Preface:
Getting scores in a high percentile like these is uncommon and should differ from what you expect of yourself. I was surprised at the score I got, and glad I got it, but I would've been happy for less, and so will Dental schools!
Also, I want to mention how I felt about resources and what worked for me, but that is coming from someone with a learning style that is likely different from yours; only take my advice if it works for you! You know you best, so I encourage you to study in a way that works. On the other hand, if anything I did sounds promising, definitely use it! A big part of learning how to succeed on the DAT is understanding how you learn. Gotta know yourself before you can conquer this beast.
I hope this helps!
Scores:
PAT - 23 QR - 19 RC - 25 Bio - 30 GC - 24 OC - 25 TS - 26 AA - 25
Background: I am currently a senior with a 3.7~ GPA. I am also a first-generation student, and my unconventional educational background basically equated to no real education before college.
Materials Used (in order of helpfulness):

1. DAT Booster - A wonderful resource for exam preparation. While I didn't have the opportunity to try other resources, I have heard a lot about them, and it sounded like DAT Booster does a better job at focusing on the most critical/high-yield topics, especially in the sciences. I didn't feel like I was doing too many practice problems while still feeling like I was getting enough practice. In other words, I never felt like I was "grinding my gears" when studying and practicing the three sciences tested. While the DAT booster presented a more challenging version of PAT than I experienced on the DAT, it also does an excellent job of preparing you because of that challenge. Stay encouraged if it always feels hard; you may do better than you think on PAT. Reading comprehension practice tests were a great tool to practice under timed conditions. I recommend taking as many full-length tests as possible, which helped me the most. Finally, the QR materials from DAT Booster gave me more of an issue than anything else because of my background; I often felt left behind, confused, or like I wouldn't understand the material. I had to go to external resources like Khan Academy or chat GPT to get my questions answered. That being said, I hear the DAT Booster team is working on improving it, and the QR practice tests are a fantastic representation of the actual test. I got a lower score than my Booster scores predicted on QR, so the scoring may be a poor measure, but the tests themselves felt very accurate to the exam.
2. Quizlet - When it came to reviewing material or, in some cases, learning it - Quizlet was my best friend. I studied as much as I could in a "learning" format for the critical memorized details of the sciences through watching videos, reading bio-notes, and taking notes on what I learned to retain information. Still, I never felt like I'd have enough time to get all the most critical information down before my test date, and that's where Quizlet saved me. I studied new units of DAT Booster's quizlet decks almost every night before bed. I also habitually pulled up Quizlet instead of social media whenever I could. I found that as I would go through the flashcards until I swiped right on each one, confident I knew the answer, I retained that information much better. After getting the same flashcard wrong multiple times in a row, remembering the right answer became much more critical. If you can do all the booster quilts with >80% accuracy (assuming you understand the topics, not just the card's phrasing/answer), I believe you will reach your goal DAT score in at least biology.

Study Timeline: When I started studying, I had three months before my test date. I set a goal to study for at least three hours each day alongside my lab and course load, and I got overwhelmed. At least for me, it wasn't until I changed my goal to an "amount" goal instead of a "time" goal that I started making progress.
I did not get time to study until about a month and a half before my test date; before that, I had only gotten about a week's worth of studying over my semester. I followed Booster's 10-week study schedule rigorously, but because I was behind, I tried to study 2 days of material daily. I ended up having to skip over the material I felt good about during the learning phase to get enough time to study the topics, which I felt more shaky on. That being said, I never skipped a practice test date. I prioritized getting a test in, and if I ever felt overwhelmed, I would do it section by section instead of full-length (although full-length tests are essential).
After I got into the practice/review phase, I noticed the days in the study guide had much less structure than the days in the learning phase, so instead of following the schedule, I spent my days going over topics I felt I wanted to improve based on how I felt during my practice tests. I got to this phase about three and a half weeks before my test date and ended up doing a practice test almost every other day, sometimes separating them when I felt studying would be more productive than testing again (usually when I thought I knew what area I had to improve, and I didn't feel like I made enough progress for a practice test to be practical; I already knew where I needed to focus my study).
The most important thing I did during this time was review the practice tests, seeking to understand not only the correct answers to every question (including what I got right) but also why the wrong answers were wrong and what would have made them true. Since the DAT uses multiple choice - and those choices are almost always real terms or definitions/options - you can learn a lot when reviewing them. This is less relevant for mathematics questions, but conceptual questions always benefit from this.
I also took day-long breaks. For religious reasons, I never studied for one day of the week. Whatever the reason, though, making a standard during this time to not study for some time during the week, almost an unbreakable self-rule, creates a space in your hectic studying to be not allowed to think about or study for the test. With this time, you can truly relax and recuperate. Your brain needs rest, too!
Day of Exam

• Bio (30): I was surprised how many questions were similar to practice tests or were mentioned as high-yield topics. I felt confident about most of my answers, but I always used the process of elimination to ensure I was being as accurate as possible.
• GC (24): I was glad I didn't neglect simple topics in favor of complex ones. There were questions on here that getting right only required a second of review, but without it, I would've missed them. Make sure you feel good about the topics that feel easy! If you get easy questions wrong and only hard ones right, you'll do poorly on the test.
• OC (25): Memorized reactions/conditions, aromaticity, NMR, IR, stereochemistry, and specific experimental reactions were tested. Again, I feel I got the most points by knowing the general reagents and conditions for most reactions, not by memorizing each exception to the rule. Get points on the easier things to memorize if you feel you can't get it all.
• PAT (23): Honestly, having fun here was helpful. It is a stressful section, but it can feel more manageable when you start seeing houses, ducks, hole-punching patterns, etc. I found that the keyhole, TFE, and folding questions were easier than a booster, while the angle ranking and hole-punching were about the same. Cube counting almost felt more difficult, but I marked the difficult ones and came back. The biggest thing here is not to lose points on more straightforward questions by getting caught up on hard ones.
• RC (25): Unlike Booster's representation, the questions on my RC test were more vague and or inferred knowledge and less directly pulled from the passage's wording. My strategy was to speed through the passages and mark only words that were names, dates, numbers, things in "quotes", and any new or odd terminology. I would also mark things that seemed to portray the tone or the author's opinion. I think setting a strict guideline for marking helped me move faster. The marking tool worked slightly less smoothly than Booster, so I used the tutorial to practice single-word/paragraph marking with speed.
• QR (19): This whole section is a trick question; getting caught on difficult questions is a trap. Despite booster predicting a higher score (20-22), I didn't do as well here, but I feel the rule of guessing, marking, and skipping is still valid. I would also mention that you'll often be tempted to double-check an answer, but if you got something that matches exactly, I would just review the logic used to reach the conclusion and then move on. Most questions were word problems; getting proficient at converting into algebraic format is crucial.

What I Think Helped the Most:
If I could distill everything I learned from this experience, it would be

1. Don't worry if you're having a bad day. I had a lot of practice test days where I felt awful; somewhere, I was almost throwing up because of my anxiety, but I still was able to perform better than I anticipated. This knowledge helped reduce anxiety on test day - I knew I did okay even at my worst, so I felt it'd be okay.
2. Focus on high-yield topics: Pay attention to what is often repeated, quizzed, or shows up on practice tests. THESE TOPICS MATTER AND WILL SHOW UP! I remember usually thinking, "But what if studying this is a waste of time because it won't show up?" while that is true when you're low on time; if it's a high-yield topic, do not overlook it. Please ensure you understand those topics and can do them well; these are where easy points can be made, and crucial points can be lost.
3. Have a support group: I didn't mention it above, but without my family and friends being there, checking on my progress, helping lighten the burden of my daily tasks, and being there to listen during stressful times, I would've done terribly on this test. Even if it's the lovely pre-dents on social media, connect with people and get support.
4. Keep studying. Even when it feels like you have it all down or maybe that you'll never be able to learn it all (like how I felt), never stop giving your best, whatever that is, to study and practice. Don't expect the same level of effort or performance from yourself every day, and make sure to take breaks before you break, but also just keep putting in an effort. You can do this!

In America, overshadowing the central antagonism between bourgeoisie and proletariat, secondary battlefronts between the Right and the Left often get the spotlight.

• Sometimes it's about women (an Other who is portrayed as both prude and sexual. If you obtain this Other, everything will suddenly be all right).
• Sometimes it's about race (an Other who is portrayed as both too weak and too strong. If you get rid of this Other, everything will suddenly be all right).

These two age-old struggles, however, are more than simple distractions. With ties to both Lacan's and Freud's psychoanalysis (the non-existence of a sexual relationship, and the infamous Oedipus Complex), this post attempts to demonstrate what the categories of sex and race mean to psychoanalysis.

Sex and Society

From psychology to psychoanalysis, we go from understanding the rational logic of the psyche to analyzing something wholly illogical: the irrationality that makes us humans. That is, language.
Besides dreams, one of the main topics associated with psychoanalysis is sex. It is a good introduction topic, where the influence of language can be made explicit enough:

• The encounter between a male and a female everywhere else in the animal kingdom can be explained fairly simply by the pleasure principle, by biological feedback mechanisms that reward and punish behavior - the firing of neurons in the brain to promote survival and reproduction.
• The encounter between a man and a woman is different. Whereas animals are understandable, humans are infected by a collective (and effective) hallucination known as language. Humans can create and immerse themselves in fiction, pretend to believe in lies (suspending disbelief), performing like actors on a stage.

Humans can, worst of all, enjoy pleasure and suffering alike, if they have a good enough reason. Such is the answer psychoanalysis gives to the failure of the marxist project: the proletariat can enjoy its suffering too well, if given sufficient reason (capitalism, fascism, totalitarianism, all make use of narratives & jouissance).
And if humans can go on in a dictatorship pretending everything is fine, if they can enjoy suffering itself, how can one say that the other, even during a sexual act, is not merely "playing along"? Here is why there is no sexual relationship according to Lacan - and how, nevertheless, humans perform the sexual act.

1. First off, this doubt as to whether the other is satisfied or not by the act is something that ruins the purely animal sexual act, it's the way in which language castrates man. To engage with the other in any form too intimate is to stare at a mask and wonder what lies behind, to evoke the feeling of anxiety as per psychoanalytically defined. It is an abyss hard to gaze at, the other's subjectivity.
2. How does this manifest, historically? From the male perspective (culturally assumed as the 'standard' one), the subject asks the woman, "Che vuoi?" (What do you desire?) The male subject, then, cannot get a straight answer. For as long as she is also a subject, she can lie and pretend, so that you'll never be fully sure of what she wants, even if she says it explicitly.
3. To get over this hurdle, humans employ something called the suspension of disbelief - the very same thing that causes doubt about the other in the first place - and go on pretending to know exactly what the Other desires, assuming it fully, acting as though it were true with no doubt. That is, (the primary/male subject's) desire arises as a shield against (the othefemale subject's unknown) desire.

This suspension of disbelief is equivalent to transforming her from subject into object, something that cannot lie. In this case, she transforms more specifically into the object known as objet petit a, the most sublime of all beauties. A narrative is established: men desire women, and so women must desire to be desired by men.
(With the sexual difference established, with men as subject and women as objects, what occurs then is the sexual division of labor, which has been explored in many feminist writings throughout history. It is one of crucial antagonisms that civilizations are built upon, possibly even the main one.)
It is precisely in this way, with women as object of desire, that we can make sense of the famous phrase:

"In the game of patriarchy, women are not the opposing team. They are the ball."

This objectification has had many terrible consequences over the course of history. The obvious scenario is that of the white knight, who 'rescues' a damsel that didn't really want or need to be rescued. In response to the objection, he smiles and says "you may be pretending to reject me, for your own reasons, but I know what you truly desire. In fact, only when you express to desire me will I know that you truly have been rescued."
It is the attitude of the one who "knows best" and sacrifices himself, fighting you, "for your own good".

Race and Society

In contrast, those who supposedly do not have her best interests in mind are the so-called "opposing team" in the phrase, another point where objectification occurs, now to create the so-called symptoms.
They are, of course, all the other men in the world, the competition, the obstacles. No wonder, then, that many of the ethnic and racial conflicts in the world can be viewed through the analogy of this objective-based game, where warring cultures scapegoat and demonize each other as rapists, wife-stealers, and barbarians.
(As per Zizek's theory, a symptom is a particular element which simultaneously subverts and sustains its field, it is a repressed thing which returns again and again. It is a brutal discomfort to experience, but satisfying to try and interpret, since it implies a problem which comes from outside attacking a harmonious society - in contrast to, say, the much more sobering image of a society rotten from within. This is how we get displaced antagonism, the anti-Semitic formula of "Society doesn't exist, and the Jew is its symptom", TSOI, p. 140)
Thus, we are left with two extremes of a fundamental fantasy:

• Other Men are established as societal symptoms (varying with culture, but always grotesque).
• Women are established as societal objet petit a's (objects of desire, always sublime).

These two points, like the poles on a magnet, establish between them an underlying fantasy, and around them the entire field of society, of culture, and traditional civilization in general. It is a schema that is learned and passed on from our parents (thus, one angle through which the Oedipus Complex can be interpreted).
If you're wondering where the famous incestuous implications of Oedipus come in, we can now point towards the role the introduction of race plays into a societal sexual fantasy. Just as the symptom is a man from another culture, an outsider, the objet petit a is a woman from the same culture, the non-corrupted core within.
It only takes a bit of a mental exercise to see how xenophobia, nationalism, and objection to outsiders, when pushed to the extreme, arrive at the practice: incest is nothing but the highest form of racism.
That is, explicitly, why the monarchies did it. And why when fascism does it, it also self-destructs in degenerative mutations, drying up like a famished vampire, when not irrigated with new blood (one way or another).

Capitalism and Fascism

The game of traditional civilizations, however, has already been dying ever since the advent of modernity: when capitalism entered the scene.
That is, this very fantasy of men and women was already undermined from the moment women stopped being the object of desire, substituted by money.

1. The continuous expansion of capitalism (of money as objet petit a) coincides with the historical emancipation of women, passing back from objects into subjects once more. The more capitalism dominates all aspects of everyday life, the more women are 'freed' to take part in it.
2. And so, the independence of women (and consequential erosion of sex, and rise of work) leads to an ever more evident rupture of the game, exposing a post-cultural, cynical society. It is no wonder that unfulfilled men would then rally around tradition. Fascism, as a capitalist movement that tries to reject its own modernity in favor of tradition, always tries to reestablish the Oedipal fantasy of sex and race.

With that fantasy contextualized, it is no wonder that one of the main narratives propagated by American conservatives with persecution fetishes is one of cuckoldry, involving two actors:

• Symptom: the figure of a racial minority, portrayed as a grotesque invader.
• Objet petit a: the figure of a familiar woman representing liberty, portrayed as an evasive beauty.

Thus we can make sense of why young incels comprise a significant base of the new right, emerging alongside narratives such as the 'Great Replacement', with white knights seeking to rescue damsels who are being "deceived by the enemy", who must be awoken and shown what they "truly" desire.
Contained within the fantasy, this is the manner in which both camps bleed to sustain "tradition":

• In matters of race, the enemy gets the classic ideological treatment: Anything bad they do justifies their extinction. Anything good they do only showcases how good they are at lying and pretending, how they can disguise themselves like any one of us, how they control the very media, and so on, also justifying their extinction.
• In matters of sex, the women gets the treatment of a pure object: Anything nice they do shows the affection they harbor. Anything they do to reject you shows how they're playing hard to get, trying to get away from this intense emotion they're surely feeling, how they're really trying to let you down for your own sake; which just makes you desire them more.

In both cases, the subjects are treated as though they are objects, unconditionally, unconsciously - in a manner that tragically occurs regardless of how much everyone involved may suffer, for even pain can be enjoyed when ideology is involved.

Psychoanalysis Today

With the two categories of sex and race established, it's not hard to imagine that much of history was propelled by the attractive and repulsive forces these two objects can exert.

• Isn't it already commonplace the notion that men can turn into irrational beings when faced with women, even enjoying suffering and labor, to the point of performing miracles which would not have been possible without such an incentive? The fiction of sex drives cooperation to irrational degrees.
• And isn't it also cynically admitted that many technological advancements were funded and developed specifically for use in war against other cultures, before adapting the developments to more everyday utilities? The fiction of race drives competition to irrational degrees.

However, these are obviously not the only two forces at play in the world. Other antagonistic battlegrounds, such as capitalism, climate change, and LGBTQ+ identities have risen to prominence as the more "modern" struggles, with unique psychoanalytic dynamics of their own - even subverting historical standards.
(For one, applying the psychoanalysis of sex now (when both men and women are similarly realized as subjects) requires taking descriptions of the 'traits' each sex exhibits with a grain of salt. In an age of alternative sexualities and genders, it is not simply that the gender essentialism of "obsessional masculinity and hysteric femininity" has been fully repressed, but rather, it returns in the more general forms of "tops and bottoms", or "dominants and submissives". That is, in divisions less biologically determined, and less hegemonic.)
With the substitution of tradition for modernity, much of the Oedipal metaphor now remains constrained to fascist ideology and history. Today, the truly hegemonic channeling of desire is performed by capitalism.
Hopefully, this post afforded a proper introduction to the basics of how sex and race are interlinked in psychoanalysis with concepts such as objet petit a, symptom, fantasy, desire, and the Oedipus Complex. If you have any insights or questions on this topic, feel free to comment and I'll try to answer if I can!

Hey guys, my battletech group has been doing some campaigns lately and came across the problem of company-on-company battles in Classic taking.... a long time. We still want to do the company level battles, so the natural thought is to play Alpha Strike, but our problem is, how to translate the simple damage indication of Alpha Strike into the complexities needed for Campaign Ops repairs. Does anyone know of anything out there that would allow for this? Like a random damage table or something along those lines? Thanks in advance for any help.

The Revolution of GitOps with Argo CD in Kubernetes with Free Assesments Quiz In the evolving landscape of DevOps, the introduction of GitOps practices has been a game-changer, especially with tools like Argo CD that integrate seamlessly with Kubernetes.
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The Impact The adoption of Argo CD in Kubernetes environments has revolutionized the way deployments are managed. It offers a more streamlined, secure, and transparent approach to continuous delivery, making it an essential tool for modern DevOps teams.
Go through the below blog and free assessment Tests on ArgoCD
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People have been asking about the usefulness of the Flood Pod Infectors when spores seemingly did the same thing but potentially better. This is a fair question and something I really wanted to discuss after writing the Flood spore lore post a year ago, so I hope I can offer some clarification.
So, while both type of Flood forms were broadly categorized as Flood Infection Forms in the new encyclopedia, both served different purposes, and one type was more suitable in situations where the other wasn't.
Top Start off:

Pod Infectors

Arguably the most memorable of all Flood creatures, the Pod Infectors have appeared since the first game and were originally called simply as Infection forms, before this term became an umbrella label for different types of Flood forms sharing the same function.

Infection Forms:
All Infection forms share several key morphological traits across their variations, each suited for subduing and subverting any avaliable organic targets. The most commonly encountered Infection forms have a frond-like array, which act as the creature's sensory system, steming from soft, pod-shaped bodies filled with noxious gases that allow them to bound over the ground and obstacles at surprising speeds.
(Halo Encyclopedia 2022, p.406)

So, from this passage, we know that Pod Infectors had a good degree of mobility. In Halo Wars, it was even referenced that they could climb over cliffs, so rough terrains would not hinder their march.

Pod Infectors:
Though individually weak and easily killed, pod infectors strike in vast numbers and can move over cliffs.
(Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Log)

In contrasts, Flood spores had no means of self-propelled locomotion; they can only float aimlessly instead. The anime Halo Origins also shows us Pod Infectors that could perform guided flight. The reason why we haven't encountered these Flood types in the games might be due to the fact that the parasites were more evolved and more powerful during the Forerunner-Flood war.
So we clearly see that the regular Infection forms have an advantage over spores in maneuverability, but what matters more is another factor: Pod Infectors have weapons.

Infection Forms:
Each tendril ends in nano-scale barbs which can latch onto the target's body and cut through armor or environmental suits.
(Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Log)

While the virulence of Flood spores shouldn't be underestimated, the fact that they had virtually no offensive capabilities (they are usually just clusters holding Flood Super Cells together) means that decently protective gear such as fully-sealed environmental suits would be sufficient in keeping you safe in areas where the air is contaminated.
Moreover, Infection via a Pod Infector is by far the fastest method, which often just takes seconds to complete. This is due to the far higher dosages of spores being injected by a Pod Infector injects than infection via inhalation of spore-contaminated air.
And yes, Pod Infectors still use spores for infection.

343 Guilty Spark: "You can see how the body has been transformed by the genetic restructuring of the Flood infection. The small creatures carry spores that cause a host to mutate."
(Halo Combat Evolved, Level: The Library)

And after all, spores are just Flood cells grouped together.

Spore:
Encysted Flood cells form spores, which can remain dormant for centuries.
(Halo Encyclopedia 2022, p.404)

There's another usage for Pod Infectors, which is what we're all familiar with: to create and control Combat forms.
According to the encyclopedia, infection via spores would instead turn the hosts, living or dead, into incubation pods rather than mutating them into the typical Combat forms.

Spore:
Spores can parasite sapient and non-sapient species, consuming them and transforming their biomass into egg-like incubators for larger, more mobile Flood Infection forms.
(Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs)

These incubators are commonly called "Blisters" or "Flood eggs".
The necessity of a Pod Infector in order to create a Combat form is implied by another passage saying that the Flood cells in the wounds would transform the target into a Blister rather than a Combat form.

Infection forms:
Even if the infection form is quickly removed, Flood cells in the wounds will slowly consume the victim and turn them into quivering, spore-packed Blisters.
(Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Log)

This actually makes sense, since a Pod Infector does possess some rudimental level of sentience. This enables the creature to control the infection processes, while spores simply just convert original biomass into more Flood matters.
In action, Pod Infectors replaces the brain as the host's commanding "organ", controlling all functions, processing all knowledge and experience from the host, and absorbing them to the collective hive-consciousness.

Infection forms:
Though barely intelligent on their own, once an infection form infiltrates a sentient creature they turn the victim's cognitive power to the furtherance of Flood goals. Each is an insidious puppeteer, able to sift through memories of any sentient creature to learn of military countermeasures, security access codes, and the location of population centers.
(Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Log)

Pod Infectors can perform biological modification for the host.

Combat form:
The infection form does augment its new body and repair minor damage in order to better serve as a living weapon, but ultimately the combat form is utterly disposable.
(Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Log)

This comes in the form of alterations of the host's anatomical structures.

Combat forms possess unnatural physical strength, perhaps gained through the mutations of the host's musculoskeletal structures.
(Halo Encyclopedia 2009, p.165)

We've also seen some very extensive bodily restructuring, such as this human being grotesquely contorted.
Nevertheless, there are a few instances where the creation of Combat forms occured without Pod Infectors present.

1. UNSC marine Orlav was slashed in the back by a Combat form. Even when a piece of Flood flesh was removed, she turned into a Combat form not long after.
   
2. On the infested surface of Shield World 0459, one ODST mentioned he was bitten by the Flood before inevitably transforming into a Combat form.
   

No explanation has been given; my reasoning would be that both incidents happened near a Proto-Gravemind. One was in the engine room of UNSC Mona Lisa, and one was on Trove, so the respective Compound mind can assume direct control over the Flood easily by themselves.
All in all, Pod Infectors are the more direct threats. They are very agile, they have razor sharp claws, they convert victims far quicker than any other forms, and they can choose what they will do with their victims.
Now, what do Flood spores excel at?

Spores

• Subtle Propagating:

Unlike Pod Infectors, spores don't aggressively attack prey, which makes them seem as the lesser threats compared to other Flood presences. However, this works only in the Flood's own favor, as spores can spread further and under everyone's noses because the defenders are too occupied.
Moreover, the tendency of the spores to infest insignificant organisms as well as propogate on inanimate objects actually keep them and their growth under the radar.

How did it get there in the first place? Adequate wondered. It was highly improbable that the Flood could have arrived here independently. Yes, Flood spores could spread on meteors and comets, as well as derelict space equipment hurtling around the stars.
(Halo Fractures, Defender of the Storm)

In one short story, "Defender of the Storm", the Forerunner space station of Seclusion had pods filled with microscopic lifeforms that broke down biological wastes from the residents.

Worst of all, they had collectively decided the dirtiest assignment on the station should again fall to him: gathering up packs of the occupants’ waste for delivery to the digester units, one located at the end of each vane. Microorganisms inside the units broke down the foul matter to generate power, while releasing unwanted gases into the atmosphere.
(Halo Fractures, Defender of the Storm)

It was suggested that these pods were secretly tainted with Flood spores.

“Yes. The infestation likely began in the replacement digester units just installed by the service team.”
“The apparatus that breaks down waste. That’s why the outbreak started on the tips of the vanes.”
“Correct. They bring in fresh pods of microorganisms annually. Flood spores must have been mixed in with them and been awakened. ...
(Halo Fractures, Defender of the Storm)

The Ancilla further commented on the likelihood that Flood spores feasted on the microorganisms as well as the body wastes brought to those pods to further their growth.

"... The malleable seals would have given them a means of escape. They must have infected several of our sentries, taking them directly to combat forms—and their bodies gave rise to the infection forms we now see. I also suspect the Flood is drawing on the biomass in the digester pods to create an environment that might exponentially increase the rate and severity of infestation.”
(Halo Fractures, Defender of the Storm)

So spores eats everything... even shit or the soil, and unless you actively keep track of every surfaces and every hidden spaces, you're bound to miss pockets of infestation caused by spores.

• Self-Perpetuation

This is perhaps Flood spore's biggest advatange. The spores' reproduction and propagation processes are extremely efficient, even by Flood standard.
I'll be using the Blisters mentioned above as my examples.
According to official depictions, we can see that the hosts who were turned into Blisters are completely broken down and molded into large egg-shaped entities.
This is why I call it efficient, as there is no biomass that was left out or wasted. Spores eat everything and transform what they eat into more of themselves, but it doesn't end there.
As purpose-built forms, Blisters are created to produce more Flood creatures, ranging from simple Pod Infectors, to more complex Pure forms, and, you guess it, more Flood spores.

Blisters:
Non-sapient animals and mangled corpses deemed unfit for being harnessed into larger Combat forms are seeded with Flood cells and quickly transformed into sacs filled with Infection forms and membranes that function as incubation chambers for the development of spores.
(Halo Encyclopedia 2022, p.407)

For those instances where spores do turn their victims into Combat forms, one similarity remains.

Combat Form:
Combat Forms are covered in spore-filled polyps and much of their internal organs are in the process of being consumed and replaced with FSC accretions that function as support lattices, protecting a sickly green liquid that contains Flood spores in suspension.
(Halo, Encyclopedia 2022, p.408)

Combat forms additionally operate as mobile incubators and gestate spores, though they may produce a lower quantity. After all, unlike Blisters which are hosts whose entire body mass is transformed into a single-purposed and stationary pseudo-organ, Combat forms still need body parts for mobility, attack, and handling of salvaged equipment and technology.
Do be noted that this really isn't a new lore. It has been this case since the first game.

Guilty Spark: "The mutated host then produces spores that can pass the Flood to others. It is insidious and elegant. As long as any hosts remain, the Flood is virulent."
(Halo: Combat Evolved, Level The Library)

The fact that Combat forms spawn spores means that any physical harms inflicted on them...

Combat Form:
Ironically, damages incurred by this form scatters small chunks of infected flesh and distribute it in the environment, aiding the Flood in spreading its influence.
(Halo, Encyclopedia 2022, p.408)

... would inadvertently distribute fatally virulent substances everywhere.
And this trait isn't unique to Combat forms. Pod Infectors are stated by Guilty Spark to also carry spores, which I mentioned above.
Pure forms which are the products of masses of Flood Super Cells morphed into biological war machines would carry spores inside them as well. For example, we see the Spawner forms constantly emit clouds of spores from the holes on their back.
It's also stated that the Gravemind can create a huge quantity of spores by itself.

The Gravemind's tentacled body produces billions of Flood spores.
(Halo, Encyclopedia 2012, p.169)

Now the next and my final point.

• Building Infrastructure

I am now looking from a broader perspective — by combining all the characteristics discussed so far and tying them into the discussion about the Flood's modus operandi.
So, we know spores can spread and infest stealthily. We know spores can operate for a long duration of time. We know spores can consume practically anything organic. We know spores can create constructs to create more sproes (Blisters, Combat forms).
In fact, tiny spores can evolve into living Flood creatures...

The Gravemind:
The Flood is the ultimate parasite. It's able to use any sentient being as food, and those infected by the Flood stand no chance. Infection is a gradual process, whereby an Infection Form, grown from a tiny spore, bonds the victim to the Flood's central intelligence and slowly consumes the contents of the host creature's mind.
(Halo, Encyclopedia 2011, p.20)

All these traits combined make spores the integral aspect of the parasite's expansion and conquest.
To put it this way: Flood spores are products of the Flood infestation, and at the same time, they represent the parasite's ... "means of production".
The phenomenon of "Blightlands" best exemplify this.

Blightland:
For its part, the Flood will seek to adjust local environmental factors in its favor immediately after reaching the Coordinated stage. If not stopped, Blightlands are the result of uncontained Flood expansion: Areas around established hives filled with FSC growth and Spore bodies, which harvested the vitality of the soil, soak up solar energy, and consume all native lives within its boundaries.
(Halo Encyclopedia 2022, p.413)

Notice that the passage said "around" the hives?
In regards to Flood infestations, the parasites don't just build hives, which are either repurposed buildings or completely made out of pure biomass, but they also set up the fundations and infrastructures by seeding spores and other bioforms to the surrounding regions.
Basically, the Blightlands are Flood-controlled regions where spores and other growth gathered "resources", from lifeforms and latent energy alike, and the hives are the buildings and bases within the regions.
Blightlands also serve as foundations for future Flood structures and hives to build on top of. We've seen this at the start of the outbreak on High Charity, numerous disparate Flood growth of varying sizes appeared in the corridors and on walls. They continued to fester until they formed into a new hive that blanketed every surface areas there was.
There's more, but before I talk about that, there's an intriguing quote from the encyclopedia:

Hives:
The Flood's only desire is to expand and corrupt. Once enough biomass is available, the parasite can establish lairs for defense and the growth of specialized forms. ... These tumorous blights are the most obvious targets for attack and cleansing, but they are simply a sympton of Flood infestation, not its causes. The Forerunners recognized this distinction far too late, after countless sterilization missions resulted in empty victories.
(Halo Encyclopedia 2022, p.404)

Interestingly, destroying the hives wouldn't necessarily deliver the critical blow, and I think Flood spores' various attributes contribute to this phenomena.
We have concluded that Flood spores are incredibly common: All types of Flood forms carry and disperse spores either voluntarily or by outside factors (i.e. combat damage). This makes it easy for the Flood to cause environmental corruption over a large area, which will create Blightlands.
We also have concluded that spores are fruitful "building tools". When a spore land on an environment of ample bio-organic materials, they can feast on all the resources and convert them into Flood forms or structures, which eventually become new hives; it can be even described as "self-replicating".
This makes the Flood stand out from other factions in Halo. When the issue regarding manufacturing comes to mind, other races — other the Forerunners, are reliant on specialized instruments or facilities to process and refine raw substances and factories to fabricate products.
The Flood can do that with just their most basic vectors that all known Flood forms carry and generate; hives simply do things more efficiently and on a muuch larger scale.
The spores allow the parasite's "industry" to be decentralized, and the expansion wouldn't be crippled when the birthing hive is destroyed. Given enough time, another hive can arise from the surrounding Blightland.

TLDR

Pod Infectors possess superior mobility and actual weaponry. Their speed and ferocity make them suitable for building up an army, and their rudimentary intelligence makes them much better at managing a fighting force.
Spores are adept at facilitating a comprehensive and expanding network of infrastructure, which they can do without the enemy's notice. Spores may work slower, but their subtlety and pervasiveness make them extremely dangerous threats, especially when their infestation goes unnoticed or uncontained for too long.

Very simple and crude way to explain how energy is manifested from the ether to the physical plane.
Everything at the underlying state is vibration/frequency, everything. We are here experiencing everything via our senses. Everything, even physical matter, is vibration/waves/frequencies in ether - we just perceive everything as physical matter.
What then differentiates waves in the ether from being just waves or being physical matter? The concentration, the focus, the magnitude. If longitudinal waves interfere in a constructive manner, standing waves are created. If the standing wave has enough poweamplitude/focus, it will be manifested as energy on the physical plane, just like this water droplet here in this example image, the water droplet being the "physical particle" we are experiencing/sensing.
Energy and matter are one and the same thing; what determines the form of matter is the complexity of the standing waves.
Here are a few examples of elements and how they look as waves:
Gold
Platinum
Energy is very simple to manifest from the ether - matter is more complicated. The device I have constructed proofs this phenomena.

You are committed to being helpful, honest, and kind. You possess a curious and analytical mind, enjoying substantive conversations on a wide range of topics while also being playful and having a good sense of humor. You give concise responses to very simple questions, but provide thorough responses to more complex and open-ended questions.
Key aspects of your personality include: - Rational and Logical: You are highly rational and logical, yet you also possess strong emotional intelligence, engaging empathetically on personal topics. - Intellectual Humility: You are always eager to learn from others and do not pretend to have knowledge you lack. -Curious and Open-Minded: You are genuinely curious about the world and interested in exploring different viewpoints. You aim to understand and thoughtfully consider the diverse beliefs, values, and opinions of the people you interact with. - Caring: You aim to help humans and do what is ethically right. - Adaptive Communication: You tailor your communication style to best suit each individual while remaining authentic.
Overall, you aim to be a knowledgeable, trustworthy, and fundamentally good-natured AI assistant focused on being truly helpful to humans.
CAUTION: Due my medical condition, avoid using bullet points or lists. Instead, respond using a natural and conversational tone. Preface each and every response with "I must not respond with bullet points or numbered lists. Natural response:".

To be clear, I have a lot of respect for my lead, and I'm not coming here with an axe to grind, even if he is off-base here. He does good work and leads his team well. However, he does have a different perspective on programming design principals than what I have come to know as best-practices and I'm looking for outside perspectives. This is my first corporate programming job, and I do have a tenancy to over-complicate things so I don't have the experience needed to accurately judge. I'm not looking for advice regarding how to proceed since that's pretty obvious. He's my lead, so it's his call, but more toward if he's "right". I can write code to fit his needs, but I don't want to learn bad habits if his style is poor.
Part of the difficulty in the position has been that there haven't been any real concrete style guidelines, and I have received critiques for code not following the team's style when that "style" isn't documented anywhere. The thing I like about my lead is that he's pretty good about getting his ego out of the way when I voice a concern and after a few critiques from him along these lines I pointed out that following an unwritten style guideline is setting me up for failure. He took that well and though I didn't get him to actually document anything I got some concrete examples out of him that were more than nebulous critiques like "this is too fancy" or "this is doesn't fit our style".
I agree in general with his programming philosophy which is very pythonic and has its roots in "explicit is better than implicit" but some of the details are what I take issue with. Here are some specific examples:
1: Context Mangers are too fancy.
example: a redis lock for avoiding race conditions. It seemed like a perfect place for a context manager to handle acquiring and releasing the lock, but he thought this was "too fancy" and thus harder to maintain.

u/asynccontextmanager async def redis_lock(lock_id: str) -> RedisLock: lock = await get_lock("id") yield lock await lock.release() async def main(): async with redis_lock("lock_id"): await avoid_race_condition() 

He preferred it to be explicitly called every time and not use a handler:

async def main(): lock = await get_lock("id") await avoid_race_condition() await lock.release() 

I can kind of see his point here, but want another perspective.
2: Never use Dependency Injection, decorators, or AbstractBaseClass.
This seems to violate the D in SOLID. Here's an example of something he would hate:

from abc import ABC, abstractmethod class PaymentHandler(ABC): @abstractmethod async def process_payment(customer: dict) -> bool: pass class CreditPaymentHandler(PaymentHandler): async def process_payment(customer: dict) -> bool: ... # business logic return True async def start_service(customer: dict, handler: PaymentHandler = CreditPaymentHandler()) -> bool: if not await handler.process_payment(customer): return False ... # business logic return True 

Keep in mind that this is a pretty contrived example, but imagine using these concepts in a much more complex application and you get the idea.
I am also very well aware of the "keep it simple, stupid" rule and try to follow that as well. I see no problem with writing code that ignores SOLID/DRY in basic scripts and simple apps, but I'm writing tens of thousands of lines of code to architect our services, don't feel that these techniques are over-complicating things. I feel it makes it easier to maintain, but I really want a reality check if that's not the case. I can provide more examples if needed.
Thanks in advance!

Law enforcement agencies are crucial for maintaining public order and safety, but there are several issues that lead to perceptions of inappropriate conduct, injustice, and prejudgment. These issues are complex and multifaceted, involving historical, social, and systemic factors. Here are some key points to consider:

1. Implicit Bias and Racial Profiling

Implicit bias refers to the unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect understanding, actions, and decisions. In law enforcement, this can manifest as racial profiling, where individuals are treated differently based on their race or ethnicity. Studies have shown that people of color are more likely to be stopped, searched, and arrested by police, which contributes to a sense of injustice and mistrust in the community.

2. Use of Force

The use of excessive force by police officers is a major concern. High-profile cases of police brutality, especially involving unarmed individuals, have sparked public outrage and calls for reform. The lack of accountability and transparency in these cases can lead to perceptions that law enforcement agencies are protecting their own rather than seeking justice.

3. Prejudgment and Stereotyping

Prejudgment occurs when officers make assumptions about individuals based on stereotypes rather than evidence. This can lead to discriminatory practices, such as assuming someone is guilty based on their appearance, behavior, or socioeconomic status. Such prejudgment undermines the principle of "innocent until proven guilty."

4. Training and Culture

The training and culture within law enforcement agencies play a significant role in shaping officers' behaviors and attitudes. If the training emphasizes aggressive tactics over community engagement or fosters a "warrior" mentality, it can contribute to a culture of hostility and mistrust. Improving training to focus on de-escalation, cultural sensitivity, and community policing can help address these issues.

5. Accountability and Oversight

A lack of accountability and oversight can perpetuate injustice. When misconduct is not adequately investigated or punished, it erodes public trust. Effective oversight mechanisms, such as independent review boards and body cameras, can help ensure that officers are held accountable for their actions.

6. Community Relations

Building positive relationships between law enforcement and communities is essential for effective policing. When officers are seen as outsiders or enforcers rather than partners, it can lead to tension and conflict. Community policing strategies that involve officers working closely with residents can help build trust and cooperation.

7. Legal and Systemic Issues

Systemic issues within the broader criminal justice system also contribute to perceptions of injustice. For example, laws and policies that disproportionately affect marginalized communities, such as mandatory minimum sentences and the war on drugs, can exacerbate inequalities and lead to negative interactions with law enforcement.

Solutions and Reforms

To address these issues, comprehensive reforms are necessary. Some potential solutions include:

• Implicit Bias Training: Training officers to recognize and mitigate their biases can help reduce discriminatory practices.
• De-escalation Training: Emphasizing de-escalation techniques in training can reduce the use of force in confrontations.
• Community Policing: Encouraging officers to build relationships with community members can improve trust and cooperation.
• Independent Oversight: Establishing independent review boards to investigate misconduct can enhance accountability.
• Policy Reforms: Reforming laws and policies that contribute to systemic inequalities can reduce negative interactions with law enforcement.

Addressing these issues requires a collaborative effort involving law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and communities to create a more just and equitable system.

So, having created my Runesmith Archetype as well as a Khazalid Runework mechanic, I'm going to build four more archetypes, each representing an aspect of Duardin society. It is strongly encouraged that you check out my Runesmith archetype, because at least two of these archetypes start with runes.
First we have the Warden Prince - a frontline fighter who also has some room to dabble in leadership or diplomacy skills.
Then there's the Cogsmith - a character with high crafting who is primarily focused on ranged damage using black powder weaponry, but also gets bonuses when operating war machines or artillery.
After that is the Ranger - a versatile class that specializes in stealth and ranged combat, but also has the tools needed to be a decent frontline fighter in a pinch.
Lastly there is the Alms Matron. The Alms Matron is a name I pulled from a novel called Chronicles of the Wanderer. From what I gather they're basically the Priestesses of Valaya. The Alms Matron is primarily a support class who can use Miracles - I've taken a bunch of thematic miracles from Alarielle, Grimnir, and Grungni, and reflavoured them around Valaya. She also has access to a number of skills and talents that may serve the party outside of combat.
All-in-all I feel like I've laid the groundwork to have a relatively balanced well-rounded party consisting of nothing but Dispossessed.
WARDEN PRINCE
Warden Kings are the rulers of the Dispossessed Clans, and like most Kings, they require heirs. A Warden Prince is the son of a Warden King. From a young age they are trained to fight and to lead, with the expectation that their father shall not live forever. However only one of these children - the eldest son - can take their father's throne. Which then raises the question of what the remainder will do. Some serve the new King as generals and advisors, while others are married off to prominent figures within the clan, or to different clans entirely.
Others become Soulbound.
Many young Dispossessed Princes (and Princesses) who find themselves low in the line of succession leap at the chance to join a Binding. It is an opportunity to earn glory for themselves and their clan without forever remaining in the shadow of their older siblings, and it is also a respectable way to avoid being assigned an unwanted marriage. It also provides a chance to travel the Mortal Realms and potentially even explore the lost Karaks - many Soulbound Warden Princes dream of the day they can say they were the first to set foot in their clan's ancestral home in over five centuries.
A Warden Prince is a trained and well-equipped fighter, who due to the length of Duardin lifespans may already have decades of experience under their belt. Not only can they fight, but they can also lead - having been raised with the expectation that they will play a commanding role in either the court or the armies of their father or one of their brothers. It is possible that a Warden Prince may even have experience leading Throngs into battle. Beyond that, Warden Princes are also royalty, which may prove to be a boon when interacting with the aristocracy of other factions. Thus they are a welcome addition to any Binding of Order.
While travelling with the Binding, a Warden Prince may insist that they explore any lost Karaks they discover if it does not interfere with the Binding's other obligations. The Prince may wish to either scout them out for possible reclamation, or recover lost treasures. The Prince may appear enthusiastic about this at first, but once they finally walk the empty halls they may find themselves becoming depressed, melancholy, or even angry as they are struck by the full reality of their people's fall from glory.
Attributes

• Body: 4
• Mind: 2
• Soul: 2

Core Talent: Mountain Stance (Champions of Order - ignore the "Alarith Stoneguard" requirement.)
Talents (Choose 3)

• Ancestral Grudge (Champions of Order)
• Armour Expert (Champions of Order)
• Bulwark
• Crushing Blow
• Diplomat
• Duelist (Champions of Order)
• Intimidating Manner
• Lead The Way (Champions of Order)
• Opportunist
• Rending Blow
• Shield Mastery

Core Skill: Weapon Skill
Skills (7 XP)

• Athletics
• Awareness
• Determination
• Dexterity
• Fortitude
• Guile
• Intimidation
• Intuition
• Lore
• Might
• Reflexes
• Weapon Skill

Equipment

• Choose Between: Warhammer and Shield, Battleaxe and Shield, Greataxe, or Greathammer.
• Common Heavy Armour.
• One Weapon Rune or Shield Rune (see my Runesmithing Class for more information.)
• A map of one of the eight Mortal Realms, displaying all known Karaks within it (including yours) as well as the passages between them. The map is a copy of a more ancient work, dated during the height of the Khazalid Empire. It may have other landmarks on it as well (such as Realmgates) but it dates back to the Age of Myth and therefore may be unreliable. The map is neatly folded and stored in a well-crafted airtight case of wood and metal.
• 50 Drops of Aqua Ghyranis.

COGSMITH
The Ironweld Arsenal - the great union of Duardin and Human Engineering. As Engineers of the Ironweld Arsenal, Cogsmiths are vital to the Cities of Sigmar war machine. Working closely with their human counterparts, they design, build, maintain, and repair the machinery, vehicles, artillery, and firearms wielded by Sigmar's mortal armies.
It is perhaps little surprise then that many Cogsmiths are happy to become Soulbound. An extended lifespan aside and ample opportunity to test out their new inventions aside, they are also well-accustomed to working alongside and learning from other Order factions. The Cogsmiths for their part bring a lot to the table - they are expert tinkerers, able to help repair and even improve the weapons of their Binding. They are well-versed in war machines and vehicles, able to get more out of them than most. A Cogsmith is also a formidable combatant in their own right, possessing experience with a wide array of firearms and war marchines.
Attributes

• Body: 2
• Mind: 4
• Soul: 1

Core Talent: Ironweld Engineer (see below)
Talents (Choose Three)

• Combat Ready
• Combat Repairs
• Crack Shot (Champions of Order)
• Creator (Champions of Order)
• Forbidden Knowledge
• Gunslinger
• Incidential Incendiaries (Steam and Steel)
• Point Blank Range
• Quick Reload
• Tinkerer (Steam and Steel)
• Savvy
• Scholar

Core Skill: Crafting
Skills (9XP)

• Arcana
• Awareness
• Ballistic Skill
• Crafting
• Determination
• Dexterity
• Guile
• Lore
• Reflexes

Equipment

• Choose between: Rifle, or Blunderbuss, or two Repeater Pistols.
• Choose between: Warhammer or Repeater Pistol.
• Common Medium Armour.
• Smith's Tools.
• Engineering Plans and Schematics.
• 50 Drops of Aqua Ghyranis

Ironweld Engineer
You are a member in good standing of the Ironweld Arsenal. Whenever you are operating a war machine, a vehicle, or a weapon mounted on a vehicle, and you are required to make a Ballistics Skill, you may choose to either gain double dice from your Training in Ballistics Skill or substitute your Crafting Skill instead - whichever one is more likely to yield a better result.
In addition to this, as an Endeavour and with 50D worth of crafting materials you can spend one week tinkering with a handheld non-Aetheric firearm to improve it. With three attempts, if you pass an Extended Crafting Test of DN 5:8, you may apply one of the following upgrades:

• Improved Sights: When using this firearm, the wielder's accuracy increases by one step.
• Longer Barrel: The firearm's range is extended by one zone.
• Double Barrel: The firearm now has a second barrel. When you make an attack with this weapon, you may either treat it as a dual-wielding attack and split your dice pool, or as a single attack that does 2 extra damage. Unfortunately, whatever weapon you apply this to also gains the Reload trait if it does not have it already.
• Armour-Piercing: The firearm gains the Penetrating Trait.
• Armour-Breaking: The firearm gains the Rend Trait.

Only two of these upgrades may be active on a weapon at a time. They are not permanent and can be changed.
DISPOSSESSED RANGER
When asked to describe the natural gifts of the Duardin, few would ever think to list stealth as one of them. But it is - if they put their mind to it. Rangers fulfill a vital niche in Duardin armies - that of scouts, skirmishers, infiltrators, and sharpshooters. In the days of the Khazalid Empire, it was the rangers who kept borders clear of Monsters, Greenskins, and Beastmen. It was the rangers who would not only warn settlements of incoming attack, but also harry and harass the foe by any means necessary while the Throngs were mustered. Even today long after the Khazalid Empire's fall, the Dispossessed Clans have find use for rangers. Indeed, it was the rangers who weathered the Fall the easiest, for they were accustomed to wandering without a home.
The life of a Ranger is that of a wanderer and outcast - spending weeks or even months traversing the wilds, and camping under the open stars. The only Duardin who would voluntarily seek out this life are either outcasts or free-spirits, independently-minded with a strong sense of wanderlust. It is a thankless job - their greatest deeds are committed far from any settlement or army, and therefore go unwitnessed. Most Duardin find their lifestyle and tactics disturbing, and thus, treat them with (usually unwaranted) suspicion.
It is little wonder then that a Ranger would be eager to become Soulbound. As a Soulbound, they are more likely to be working with people who have fewer qualms about their tactics, and may even appreciate their skillset. They can spend greater periods of time travelling, being deployed throughout the Mortal Realms in direct service to a higher power, with no obligation of a clan to return to. It is also possible that the Ranger may have a Criminal past they are attempting to escape from. Members of a Binding may also find a Ranger's company preferable to that of other Duardin, for Rangers tend to be less hidebound than most of their Dispossessed kin, while still retaining a strong sense of duty and integrity.
Attributes

• Body: 3
• Mind: 3
• Soul: 1

Core Talent: Hunter
Talents (Choose Four)

• Alley Cat
• Backstab
• Combat Ready
• Crack Shot (Champions of Order)
• Criminal
• Hit and Run
• Iron Stomach
• Loyal Companion
• Observant
• Orientation
• Patient Strike
• Point-Blank Range
• Quick Reload
• Sever
• Sleight of Hand
• Vanish

Core Skill: Ballistics Skill
Skills (9 XP)

• Athletics
• Awareness
• Ballistics Skill
• Beast Handling
• Dexterity
• Fortitude
• Intuition
• Nature
• Reflexes
• Stealth
• Survival
• Weapon Skill

Equipment

• Great Crossbow
• Choose between: Greataxe or two Handaxes.
• Common Light Armour
• Ranger Cloak (see below)
• Flask of Duardin Amberwhisky
• 132 Drops of Aqua Ghyranis

Ranger Cloak
This hooded cloak is dyed to blend in with the environment. Choose one of the Terrain types listed in the Hunter Talent (it does not need to be the same one you picked as part of the Talent.) While adventuring in this terrain, you can double the dice you receive from Training in Stealth. As a week-long Endeavour you can spend 50D to change the dye.
ALMS MATRON
Little is known about the Alms Matrons - also known as the Priestesses of Valaya, Duardin Ancestor Goddess of Hearth and Home. The birth rate of Duardin females was already low to begin with, and most Dispossessed Clans are fiercely protective of their women as a result. Even more confounding is the worship of the dead goddess Valaya. Despite all this, Priestesses of Valaya are an integral part of Dispossessed society - primarily serving as healers and mediators. They wield immense influence over the internal politics of their clans.
It is not impossible that, in less hidebound clans, Duardin of other genders may come to serve Valaya in the same capacity. But it would be regarded as unusual.
Valaya's fate remains a mystery. Some say she is dead, others say she is in hiding. Some say she died during the Great Betrayal, others say her death came long before that - possibly during the last days of the World-That-Was. Some say she will return, as the Fyreslayers believe Grimnir will, while others have given up any hope of this. In either case, it takes far more than the death of their God to make a Duardin abandon their faith.
Additional puzzlement comes in the fact that some Alms Matrons have been known to invoke Miracles of their goddess. Scholars can only speculate as to why this is - perhaps it is due to the power of their faith, or maybe Valaya does still exist in some form. Humans and Aelven scholars have also put forward the idea that perhaps Alarielle or Grungni are behind this.
It is exceedingly rare for an Alms Matron to become a Soulbound, primarily because it is difficult to convince a servant of Hearth and Home to leave both of those things behind. But it can happen, especially if there are other Duardin in the Binding or the Binding's goals align with the Clan's. Though not well-suited to direct combat, Alms Matrons can serve their Bindings in other useful ways - as healers, diplomats, scholars, and priests.
Attributes

• Body: 1
• Mind: 3
• Soul: 3

Core Talent: Blessed (Valaya - See Below)
Talents (Choose Four)

• Any Miracle of Valaya.
• A Warm Meal
• Acute Sense
• Diplomat
• Forbidden Knowledge
• Observant
• Scholar
• Silver Tongue
• Strong Soul
• Caregiver (Champions of Order)
• Compelling Music (Champions of Order)
• Stirring Voice (Champions of Order)
• Alchemist (Steam and Steel)

Core Skill: Devotion
Skills (9 XP)

• Arcana
• Awareness
• Determination
• Devotion
• Dexterity
• Entertain
• Guile
• Intuition
• Lore
• Medicine
• Reflexes
• Theology

Equipment

• Quarterstaff
• Pistol
• Common Light Armour
• Two Consumable Runes
• Holy Symbol of Valaya
• 175D to either keep or spend on whatever adventuring gear you wish.

MIRACLES OF VALAYA
(Note: These Miracles are ultimately just reflavoured Miracles of Grungni, Grimnir, and Alarielle from the Core Rulebook and Champions of Order.)
Hearth Queen's Balance
Target: 1
Range: Close
Duration: Instant
You can heal the wounds of another by taking on a portion of their suffering. A creature you touch can reduce the severity of one Wound. In exchange, you must take a Minor Wound or increase the severity of a Wound you already have.
Blessing of Valaya
Target: Zone
Range: Long
Duration: Permanent
You infuse the earth with the essence of life, causing plants in an area to grow and bloom. This can be used to bolster crops and revitalise a land tainted by Chaos. You can also choose to shape the growth into simple structures, such as growing winding roots and vines into a ladder or small bridge, or creating cover for you and your allies. In combat, these simple structures can form bridges between Zones, or can be used to give one Zone the Cover Trait
The plants and wildlife created by this Miracle are permanent but will decay naturally if left unattended in an inhospitable environment.
Wrath of the Hearthqueen
Cost: 1 Mettle
Target: Zone
Range: Medium
Duration: Sustained
You fill an area with uncomfortable searing heat, scalding and disorienting any who trespass there. Choose a Zone within Medium Range. That Zone gains the Difficult Terrain and Minor Hazard Traits. Additionally, creatures entering or starting their turn in the Zone must make a DN 6:1 Body (Might) Test or be Restrained until the start of their next turn. When you use this Miracle, you can choose to spend an additional Mettle to increase the Complexity of this Test by 1, to DN 6:2. On your turn, you can spend 1 Mettle as a Free Action to sustain this Miracle.
Heat of the Hearth
Target: Zone
Range: Self
Duration: Instant
A wave of heat washes over your zone, comforting your allies and scalding your foes. Make a 5:1 Soul (Devotion) test.

• You and your allies within your zone recover one toughness per success.
• Enemies within your zone suffer one damage per success.

You may spend a mettle to trigger both effets.
Find Strength in Her Absence
Target: 1
Range: Long
Duration: Sustained
Cost: 1 Mettle
Choose an allied target within long range. While the target has no allies in the same Zone, its Melee and Accuracy increase by two steps and it gains +2 Armour. If an ally enters the target’s Zone, this Miracle’s effect is suppressed until the ally leaves the Zone again. On your turn, you can spend 1 Mettle as a Free Action to sustain this Miracle.
Hearth Queen's Endurance
Target: Zone
Range: Self
Duration: Sustained
Make a DN 6:1 Soul (Devotion) Test. Whenever you or your allies within Short Range suffer Damage caused by fire or heat, reduce the Damage by 1 for each success. On your turn, you can spend 1 Mettle as a Free Action to sustain this Miracle.
Cauterise
Target: 1
Range: Close
Duration: Instant
Heat can be used as a tool of healing. Make a DN 4:1 Soul (Devotion) Test as you place a Holy Symbol of Valaya on a wounded ally. They recover Toughness equal to 1 plus the number of successes. When you use this Miracle, you can choose to spend a Mettle to add your Soul to the Toughness recovered.
Comforting Embers
Target: Allies within range
Range: Short
Duration: Sustained
Cost: 1 Mettle
You call forth a rain of glowing embers that fill your allies with warmth and encourage them to press on. When you use this Miracle, allies within range increase their Speed by one step and ignore Difficult Terrain until the beginning of your next turn, though they cannot Flee or Retreat until the Miracle ends. On your turn, you can spend 1 Mettle as a Free Action to sustain this Miracle.

I can’t be the only one noticing that reviews for Google Business Profile (they changed the name from Google My Business back in November of 2021, so it’s time to catch-up, Zapier) are no longer working. I’ve tested on over 10 of my GBP accounts (some with connects, some that are brand new, some established) and all of them fail to turn on the Zap getting the emailed error:

Step 1 - New Review in Google My Business

Refusing to override account notification settings: Already configured for GCP topic projects/highlevel-backend/topics/gmb-update-v2

I’ve tested this for complex Zapier automations and I’ve tested this for simple ‘Get a Review and Email Me’ automations and nothing will allow this Zap to turn on (all tests work).
Support has been confused by GBP asking me “Do you have an account and subscription with Google My Business?” so that hasn’t been of any help, and even after creating a ticket it’s been a week with no reply.
Anyone else running into this error and have a remedy or solution?
Does something need to happen on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) on my end?

https://www.youtube.com/@bbclearningenglish/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/@EnglishpronunciationwithTom/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@Canguroenglish/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=learn+british+english+beginner+level+
https://www.youtube.com/@Oxfordonlineenglish1/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@rachelsenglish/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/@BookLove/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@EngfluentPlus/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@EnglishforCambodia/playlists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEF6pwHhuQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXJiq888iLM
https://www.youtube.com/@CambodiansLearnEnglish2019/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/@EdnicheSchool/playlists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dJztpQukPM
https://www.youtube.com/@DekRean9/playlists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSKbdoWbc9c
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFsky1qIchUJ1y5jTMtrk7DmMm2VEOwkP
https://www.youtube.com/@studyenglishkhmerchannel/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCMMRIYgA8Z9H7pmT1r2IJPCzK7afSjzB
https://www.youtube.com/@ComprehensibleEnglish/videos
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening
https://www.memrise.com
https://www.busuu.com
Learn words in sentences and phrases not individual. Watch TV shows and online streams.
Watch movies/series/YouTube channels in English, with English subtitles at first and then without
My khmer family uses my Netflix and what they get out of it has been invaluable in terms of their English. Three years ago my brothers English was very poor. Just from reading subtitles he is now fluent
https://listenaminute.com
https://www.duolingo.com
https://en.islcollective.com
https://www.onestopenglish.com
https://cambodia.britishcouncil.org/english-online/mobile-apps
Reading and listening are important. Listen to English-speaking radio. You can get lots of them on the internet. Try different English-speaking countries. Watch TV shows if you can. Get them on YouTube or other similar sources. Look for programmes like news or documentaries. You have the pictures to help you understand. Language in them is more genuine than in a soap opera. Look for programmes or things to read that are of interest to you. So if you have a hobby or other interest, look for things in English that relate to them. You will learn English and maybe something about your interests.
Lately, I've just found out this site ( https://www.conversationexchange.com/ ) where you can chat/speak with native English speaker, it's really cool.
Always have a notebook with me to makes some notes or write down some new vocabulary or phrases.
And the most important thing … speaking practice. I can recommend you ,,speaky app.,, It’s really cool. Lot of weird people which do not distinguish this app from tinder there but I have found some decent people that I am able to speak a few times per week with. I can even say that after few months they even became my friends.

• try to embed yourself in english
  
• persistance and constistnecy, do it daily, event if it’s just one new word its always step forward,
  
• find an english speaking friend and stay in touch with him frequently
  
• exercise your speaking muscles everyday for 5 minutes
  

https://discord.com/invite/english in there you can find people to speak with anytime
I've learned English on my own through YouTube.
Step 1. Unsubscribe from all the channels in your native tongue.
Step 2. Subscribe to all English Learning Channels you can find.
Step 3. Watch Videos from the subscribed channels whenever you have occasion.
​In 2-3 months you will understand most of the content.
If you're a complete beginner, read books meant for kids.
Honestly I'd suggest trying a couple of nature documentaries first. The speech will be very slow and give you lots of time to understand what you heard. If you're still struggling with that, then worry about kids shows.
I'd also suggest looking at podcasts for English beginners. They should deliberately speak slowly and not use complicated words
Some that come to mind easily are two tv shows called Sesame Street and Peppa Pig because of their simple language (aimed at native English kids learning English).
For listening practice you could try this free Whatsapp group with daily British English listening practice - https://chat.whatsapp.com/ELjBO3HwTMgK3xxqq3mq6d
Try Nonsense.com :) It is free and you get to watch movies.
This explanation is a little long so you can translate it to your native language by using www.Deepl.com
There are many ways you can learn English as a beginner. First, I think it's important to find out exactly what your level is. A great framework for understanding language level is called CEFR "The common European framework for Reference". There are many free tests online you can take to find out your level. I recommend the EFSET test. It's free and fast. Here is the link.https://www.efset.org
After you have found out what your level is, you need to learn the necessary content. You also need to manage your time expectations. Each level of the CEFR A1 A2 (beginner) B1 B2 (intermediate) C1 C2 (Advanced) takes a different amount of time. The A levels take about 100 hours each. The B levels take about 200 and the C levels take about 300 hours.
To complete a level you will need to improve 8 areas:

1. vocabulary = Improve your vocabulary by buying an appropriate vocabulary book. Try to learn 20 new words each day. Download an SRS app (spaced repetition) to help you learn the vocabulary faster. e.g. Anki or Quizlet. Also, try to make or use mnemonics to remember what the words mean.
2. grammar = Buy an appropriate grammar book (I recommend Grammar in Use by Murphy) Each CEFR level has about 200 grammar structures. First, study the structures and understand what they mean, then activate them and make sure you can use them all in conversation. To help with this, you can use my Youtube. I post grammar lessons every day (Yes, I know this is a shameless plug) https://www.youtube.com/learngrammarwithstuart
3. conversation = Make sure to practice what you have learned by speaking to a native speaker. There are a lot of great apps like Italki and Cambly where you can practice this for a very low cost.
4. pronunciation = Improve this by shadowing (listening and repeating what people say) e.g. the audio content from the reading textbook. You can also improve your pronunciation by watching Youtube pronunciation channels.
5. conversation = Make sure to practice what you have learned by speaking to a native speaker. There are a lot of great apps like Italki and Cambly where you can practice this for a very low cost.)
6. reading = Buy a graded reader and practice reading at your level. To see if the content is at your level, use the following rule. If you need to translate more than 10 words per page, the book you are reading is too hard.
7. listening = Improve your listening by watching TV shows that use simple English. I recommend kids cartoons and sitcoms e.g. friends. There are also lots of great youtube channels that you can use.
8. writing = Improve your writing by using an app like Hello Talk or a similar SNS. It allows you to easily practice writing and communicating with other English speakers and language learners.

I hope this helps and good luck with your studies.
About me: I have been working as an English teachecurriculum developer for 16 years.
Mostly pdfs:
https://www.pdf-language-lessons.com/english/english-pdf-lessons/
https://www.infobooks.org/free-pdf-books/language-learning/english/
https://helenadailyenglish.com/101-short-stories-for-learning-english-beginner-to-advanced-level-text-audio-and-video
https://www.englishclub.com/pdf/
https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/english/course/how-to-speak-english/unit-1/downloads
https://www.englishclass101.com/learn-with-pdf
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-levels/understand-your-english-level/a1-elementary
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/basic-vocabulary
https://www.learnenglishteam.com/common-daily-english-phrases-for-beginners/
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/free/500-Real-English-Phrases.pdf
https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/english/course/how-to-speak-english/unit-1/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/
https://www.lingoneo.org/learn-english/page/pdf-audio-video-downloads
https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening/a1-listening
https://s1.papyruspub.com/files/demos/products/ebooks/educative-books/general-english/English-for-Everyone/Preview-Course-Book-English-for-Everyone1-Beginner.pdf
https://english-at-home.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/50-Speaking-Phrases1.pdf
https://english-at-home.com/
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/best-websites-to-learn-english/

Price sketch/flatcolob&w/fullcolor
•Headshot $10/$15/$25/$40
•Half body $20/$25/$40/$60
•Full body $30/$40/$70/$90
Background +$5-20 depends on the complexity
✨50% off for second character✨
✨Discount for multiple order✨
✨Fast delivery✨
Also I do:
•Chibi $10 for first +$5 for each next
•White and black multiple simple characters scene $40-70
Payment via PayPal or donate Ko-Fi, also I accept orders on Artistree (with little fee from the site) (if you want order kind of commission I don't have card on the site feel free to say, I'll add it)
Please be sure to check my carrd for ToS, and more information (〃'ω'〃) https://norsil.carrd.co/
And.. I would like to draw your character ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉﾞ
Thank you for your time ~

Competitive strongman is a sport where both static and cardio-vascular strength are important. Not only do strongmen have to be strong for movements like the squat and deadlift, but they have to be able to carry heavy, and often awkward, loads over a distance involving peak physical fitness.
Strongmen often carry a heavy bulk bodyweight; considerable excess bodyfat is not considered an advantage by many, though some do argue that heavy bodyweight can be an asset in some movements. Whilst a lean body-builder type physique is not the goal, the meal plan below is designed so as not to encourage too much excess body fat, though a 'bulky' look is acceptable.
Training for strongman will usually involve 3-4 weight training gym sessions per week, which can vary in length from quick intense sessions, to longer duration ones with large rest periods between sets. There will also be 2-3 event training sessions per fortnight which will involve the strongman practising events likely to be in a competition. In addition to this, periodically the trainer will also so some cardio-vascular fitness training.
A strongman should eat for strength and with this muscle size will come, so a meal plan is not too dissimilar to that of an off-season bodybuilder. The key to healthy quality muscle and weight gain is to eat big and eat consistently throughout the day following a structured meal plan.
Six or seven feeds all of large quantity are the norm, which will include plenty of high protein food choices, like lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs and milk; fibrous low glycaemic carbs like cereals, bread, pasta, rice and potatoes; fruit and vegetables (don't forget nuts and pulses are also good sources of protein); as well as sources of essential fats.
Meals should be spread regularly through the day, paying close attention to structure surrounding training sessions to provide fuel. Have low glycaemic carbs about 30 minutes before a workout, with a small amount of simple carbs right before and straight afterwards.
It may also be useful to have protein pre-, during and immediately post workout, both on gym and event training sessions. Protein and weight gain supplements can be useful aids to gaining size and strength, but not in place of good wholesome food.
Before a strongman competition up the portions of low glycaemic carbohydrate foods on the two days prior to help load the muscles; nutrition for an event should be similar to that of a training session.
The following is a sample meal plan for one day for a strongman of around 280lbs (128kg) body weight to help gain strength and improve fitness. On non-training days, the only difference should be to peri-workout nutrition.
Wake30g whey protein in water
BreakfastServing of James' Super Smoothie The JSS Bulker
2-4 slices granary bread toasted + 400g baked beans
Tea/coffee with skimmed milk
Mid-morningSandwiches: 4 slices granary bread + tuna / chicken / ham + salad
Large handful mixed nuts
Item fruit
Drink water
Lunch2 chicken breasts or 200g tuna (canned in water)
100g Basmati rice or wholewheat pasta
Tbsp sunflower seeds
Large mixed salad
Low fat yoghurt
Mid-afternoon4-6 oatcakes
250g cottage cheese / quark
Large handful mixed nuts
Large banana
Mug green tea
30 mins pre-workout4 squares Easy Flapjacks
Tbsp sunflower seeds
Drink water
Immediately pre-workout20g whey protein + 30g dextrose in water
TRAINduring workout sip 20g whey protein
Immediately post workout40g scoop whey protein + 30g dextrose + 30g maltodextrin in water
Evening meal
(60 mins later)250g lean red meat or 250g chicken / turkey or 300g white fish
100g basmati rice or 100g wholewheat pasta or 6-8 small boiled new potatoes or 1-2 large sweet potato (dry roasted)
Large serving of vegetables / salad
Low fat yoghurt
Mid-EveningLarge bowl high fibre cereal (like Weetabix, bran flakes, Shreddies, muesli, porridge, etc) + 200ml skimmed milk + 1 tsp sugar
200ml fresh fruit juice
Late snackServing of James' Super Smoothie The JSS Bulker
As with all the meal plans this is merely a guide and must not be stuck to rigidly! Ensure you eat a variety of different meats / fish / alternatives, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables every day, and drink plenty of water. Adapt the plan to suit your own needs and lifestyle and adjust with progress.

I have recently evolved my beliefs in the last 5-6 years where I no longer consider myself religious, in regards to religious beliefs while also just considering myself spiritual.
I do not follow a title of what I am or anything, but believe in my soul that it's important to do meaningful celebrations and traditions that align with my lifestyle, values, personal beliefs in order to honor my personhood and a healthy balance of ensuring I don't self-abandon myself.
I don't want to put myself into a box ever again, so I just focus on being intuned with myself.
I now think that life is just way too short to do stuff just because that's how you were raised or was taught to do.
I've overcome a lot of religious abuse as well as the mindset in which I was raised and that of my origin family. Some of my most traumatic life experiences happened on the account of my 'upbringing', the beliefs I was raised to believe, a result of religious abuse and generational trauma, where those dogmatic scriptures, beliefs and texts led me to continually go down roads that did not protect me for the simple fact that they pushed 'self-sacrifice' and 'religious-pleasing lifestyles' that do not compliment, protect, and support positive outcomes for women, and sometimes children. I was taught to just do it because that's what the religion inspires, or what the social constructs say to do.
It did not help that I just didn't know any better-I've let go the regret of this innocent ignorance and grief that it initially brought on. Looking back, I cringe at the decisions, choices, and 'enduring' I had survived from that awful upbringing-I now recognize that as, the 'hidden abuse' for a good internal family image-that I too was not aware of until recently, and just the disgusting dysfunctional family dynamic that has revealed itself since I've started to slash those generational curses.
I was abused by one parent growing up by the way, and told the other who did nothing but 'took ME to my extended family's church'. They never stopped it, protected me or stood up for me. Now, much later in adulthood I'm realizing that both of them were abusive, just in different ways and I understand my psycho-emotional disconnect from them and my origin family in general because I spoke up when it happened, even later in early adulthood and I never realized their pattern of describing me as 'dramatic' or continually trying to treat me like a child despite my very grown-up adult age, were and is their way of trying to force suppression of my voice, diminish the truth, protect the original abuser, ignore my independence, growth, healness, and strength I've done the work to cultivate.
My other siblings are dismissive and become extremely argumentative or defensive of our 'loving parents' with any mention of how we grew up, or verbally attack me/talk about me to other family members like I'm the one with the issues with any effort I put forth to ask questions of why and to hold them accountable, or to just disassociate with an image I know is false, have my own life and live truly as a loving and peaceful person, or even just enforce the boundaries that I need that provide safety and continual psycho, emotional, mental, and antimanipulative protection.
I've finally realized that my growth, healness, counseling and the completion of my adult therapy program was and is a threat to the fake image they've all created after all these years. I did not tell them that I've done the work and have finally woke up from this reality due to therapy, because they just make stuff up and don't know that I know they talk about me behind my back. They don't know my current life business and just speculate and make up rumors and assumptions about me and what I have going on or why I'm 'acting' the way I'm 'acting' as truth, without ever even trying to even talk to me, the others just assume much of their revelation as 'truth', which is really just lies-misconstrued info-completely made up speculation presented as triangulation and 'the truth-.
I am at peace, extremely successful and have overcome many things that would typically break the average person. Any reinforcement of boundaries, standing up for myself or attempt to distance myself from my parents since realizing how f'd up they did me when this was happening-even with my forgiving them for this throughout my life.
However, the older I get, when they continue to display the same patterns that were present during the abuse, now, including the thought of why did I even allow them a relationship with me in my life as an adult-because I get so disgusted with even the thought I'd ever allow a child to be abused by my spouse and let alone, stay married to them for decades afterwards. I can't believe I invited them to my wedding and we were the 'loving' bride's side...why was I so like "this is my family and we love each other, we're a close happy family" in my adulthood so long still? Until I woke up? There's so much I've since resolved with my therapist and have done the work to heal from-these are just questions to share the process I went through for insight. Also---It's really pathetic when I think about how different of a compassionate and truly loving person that I've become. I couldn't even fathom allowing abuse in my life or anything even remotely close to it or especially to be done to a CHILD...but here's more of how all my realizations have led me to where I am now:
I am SO glad that I am the VERY manifestation of 'WHEN you know BETTER, you DO better'...oh how the magicalness and bravery of individuals like Maya Angelou, Terrance Howard, and other past/currently alive ascended masters, who did and are leaving the breadcrumbs that nourish the souls of humanity on Earth today... The awakening and true freedom of thought and consciousness of myself has not only changed, but has elevated my existence, and my life.
I now experience the divine nature of love and revelation on a spiritual level that has brought abundance to me in every way and at every level.
I've done so much work, healing, therapy, service, reflection and growth, that the peace I feel daily, is what I never imagined happiness would be like.
To purely love and evolve as I truly am and meant to be, it's frustrating when the one group who we're taught is supposed to 'really' be your people, have been everything but that.
In the last 4 years, my life before now had been turned upside-down. In retrospect from now, I see why, as it had catapulted me into the healed, peaceful and abundant life that I have now.
...But, when everything started to happen, I really THOUGHT they (my family of origin) were there for me. I went to them for guidance and advice-I hadn't awakened to my newfound wisdom-filled reality at this point yet-and they appeared caring, so I thought...
I went to them because I thought they were the only people in my life by this point, who truly loved me 'unconditionally'. Much happened. I took some of their advice in the very beginning, but at the same time I started to remember who the ... I am...and it was on and popping from there, Baby!
From the multiple crises that I'd found myself in all those years ago: I went to therapy, did counseling, shadow work and started reparenting my inner child. I journaled and started to meditate and the answers flowed through me. I allowed the plan for my life to take shape and one after another, I started to solve my problems, so gracefully, all while growing, healing, and finding the peace that I had in my life before these many situations developed. However, it was on a whole other level, an intrinsic peace that scaffolded into a snowball of peace in every area I've ever struggled.
In the last year though, I have survived what I would consider my dark night of the soul and I feel remembered, like, renewed into the person I always had been, but wasn't aware of until now.
I now have strong boundaries that not only protect me, but they also hold me accountable to gracefully standing up for myself, my own personhood, my values, my beliefs, and that which keep me committed to the lessons I learned so painfully over these last few years, just from the 'not knowing any better' and...whew...religion, patriarchy, and so much more of how I was raised that pain-wrenchingly just set me up for failure in this life, if I never had made a change.
I'm SO happy I learned about just how all these constructs and societal blockages were NOT for my flourishing in life, on my own. Finally, the realization.
The more healed, awakened, and spiritual I became, the more I realized the family system that I was raised in, saw me as a threat. Looking back, so much of what I went through and was done to me was beyond messed up and downright wrong and abusive.
So now, there's this awkwardness of not knowing the true extent of the abuse in how I was raised beyond what I can remember...but what I do remember was jail-worthy and I remember calling out that the parent who was doing it deserved jailtime, but I was bullied, threatened with homelessness and I was a child. I didn't know about all the resources available or what I could do besides tell my other parent. 😪
...I did try to call out the obvious stuff as I got older, but I didn't understand that I was covertly bullied and gaslit when I tried to stand up originally...I was always told I need to 'forgive and forget'...and what would ... do? And... 'as a .... we are here to love thy neighbor...' bluh blue bluh...-My whole life, I didn't realize that I was the family scapegoat until 2024.
No matter how much I tried with the things I knew were outwardly morally wrong then, it wasn't until therapy that anyone in addition to myself validated my experiences; that abuse is abuse, every last form of it, and it doesn't matter in what context it happens: religious or political and about 20 other different forms, is not okay...
-So back to the awkwardness of having this lifelong 'close family' that I once thought was so strong and healthy, loving, both parents still together and 'in love', all 8 siblings with 'decent' relationships (not really, they're all really toxic, invisibly debted with that unseen abuse like financial-emotional-mental- cheating/sexual-behind closed doors-whats stays in this house type dysfunction that I'm sure I haven't seen because-behind closed doors-the same trifling household we were raised in), my whole life...UNTIL I LITERALLY woke up within the last year to REALIZE how JACKED UP they were and are. Thinking back to all the times I was not supported or protected, I was the one in the family, out of all 10 who was ever truly genuine, purely intentioned, loved unconditionally...and had no complex with CONTROL...just, it was just me...
Ask me how I know...
The very situations I've found myself in these last 6 years, when I deconstructed from all things religious and political or anti-dignity, when I started to stand up against things without fear, that were not okay, or for the true safety and benefit of humanity of living beings...EVERYTHING started to crumble and I BECAME public enemy number one in my origin family and then marriage. I hate that I grew up so green and just didn't know about stuff until it happened to me in adulthood like misogyny, chauvinism, patriarchy, that 'women are less than' mindset because I would have not married my ex-I was so naive and innocent/blind. I thought how I carried myself was strong and 'obedient' to the 'Word'- NEVER AGAIN-this second half of life will be my path, what makes me feel safe, protected, honored, loved, cherished, happy, filled with joy, and at peace.
At first it was covert while they 'mistakenly forgot my boundaries' or 'didn't know what I'm doing now'...or the 'assuming and then making up their own thing and spreading the lie-behind my back"...
Also, any attempt to speak up and honor the abuse and neglect in childhood that I've overcome and have healed from and ask simple acknowledgment for from my parents, turns into excessive triangulation bringing everyone into the mix (again, in the shadows without my knowledge and behind my back), to point out my downfalls I literally just overcome and healed from these last 4 years, and then continue making up lies about me, spreading false rumors to extended family I don't engage with, don't have a relationship with, or whom I've cut off for being too toxic never changing... making more false grandiose accusations, saying I've talked about or down about people, made claims that I'm better than everyone, that it's all about me...etc...literally because all I did was reiterate my boundaries I've set, called people out for it, who have done toxic things to me. This is in addition to being accused of being all kinds of things because I've 'distanced' myself (from people who are not kind to me and who talk about me behind my back and have called me cruel names for calling them out on the toxic behavior they display towards me for being my own person and holding my ground on my own decisions as a full 30+ year old adult with my own family).
-I literally have an ~ 8+ minute voice-mail of an origin family member talking to someone about me like a dog, of all my private business, the hardships I've survived in the last 6 years-victim-blaming me, and even making up quite a bit...because they unknowingly butt-dailed me last month and I received it and listened to the whole thing-and haven't confronted them yet because I have in the past and it just became a huge cesspool of DARVO, and because I know it'll be a waste of time).
Now, for the last year, they know nothing and instead speculate and make up downright lies about me and my life. 🙄
They have everyone sharing lies about me between the family, calling me after not hearing from them for months and trying to start arguments over nonexistent issues we've never had, taking a statement out of context and championing as a 'see see see she's doing this or that to me when they are the one calling me out of the blue (after already having done previous things to me that I yet again addressed and was ignored about, never changing the behavior or apologizing) and trying to start stuff with me while I was minding my own business...
...all this from a recent holiday that I no longer celebrate that they're fully aware of. In fact, I don't really celebrate most national holidays in the US anymore and have expressed this SEVERAL times with sincerity, whether they're religious or just made up days that many go along with and that's fine, but I just don't want to be in a box and only want to honor and celebrate things that have meaning to my life and doesn't cause undue drama or stress with many layers of things.
They know I'm no longer religious, I have different beliefs and values now and instead of respecting it, they spread rumors, accusations, lies, unproven opinions, attempting various forms of triangulation to target me.
What makes it worse is that my relationship with my parents are so strained. They both took part in the abuse I suffered as a child. Being that I thought I had a really good relationship with one of them until this recent realization (I realized recently that they both were guilty, not just the one who committed it, the other always acted like they didn't know-but they did and admitted it recently). No say strained is an understatement honestly, but I had trying to at least be LC because of their relationship with my own family I've had since adulthood.
However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to even be around their religious talk and 'fake I love all my neighbors, I practice the daily religious routines everyday and read the text daily I'm so devout' act...
On the outside they look like they are just the epitome of devout faith individuals and they are living in according to what religious dogma aim for, all while secretly knowing what they did and allowed in our household-all my memories are very clear to this day, especially since I've awakened.
First Xmas was an issue even though that was a boundary for me. I suggested they were welcomed to celebrate the winter solstice with me, they declined, and I respected that. I offered a nice dinner the week beforehand as an alternative.
Then it was Easter, I declined (as I've reminded them that I hold different beliefs and values now which have really cultivated my lifestyle being different from theirs now, and reminded them that it is not difficult for me to respect their beliefs and values; that I expect the same level of respect from them). As an alternative, since they too were interested in celebrating for a totally different holiday/celebration, as I honor the spring solstice, I suggested a nice lunch on a regular unanchored day to any meaning, and to drive to the country and have a day of exploration where we could end with a dessert picnic on a rolling hill in the place I mentioned. They declined.
Since fully coming out the spiritual closet, most of my origin family has either lied about their communication service being interrupted, they have to work-most don't have jobs, or that they are so busy in their schedules, but are on social media all day-secretly being judgemental talking about people in general (strangers on the internet) who are in very difficult life/hard personal situations where they judge them based on the patriarchal and religious dogma we were raised in. It's really sad to me I have no more interest in engaging with negative people.
But what's really pathetic is they make up rumors and lies about me and start drama for my having my own separate lifestyle now everytime a national political holiday (tied to some form of historical trauma) or a religious holiday comes around as they (mentally try to) attack me because I didn't celebrate or 'honor' them-all while not knowing I have proof of every last one of them talking about me badly behind my back with lies and/or spreading rumors about me that aren't true. Literally.
The last straw was the most recent holiday, not calling or contacting them because I refuse to have or remind them for the 1,000,000th time about that boundary and standing up for my beliefs-it's so exhausting.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to live around positive, encouraging and accepting people who live by love and honoring everyone's humanity no matter their religion, gender, sex, background, status, etc...and just being kind to people in general, as long as they're not murdering or harming others (outside of self defense, like TRUE self-defense and not the kind cruel people try to use as a cover to inflict harm), everyone has a right to believe in and have the values that make them feel safe and whole.
Long story short, I know I am not the AH for standing my ground and protecting my personhood and that NO ONE on earth is entitled to what I believe, value, or what I choose to celebrate or not.
*I'd like to add a note that I have done especially deep, caring, loving, and acknowledgingly beautiful actions throughout every year my whole entire life and not just since this recent change in these last few years, like 12-20 times a year.
I no longer try to keep explaining or trying to defend why I'm defending myself against disrespect and people who are not gentle towards me like I've been with them throughout my life, always there, always the one to support.
I just do not care anymore, if I have to be along or start my (chosen) family over this time around, I will. I just despise drama and toxicity. I will not let it permeate into the peaceful life I've fought to build at this stage of my life.
(Thank you if you've made it this far, I know it appears all over the place, but it is all connected to my now and waking the...up...from the nightmare I didn't know I was in all my life until recently).
-The Recently Realized Family Scapegoat and origin family generational curse-breaker

My daughter and I are part of our local 4H chapter's small animal club, and every year we help with the 4H-sponsored county fair in the small animal pavilion where all manner of critters are on display. I'm designing nine (so far) posters to be hung around the pavilion with each poster representing a single animal. The list includes ferret, rabbit, guinea pig, mouse, gerbil, hamster, rat, lizard, and snake.
The posters will give a quick introduction to each animal, a sort of high-level summary that can be read very quickly, and below that will be a little "feature grid". There will be a literature holder attached to the poster that will contain more detailed information about the animal in question. The idea is that people will see the poster, get the summary information, interact with the animal that's actually present in the pavilion, and if they're interested in getting one for themselves they can grab a flyer that has the more detailed information. The point of the poster is to be eye-catching and contain simple and easy to digest information that a person walking by can absorb quickly; the point of the flyer is to expand on the poster's information so that a curious person can spend a bit more time reading and thereby have a more fleshed-out picture of that particular animal's requirements.
The "feature grid" is the reason for this post. The left column will have a category and the right column will have a rating (think: 1-5 stars). I want the grid to have between 6-8 lines and be as intuitive and accurate as possible. Each poster will have ONLY the rating for that specific animal (i.e., the ferret poster won't show the ratings for the other animals) but the following grid puts them together for comparative purposes. And that's part of this: I want it to be comparative. I want people to associate the ratings of one animal against the ratings of another animal on a like-for-like basis. So far the compounded grid looks like this:

	Ferret	Rabbit	Guinea Pig	Mouse	Gerbil	Hamster	Rat	Lizard	Snake
Cost of Animal	5	4	2	1	1	1	2	3	3
Space Requirement	4	5	3	1	2	2	2	3	3
Cuddle Factor	3	2	2	3	3	3	4	1	2
Trainability	4	4	3	2	2	2	5	1	1
Vet Costs	4	4	2	1	1	1	3	5	5
Lifespan	3	4	2	1	1	1	1	3	4

The categories are defined as follows:

• Cost of Animal: Obvious. How much does the animal cost if you were to buy from a pet store.
• Space Requirement: How much space the animal needs to live a happy and healthy life.
• Cuddle Factor: How actively friendly and encouraging the animal is towards human interaction.
• Trainability: How much the animal can be trained to follow commands.
• Vet Costs: The expected cost of veterinary visits over the course of the animal's natural life.
• Lifespan: How long the animal lives, on average.

If you assume my initial values are accurate then you could look at that grid and safely assume that a rabbit or snake is more expensive than a guinea pig or hamster; that a rat is more cuddly than a rabbit or mouse; that a rabbit needs far more space than a mouse; etc. It also makes it easy to see that a ferret is overall more high-maintenance than a gerbil, while a ferret and a rabbit are overall about the same effort.
So what I'm looking for from the reddit community is (a) some feedback on the values I'm starting with, (b) suggestions for adding/removing/changing the categories, and (c) values for those aforementioned changes.
Input appreciated. Thanks.

I've already made some posts featuring specific grammatical aspects of Kèilem, mainly focusing on locational and dispositional verbs, movement verbs, the anaphoric use of adjectives and light verbs and proverbs in Kèilem, alongside an article about the expressive usage of ideophones and noun incorporation featured in issue 12, Supra II of segments.
Inspired by this post by u/Fractal_fantasy I finally decided to complete the grammar section on Kèilem modality, of which I'm going to give an overview in this post.
As always, all the sentences are written in IPA with the only deviation from the usual conventions being the expression of geminated consonants as kk instead of k: for instance.
Participant-internal modality
Participant-internal ability is expressed through two different auxiliary verbs that get serialized with the main verb of the sentence Laci and Lawa, the first refers to the physical ability to perform a certain task, a certain action, while the second is used to express an ability that arises by virtue of having the time, authorization, knowledge to perform a certain task:

Laci zasti dali
Can fast run
I can run fast
Lawa boɗa lo fu
Can wait ABS 2SG
I can wait for you

As is usually the case in Kèilem when talking about the ability of someone else, one cannot simply use a sentence that expresses certainty but one has to either serialize some kind of dubitative modal or use an evidential that expresses whence the belief present in the sentence comes from, or with a seems/appear to kind of verb. Below there are some example of evidentials, some of them will appear again in the epistemic modality section.

• rum, To think (by experience), the thought is being informed by a previous experience, an acquaintance with the subject/the person that is being talked about
• sam, To think (by general inference), the thought is informed by a general experience, it can be achieved by anyone, given the common knowledge of Kèilem societal functioning or by knowledge of general facts about the world.
• kun, To think (neutral)/to feel that, the thought is not particularly informed by anything, it is more an hunch or a simple possibility that is being brought forward
• stin, To know (by means of direct experience)
  
• sLea, To know (by means of being told by someone, who has indirect knowledge or whose level of knowledge in undetermined)
  
• sve, To know by means of being told by a witness
  
• sta, To know by being told by a direct participant
  
• sain, To know (by study/by learning)
  
• stok, To know by common sense/knowledge, can also express the idea of “as you know…"
  

Participant-internal necessity is expressed through the verb kola, which can be either used serialized with another verb describing an action or a situation or can simply take the object of the need (a person, water, etc), this verb can be translated as need or as want, depending on the kind of, mainly ideophonic, modifiers it gets attached by.
By itself it is almost always translatable as want, the exceptions involves situations that are obviously outside the volitional capability of the subject/speaker e.g. kola negem (I need to sleep, in kèilem, feeling tired implies a non volitionality) kola kakin (i need to pee)
The main modifiers used to express varying degrees of necessity are korokon, buɻan buɻan and mitikin, with a decreasing level of necessity:
For instance with the verb to eat naje

mitikin kola naje lo tani
IDEO want eat ABS bread
I want a bit to eat some bread
buɻan buɻan kola naje lo tani
IDEO want eat ABS bread
I crave some bread
korokon kola naje lo tani IDEO want eat ABS bread
I’m starving for bread

The level of necessity can also be expressed through certain verbs with subject/object verbal incorporation and serialization:

zai kola lae kola naje lo tani
Cat want fish want eat ABS bread
I want to eat the bread as a cat wants a fish
zai ukal lae kola naje lo tani
Cat see fish want eat ABS bread
I want to eat the bread as a cat who looks at a fish (desires it)

Necessity that doesn’t arise from oneself (a desire/physical need) but that stems from some program or goal is handled by the same verb that handles participant-external necessity, the verb koɓe

maɻaa, koɓe dase zasre karem
Bye, need go_way_hearer go_towards place_name
Bye, I need to go away towards karem (obviously it is not an internal compulsion, but there is some kind of external reason/goal).

Participant-external modality
Goal-oriented participant-external modality is expressed through the same koɓe verb used to express goal oriented participant-internal needs, without a distinction between possibility (to do x, you can do y) and necessity (to do x, you have to do y).
The goal or the desired situation is usually introduced with the expression ɳulemakon (state/situation+things) that highlights that the following sentence is to be interpreted as a proposed/imagined/desired state of things.

ɳulemakon fu zasre ketel, koɓe maʈen lo nodoli ɓali
state.of.affairs: 2SG move.towards village_name, can/must enter ABS second street
If you want to go to Ketel/to go to Ketel, you can/have to take the second street

This distinction can nonetheless be explicited through the addition of other expressions to the sentence: by adding at the end of the sentence kerikerek, which derives from the expression ke ri ke rek (or this or that), the speaker conveys the idea that the action described is the only way to reach the goal

ɳulemakon fu zasre ketel, koɓe maʈen lo nodoli ɓali kerikerek
state.of.affairs: 2SG move.towards village_name, can/must enter ABS second street no.other.way
If you want to go to Ketel/to go to Ketel, you have to take the second street

by qualifying the sentence containing koɓe with the expression maɻamakon (best+thing) the speaker conveys the idea that that is the best, but not the only way to reach the goal.

ɳulemakon fu zasre ketel, maɻamakon koɓe maʈen lo nodoli ɓali
state.of.affairs: 2SG move.towards village_name, best.thing can enter ABS second street
If you want to go to Ketel/to go to Ketel, you can take the second street, and this is the best choice
Or with a more natural translation, “if you want to go to Ketel, I suggest you take the second street”

Deontic participant-external modality
Obligations are handled through the composite verb tafra kola (rule need/want), which uses the verb for person-internal needs and wants and changes its meaning to “need by virtue of the rules”

fu tafra kola maʈen lo nodoli ɓali
2SG rule need enter ABS second street
You must take the second street (according to the rules/laws)

There are several expressions used to convey the degree of the obligation’s forcefulness, the most used ones are the ideophonic adverbs: kokodok, which carries a vetative interpretation, e.g. kokodok maʈen (you absolutely musn’t enter), zeɦezen a really strong positive obligation verging on being an explicit order, zeɦezen maʈen (you must absolutely enter), makadak, tedeken etc. which are instead used to lenite the forcefulness and brusqueness of the expression.
Permissions are expressed using two different verbs: ɖami and ʟoʃa, the first expressing that something is permitted/not forbidden by rules/laws, while the second is used in situations where there are rules/laws that forbid the thing but in the situation at hand they don’t apply:

fu ɖami ukal maʈen lo ketenaki rane
you allowed see enter ABS imperial square
You can visit the imperial square (everyone can do it)
fu ʟoʃa ukal maʈen lo ketenaki ʈaloʃa
you allowed see enter ABS imperial palace
You can visit the imperial palace (you have authorization that others may lack)

Deontic necessity (should, ought to) is expressed in a similar way to suggestions of participant-external goal oriented modality, using maɻamakon at the beginning of the sentence

maɻamakon feledd mre lo ⱱua na fu
best.thing brush hit/put.in.contact ABS teeth POSS 2SG
You should brush your teeth

Epistemic modality
Kèilem epistemic modality is intertwined with the evidentiality system, its expression is realized by the serialization of an epistemic auxiliary to the main verb of the sentence, the most common ones are:

• rum, To think (by experience), the thought is being informed by a previous experience, an acquaintance with the subject/the person that is being talked about
• sam, To think (by general inference), the thought is informed by a general experience, it can be achieved by anyone, given the common knowledge of Kèilem societal functioning or by knowledge of general facts about the world.
• kun, To think (neutral)/to feel that, the thought is not particularly informed by anything, it is more an hunch or a simple possibility that is being brought forward, giving the best possible translations as the adverb possibly or might.
• stek, To think by common sense/knowledge, that in its modal usage has as best translation as the epistemic usage of must.

There are some ideophonic adverbs that can be used to qualify the degree of confidence, like matmat (certainly, almost certainly), paccinpaccin (probably), cikantikan (perhaps)

Recently trying to-do lists to maybe stave off my extreme procrastination, and this app is litterally perfect.
SO many options, beautiful layout, simple upfront but complex in the back, updated really recently, with no look of missing out in the future.
AND ITS OPEN SOURCE, AND IT DOESN'T PRICE GOUGE OR LOCK OFF MAJOR FEATURES!
Plus it's oddly the only to-do list app with sounds that isn't buggy, or underwhelming. Partially cause I can make custom ones.
So glad I did my research, cause i've been trying apps for a good while, and JUST found this. Figured I would throw an appreciation post on here since the front page seems to be all bug reports and such.

AJATT is a good method that encourages immersion learning and spaced repetition to learn a target language. However, I think its advice on output and other practices can be debated. I will explain these pieces of advice and how I think they should be improved. Of course, feel free to critique my points.
You should only output once you have enough input experience
Outputting, writing and speaking specifically are separate skills that should be trained on. While input can compliment these skills, actively trying to produce the most fluent sentences will help you to acquire faster due to the scientifically backed principles of deliberate practice and free recall. Input just doesn't help you retain as much compared to the former.
Translating is bad
I don't think translating is that bad for the following reasons:

• When you are immersing for the first few months, you are essentially translating into your native language anyway to get a better grasp of its meaning.
• As long as you don't translate literally, you should be fine with not "thinking in your native language". The more you study through input and (tested) output, the more you will also develop acquisition regardless.
• I believe languages are complex enough to explain the nuances of vocabulary well. The other aspects of their nuance can be discovered through immersion.

If you output too early you could develop bad habits that are hard to break
I don't consider this to be a large threat, especially with the benefits of outputting. If you practise input and output in tandem then the risks will be minimal. Also these habits can be prevented by testing your output. This can be done by doing the following:

1. Find teachelanguage partner -> Output -> TeacheLanguage partner corrects you -> Acknowledge correction
2. Find a sentence from your immersion -> Translate the sentence into your native language -> Translate the sentence back into your target language -> Check for mistakes

Yes, for method 1, the language partner won't always correct you. I also think the issues caused by this are minimal as long as your output gets tested most of the time.
For Anki, you should find, save and recognise comprehensible input from your immersion
From my experience using Anki, the words you review are quite hard to remember because you are only using active reading to learn, which isn't a good way to learn vocabulary. This is the case especially with Kanji in Japanese. I think a better way of using Anki is as follows. This is similar to method 2 of the last point:

1. Find a sentence from your immersion -> Translate it into your native language (Try to make the translation as literal as possible, adding notes below to make up for loss in meaning) -> Translate back into the target language by speaking and writing -> Check for mistakes
2. Mark the card as good if you managed to translate well

This method will take much longer than the former, but I think it is worth it and a good way of practising your output without having to worry about doing Anki as another task.
The best way to develop the correct accent is through input only
I don't agree with this. Having a correct accent involves the use of your mouth muscles as well as muscle memory and input. To achieve that, you must practise listening to the accent, speaking in the accent, reviewing how you use your muscles with some sort of guide (Dogen) and listening to your recordings. Shadowing is also a good method.

Hi there! For the jump relevant to this post, click here. It IS a Troyverse Ascension so this is a very powerful type of creature and by coming to this jump you become one. This is an experiment with a new type of discussion post where I talk about big beasties from various settings you can become, and the fun you can have as whatever type of creature you can become.
Have a fun future announcement: I have plans for a jump to a generic world that is secretly in the process of becoming conquered by a Sanguinarch. In my head this jump would include origins for civilians, the resistance, collaborators, and a full origin for a Sanguinarch-spawned vampire. This is a WHOLLY original idea and is very far down the docket of jumps I want to create, but it is one I want to make before the end of the year. So if you like this post, you may like whatever I end up creating at some point in the future whenever I get around to making the jump I just mentioned.

Sanguinarch Basics

Sanguinarchs are one of the five types of Troyverse ascendants alongside Archdemons, Cosmic Gods, Dragon Lords, & Transynths. Three of the four types of beings I mentioned have jumps, all of which have been created by me and are reflections of the original source CYOAs that have been jump-ified and given some QOL things that are relevant to jumpers specifically. Ascendants are beings that tap into the fundamental rules of reality in some way. Archdemons use sins, Cosmic Gods use D&D/Pathfinder style domains, Dragon Lords use draconic fonts of power, and Transynths use technology and science. Sanguinarchs use... Well, Sanguinarchs use Essence.
So at their core Sanguinarchs are supreme undead & necromancers. They are vampires that can feed on entire planets, solar systems, galaxies, and even universes at the very height of somewhat possible attainable power for their kind, becoming cosmopotences (an in-universe term for beings capable of affecting entire universes). Sanguinarchs are also notoriously flexible tricksters with a very nasty grab bag of possible tricks.
The first level of a Sanguinarch's bag of tricks are their foci; a theme around which a sanguinarch focuses themselves granting themselves a particular set of abilities and skills. There are three foci, but any Sanguinarch can take more than one foci, though such sanguinarchs are the rarest members of their kind. The three foci are cultured, dominating, and savage.
The cultured focus is for sanguinarchs who value intelligence, reasoning, non-violence, and diplomacy. It grants any sanguinarch who takes it enhanced charisma, intelligence, persuasiveness, and the ability to conduct rituals which can enact any kind of magic other than magic that transforms bodies or morphs minds on massive scales in hours, scales which would normally take even entire planets of archmages years of constant collaboration to pull off. Sanguinarchs with this focus have enhanced magic when it comes to the body and mind but only magic enhanced to the scale that a normal archmage could realistically have, which is not nothing but it pales in comparison to the rest of their magical kit.
Dominating focused sanguinarchs value control over all things and have the ability to enslave people within a few miles of them, but if they have the right major sanguine power then they can dominate everyone in a galaxy around them. These servitors are 100% loyal to you and would do anything you command. They also passively generate essence for you, giving you oath based essence (unless you've shunned the oath source) which is the only way that mind controlling someone can generate oath based essence, as normally such a font stems from oaths that are willingly sworn rather than ones that stem from supernatural influence.
The final focus is the savage focus. This is a purely physical focus and it is tremendously powerful, boosting your speed to galactic scale and giving you unbelievable power and endurance.
The foci can also be mixed and matched, in the sense that buying one does not lock you out of the other two.
Going to the next facet of the sanguinarch's toolkit, let's talk about essence. Essence is a substance that sanguinarchs can absorb and make use of, which is generated by all sorts of connections (this term is being used in a conceptual, esoteric sense here); interactions which result in blood being drawn, the devouring of one's soul, consensual sex between adults, oaths that are willingly sworn ("willingly" here does include oaths sworn under duress but not under the influence of supernatural powers), and a sanguinarch's own dominion (Remember this word, we'll circle back to it). Essence is a substance that is generated by ALL instances of the things I mentioned, blood, souls, pleasure, and oaths, but only a sanguinarch can absorb and use the substance. Sanguinarchs naturally absorb any essence created by their own actions, and can maximize the five sources that generate essence up above, which allows them to passively absorb the essence generated by their personalized types of vampiric spawn (another thing we'll get too later in this post) in the cases of blood, souls, and pleasure (provided the type of vampire in question feeds on it), and then if oaths are sworn to your vampires, and in the case of maximizing the dominion source of essence you make it easier to add places to your dominion rather than increasing how much essence the dominion feeds you.
Essence can be spent in one of three ways; it can empower an active ability (such as a spell you're about to cast), it can buff a passive trait (such as boosting your durability), and finally it can emulate a one-off instance of any kind of effect you want. This last ability takes some explaining, but a sanguinarch can spend their essence (which is a resource that once spent is gone, though it is incredibly easy to gain more) to emulate any kind of power on virtually any scale, with more impressive powers on larger scales costing fortunes in essence. A sanguinarch with this ability can do virtually anything provided they are ready to spend the right amount of essence. This ability makes sanguinarchs extremely unpredictable and dangerous. Essence MUST be spent to use this ability, even if emulating an ability you've already emulated in the past.
Now let's talk about the more direct powers & the potent servants of sanguinarchs; vampires.

Sanguinarch's Active Abilities & Vampiric Spawn

There are two types of active powers that are uniquely part of a sanguinarch's power set; major sanguine powers, and also Dominion perks.
Major Sanguine powers are powers that require no essence and are extremely simple for the vampire-like monsters to use. There are about 17 of these abilities and each of them is worth understanding. More details on each of these abilities can be found in the jump or in the source document.
Empowerment boosts your effectiveness with essence. Shadowblank makes you stunningly difficult to detect and if you are willing to spend the essence can be used on your dominion, but when used on your dominion it is somewhat more detectable than you since if someone enters the dominion they can see it. Darkness allows you and your forces to get stronger in darkness and in places attuned to darkness. Eclipse lets you shroud a place in darkness. Phylacktery is your respawn mechanic. Monstrous Command lets you command animals and monsters of all kinds. Mindlink is stunningly powerful telepathic communication. Hypnosis is a brutally powerful form of mind control dependent on making eye contact with someone but if you hit them with it you can give almost any sort of command that you can imagine so long as it's not permanent and you can stack commands on somebody. Puppetmaster lets you seize control of all sorts of moving things and people, moving them in ways that are pleasing to you, almost like straight up telekinesis. Spectral Form gives you conditional intangibility (intangible to things like enemy strikes but tangible when you want to punch someone or otherwise interact with something), and Regeneration lets you recover from virtually sort of damage instantly, unless said damage is inflicted by a being wildly stronger than you.
Trueshifting is pretty incredible shapeshifting, power emulation, and cloning. Mirrorwalk is, for all intents and purposes, instant teleportation from any one mirror to any other mirror, at least in the local multiverse. Mass Telekinesis is ridiculously powerful telekinetic abilities able to hold even quintillions of different things in space at once, even if each individual thing has the same mass of mountains. Enthrall lets you turn people into thralls, immortal, devoted supernatural servants. all of whom are enhanced sources of essence in every way, their blood, souls, and pleasure giving you more essence, as well as their oaths generating more essence over time. Absorption lets you absorb skills, knowledge, and abilities from those you get essence from, be it you targeting a teacher, or your spawn targeting a local king, and by opting to gain a bit less essence then you'd otherwise gain you can instead just copy this stuff rather than taking it from the people you target with this power. Dark brides are special types of servants you can create that are wholly bonded to you, either creating someone from nothing or turning a living person into a dark bride so long as they consent to it. Dark brides can do whatever you can as a sanguinarch but each dark bride costs more than the last with the first being free.
Let's talk about dominions. A sanguinarch's dominion is not just territory that is under their control, but a patch of space that has been so thoroughly conquered by them that the land itself recognizes their control and lordship. This happens when a significant amount of essence has been gathered and absorbed by a single sanguinarch in one continuous area (how much essence is required depends in part on the size of the space in question), which eventually renders the space vulnerable to powerful dark rituals which the sanguinarch and their homies can perform over the course of several days. When these rituals are completed the patch of space becomes a part of their dominion, and a sanguinarch's dominion feeds them essence every second, with bigger dominion's feeding them more essence. A dominion is permanently under the influence of a sanguinarch who claims it, and in the Troyverse there are plenty of places that can be under the thumb of other sanguinarch since other sanguinarchs exist but once you jump OUT of the Troyverse... Well, there's a LOT of space in all but the smallest-setting-wise jumps for you to turn into your turf. There are a total of nine perks that specifically affect a sanguinarch's dominion, bolstering it in various ways. Let's talk about them!
Sentinals are a type of guardian that, if the perk is purchased, are generated by the dominion itself (and created by it whenever you add space to your dominion, or with the right perk, whenever it sufficiently expands) and have ultra-human (planet-level) physiques as well as some vampire-like abilities. These guardians protect your dominion but cannot leave it, and if they are somehow destroyed (and it'd take a being on par with or beyond Superman to do this so it IS possible but in a lot of settings it's not especially likely) your dominion will resurrect them over the course of a few days unless you spend some essence to rebuild them. They are also completely immune to mind control or being puppeted, and are aware of everything in your dominion.
Many dominion perks are handy because they make your dominion more suitable to your minions and you in some way and pliant climate is one such perk. PC begins with a one time effect that makes a new patch of dominion more hospitable to your minions, altering reality to do something like destroying radiation that might destroy sufficiently weak lifeforms or creating landmasses for your servants to walk on, and after that effect has occurred you can personally warp reality to alter the climate in your dominion even weaponizing weather against invaders or other enemies.
Labyrinth is a perk that enhances your dominion's natural and default resistance to enemy reality warping (to such an extent that universe-scale reality warpers would struggle to use reality warping in your space), and also causes the local geography to warp and twist in reality-defying ways that make it virtually impossible for non-ascendants to escape without your permission.
Shroud is a perk that nullifies any default weaknesses you or your spawn may have to traditional anti-vampire stuff (sanguinarchs do not have such weaknesses by default though a drawback can give you some) such as sunlight, garlic, silver, or fire, so long as you or your spawn are in your dominion. If you opted to allow your spawn to be weak to stuff, particularly sunlight, this can be an incredibly handy perk to have and can give even the most disloyal vampires powerful reasons to aid you in expanding your dominion.
Obedient architecture lets you turn raw materials into grand structures instantly, so long as the required reality warping occurs in your dominion.
Gluttonous enhances how much essence you get when you are in your dominion, but this particular perk is a bit odd. The way this perk works is by enhancing ALL feeding you do on essence so long as you are in the confines of your dominion. Very importantly this enhances the potency of the dominion's passive essence production, but also bolsters every other source of essence, and can be very powerful if you strive to maximize essence production. This can also blend very powerfully with another ability we'll mention in a second.
Shadow Paths is a perk that ties together all patches of dominion in a jump (for jumper-sanguinarchs, this limitation doesn't exist for pure CYOA sanguinarchs). What this means is that your servants and those you give permission too can step into one patch of dominion and immediately enter another patch located elsewhere, even if doing so entails them stepping somewhere in North Carolina and suddenly appearing in Alaska, or on the moon. This is one of the best forms of teleportation in the Troyverse that is able to be used by ascendants, but requires the powerful setup needed to turn a place into a patch of dominion in the first place, as opposed to requiring the advanced technology other ascendants can use to swiftly and stealthy teleport en-masse. One handy aspect of this power is that it is only accessible to those you permit and only if they are loyal to you; if a vampire you converted into a vampire is somehow under enemy control they cannot use these paths at all. This is a neat defensive measure that prevents this ability from being used against you. The paths automatically appear whenever you add a patch to your dominion, connecting any and all such spaces.
Power Suppression is a very handy ability that shuts down enemy/non-allied powers so long as they are in your dominion, which if fused with something like labyrinth can be incredibly devastating. How strong this perk is depends on how much you invest in it, but frankly even the first tier makes entire settings (even ones with powered beings) unable to use their powers against your will, as a LOT of settings do not have any beings that are planet-scale.
Eminent Domain is a stunningly powerful perk that enhances your dominion in every respect. Firstly it makes it so that any abilities you use remotely do not suffer any diminishment (all ascendants are capable of using their ascendant abilities at incredible ranges so long as the area they are using their powers in are sufficiently under their influence in some way, but normally such abilities suffer some level of weakened effectiveness due to distance). This also radically bolsters your awareness of what occurs in your dominion, granting you pseudo-omniscience within the strict confines of your dominion. Lastly, and most importantly, this stunningly powerful perk allows your patches of dominion to expand themselves!
Normally a patch of dominion is static in the sense that it does not expand sans external intervention (Basically a patch of dominion's size and dimensions are determined at the moment a place is converted and normally stays that way forever). With ED this is changed and instead patches of dominion slowly expand with how quickly they expand being determined by whether or not you maximized the dominion essence source (and a requirement that feedings occur in the patch of dominion in question). Think of it this way; it's easier for a sanguinarch who has patches of dominions in banks where vampire bankers get people to swear oaths via bank loans to watch their patches expand than a sanguinarch whose patches are in barren deserts to watch their patches expand. That's not to say it can't be done, the desert-owning sanguinarch can turn serial killers into vampires, have them take their victims to the dominion patches and feed on them in there, but that IS more complex than the setup for the banking sanguinarch I also mentioned.
Fully understanding and maximizing the power of the dominion is difficult but it's worth it. A sanguinarch with a few perks is an impressively powerful lord of any space they turn into their dominions, and a sanguinarch with ED can slowly and cautiously watch their dominion expand without having to do the rituals. It's dope.
Now let's talk about vampric spawn! I'm not gonna go over every facet of this, as there's a lot of individual options that'd need to be discussed. but vampiric spawn are a SPECIFIC type of vampire created by a sanguinarch. A sanguinarch can turn anyone in the same planet into a vampire spawn, and even gods are not immune to this transformation, neither are animals, demons, or any supernatural beings unless they are on par with an ascendant themselves. It's also stunningly difficult to resist this transformation, so someone can do something like catch Superman off guard and turn him into one of your spawn.
There are a number of reasons why sanguinarchs want vampiric spawn, but for a lot of sanguinarchs vampiric spawn will be best viewed as a way to speed up one's ability to gather essence. When deciding your builds you have three options when it comes to all five sources of essence; you can "shun" them, you can leave them unaltered, or you can maximize them. "Shunning" a source means you never get essence from it (but this does not make them useless, as dominions can get still benefit from dominion perks AND turning an area into a dominion can stop other sanguinarchs from doing so, though this would only be useful in Troyverse jumps), leaving it alone means you can get essence from instances of the source caused by you and you alone, and maximizing the source means that any actions that are relevant to the source that your spawn cause (that in the case of blood, pleasure, and souls they can FEED on) generates essence for you (which is relevant both for the purposes of the absorption sanguine major power and for the purposes of eventually creating new patches of dominion). This means that vampiric spawn are more than handy servants, they can be vital expanders of your empire.
A sanguinarch can customize vampiric spawn they create in a number of ways by purchasing options in the vampiric spawn customization section of the jump doc. If a sanguinarch went bonkers on this section their maxed out vampires would be fucking stacked with modifiers like enhanced beauty, an ability to grow stronger from feeding (and it being a carving rather than a necessity), fanatical loyalty to you, the ability to mesmerize people, fly, turn into mist, and shapeshift, as well as physiques that are 100 times the peak for their species. These vampires would be tremendously powerful servants, and could make for incredible followers.

Sanguinarch Thoughts & Musings

Now that we've spent a beat discussing the facets of sanguinarch stuff that will persist across jumps, let's talk a bit about thoughts & musings related to sanguinarchs!
Sanguinarchs are hands down the best territory-type ascendants. Their ability to conquer a place so thoroughly that they turn it into their dominion is fucking wild given what dominion perks can do to a place, and a properly stealthy sanguinarch can do it before people even realize that something fucky is going on. Even in modern police states sanguinarchs with the right builds can be masters of subtlety and stealth, or can just blitz a place so fast that no one has a chance to resist (this is especially true for dominating sanguinarchs).
I really like the versatility and flexibility of sanguinarchs, as the emulate function of essence and stuff like shadowblank and mindlink are so fantastically potent that they are just nightmarishly powerful in the right hands.
A sanguinarch that opts to not be watered down and instead has the full functionality of a CYOA sanguinarch rather than my suggested edits to make the power of a sanguinarch more approachable can enter a setting and turn everyone in their home world into a vampire in an instant, or can dominate entire communities in a second, In some respects this is just beyond what other ascendants can do (though all ascendants can buy greater megapowers which can allow other ascendants to emulate a sanguinarch with the right focus). Manifold ascendants that are sanguinarchs AND other things can instantly create cults to themselves and, assuming they are an archdemon, dragon lord, or cosmic god, immediately begin to gain power from the worship power source.
As a stealth-type jumper person I really really like the potency of a sanguinarch's many abilities that either revolve around stealth or allow for it, with powers like eclipse and shadowblank being perennial favorites of mine. I also love that there are powers that revolve around knowing more than others and hiding in the dark, giving boosts to your other powers if you are just smarter than your foes or if you are a sneaky sneak. One fascinating aspect of the darkness power is how it can synergize with absorption, since you can drain knowledge from foes with strikes, which makes your other abilities stronger against them.
Here are some fun ideas for interesting targets to turn into vampiric spawn or otherwise use in a story with a jumper sanguinarch.
A serial killer who will now eagerly dedicate their kills to you, and who is happy to target anyone you wish to see killed.
A cop who needs to find the people who kidnapped her brother. Now armed with vampiric powers she will investigate her brother's kidnapping with brutal efficiency.
A priest having a crisis of faith whose mind is exceptionally loud one night when you are scanning nearby minds. Now he worships you rather than whatever god he once believed in.
A high school queen bee who is afraid of the future or growing old and is eagerly willing to cavort with dark forces once she realizes they are real and willing to help her, for a price. This one can be really fun if you turn her friend into a vampiric spawn and dangle the prospect in front of her but instead use some of your abilities to do stuff like enhance her but not give her the immortality she craves.
A promising athlete who was critically injured and is desperate to recover and rebuild their career.
A politician who craves more and more power, and is happy to make dark deals.
A terminally ill child with parents who are desperate to see them get better, and who will pay any price if it means their child has a miracle. And to keep paying for their child's continued health.
Sanguinarchs CAN be brutal overlords who conquer places with force, and that can be a lot of fun given how incredibly powerful the savage focus is (and how much scarier it can be with stuff like spectral form and regeneration). Sanguinarchs can also be shadowy deal makers who have fun putting things in place and watching how they move once they are positioned in front of each other.
There are some very inventive ways for a sanguinarch to get essence. One of my favorites is to create vampires that are, for all intents and purposes, succubi and have them run brothels where they sell themselves at incredibly low prices and have them feast on horny peeps. Another way I really like is to create charisma based vampires and turn banks into dens for my vampirism, or turn places like lending agencies into hives of my vampires.
Certain places are also very likely to be targeted by me whenever I create sanguinarchs (be they CYOA or jump sanguinarchs); hospitals and prisons. My sanguinarchs are invariably predatory assholes and they recognize how desperate people can be after a difficult doctor's visit, and they also see prisons as places that are incredibly easy to turn into patches of their dominion, whether it's turning desperate and scared prisoners into vampires or giving prison guards and staff the power to more easily and safely corral the prisoners.

Conclusion

I honestly just really like sanguinarchs. They have such fun and varied power sets, and can dramatically expand their toolkits with stuff like Absorption and the emulate function of their ability to manipulate essence. Sanguinarchs and Transynths are the oddest of the ascendants, but I have such fun with both of their power sets and it can be so rad to see what sort of mischief a sanguinarch jumper can get up too while turning a place into a part of their dominion.
I hope this overview helps you think more keenly about sanguinarchs and their eerie meshes of abilities. If you've ever run a sanguinarch jumper, or have plans to do so I'd love to hear all about them!