TDLR: I (26F) have been with my boyfriend for 3 years now. I sometimes perceive/judge him to have a weird/flirty attitude towards other girls sometimes. Am I trippin?
There have been a few instances that have made me feel weird; and I’ll explain the 2 instances that feel the most significant to me below. I just can’t tell, dawg. He’s social. He’s proud. He’s youthful, and he loves variety- variety of people. He lives for conversation, and I just don’t want to be overthinking here. I wonder: is my boyfriend playing some dumb game sometimes, or am I trippin? (I’ve brought this thought up to him in the past- after the first instance I listed here. He denied any foul play...but then, ya know, something weird happened again.)

Instance 1: We were at a gym, waiting at the front counter for me to get a new gym card. Turns out he knows the girl who walks up, and she doesn’t look at me- instead; they explode into 10+ mins of non-stop talking like old friends who need to hangout again. But something about her demeanor just felt flirty- there was a lot of “oh really?” Eyebrow raises, small smirks, nobody’s looking at me, or acknowledging me- I’m standing literally right beside him. Eventually he asks her what she’s doing; to which she replies “some homework- want to come help me?”
He chokes up for a second and says something like “well, I can’t cuz I gotta workout…and also she needs a new gym card” and gestured to me. As we walked away, he noted “that was weird.” When I asked him to elaborate; he got sketchy and avoided elaborating; kinda felt like he was throwing fluffy fake stuff out there to avoid getting to his original point. I pushed and he said it “kinda felt flirty?” I said “ok, I can see why you think that.” I later on told him I felt like she was flirting with him and it made me feel weird that he didn’t even introduce me to someone who he apparently had some connection with (turns out she was friends with his ex.)
A month later; he asks me if I’d enjoy a party. I keep asking questions to ask who’s party, turns out he spoke to her earlier at the gym and found out she’s going to a party at a college. He was like “I thought it might be fun for us, something different.” I was like hey man, not cool. How do you even know her? And did you not admit you felt yourself she flirted with you? He got all apologetic eventually as I argued my point and things felt a little pathetic for me after. Well, we moved on.

Instance 2: We were visiting my friend at the bar she works at. There was a new worker there, a woman near our age. When my friend brings her to us to introduce her; my bf immediately says “hey- do you workout? I can tell.” They explode into 10+ mins of hyper chit chat; jesting, throwing around wit, getting to know each other with excited intrigue. I tried to add to the convo a couple times but realized my words didn’t land on anyone’s awareness, so I sat back and chilled- letting my thoughts flow freely and privately so that I wouldn't end up reacting internally; which would lessen my peace of mind. Eventually, my bf's and I's companion (who accompanied us) gets quiet- and I got the vibe he was observing my bf and the woman speaking too- as he was also saying nothing. He's a good friend of mine as well and he's always been invested in the relationship I have with my bf. I think after a while my bf noticed we'd been rather silent and he starts interacting with me again, rubbing my back.
See? I don’t want to be tripping over dumb stuff here.
But uh... We later get home, and he randomly brings her up again- how cool she was, how muscular she was, and more thoughts about her. Eventually the topic died down because I was just kind of candidly responding; waiting to see if there was something else he was trying to get at.
Now like. We live together, he loves spending time with me; all that. He's never hurt our trust in a sense of being unfaithful; so that's where I'm stuck feeling like...do I just have some internal stuff to work out here?

Always wanted to post this but the official AITA thread was always too intimidating so here I am. I'll try not to ramble too much but buckle up as this spans several years.
I met my BFF on an online video game when I was 14. Back then, people were rather harsh to girl gamers but he always stood up for me which caused us to grow closer. Let's call this friend B and he was a year older than me.
B and I grew to be close friends as we grew. He helped me through some really bad mental spots and I did my best for him in return despite our distance. When I was about 17, B got engaged to his GF. His GF never really liked me and made him limit his time gaming with me. This resulted in me realizing my feelings for him. I decided to tell him said feelings as we never really hid things from each other. I told him that I didn't expect him to like me back since he was engaged and that I just wanted to get it off my chest. He thanked me for not hiding it and we carried on like nothing happened. Eventually, B's engagement fell apart but we still remained as friends and nothing more. I was content with this.
At some point, I decided to move in with my ex gf and drove 20 hours with my brother to do so. I quickly regreted this as it was hell on earth. My ex would always threaten to commit unalive whenever I hinted at breaking up.
I vented to B about this one night, admitting I was at my wits end. He knew I had been trying to break up with her for a while. Suddenly, B confessed that he loved me. I was taken aback as it had been almost 4 years since my confession and we never discussed it since. I asked if he was serious and if he meant it as a friend and he said no. He meant romantically. I was over the moon. My heart felt so light. This gave me the push to finally break up with my gf and to have the police on speed dial if something happened. Thankfully, she just cried and left and her grandparents came to get her stuff.
We were 6 months into our lease at this point so my brother and I had to plan what to do next. I asked if he wanted to move to the state B lived in since neither of us wanted to turn tail and run home. He agreed. Its important to note that B and I were not dating at this point. We were being flirty but that's about it. Once we decided to move to B's state I asked him about being official and he said once we moved in together. Again, I was excited.
6 months later and we made the drive to our new apartment with B. Things were great for the first month and B was being affectionate and sweet. I was happy.
Here's where shit hits the fan:
I learned that another online friend of mine had become homeless. Let's call her S. I had only know S for a few years at this point but I was both a bleeding heart and a people pleaser so I asked them if they wanted to move in with us and share my room. She agreed. Prior to her moving in, I had her join us for some online gaming so everyone could get to know each other prior to moving in. B and S really got along but B is really good about getting along with people so I wasn't surprised. They even began to play games without me which was fine as I trusted B.
When I got home from picking up S from the airport, I saw B sleeping on the couch. I was confused and he had left her a hand written note saying stuff about how it had been a long day so he was giving up his bed for her for tonight. I thought it was sweet and left it alone.
I'll take this time to mention that we didn't have a room for S. I offered to share my room or give her the master closet. I know that sounds bad but it was big enough to fit a twin size bed in there and some. We were all early 20s and S really wanted somewhere to live so it was all we could do. Before moving in, S had actually AGREED to the closet idea so she could have her own space.
Not long after S moved in, I noticed a lot of B's attention focused on her. I was a bit hurt but said nothing. Not long later, they began sharing a room as S claimed she never agreed to the closet deal. Being the people pleaser I was, I let it go. I was in denial. B wouldn't hurt me and he still gave kisses goodbye when he left. I thought it was all fine.
That was until B's cat batted an empty box of condoms out into the hallway from B's room.
B and I never had sex. We had never even discussed it. He was a bit religious so I never brought it up. This broke me. My head finally put 2 and 2 together. I broke down. I went into B's room and destroyed 10 years worth of crafts I made for him and left the pieces on the floor. My brother did his best to console me until they got home. I demanded to know what was going on and B admitted to lying about loving me. My heart broke. I sobbed, begging to know why and he said it was to get me to break up with my ex faster. I loved this man for so long and he hurt me like this? I was inconsolable. Living there was hell after that. Little issues turned into big fights with S backing up B and my brother backing me up. Eventually, my brother forfeited his half of the deposit so we could get off the lease and move. We couldn't move far but I had to get away from him. My friends were gone.
A few months after we moved out, B contacted me, apologizing for what he did and how he acted after we found out. This contact was in the form of a hand written note inside a sketch book I had left that he dropped off at my work. He wanted to hang out and I said fine. "Offer to buy me food and I'll be there." Money was tight at the time so I wanted compensation.
Every time after that, they would buy me something to eat when we hung out. I could never get the disgust out of my mouth from being around them. Oh, and S never apologized for what she did. She knew we were dating or at least that I THOUGHT we were dating but she still went for him and never told me what was going on.
Right before the pandemic closed the world down, I moved back home. I had totaled my car and just couldn't afford to live there anymore. Once home, B asked to play games online like the good ole days. I tried but I was at my breaking point as a people pleaser and just didn't care anymore. After a couple of sessions, I told him that I couldn't do this anymore as my trust was completely gone. I told him while I accepted his apology, I didn't forgive him. He said ok. I left the voice chat and unfriended him. I haven't heard from him since.
Its been 4 years since then and it still hurts. He had been with me through my entire teenage and young adult years. What I find interesting is that when I tell this story to people, they call me a jerk. A lot of B's friends cut contact with me after it all happened too. They say he was really remorseful and that I should have given him a second chance. This incident caused me to lose all of my friends at the time, making 2020 even harder to get through. Was I wrong to drop my BFF over a lie?

TLDR; friend believes I’m being financially abused and should reach out for help. I’m unsure if that’s actually the case. Not really sure how to tell.
Context - I had been living with my ex for almost two years, above the pub/restaurant he was the manager of. Due to living there, the only thing we HAD to pay was council tax. Any other bills were what we wanted (car finance, phone bill, Netflix etc). I took this opportunity to go back to college for a year, and work two days a week. Working two days a week was enough to cover my bills, and my ex said he would pay the council tax, which was reduced by 25% due to me being a student. This is a long story.
The situation - £5,000 went missing from the pub. Apparently the bag split when it was picked up and taken to the bank (a company comes to do this). While the money was being recovered, my ex had to cover £5,000 until it was all accounted for, as apparently it was in his contract. He came to me asking to borrow £3,000 as he didn’t have enough to cover it all. I reluctant lent it to him, and got it in writing that regardless of the outcome, he would give me the £3,000 back. The money was never recovered.
At this time we were about to go abroad on holiday. The £2,000 he had to give to the pub was meant to pay for the rest of the holiday (deposit paid). He convinced me that they would get the money back and if I paid for the holiday, he would then cover what he owed for the holiday. Stupidly I agreed and paid the £2,000. AFTER I had paid and came back from holiday, he then explained to me he had absolutely no money now until payday (few weeks away). He couldn’t even buy food for his child when she stayed with us, which is something I then also covered. This was August time.
In November, we were due to take his daughter to Disney, he told me a week before we were going that we were driving. Up until this point, I was told we were flying and flights were booked. I told him we cannot drive to Disney as he has over £1,000 worth of working needing doing to his car, low break fluid, an engine malfunction, worn tyres and it was just too dangerous to even drive his child there. His daughter knew about Disney and it had already been rearranged several times. So I told him I can lend him money to take her and hire a car to drive. He agreed. During the same conversation I told him to get his banking up so we can work out where all his money is going, considering he earned over £2000 a month, had barely any outgoings, yet was always poor. He was very reluctant but finally did. Turns out he was spending a lot of money on only fans. Obviously I was devastated and didn’t lend him money for Disney.
Two days later, I received a letter stating council tax hadn’t been paid for the entire year. I then found out he has a CCJ (county court judgement) and due to this, the council sent bailiffs after me as my name was also on the council tax, and they didn’t see any point in going after him as he already had debt. This was another £1,500 (to cover the council tax and bailiff company fees).
Please don’t ask why I didn’t leave at this point, I’m kicking myself for not doing so.
In January, he had another disciplinary (first being the missing money) and lost his job. I won’t even attempt to explain what happened, I still have no idea. Regardless, we had less four weeks for him to find a new job and find us somewhere to live. He did apply for jobs, and started one about 5 weeks later. As for somewhere to live however, I ended up having to do it while working and studying for my exam, while he spent most of the time gaming until 4am, leaving me to sort out everything. It was all very last minute but I managed to find us a house, big enough for us, his child and for him to have a man cave/office. Due to the CCJ, he wasn’t accepted unless his parents were guarantors.
I told him I want no bills in my name (apart from the rent), so if he misses payments, then i want it to be his issue. Come to getting WiFi - he couldn’t because of the CCJ. He came up to me, with the WiFi person on the phone, telling me to give my consent to have it in my name. I asked him if we could have a chat about it first. He told me that the guy is on the phone ready, right now, to get it all set up, and that if I didn’t do this, then I wouldn’t have internet to study for my exam. Due to me being autistic, I heard that, panicked and agreed. Stupid, I know.
He decided to start doing Amazon flex (deliveries for Amazon), and he told me that what he made off that, he would give to me (I haven’t seen a penny). He called me one day saying he can’t get onto his monzo app to send himself money, so I had to send him money for petrol for him to do deliveries. For the first time, I said no. He told me that if I didn’t, then he couldn’t work and get paid to give me money. I still said no and told him to ask his mum. He then didn’t work.
He admitted to me in message that he was reluctant to pay me back in case I ended the relationship. I then decided to end the relationship anyway and am having to live with him until the lease is up in August. We came to an agreement that instead of me paying my half of the rent/bills, he would cover it and I would take that amount off of what he owes me.
Rent is meant to come out of his account each month, but I’ve been receiving emails and texts stating the rent hasn’t been paid. He keeps telling me it’s an issue due to the reference number and that it’s sorted. I had another email yesterday saying we’re 14 days over due on rent. I called the estate agents and they said it still hasn’t been paid. Ex is telling me it has been paid, I’ve asked him to show me on his banking app that the transaction has gone out. He is flat out refusing saying what he does with his money is not my business. I’ve tried explaining that he owes me a few thousand pound and that the rent payment is my business.
I’ve had a friend tell me that this is financial abuse and that I need to seek help before things escalate. The only time things got physical was when I had his phone trying to budget and came across the only fans payment. He tried to grab his phone off me, but I moved as I tried to see how far back the payments go, and I ended up being pushed to the floor (he’s 6foot 6inches and I’m 5foot 4inches for context). He’s very good at gaslighting and manipulating me. Am I being dumb or is this financial abuse?
Sorry for this being all over the place.

Someone here about a month ago asked for a summary or notes on Sheras teachings and I cant seem to find it anymore, so I will list here some of the things I have noted.
• Have a goal in mind
• Stay feminine
• Dont talk about your personal business, family/exes/private personal life heavy on the exes!
• if he tries to have sex immediately and he’s all sex sex sex just tell them ”Okay maybe this isn’t going to work out, but I have the perfect friend for you who likes your type. Her name is Alexa, I’ll send her number to you. She is soo free spirited” or just blatantly ask for money if he’s that rude.
• if he asks for your body count, ask about his bank account (only dusties ask this)
• He needs to like you more than you like him
• Spend his money
• Allow him to cheat, dont try to control any man
• All men are the same, their income isn’t
• Whatever comes out of a mans mouth, reverse it
• If you want him to love you, love yourself not him
• Men want what they cant have
• Emotions and fighting. Treat him like your boss in that sense, you dont get messy with your boss either.
• Emotions are better if you act them
• Laugh at his jokes
• Let him do the talking, and dont correct him. You want to make him feel good about himself around you.
• Tell them you dont have sex outside of relationships
• Exculisivity costs money, you’re not 3rd graders with post-it cards asking to be their girlfriend.
• If they say something you dont like give them an ugly look
• If he doesnt fix his issues within a week he’s a dusty. (E.g car breaks down etc.)
• ”I don’t deal with men who cant keep their word and are secretly broke”
• Dusties run away on their own if given a financial burden
• Always have a financial problem as a reason why you havent texted back or are unable to see them.
• Don’t be too available
• I look for what a man can do for me, offer me. I make him feel good, and elevate him
• When he makes time for you, you make time for him. And make sure that your time is being compensated, wheter it’s experience or material, or money
• Have several options
• It’s all about him stroke his ego
• You are the prize !!!!
• Ask him for help for free stuff first then he doesn’t have a problem with problems that cost
• Pay attention to details and make mental notes about him
• Dont sleep on the first date
• You cant change a dusty, a dusty will change themselves
• Be their weakness
• Say ”I’m very attracted to you” to ugly men
• Be emotionally reclusive
• Let him pick the place for the date but know in advance so you can ghost if it’s a cheap coffee shop
• Believe the red flags
• Talk slow and sensual
• Act like you dont need him at all
• Only being sexual, giving sex, talking about sex, initiating sex is being a pickmeisha. Use your other assets, such as voice, eyes, body language, humor, appearance
• If you want to be a pickmeisha, be one to a bank account
• Confidence and being the prize is in your mind, there is no tutorial for it
• Dont outshine him in gift giving
• If you’re talking and he’s not listening, ask ”Do you hear me? I want your opinion on this you’re so smart after all” you train him subconciously to listen and react to you while giving him a compliment
• Everytime you stress about a man, wheter he’s seeing other people etc. Reverse it. Why isn’t he stressed about you?
• You can be a pickmeisha to get their attention if you immediatly go back to yourself
• Dont carry the conversation
• Men tend to be seduced by looks, women by words. Be careful he’s not all talk, but actions too.
• When they give you the silent treatment, you act like they arent giving you the silent treatment because youre not talking to him anyway and that way it wont work on you
• ”Oh baby yeah I cant wait it’s just going to be so great, but I have to get to know you a little better first. It makes it more passionate for me, and I know you want to please me, right? I cant just sleep with anybody I barely know, it’s not exciting for me.”
• He should have more than 1 income
• Date dusties and for fun when young, start dating for funds at 23
• If he tries to come back, have a list of things you want and make him complete all of them.
• Play dumb
• If you playing the game correctly you shouldn’t be worried about commitment
• ”How you doing?” ”Oh I was doing bad but now that you called I’m feeling much better”
• Being unbothered holds actual power
• If a man ghosts you or has other options you dont care
• Dont approach men, but you can always pass them the ball
•In order to take things slow with a man you need to have high values
• My brain doesnt understand less
• ”It’s been a while since I met a handsome succesful man that’s not afraid to impress a woman”

DC Next Proudly Presents:

THE NEW TITANS

In Shadow of Kestrel
Issue Nine: War Dove
Written by AdamantAce, GemlinTheGremlin & PatrollinTheMojave
Edited by Deadislandman1 and Voidkiller826
 
Next Issue > Coming Next Month
 
 
“Raven!”
Slade’s gruff voice pierced through the deafening, wave-like roars in Raven’s head, but the rage was too much to bear. Her hands sizzled as hellfire danced in her palms, her body readying for another attack. She locked eyes with a reptilian soldier, dismounting his simian steed and charging on foot, but as she lunged forwards to strike him, she watched a man fly into her path. Slade Wilson caught the young Titan’s hand and pushed, throwing Raven backwards.
“Come on, kid, snap out of it!” But as Slade’s words fell on deaf ears, he felt the familiar sting of a fist to his jaw, a crack echoing in his ears. He recoiled from the attack but powered through his injury and stood his ground. Sinking his heels into the ground, he locked eyes with the girl before him. Her face seemed contorted and uncanny, as if all of the rage she was feeling was pouring out of her. She groaned angrily as she thrusted her head downwards, her forehead making contact with Slade’s teeth, before pulling her head back up again in preparation for another attack.
Before she could make one, however, one of the lizardmen had almost reached the warring duo’s sides, and as he lunged forward with his long spear, he made contact with Raven’s side. A small rip formed in the side of Raven’s outfit, which seemed to only anger her further. However, it did seem to distract her enough; Mar’i fired off a single Starbolt which struck only the ground - a warning shot.
“Raven! Please!” the half-Tamaranean cried out. But the Raven she knew was buried under unfathomable amounts of fury; she ignored her teammate’s call and instead flew forwards and swung out at the reptiloid. The strike glowed with red flame, sending the creature skidding across the floor, barely conscious. Slade spotted a flash of something else on her face, as if she was finally able to fight back against the endless rage - pain, perhaps, or anguish. But in an instant, it was gone.
That flicker of something other than white-hot anger was enough for Slade.
He clutched his side as his still open wound began to ache, the bandages feeling wet with fresh blood. His jaw felt crooked, and as he gritted his teeth, it felt as though they sat differently atop each other. And yet, he clutched his staff tightly in one hand, and with the other he beckoned to Raven.
“Kid, you’re fighting it, I know you are!” Slade felt his mouth filling with blood rather than saliva.
Within a moment, Raven’s attention was locked on the white-haired man once again. She fired bolt after bolt of black and red flame, but Slade was still dextrous despite his pain. He dodged and dived, weaving through the fire, until he finally managed to make contact with his opponent. He drove his staff into her chest and pushed his weight against the weapon, forcing her backwards. She rose into the air, a black mist pouring from her arms and over her face, a large ghostly corvid taking her place. He felt the deathly cold shadow of the bird’s wing fall over him, his feet leaving the ground as she scooped him into the air.
He looked down at the ground far beneath him. A fall from this height would kill anyone, he thought, let alone someone beaten half to death.
Then, as a verdant bolt of energy struck it in the side, Raven’s Soul Self shrieked and the shadows retreated inwards. Slade felt himself falling through the air for a second, then two, before he felt his back collide with something soft and cushioned. As he looked up, he met the gaze of Conner, who soared to the ground in an instant, placing the snow-haired man on the ground and giving a swift nod.
Raven let out a pained, frustrated yell as she returned to the ground, aided by a grappling line expertly positioned by Tim, and in response, Conner jetted off towards the sound of her cries. Slade’s feet faltered beneath him, and he stumbled to keep his balance. His breathing was laboured and his vision was becoming fuzzy. It felt as though, he realised, all the blood loss and violence he had suffered over the past few hours were finally catching up to him. Was this what dying felt like?
“Slade!” shouted a voice, followed by the dulled drumming of hurried footsteps. Slade pulled his hand across his face to wipe away the mental haze and drops of blood. It was Don, sprinting towards him. When Slade felt Don clasp him by shoulders, he realized just how slowed he was by his injuries. “Plan?,” Slade coughed out.
“You’ve seen what she can do. I only see one way out of these without one of the kids getting hurt. I’d do it myself, but I’m out of practice and this is too important to leave to chance.” Don looked around anxiously, his face betraying that he had a lot on his mind. “I’m giving you the powers of a god.” Slade opened his mouth to ask a question, a million came to mind. He glanced across the battlefield. Through a blurry film, he saw Raven’s Soul Self bat Conner away with its wing. He careened into the trunk of a thick tree, uprooting it with a deep crunch. “Are you sure?,” Slade asked, breathless.
“I’m not losing another Titan.” Don squeezed his eyes shut. His grip on Slade tightened as pale, almost blinding light enveloped them. It felt warm. No, better than that: it felt peaceful. With his enhanced senses, Slade could hear his erratic heartbeat slow. Fleeting visions bubbled up in his mind, opening up his awareness beyond the wildest dreams of Project Veritas. He felt rivers of magical energy flowing through the air and earth. Each of them spiralled towards a depression. Towards Raven, he knew instinctively. Iridescent blue light spread outward from his shoulders. It washed over his body armor, bleaching the jet black panels until his entire body shone with radiance. The pain from wounds old and new faded, replaced by serenity - and power. Don opened his eyes again and sighed gently; a concoction and joy, relief, and quiet mourning.
“There,” Don remarked. Slade felt lighter, less angry, less burdened. He looked down at the iridescent light enveloping his body. Magical energy buzzed against the surface of his skin. “The powers of the Dove - officially yours.”
Slade sucked in a nervous breath. “Don…” Even rejuvenated, he was still lost for words.
“They’re yours now,” Don smiled weakly. “Now go earn them. There’s a Titan in dire need of our help.”
Conner floated out of the dense jungle, rubbing his forehead. “Is Slade glowing or do I have a concussion?”
Slade looked over at Raven. She seemed less erratic, her movements driven by her brain rather than her gut. Tim’s staff batted fiercely against her, each strike buffeting her back more and more, but it was clear to Slade that Raven was not any weaker physically - her mind, however, was another story.
Slade began marching towards her, the ache in his side dulled. “Raven. You’re strong. Fight this rage inside of you.” Raven glared at him, a spark of something in her eyes, as she swooped in towards him at top speed. As she neared him, however, Slade readied his staff, stretching it out in front of him. As the tip of the weapon struck Raven, a beam of white energy coursed through her, as if she had been struck by lightning, and her body was flung backwards across the dirt.
Slade danced a hand over his rifle, but something felt different. He pulled it into his hands and inspected it swiftly; nothing seemed out of order. Raven rose slowly from her supine position, snarling softly to herself. Her movements had slowed, the expression on her face becoming closer to horror than rage. She was doing it.
“You’re nearly there, kid,” Slade soothed, his words suddenly like butter. He watched Raven’s shoulders start to relax. “That’s it. Just fight this, Raven. You’re almost there.”
Despite her tremendous progress, Raven’s blistering fury won out once more, and she charged a large bolt of hellfire in her hands. Slade fiddled with his rifle and crossed his fingers. There was a standstill between the two. Slade analysed his rifle again; there was something different about the barrel, as if it had been swapped out for another similar model. The stock felt lighter, too, as if the weight had been–
Raven roared at him, swiping wildly with glowing fists, and in an instant Slade instinctively pulled the trigger.
What fired from the gun was not a silvery bullet, but a familiar glowing bolt of white light, cloud-like in appearance. As it struck Raven, she sucked in a deep breath, the energy engulfing her. Her face softened and her posture relaxed. Then she swung out for the man’s weakened side, his bandages poking through the aura of light. And yet, as he stayed steadfast, not even attempting to dodge the attack. Sparks flew from the point of contact. Slade just readied another shot and fired.
Her body swayed with the blow. Slade closed the gap between them and focused on the new warmth he felt, concentrating it into his staff as best he could. Then, as he held it out in front of him at arm’s length, he swiped at Raven and struck her in the side of the shoulder. Each blow seemed to be more effective than the last, but as Raven’s movements continued to slow, Slade held fire.
“You’re doing it, Raven,” Slade encouraged. He watched as the other Titans surrounded Raven, each of them ready for any further attacks. Everyone watched with bated breath as their teammate and friend thrashed and recoiled from the hit. Her breathing was rapid, although it felt closer to panic than unabashed fury. She clasped her hands over her head, groaning. Then, suddenly, she stopped.
Her face had softened completely, her jaw slack, and tears filled her vision. She looked up at Slade with a comfort in her eyes. The aura emanating from him was pervasive and contagious, and although she had felt lost in a sea of impossibly vast emotions, its warmth and comfort cut through. The anger was still there somewhat, the last remaining dregs still working its way out of her system, but the comfort, the peace that Slade was providing was the anchor for her to stabilise herself. She had only ever seen this kind of power when Don…
Raven’s eyes widened as she realised what that meant. She collapsed to her knees, suddenly feeling the bone-deep fatigue her rage had suppressed. Her teammates rushed in around her. Mar’i dropped to a knee by her side and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s OK. You’re safe. Everyone’s OK.”
“Don I’m—” She wiped away a stream of tears, stumbling her way out of the emotional vortex she’d been sucked into. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I’ve lost control before, but never like this.”
Don looked older. Creases ran across his forehead and around his eyes. His smile hadn’t changed. “Raven, my brother and I got those powers when I was a kid. We didn’t ask for them. We weren’t ready for them. We didn’t know how to use them, let alone control them.” He laughed dryly, recalling Hank. “I don’t regret anything. Giving my powers to Slade is the best thing I’ve done with them in years. I know Hank would feel the same way.”
In the moment of silence that followed, Raven rose to her feet and pulled her cloak tightly around herself. She was still shaking. Tim’s eyes drifted from her to Slade. “Something’s gnawing at me. Kestrel’s powers are weakened in Skartaris. Don’s…” He coughed, “Slade’s powers are amplified. If this place is what affected you—”
Mar’i’s face flashed with recognition, “—your powers must be tied to the Lords of Order and Chaos!”
Tim furrowed his brow. “Maybe.” He hardly had time to consider further when a thundering crack tore open the sky. Two bolts of swirling energy - one red and one blue - met above them, forming a swirling portal at their vertex. The Titans readied their weapons, expecting the worst.
“It’s them.” Slade murmured, still put off by his uncanny awareness. Terataya and T’Charr descended from the sky, one wreathed in mist, the other, magma. The two elementals stopped a few feet above the ground, hovering.
Terataya was the first to speak. Even at a whisper, her voice reverberated through the air. “I don’t usually care for surprises, Don, but this was a pleasant one.” A thin smile appeared on her face.
“Slade Wilson.” Terataya’s neck turned at an unnatural angle to face him. “You wield the powers of Order with great skill. Who understands the dangers of unchecked War better than a soldier. Become my champion. Protect the balance.”
Slade took a step back, then glanced at Don.
“She’s right.” Don said, with only a hint of hesitation. “It took me years to use the powers like you used them today. You’re a natural.”
Slade looked at his hands, still gently pulsing with pale blue light. “Thanks.” He allowed himself a weak smile. “But no thanks.”
“What.” T’Charr’s voice boomed.
“It doesn’t take Zatanna to realize an old soldier like me makes a piss-poor Avatar of Peace. I fight for a living, and I’m not deluded enough to think that makes me good at anything but fighting. If you want someone who understands the need for balance, Don just sacrificed everything special about him for it.”
Don raised an eyebrow. “None taken.”
“His actions today were noble, but they do not make up for years spent squandering the gift.”
“Squandering? The Titans wouldn’t exist today if he hadn’t pulled them together. Everything they’ve done. Everything they’ve achieved for your balance wouldn’t have happened without him, including stopping that monster you made.”
“Watch your tone, mortal.” T’Charr threatened.
“There may be a vein of truth to his words, lover.” Terataya said. “But *if we were to restore Don Hall’s power, we would need assurances. His indecision led down this path.”*
Rocks ground against each other as T’Charr landed beside Don. “You would have weeks, not years, to select a counterpart and return to your duties.”
Don’s response was instantaneous. “I’ve made a decision.”
“You’ve decided if you’ll take up the mantle of Dove again?”
Don nodded. “And who should be the new Hawk.”
Terataya giggled. “Full of surprises today. T’Charr?”
“We should discuss this.” He said. “In private.”
The three of them vanished, leaving the Titans and Slade alone on a battlefield riddled with bits of dino meat and ape fur.
 
○○ Ⓣ ○○
 
“You don’t think they’re gonna come back in like, 200 years, right?” Conner asked. He sat beside the depowered Slade Wilson, who was downing aspirin to make up for the sudden deficit in peace energy.
“I don’t know.” Tim said. “But we should give them more than fifteen minutes.”
As if on cue, the skies opened again. Again, the chromatic energy lit the sky and again a portal opened its swirling maw. This time, however, it wasn’t two elemental Lords to descend. Raven squinted to make the figures out.
“Oh my god.” Conner said, having a far easier time with his super-vision.
“What? Who is it?” Tim asked.
“Donna!” Mar’i shouted. She shot off the ground towards her. Her black combat armor was replaced with a crimson and white bodysuit studded with stars that seemed to twinkle as the light shifted around her. The sword at her side was gone too, replaced with a coiled loop of rope suffused with the same brilliant energy. The two collided into an embrace, spinning through the air as they held each other tightly.
Don was the first to land, restored with the powers of Dove. He looked stronger than ever, and maybe more importantly, happier. Even Tim’s typical thoughtful brooding has been pierced by an unimpeachable joy.
“I don’t understand,.” Raven said. “S-She’s alive. How is this possible?”
“I knew there was only one person who could be trusted with the powers of War, with Hank’s abilities.” He scratched the back of his neck, a bit guilty. “And she’d been staring me in the face for years. It took some doing, but eventually T’Charr and Terataya saw that too.”
Donna landed beside him, Mar’i only a step behind. By now Conner had stepped forward. He tried not to choke over his words. “I’m sorry. If I’d—”
Donna didn’t let him get the words out before pulling him into a grapple-turned-hug that quickly grew as the rest of the team piled in. Slade flicked another aspirin into his mouth.
“Danyah!” A voice called out from over the ridge. It was Travis, mounted atop a fanged reptilian creature in the vague shape of a horse and flanked on either side by his gold-armored honor guard. He broke into a gallop, stopping just short of the Titans. “When I saw the skies, I feared the worst. Is it really you? Has sorcery brought you back to us?”
“It’s me, Travis. A Lord of Chaos brought me back.”
“Not to interrupt,.” Slade said, still nursing his wounds. “But did either of you ask them to bring us back to Chicago?”
“I…” Don grimaced. “Donna, how do we get home?”
“How did you get here? Surely you could return the way you came.” Travis said.
“No, we can’t.” Tim said, pressing a few buttons on his wrist’s holographic display. “Whatever magic pervades Skartaris is also causing some extreme time dilation. I can’t guarantee we’d return to the 21st century, or even to Earth.”
“I spent a decade in Skartaris and returned to Earth nearly two centuries later. It’s the influence of Chaos. We’d need a Skartaran mage of overwhelming power to stabilize our return.” She spat the word mage with disgust. Travis’s expression seemed to confirm the reputation of Skartaran spellcasters.
Before their anxiety could spiral, the sky above began to churn. Moments later, the ground shook as a violent bolt of lightning cleaved the air, striking with such ferocity that all but Conner and Donna were flung backward. Mar'i skidded across the damp undergrowth, her senses overwhelmed by the acrid scent of ozone. Her mind was racing; their victory was hard fought, and she doubted they had much left in the tank for another confrontation. She dug her hands into the ground and pushed herself up as she choked from the smell. The Warlord Morgan and his military guards snapped to attention, forming a protective ring around the crater that now marred the earth.
From the smoking pit, a figure rose, unfolding from a crouch like something out of Terminator. Adorned in a red and white jumpsuit that accentuated his lithe build, the young man's appearance was marked by a red cowl and goggles, with sandy brown hair rebelliously spilling out.
Conner squinted through the dissipating smoke, murmuring under his breath, “A speedster?” The Flashes had had a variety of different sidekicks and other allies over the years, but none of them recognised this one
With a nonchalant flair that seemed at odds with the charged atmosphere, the newcomer greeted them. “Hey, everyone chillax. I'm here to get you guys back home.”
Donna, ever the leader, stepped forward and spoke with a commanding curiosity, now emboldened with the war aura of Hawk. “And who are you exactly? Why should we trust you with such a claim?”
Flashing a cheeky grin, he tilted his head and responded, “Well, I’m a speedster for one. Name’s Impulse. If I run fast enough, then I can… well, I guess bend time.”
Behind Donna, the group exchanged sceptical glances. Raven's face remained shadowed by recovery, Mar'i and Conner braced for action, and Tim discretely checked his gadgets, no doubt for something that he could use on a speedster should the need arise.
“Yeah, we figured that much,” Don cut through the tension, his voice calm yet insistent. “Who sent you?”
Impulse chuckled, his demeanour remaining unfazed by their scrutiny. “Look, the details aren't the fun part. Trust me, I can get us back.”
As a silence thick with doubt and scepticism settled over the group, Impulse seemed to realise his casual assurances weren't sufficient. With a theatrical sigh, he reached up and removed his mask, revealing a face familiar to both Mar'i and Raven.
“Brody!?” Mar'i exclaimed, her surprise echoing through the clearing as she stared at the boy who had once hobbled through their college classes with his leg in a cast.
The young man’s grin widened, his eyes sparkling with mischief and a hint of pride. “Actually, it’s Bart.”
 
○○ Ⓣ ○○
 
When Slade emerged from the shower, his skin was glistening with moisture, the water tracing the contours of his scars. He wrapped a stark white towel around his waist, and crossed the plush carpet to sit on the edge of the hotel room bed. He released a slow, deep breath; it was a good job the speedster kid arrived when he did. The notion of being stranded in an alien land or, worse, a different time had gnawed at him with a ferocity that was hard to admit. Without Bart’s intervention, every one of Slade’s meticulously crafted plans would have been utterly dashed.
Facing him, a wall-mounted mirror caught his rugged reflection. Drawn to his own image, Slade studied the scars that mapped his trials, the slick white hair that crowned his head, and the deep lines etched into his face. A familiar discomfort nagged at him, focusing his attention on his right eye. Unable to alleviate the irritation through the skin, Slade exhaled heavily and carefully removed the eye altogether. The movement, fluid and practised, spoke of years of adaptation.
He placed the prosthetic gently on the bed beside him and as he massaged the socket, a decades-old habit, his mind wandered. He wasn't accustomed to keeping the prosthetic in for extended periods. Showering with it had been an uncomfortable experiment in necessity - he didn't like it, but understood the importance of maintaining the facade. The Slade he would have people believe he was would have never lost an eye, because that Slade had led a life far from by the darker paths Slade had truthfully trodden.
His thoughts wandered to his brief time wielding the potent powers of Dove, and Slade felt a twinge of regret at their loss. The clarity and strength those powers had provided were intoxicating, yet he recognised that he had a more important goal, one he couldn’t compromise. His current role demanded not the accumulation of power but the perfection of his deceit, ensuring that all believed he was not the Slade Wilson they knew, but a Reawakened, more innocent doppelganger.
Now, with the glass eye resting beside him, Slade stared at his unmasked visage. Maintaining the myth of the noble Slade was critical. The ruthless mercenary, the World’s Deadliest Killer - those identities had to remain buried. The Titans had believed him enough to entrust him with divine powers, their faith a testament to his performance, but the game was far from over; in fact, it was entering its most critical phase.
 
 
Next: Return to normality in The New Titans #10
 

So basically I’ve been trying to make a league account in Vietnam, as I’m staying here for a while. The website will not let me go on certain pages, like when trying to make an account or trying to contact Vietnamese support and say messages like ‘not authorised to access’ when trying to do so.
I had a Vietnamese friend make me an account, I have the vng client and game downloaded, however when I try to start the game I have to fill in a vng form and put down more info. Even if I submit it and it says that I’m ’all set’ whenever I go back to the client it pops up with the same message saying I need to complete a form.
I’m not really sure what to do anymore, I’ve also noticed that steam has stopped working too, so maybe it’s to do with that? Idk.
Any help is appreciated

(WARNING, Loooots of reading)
Ok so, I can’t summon anyone, yes I’ve done it all, I’ve done all the troubleshooting, it seems like a total glitch, and no it’s not like “it won’t let me summon when I press the gold signs..” BRO I wish I saw the gold signs, they don’t show up
Last year I think? (Yes this has been going on for a year now, or maybe a bit more, hasn’t been fixed since) I went to the Beyond the Fog sub, for me to summon someone through that reddit since furlcalling does nothing, yet still, I did everything I was supposed to, yet not even them could join, they were surprised too, saying they don’t even know what could be causing this. Had to defeat Mali on my own, then after that deleted the game and quit,
I came back after a few months later and HEY I actually got someone! But I knew something was up, since it was just them, not a single other gold sign so I knew I wasn’t out of the woods, before this bs I used to get so many gold signs it didn’t even matter who i summoned or if i died lol, it was just fun.. now, well.. anyway they helped me defeat Godfrey and then I took another loong break, cut to now, a couple days ago i actually got someone, though I still knew I wasn’t free from this torture cuz it was one single gold sign, 3 times in a row, the same person.
Nothing works and I give up lol, anyone at least have some sort of idea what this could be? A little? If it counts for anything this started after deleting one of my save files, after I deleted that character and started a new one, this happened
Also yes my internet is fine, I can see other players, bloodstains, make messages, and all that, I also can’t be summoned, like co op is completely off, but not online, just the co op side of things, how infuriating.

• 18M
• 1.73 m/5’8
• 65 KG/143 pounds
• non smoker, no medication
• 1 Year months of pain knee, lower back, hip, SI Joint pain,
• No previous medical issues
• Treatment has started 6 months after I first experienced pain.

Radiologist says I could have mixed impingement on both sides, one specialist says I could have mixed impingement on both sides, Other orthopaedic specialist that is specialised in hip surgery Says I don’t have a typical case of hip impingement. Although, I am not sure whether he is referring to my symptoms or the imaging. Symptoms include knee pain, lower back pain, SI joint pain, And tightness of my glutes and hip muscles. I also have developed an adductor strain due to these issues and have therefore been forced to sit a lot. The adductor strain is better now. Occasionally, I will get groin pain and catching of the hip joint. FADIR Test is positive on both sides with it being worse on the right side and causing the symptoms described Above, except for the lower back pain and the catching.
Physical Therapy helped massively but has not been able to get completely rid of symptoms. I still experience daily pain, sometimes more (4/10) sometimes less (1-2/10) worse.
I do think that the impingement is the cause of all of the issues I have developed and think that getting surgery wouldn’t be too bad of an idea, but I’m not quite sure.
https://ibb.co/sKdBfBf
Thanks in advance

I quit gacha games as a whole a while ago because I got bored of it’s repetitiveness. I got the urge to come back again but when I took a look at the game’s “meta”, older characters really fell a lot in value and it looks like HSR gets powercreeped a fair bit, probably to allign them with the increase in difficulty of content.
My account only has 2 5 stars, Himeko and Blade, both of which have fallen a fair bit. I remember when I pulled Blade he was considered the best but now so many DPSes have overtaken him.
So yeah is it still worth it to come back to HSR even though your characters get powercreeped? I am an F2P player so having my characters powercreeped and being unable to fully clear all the difficult content would suck

So i have just gotten to level 143 and for the past few days i have been talking to in a team a person who as they say back in the game use to be a "raider" style PVPer.
Who also says they have a few trap bases. SO i know they are not the best for advice but they do have ne agreeing with one thing.
I messed up focusing on legendary cards leveling to early sacrificing utility perks. I have no way to try a new style if i wanted cause i just didnt focus on utility. No crafting no repair yadda yadda.
I might start a level 20 and fast track myself to a new character that makes me happy.
BUT also i need to stop listening to that guy. I have VERY much distaste for being mean to other players cause
as he says "Life isn't fair everyone who complains about PVP is babys."
I need to distance myself from him but i hate confrontation and I'm afraid if i block he friends might track me down and make my life hell.

For refrence I have been playing through OG Warcraft 3 for the first time all on normal. I am a pretty casual player yet I still had no real problems with difficulty. I rarely had to restart a mission ever, yet this ONE mission and its even worse considering this is the last mission in the entire game. I just can't do it. I feel like Illidan attacks (like he himself not even his units) way too often to gain ground. I can hold against his attacks ok but every time I go to take an obelisk he always sends an attack wave during the fight and I have to pull my whole army back. And thats not even including other attack waves such as Kael and Vashj. I can't split my army either cause it takes max supply to not only hold out against Illidan but also push obelisks. ALSO THIS IS LIKE THE ONLY MISSION THEY EVER REBUILD BUILDINGS AND THEY DO IT FUCKING FAST. At this point i'd normally resign to lowering the difficulty for a single mission but I refuse considering I beat the ENTIRE rest of the game on normal without any trouble. Help.

Looking for a group of friends to play with daily. I play destiny 2. Halo infinite and sometimes the older halos. I'll play call of duty zombies cause I'm really into horde modes as well. I'll play WARFRAME I just git back into it. I'll play some horror games. And a big mixture of other games too. I also have a full time I work all night shifts. I'm mostly looking for a established group of Xbox gamer friends that are into the same kinda games I like.

Now before I start, I know I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but please understand if you don't wanna spend money in the game, its completely fine, I'm not advocating or encouraging them, this is just how things are.
Now, since Scopely didn't originally mention cabal to be required in the upcoming logan event, many of us didn't buy the pass for iron patriot/ leader, which we totally would have had we known they would be required. And it would totally get us to 5* for those characters. Also they didn't mention that this event would be star gated which would have affected our purchase decisions. So I believe they can at least run some good offers so those of us who want to buy some extra shard can get the chance.

1. Can we get those pass back with something like the shards front loaded or
   
2. Give us some good offers like "May special: Out of time" which is $10 for 60 CGR & Starbrand shards. Can we get similar offers for Cabal?
   

Let me know in the comment section what your thoughts are and please upvote the post so more people can see it. Have a wonderful day and goodbye.

Remember SM...remember when they did the coolest thing by giving a bunch of older characters new designs. Like we got Red and Blue, Colress and Grimsley, HECK even Annabel! A character who was only in the BF in emerald, (a game Game Freak wants you to forget about...).
So why not do this again?

Here is my top 5 characters I want to cameo in the gen 10 games

5. Drasna

Very underrated E4 Member...
I want to know if Zinnia is her kid or not, if not kid, like maybe...niece?
It would cool if she and her family were a sect of draconids that specialize in the sinnoh legendary dragon pokemon, and she was interested in the legendary dragon pokemon of Gen 10...since we know every generation has to have a legendary dragon pokemon.

4. Nemona

Love or hate her, Nemona is one of the most popular characters of Gen 9. I would argue before Kieran and Carmine, it was her by a long mile. Still might be.
I would love to see her again, because she might have finally taken Geeta's place as La Primera, and it would be really funny if she is just a superboss like Cynthia. Go into a house, and then BOOM...Nemona!
"Hi I'm Nemona! I'm La Primera of Paldea. Things have been stressful...but fun! Battling all of the new trainers in the paldea league-wait you look like a trainer...a strong one. ME. YOU. BATTLE. YES?!"
Show slight growth as she talks about how becoming La Primera opened her eyes to the responsibilities that Geeta had, and how she wishes to do her do best to honor her example.
Just please...KEEP her the same, ON sight persona. PLEASE.

3. Drayton

I feel out of the entire blueberry league, including Lacey, Drayton has to be coming back again...like I feel they set him far too well to replace Drayden as gym leader.
Like Drayden's other grandchild, he is a prodigy but unlike Iris he is a SLACKER.
Which feel like could be translate well if bro is just on vacation to the another region and they could further his character saying he finally graduted blueberry but still doesn't want to come home.
Could be a fun six sages type quest/glitterai where you follow him around and get more of his story.
I'm going to assume it's because Drayden is getting up there in age, and he feels he won't be able to set an example as the heir. And perhaps this story has a dark ending with Drayton being called by someone (assuming it's Iris) that Drayden has passed.
Bro then leaves but thanks the player for following him around by giving him Draco Meteor, which would be really cool since Iris and Drayden did that in BW1, so it kinda leaves something to the imagination....hm.

2. Hau

Now, I feel if any character that needs a chance in the spotlight again...I think it should be Hau.
Like he forever plagued by being "the smiley rival" because SM didn't have that many facial expressions for anyone that wasn't the aether family (minus Mohn). Like Drayton, he is a prodigy, but unlike Drayton...he is a bit more upfront with his insecurities.
In SM, there are moments in the story when Hau gets visibly upset he isn't strong: like when Lily gets kidnapped, or when Gladion accused of holding back, or when he still can't beat the player in their final battle.
USUM gave his character more focus, giving a lot more urge to battle and win, while still keeping his level headed persona. He even got to be the champion fight for the game, that is arguably the hardest in the franchise. Good on him.
When he returns...he should be the kahuna of Melemele Island*. There is no excuse why he couldn't be. They SHOULD make my bro a BADASS gigachad like that guy from* Moana.
Like make everyone think Hau is the coolest dude ever.

1. Bianca and Cheren

Now, I know picking two for one is kinda unfair...BUT COME ON.
These two were the first rivals that actually felt like characters instead of just being tropes.
Blue was literally just cocky anime rival, Silver was the edgy criminal rival, May and Brendan were the rivals that have a crush on the protag,
Wally and Barry were close but the story of the games don't really have time to dwell on them... unlike Cheren and Bianca.
Like they these two were a perfect example of pokemon fans at the time of BW1's release date, ambitious yet kinda clueless about what to do with their ambition.
So what if, after nearly 12-13 years, we finally see them in the games and learn what they have been up to.
Like I want to see if Bianca has become professor and if Cheren finally has a beard to cover up that baby face he has lmao.
IF RED AND BLUE CAN COME BACK...why can't them?

Hi guys! I purchased an Aula Reaper a couple of years ago, got the software just fine back then. I recently reinstalled my pc and lost the software, but now I can't get my hands on it anymore, since the Aula website has been shut down. Their site used to be aulagaming.eu which is now dead for quite a while. I went into a couple of IT stores, eg. the one I purchased it at, they also told me that most likely I won't be able to get my hands on it anymore.
Do any of you have the installer or know of any ways to get the software? I don't want to buy another gaming mouse, since this one still has absolutely no issues, it would seem like a waste if I can still get my hands on that damn software somehow :/

My teeth have just decided they want to get in on this surgery action! Ive been in increasingly worse pain with my teeth these past few days and today it hit a point, I went to the dentist who spent 2 mins with me before he urgently referred me to the oral surgeon, I drove there and theyve booked me in for this saturday to have 4 teeth removed. General aesthetic. Day surgery. My bewb surgery is booked for the 31st .. How likely is that the surgery this Saturday is going to mean Ill have to push my bewb release back? Im in tears thinking about all of this..not only could I possibly have to wait even longer with these massive boulders on my shoulders ...but its going to drain every last cent in my savings.. 4,000 to have the teeth out 😭😭

I had a call with my doctor last week about my mental health, and I had a bit of a breakdown about how much my pain is affecting me. It has just passed a year since I started feeling constant, debilitating pain that has left me pretty much housebound. I’ve been really hesitant when asking for prescription pain medication for the past year as I was hyper aware of what it could come off as as a 20 year old uni student asking, so I have just never brought it up and just asked for scans and checkups etc, and took over the counter meds daily. I was given codeine at an A&E visit during a horrible episode, and it helped although made me incredibly tired and stupid, so I wasn’t interested in asking for any more opioids.
Last week I think something in me snapped and I realised I didn’t have to live this life that is making me so anxious and depressed and I have the right to request my pain be managed, and I pretty much told him “I can’t imagine living like this for the next however many years until my surgery. I’m not functioning and it’s killing me”. He faffed about for a bit, telling me “well I’m not really sure what to do to be honest” and “I’m not sure there’s much I can do for you to help in this case” and “When you phoned today what were you hoping I’d say” and I just persisted with “I want advice on the best route for me to take to get this pain under control until I get the surgery”, and finally he offered me tramadol to take as needed (despite sounding very unhappy about it). I’ve only taken one in the past week as I’ve decided only to use them when my pain is affecting my ability to complete tasks, but when I did, oh my God. Within an hour my pain was down to a 2 (a number I very rarely feel), and after 7 hours or so it climbed back up to its usual non-flare up level. I was able to just skip a quick flare up until the baseline pain reached a level I can deal with. It doesn’t make me feel drowsy (in fact I feel a little more energised), it doesn’t make me stupid and stoned like codeine, maybe just a tiny bit more chilled out than usual.
Just knowing that I have this to fall back on when I know I’m going into a flare up has reduced my anxiety tenfold, and knowing that if I have an event or a class to show up to and I’m too sore, there’s now a chance I could make it is a security that I haven’t felt in years. I hope I won’t need them forever, but knowing I have something to pull me over until the next step is such a relief on both my mind and my body.
In conclusion, doctors who say controlled drugs are not appropriate treatments for chronic pain need to go back to school. I am so grateful toward myself for making this choice and standing up for myself.

Hi all. I played the game when it first came out but took me a while to kill Lilith because of work and real life issues. I'm excited to come back and play season 4 now that I have more time. I'm just overwhelmed at what to do. I read about all the great content but don't have any direction.
What do I do first? I never did a helltide. Do I kill Lilith again and complete the campaign? I really don't want to spend time doing things and then figure out I wasted time and should have been doing something else. Do I farm a certain area? A certain quest line?
I appreciate any basic advice for this beginner. Appreciate you all.

I F27 had sudden onset chronic pharyngitis December 2023. I haven’t gone more than 2-3 weeks without being placed on antibiotics (which would temporarily clear the issue). I’ve had cultures, a million strep tests, mono, flu, covid, tried allergy meds, etc. I’m infected with nothing, yet the inflammation and fever keeps coming back after I stop the abx. I was supposed to have my tonsillectomy to attempt to ‘cure’ the pharyngitis at the end of April, but my dog was hit by a car. He had some crazy surgeries and has been incredibly hands on for both me and my spouse in terms of care.
I rescheduled my tonsillectomy as I’m now on antibiotics for the millionth time. It’s next week and I’m so scared. I’ve had to sleep separate from my spouse because they have to stay with the dog and I have a bad back so I have to sleep in the bed. I’m terrified of hemorrhaging and not being able to reach them. Or of hemorrhaging and the pup refusing to go in the crate delaying my access to care. Edit to add: my tonsils aren’t very big at all. I’m not sure if that reduces my risk. They’re a bit cryptic now after the chronic inflammation, but when I’m asymptomatic they’re quite normal in size.
Every link on google says a wildly different number for likelihood of hemorrhaging—20%, .028%, 5%, 11%. I can’t even get a good grasp on my risk, let alone how to handle it if it happens. I’m paying a 20k vet bill, I can’t afford an ambulance ride to the hospital as well. All I see are horror stories every time I just try to see someone else’s recovery.
I want to cancel the tonsillectomy, my ENT isn’t even confident it’ll work. I feel like if I cancel again they’ll fire me as a patient. I’m sick every two weeks, I don’t know what to do.
Are there any non eventful adult recoveries?