(20M) no recreational or medicinal drug use. Off and on for a bit I’ve had this odd issue that I’m not exactly sure how to explain. It’s when I’m imagining a scenario, basically like day dreaming. I’ve found that it is increasingly hard to make myself think of something. For instance running, imagine trying to picture in your mind you or someone else running from a third person perspective. But, no matter how hard I try I can’t run, in my mind the person (sometimes me sometimes not) trying to run either won’t stay upright and I can’t make the person stand up in my head without immediately falling over. Or when trying to run I can physically feel my legs get heavy and in my mind it’s like the person is running through quick sand expending all energy trying to pull one leg in front of the other. Either I’m just thinking about this too hard or something is up. In real life I’m physically fit, no real health problems I’m aware of and haven’t had any issues in the last year. But increasingly I find it harder to make my thought scenarios do what I want them to do.

What song from this year's national selection season do you play the most that didn't get selected?
For me it's "Woman Show" by Mathilde SPZ (Featuring Chris Archer and Slam Dunk) from Norway. I play that so much.

Located in CA
I took my 9 yr old lab Ivy to the vet for an emergency visit in the beginning of March. Our regular vet couldn’t take her so we had to go to the 24/7 animal hospital. They are excellent and I was willing to pay for whatever they needed to do to help ivy.
She had been very obviously sick and in pain, puking, diarrhea, not wanting to eat. They did an ultrasound, blood panel, urinalysis, fluids, meds. They found elevated liver enzymes and ketones in her urine. She was so sick they wanted to hospitalize her overnight. I asked what they would be doing and they said monitoring. I asked if I could just monitor her myself at home and bring her back right away if she gets worse? They gave me a couple prescriptions and sent us home. -$1729
I didn’t realize until the next day they didn’t give us any pain meds or anything to help Ivy’s eating (I’d tried seriously all the bland diet options, she didn’t want any of it) I went back to get her pain meds and prescription food, and the girl says they forgot to charge me for something else so she added that on too. -$150
Ivy was getting better slowly but still not her normal happy self at all. Sad, droopy eyes, wanting to sit curled up in my lap like a baby 😭 I kept doing everything they said and I took her back about a month later to check her levels again. We saw the vet, then went back out to the busy lobby to wait until someone came out to tell me the results or medications or whatever. So I sat in the lobby and waited, I asked a few times for updates bc I needed to get back to work. After 3 hours I asked if they could check and see what was going on.
There was another dog named Ivy there that morning and the receptionist closed out MY Ivy’s account (and charged the other lady’s card -$566 of my charges). I was annoyed and paid my bill (non-itemized invoice bc she couldn’t find mine) and Ivy and I went straight to work. Ivy is my service dog and sleeps under my desk.
They said the liver enzymes and urine ketone levels were both back to a normal level which was great news. They still couldn’t really give me a clear answer as to what could’ve caused all of this, sometimes they eat things, or just get sick, whatever. She said a slow recovery was normal bc livepancreas stuff is unpredictable, painful, and can take a while to heal.
The hospital’s office called me the next day to apologize for making me wait so long and reimbursed $316 (the liver panel, I think, I don’t have an itemized invoice). They offered this without me asking which I really appreciated.
Ivy has still been sick, but definitely better than when I first took her in. She was still acting sad, no interest in her favorite things. I knew she was in pain and brought her to a different vet last week.
Dr.S had been Ivy’s vet most of her life at our regular vet’s office - we love him. He left and started his own practice,and I just found his new location is 15 minutes away from my house!! It was kind of secretive when he left the other place, I think out of respect for the owners and not take half the clients with him. Anyway, I was really happy to find him again, I fully trust him. He was Ivy’s vet at her 8-week old visit, did her spay, all of it. Ivy is scared of men she doesn’t know and she loves Dr. S.
He took a look in her mouth and was like Whoa! Found it! He saw one badly rotten and cracked tooth in the back and wanted to get scheduled for removal right away. I bought the senior wellness plan for -$998. I was quoted $1200-1600 for surgery. (He was also going to remove a large benign mass from her side since she’d be under anesthesia already, I’d been wanting to do this for a few years so this is something I wanted him to do also)
This Tuesday was surgery day. He ended up removing 3 teeth, a molar on each side, and a front tooth that was cracked and broken off (I knew about this, I’d been told it wasn’t anything to be concerned about).
He said one of the molars and the front tooth both had exposed roots, the back one had an abscess and the root was touching the bone. He asked if I wanted the pictures bc it was really interesting and you don’t usually see it so advanced 😞 He said this is definitely what has been hurting her and making it hard to eat. He said they must have not looked in Ivy's mouth at all if they didn’t notice it- twice??
He didn’t have enough time to remove the mass. He said he wasn’t comfortable keeping her under any longer due to her age and blood pressure levels. Unless it grows rapidly we’re leaving it for now.
-$350 for everything this day, including surgery time & anesthesia, full dental cleaning & sealant,office visit, sedated nail trim, medications, canned soft food, heart worm testing, some other stuff included with the senior wellness package.
It’s been two days since she got her teeth out and she’s already smiling again. She was jumping around and trying to play with her brother (cat) and she only does that when she’s really excited!! Ivy is the best dog I could ever ask for. Seeing her in pain has been so hard, because I couldn’t help her!! I was trying everything but it wasn’t working. I’m so glad we found it and I think she will be able to get better now. I wasn’t so sure for awhile there.
I called the hospital place and told them what I found out and asked what happened. How could they have missed this- TWICE? The girl was really nice and agreed this was a “very valid concern” and asked me to explain everything to her and she would talk to the medical director, try to get some answers for me, and get back to me. She asked what I wanted the resolution to be. I said I thought it would be appropriate to ask for all of my charges to be refunded in relation to this event over the past couple months including Dr. S’s charges.
She called me back when I was at dinner so I missed her call.
Is this right? I don’t know what I’m looking for, feedback, reassurance, guidance? This is malpractice, right??
I talked to Dr.S’s receptionist today, she’s going to send me the photos and a breakdown of charges between the wellness plan and what I had done, try to make sense of what would be appropriate to ask them to refund. I kinda also want to ask them for $200 flat to reimburse the food/groceries spent trying to get her to eat, literally anything I could try on her bland diet, I tried! I don’t have receipts but I know I spent a shit ton of money as Ivy’s short order cook the last couple months. (Today she scarfed down her regular food for the first time in forever, I cried). Is this pushing it too far? Should I just take whatever they offer me?
What about the fact Ivy spent 2 1/2 months in pain & suffering from the time I brought her in to the day Dr. S did her surgery? She has lost weight, and has been pretty obviously miserable the whole time.
Thanks for reading.

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I just wanted to mention a scene from Gran Torino and how I made me view one of my family members differently and see if anyone else has had a similar experience
In one scene in this movie Clint Eastwoods character has a stand off with these Asian gang members and he says at one point “I used to stack fucks like you five feet high in Korea… use you for sandbags” When I think about it and actually picture a young man stacking other human body’s to hide behind in a gunfight that is probably one of the darkest things I’ve thought of in awhile and then it made me picture my grandfather as that young man. My grandfather who was a pretty mean dude like Clint’s character my grandfather at only 20 went to Vietnam and fought for a year in some rlly vicious combat, he probably had experiences similar to stuff like that and that’s probably a large part of the reason he came home and became such rough dude like Clint eastwoods character

I had a break from Destiny 2 for over a year and never purchased the pass for season of the deep. Is it still possible to go fishing? How do I start?

I read this book I think in middle school, but my memory is spotty around those times, so it could have been anywhere from 2007-2014, in Utah. AI searches tell me nothing involving time travel being bought like this exists and I’ve googled the hell out of it over the years with no hits. But, I have vivid distinct memories of it, so who knows.
The only real plot point I can remember is this: two (teen I think) protagonists, one male one female, go into the city to meet someone who sells time. I don’t remember them buying a physical object that facilitates the time travel, but it’s been a while. If it was an object it was a one time use deal. Anyways, they meet with this guy, I wanna way they use the actual word ‘wizard’, who you can buy time from. They buy something like roughly 24 hours, and so they’re sent back a full day, so they can do something… But I don’t think they’re sent back right away, I think they go to sleep that night, and when they wake up, they’ve gone back however long they bought from the guy.
The story I think follows more of a magic realism-ish deal, not overly showy, doesn’t use some weird or dead language, it’s more force of will type thing. I remember magic was a main plot point, the time travel was maybe more minor, but AI says there isn’t anything that uses time travel, where time travel isn’t the main plot point.
The following book details could be way off, but this is what I remember: roughly 100-200 is pages, hardback cover, I think the title evokes more of a historical picture, but the book is set in an urban city, so it threw me off once I got into the book, same with the images on the cover I believe. I think it had an overly plastic book cover, like the ones on the Leven Thumps series by Obert Skye. Roughly the same kind of yellow used on the Wrath of Ezra in the above series is used on the cover of this book.

So, I'm looking to do an epic rewatch of the original movies and past seasons before the final season in January. What do you think is the best date to start? I'm thinking Early June and do 1-2 movies/seasons a week before the July date. Or is it better to wait until the 2025 date when it's all done? (I think it'll be New Year's Day)

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First Prev
Anglestan
Augustus 5, 1923
Facility 9, Mancheston
Colonel Jacobs
His hands flew through the folders General Jorgenson and Colonel Thatcher had. There were dozens of them, stacked upon each other all filed in alphabetical order. It had only been a few days since he had woken up from his coma and visited his home— now his mother’s grave. He clenched his fists at the thought. The grief and rage threatened to bubble and spill over once again. He took a deep breath and dragged out the exhale, almost to the point where he had emptied out his lungs.
He was the only one with clearance, and so he couldn’t disclose any of what he learned with his team. They would simply have to trust him and his judgment. Which he was sure they would do. His hands went over one of the folders skimming through it. There were multiple secret projects, but the ones with the most notes were Project S.T.A.R, Project L.U.N.A.R.I, Project R.E.V.I.V.E, Project D.A.W.N, and Project T.E.M.P.L.A.R.
The colonel decided to start with the most notes and papers. Project D.A.W.N.
He skimmed through the notes, reading through some of the details and highlighted words. Project D.A.W.N, the espionage project Thatcher had started placed two spies in Verlin who were to report directly to a Crescent general named Sienna Moretti who was apparently on humanity’s side.
So I was right. There was an espionage element. With the recent attacks and Thatcher’s death, however, it’s safe to assume that it had somehow failed. Either they got found out or they betrayed us. Both seem very likely, but if they were found out, it would be possible that they had died.
He read through all of it before setting the folder down. There were no new notes recently. He sighed and assumed that Project DAWN was a failure. Whether or not the agents were still alive and well, it was too risky to check if they had been compromised. It was better to assume that they had been and cut all contact. The only way to find out now was to go there himself and check. I can’t contact them again. There’s no telling if it would still be Moretti or the agents who would see my messages. It’s a big risk, and judging by the state of things, best to assume it failed.
He picked up another folder. This one had the label ‘under development’ on the folder. Project Templar. He opened the folder and was instantly met with a blueprint and drawings of a massive bipedal machine. It looked humanoid with strange proportions and was supposed to be standing at an impressive 30 meters, or 100 feet. The Titanic Engine Mech for Personal Land Assault and Reconnaissance.
It was apparently a joint project with the Church of Sol, utilizing new and advanced technologies he hadn’t heard of. A 203mm Gatling cannon on one arm, while the other had three different weapons. A massive firestarter that utilized a new type of fuel mixture that could theoretically spew flames a kilometer away using a high-pressure nozzle. The fuel was ignited using an electrical spark. The second weapon was a high-powered light weapon that fired a single powerful beam of focused light that was even further amplified by layers of focusing lenses that could increase its output several times. Its third weapon was… a dust domina?
Mark read through the specifications of the so-called ‘sand cannon’ weapon. It was a massive cannon that accelerated tiny particles several times. Each particle was to be electrically charged, and it would travel at immense speeds. Near impossible speeds. The resulting impact of a microscopic particle at such speeds would be enough to form a small crater and punch through armor like it was nothing. This weapon would fire multiple at the same time, which could literally eat away at anything on the opposing end.
In terms of secondary weapons, the titan had two missile launch chambers in front of its shoulder each containing about 40 missiles, and two massive howitzer cannons on top of it. Both are 800mm in caliber. It had massive stumpy legs that served as bunkers for a small platoon on each leg. Each leg had machine dominas and 155mm cannons. Its chassis held two nuclear reactors inside providing for its power and weaponry. Its armor was the thickest and most ridiculous he’d ever read. Two meters of heavy steel armor.
How far are we in terms of technology? This thing looks like it came out of an H.G. Wells sci-fi novel. He thought, shaking his head. It was over the top, but there was no denying its combat capabilities. If it was already under-developed then it must be the first prototype. This has already been approved. Guess I better see it for myself later and check how it's coming along. Construction apparently started just a few months before the invasion.
Next was project L.U.N.A.R.I. It was a project involving Six. “Huh,” he said, continuing to read on.
The Light Undone: Nocturnal’s Adaptive Resistance Initiative. As he read further, his eyes widened. The reason why Six was so special wasn’t just because of her immunity to all strigoi weaknesses, but because of her impressive ability to turn any true born strigoi like her. She could transfer her strain like any other strigoi and transform them into a version of hers. It however only seemed to work for naturally born strigoi. The new species of ‘half-breeds’ were called ‘Blessed Children’ as Thatcher had coined in the folder.
The plan was to turn all willing true-born hemolite strigoi into these blessed children. Able to withstand the sun. Immune to silver. Free from the dependency on blood. They could remove all the weaknesses of the strigoi and after the war— make it possible to integrate them into society as normal citizens living on the surface. The project folder also made mentions of a city-wide draft in Dante and highlighted the possibility of turning all Dantenite true born strigoi into these blessed children and renaming them as ‘Lunari’. A mix of the dark and the light. The light of Sol reflected in the children of the night.
“Thatcher, what the fuck have you been up to…” Mark whispered to himself.
While it was true that it could help in the war effort by utilizing Six and the dantenite population, it would also invite some unforeseen problems and consequences. Would humanity be okay with the Lunari? Would the world even be ready for them? Strigoi who were immune to the sun. They wouldn’t be impossible to kill, but they would be immensely more powerful if we were to take away their inherent weaknesses. This is a gamble. Its gain would only be seen during the war period, but its unintended effects on society could be catastrophic.
He frowned, setting the folder down. It was obviously Thatcher’s main plan; seeing as all her moves could be traced to the path of the eventual completion of this project. It seemed dangerous in the long run, but the duskwalkers and dantenites had been monumental in the war effort. Maybe it was the time the world started to accept them more. Isolation and segregation was definitely not the way to disperse fears and foster understanding.
If Thatcher thinks this is the next step forward… then I’ll put my faith in her plans.
Next up was Project S.T.A.R, or the Superior Tech and Adaptive Resistance. An upgrade to the current hemolite weapons and gear by using new researched studies. The Starfire Pattern Domina. The SFD-23 This thing features a new loading system and magazine, ditching the rotating cylinder most domina used, or the rotating helix magazine design of the current hemolite standard BM-16 domina.
The new domina had its magazine like a box… a strange design but it was certainly easier to handle than the bulky cylinders the helical mags used. In terms of ergonomics, it was smoother and fit more. Its placement however was on top of the domina, just above the barrel. Most of the weapon were to be made of lightweight polymers and the barrel itself were to be crafted out of reinforced aluminium. In addition to that, it had a 10-inch bayonet attached to it.
There were other new things as well, such as the composition of the bullet. Looking at the conceptual cross-section designs, Mark read through its description and how it would function. A .308 cased telescoped bullet covered in a silver jacket with break-away petals surrounding the main body. Inside the jacket was a penetrator core that was to be made of depleted uranium. It had a small amount of incendiary compound and… powdered white phosphorus behind an explosive compound. The thin silver jacket would deform and trigger the explosive compound inside the body. It would blow up causing massive internal damage and release the incendiary materials into the body with the flecks of powdered white phosphorus. The penetrator core could still potentially keep going and hit a second target, or punch through heavily armored targets.
Part of the new Project S.T.A.R was overhauling the armor and gear of not just the Hemolites but the Hunters as well. Starfire Mk 1. Carapace Armor. Carapace? It looked like plates of steel covered in a rubberized coat. It was supposed to be slipped on over the original hemolite body armor. It added a spring-loaded wrist blade to the gauntlet, a thicker coat made of resistant materials, and added extra padding for the knees, shoulders, and elbows.
However, the hemolites weren’t the only ones mentioned in the folder. It was to serve the Hunters as well. “Hunters…” Mark said. “August’s group is part of this initiative too.” He flipped through some of the pages. There were blueprints and drawings of an armored suit. A mechanized suit even smaller and more compact than the jotunn units. The Mark 1 STR battlesuit. It was supposed to hug the wearer’s frame and increase their overall power. It was supposed to be built of titanium alloy and a heavy steel frame with composite armor. It had a cooling system, life support systems that could recycle bodily fluids, and an exoskeleton frame that could increase the wearer’s strength and speed.
However, the real eye-opener was Thatcher’s notes. She had been ranting about the new human evolution, and how the Hunters were the first of the ‘Solari’. She wanted to enhance human genetics and push past the peak of human ability to reach greater heights. Implants and restructuring of the anatomy to make it more efficient. Using the blood of the goddess herself. She must have lost it. These are the ramblings of a lunatic. At least… if she didn’t mention the goddess. Why was the goddess important here?
The writings ended with the words: “See Project R.E.V.I.V.E, for more details.”
Mark eyed the final folder. His hands shook as he reached out to take it. Flipping it open, his hands nearly dropped it in shock. The goddess Helena was alive. There were pictures of her naked form floating in a giant tube of fluid. There were more of Thatcher’s ramblings and excited rants about the possibilities of such a discovery. Resurrection, Enhancement, and Veneration: Implementation of Visionary Evolution.
The goddess is alive?! According to the file, she’s currently under the Cathedral of New Lundun. Not only that, but the file also detailed the extraterrestrial tech that lay beneath the cathedral. So the goddess is real and she’s— not really a goddess, but rather, a vampyr who created herself a human body to stand in the sun, and decided that it wants to be on humanity’s side… what the fuck.
Mark’s frown and confusion only increased as he read on. Thatcher’s notes seemed to nearly descend into madness as she had written about creating ‘the first hundred’, alluding to the 100 members of the Hunters division. Her plan was to revive the goddess, and with her help and expertise in genetics— use her DNA to transform the Hunters into demi-humans. Super soldiers. Literal children of the goddess Helena. They would then don the STR battlesuits, the first of the superhuman warriors to defend humanity. Solari.
Their lightning-speed advancement into technology was heralded by studying the alien tech, which deepened the understanding of physics and engineering. Nuclear technologies, chemical warfare, new material sciences, the mechs, and walkers, it was spearheaded by trying to reverse-engineer technology centuries ahead of our own… for the past hundred years. It wasn’t completely stolen, however. More or less borrowed ideas that had been made into our own with our own designs and implements. Still, the speed at which the Church and the military had deciphered such advancements all by themselves was… impressive to say the least.
Still, the fact that the goddess was alive, and could be brought back was big news. Checking the file for details, he found that the previous general, Jorgenson, had already approved this project. It was their next step as soon as they returned from New Amsterdam; which never happened.
If Helena was alive, then she could end this war swiftly, or at the very least help greatly like she once did during the War of Darkness. Having the goddess back would throw a massive wrench in the Crescent’s plans. It would certainly be something they wouldn’t expect. Not even I expected this, since many sources say that the goddess had already ascended to watch over humanity, while conspiracy theorists claim she had died in battle and that the Church was worshiping a corpse. This could be the trick up our sleeves that no one would even consider.
The colonel quickly got up from his seat and gathered the main files he had read. He placed them in a bag and rushed outside of his office in Facility 9. He went over to a nearby room and flicked the lights on. “We need to go,” he said. In an instant seven hemolite soldiers got up from whatever they were doing and instantly stood in line.
“Sir! Whatever you need of us, sir,” the group said in unison.
They were Hemo-1. His former squad members. He had taken up Louis' suggestion that they be his personal security detail. It was a shame that he had basically placed the best hemolite team out of commission, but after all he had been through he convinced himself that he could be just a little selfish. He didn’t want to lose any more friends. Not on his watch. Not while he was in an office, and they were out fighting.
“We’re going to New Lundun. Better pack up, it’s going to be a long night.”
“Mark,” Olivia said.
Jacobs turned to her direction and gave her a nod.
“Colonel, sir, may I ask where in New Lundun?”
“Liv, you don’t need to do that with me. Please. I give all of you special permission,” the colonel groaned. “It’s so weird. I mean, ‘captain’ was bad enough, but now you’re acting like I’m an authority figure.”
“You… are, though,” Emma shrugged.
“I’m your friend, and Liv I’m literally your partner. Unless you have some kind of weird fetish, save it for later.”
Olivia grinned, shaking her head. “Duly noted!” she chirped.
“That’s better,” Mark chuckled. “Now come on, we have a cathedral to visit.”
“Uhh, I’m not sure if you noticed, but we’re kinda… strigoi?!” Louis groaned. “I’d burn the moment I step in that place! Plus, it’s coated in silver! Anything I even touch will give me burns!”
“Oh come on, Lou. You have fucking gloves on. As long as you’re not a clumsy dumbass you’ll be fine… oh wait.’
“Uh huh, just sayin’ what I think, boss.”
The group headed out and Mark said something on his radio. He then sat on the ground, making his joints pop. The rest of the squad shrugged and followed his example, sitting down on the grass and waiting for… nothing. Charles and Zach looked at each other in confusion. “Uh, sir?” they asked. “Aren’t we supposed to be heading out and traveling right now?”
“Oh yeah, we’re just waiting.”
“Foooor…?”
The colonel gave them a smirk as a loud noise began to make itself known. A hummingbird transport appeared out of the distance and stopped right above them, slowly descending into the grass. “Being colonel has its perks,” Mark said with a smile. He stood up and hopped inside the hummingbird as soon as it landed. “Come on now! We’ve got work to do! Last one aboard buys everyone food later!”
Emma zipped in before Mark could even finish his sentence, followed by Olivia, Phineas, Charles, Zach, and then Louis, who sadly took too long to process what the colonel said, and lagged behind.
“Aw, man! Fuck this shit.”
“Rules are rules, Lou. Prepare your wallet later.” Mark grinned.
With a smile, the colonel pulled Olivia to his side, who blushed for a moment before shaking her head. “Take us up! New Lundun Cathedral! How long would it take?” he asked the pilot.
“About an hour and a half!” The pilot replied. “Less if you want to get there as soon as possible!”
“Take your time! The night’s still young.”
The hummingbird started to lift up, taking them into the air. The group settled down in their seats and watched outside the open. Mark opened up a bag inside the hummingbird and took out some ear muffs built for a strigoi. Extremely loud noises were damaging for a strigoi’s enhanced hearing, so the military started implementing ear muffs for them after complaints from early deployments of the hemolite squads.
The trip didn’t take too long. In only an hour and twenty minutes they had arrived at the safe zone of New Lundun, heading straight for the cathedral. The night mass had just ended and people were leaving the cathedral. “Looks like we made it in perfect time!” Mark smiled. They hovered for a few minutes in the air before eventually landing down right in front of the statue of Helena.
As soon as they landed, the colonel and his group left the hummingbird. Mark instructed the pilot to wait for them. He went straight for the cathedral with his group following behind. He entered inside, clearing his throat. “Hello?”
“Well this is surely unexpected,” an old man said, walking up to greet them.
“Great Grandfather Aurelius. It’s uh, an honor.”
“Please. The honor is mine… I see you’re the new colonel. Yes, I’ve heard the news,” he said. “Would you mind telling me your name, young man? As well as your companions, if they feel so. I usually don’t allow duskwalkers here but, I have nothing against them. I’ll make an exception for your group.”
“Thank you, Great Grandfather,” Mark replied. “I am Colonel Mark Jacobs. These are my friends and security detail. Olivia, Zach, Phineas, Charles, Emma, and Louis.”
“I see, and what brings you here?”
“Since Thatcher’s demise, I was given access to her research and project folders upon taking up the title. I’ve learned about what’s under your cathedral,” Mark cleared his throat. “Would it be alright if we could see it? I’d like to check it for myself. Of course, under your permission and guidance, Great Grandfather.”
The church head looked from Mark to his companions. He pulled a slight frown and hummed. “Do these companions of yours have the clearance? Surely, we wish to keep our secrets hidden,” he said. Mark nodded.
“They do not have clearance to know what is in Thatcher’s folders and her findings,” the colonel nodded. “However, I give them permission to accompany me, and should they discover things for themselves, then you have my word and my trust that I can keep them from spilling state secrets.”
The Great Grandfather gave a short pause before ultimately relenting. “Very well,” he let out a sigh. “Follow me.”
Aurelius walked behind the altar and pulled the same lever, which opened the same staircase leading underground, where Jorgenson and Thatcher had once gone. “Over here, colonel,” he said. “I do not know you completely yet, but this is a big deal of trust I am giving you. Perhaps you would be the one to do things that Thatcher could not have.”
Mark nodded, he and his group followed the Great Grandfather down the staircase. It led down to a massive underground facility, with numerous priests, researchers, and scientists. Libraries, records, instruments, and artifacts of old. It was a treasure trove of learning.
“So,” Aurelius cleared his throat. “What would you like to know about?”
“This isn’t all of it,” Mark said. “Thatcher mentioned a living, breathing, Helena.”
His group behind him let out a soft gasp, but they tried their best to hide their surprise.
“Hm,” the Great Grandfather nodded. “Perceptive young man aren’t you? Very well.”
They were then led into another room, behind a set of heavy blast doors. If the whole group were trying to hide their surprise then, now they could barely contain it. Even the colonel stared awestruck at the things he had seen. Despite the near-magical objects around them, the true shock was the massive starship at the end of the hallway. “It’s impressive isn’t it?” Aurelius said. “All of the goddess’ artifacts and items at our disposal, to use and learn from, to integrate into our own. This is why Anglestan is the most powerful nation in the UHT in terms of development. When it comes to industry, however, that would go to the UNA. But we share our secrets with them. All our advancements are handed to them first before any other nation.”
“This is all amazing, Great Grandfather,” Mark replied. “But this is not what I’m here for.”
“No, it’s not.” Aurelius nodded.
He led them to another room, one that was sterilized and sported advanced machinery. Things that Mark had never even seen. There were screens with luminous green texts that appeared in front of it. Large panels with numerous keys, levers, and dials. Graphs of all sorts and beeping monitors. In the center, was the very thing he had come all this way to confirm. A large cylinder filled with liquid, sporting tubes and pipes connecting to its base. Inside was a woman of large proportion. Four arms, two legs, and six wings. In her bare chest was a symbol of the sun that seemed to glow dimly.
“There she is, there’s you goddess.”
Neither Mark nor his group spoke a word. He walked up to it, eyeing the woman inside. It really is her. Down to the last details. Golden hair, six limbs, six folded wings, and she looks massive. Probably as big as her statue just outside the cathedral. This is it. The very goddess in the history books, the one spoken about in legends and the one worshiped in the Churches of Sol.
“Can we free her?” he said.
The Great Grandfather nearly choked on his spit upon hearing those words. “Free her?! That could kill her! We don’t even understand this technology, let alone control it!” he said pointing at the panels. “The machines you see here are the best and most advanced we have based on what we can reverse engineer, but even then, the consequences of tampering with its functions may be disastrous!”
“I understand, Great Grandfather,” Mark said. “But we are in a dire situation, and the goddess may be our hope of turning this around. Whatever secrets of her tech that you don’t understand, wouldn’t she be able to teach us directly? What good is she floating around in Sol knows what?”
“That is her miraculous healing fluid. She had already built this contraption centuries ago in case anything were to happen to her, that her body’s natural healing could not sustain,” Aurelius said. “During the War of Darkness, Helena was struck with a weapon so deadly, her very cells began to tear away. The Reaper. Dealt to her by Absolem the progenitor. Her flesh was peeling from her body, and she began to decay whilst she still breathed. She entered this contraption and gave strict instructions to the Great Grandfather at the time, not to interrupt the healing process. The machine that monitored her, however, began to fail over time.”
“So this… these screens and panels…”
“Is only what functions we can understand. We took it upon ourselves to rebuild and study it the best we could. What we have right now is only a cheap imitation of a technology we do not fully comprehend,” he said. “It took us decades to even figure out the fundamentals and create a working prototype of this machine. By some miracle, the goddess’ healing process had remained even while we replaced components of technology ahead of ours.”
“But you know how to free her, don’t you?”
“I… yes.”
“Great Grandfather Aurelius,” Mark began. “We can end this war. Imagine what we could do with the goddess fighting on our side. We could advance even further, we could finally end the bloodshed, and we can show humanity that there is still hope. Imagine how people all over the world would feel seeing as their goddess has returned.”
“I wish I had your enthusiasm,” Aurelius said. “But it is simply too risky. The Church’s duty is to protect Helena and her legacy. We keep her alive, literally and figuratively. She nearly died the last time she was involved in a war. Would you risk losing the goddess?”
“Would you risk humanity losing?”
The Great Grandfather fell silent, looking back at Helena floating inside the tube, then to the panels that controlled it. He frowned and let out a long sigh. “The goddess said that we should not interrupt it. That it would end as soon as it was finished. Maybe we should trust her words.”
Mark shook his head. “I don’t spot a single blemish on the goddess. Not a single scratch,” he argued. “You said it yourself that the machine had begun to fail and you replaced components. How would you know that the thing that’s supposed to wake her up was not tampered with? Think about it. What you may think is a useless piece may be integral to the whole machine. Or maybe your replacements were not up to the task. Just because nothing’s happened doesn’t mean its functions have remained whole.”
“Young man, we simply cannot gamble with the goddess’ life here.”
“Have you no faith? Great Grandfather?”
Aurelius stepped back in shock. Mark’s companions looked at each other, clearly surprised as well. “Mark… I don’t think we should keep arguing with—” Olivia tried to say.
“No,” the colonel said firmly, cutting her off. “Great Grandfather Aurelius, do you think that Helena will not be able to pull through if we wake her? How long has it been? A century? How much longer will we wait? She may be immortal but humans aren’t.”
“I'm sorry, but the chances of failure are too high. The probability of her—”
“I don’t care about the probability! Would you rather put your faith in a statistic?!” Mark raised his voice. “I lost my mother to this war! My friends! My job! My eye, and almost my life! I’ve put mine on the line out there! You don’t know what it’s like out there! Was my mother’s death just a probability too? Was she just a statistic to you?! That as long as the numbers are good, no matter how many are lost, we are ‘winning’?!”
“Mark—!”
“No, Liv! He needs to know what’s really going on out there!” he spat. “Great Grandfather, with all due respect, but you don’t have a damn clue what it’s like to be in the field. You’re a man of faith, aren’t you? Take a risk. Everyone else has.”
Aurelius stood there, dumbfounded. He bit the inside of his cheeks and clenched his fists. “For your insolence, I would have had you flogged and stripped of your rank,” he glared at the young colonel. However, his features slowly softened, letting out a soft sigh. “But I have never seen such conviction. Mighty is your faith.”
The Great Grandfather moved over to the panels and reached into his robe, pulling out from around his neck a key with the symbol of the sun. He inserted it into the machine and turned. A beep sounded, right before Aurelius pulled a lever. In an instant, the fluid inside the glass chamber began to drain out into the tubes under it. Slowly, the chamber emptied and all that was left was the nude form of the goddess sitting in the glass.
“Did it work?” Louis asked, stepping forward and looking at the woman.
Aurelius stayed silent, his hands shaking in anticipation. Mark moved toward the glass chamber, when suddenly, the glass opened up like a door, releasing a fragrant mist. They stood there, watching for a whole minute. Nothing. At first nothing. The Great Grandfather looked like he was about to break down. His knees shook as he covered his mouth, thinking that he was responsible for the death of Helena.
That was when… a soft sound was heard. Movement. Olivia immediately went over to Mark and stood in front of him. Ready to protect him should anything happen. Slowly, the goddess moved more, her arms inched to the side.
Then, her eyes opened.

Predicting the NBA using Monte Carlo Simulations and Advanced Rate Stats
For people new to this, here's some quick links for the yearly recaps: 2020-2021 - 2021-2022 - 2022-2023
TL;DR
Today's Slate (5/17/24)

Home	Away	Spread	Total	Prediction	% home covering	% over
IND	NY	-6	215.5	1065 - 1086	28	45

^{* Includes projections for players listed as questionable
† Unofficial projection due to lack of data
# Indicates # of games worth of data available for this team's lineup}
Notes

• Out/Questionable:
  • IND/NY - O Anunoby ^Out

Game bets

• NY +6 2U @ 1.91
• NY ML 1U @ 3.10
• NY/IND U215.5 2U @ 1.91

Props

• None

If you feel like tipping:
BTC: bc1q339p9sxvk6srp0087c9zaccyc7w9dxu94v7x3k
FAQ: Link to FAQ
Previous Slate (5/16/24)

Home	Away	Spread	Total	Prediction	% home covering	% over	Final
MIN	DEN	-2	205	944 - 925	49	5 ✅	115-70

^\) ^{Includes projections for players listed as questionable
† Unofficial projection due to lack of data
# Indicates # of games worth of data available for this team's lineup}
Notes

• Out/Questionable:
  • None

Game bets

• DEN/MIN U205 2U @ 1.91 ✅

Props

• None

Betting Record
ATS/OU: 1-0 (+1.82U)
Props: 0-0 (+0.00U)
Season ATS/OU: 354-342 (-41.18U)
Season Props: 106-131 (-68.32U)
Daily Model Record
ATS: 0-0
O/U: 1-0
Total Model Record (ATS > +/- 15%, OU > +/- 5%)
ATS: 168-133 (56%)
O/U: 239-194 (55%)

In the past few days, I saw some pictures of my former high school teachers living their lives overseas and I found myself tearing up because I'm genuinely happy for them.
Alam ko ang struggles ng pagiging public school teacher dito sa Pinas. Overworked, underpaid, and sometimes underappreciated. Naging close ako sa teachers ko noong high school kasi lagi akong kasama sa contests or academic events. Bihira sila magkwento, pero I know they're struggling behind the scenes so I always do my best sa mga nasasalihan ko as a way of making them feel na importante sila sa buhay ng students nila.
Nasa UK na yung former math teacher ko ngayon, and her smile is so different. Alam mong natural and hindi stressed. She's with her British husband and their 1-year old kid. Another is my former science teacher na nasa USA naman and he also looked vibrant sa pictures with her current gf. Complete sa equipment and facilities, and hindi na need maglabas ng pera sa sarili nilang bulsa. Madalas din siyang nagta-travel state by state, unlike dito sa Pinas na halos once a year lang siya makapag-vacation at napakarami pang loans.
They taught me invaluable lessons aside from the ones they teach inside the school premises, and I think I'm a very different person in a lost path without them. Sobrang saya ko kasi deserve nila yung tinatamasa nila ngayon. At the same time, nalulungkot din ako sa teachers here na stuck sa crappy system. Hindi naman mangingibang-bansa kung maayos ang kalakaran dito. Hindi deserve ng Pinoy teachers ang basurang treatment sa sarili nilang bansa.

Part of me is hoping one of the people involved see's this or has info I can use to get more information
Whenever I recollect this to my parents they both say they had zero knowledge about what went on. When I was in 1st grade (2003-2004?)I was called aside from class and taken to a separate administrative room used for extended care. This was a small private roman Catholic pre-k-8th grade school that is part of the South Bay area diocese. I don't remember which teacher or staff member brought me over but I was in the room with two other class mates who I'll call AM and AF (their names both started with "A" one was male and the other female). We were introduced to two college students from a local university which was either San Jose State or Stanford. I maybe wrong but those two stick out the most from what I remember. When the study began we were asked to choose our a toy from a shelf. After we took turns telling a story about an argument or figuring out a conflict. Those details I can't remember as it's been around 20 years since. When I went to college for psych I learned this is often a tactic similar to that used when kids have been SA'd. As far as I know I was never a victim but the common denominator was that we were part of broken house holds. AM was being raised by his mom while his dad was in prison, I was never told why and never asked. AF told me her dad broke up with her mom because he realized he was gay. My parents were in the middle of a divorced because my dad was a violent alcoholic. My main concern behind all this is that no one actually consented or informed and that this was potentially used as data for something more important. I basically feel gas lit about this ever happening as I fell out of touch whith either classmate and my parents never gave consent for me to be part of this. I don't trust the diocese to give accurate info on this. The school was shady; like it took parents complaining to hang up my graduating class picture in the hall. They completely skipped out class graduating on a wall of class photos that spaned 2 decades. Back in 3rd grade a piece came out in the local paper that the diocese allowed a convicted sex offender to volunteer at around 3 local schools withing the diocese including mine. I definitely came in contact with "Jim" and remember him attempting to groom girls in my class with small gifts.

Hello, I have something that has haunted my mind for years, that you might help me with. When I was younger (2000-ish), the family usually traveled to Germany every now and then, and on the way back we stopped at a supermarket and I got to chose some cereal to bring back home. I always chose the Zimt (cinnamon) ones and I loved them. Now when I'm older and like every other 90's kids want to get high on nostalgia, I was googling and looking for theese cereals. But I can't even find a picture of them. I have tried every Nestlé variant in hope that they would taste the same, but alas they dont. At this point I would be happy to even see a picture of the cereal. From memory i can vaguely recall that the packaging was brown, and probably had "zimt" written on them. In the same series they also had other lookalike cereals. Like chocolate puffs, chips and some honey variant.
Does anyone know what I mean or am I crazy?
Tldr: Does anyone have a picture or link to a Lidl-"cinnamon toast crunch" from early 00's
Thanks!

My mom recently informed me that she met a new friend who just happened to be her neighbor. I was thrilled as due to medical issues she doesn't get out much and dad's gone, so she doesn't have much social interaction. She calls one night and is having a fun night out with her new friend, who grabs the phone and talks to me a bit. Happy to hear my mom talks well about me and how "I should add her to Facebook!" I don't see the harm at the time and add her, shortly going to bed after.
I wake up and find a slew of notifications by the woman, even pictures dating back almost a year now. Strange but..whatever. Typical boomer Facebook user, however that's when I start seeing her posts. CONSTANT sharing of Anti-LGBTQ, "Woke liberal kids ruining the world" and how drag is poisoning the children..somehow plus a plethora of racism and transphobic posts. I'm horrified. Quickly remove and call my mom ASAP. She bushes it off and laughs how ya "So and so says some crazy things". My mom herself is.. rough at times but is actively learning and I've done my fair share of informing her. She's trying her best. I beg and plead for her to avoid this person and run for the hills, worried that she might pick up something and lose all the progress we've made. So far she's stopped going over but still remains civil from afar and told me she's done listening to her. (I hope and she's not just lying to shut me up). But my god, the fear I had thinking THIS is who my mom deems a friend was crazy.

Hello, I started my jouney with excel and my first task was to create a presence list for my company. It was pretty okay until now, especially with the help of ChatGPT. But now I'm stuck. My problem is, that I need to generate a calendar for a whole year, but every column has to be a day. With help of ChatGPT I created a VBA Code to do it, but it always has an error. The code is:

Sub GenerateCalendar() Dim ws As Worksheet Dim startDate As Date Dim endDate As Date Dim currentCell As Range Dim year As Integer currentYear = year(Date) Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Anwesenheit") startDate = DateSerial(currentYear, 8, 1) endDate = DateSerial(currentYear + 1, 8, 31) Set currentCell = ws.Cells(2, 4) Do While startDate <= endDate currentCell.Value = startDate Set currentCell = currentCell.Offset(0, 1) startDate = startDate + 1 Loop End Sub 

(I use Excel in German)
And when I want to execute the code an error appears:
"Errror during compilation: expected: Data field." (I hope I translated it right)
And when the code is opened the "year" in the line "currentYear = year(Date)" has a blue background so i guess that's the issue but I don't know what to do about it.
I use Excel Version 2402 if that's relevant, I use a Windows 11 PC,
Thanks in advance for any tips and help

Article: https://www.useyourbrainforex.com/post/oil-market-volatility-mixed-signals-and-forecast-revisions
The oil market has experienced a rollercoaster of volatility recently, marked by significant fluctuations and mixed signals. Here’s a detailed look at the latest developments:
Supply Pressure and Recovery: In recent trading sessions, oil prices faced substantial pressure from the supply side, causing a notable dip. However, by the end of the sessions, prices managed to recover dynamically, closing the day slightly positive. Despite this recovery, oil prices remain in a consolidation phase that has persisted for about two weeks, indicating ongoing uncertainty and cautious trading behavior among market participants.
IEA Lowers Demand Forecast: A major development came from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which recently revised its global oil demand growth forecast for 2024 downward. The IEA now predicts that global oil demand will grow by 1.1 million barrels per day this year, a decrease of 140,000 barrels per day from its previous forecast. This revision highlights concerns about slower economic activity and weaker-than-expected oil consumption, particularly in developed OECD countries. These new estimates are significantly lower than those from OPEC, which forecasted a more optimistic demand growth of 2.25 million barrels per day. The contrasting forecasts underscore differing perspectives on the future trajectory of global oil demand.
Positive U.S. Inventory Data: In contrast to the IEA's report, the U.S. Department of Energy provided some positive news regarding fuel inventories. According to their report, U.S. crude oil inventories fell by 2.51 million barrels last week. Additionally, gasoline and distillate inventories also declined, which was an unexpected and positive surprise. This reduction suggests a potential revival in current fuel demand in the U.S., possibly signaling the beginning of seasonal demand associated with summer travel. The positive inventory data helped oil prices recover from earlier declines, providing a temporary boost to market sentiment.
Ongoing Challenges: Despite the positive impact of the U.S. inventory data, the broader trend in oil prices remains challenging. The market is struggling to achieve sustained price increases. Without a strong fundamental catalyst, such as significant changes in supply or demand dynamics, breaking out of the current consolidation phase will be difficult. Market participants are likely waiting for more concrete signals or developments to drive prices higher in a sustained manner. As it stands, the oil market continues to navigate a period of uncertainty, with mixed signals and fluctuating prices reflecting the complex interplay of various market forces.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the oil market? Do you think the seasonal demand from summer travel will be enough to drive prices up, or are we looking at continued volatility? Share your insights below! 👇

Ok, so obviously people are pretty mad that a free game with a bunch of iconic characters already is launching with one character who isn't highly requested. People are freaking out about how the launch is the most important time for a game's life, and that if there's one singular character that people don't like, the entire game is going to die instantly. So many people are asking, "Why add a character nobody asked for?"
But, hear me out, I actually think this might make sense on a few different levels. I have no idea if any of these reasons were why he was chosen. It's possible that it's a combination of them. But here are the reasons, in no particular order:

Reason 1: He was originally fleshed out in order to be a common enemy in the PvE mode, but ended up so close to playable they just ended up going for it.

This is what I assume lead to the idea in the first place. PvE mode required a bunch of new content, and Banana Guard was part of some campaign. He was already a summonable item in the Beta, which gave them a head start already, but all he really did was run across the stage back and forth. So they had to flesh him out a bit for him to work.
So they gave him a bunch of new animations, a few silly attacks, maybe a couple dodges, maybe they made him playable as part of a developer debug mode to test him out (which is EXTREMELY common, by the way), and realized one day "oh crap, this guy is like 99% of the way to being playable!" They could either leave it or say "fuck it, let's just finish it and put it in the game!"
I assume it was just a really easy character to add at the end of the day, and that he'll end up being a very simple character as a result. Essentially a playable goomba. Which leads to my next guess:

Reason 2: Joke characters are popular in fighting games.

If you watch Adventure Time, you'll know that Banana Guards are basically completely useless. They never do anything cool at all, at any time through the entire show, and end up getting completely decimated nearly in every scene. They're weak, stupid, and totally useless cannon fodder.
So, being weak, and being totally irrelevant, makes them a pretty good candidate for purposefully bad.
It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a staple of competitive fighting games. Dan Hibiki, Pichu, Roll, Hercule, and dozens more I don't really care to research. Like it or not, there's a huge audience that loves picking the shitty, weak, broken character and styling on their opponent anyway, giving them an additional handicap to overcome. In a way, I really can't think of a better character than Banana Guard for this role. That's practically their role in Adventure Time to begin with.

Reason 3: No Publicity is Bad Publicity.

Whether you agree or disagree, chances are, you've heard this statement. And this outrage, I wouldn't be surprised if that was part of why specifically he was chosen for a relaunch character. We need people talking about the game, so why not have people talk about a totally out-there character? A few clickbait articles about the new character everybody hates? That's a huge new audience that's hearing about Multiversus for the first time, and learning it came back.
This creates controversy, and gets people talking. Talking about Multiversus, creating free word-of-mouth advertising.
Personally I think that's giving WB marketing WAY too much credit, and frankly I don't think they're smart enough to intentionally do that. With all the Banana hints on Twitter, I think it's pretty clear that, regardless of what the community thinks is obvious, THEY truly believe it to be an awesome, hilarious character. That it's just hilarious to play as a Banana in a fighting game.
But intentionally or not, I think it's working. I've seen WAAAAAAAAY more discussion about Banana Guard in the past 6 hours than ANYTHING pertaining to the Joker, who I think we can all agree, is a billion times more popular and iconic. Joker is expected. Banana Guard is controversial.
Which actually leads me to my next guess:

Reason 4: To create Fortnite Brand Confusion, and Capitalize on Popularity of Minions (yes really).

I'm not sure if this reason is genius or stupid. But look at Fortnite. In every single advertisement for the game, EVERY SINGLE ONE, they advertise Peely front and center. He's practically the game's mascot behind Jonesy (the blond guy). And I'm sure kids LOVE Peely, and going around shooting people as a giant Banana Man.
Obviously Banana Guard isn't literally Peely, but I can see them adding him in as a way to attract Fortnite players. "We can't get Peely, buuuuuut we got somebody else pretty close!"
Also I realized when describing Banana Guard from Adventure Time, there's quite a lot of overlap between them and the Minions from Despicable Me. Both are dumb, silly, useless, incompetant Yellow stubby "funny" boneheads. I really wonder if Banana Guard was chosen to be the honorary Minions Rep.

Reason 5: Hype is a Marathon, not a Sprint.

This is why I think, specifically, he's being released on Day 1 (assuming that is, indeed, the case) rather than, say, Dexter or Beetlejuice. Or any other big heavy hitter.
People are panicking right now, so hard, that Multiversus will be "dead on arrival". That it'll die unless it receives 10 Banger new characters day 1.
And I get the fear. Lots of Live Service games die. You need to hook an audience in. But here's what I think: They already did that just fine.
The game's been offline for a year, and their "Mic Test" exploded on the internet. People want this game to just come back. People are chomping at the bit. People spend every single day bitching on this subreddit about them not saying enough, or not coming back fast enough.
People are hyped, but more importantly, they need to STAY HYPED. Not just on launch, but for the next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, and so on.
I get the idea that Multiversus devs should just blow their load entirely and release 10 new banger top-shelf characters on Day 1 to create the biggest Explosion of Hype possible. But they need to save a heavy hitter for 2 months from now, when people are getting bored and need to be hooked into playing for another 2 months with a new rush of players and brand new content, and so on and so fourth. If the Launch is full of excitement and wonder, with trillions of new players hooked and waiting for new exciting content, and the devs are left with their dicks in their hands with nothing to show because they released all their best characters at launch, where does that leave Multiversus? Pretty much exactly where they were at the end of the Beta.
And I don't think Banana Guard is going to bring that hype back, after a few months have passed. I've seen a lot of people say this isn't the time, that adding a joke character like this at launch will tank the game, and they should save a character like this for the "right time", 10 characters or so from now. But the thing is, what if the hype is dying down then? What if Multiversus REALLY needs a boost that, say, Dexter or Daffy Duck or Beetlejuice could provide? But Multiversus already revealed them at the start, and all they have left is Banana Guard waiting to be released? That's not gonna bring people back after 10 months!
The relaunch already has Joker, [INSERT CHARACTER 3 HERE], and the entire Beta Cast, as well as new PVE content. I'd look at Banana Guard as a side-bonus, not a hype-killer. Just the cherry on top of the sundae. Not enough heavy hitters? Just wait a couple months, when the devs will want to add another influx of new players.
Remember, the Beta didn't end because the characters they picked weren't good enough and people didn't stick around (despite what I've seen some people claim). Players left because, after months of characters being released every 2 weeks at a completely unsustainable pace, the Devs ran out of characters and we went an entire season with only Marvin the Martian left. I don't think that would've changed if it was Harry Potter instead, the Beta still would've died either way.

Reason 6: It's just a really, really, REALLY silly fighting game.

Imagine that. Imagine if one of the fighters was a Green Dog that spit fireballs? Or Shaggy, but the meme version where he has DBZ powers? Or Lebron James from Space Jam 2? Or Velma revealing the opposing player is actually Old Man Jenkins in desguise. Or Taz transforming you into a giant cooked chicken that runs around.
Imagine if they released Joker, and gave him a move referencing "I'm the Joker, Baby!" Or if they copyrighted Big Chungus to use as a character probably eventually. Or if they released an advertisement TODAY where Finn and Jake rap and Kevin Controy Batman calls himself a "Queen" with a crown graphic on top of his head. Or if the official Multiversus Twitter and all it's affiliates made non-stop Banana Puns when they were supposed to be advertising the game instead.
Basically...maybe relax?
I'm not saying you aren't allowed to be disappointed that you didn't get a different character. But I think some perspective can help. I think remembering what kind of game this is, always was, and always will be, can help set the tone for this.
This is gonna be the fighting game where Batman can fight Lebron James, Big Chungus, Ultra Instinct Shaggy...and a talking stupid Banana. This is completely 100000% on-brand for the game you signed up for.

Join us for ExpandingCraft Season 2 – the vanilla survival experience with a twist!
🌍 What is ExpandingCraft? ExpandingCraft is a world with a tiny world border that gradually expands. Season 1 began with a 4x4 chunk border, gradually expanding to a bigger yet moderately sized world over a year and a half. Now, Season 2 just began a bit more than 3 weeks ago. We are currently in a badlands biome with a 16x16 chunks world border.
🏠 Lore-rich Community-driven Gameplay: Join a vibrant community where collaboration and camaraderie thrive. From lore storytelling and events to resource sharing, every member contributes to the rich tapestry of ExpandingCraft; be it with their own solo projects or taking part in community projects.
👥 Mature, Friendly Community: We're seeking players who value maturity, friendliness, and respect. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or new to the game, every adult player is welcome to join our diverse community.
🌐 Server specificities:

• European-hosted server
• 18+ player base
• Fabric 1.20.1 with plans to upgrade to 1.20.4 soon and 1.21 when it eventually releases
• Dynmap, voice chat, and vanilla feeling quality of life datapacks.

Are you ready to stop playing in your remote corner of the world and be part of the Expanders family?
Then please dm me with a little introduction with your age, what motivate you to play ExpandingCraft and join our fresh season 2!

Join us for ExpandingCraft Season 2 – the vanilla survival experience with a twist!
🌍 What is ExpandingCraft? ExpandingCraft is a world with a tiny world border that gradually expands. Season 1 began with a 4x4 chunk border, gradually expanding to a bigger yet moderately sized world over a year and a half. Now, Season 2 just began a bit more than 3 weeks ago. We are currently in a badlands biome with a 16x16 chunks world border.
🏠 Lore-rich Community-driven Gameplay: Join a vibrant community where collaboration and camaraderie thrive. From lore storytelling (sheriff elections, bounty hunting...) and events to resource sharing, every member contributes to the rich tapestry of ExpandingCraft; be it with their own solo projects or taking part in community projects.
👥 Mature, Friendly Community: We're seeking players who value maturity, friendliness, and respect. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or new to the game, every adult player is welcome to join our diverse community.
🌐 Server specificities:

• European-hosted server
• 18+ player base
• Fabric 1.20.1 with plans to upgrade to 1.20.4 soon and 1.21 when it eventually releases
• Dynmap, voice chat, and vanilla feeling quality of life datapacks.

Are you ready to stop playing in your remote corner of the world and be part of the Expanders family?
Then please dm me with a little introduction with your age, what motivate you to play ExpandingCraft and join our fresh season 2!