Timestamp
PPFF, usps shipping, yolo > chat.
Prefer to sell, but talking trades is always fun. Intersted in cool fixed blades and small folders currently.
Click on listing name for videos.
SV $149 Bark River Mountaineer II. Cruwear, Black Canvas Micarta. I think I'm second owner here. Was a user for first owner but I have not carried it. Did one test cut and she's sharp. First owner put a near-mirror convex edge with a sweet sandpaper sharpening technique he taught me. Did not come with the original sheath, but I luckily I had another Barkie sheath it seems to fit quite well in, just note that I'm not sure if its the default one it would come with. Looks retail was $249.95 so I'm cutting off $100 here.
SV $249 Benchmade 945-2 Mini Osborne. S90V. Blacksmith LNW deep carry clip and brand new Flytanium blue tritium thumb stud. Second owner, but received LNIB and has remained that way. Retail is currently $306, thumb stud is $49, and LNW $30 = $385 value. I
SV $195 Benchmade TaggedOut Titanium Conversion. This is pretty cool and not something I have seen here before. Started out as a regular orange Taggedout ($180 retail) and now has brand new Flytanium stonewash scales ($108 retail) and swapped out all body screws for new Flytanium titanium set (retail $13.50) swapped clip for a different color of the same standard Benchmade minimalist clip. You're left with a pretty dope Benchmade that you can reverse flick easily and its a dang laser super slicey. Comes in original box with stock orange scales included.
SV $145 Vero Neuron M390. Comes with micarta scales (installed) and Jade scales. Blade shows no signs of use. Its an absolute joy to fidget with. Has been disassembled and cleaned/scales changed. Its sharp and its fun, and its one of the only "slip joints" that you can treat as a fidget flipper. Out of stock currently at retail of $245. Here you're getting an extra set of scales and the knife LNIB and still saving $100 off retail.
SV $110 Traditional Pocket Knives Ohio River Jack: M90 sheepsfoot blade and jigged ti handles. This is a catch and release for me. Super clean, and the walk and talk is just music to your ears on this one. These are sold out and I understand not being offered again. Comes in the original box.
SV $75 Pelican 1120 Slip Joint Knife Case. I just received this from Nalpak and I just don't have enough slip joints to justify having it. Moving it along and letting you save on their silly-high shipping fees.
SV $10 as add-on or $15 solo Jack Wolf Leather Slip. This has just been in my drawer forever. I think its brand new.

Hey ArtShift.ai community! 👋
We’ve got something exciting in the works! 🎉 Soon, you’ll be able to add n**arration **to your stories on ArtShift.ai - Art Evolution. This new feature will let you turn your text into captivating spoken words, bringing your stories to life like never before.

📣 What’s Coming?

With our upcoming Narration feature, you can:

• Add Voices: Choose from a range of natural-sounding voices or upload your own recordings.
• Sync & Customize: Align narration with your story, add background music, and control pacing for an immersive experience.
• Enhance Engagement: Create dynamic stories with audio, making them more engaging and accessible.

🎨 Sneak Peek:

Check out our teaser video to see a glimpse of how the narration feature will work:
👉 Watch the Teaser Video 👈

✨ Why You'll Love It:

• Immersive Storytelling: Add depth and emotion to your stories.
• Accessibility: Make your stories available to a wider audience.
• Versatility: Perfect for audiobooks, storytelling, and educational content.

🚀 Stay Tuned:

We’re putting the finishing touches on this feature and can’t wait for you to try it. Keep an eye out for our official release!
🔗 Links:

• Follow Us for Updates: Website Facebook Instagram
• Get app: Play Store

“Will you make a song for him?” the woman asked. “He has a song,” the man replied. “He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.” He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany’s, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. “There must be one more,” he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. “The dragon has three heads.” He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way. {Daenerys IV ACOK}
Now with just the Dialogue:
“Will you make a song for him?” “He has a song, he is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.” “There must be one more, the dragon has three heads."
We all read it wrong. Everyone is trying to look for the three heads of the dragon as people, but the math was never right.
Baby + “one more” DOES NOT EQUAL Three
GRRM, that sneaky bastard … we all assumed the three heads were people, but he was really referring to the elements.
“Song of Ice” + “Song of Fire” + “One More” song EQUALS Three
What does this all mean?
A different ending to ASOIAF ... so stay tune for the third song!
About Me: I am an ASOIAF theorist you probably never heard of. By definition, I am an "unpopular" theorist. (I only know one person who follows my content lol)
There are currently two endings to the story: GRRM's unpublished book ending, and HBO's terrible TV ending.
Let me be your One More.
I have a series of theories from the TWOW Prologue to the ADOS Epilogue, and even Elden Ring Easter Eggs that you never knew existed. So stick around for the next few days, as I will be posting all 35 of them.
Up next: Game Over Theory # 2 - TWOW Prologue - The Red Wedding Avengers

Hey! I'm Will from England. I've made quite a few posts on here for the last few years and it just feels like I'm stuck getting a minimal messages and I need a marketing degree to stand out these days but seeing posts I make get over a thousand views and not a single message just is a bit... yeah.
If we get on great, but if not then that's fine too but at least we tried! We may not have everything in common unless you're my lost, unknown twin
I'll be honest, I'm just really lonely, I don't let it get me down, but I feel like I can't do as much as I used to just because I don't really have people to do stuff with if that makes sense? I also assume that this spiralled lonliness I used to have quite alot of friends but as they all went their own directions, I just missed the boat I guess.
I'm a pretty chill PC gamer (mainlly League ARAM and Overwatch QP with a few Hades games in between), wannabe chef, full time law worker, rock-climber, and I like exploring and being out in nature. Won't spam you with memes but will spam you with music and dog pics from the animal shelter I volunteer in! I spend a few evenings either working on my motorbike, crocheting, candle making or just hanging out with a fox who visit's me every night! I love going to Estonia and baltics so if you're from there, that'd be great! I am quite an overly positive person, you can get a positive out of any situation, I am drama free and just generally hard to offend. Self-depreciating humour always gives me a laugh too. I'm a pretty open book so feel free to ask anything!
Just mainly looking for somebody to chat to on a long term basis (mainly from Europe or simillar time zone to the UK) and somebody to check in with every day and to just have a laugh with. I'm not the kind to sit on a call for hours but very avid messenger. I'm usually ghost-free unless you're being weird.
Bit of an ice breaker, two truths and a lie

I get stopped in London for looking like Harry Potter
I used to perform to a good level on Violin and Banjo
I have had Netflix for 5 years and watched only 1 show

Hi all, I am seeking advice in how to handle overbearing in-laws.
My husband (30, M) and I (29, F) have been together almost 6 years and married almost 1 full year (anniversary is Sept 2024). My husband's brother is getting married this weekend and we have to travel for the wedding (flights).
I suggested to my husband, let's make a trip out of it. So we planned to fly some where 4 hours away from where the wedding will be and hit a couple of major cities on our way to the wedding. We fly out Tuesday and we will be where the wedding is on Thursday evening to enjoy the festivities on Friday and Saturday.
We are both in the wedding party. My husband is the best man and I am a bridesmaid.
When we first made these plans and my husband's parents asked when we were flying into the wedding and we shared that we were going out early to see a few cities before getting there they told us it was "wacky" and "I don't know why you would do that."
Today, we were trying to ask the family what the plans are for Thursday night, Friday and Saturday (because we haven't been communicated very many details other than we need to be there Friday for some activities they have planned.) My husband called and talked to his father about picking up the suits and some of those details and they hung up.
Later in the morning, my husband wanted to watch some sports on his parent's streaming service so called to ask for a password to log into the streaming service. When my husband's father picked up and heard my husband wanted to watch sports, he said "why don't you just go to the sports game before the wedding?" My husband replied, "What is the problem? We aren't missing any of the wedding activities, we will get there Thursday just like everyone else is." His father responded that it seems like we are prioritizing vacation over the wedding and we are being rude. He also said he didn't want us to be exhausted before the wedding said what we are doing isn't a good idea. My husband responded, saying how are we being rude to which his father had no good rationale for why he thought we were being rude.
This isn't the first time they have inserted themselves into our life and starting causing drama and stress where it didn't need to be. For example, we went on a group vacation in Croatia with his parents and my family (where there is 50-60 people in a group) and his parents expected us to do everything together. My husband and I were not allowed to go eat dinner off on our own. There was an expectation we had to do every activity together. It's not like we didn't have dinner with them and hangout with them, but I also wanted to have time with me and my husband where we enjoy a nice walk together. For example, my husband and I were going to go off and eat at a restaurant together and his father TELLS us, doesn't ask, tells us "we are joining you."
Am I overreacting thinking they have no business to tell us what we can and can't do before the wedding? Does anyone else think it's rude and disrespectful to my husband for his father to call and yell at him saying he doesn't think it's a good idea? We are grown adults with our own house, decent jobs, and we just wanted to take a few days to see a few cities we have never seen before. We are planning on doing museum stuff along with tasting the food of the area and that's about it. We aren't going on vacation to a music festival for 2 days before the wedding. We plan to be there Thursday around 4:00pm which is the time everyone else is arriving off of their plane anyways.
Also, what do I do long-term about his parents? We are thinking about having kids but they have no problem giving their opinion and/or loudly disagreeing with any decision.

Adding 2.5 HDD for secondary storage for pc - looking for advice please- my primary storage is 256 m.2 ssd
I am trying to decide which of these 2 1tb hdds to add to my pc for music production - it would primarily store files, samples, media etc. I have been reading contradictory info which has just led to more confusion so I would be ebt appreciative of some insight. The 2 drives in question are:
HGST 7200RPM Ultrastar (from a PlayStation I believe?)
Or
WD Blue WD10JPVX 5400RPM
From what I’ve gathered in terms of reliability most drives have a similar-ish likelihood of failing(?) So, my primary concern is speed - being able to quickly access samples / files and being able to write hundreds of mp3s to usb quickly for DJ needs. Hoping for some input from people more knowledgeable than I, if there is any other info necessary please let me know - I am not an expert by any means or I wouldn’t be seeking council. Cheers! I tried adding pics of hardrives but wouldn’t let me - I can provide any info if my description was not adequate

Adding 2.5 HDD for secondary storage for pc - looking for advice please- my primary storage is 256 m.2 ssd
I am trying to decide which of these 2 1tb hdds to add to my pc for music production - it would primarily store files, samples, media etc. I have been reading contradictory info which has just led to more confusion so I would be ebt appreciative of some insight. The 2 drives in question are:
HGST 7200RPM Ultrastar (from a PlayStation I believe?)
Or
WD Blue WD10JPVX 5400RPM
From what I’ve gathered in terms of reliability most drives have a similar-ish likelihood of failing(?) So, my primary concern is speed - being able to quickly access samples / files and being able to write hundreds of mp3s to usb quickly for DJ needs. Hoping for some input from people more knowledgeable than I, if there is any other info necessary please let me know - I am not an expert by any means or I wouldn’t be seeking council. Cheers! I tried adding pics of hardrives but wouldn’t let me - I can provide any info if my description was not adequate

One of my airmen has always seemed a bit off and socially awkward. For example texting me during off hours like they're emails and signing them. He hasn't caused any problems for me nor got in troubles besides being late to work a couple times, but lately I have been wondering if it's worth saying something to him.
Recently he asked to talk to me privately. I thought it was something serious related to work. Instead, he was going to ask me to write him a reference letter for this college program he is applying to. It's supposed to be for his teachers but he hasn't been in school for a while, so workplace reference is apparently ok. The reference guideline asks me to talk about my airman's academic achievements and skills, and talk about any projects and essays he worked on while under me. I told him I can't talk much about what he would be like as a student or any academic work he did, but I can talk about what he was like as an Airman.
He then said he will try to get something "published with the Air Force" and later sent me two essays he wrote so I have an "idea of what to put in the reference letter". The essays? They were about:

1. Trying to convince the USAF to add capes to our dress blues. It was about 15 pages with citations.
   
2. A 10 page essay about this penguin that was waddling towards the mountains and the philosophical meaning behind it. Attached was a video of an actual penguin waddling towards the mountains as a man narrates it in the background with ominous music.
   

I think he already submitted the cape essay to whoever takes this kind of idea stuff. He now expects me to write him a shining reference letter to his academic program. I want to ask him if he's ever been tested for some stuff at BHOP. Should I just let this slide? Is there something in the water?

I recently picked back up my violin from playing many many moons ago, and have been doing some jam sessions with a friend. I quickly realized that since I was trained in an orchestra and did everything via sheet music that it was more difficult for me to play by ear (especially in the weird keys my friends play in that are more amenable to guitar and piano than violin).
I plan to start lessons soon because I missed playing more than I thought, but am curious on thoughts as to how to train playing by ear and how to become better skilled at playing in a band. In the orchestras I played in violins were typically the melody, but in a band I find it being more harmony and backup. Thanks for feedback and thoughts!

Agency sales is simple when you break it down...
Generate interest -> call -> follow up -> close
Seems simple on paper, right?
Well.. obviously this isn't always the case in practice,
Which is why I want to help.
Let's dive in.
The first part is the call itself.
So your campaigns are printing sales calls, and the interest is there..
Now what?
It's time to take the sales call, preferably on Zoom if possible.
Make sure they show up to the call
On the call, we like to take a consultative approach.
Dig deep in the discovery part of the call,
And show them you understand exactly where they're at with their business and where they're looking to go.
Basically, show them you give a shit.
Having a script can be helpful for call structure, but avoid reading off one.
Doing role plays with a business partner and a friend will get you comfortable enough to not need a script.
Once you learn enough about the prospect's biz,
Decide if you want to make them an offer.
This is important...
Only make offers to prospects that are truly a good fit,
You'll save yourself a bunch of time and headaches later on.
It can be tempting to sign any and everyone initially, but stay disciplined and wait for the right fit.
If the prospect doesn't need any more info and they're ready to sign,
Get the contract to them ASAP and be persistent in your follow-ups until it's closed!
If the close is going to require another call, MAKE SURE you lock in a time on the call.
Locking a time in while you're on the call is so important...
If you wait until after, you may never hear from them again and miss out on the opportunity.
Time kills deals.
If they need more info on the call,
Ask them what they'd like to see and send them a resource that relates to what they want, rather than an info dump that will overwhelm them.
Sometimes, even with a great offer, you may not see a high close rate.
Here's how we overcome that.
In our follow ups, we help prospects visualize success.
Here's how:

• Send them relevant case studies
• Connect them to a client that was in a similar situation as them before signing on
• Send over projections we calculate for them, something we call an ROI calculator

More on the last point...
We often an ROI calculator, a tool we created, to show the prospect what results they can expect from working with us...
All the #s (revenue, close rate, retainer size) are based on what they told us on the call, so it's extremely relevant to them.
We communicate this to them with a Loom video follow up,
Which works great to refresh their memory on the conversation and show them we took the time to send them a video.
Once you start scaling, it can be tough to keep track of these follow ups...
Which is why using a CRM religiously is non-negotiable.
We use PipeDrive to segment prospects into

• won
• lost
• in follow up with a follow up task assigned

For each of our offers.
To wrap up, how do we track sales success at our agency?
We track KPIs for

• Show rate
• Offer percentage
• Close rate
• Revenue per call

The two we pay attention to are show and close rates.
We aim for a 30%+ close rate and a 90%+ show rate,
Which we've hit consistently..
This can be done using a simple Google Sheet :)
Sales can be daunting without a system in place,
So I hope this has given you some value on how to dial in your sales process and scale your agency in the process.
Source

Hello everyone! I was given the okay to share the notes and sheets I made to learn about the new race, the Celestial Armada. Yes, I am that kind of dweeb.
What follows is the post I made in the play-test section (only available to founders at the moment (?) to help everyone make sense of the new race as being dropped a new funny race with new funny units is a lot to take in all at once. Since everyone is curious about how they play, and of course, drawing similarities to Protoss from StarCraft, people want to know how they work and how they differ.
I want to emphasize that all of these notes were made during the "Frigate" play-test which took place back in April and lasted until late May. The early access release of the game is going to feature a ton of changes in the numbers, balance adjustments, and of course, units that don't exist yet. The amount of changes between the previous play-test and the one I am sharing now was substantial setting aside fact that they dropped a whole new race
If you want my notes on the other races, let me know. I also made those.
Howdy, call me Paz.
I am the sort of loser who will spend the first five hours of a fresh new close beta making a reference sheet with all of the units stats. Apologies if there are any errors in it, I promised I double checked all the numbers but I wouldn't be surprised if there is an error somewhere in there. I hope it's all presentable and digestible. No idea how long these numbers will stat accurate due to patches. For everyone else, I want to lay down Celestial macro basics because I was a bit confused by all of their funny mechanics, and I wager many more people will be confused by all of their funny mechanics:

• They don't have workers in the traditional sense that build and gather.
• Celestials warp in their buildings by using the "Q" menu.
• Most buildings can only be placed inside a Cascade Field, these are zones generated by your Arcship, Arcstation, Collection Array, Fabricator, Powerbank, and Link Node
• Morph Core can be constructed from Arcships/Arcstations and can be transformed into a Collection Array for Luminite mining or a Fabricator for Therium gathering
• Collection Arrays gather from Luminite mines automatically at a rate of 10 per tick (approximately 2 seconds?), and can be lifted and moved to another mine at any time.
• If you want to speed up mining, you can assign up to three Prisms to a Collection Array to speed up mining to 20 per tick.
• Prisms can be constructed from a Arcship/Arcstation or a Fabricator.
• Fabricators are not built over a Therium field, and are committed to their location once constructed.
• One Prism is enough to neutrally mine from a Therium field with a Fabricator (assuming it's close), roughly equivalent to five workers on a Therium field.
• Celestials do not have to worry about army supply, starting at 300 automatically. Instead, they need to produce power to keep energy flowing to their structures. You can see your power at the top center of the screen. The left number is your current consumption, and the right number is how much power you have available. The crystal will change color from green to yellow to red depending on how close you are to capping out your power consumption. Over-cap and your buildings stop working.
• These buildings produce power: Arcship: 20 Power and Power Bank: 20 Power
• Link Nodes consume 2 power and extend the cascade field. They can also be upgrade to defensive emplacements for an additional power cost.

I think that about covers it. I don't have a single idea about what popular builds will sprout from these mechanics, I think this faction most of all has the most potential for shenanigans considering all of their econ buildings can uproot and just go somewhere else. Thanks for reading, and I hope the sheet is useful.
Tier 1 Units
Tier 2 Units
Spells

Recently my orders for the pilgrim and dusk came in and I’d thought I’d give me thoughts. Fair warning I really only came into hobby a year and a half or so ago so I’m not the best with specific terminology but I’m going to do my best.
The Pilgrim
The pilgrim came first so it only felt right to start there. My main driver up to that point was the truth ear zero red. I was pretty happy with it but I thought I’d try the upper tier items to see how they compare. I was hesitant cause of the price point but I’d figured if the jump to to 300$+ IEM’s is anything like the jump from shitty earbuds to 20$ IEM’s it’d blow my mind and be worth it. And my first impression with the pilgrim was…I wouldn’t say disappointment but it wasn’t the leap I expected. It definitely sounded better especially with the details but it wasnt a giant leap. I can also say I felt the bass was somewhat lacking (more in quantity than quality) though I just used the impedance adapter that came with the zero red and that made it much better (for the purpose of this comparison though I’m using the pilgrim without this adapter as it doesn’t come with the IEM and didn’t use it for direct testing between them). Even without it though I would say the pilgrims are a good set, they’re just a tad too bright even if those upper notes sound good.
Unfortunately, while I do think the pilgrim is largely a good set, I somewhat mainly have negatives to say. My primary complaint is I really find them uncomfortable. I know the zero reds are a set that sorta infamously have the asterisk of not being for everyone due to comfort reasons but I could wear the reds all day without problems but the pilgrims got to be almost a pain pretty quickly. It’s less about the in ear and more the combination of the hard metal casing, the cables being more at an awakened angle rather than a curve at the front of the ear, and the weight of the IEM’s + cable pulling at the ear causing the front of the ear especially to not feel comfortable. At one point when listening to Sometimes I Moght be Introvert by Little Simz I was considering switching back to the reds because while not as good I felt they could be more relaxing.
Dusk
While I wasn’t super impressed with the pilgrim, I have to say I’m loving the dusk. The cable (at least the analog one) isn’t exactly the most premium but it’s comfortable and doesn’t get tangled easily which is really all I need, they go into the ear easily without the casing or nossle causing any difficulty, etc. I noticed the pins are a really tight fit which at first kinda felt like a hassle but considering how many times I’ve had the experience of an IEM coming loose after taking it on and off the cable I’d take a more secure fit over the extra few seconds of having to securely life it on and off, though considering one of the selling points for this IEM is the multiple cables it comes with it only felt right to mention that the process of switching isn’t exactly smooth.
On that note to talk about the dsp I think both sound good but yeah i preferred the dsp, one of the tracks when comparing dsp with analog was gone angels by mili where both were pleasant but for the dsp it just felt so smooth and like i could get lost in it. One of my concerns with dsp was i remember hearing Timmy from gizaudio say female vocals were a little recessed but after comparing with a few tracks by mili, beach house, Flo mili, and laufey, I can say while I do notice a difference I wouldn’t say they’re too recessed or even necessarily worse than analog. Unfortunately i do have an iPhone and in the words of Crin “If you’re on iOS, go fuck yourself” so yeah I’ve mostly been using the analog because of that and all direct comparisons between the pilgrim and dusk were done with analog because I didn’t feel like switching to the dsp cable and using my laptop. Kind of a bummer but I did find myself satisfied enough with the analog
As for the general sound everything just feels like it has volume to it but in a way which isn’t overwhelming or fatiguing. The sound stage is the thing I really noticed first, it feels a lot wider which combined with it not being as bright as the pilgrim helps it to feel less fatiguing and more ‘immersive’ in a sense. It’s strange because there are things that in a technical sense sense I think the pilgrim does “better” but even in songs which would benefit from those things I’d say dusk is better for me because it feels like more of a full package where no element is lacking. Like I’d say the pilgrim can be better for strings but to use the example of two of the songs I’d tested with, The Hustle by kiltro and Turkish Rondo by the Boccherini Guitar Quintet which have great strings to them, I’d say the dusk is better cause with the pilgrim I’d had the volume lower then I would’ve liked because the high sections felt a bit too much whereas with the dusk it felt like everything was balanced well and gave a full band like experience.
I think “experience” is the right word for how I would describe the difference. Both have their unique sounds but at the end of the day I’d say the pilgrim sounds good but the dusk sounds and feels good (both in a sense of the feeling of them physical IEM itself and the sound). The pilgrim is a set I could be happy with and get used to but whereas it was one I almost didn’t want to sit down for a full album with, with the dusk I just want to listen to as much as possible. It’s not outright better in every way but to me is a much better all rounder and conducive to what I want in my music listening experience. I’d even say aside from music its sound is something I find myself more comfortable with doing something like watching YouTube for an extended period of time.
In short, pilgrim is good but especially considering the price point if it was between this and the reds I already had, they’re better but I would return them as I don’t necessarily find them to be worth it. The dusk though, as much as I’m somewhat trying to talk myself out of spending $400 on iems when I already have a good pair, I’m likely going to keep them (and maybe look into a good lightning to usb-c adapter to use the dsp on my phone, if anyone knows of a good one especially one which also has a port for charging let me know)
Hopefully that made sense and could be helpful for anyone looking for comparisons between the two, I do have the super mix 4 coming next week and am planning to give my comparison/thoughts on those when they arrive. I’m honestly hoping I like them more than the dusk as I’ve heard some say they do because I’d be a lot more comfortable spending $150 then $400 for an upgrade.

Even though we already have one thing in common and are practically best friends at this point, I’ll let you see if we relate even more.
We’ll be good friends, if…
-You like anime and don’t have many irl friends to talk about it with.
-You find yourself playing many multiplayer games by yourself
-You’ve found a bunch of kick ass music but don’t have any to share it with
-You’re quite sheltered because your mom did most things for you and now you’re quite in a pickle as an adult
-You watch horror movies and are excited about the scares
-You have a pet you’d die for
-You daydream daily about stories in your head and have a long running story up there
-You list to game and anime OSTs a lot, and when people ask what you’re listening to you have to find some normal music
-You long for a best friend
-You got some stories you wanna share
-You exist
-Have existential dread because you have no idea what you’re doing with your life sometimes
-You have no idea how to really adult in life so you’re currently winging it
-You like mint ice cream (definitely underrated)

• Have a game you go back to so you can relax

Long Story Long: But I’d seriously appreciate some insight!
My husband (38M) and I (38F) are high school sweethearts and have been together over 20 years, married for 17. We don’t fight, nor argue really. I would call disagreements intense discussions. He’s the ying to my yang, we just fit and have developed pretty good communication over the years - but we’ve also put in the work for it.
He became close friends with 2 guys in our neighborhood and since we are moving out of state, the previous weekend has been a blowout. These 2 have joked for over a year about doing mushrooms with him. My husband and I always laughed it off because the man hasn’t ever done anything that wasn’t prescribed to him by a doctor. I have said to the 3 stooges whenever they brought that topic up that I don’t care (because he’s a grown man) but I do think there should be someone sober just in case, especially because my husband is a novice when it comes to that recreation.
Friday was apparently the night - he didn’t come home until 4 am and slept on the couch. I was with everyone until about 8, and went home to clean up and do some chores before the party the next day. Being out later isn’t uncommon, these guys play darts or ride around on the golf car listening to music and drinking a bit. (It’s not often, but there have been some late nights when I can be found right along with them). Saturday evening we had people over for a BBQ and friend #1, James, was recounting some tales to me, his wife and another friend. They were funny, but out of character for my husband when he’s drunk. James’ wife asked, so … what else was involved? James smiled and whispered ‘shrooms’. I didn’t skip a beat and continued on with our conversation.
Fast forward - he’s sawing logs by the time I get in bed. I lay there but can’t fall asleep, my heart is racing and I need to get it off my chest (something we’ve learned together, if its on your mind say it, don’t let it fester and grow).
+I ask why he didn’t tell me about the mushrooms.
+“James said you knew”.
+Um, no, I knew it was talked about previously, but I had no idea there was a plan. Okay, benefit of the doubt, it was a “surprise buddy! Let’s do these!” after I went home for the night. Why could I have not received any communication about it then, nor a mention of it the next day? If James hadn’t said anything would you have even talked to me about it? You know .. how it went, what it felt like .. etc?
+“I didn’t talk to you much today” and again, “James said you knew about it, I didn’t think it was a big deal”
+Well, it hurts that you wouldn’t divulge any of it to me, especially since you want me to pour out my soul to you any time something seems off. It’s kind of hypocritical because we both know you would have lost your mind if you found out from someone else that I had been out until 4am doing shrooms with my 2 friends, riding around and drinking. *I would like to note that I do get animated when I talk, and I was a Disney illustration at this point.*
I think the role reversal scenario is what did it because he leapt out of bed and turned the light on, slamming the door open and YELLING at me (why he opened the door I don’t know, nor do I really remember what was being said in the moment due to my shock). I instinctually jumped up and when I heard the door hit the stopper I started to bend down to grab a pillow; serious childhood trauma kicked in and it was full fight or flight mode, I felt like I needed to get out of there as a panic attack was imminent. When he saw the pillow in my hand he yelled “What the hell are you doing?!!” as he slammed the door closed staying in front of it.
I instantly started to shake and sob uncontrollably at the same time and mumbled “You are scaring the shit out of me”. I was frozen because on the inside I was a small kid again. This man has NEVER raised his voice, let alone his tone to me. He immediately changed his entire demeanor and walked over to hold me, saying how sorry he was. I can’t remember if I hugged back to be completely honest. I did say that “you made me flash back to my father .. you’ve never yelled at me before .. I don’t understand.”
After calming down he held me in bed while I cried and told him how sorry I am, that it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have opened my mouth, I should have waited until the morning .. over and over again. I don’t know why .. it was instinctual I guess. He finally sighed heavily and said “No, not at all. If I had just told you about it to begin with none of this would have happened”. The remorse was real, but I still cried myself to sleep, waking up with swollen eyelids from all of it.
We talked it over Sunday after some reflection; I get it - he probably just wanted to live it up with his pals without a “handler”. But reasonable me would have liked to have known, God forbid anything happened, or I could have at least checked on them every now and then. I don’t hover and can read a room pretty well, so it just hurt my heart that I wasn’t included in the knowledge of the events whatsoever .. especially because he didn’t tell me himself. I didn’t care about the shrooms, I just wanted to know they were being done, does that make sense?
Our talked concluded - nothing bad happened that night, I said my peace, let’s move on from it. I did reiterate how much I was bothered by the argument, his response and my fear. I could see the sorrow and regret in his face, so we decided to put that away too.
My problem is that I have realized that I am not really over that part as much as I want to be. I have replayed it a few times this past week while alone, resulting in the same feelings surfacing again with some tears. I can’t help it. When I say I have no one to talk to … I have no one. My husband is probably the most amazing man you could meet. I couldn’t imaging divulging this to anyone and having their view of him a-skewed; I know he’d be mortified. And I don’t want to bring it back up, having him relive probably the worse night he can remember, like I am rubbing salt into the wound - even more so because I said let’s move on from it. I don’t want him beating himself up again and again (Though that may very well be the case, I would hate to make it worse).
I am pretty sure his lack of reaction (which pushed my frustration) followed by overreaction was due to guilt, knowing he hurt me, and that what I said was probably true - he just handled it poorly after a couple of days with little to no sleep; not to mention the additional stressors in our lives right now with the move. I could have done things differently as well; he rarely hurts my feelings, so I don’t handle it as well as I would if it was coming from someone else. He’s my kryptonite.
I know this was a one off, however I do have to admit that I am subconsciously anxious whenever he’s gotten irritated with normal everyday annoyances (just life, packing .. logistics .. etc) this past week. Almost like I am gun-shy that he’ll pop off again (even though my rational mind knows he won’t). I just can’t shake the feeling of not recognizing the man that was in front of me, nor the fear I had caused by the one person who has always been my ‘safe space’ and protector.
I feel like I am being ridiculous and irrational. Any advice, or do I just let time take care of it?

Hi everyone! Trying to do some last minute comic-con fundraising. I'm open to offers and willing to make some deals if you're interested in multiple books. If you want pictures of anything let me know! All of the original art I commissioned myself directly from the artists at various conventions. If you want to know the show and year I can certainly figure it out for ya.
Shipping is not included in prices, its $6 for Media Mail and $8 for Priority. I can ship media mail for the TPBS and HCs, but have to ship Floppies Priority :( Since shipping/packaging prices are so high, all orders must be above $20. Some items are crossposted. Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks!
MARVEL:
(2021) Moon Knight 1-23 (Annual 1+Devil’s Reign 1) $55
(2022) Star Wars Obi-Wan 1-5 $12
Taskmaster 1-5 (3 is Second Printing) $12
Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man 1-5 $22
Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow 1-5 $18
Marvel Universe vs The Punisher 1-4 $8
The Incredible Hercules 126 $3
Marvels 1 $4
(2020) New Mutants 1-10 (1 is Artgerm Variant) $15
(2020) Iron Man 1-6 (3 is Veregge Cover, 6 is Brown Cover) $20
(2019) Guardians of the Galaxy 1-12+Annual 1 $20
The Punisher Meets Archie 1 $5
Avengers AI 1-12 (Full Run of a Fun Underrated Series) $15
(2022) Hulk 1-14 $25
Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect 1-2 (First Maestro) $25
Sensational She Hulk 1-2 $20
(2014) She Hulk 1 $5
(2022) She Hulk 1-13 (1 is Hughes Variant) $30
Fantastic Four 323 (Kang!) $5
Fantastic Four: Life Story 1-6 $15
Thor 283 $5
(1979) Man-Thing 1 $12
Marvel Super-Heroes Presents 17 $14
Star Wars Age of Republic Special (First Ahsoka in Canon) $10
(2016) Star Wars Doctor Aphra 1 $10
(2020) Star Wars Darth Vader 1-15, 19x2, 17-23, 25-34 $110 (Low Print Run, read once and bagged/boarded. Not a lot of examples to compare for a lot price on this so let's talk price if my number doesn't work for you)
(2021)Star Wars High Republic 1-15+10Signed Jeanty Variant (Lots and Lots of First Appearances), (6 is signed by Georges Jeanty and Karl Story) $75
(2021)Star Wars High Republic Adventures 1, 3-12+ Galactic Bake-Off Spectacular (More First Appearances) $45
Star Wars High Republic Adventures: The Monster of Temple Peak 1-4 $20
(2022) Star Wars: The High Republic 1-7, 9 $15
Star Wars: High Republic Trail of Shadows 1-5 (3 signed by Dave Wachter) $12
Star Wars High Republic Eye of the Storm 1-2 $12
-Take all High Republic Books for $165
(2022) Hulk 1-14 $28
Dark Ages 1-6 $10
Jane Foster: Valkyrie 1-10 $15
(2011) Punisher 1-8 $8
(2014) Punisher 1-5 $5
Punisher: No Escape Prestige $5
(2017) Iron Fist 1-7, 73-80 (Full Brisson Run) (1 is Fried Pie Variant) $20
(2014) Secret Avengers 1-4 (1-3 are signed by Tradd Moore) $12
(2013) Morbius the Living Vampire 1-5 $20
Original Sin 0-8+Annual (8 is Wraparound Variant, Annual is Francavilla Variant) $12
(2013) Nova 1-20, 23 (1 is signed by Dexter Vines) $35
Spider-Man Deadpool #1 Fried Pie Variant $8
Deadpool Versus X-Force 1-4 $15
Deadpool 49.1 (The Musical!) $5
Deadpool: Suicide Kings 1-5 (3 is 2nd Printing Variant) $18
Deadpool’s Art of War 1-4 $20
(2014) Silver Surfer 1-15 $35
(2016) Silver Surfer 1-5 $12
Superior Iron Man 1-8 (1: Young Variant, 6: Wu Variant, 7: Shannon Variant) $25
Captain Britain and MI13 1-15 (Issue One is Damaged) $20 (FULL RUN)
Daredevil Yellow 1-6 $18
(2005) The Sentry 1-8+1 Rough Cut $15
MAX Born 1-4 (Great Punisher Story) $12
The New Mutants 19 $5
1991 X Force 2 (2nd Deadpool appearance) $5
X Factor 19 (1st Horseman of Apocalypse) $5
The X-Men vs. The Avengers 1-4 $12
Wolverine Origins 1 $5
Wolverine Origins 28 $5
Kitty Pryde and Wolverine 1-6 $15
TBPs/HCs:
Marvel Zombies: Battleworld TPB $5
Weirdworld: Warzones TPB $5
Poe Dameron Vol 1-5 (Full Run) $35
Doctor Strange: Season One HC $10
Iron Fist: Phantom Limb TPB $5
The Incredible Hercules: Against the World TPB $5
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe TPB $10
Rocket: The Blue River Score TPB $10 (Great Story!)
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man TPB Vol 1-2 $22
(2015/Gillen) Star Wars: Darth Vader OHC Vol 1-2 $50
(2015/Aaron) Star Wars OHC Vol 1-3 $50
Black Panther OHC Vol 1-2 (Vol 1-2 Signed by Brian Stelfreeze, Vol 2 Signed by Wilfredo Torres) $20
Thor God of Thunder Hardcover Volume One (OOP-Light Dust Jacket Damage) $15
(2011) Ghost Rider by Daniel Way Ultimate Collection (Some Bending on Back Cover) $25
The Vision Complete Collection TPB $20
(2020) Black Bolt Hardcover $70 (OOP)
Ireedemable Ant Man TPB $20
DC:
Infinite Frontier 0-6 $15
Justice League Incarnate 1-5 $10
War for Earth-Three Lot: $50

• Teen Titans Academy 1-15 + Yearbook
• Suicide Squad 1-15
• War for Earth-Three 1-2
• Flash 780

I was hoping to sell this as a lot since the stories overlap some, but if you're interested in single runs let me know and can work something out.
Gotham City: Year One 1-6 $18
Batman 124-135 $25
Shazam 3 (Cho Variant) $3
Batman Catwoman: Follow the Money $5
Full Tynion Detective Comics Run: 53 Books $120
934-981 (All Albuquerque Variants other than 963, 968)

• (Batman 7-8, Nightwing 5-6 Night of the Monster Men Tie-Ins)
• (Annuals 1-2)
• (Signed by Rafael Albuquerque: 934, 936, 940, 950, 955, 956, 959)
• (Signed by Marcio Takara: 955, 956,
• (Signed by Christopher Sebela 957)

994-1009 (Minus 997) Beginning of Tomasi Run 14 Books$30

• (995 Variant B)

Multiversity 1-2, Society of Super-Heroes, The Just, Pax Americana, Thunderworld, Guidebook, MasterMen, Ultra Comics (Full Run of Morrison’s Story!) $20
Flash Forward 1-6 $8
DC Future State: $40 for the Lot!

• Batman/Superman 1-2 $5
• Harley Quinn 1-2 (1 is A Cover, 2 is B Cover) $5
• Superman: Worlds of War 1-2 $10
• Superman vs Imperious Lex 1-3 $10
• Kara Zor-El, Superwoman 1-2 $5
• Legion of Superheroes 1-2 $5
• Suicide Squad 1-2 $10
• Future State Teen Titans Ruins $5
• Nightwing 1-2 $5
• Catwoman 1-2 $5
• The Next Batman 1-4 $15
• Robin Eternal 1-2 (1 is A Cover, 2 is B Cover) $5
• Swamp Thing 1-2 (1 is A Cover, 2 is B Cover) $10

Titans United 1-7 $15
Titans United Bloodpact 1 (Molina Variant) $10
(2015) Doctor Fate 1 $5 (First Khalid Nassour)
(2010) Batman: The Dark Knight 1-5 $10
N52 Detective Comics 27 $5
Batman: Europa 1-4 $10
DC First: Batgirl/Joker $5
Batman: The Detective 1-6 $12
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters 1-8 $10
Wonder Woman 770-780 (Full Afterworlds Storyline) $20
Human Target 1,3,5,6 $15
Flashpoint Beyond 0-6 $15
Black Adam: The Dark Age 1 $5
Forever Evil 1 NYCC Variant $5
Green Lantern 116 $8
Green Lantern 80 $15
Green Lantern 78 $12
Green Lantern 79 $12
(2011) Batgirl 1 $5
Flashpoint 1 $5
New Titans 99 (First Roy Harper as Arsenal) $10
(1982) Swamp Thing 21 (See Condition) $12
JSA All-Stars 4 (First Courtney Whitmore as Star Girl) $5
(2006) Blue Beetle 1 $10
Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters 1-3 $12
DC Vs Vampires Lot: $50

• DC Vs Vampires 1-12
• DC Vs Vampires: All Out War 1-6
• DC Vs Vampires Hunters One Shot
• DC Vs Vampires Killers One Shot

TPBs/HCs:
Buy Joker, Harleen, and Hellblazer for $25

• Joker: Killer Smile HC $10
• Harleen HC $10
• Hellblazer: Rise and Fall $10

N52 Dial H for Hero Deluxe Edition $15
Aquaman Unspoken Water HC $5
Gotham Central Vol 1 TPB $5
Joker HC $5
Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes Volume 1 TPB $5
N52 Shazam Vol 1 HC $8
N52 Batman Volume 1-5 TPBs $30
Batman Year One TPB (1988 First Printing) $10
Batman: Earth One HC Vol 1-3 $25
Teen Titans Earth One HC Vol 1 $5
Wonder Woman Earth One HC Vol 1-2 $10
Batman: Broken City TPB $12
Batman: Arkham Asylum 15th Anniversary Edition TPB $10
(2012) Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB $18
Gotham Central Vol 1 TPB $5
Birds of Prey: Murder and Mystery TPB $10
John Constantine Hellblazer: City of Demons TPB $12
Superman: Birthright TPB $10
Justice League: Last Ride TPB $10
Superman: Reign of Doomsday TPB $20 (OOP)
Superman: Unchained HC $5
Superman Smashes the Klan TPB $8
Suicide Squad: Bad Blood HC $12
DC Archive Edition: Brave and the Bold Team-Up Volume One HC $15
Power Girl: A New Beginning TPB $12
Grant Morrison Batman Lot: $60 (Good Start to Collecting the Full Run!)
Batman R.I.P. TPB $10
Batman: The Ressurection of Ra’s Al Ghul TPB $15
(2014)Batman and Son Expanded Edition TPB $15
(2012) Batman Incorporated Deluxe Edition HC $15
New 52 Batman Incorporated HC Vol 1-2 $30
Cosmic Odyssey Deluxe Edition HC $20 (OOP!) (Small Cut on the Cover, Pics Attached)
IMAGE/DARK HORSE/OTHER:
Crossover 1-13 $28 (Full Run)
Rogues Gallery 1-4 $15
BANG! Variant 1B (Signed by Matt Kindt and Wilfredo Torres) $20
(2002) Star Wars Jango Fett $5
Star Wars Hyperspace Stories 1-3 $5
Star Wars Han Solo and Chewbacca 1-6 $10
Tokyo Ghost 1-7, 10 (1B Variant Cover) $35
What’s the Furthest Place From Here? 1-5 (1 is Martin Variant) $20
Primordial 1-6 $15
Irredeemable 1 $25
Promethea 1 $5
Geiger 1-6+80 Page Giant $15
Judge Dredd: Toxic 1-4 $12
Manifest Destiny 1-8 (1,2 Signed by Matthew Roberts) $15
(2014) Rumble 1-14 (1, 2, 11 Signed by James Harren) $20
Zero 1-18 (Full Run of a Fun Series with Great Art!) $20
Night of the Ghoul 1-3 $10
We Have Demons 1-3 (All Foil Variants) $12
TPBS/HCs:
Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time TPB Vol 1-3 $12
Maniac of New York Vol 1 (Signed by Andrea Mutti) $10
Injection OHC $20
Dracula, motherfucker! HC $10
Irredeemable Omnibus $30
The Black Hood Vol 1-3 $15 (Full Run!) $12
(Dynamite 2009) Zorro Vol 1-2 TPB (Spine Crease on Vol 1) $12
John Wick HC $25
Super Crooks TPB $5
Incognito Vol 1 TPB $5
Black Road Vol 1-2 (Full Run!) $12
Fables Vol 1 HC $8
LOW Deluxe Edition Vol 1-2 $60
Divinity HC $15
Astro City Metrobook Vol 1-2 TPB $35
Madman Atomic Comics Vol 1 $12
God Hates Astronauts Vol 1 (Signed by Ryan Browne) $8
The New World TPB (Signed by Tradd Moore) $20
Homesick Pilots Vol 1 (Signed by Caspar Wijngaard) $10
Pride of Bagdad TPB $5
(Dynamite) The Shadow Vol 1 $6
The End of Summer TPB $12 (2nd Edition)
$1.50 (Each) Comics:
DC
Action Comics 1031 (Variant)
Action Comics 1032
The Flash 768
The Flash 769 (Variant)
The Joker 1
Suicide Squad: King Shark 1
Mister Miracle: Source of Freedom 1
Stargirl: Spring Break Special
DC The Doomed and the Damned
Are You Afraid of Darkseid?
Mysteries of Love in Space
(2021) Shazam 1-4
Sinestro 1
Camelot 3000 1
(2015) The Omega Men 1
(2003) Batman Adventures 11
Batman 652
Batman Rebirth 1 (A and B Cover)
Batman 21, 22
N52 DC 3D Lenticular Black Adam Cover (JLA 7.4)
N52 DC 3D Lenticular Scarecrow Cover (Detective Comics 23.3)
N52 DC 3D Lenticular Two Face Cover (Batman and Robin 23.1)
N52 DC 3D Lenticular Ocean Master Cover (Aquaman 23.2)
MARVEL:
She Hulk 159-163 (Jen Walters Must Die full story)
(2020) Cable 1-4
(2011) The Defenders 1
Secret Invasion: Who do you Trust One Shot
(1988) Silver Surfer 2
Fantastic Four Road Trip
MODOK Head Games 1
X-Men Legacy 9 (Iron Man Variant)
(2002) Ultimates 12
(2021) Venom 8
(2018) Amazing Spiderman 61-62
(2012) Uncanny Avengers 1-2
Fantomex Max 1
2012) Fantastic Four 1
(2014) Fantastic Four 1
(2015 Series 1) Howard the Duck 1
(2015 Series 2) Howard the Duck 11
(2016) Moon Knight 11
Deadpool and Cable: Split Second 1 (Fried Pie Variant)
(2019) X Force 1
New Mutants 86, 90-92, 96, 97, 99, 100, Summer Special
(1992) X Force 6
X Factor 71
OTHER:
Newburn 1-3
Silver Coin 1-2, 10
(2007) Lone Ranger and Tonto 1-4
Adventureman 1
X Ray Robot 1
Fox and Hare 1
(2019) FCBD My Hero Academia
ORIGINAL ART:
(9x12) The Flash by George Perez $175
(9x12) Deadpool by Domo Stanton $30
(8.5x6) Galactus by Darryl Banks $45
(4x6) Doctor Doom by Dave Wachter $35
(8.5x11) Jon Snow by Dan Panosian $50
(11x14) Spider-Man by Nick Pitarra $45

Please read whole post
I'm a 24yr old gay top trans guy (I've been on testosterone for 7yrs no surgeries yet) looking for another gay man between the ages of 18-35yrs old that has a small bladder to get to know and possibly at some point even more. For those of you who are wondering what small bladder means, I'm looking for a guy who can't hold his pee and has to use the bathroom often because he has to go urgently. I have a soft spot for bigger men whether that be in height or chubby but it is not necessary. I also very much like hairy men the hairier the better. Please no femboys or crossdressers it's just not my thing.
A little bit about me is that I am 100% a top and a caring daddy type of guy. While I am only 24 I have a mature attitude (though I also know when to be silly and playful) and am quite loyal when in a relationship. I am not a rich man but very much a romantic, protective, and gentle hairy, dad bod, short king (I can be rough when it's necessary.) Something about being in charge of a taller submissive small bladdered hottie just makes my heart flutter especially when he tells me he's desperate.
My hobbies included cooking, writing, baking, listening to music, watching sports, and drawing. I love horror movies even though they don't scare me at all and I tend to point out how dumb the characters are. Don't worry if you're not a horror fan and get easily scared I'll protect you (even if you pee yourself a little.)
If you're interested feel free to message me and tell me a bit about yourself, a face pic would also be nice. Don't just say "Hi" put a bit of effort into your message please.I look forward to hearing from a few of you guys.
I do prefer using Telegram, Discord, or Snapchat over Reddit due to notifications not showing up. So if you have any of those feel free to let me know.
P.S don't bother if you're just gonna block or ghost me after the first few messages, y'all know who you are.

A long read, may have posted bits of this already months back but still struggling. I really appreciate anyone who has the time to read and comment.
Last year I was seeing a “trauma informed integrative creative arts therapist” at $225 a week out of pocket. I was only able to swing it because my insurance offers 80% reimbursement for out of network benefits, and I was in dire straights and needed specialized help. I chose her because her Psychology Today profile, website and public social media made her seem more sophisticated and knowledgeable than the vast majority of therapists in my area by a long shot. I was already using art as a means of therapeutic self expression so I was excited to try her integrative art therapy approach. Through her professional (?) social media I was able to see that we both liked the same kinds of plants, music, similar political leanings, interest in ecology and environmentalism, and fashion. She’s very beautiful, well read, well spoken and charismatic. Prior to seeing her I had a string of therapists that were utterly useless and couldn’t help me, and I felt like I’d finally found the one. She said some things during our first session that stood out to me. “I’m not here to pass judgement.” Good! But then, “Well, I mean, everyone passes judgment, we’re all human.” I wasn’t sure what to make of that but I just overlooked it. Then she said, unprompted “people just come up to me and tell me about their lives” with a very self congratulatory tone. My immediate thought was that this woman must have some kind of magic touch. Surely she’d help me.
And she did! Somehow during that time I felt significantly better, which baffles me because she also hurt me badly. I spent the next 18 months on a rollercoaster ride with her. She contradicted herself often. She self disclosed needlessly, and seemed to be imposing her worldview. We misunderstood each other to a degree I’ve never experienced with anyone else in my entire life, but I figured I must just be stupid or crazy. She made unprompted statements like “I’m reeeeally good at what I do”, “I’ve had many clients who are extremely wealthy”, and when she heard what my salary is she audibly gasped and said “I pay my babysitters more than that! Oh my god!”. She was exceptionally ignorant on matters of economic class, though she would say otherwise. It was very clear to me through her unprompted self disclosures that she is wealthy, traveled the world several times over since childhood, and only had a very superficial awareness of how the other half lives. All of her statements regarding money made me feel smaller than an ant. I told her that I hope to own a home one day because my partner has the privilege of getting an inheritance someday. When I said a number she flat out said “that’s not feasible.” It actually is, she just couldn’t imagine it. When I spoke of my desire to be a mom all she did was talk about how expensive kids are because they need camp and a good pre school etc. I described to her that I grew up lower class and lack of camp is not what fucked me up (lol) and that lots of kids are still happy and healthy even without rich parents. She got really weird after that, like she didn’t know how to respond. She also said “we started ours at 2 because we value early education” as though people who can’t afford to send their kids to fancy private preschools don’t value early education just as much. It’s just inaccessible to them. I forget the context but she once said about me and my husband “I know you guys are like socialists or whatever, but…” while rolling her eyes, but I’d never once mentioned my political affiliation. During one session, she went on this weird monologue about how “scientists are proving that reality isn’t real” and “reality is different for everyone” when I tried talking about the gaslighting I experienced as a child. It was so bizarre. I asked her if she thought I had BPD and she said no because if I did I’d be using a lot more black and red colors in my art….!!??!??! She had me read The Untethered Soul, which was okay but to truly implement its teachings one would have to have basic financial stability. She acknowledged this but used the example of “a mom with five kids in the Bronx” as the kind of person who wouldn’t get much out of the books contents. I felt like saying “or young people who live right here in our town like me and most of my friends, actually.” I am sure I was her poorest client, just lucky enough to have a government job that provided insurance with OON benefits. Still, the reimbursements came in very slow, and I regularly gave her my very last dime until the next pay day. I relied on her to email me receipts to submit to my insurance company which I needed to remind her to do literally every time.
Now here’s where it gets real bad. I was having issues with my husband so she had us sign waivers so she could talk to his therapist. She told me she wouldn’t be able to tell me the contents of their discussions, which makes perfect sense. Except she did. A lot. And it turned out she exaggerated and possibly outright lied. The advice she gave me always lead to further conflict with my husband. I was confused because what she said his therapist said didn’t match up with what HE said his therapist was saying to him. It got to a point where I was put in a position to have to lie to my husband: either I tell him what his therapist allegedly said about him to my therapist, destroying his trust in him, or I lie. I wasn’t willing to do either of those things.
I decided I’d had enough, so I wrote her an email that was very direct but not unkind in any way. I needed to make her aware that the dynamic she created with my husband and his therapist was harmful, that her remarks about money alienated me, and that I had reminded her a total of three times to send me a receipt for reimbursement and that I should not be responsible for having to remind her again. We had our session the following day, and it left me in tears and feeling crazy. She denied that she broke confidentiality (I have it in a text message so nice try), said “who are you to school me on economics” with a really mean tone, and basically berated me for an hour while I sat there crying. It was INSANE. I never went back. I never reported her.
Since then I haven’t been able to shake it despite working with a wonderful new therapist. I am stuck on how strangely charismatic she was, that I never regretted giving her my last dime even though she made me feel bad, and somehow she also made me feel sort of high? I thought she was so cool, and she seemed to think I was cool. I am sure there was countetransference to a degree. In hindsight there were a lot more red flags. She would talk about “clean eating” and remark that American food is poisoned and gluten is bad etc. all unprompted and out of her scope of practice. She used a lot of new age lingo despite me telling her that didn’t resonate. Made a lot of comments about her own opinions and worldview on various topics. Her social media is very much all her, photos and videos of her, it just seems like she wants to be somebody’s guru. Her history doesn’t line up either - she claims she has 21 years experience as a therapist but told me she’d left the field for a while and worked in fashion for a time, but she’s not old enough for that to add up unless she literally only took a few months hiatus which I guess is possible.
The weird thing is, I spent months thinking she was the best person. I did feel better in terms of my self confidence when it came to expressing myself… but in hindsight it wasn’t her, it was me. I did all that work. Maybe it was the art. But why did I give her so much of what little money I had for so long? Why did I stay on that roller coaster? Put up with her contradictions and unethical behavior? I literally feel like I left a tiny cult.
The contrast between her and my current therapist is wildly stark. My current therapist is refreshingly boring and I know next to nothing about her. She has no public social media presence. She never makes me feel judged or bad about myself, ever. Shes also out of network but SHE submits the receipts to my insurance company FOR ME and waits for them to pay her the full amount…. And I just give her my copay. I didn’t even know an out of network provider could do that. Now therapy is truly accessible to me.
I still don’t know what to make of what happened. Unfortunately I have to see my ex-therapist as she is a frequent patron where I work, and I found out she has a new office literally a block from my home. It’s in a little cottage on the grounds of the Unitarian church I used to belong to and was thinking of going back… welp, not anymore. Ugh.
She fucked with my mind and I am still messed up from it. Her public persona is somehow troubling to me, like it’s fake and she’s trying to reel people in. Something about her “coolness” and palpable overconfidence is very off-putting. Cult leader-like. I’m embarrassed to keep bringing it up to my current therapist because I have so many other BIG issues to work on, and I feel like I should have let this go.

I hear so many of my artist friends saying AI takes away the whole point of making music, it kills personal expression ect. But sometimes I feel like people haven’t actually made an effort to try tools beyond asking chatgpt to write basic cringy lyrics.
Through music we share emotions, stories, and empathize with each other. At the end of the day AI cannot come up with it’s own experiences. Only artists are capable of deeply empathizing with people and translating their experiences into music.
Which brings me to the next point, the invention of multi track recording didn’t wipe out the music industry. It propelled it to places most people before couldn’t even imagine. New genres emerged which were not possible before. In my opinion AI vocal and song tools like suno and udio will make it easier to experiment with ideas and find inspiration. They will unlock new forms of art. For example drakes use of AI vocals, while now controversial, may be interesting in the future as artists find creative use cases.
Similarly using a rhyming dictionary doesn’t mean your songwriting isn’t legitimate, in fact I would argue using a tool lets you write better music since you can discover words you wouldn’t have though of before. Songwriting tools like freshbots should be seen as just that, tools to help you find inspiration for how to translate your personal experiences into lyrics. I don’t see how that is different than a rhyming dictionary?
The way I see it AI will affect the industry in the same way. We will get more powerful tools, artists will find creative ways to leverage those tools, and new genres we cannot even imagine today will emerge.

It is one full chapter, but because it is so long, I broke into four parts.
This is a theory for the actual Prologue of The Winds of Winter. Please enjoy. This is Part 4 of 4.
The Winds of Winter
Prologue
[Part 3]
Suddenly a voice roared from above. “This is Ser Forley Prester! Drop your weapons! Drop them!”
Ser Barnabus started to curse as he stood on the ladder halfway. He took a deep breath in disappointment. “Come on Leo, we have work to do.” He ascended.
Leo gave the golden egg to a shocked Lady Mormont and took a step towards the ladder, but he then turned around to Eleyna. He kissed her on the lips. The princess fought back and held Leo’s blond head with both her hands, forcing more of herself onto him. Their tongues danced a secret hidden inside their mouths, taking each other’s breath away over and over again. Olyvar did not think they would ever let go, until Eleyna did, shedding a tear. Leo turned back to the ladder. Ice in his veins and without another word, he began to climb.
Ser Brynden shared a look with Ser Olyvar. “I’m not kissing you!” He began walking towards the ladder as well, with Lord Edmure Tully trailing. He shoved his nephew aside. “Your lady wife is waiting for you on that ship with your child! Protect them! Keep the Tully name alive! Fly away now! That is an order! Take Queen Jeyne Stark to the ship and protect her family too!” The Blackfish conjured a duty that Edmure could not decline. He gave his uncle a sad agreeing nod. While climbing up, the Blackfish then looked at Olyvar. “Ser Frey, guard this ladder!”
Though not giving any direct orders to the Seashell Knight, Ser Raynald Westerling kissed his sisters and mother. They begged him not to go, but Ray flew to the top as well.
Ser Olyvar got up and began to follow, but the crying Queen tugged his cloak. “Olyvar, you promised me.”
“Goodbye Jeyne. I have to do my duty.”
“Just hang on a minute. Listen and promise me Ser Frey. Don’t be a fool. If you are in trouble, don’t try to be brave, just fly, fly away. Find me.”
Olyvar Frey got to his knees again and kissed her forehead. “Okay. Jeyne, my Queen … I’ll be back. I promise.”
“We need to move her to the rowboats,” Alesander Frey suggested. Olyvar hugged his brother, and ordered him to carry Jeyne’s weight to the exit with Lord Edmure’s help. Sybell and Eleyna Westerling held up Jeyne’s thighs as Lady Mormont spearheaded the path with her torchlight in one hand and the golden egg curled on the other.
“You better be right behind us,” Maege commanded.
“I will,” Olyvar hoped.
The new knight approached the base of the wet ladder and began to climb. He reached halfway and stopped to listen above. The thunderstorm roared its fury, and the Blackfish was already speaking.
“What kind of knight threatens a pregnant woman?” Ser Tully voiced his rhetorical question.
“We did not know she was pregnant. She fooled us with her sister. But I am one that follows the orders of his liege lord.”
“You mean the Lannister one that killed his king once? Or the other Frey one that killed his other king too? Or the dead lord who killed Dornish babes? How do the princes of Dorne feel about you cheap-honor Lannisters?”
“You were the ones that rebel against the crown.”
“And it was the Kingslayer that threw Bran Stark out the window in a time of peace! At his own home! Do the Lannisters enjoy killing children and murdering unarmed people at dinner?”
“He is my liege lord.”
“Aye, and you seem like someone who knows his role and shuts his mouth. Do you want to be remembered for the rest of time as the knight that cleans up after his shit? ‘Here lies Ser Forley Prester, the legend that wipes the Goldenhand’s ass,’ will be written on your tomb in gold. Too bad your grave-mark will forget the part where everyday you take his golden-hand, shine it up real nice, turn that piece of metal sideways and shove it up your own candy arse for pleasure!”
The men above laughed as a shriek of thunder rumbled not too far from the Rock.
“You seem like a charming man Ser Brynden, but we are not here to discuss the rights or wrongs of men, knights, lords, kings and princes who are far far away from here.”
“Well here in my garrison I have Ser Olyvar Frey, son to Walder Frey, and a loyalist to his King, Robb Stark. Please ask Ser Olyvar Frey which is right and which is shit?”
Olyvar realized the Blackfish is chatting to buy time for Jeyne to escape.
“Is he a knight now?” A familiar voice that sounded like Edwyn Frey asked. “How did that come to pass?”
“Kill the right people I suppose. And whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to now? What is your name my lord?”
“My name is Ed–“
“IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS!”
Giggles tickled the rainy circular drain above Olyvar.
“And aye, I knighted him myself. And his Queen in the North even made him a new coat of arms to differentiate himself from his disgraceful family,” the Blackfish announced to Edwyn Frey.
“And how would I know what cloak he wears now?” Ser Forley’s voice continued.
“Fastened by Queen Stark herself, it’s the bridge of the twin towers with a river flowing underneath, colored Stark grey and Tully red & blue. But every one of my friends here are all championed by our Queen. Are any of you beloved by a queen?”
Ser Forley tried to counter, “A new sigil of water flowing underneath a bridge? Did he make the water flow himself? Is he a plumber?”
“Aye, he may be a plumber knight, but you got shit for honors.”
“My honor is in tact.”
“Was it in tact when you abandoned your army at the Battle of the Camps? Claiming that you have honor is like claiming turtles can grow wings and fly. My plumber knight has more honor than your shit!”
Ser Forley paused … and then exulted, “Will this plumber be cleaning up my shit later?” Quiet chuckles whispered from the higher balconies.
The Blackfish retaliates, “As long as you acknowledge your honor as shit, he will.”
Loud laughter filled the air, but with Olyvar hiding in the hole of the floor, he could not tell if it was from his brothers, from his foes or both. Alive or facing death, one should know better not to trade japes with the Blackfish.
“Enough!” yelled Ser Forley. “You are clearly out manned down there at this courtyard! At least three of my men to one of yours! AND I have the high ground! So I won’t say it again, drop your weapons and I will let your men live!”
“Do you take me for a motley fool? You just don’t want us to loose back when you shoot your crossbows at us. You Lannisters cannot win in a fair fight against us if we are armed, but you men sure do a good job of killing defenseless people and children. And I will not give you that pleasure!”
“I do not know what you heard, but that is not entirely true.”
“Not entirely true? Do you Lannisters fondle the children first before you kill them? Do you give the children a good sniff before you cook them like Mad Danelle Lothson? Mother have mercy!” Ser Brynden teased.
“Enough! I will let your men live if you drop your weapons! I swear it on my hon-“
“We shit on your honor! Are there no true knights among you lot? You men following this shit knight’s shitty order, do you not have any honor yourselves? To chase after and kill a woman who is in labor? To kill a babe? Our king—”
“OUR CHOSEN KING!” Lord Galbart Glover’s voice thundered in before the Blackfish continued.
“—chose to execute his own kin and bannerman for butchering children … Lannister children! Frey children! But your knight here serves men without honor. Ser Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer! Lord Walder Frey the Guestslayer! Lord Roose Bolton the Turncloak! COWARDS! Men who serves hospitality with bloodshed beneath their roofs and massacre innocents! Will you continue to serve these false knights and false men? Are you not fathers, nor aspire to be fathers some day? Well serve your CHOSEN lord’s bidding and be cursed! A predator of children is no lord of mine!” Ser Brynden Blackfish Tully spat and thunder boomed. “The gods will never forgive that, the slaughter at the Twins, the murder, the treason, the mutiny!”
Ser Forley began to scream louder, “You call it what you want! You’re down there, we’re up here! You came into the wrong damn castle Ser!”
“Stand fast brothers!” Ser Tully alerted.
“Gods damn this, I am telling you this one last time. Order your men to drop their weapons to the deck.”
“So you could parade us as prisoners before executing us? I cannot give that order,” defied the Blackfish.
“I am not going to repeat that order!”
“I WILL NOT GIVE THAT ORDER!” Thunder boomed again.
“WHAT IN SEVEN HELLS IS WRONG WITH YOU? THIS IS USELESS!”
“STAND FAST!”
“ONE LAST TIME! ORDER YOUR MEN TO –“
“Ser Forley!” an unfamiliar voice called. “Queen Stark and her group are spotted. They are escaping on a rowboat at sea below. They appear to be heading west,” the watchman said.
Edwyn Frey’s voice commanded, “Archers, to the western edge! Kill them! Kill them all!!”
“BROTHERS! Kill the watcher first and anyone on that western edge!” the Blackfish thundered in the order.
A quick shoosh was heard above and a cry of pain immediately sounded from the west, as a body thumped and squished onto the lower muddy ground.
And suddenly the air was filled with it, as the thunderstorm raged on.
Shoosh shoosh shooosh shooosh shoosh ahhhhhh ahhhhh shoooosh ahhhh shooooshhh shoosh boom doom boom doom boom doom shooosh shooosh ahhhhhhh boom doom boom!
The heavens exploded from above, illuminating Olyvar’s drain instant after instant. Men were heard screaming and dying in agony. Whether or not it was his brothers or his foes, Olyvar couldn’t tell. He caught a glimpse of three bolts speeding above his small hole in different directions, and knew there were a hundred more he could not see. The enemy has the high-ground, Olyvar remembered, all my brothers are probably dying. He was unsure whether to descend down or ascend up the ladder into the chaos. He started to tear up, the cold rain still soaking his face as lightning continued to flashed and thundered through the pit above him.
“GOOSE!!!” Leo’s voice screamed. No!
“LEO TAKE COVER!”
“KEEP LOOSING BRO—AHHHHH!”
“FATHER!!”
“BROTHER, NO!!”
“TO THE WEST! LOOSE! LOOSE! LOOSE! PROTECT YOUR QUEEN!!!”
“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL YOU MOTHERF*CKERS!!!”
Men were still crying up there, along with the bass of the approaching storm, blending with the streak of arrows and bolts hitting stone, mud and flesh. Still clung to his ladder, Olyvar looked down cowardly as a teardrop fell off his face. It landed on Alesander.
“You fool, what are you doing here? You left the rowboat?”
“I came back to fight.”
“You are no fighter, you are a singer. Leave here. Escape into the tunnels and save yourself my brother.”
He hesitated to answer, his own tears trickling down. “Aye, I will. And when I leave here, I’ll sing about what has happened today, what is still happening above us.” The screams were not stopping. Bolts, arrows and curses could still be heard flying above. Alesander moved towards a fissure in the cavern wall, spying to the west. “The Queen should be far out of harm’s way. The winds are kind, and the bolts are missing its mark away from the LionsJape.” He walked back to him. “Come with me Olyvar if you want to live.”
“Soon. But not yet. I need to hold this ladder. Leave my brother. Sing about this and immortalize our sacrifice.”
“Don’t go.” He grabbed Olyvar’s leg.
“Just let go of me!” Olyvar winched free.
“If you can escape, escape. I’ll fly away now. Farewell my honorable brother.”
“Wait!” Olyvar almost forgot. “Do you know what it is?”
His brother smiled a smile that Olyvar will never forget. “We have a Stark princess.” His footsteps faded into echoes as Alesander descended into the darkness of the tunnels.
But Olyvar began the climb in his. The hole above was gaping wider with each slow step up, ready to swallow him whole. Olyvar trembled. Besides the flashes of lightning, he could not see what was going on, but he could feel it in the air. He can taste the rain from above. He can hear the music of defiance to House Lannister, the sounds of arrows and loud screams drowning into silence. He can even smell it too. The smell of the Rock cooked with the salt of the sea, the iron of his brothers’ blood, the piss & stool of honorable dead men, staining & stinking the courtyard of Tywin Lannister’s home, leaving Casterly Rock an empire of shit.
He stood on the one rung that exposed his head just above the ground. Bodies. Brothers’ bodies and bolts everywhere. Rain and blood soak the mud, and fading cries of pain filled his ears. He saw the Queen’s uncle and master schemer of this plan, Ser Rolph Spicer, had a bolt in his eye as he died by the kitchen doors. The Seashell Knight was lifeless with his face first in the middle of the mud near Olyvar’s pit. Donal with bolts to his shoulder, stomach, and legs was on one knee shouting & cursing as he continued to loose arrows from three quivers as his brothers Raff & Mikkal laid dead beside him. Lord Glover had two bolts in him and took another in the chest. He paced backwards and fell over the parapet into the sea. A bolt was stuck on Goose’s neck, as he and Leo rested motionless together at the foot of a column, sharing a single bolt that shot through their hearts. The shield that Leo had held up was decorated with a dozen bolts, but it was too late for the other ones that got through.
Olyvar’s soul ached in agony, the clutch of his hand shaking as he clung onto the ladder. A small pile of feathered Lannister men had fallen from the western balcony and onto the courtyard. But he could not feel the victory in it … not now, nor not yet, perhaps never. The rest of his brothers Olyvar could not see from his ladder, but he spotted a few arrows still loosing up to the second floor behind cover, still fighting back. It is so few. Many more bolts were still shooting down from the top. Crossbowmen hid as they reloaded, popping up to release before ducking again.
He spotted Ser Brynden Tully the Blackfish crawling towards him, needled like a red porcupine blowfish. “Olyvar!” He hooted bluntly. “Why are you still here?” Olyvar’s heart quenched at the sight of the blood of Riverrun; his pink life flowing in a thin river and draining out towards his ladder. The water-downed blood reached Olyvar’s fingers. He wanted to help but did not know how, nor know the words. He offered his hand and Ser Tully held it. “Did she make it out to sea?”
“Yes Ser, she should be safe,” Olyvar prayed.
“So, do we have a prince or a princess? Or one of each? Heh!”
“Do not get greedy Ser,” Olyvar jested. “We have a she-wolf.”
The Blackfish smiled a hard smile with blood filling his mouth. “Good, they should be safer this way. And I hope she takes after her fierce grandmother.”
“Which one? Lady Catelyn Tully?”
“Of course heh. That would be a great granddaughter name for our storm-born she-pup … Catelyn,” the Blackfish joked.
Olyvar smiled while Ser Tully reciprocated a red one. “I like the name Adara.”
“Adara? That sounds like a wonderful name. Where did that come from?” Ser Tully asked, tearing and bleeding.
“It was Captain Samullu’s mother’s name.”
“Aye, that is a terrific name. Princess Adara Stark. Tell that to our Queen Jeyne that I concur to the name choice, pass that final message of mine. Now fly along Ser Olyvar, escape here, reunite with your Queen and protect your family. There is nothing left to do here but die, so fly! Let the divine swift winds of winter push Adara to safety. You have King Robb’s spirit within you. The babe does not have a father nor Grey Wind, so you must keep her safe.”
“We are all her fathers,” Olyvar declared.
The Blackfish grinned, knowing Olyvar probably out teased him in his final moments. “No … a band of fathers brothers? That would make us a band of uncles.” He chuckled bloodily.
Olyvar laughed and teared a drop. “That was a very clever. Just don’t tell Lady Mormont.”
“Don’t worry fellow Uncle, I won’t.”
“It has been an honor fighting by your side, Ser Uncle Brynden Tully, the great Blackfish.”
“It has been an honor living by yours, Ser Uncle Plumber Knight,” the legend replied.
He watched the knight’s life wash away, his last breath tasting the rains of Casterly Rock. The legendary Ser Brynden’s last words were for me. Wells flooded in Olyvar’s eyes, beginning to blind. He lets go of his hands.
He takes a few steps down the ladder, and then suddenly stops. What honor is this? Leaving my brothers and my commander like this? Am I a little cowardly rat of a ratty family, hiding in a tunnel? Or am I a brave knight?
The thunder and rain continued, but the arrows have stopped. Nothing but silence, only stares if Olyvar had to guess. His brothers were all dead. I need to get up. One step up and he suddenly stopped again. No, I need to escape and protect my Queen, does that make me a coward?
He checked his pocket and made sure his letter to his father sat below his heart. It was still there. Olyvar’s grip on the rung was firm and quivering.
To flee or not to flee? That is the riddle.
“Soldiers! To the lower floor! Grab their bows and quivers. Get down that ladder, find a boat, chase Queen Stark and kill them! Kill them all!” Edwyn Frey’s voice ordered.
Well, that made answering the riddle a lot easier.
Ser Olyvar Frey ascended from the pit of his ladder, his arms pulling, legs pushing, up and up into the chaos. The thunderstorm loomed above as his soul was escaping into the hole that was gaping wider with every step. He was ready.
At the ground level, he stood up. Cold rain and warm tears danced down his face, his cloak whipping in the air to the winds, his heart and fists began to fill with fiery rage. From up here, he can see the full horror of the slaughter. Brothers with bolts. Was this the same scene of my King’s death? Before he could ponder any further, he unsheathed Honor from his back, the sword was singing off its scabbard just as a bolt of lightning ripped across the sky … its twin mirrored off the steel’s reflection, the blade alive with blinding light for an instant.
Ser Olyvar counted the ill-fitted armored and shield-less men as they came pouring out from the kitchen doors at his level. Two, three, four, five, six … seven. Thin white stripes splits the sky. His heart was thumping and rumbling to the same beat of the thunderstorm that was mumbling in every distance.
I’m going to fight them all, no soldier in any Seven Kingdom army can hold me back!
The distance between the first unarmed man closed. His shocked face eyed Ser Olyvar’s new twin tower sigil on his cloak. Confused, he began to slow down, but Olyvar sped up. He greeted him with a deep slash, ripping him off as the skies flashed again. He darted forward to the next man, allowing the first one to take his time dying behind his back.
The second reached for his sword but was too slow to the draw. Honor found the front of the pink man’s chest and the rear of his back. For a heartbeat, the bloody front half of the exposed steel glowed damped red, while the clean side sparkled in purple. Olyvar pulled back his sword after a twist, and the soldier dropped to his knees to the boom of thunder.
The third drew his sword halfway before Olyvar swung at his head as his steel electrified, emitting blinding light to his eyes. He smelled Honor up close with his nose, as a gash ran from ear to ear while teeth and tongue exploded in the air. Olyvar paid him no more mind.
The fourth with panicked eyes was just a boy. He successfully drew his weapon from his belt and lifted above his head a short wooden stick. A flute? He stared up at his own wind pipe as his sword rested in his scabbard untouched. Between his legs, his breeches began to darken more with moisture, as the rest of his body was frozen like ice. A fLuke? It doesn’t matter. The Plumber Knight began to raise Honor high. The boy cried out, “Mother have mer—“.
“No,” Olyvar cuts him off, his voice was cold as stones. “I am not your mother.” Honor fell in a bright silvery-blue arc as the force of the blade severs the soldier’s right stick-bearing wrist, and splits the skull & brains underneath. Ser Olyvar Frey kicked off the mayhaps-fourth-corpse as its limp body slid from his red wet steel.
The fifth one was ready with his sword, as the sixth and seventh began pincering around Ser Olyvar with theirs. The rain began pouring heavily, cleansing the blood and brains off Honor, ready to shine again.
Olyvar’s wits returned from his blind rage, and began backing up calmly before they could surround him. The rear of his heel tapped a fallen shield that once belong to one of his brothers. Olyvar grabbed it instinctively and raised it up. “Come on you apes! Do you want to live forever? Come at me then!” No one came forward to answer the riddle, so Ser Olyvar went to them.
He charged at the one on his right as Honor slashed and flashed, but the soldier jolted backwards avoiding the swing. The shifty swordsman slipped on the surface with his hop and fell face-first into the mud. The other two took their chances when Olyvar swung and missed. He caught the cut of the left soldier on his shield, as the middle fighter aimed high. To the ground, the knight ducked under, saving his head. The middle slugger lost his balance at his empty decapitating slice, and a crouching Olyvar stroke savagely at his knees in a splash of red and bright purple. He fell face-first too, as the other soldier on his left began hacking at the wooden shield that Olly held up. Doonk! Doonk! Doonk! Before his challenger could swing a fifth time, Olyvar Frey on one knee whirled the apex of his shield viciously at the man’s wrist and sent the sword flying from his hand. Without hesitation, the Plumber Knight stabbed upwards from crotch to brains as the steel surprised the man with shock. Olyvar stares into the white of his eyes as they reflected a flash of lightning. The eyeballs then slowly rolled up into the back of his head. He unsheathed Honor downward from the dead man, as blood and shit fell like loose stool to the ground.
The other fighter with no knees rolled around to face up before he could drown in the mud. He was crying and screaming on the ground. “Nooooo!” But the Plumber Knight jumped on him without mercy. He tried to dart and evade, but forgot he had no knees to push from. Olyvar’s feet stomped the man’s stomach as he thunder-slammed the edge of his shield to kiss his opponent’s mouth, silencing him forever.
The first armed man that dodged his death finally got up from his struggles with the slippery ground, only to meet at it again. Soaking in mud, he began to bull-rush Olyvar, trying to stab or slash an opening with his sword. Olyvar dashed towards him in squishing strides, and took his charging strike at his Brother’s shield as he stepped aside. The former squire of Robb Stark, Olly, instantly planted his foot and twirled. His Queen’s wet cloak spun and smacked his opponent’s head. Suddenly the Plumber Knight had the enemy’s rear and naked. He lifted his King’s sword up, pointing down with both his hands on the grip. Ser Olyvar and thunder roared together as Honor brightly stabbed from above into the mudman’s back with the flash and fury of the gods. “AHHHHHHHHH!!!”
He lifted his sword back up as the seventh corpse fell to the ground, face-first again. Suddenly a mosquito buzzed from behind his ear and a short wooden stick skidded off the flat stone-path in front of him. He then felt a bite in his back, lost a breath and saw another wooden rod. But this one was lodged in his right breast. Red blood slowly began to seep from his black scaled boiled-leather armor as he grunted in pain. He reached for the stick trying to push it backwards from where it came from. Quickly he felt the pain again as he saw another bolt stab the front of his stomach while his Brother’s shield slid off from this left forearm. The third one struck the side of his left thigh, sending Ser Olyvar to the ground on one knee. He braced on his King’s sword to keep him from falling flat.
“Cease fire! Cease fire!” Ser Forley Prester ordered.
Cold rain danced on his face with the warm tears he tried to hide, his cape was flapping in the wind, and his heart was thumping quicker in unison to the beat & the flash of the storm. Ser Olyvar Frey, you honorable fool, why did you rush in? You can’t help yourself falling in love with bloody vengeance for your fallen brothers and King? For an instant, lightning popped again above the Rock and thunder rolled. You should have taken your time killing them as they descended down your pit, instead of you going up the ladder to their chaos. Frey blood, -no … blood of Roses By another name welled from the bolts that had punched him. He had known nothing half gallant and half stupid at the same time for what he just did. Or at least you could have flown away, such a fool! You should of just beat it. No one wanted to be defeated like this. Why did you have to show off how funky strong your fighting skills were? At this point, it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right … you should of just beat it!
Ser Forley Prester spoke from his balcony above. “You must be the Plumber Knight that the Blackfish talked about, judging by the sigil on your cape. A traitor to your own family. But for the honor of your lord grandfather, let us pass and I will let the maester do his job to save you. Or would it please you Ser, if you wanted some more bolts?”
More? Olyvar twisted his mouth in defying silence, his gruesome wounds spitting out blood. He had a job that he promised to do. He must rescue his pregnant Queen. Little did he know, he had to rescue a princess from this castle too. We all died for Robb’s little girl, there was no more to ask of them. Did these uncles succeed for her safety? He turned around to the west to see as far as his eyes could see into the sun setting sea. Her boat was far enough from any archers, and soon it would be too dark for a chase. The thought brought him joy. Thank the gods for this swift divine wind. We did our duty.
Impatient for a reply, the shit knight said, “I will not ask again. Knight to knight. Let us pass. We need to take back the Queen and her unborn son. I will bring them no harm, you have my word. Drop your sword, bend the knee like you mean it, let us pass … and I will tell Lord Walder Frey what an honorable warrior and a great grandson you are.”
That offer was a lie, a conjurer’s cheap trick. They would just humiliate and shame him before executing him for treason. That was not the song he wanted, not for his despicable old father. Olyvar would rather die sword in hand to the tune of another. He wanted Alesander’s song about the Motherfunker, Ser Brynden “Blackfish” Tully, his real brothers and the band of uncles. And he had one last shot, one last opportunity, to seize everything he ever wanted here. In this one moment, can I still capture it? Or will I let it slip? His palms were bloody, knees weak, arms were heavy … but the Queen and Princess are safe. Mother’s mercy. He was nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready to drop bombs. But he had forgotten what he wrote down in his father’s letter, as the crowds above goes so loud. He opens his mouth but the words won’t come out. He is choking. How? Everyone was joking now.
“Your luck has run out. The time’s up, it is over SER Olyvar. Bow.”
No. I refuse to BOW Ser. And I cannot die yet. There is something I still need to do. Both hands on hilt and pommel, he pushes himself up with Honor, surrounded by the doom above. He can feel his life leaving him. The skies blurred between light and dark, white and grey, with the black slowly creeping in.
“It’s a girl,” Uncle Olyvar said gently as he thought about his princess niece. The Plumber Knight then roared a roar that would put any craven into tears. “AND NO! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” Honor rose and fell, the pointy end of his King’s sword squishing the blood soaked mud and crunching the rocks underneath.
KABOOOOOOOMMMM!!!
Instantly, lightning and thunder erupted above them at the loudest exploding caliber of the evenfall, blinding the sights of men and gods alike.
Uhoooooooooo! boom doom boom doom boom doom
Suddenly drums were beating, and trumpets were blasting from the east. Lord Gawen Westerling’s diversion! But they’ve come too late to rescue Olyvar and his brothers. The enemy did not divert to their last jape yet … their silent scared eyes still on the dying Plumber Knight. They began to reload their crossbows. This is my moment. The things I do for love, but I’m sorry Jeyne, I can’t do that. I can no longer keep my promise. Robb was waiting and I can finally rest again. We three will meet again together some day, but not today, he thought*.*
The band of drums, trumpets and thunderstorm blended into a sweet sad song that Olyvar wanted. This music is for me, and I will lose myself in it.
Charging up his final energy into his wounded lungs, he began to scream again.
“OUR QUEEN— ” A howl of blood cuts him off from finishing what he meant to say … our Family is safe.
“OUR KING—” A pool of iron filled and choked him before he could declare … we have done our Duty.
Still standing, he dips his chin low to empty his mouth, coughing out his mother’s Rosby blood. He needs to say his final words loud and clear. After the last spoon of blood poured down, he snapped his chin up towards the heavens and reality … ready for the gravity. With all the weight of his life, he pressed his King’s sword deeper into the Rock as the Plumber Knight thundered a roar, “OUR HONORRRRR!!!”
From below, Ser Olyvar of the disgraced House Frey faced off to the sad conflicted look of Ser Forley Prester with his garrison of archers beside him. The darkest gloom of the grey stormclouds had arrived and hovered above them, wet and heavy. The gods want their vengeance for the Red Wedding, he thought. The skies of Casterly Rock began to blacken with the rain of bolts and arrows. The only thing that could be seen is the single golden teardrop of the shit knight, reflected by the last light of the setting western sun.
BOOM!
THANK YOU FOR READING.

For introductions, we have Olive, the person in question, and our friendgroup composed of Nika, Lana, Jay and I for simplicity’s sake.
A little bit of background on Olive is that they’d been the center of a lot of fights in my year, and I knew for a fact they enjoyed hurting people in that way. I was under no impression that they’d be at my wedding, but they were a person i confided into a lot.
Near the end of the year, Olive sends me a text : "hey, is it just me or have you been lacking tact recently?". I told them that i was on edge as the musical, of which i was in charge of, was just a few days away. they asked what they could do to help, and i answered that if they wanted, they could help with the musical, but that it was my esponsibility, and they didn’t have to. They then went on an entire tangent about feeling exclusded from the musical. to be clear, they had been invited to help in the begining, but then had never showed up to any rehearsal or any staff meeting, which i reminded them of. They eventually told me my friends all hated me.
i blocked them, and that was essentially it, as the year ended just a few days later and then that was it.
at the begining of the year, though, Lana, came to talk to me about the fact that Olive had asked them not to keep looking at their insta stories, which Lana complied to even though they hadn’t done anything. a few months later, Olive posts "its so fun to manipulate people" only to send a text to Lana the NEXT DAY asking them if they’d know what the apologize for if they could. Lana told them they didn’t have anything to apologize for. I texted O calling them an asshole.
then, they tried signing me up to tinder and grindr, but as those require verification from the phone number, i only got the notification.they did manage to put me on a job search website, which meant a lot of annoying calls in the morning. i retaliated by sending a whole lot of free bibles to their home, as well as jehova's witnesses.
Jay in that time stopped talking to Olive, who sent them a text calling her unlovable and telling her they regretted defending her from her abusive sister.
I snapped a little bit, and wrote them a paragraph about my grievances with them as a person. This, I think, went a bit over the line as I said some pretty shit stuff in there, as much as I think it was deserved.
Olive then wrote a letter to my parents, not only accusing me of having consistently bullied her for over a year, but also outing me, which ended up not causing issues as my dad was the first one home and asked for my side of the story, but could have been really dangerous for some of the other people involved.
I do think that maybe i should have let it go rather than sending them an angry paragraph, but i believe that they crossed a line in doing something that could have ended up in people getting hurt. I don't know. I'm letting pose your judgement here.