEADING five people including a mom in front of her 9 year old daughter just to fuck up Battler’s game genuinely made me sick. And this is all heightened by how well written, translated, and voiced Erika is throughout the entire chapter. Before I got into Umineko, I’d seen videos of the scene completely out of context, and slowly I was drawn into wanting to play the game by the voice acting, the incredible music and tantalizingly rich atmosphere that I would have readily indulged in a full game of. But knowing the context of the scene now, how it acts as the final nail in the coffin of Battler and as the peak of Erika’s twisted level of ecstasy as she gleefully destroys this family, not just for domination of the truth but for the joy of revenge against Battler for denying her that ecstasy in the last game. It is just such an incredibly gripping stretch of scenes so fucking good oh my god.
All of this leads to the wedding of Erika and Battler, which really is the most deplorable action of Erika’s in this whole episode. Just the most disgusting subtext going on here that if you’ve read the novel I don’t even have to spell out. Just the depths she plummets to so she can exercise complete control over Battler. In stark contrast to the way Beatrice let Battler into her game, granting him the tools to understand her and to shed light on the mystery of her existence, finally granting her fulfillment, Erika is an intruder into Battler’s game in every sense of the word, and it’s Bern that created this monster in the first place to further toy with the lives of the Ushiromiya family, not completely different from how it was Kinzo's upbringing that made the adults of the Ushiromiya family who they were, leading to how theyr raised their own kids. Luckily Beatrice is the one who steps in at the last moment to save Battler here, exposing the one thing Erika cannot control: the emotions that are inherent to the facts of the murders. She cannot fathom that the solution to the murder isn’t some one million iq 4D chess move of Beatrice's and after an epiphany about the nature of multiple truths that not only feels kinda fake but is something Battler had come to 3 whole episodes ago with Virgilia and the Braun tubes, Beatrice and Battler’s final red truth shoots her down. Troll officially slayed don't be like Erika Furudo kids. Also there’s only 16 people on the island now! Hopefully you paid attention to Zepar and Furfur earlier. It is actually a funny wink wink nudge nudge that Beatrice entering the chapel to save Battler from the marriage runs parallel to Kanon entering the guest room. As if Ryukishi isnt already on his hands and knees tears in his eyes screaming and begging and groveling for the reader to understand whats going on here.
But yea Erika is a fascinating case study on the nature of truth, its objectivity and how it should be pursued. “True” does not always equal “right”, and the pursuit of objectivity can do immeasurable and irrevocable harm to innocent people just trying to find happiness in their own lives. I didn’t even mention her beefing with a literal 9 year old over a beginner magic trick, but it's clear here that her values run opposite to the games and the writers have a very very fun time criticizing those values through her. I learned this from a YouTube comment but apparently in some WTC bonus material, Rika from Higurashi mentions deep sea fish as omens of misfortune, which absolutely evokes the image of Erika washing up on the shores of Rokkenjima, foreshadowing the ensuing disaster. But after everything, as astute as she is as a riddle solver, she really has not even gotten out of the shallow end in terms of what the heart of a mystery really is, how trauma makes people act and why people are even driven to do the things that they do, ultimately looking like a fish out of water against this very magical setting. Get it like solitary deep sea fish honk honk
Other thoughts. I’m so happy to see Ange again! If the meta aspects of this story weren’t obvious enough, her and Hachijo/Featherine have the most overt readeauthor relationship, and it’s funny how Ange’s risen to Battler’s status of reader insert but in a different way. Battler and Beatrice have a combative, opposing relationship but the way she presents the murders to Battler and beckons him to figure them out very much reflects the writers’ desire for the reader to recognize their fiction. On the outside, it seems tricky but is actually very nurturing. Now, this late in the story, Ange and Featherine have a much more outwardly respectful relationship, likened to a miko and her guardian, although there is a little seedling of toughness that Featherine seems to hold for Ange, probably because of the latter’s stubbornness about some aspects of the story, with Ange also harboring contempt for Featherine sensationalizing her trauma with the message bottles. Funny inversion with Battler and I like the continued commentary on true crime. I also think Ange’s pursuit of the truth and trouble with emotions as Featherine’s reader slightly echoes Bern’s other piece, Erika, although to a much, and I cannot stress that Ange is not anywhere near as flawed as Erika, MUCH lesser extent, and Ange clearly has a higher chance of actually coming to an understanding at the end of the episode, plus its more understanding of Ange to want some power over the narrative as someone whose life was nearly ruined by it, rather than a piece who was just dropped in without any other relation to the Ushiromiya’s, despite being at the mercy of her master. Hate M Zakky guy plotting to kill her at the end altho I figured he sniped those Sumadera henchmen for her earlier and its not surprising but. le sigh
And because you know I have to always bring up Kyrie. That scene with her and Jessica was. Amazing. When Jessica's eyes glazed over and prison strip started playing I lost my mind. Genuinely such a compelling backstory for Kyrie and I love Jessica’s challenge to it, and her finishing line that, as much as Kyrie has been both empowered and terrorized by her jealousy, it does not make her a noble person, and this idea that trauma doesn’t automatically make you virtuous, I believe, will probably be very pertinent to the ultimate mysteries of the story. Besides that, one detail I caught is Kyrie talking about having worked up the nerve to kill Asumu over many many years, and she calls it a miracle that some other force took her the moment that she would have. Earlier this episode, and it’s been echoed in the previous ones, Featherine mentions that magic, as something limited by human ability, is the power to follow through with or get away with it. It really makes me think that. Kyrie could have just. Killed Asumu and is using magic to exonerate herself fdsfdsfds .I mean I’m always biased to my idea of murderer bastard Kyrie and the mountain of circumstantial evidence I thought I had with that and I do think its really funny!!! That she’s the only adult who seems to know how to handle the WInchesters well enough to do it one handed in her cg AND her portrait (og and pachinko not ps3). But hey idk. Every time she makes that closed eyes open mouth portrait it makes me think that she might not be any more savvy than the other adults about whats going on so even if its not serious i can still dream

TLDR: I had a drunken PTSD-induced reaction to the pwBPD, believing them to be falsifying their feelings when they weren't. They have now lost interest.
So, after having gone through much abuse from multiple people in my past, I have finally began to learn and heal. However, in a moment of sheer loneliness and frustration, I found this intense, immediate connection with someone from across the country. We have everything in common, including being musicians and making the same weird underground genre of music. It was going so incredibly well for about three weeks. I found out they had BPD, I wasn't surprised. They assured me that they are working on their issues and aren't toxic anymore. Now, since I am one of those people who craves that intense romance, it was really hard for me to stay away. I somehow started convincing myself that something might be possible to work - or at the very least, we could have some fun or something. As a sensitive and passionate person, I love that extreme level that they bring...
Anyway, their interest was strong, they were texting me constantly, rapid-fire. Everything was going perfectly...All too perfectly. They also would flirt a ton and make "joking" comments like, "Do you loooooove me? Do you have the feels?" interspersed throughout our conversations. They even outright said, "If you do feel it you can say it," And I said, "I can't tell if you're being serious or not" and they said, "Kind of both". But it was all just so fast. They made me feel like I was replacing the love of their life that they almost married 10 years ago. Etc etc. They were talking about paying for half my plane ticket to see them.
Anyway, I became overwhelmed. One night, I got very drunk. This has never happened before. But I got so drunk I was not even aware of myself or what I was saying. I became convinced they were going to abuse me like all the others, (despite the fact that they had done nothing yet) and I started texting them, telling them how they were messing with me. How I didn't believe them, etc. They tried to reassure me they were not like that. I was out of my mind drunk. They called me on the phone (which was a bad idea as it just made it all worse). I think I yelled at them. I feel sincerely horrible. I said everything to them that I never had the chance to say to all my horribly abusive exes.
Anyway, they eventually convinced me that they weren't like them, but I was still crazy drunk. So to make matters even worse yet, I tried to explain that the reason I was acting like that was because I was in love with them (I'm not), because they had everything I was looking for, etc etc. They said they didn't feel that way, but liked me very much romantically. This entire night was beyond humiliating...
The next day once I woke up, I apologized profusely and explained myself. I tried to explain about the people from my past, and somehow that this intense interest was reminding me of them. I tried to explain that this was totally out of character. They said it was ok and seemed weirdly nonchalant. But naturally they took a few days distance to process. During this period, I started to get anxious, and sent them a voice message inquiring about the nature of things between us and trying to explain in detail the PTSD reaction. I also pointed some things out about the entire thing that seemed unfair on my end being that they were really leading me on there... They called me and were extremely angry. They said they hate being compared to other people, etc. They said they were willing to let it all go but I made it worse by bringing it up again and not letting it go. Well, I was just trying to create understanding. There was no ounce of empathy for anything that had happened in my past. I realize I was massively out of line. But there is a reason I did that, not that it's ok.
They basically have shifted 180 and aren't interested in me anymore whatsoever. I know it's a bad idea to get involved with these people, but damn... I just wanted something, for at least some period of time....I wanted to have a chance, if even for a while. I knew they are poly, so I didn't expect it would be for a long time, being monogamous, but I was willing to just explore with them, as I'm in a phase right now where I really need that. I'm really upset about this, and I hate how this happened.
I'm just curious as to others' thoughts.

I remember this one time when I landed myself in a bit of a pickle. I was visiting my grandma, who lived in this quaint little town at the edge of the mountains. I stepped out to buy some groceries and my car broke down just as I was leaving the supermarket. Naturally, I freaked out. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with no mobile signal.
There I was, a city boy stuck in an unfamiliar countryside. No transportation, no communication, and the groceries were melting. I glanced at my surroundings, looking for a garage or a telephone booth, but all I saw were fields as far as the eye could see.
Instead of panicking, I decided to take a lateral thinking approach. I started thinking about how to solve this problem creatively. I had some cool soda in the groceries, maybe I could wave down a passing car with the shiny cans reflecting the sun?
But then, I remembered reading about the 'Availability Heuristic' in a mental model book. This mental model suggests that we tend to rely on immediate examples that come to our mind when evaluating a specific topic or decision. So, using the materials I had at my disposal, I came up with another idea.
I grabbed a bag of flour and a pack of red juice from the groceries and made a large 'SOS' sign on the road. A farmer saw the sign and kindly offered me a ride to the nearest repair shop. On the way, we shared a couple of sodas and we even became good friends.
So, remember friends, whenever you're stuck in a tight spot, try to think creatively and make the best out of whatever you have. This event also made me realize how we can turn a problem into an opportunity. Not only did I solve my immediate problem, but I also made a new friend in the process, all thanks to a mental model.
P.S. Don’t judge, this story might sound a bit outlandish, but hey, didn't it just make you picture using Availability Heuristic in your real-life scenarios? Also, yeah, I do ride around with jugs of red juice and bags of flour in the car. Doesn't everyone?

Back in my junior year of high school, I met this amazing person. We'll call her T. She had stuck with me throughout my worst moments and has saved me from taking my own life more than once. We had made a promise to each other. She had said, "If you promise to not k!ll yourself, I promise to never leave you." Fast forward a few months, and I had to move. I had gotten a new phone and reached out to T.
The gist of the message was "Hey, I know you probably won't respond because i moved, but I miss you and I'm wondering how you're doing." She responded with, "Looks like someone got a new phone." Yeah. So we started talking about our respective lives and how everything is going.
She offered something amazing with one stipulation. She said that this summer break, she'd come and visit. The stipulation was that I couldn't stop texting her, because she wanted to make sure I hadn't taken my own life. So, I obliged.
Fast forward a few weeks, and she suddenly stops responding. I start to overthink it, but I'm able to calm myself and say "Yeah, she's just busy." Well, a few more weeks pass and I'm basically clawing at my skin trying to hold myself back from blowing up her phone. (Keep in mind that once I get attached to somebody, I am REALLY attached
Well, I reach out to her again, and I basically just ask like, "Hey, what the fuck is going on." and I get no response. So, I wait another couple weeks and I finally snap. I send her a message saying that "I may not understand the full picture, however, I trust your judgement enough to know that there's probably a good reason you won't talk to me. So, I will leave you to silence. I won't cry and I won't be sad, I'll just think of you from time to time. And, I assure you, when I do, it'll only be the good memories."
Of course, give it two more days, and I have a breakdown even though I tried my absolute hardest not to do so. I send her another message saying that I'm void of my promise since she broke the one she made me. I was actually going to kill myself that night. I was gonna take my mom's gun and blow my brains out. But, the only thing that stopped me was that I could barely muster the courage for the first trigger pull, but there wasn't a bullet in the chamber, so I cocked it, made sure the hammer was pulled back and went for another, but I couldn't bring myself to do so, knowing I would absolutely wreak my baby sister and my brothers.
So, here I am now, on Reddit, making a post about it, in case I finally do gain the courage to finally end it all so that when they follow my digital footprints, they can see why I did it. The reason I say she wants me dead is because she knows full well how attached I get to people. She knows full well how attached I was to her. And yet, she left me, breaking her promise. So I think I should do the same.