Welcome to our fifth discussion of Leviathan Wakes. Hold onto your cool detective hats or your environment suits, because we finally get some answers to our mystery! This week, we will discuss Chapters 34-40. The Marginalia post is here. You can find the Schedule here.
The discussion questions are below. One note - this is a very popular book series and TV show, but please keep in mind that not everyone has read or watched already, so be mindful not to include anything that could be a hint or a spoiler! Please mark spoilers not related to this section of the book using the format > ! Spoiler text here !< (without any spaces between the characters themselves or between the characters and the first and last words).
Now brace yourselves: here comes the juice!
Chapter Summaries:
Chapter 34 - Miller: Detective Miller and the crew of the Roci board the hidden ship (the one that captured the crew of the Scopuli before destroying it), wearing environment suits because the ship has no atmosphere - someone left the doors open. They stick together at first as they move through the ship, discovering signs of a struggle, zombie vomit, and twelve torpedo tubes big enough to destroy capital ships like the Donnager or the Canterbury. Miller uses his detective skills to determine that everyone but Julie retreated to engineering. Once there, they discover a truly grisly sight: layers of human flesh and bones are sort of fused around the reactor, which has been shut down. Naomi and Holden gasp in shock and disgust, Miller turns on his cop brain to suppress emotion and view it as a crime scene, and Amos seems… calm and able to ignore the gore. The team splits up to look for more clues.
Amos stays in engineering to start up the computers and get the reactor back online. Naomi works on the ops deck to run diagnostics. Miller and Holden head to the bridge, which wasn’t affected by the fighting onboard. Miller reviews the internal feeds and finds footage showing the captured Scopuli crew being led onto the ship, stripped, and put in restraints. Julie fights back viciously but is knocked unconscious and stuffed in a locker with a jumpsuit (which is where we met her in the prologue). The crew is left in the galley for 132 hours before they decide to make a stand, but it is quickly suppressed. One of the crew is thrown out an airlock and the others are heavily restrained as they scream and cry. Just as Miller gets to the first appearance of a vomit zombie (at hour 160 of footage), Amos yells that he’s been exposed to some radiation because the human flesh blob had damaged the reactor shielding. He decides to keep working while Alex monitors his health status from the Roci.
Then Holden calls Miller over to view one of the last feeds Julie accessed. It’s a corporate presentation video created for a man named Dresden and the board of Protogen. It features a man Miller dubs “the sociopath” because of his cold, practiced smile…and because of the content. The sociopath tells the board (and us) the history of scientific discovery on Phoebe, which was thought to just be a moon and a source of water, but became a research station when a survey found complex silicon structures in the ice. Protogen was tasked with investigating and discovered that Phoebe is not a moon but evidence of a galactic biosphere: it is an alien weapon sent towards Earth 2 ⅓ billion years ago, which never made it because of orbital mechanics. Protogen has discovered that this weapon is not alive per se; rather, it is something they’ve termed the “protomolecule” which has the ability to maintain structure while replicating other systems and manipulating them at scalable rates. Of course, they alerted the proper authorities and made sure… just kidding, they’ve secretly been doing tests. The sociopath believes that whoever controls the protomolecule will gain control of all political and economic power going forward. Chillingly, the sociopath urges them to pursue large-scale testing to understand the protomolecule and its human applications. That large-scale testing is Eros.
TL;DR - Julie found evidence that Protogen (her dad’s company) has discovered an alien weapon, branded it the “protomolecule”, and secretly tested it on the people of Eros (and probably other smaller tests). The entire war has just been a distraction.
Chapter 35 - Holden: Naomi explains that most of the messages on the comm logs have been coded, but the last one is in plain text: the captain informed Thoth Station that the ship was contaminated, everyone was about to die, and the “materials” had been secured. He also planned to send vector data so they could find the ship. The Roci crew put two and alien-symbol-for-two together: they figure out that the captain has locked protomolecule samples in his safe. They also decide that the tightbeam messages were being sent to a secret research station Protogen was using to monitor the Eros experiment. Even though the fact “Naomi is the best” is a proven concept on par with “space is cold”, she is NOT able to open the captain’s safe, so they decide to cut it out of the wall and bring it with them on the Roci. They also scuttle the ship so no one can a) recover the stealth technology and alien weapons, or b) get exposed to the protomolecule-human soup inside. (Amos would have preferred to hack the frozen dead body goo off the reactor with a chainsaw and salvage such an impressive and expensive ship, which is… another way to go.)
It’s clear that someone else with stealth tech is searching actively for this ship, but the Roci won’t see them coming so they decide to get the hell out of Dodge. Naomi jokes that their options include turning the safe over to the OPA (they’d be heroes), selling out to Mars (they’d be rich), or starting their own biotech firm (just kidding, that’s evil). When Miller checks in with Holden about a decision on where to go next, he drops a figurative bomb on him regarding actual bombs in the news. Since Holden did his best Edward Snowden impersonation and leaked the data that the mystery ships are from Earth, Mars asked a few too many questions and in response, Earth has blown up a whole bunch of Martian ships and destroyed the Deimos deep radar station. Miller ruefully gives Holden credit for sticking to his guns about his belief in “free information”. He also points out that Holden’s principles make him responsible for all those deaths and the destruction of the Earth-Mars Coalition… and possibly the universe as they know it.
Chapter 36 - Miller: The war between Mars and the Belt seems like no big deal now that Earth and Mars are fighting. Miller watches the news feeds as the conflict turns into a blockade, and he realizes he is steeling himself for an announcement of a planetary attack on Earth or Mars, but it never comes. He and Amos deal with the stress by having beer for breakfast.
Miller meets up with Holden in the med bay for their routine blood flushes and cancer treatments, and they reopen their debate about what to do with the data files and who is to blame for the war(s).

• Holden’s position: Broadcast everything to everyone! (I know, I know, so out of character, right?) People will understand that they’ve been set up and will turn their wrath on Protogen instead of each other. Also, these are ancient conflicts. The Belt has always hated Mars and the inner planets in general. Mars and Earth have always had animosities secretly brewing and they do military training for the inevitable showdown. Or as Miller puts it, “Not my powder keg; I just brought the match.”
• Miller’s position: Stop and consider what people will do if they hear an Earth company did this. Every other data leak has been used as an excuse to shoot at someone the other side doesn’t like. Also, people suck. They aren’t going to hold hands and sing Kumbaya just because Protogen is the bad guy. They’ll move on to shooting each other so they can be the ones to control the protomolecule. Or as Holden puts it, “Maybe Protogen is a little right. People are too dumb to be trusted with big information so we should keep hard, scary stuff a big secret. That’ll totally work out.”

Holden’s idealism starts to fade as he takes in Miller’s hard truths about humanity. To be fair, Miller loses a little idealism over his perceptions of the inner planets’ relationship which, to the Belt, seemed stable and friendly enough (and united against them). Miller encourages Holden to use Naomi’s judgment as a measuring stick for whether something is right (similar to how he uses illusion-Julie as his conscience and sounding board) and then he goes back to the news feeds to watch Ceres slowly collapse into chaos. Holden decides the only person and place he trusts - or at least doesn’t completely distrust - is Fred Johnson on Tycho Station, so they head there. Holden also wonders why they don’t just destroy the safe and make sure everyone stays away from Eros and Phoebe; Miller admits it’s because the protomolecule might just be the holy grail.
Chapter 37 - Holden: The crew of the Roci is taking a break from doom scrolling to cook fake space lasagna for dinner and bond over the food and conversation. As Holden watches the crew laugh at Amos’s belches and Miller’s wild story about cheese smuggling, he reflects that they represent all three prongs of the conflict: Naomi and Miller are Belters, Amos and he are from Earth, and Alex is from Mars. Yet they’re friends, and Holden knows this is what they have to fight for. The cheese smuggling makes no sense to Amos (why cheese and not drugs?), and Naomi points out that this illustrates how little people from the inner planets understand Belters. Earthers have free air and easy access to resources, while Belters know everything that sustains life is rare and their access to it is fragile. And this is why Protogen didn’t blink an eye before killing 1.5 million Belters on Eros: they’re “other”. Then Alex points out that this doesn’t make sense; it's a risky and unnecessarily complicated way to kill people just to satisfy prejudices. It becomes clear that Eros isn’t a hate crime, it’s a vacuum-sealed test tube to let the protomolecule learn how to do its job better by giving it access to a huge amount of biomass. The early transformations looked incomplete, as if it didn’t know how to work with human flesh yet, so Protogen was giving it a chance to train. Holden wants to know where they would even find enough people who would support an evil operation like this, and Miller promises to ask Dresden (the Protogen board member mentioned in the video) when they meet him. Something tells me that conversation won’t go well.
As the Roci approaches Tycho station, Holden and Miller take in the view of the Nauvoo, the partially constructed Mormon generation ship. When Miller says the Mormans may be in for a long and lonely death if they don’t find a habitable planet, Holden notes that this is the good kind of galactic exploration humans can accomplish (the protomolecule being the bad kind). Miller then asks Holden why he trusts Fred, and Holden explains that in addition to being the only person who hasn’t tried to jail them or blow them up since all this began, Fred is “real OPA”: he’s a politician and not part of the war-mongering factions who think they can survive indefinitely without the inner planets. When Miller points out that there isn’t a political solution to Protogen, Holden insists Fred has other skills, too. Later, Fred reads through all the information on the protomolecule and is incredulous that anyone could think to do this. Miller assures him that genocide is an old-school crime and it’s important that they stop it. Holden offers up the location of the observation station in exchange for enough OPA fighters to take down Protogen, and the right to retain custody of the safe and its contents. Fred agrees only after Holden points out that no one else can be trusted to do the right thing with a secret this big. Plus, he says Fred already knows what Holden will do with it.
Chapter 38 - Miller: It feels strange to Miller to explore the wide open spaces of Tycho Station, the fanciest place he has ever set foot on. He notices Naomi working on her hand terminal and letting her food get cold; she is too preoccupied with trying to figure out the location of the station to enjoy the amenities. As they talk, Miller is reminded of Havelock’s advice to just let go when he got pulled off a case, which jogs his memory that Havelock actually works for Protogen! (I’m surprised he didn’t get there faster; maybe everyone had a point that he was sort of a washed up detective.) He rushes off to make contact with his old buddy - probably his last real partner ever - in an encrypted drop site of a Ganymede server cluster. As he waits for a response, Miller is amused to realize he has started thinking like Holden: he feels like someone should warn the Mormans that they could potentially run into the alien creators of the protomolecule who may want to kill them. Havelock comes through, passing along the coordinates to a “very scary deep research and development lab” and asking Miller to be discreet never contact him again so he doesn’t get killed for betraying his employer. Miller sends him an encrypted warning to quit his job ASAP and not take postings at any black ops sites, before saying goodbye for the last time to the only person that still respected him as a cop. (I may or may not be sniffling a bit at this.)
Miller rounds up Naomi and Holden so they can bring Fred the coordinates. In Fred’s office, Miller starts lecturing him about the serious nature of the mission and the need to have a solid plan with adequate firepower, not the usual OPA shenanigans. Everyone’s a little confused until they realize that Miller doesn’t know that Fred is “the butcher of Anderson Station” and a former Colonel in the Earth Navy. Fred assures Miller he’s no amateur and will plan ahead. Miller then insists that he get to come along for the assault on Thoth Station. Eight days later, the plan is set in motion and Miller begins packing his meager belongings into a very small bag, figuring he’ll never see the Roci again. Even if he makes it off Thoth alive, he’ll have to figure out a way to make money and improvise a life plan of some sort. He tries to thank Holden and say goodbye, but the Roci’s captain interrupts Miller to ask where they’ll all meet up after the mission is complete. Miller is confused at first, then overcome with emotion when he realizes Holden considers Miller part of the crew! I’m not crying, you’re crying. Actually, it’s Miller who is weeping. But he pulls himself together so he can head to the assault ship.
Chapter 39 - Holden: The Rocinante needs to sneak up on Thoth Station, so they are pretending to be a loose cargo container that broke off the Guy Molinari (the Belter ship carrying the assault team, which is pretending to be a cargo ship). They fly with everything shut down so that it’s more convincing, hoping they can get close enough to the station to do some damage before Thoth starts firing back. As they approach and are able to reboot everything needed for battle, a stealth ship is spied hanging out near Thoth Station. Then, suddenly it becomes clear that there are two small stealth ships, which will be much harder to fight off. Everyone does their jobs efficiently on the Roci, but in the ensuing battle with the stealth ships, they start to take some damage. First, the Roci is hit by a gauss cannon that goes straight through the machine shop and galley. Holden mourns his coffee maker. Amos notices a leak in the maneuvering thrusters and heads to fix it between the inner and outer hulls, which isn’t an ideal place to be floating around during a battle. This stresses Naomi out, but Holden orders everyone to stay focused. They are able to take out one of the stealth ships, but the other gets close enough to do some impressive damage to the Roci. There is major hull damage as well as loss of four maneuvering thrusters, a PDC, their O2 storage, and the crew airlock. Alex is about to destroy the second stealth ship when the Roci’s point defense cannons (PDCs) detonate an enemy warhead up close. It knocks everyone out, punches holes throughout the Roci (narrowly missing Naomi), dislodges equipment, and fills the ship with debris. Holden marvels that they are alive at all, and Alex points out that is only because the ship’s anti-spalling webbing eliminates shrapnel. They make contact with Fred, who says he’ll find them a place to land, and the Guy Molinari prepares for the assault on Thoth Station. It’s Miller’s turn to shine!
Chapter 40 - Miller: On the Guy Molinari, Miller is talking to a Belter kid named Diogo as they wait for the assault to start. Miller realizes that while he has fancy Martian armor from the Roci and experience with gunfights in station corridors, he is surrounded by inexperienced young Belters with borrowed gear, and he will likely have to watch dozens of them die during the battle. But Diogo isn’t worried; he is confident and eager to get started. Fred announces that they are ready to start boarding since the Roci gave them the “all clear”, and Miller is happy to hear his friends have survived. The assault on the station starts off rough, with Protogen soldiers fighting them in the corridors and automatic defense lasers taking out some of the Belters in the first wave. But Fred knows how to command his OPA “troops” and keep them in line, and things start to go more smoothly as they slow down and maneuver carefully. Miller and Diogo are part of a group taking shelter at Fred’s direction and fending off Protogen counterattacks, and they start to talk during a lull. When two Protogen soldiers sneak up on them from behind, Diogo is hit and Miller chastises himself for chatting during a battle and not staying alert. He thinks Diogo is dead, but he pops up laughing and streaked with white goo from crowd suppression rounds, which Miller finds an odd choice of weapon. It’s the first sign that Thoth Station may not totally understand what’s happening. The OPA soldiers cut their way through the blast doors to get to the operations center, where they find Dresden (the dude mentioned in the sociopath’s Protogen video). Fred arrives to take command of the station, and Dresden offers to negotiate, clearly misunderstanding the reason for the assault. He offers to give the OPA whatever resources they need to go back to fighting their war (money, medical supplies, weapons, ordnance) if they’ll just leave and let the station get back to their very important work. Fred points out that they know about Eros, but Dresden insists no one knows what they did there, and there won’t be a better bargaining position for Fred when Earth sends its battleships. Fred basically calls Dresden Satan, but Dresden doesn’t understand the reference.

Received a rejection letter from NUS 2 days ago and decided to appeal(quite likely gonna write an appeal to NTU also)though the 2 unis have different word count limits (nus 100 words and ntu 250 words) I think the gist of the appeal is quite similar. could anyone share some useful suggestions on how to make my appeals stand out?(I plan to appeal for engineering courses like ee for both uni)(my A's are PCME AAAC)
plus:I heard for nus some people will put civil engineering just cos it is less popular and demanding,then switch to other engineering like ee ise due to common admission courses. is this plausible?

Hello everyone!
I hope someone will be able to help me. Until recently I was bound to Amazon by my good ol' Kindle Paperwight. A few weeks ago I finally bought a Onyx Boox device and shortly after discovered how to convert my kindle-E-Books to ePub :) Over all it's working really well and I'm really happy - except for something I found happening with some of my books.
Sometimes when I convert a AZW3 book to an EPUB strange pagebreaks show up when I read the books on my Onyx device:
https://preview.redd.it/c3kniwznd61d1.png?width=1263&format=png&auto=webp&s=962c5f6228891319b871f492b40383457e955e3e
https://preview.redd.it/cz8ew51od61d1.png?width=1263&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab2010540b0949e13ce4c9b196f93684b1e1b67e
I've been googling and trying to solve my problem for hours yesterday but I'm not quite sure how to google it. The only answers I found were not helping. It does not happen with every kindle e-book, only with a few (I didn't open every single book I converted - over the years my kindle-library grew and grew and I have amassed over 300 books so it's not easy to check if 50% of all books have the problem or less or if the books where the problem arises have something in common) :/
Another thing to note: Those page-breaks only show up on my e-reader device. When I open the books in Calibre it's beautiful.
Things I tried already:

• At first I've converted the files via DeDRM.
• After googling I installed KindleUnpack and did a test with the plugin - same result.
• I tried different Output Profiles when converting (Kindle Paperwhite 3, Generic E-Ink HD, Tablet)
• Different input profiles when converting (Default, Kindle)
• Heuristic processing.

I'm all out of ideas. It's not an end-of-the-world-problem but it's kinda annoying when reading so I'd really like to solve it somehow.

Hi All
In the process of applying citizenship, meet all requirements just had one niggling doubt and want clarity
We have the passport to prove with stamps entry and exit for last 3 years. As applying for Spouse Citizenship requirement is only 3 years. Having read the guidance my understanding is that if we have the stamps to prove, then we don't need letters/documents as proof such as P60. Ive included the screenshot from the guidance.
Please can I get some clarity

Hey Jstlk. I know you just had your stream with mrgirl the other night, but I really didn't expect it to take a meager 24 hours for you to follow suit and take arms against major figures in DGG over something that is almost entirely your fault.
Your name fucking sucks. You know it isn't clear - you even have a dumb AI song about how unclear it is. The thing is, while that lack of clarity and comments generated around not knowing your name might be humorous to YOU, it is one of those things that is only funny to you. Having a name that is hard to read and hard to say is not funny, and it will lead people to misinterpreting (or in some cases, just taking a stab at) pronouncing your name, or just make you too obtuse to be memorable. You have done yourself a giant disservice to this end by having the largest cluster of intelligible letters in your shit name spell the word "stalker" without vowels. Do you think Dan was the first person to read your name as ((J))stalker, or even just "'J'stalker"? Do you think during an I:P conflict with mass coverage, the word "Jew" isn't on the front of people's minds?
The problem is you have shit branding, and rather than take responsibility, you are blaming Dan for why you can't do a face reveal. Not only that, you are blackmailing him to fix a problem with your own shit branding that is entirely under your control. News flash retard, your name fucking sucks - you could rebrand tomorrow with a real name, but you won't - your ego is too big to drop your name, because you think it's a funny meme that people can't say it, and you don't want to admit that you made a fool of yourself by blackmailing the hand that feeds you.
No one likes a friend that blackmails their other friends, full stop. The context around the blackmail just makes you more pathetic. Grow the fuck up, take the L, and apologize to Dan for being a fucking moron who can't take personal responsibility over their bad branding decision before you poison whatever is left of your brand to the only community that watches you.

Hey Guys,
I'm very interested in self-hosting and on my STRATO-Hosting I use Plesk for Website-Management, E-Mail-Management for some Domains and Docker-Management via Portainer.
I like selfhosted stuff, so I get interested in putting things up at home, and outsource some of my softwares into a home server setup.
Right now I use the following softwares:

• Seafile Professional (not inside Docker - as a cloud and file transfer service)
• Portainer (inside a docker-container)
• VaultWarden (for password storage)
• Documenso (for letting clients sign pdf contracts and documents)
• PostgreSQL (as a docker container for Documenso)
• PGAdmin4 (to manage the PostgreSQL-Database for Documenso)
• Heimdall (as a personal dashboard for my services and links)

I like the thought of being able to block out ads in my whole home network and such useful stuff.
On the Server from STRATO runs mainly Plesk. I host some websites (WordPress) there with attached e-mail-services and use it as my server-configuration-software.
Some informations about me:
I'm self-employed (solopreneur) as a professional voice actor, author and ex-in peer.
I use FastBill as an invoice tool, which costs about 30 EUR per month. I use CentralStationCRM as a CRM, which is free for now, but will cost in the future about 15 EUR per month. I use Microsoft 365 for my main-mail-stuff and for Office 365, which costs about 13 EUR per month. I use iCloud for my apple-environment stuff (iPhone, iPad, MacBook), which costs about 3 EUR per month.
I use the free Notion version for Project-Management and my sales pipeline for all my 3 businesses.
The Server at STRATO costs about 18 EUR per month.
I would use the Home Server for blocking ads out, to outsource some softwares from my STRATO Server to my Home Server and I want to try self-hosted alternatives to the things I use on a daily basis. I need to have and grant access to some softwares from everywhere, that's important to me. (e.g. Client signing a contract on Documenso).
Now my questions:

• What softwares would make sense to host on a home server for my case?
• What money could I save, if I self-host some stuff, which I pay for right now?
• Does a home server make sense for me?
• I have an older (2018ish, I think) Lenovo Slim work-pc which is silent, has 32 GB RAM and SSD-Drives. Would this work?
• What benefits could I achieve, I didn't think of?
• What is the downside of this?
• Can I make subdomains link to services running on my home server to access them?

I hope you guys can help me, find out if a home server is a good thing for me. :)
Thank you very much in advance!

The bits:
-Not only does the flesh of Chaos marines fuse with their armor, but their minds also fuse with the machine spirits of their wargear. A Chaos Marine's armor will mutate and be reshaped by the Warp taint to reflect his obsessions and their affinity/allegiance to the gods of Chaos.
-Following the Scouring and the exile to the Eye of Terror, none of the Traitor Primarchs were interested in unifying the Traitor Legions. Mortarion and Lorgar mostly shunned Real Space. Mortarion busied himself in reshaping his Daemon world into an image of his destroyed homeworld Barbarus. Lorgar self-exiled himself to the Daemon world of Sicarus. Magnus focused his attention on curing his legion from their curse of mutation. Fulgrim lost himself in a spiral of excess and pleasure. Perturabo fixated on pursuing his vendetta with the Imperial Fists rather than the pursuit of grand conquest. And so with no unifying leader, the traitor legions were fragmented by infighting and the cruel whims of the Chaos Gods.
-When Abaddon rose as Warmaster, he resolved to learn from the mistakes of his genesire. He swore to never bend the knee to the gods of Chaos, and to never sell his soul to them no matter how tempting their offers of powers. Abaddon refused to surrender his morality for immortal power and guarded it well.
-The 13th Black Crusade hasn't ended. It's reaching its peak in the Indomintus Era. Though Cadia had fallen, the war for the Cadian Gate continues. Furthermore, Abaddon is expanding his warfront elsewhere such as the Nachmund Gauntlet. These are but a few of the schemes Abaddon seeks to enact to topple the Imperium. Should Abaddon succeed in them then the power of Chaos will be unleashed from the Warp toward Terra itself.
-With each conquest, Abaddon paved a path toward Terra. However, what was unknown for the rest of the galaxy was his plan to unpick the veil between the Materium and the Warp. For thousands of years under the cover of false objectives and even entire Black Crusades Abaddon sought out and destroyed the Pylons wherever he found them. Sometimes he did so personally, other times via his agents, or by using the Planet Killer and the Blackstone Fortresses.
-The Fall of Cadia was the culmination of Abaddon's millennia-spanning grand plan, a plan that tied together the events of Pandorax, the Siege of Fenris, and others. The Great Rift was born, flooding the galaxy with the stuff of the Warp. Acting as his vanguard the traitor legions and renegade warbands smashed their way through the Cadian Gate and emerged on the other side. The traitor forces brought destruction and bloodshed to world after world empowering the Warp and causing the daemonic legions to follow in their wake. Invasion after invasion, the Crimson Path expands toward Terra.
-The Chaos Gods and their legions believe that the fall of Terra and the destruction of the Emperor would be the ultimate prize, the conclusion of the war between the Materium and the Immaterium. Yet, Terra's fall is one part of Abaddon's plan for vengeance, not the end. Abaddon is aware that the ultimate victory of the Chaos Gods would be bad for his mortal self so he has no intention of depending on the Chaos Gods in achieving the victory he seeks. For now, Abaddon is all too content to have the forces of Chaos carve a path toward Terra.
-In the Age of the Great Rift, the forces of Chaos are prowling the stars in numbers not seen since the HH. Not even the Imperium Sanctus is safe from their wrath. However, it's in the Imperium Nihilus where they are at their strongest. Isolated from each other and shorn from the guiding light of Terra, the isolated bastions of the Imperium are being beset by the forces of Chaos from within and without. The overstretched defenders of the Imperium still valiantly attempt to stem the overwhelming tides of Chaos, chief among them are Dante and the returned Primarch the Lion who rage against the encircling darkness. Yet their efforts are nothing but futile gestures. Candles of hope set before a raging inferno of hate.
-Roboute launched the Indomintus Crusade to save the Imperium from collapse yet even this colossal assemblage of Imperial might cannot hope to repel every Chaos incursion. Conflicts are flaring up in every Segmentum of the Imperium and in each the influence of the Despoiler can be felt.
-Though Chaos is ascendant gutted on conquest and slaughter, Abaddon knows that he must maintain the momentum of his Black Crusade by feeding it constant conquests and victories or else risk his forces fragmenting before he could topple the Imperium.
-Abaddon and the Black Legion value value renegades from the Space Marine chapters who join their ranks. These turncoats bring them an abundance of information about the Imperium and its defenders allowing Abaddon's formidable intellect to fashion accurate and complex plans that inflict the maximum damage to the Imperium. In the past it allowed the Black Legion to deceive sector fleets, steal geneseed from loyalist chapter strongholds, and strike at key industrial zones.
-Lord Iordax Quan is one of the most singularly dedicated Black Legion commanders to the cause of destroying the Imperium. His focus on the Long War resulted in him rejecting the blessings of the Dark Gods and surrounding himself with fellow true veterans of the Long War whose thirst for vengeance remains undimmed. His focus, his dedication, has led to Abaddon deploying him to crucial warzones. He is currently serving in the Cadian system purging the last Imperial holdouts.
-Solomon Akurra the character from Mike Brooks' novel "Harrowmaster" is mentioned in the codex. Akurra had seized control of the Serpent Teeth's warband and now commands the mobile Star Fort the Unseen. He gathered around him a loose alliance of Alpha Legion warbands that he dubbed the Ghost Legion. In his burning desire to take the fight to the Imperium, he is exploiting the sorry state of the Imperium to add to its misery. Using his strategic mind and the sinister skills of the Alpha Legion, Akurra had deceived entire systems to swear allegiance to the Ghost Legion further destabilizing the Imperium. The majority of the Psyphos subsector is now under his rule. Yet this is merely the start of the seeds of anarchy he will plant in Segmentum Pacificus.
-When the Great Rift opened, the three stars of a system close to the galactic core and bordering the territories of the Greater Thurian League were swallowed up by the expanding Warpstorm known to the Kin as Orgvayr. The surging Warp energy resulted in the trio of stars going supernova at the same time creating a nebula of tainted clouds of astral debris riddled with Warp rifts which acted as refuge for many Chaos warbands including the Iron Warrior warband known as Abrial's Claw. The determined Iron Warriors took to besieging the mighty strongholds of the Kin and several fell before them.
-The short story "The Traitor's Tarot" from the 9th ED CSM codex is again here in the 10th Ed codex. They added four images to accompany the paragraphs that described the heretical artwork. I appreciate rereading the short, it's a good story but I would have very much liked a new story to come with the new codex. You get me?
-Traitor fleets have no fear of the raging tides of the Warp. They sail through and from even the hearts of Warpstorms. The remarkable ease with which the heretics are navigating the turbulent Warp makes it seem that the hands of the Chaos Gods protect them as they emerge over their prey worlds. Within the darkness of the Imperium Nihilus, the traitors have enacted butchery and atrocity of epic proportions on the isolated worlds of the Imperium. The luckiest of their victims are those who meet quick ends. Those who survive face a fate worse than death at the hands of the heretics.
-Worse still for humanity, within Nihilus many of the traitors' unnatural abilities and blessings are being empowered. Their wargear swell and blaze with the power of the Chaos Gods and their sorcery are reaching new levels of dark majesty and potency.
-The isolation of Imperial territories in the Imperium Nihilus made many Imperial worlds and systems believe that they are the last of humanity. Some broke off from Imperial rule and transformed into their own kingdoms and nations. The decline of Imperial faith soon saw these independent realms and worlds rot from the inside out as the insidious whispers of daemons spread to the populace and Chaos cults flourished.
-Traitor empires are rising in the Imperium Nihilus. Worlds that had once served the Imperium now fuel the warbands and legions of Chaos with their resources and industry. Abaddon has a hand in the creation and location of some of these heretical empires. It's unknown whether these empires are part of some scheme of his or are merely a vision of a galaxy under his rule.
-Vashhtorr's origins are unknown, forgotten by history. It's possible he was created by the technological and scientific advancements of the DAoT, spawned by the galaxy-shaping technology of the Old Ones, or came to being when primitives first mastered fire and created sharp tools.
-Vashtorr and Perturabo enjoy a beneficial but less than friendly relationship with each other. They cooperated in many nightmarish projects. The Daemon Primarch has regularly allied his Iron Warrior warbands with the Arkifane.
-Wyrmwood is a perversion of the tunneling devices used by the Old Ones to create the Webway. It's the Key for the Lock of a vault that contains a godly weapon capable of altering the fate of the galaxy. In search for the lock, Wyrmwood carves its way through the Webway and Real Space in an insane pattern known only to Vashtorr. Wyrmwood is unrestrained by the laws of time and space. The Imperial agents are struggling to catch up to Wyrmwood as it emerges into sectors across the breadth of the galaxy. The daemon world is crossing vast tracks of space in mere hours, that would have taken Imperial fleets months to sail through. By the time Imperial fleet heeded distress calls and arrived at Wyrmwood's reported location, the daemonic world engine would have long departed having left behind nothing but ruined worlds and tears in reality.
-Even the Asuryani, who are enraged at the corruption of the Webway technology and fearful of the damage Wyrmwood will inflict on the Webway tunnels, are struggling to track down Wyrmwood. Their seers are unable to crack the code of Vashtorr's insane search pattern. Only Craftworld Altansar, due to their bitter experience with the Warp and its mutilation of reality, are making progress in tracking Wyrmwood. However, thus far, the Asuryani's efforts to draw Vashtorr into battle were met with dismal failure.
-Reports hint that Wyrmwood is about to appear in the Pariah Nexus. Other reports hint that it will appear in the Ghoul Stars. What is certain is that nowhere is safe from Vashtorr's wrath.
-Vashtorr is a timeless being. Linear time is of no consequence to him. While the efforts of his foes might delay his search, he will have his prize sooner or later.
-Vashtorr has near limitless control over technology. The nature and origin of the technology do not matter to Vashtorr, his understanding is without limit. Vashtorr can unmake or take control of any device created by mortal hands with a mere gesture.
-Within the superstructures of the Soul Forges nests the daemon engines known as the Venomcrawlers. They hunt and down devour daemonic entities that get discarded by Warpsmith and Masters of Possessions. The raging essences of these consumed entities power the daemon engines' weapons. When daemonic prey becomes lacking Venomcrawlers start hunting the Soul Forges' heretic marine masters to keep themselves fed.
-The Dark Mech provides the hosts of Chaos with armor, weapons, daemon engines, and even battle fleets. Without the Dark Mech the armies of Chaos might grind to a halt.
-While the physical shells of captured Imperial war machines are desecrated and reshaped into horrific forms, their machine spirits are sent to the Soul Forges within the Warp to be driven to madness.
-Some Soul Forges are rumored to predate mankind, that they are eternal and ruled over by unknowable entities.
-The captive daemons are dragged screaming by ropes fashioned from the hair of murderers and chains of bones into the Soul Forges where Warpsmiths bind them into daemon engines and then bludgeon them to submission with runic wards and rituals.
-Abaddon is not only feared by the High Lords of Terra. Within the halls of the greatest Xenos Empires, the Warmaster's name invokes fear.
-So mighty has Abaddon become after 10K years that only the Daemon Primarchs could challenge his position. Yet these figures are too focused on their pursuits to risk war with the Despoiler and his vast legion.
-Only Abaddon can unite the forces of Chaos. To do so is a continuous fight for the Warmaster especially when marshaling allied forces whose allegiance belongs to their gods alone. Getting these opposing servants of the Chaos Gods to set aside their rivalries not only for a short period of time but for years is proof of his supreme willpower and the high regard and fear felt toward him by the traitors even by those who hate him and wish him to fail.
-Haarken was once a Night Lord. His ruthlessness saw him rise to the command of the Night Lord warband known as the Gloomtalons. Haarken would lead his warband into raids on the worlds of the Imperium. He would always proclaim his coming victory and a world's doom on the vox broadcasts before leading his formation of raptors through the night sky to butcher any who foolishly resists and make examples of them. Haarken would kidnap the leaders of Imperial worlds and give them the choice of swearing fealty to him or suffering a prolonged agonizing death. Through a network of spies, Haarken ensured the Imperial leaders who bowed before him were kept in line. Thus Haarken grew rich in wealth and plunder. However, despite his successes as a pirate and raider, he found no satisfaction. He felt empty. His black heart yearned to strike a lasting blow against the Imperium.
-Haarken prayers were answered when Abaddon's attention fell on him. During the muster for the fifth Black Crusade, Abaddon offered the Haarken the honor of fighting alongside his Black Legion. Abaddon was straightforward with Haarken. He did not promise Haarken riches and plunder but the chance to strike a telling blow against the hated Imperium. And if he served well Abaddon would grant him further chances to bleed the Imperium. It was as if Abaddon peered through Haarken's soul and fulfilled his deepest desires. Haarken then and there knew he was standing before greatness, a warlord with the strength, charisma, and vision to bring the Imperium crashing down.
-During the battle for the city of Kasyr Lutein, Haarken and his Gloomtalons flew ahead of Abaddon and his Black Legion. Haarken unleashed unspeakable acts of violence and terror on the defenders of the city. The demoralized Imperials were annihilated by the combined might of the Black Legion and the Night Lords.
-Ultimately, the Fifth Black Crusade came to an end and the traitors were forced back to the Eye of Terror. However, the Imperials paid a terrible price to do so and the Elysian sector was ravaged. Having witnessed firsthand the supreme might and leadership of Abaddon, Haarken bent the knee to the Despoiler and donned the black and gold of the Black Legion. Since then Haarken carved a place for himself among the vanguard of the Black Legion eventually earning himself the title of the Worldclaimer for the countless worlds he conquered in the name of Abaddon.
-Abaddon acknowledged the loyalty and good service of Haarken by bestowing upon him the title of the "Herald of the Apocalypse" and the Helspear, a weapon that befits his new position as Abaddon's mouthpiece.
-Haarken is wholly devoted to Abaddon and his cause. From the Nachmund Gauntlet, he is committed to tearing a path toward the Sol system. He yearns for the day when he would drive his spear into Terra's surface and proclaim the end of the rule of the False Emperor.
-The Iron Warriors honor the Chaos Gods as a pantheon, though few among their number are truly devoted. Their true loyalty belongs to their Daemon Primarch whom they believe saved them from being sacrificed by the Emperor.
-Many Chaos warlords look down on the methods of Alpha Legion, but Abaddon does not. Abaddon appreciates their skills and makes good use of them. More than once the Warmaster employed the Alpha Legion to sow discord and anarchy before his invading fleets. However, Abaddon knows that the Alpha Legion are dangerous allies for their goals and true motivations are closely guarded secrets.
-Despite the revulsion and mistrust Abaddon feels toward the Word Bearers for reminding him of the shameful depths Horus fell into in his worship of the Chaos Gods. he had made common cause with them on many occasions. The effectiveness of the Word Bearers as warriors, both possessed or not, is something the Warmaster cannot deny. It's a source of strength he cannot afford to discard. Lorgar for his part sees Abaddon as a tool to spread the Word of the Ruinous Powers to the very heart of the Imperium.
-Most Night Lords do not seem to worship the Chaos Gods in the same degree as the other traitor Legions. They fight only for material gain and personal pleasure. They look down on fanatical marines, be they worshipers of Dark Gods or the False Emperor. They place their respect not in faith but in strength, strength and terror.
-The Night Lords will fight for any cause as long as the plunder is good and they have ample opportunity to inflict as much bloodshed and anguish as they can. This made some Night Lords warbands pledge their service to alien warlords.
-After the birth of the Great Rift, the Red Corsairs have become experts in navigating the border regions between Warpstorms and Real Space. They established secret bases in the liminal zones. One of them is a significantly large base called the Tyrant's Gate in the Imperium Nihilus. Every sin and vice is indulged on that world. The world is orbited by weapon shops, docks, and defense platforms. Within the Warp, a sorcerous anchorage allows the battleships of Chaos to translate directly from and to the planet's orbit swiftly.
-Imperial reports that Huron Blackheart was spotted in two Segmentums at once seem to all but confirm that he struck some sort of bargain with the Chaos Gods.
-In exchange for his skill, Fabius had struck bargains with Chaos warlords, including the Daemon Primarch. He favours no client over the other, not even his gene-father.
-In recent years, Fabius has acquired samples from the Primaris marines and the Custodes. What he intends to do with them is unknown.
-The daemon Q'o'ak the Boundless is said to have drawn the ire of his master Tzeentch by meddling in his plans. To rid himself of Q'o'ak's ceaseless meddling, Tzeentch bound him to a weapon. Each time the weapon clashes with an enemy blade, the enemy falls victim to Q'o'ak temporal tampering. How Q'o'ak traverses time while imprisoned within the weapon remains unknown but with each soul he pulls from the web of fate a fresh plume manifests from the weapon's hilt.
Emeys Varran, the Apostle of Discordance, is unusually zealous in his devotion to Dark Gods for a trusted lieutenant of Abaddon. Despite his zealous faith in the Chaos Gods, Varran's true loyalty lies with Abaddon and the Black Legion. He is one of the Warhamer's few trusted confidants. Varran holds an intense and violent hatred toward the Sisters of Battle after losing his left eye to a neural wipe during the siege of the Chaos Knight World of Dharrovar. Abaddon dispatched Varran to aid Haarkin in seizing control of the Nachmund Gauntlet.
The Vashtorr and Black Legion vs T'au short story:
The world that Vashtorr manifested upon had a half-destroyed ancient city. Within the city was a temple whose structure was etched with daemonic scripture. This was Vashtorr's target. The T'au presence on the world was an unexpected complication. The T'au were giving the traitor and heretic forces stiff resistance and barring their way to the temple. The T'au in their determination to cling to the world had littered the battlefield with the Black Legion dead. Yet Vashtorr knew that the mortals' resistance was futile. Wyrmwood was entering into alignment over the world and it would seal their doom.
As Wyrmwood completed its alignment, the planet's surface quaked and monolithic structures erupted from the earth. This disordered the T'au lines and forced them into a fighting retreat. The Black Legion and Vashtorr's tech cultists pressed the attack.
Vashtorr could sense the call of the Warp-tainted relic, how it begged for release. He made his way to the temple but found T'au stubbornly standing between him and it. The Black Legionaries, daemonic engines empowered by Vashtorrr and his servants, and a horde of cultists fell on the T'au. Vashtorr himself joined the fray. With a gesture, he turned the energy of a force field that protected a squad of fire warriors against them. The fire warriors screamed as their armor melted and their skin was seared. The Black Legion marines finished off the reeling survivors with their chainaxes and bolter stocks.
T'au reinforcements sent from their orbiting fleet joined the battle. Battlesuits, tanks, hovering barricades, and aircraft plunged from the skies. The firepower of the T'au scythed through cultists and marines alike.
Vashtorr waded into the T'au lines with his hammer, pulping and smashing the Xenos aside. With a gesture, he unmade a T'au skimmer from within causing it to crash into a trio of battlesuits and explode. Through the flames, he strode toward the temple's entrance only to find his way barred again.
A T'au suit descended down in front of Vashtorr. Its pilot uttered a warcry before shooting Vashtorr. The shots impacted Vashtorr causing him to stagger back slightly. Vashtorr examined his form where the shots were hitting him. His daemon flesh was being burned away revealing the cogs beneath and his form was flickering.
Vashtorr extended his wings and was carried toward his Xenos foe by unholy energies. As he fell upon the battlesuit he projected his voice into its communication system telling the pilot that he was being so proud of the ingenuity of his technology, he was so reliant on the mechanical.
Vashttorr smashed down the battlesuit with his hammer and hit it again and again until he cracked its armor. Then pinned it down with his hoof. From his form tentacles emerged and wormed their way into the suit. Vashtorr poured a fragment of his power into the battlesuit and willed it to be unmade. Even though the pilot's soul was weak and small, he could still feel their fear.
Vashtorr stepped away from the battlesuit's wreckage and strode again toward the temple. As ever mortal resistance was nothing more than obstacles to be overcome by a being of infinite patience such as he. He will find the Lock and then reality itself will tremble before him.

I’ve had small hustles over the years. Nothing majorly successful. How can I learn from these experiences and eventually do better in future endeavors?
10ish years ago- Yard saling and then trying to sell on eBay (couldn’t make reliable income so gave up. “Juice wasn’t worth the squeeze”)
6ish years ago- Sold bumper stickers that I had mass produced in China. (Made a few hundred bucks but hand writing letters was the pits. Not enough growth/profit. (Made under $500, could have continued to sell and could have used my printer for the labels but making $1-2 dollars per order is a tough way to make money.)
2ish years ago- bought two older cars for turo. Rented them out. Made about $800/car per month for 6 months. Struck cash deals with local workers in my area. Made maybe 6k cash from that. (Made maybe 15k in revenue). Cars didn’t depreciate much due to them already being 8 years old. Ended up selling them around the same price I paid. Wrote off most of my income from the mileage deduction.
Turo was a somewhat decent hustle but it was tough because my market was mostly 2-3 day rentals and people go to the beach. So I’m vacuuming cars after work, Meeting the guests, giving them a review on the car and tips for their vacation. I also would rent them a parking space if needed (quite expensive in my city). I could have automated this process somewhat- remote pickup, detailed generic messages, etc.. I never felt like I had the cash flow to hire someone to clean for me, outside of maybe a high school student…
So the trend has been upward but none of these felt like true businesses if that makes any sense?
Any words of encouragement / advice?

Intro:
Ever since the trailer for SotE dropped and we got our first look at Messmer, coupled with the info that Miyazaki has provided in interviews since then, people have theorised that Messmer is the child of Marika ( confirmed ) and Radagon. At first I couldn’t really see this being the case even with the supporting evidence, such as Messmer aligning pretty well aesthetically with the smouldering butterfly, completing the trio alongside Miquella’s nascent butterfly and Malenia’s Aeonian butterfly, as well as the initial letter M in his name suiting the twins’ naming convention along with the obvious red hair.
The reason was simple; if Messmer exists in the Land of Shadow as an already well-established historical figure who seems to have been wiped from the histories of the Lands Between then how could he exist as a sibling to Malenia and Miquella who were born well after the establishment of the Golden Order? Everything about Messmer visually as well as what little we know about his character seems to suggest a strong connection to the twin prodigies, or at the very least Radagon, yet his very place in the word of Elden Ring seems to contradict the idea of him being born any later than Marika’s campaign to become God of the Lands Between. In other words, Messmer’s very existence which seems to only be acknowledged within the confines of the Land of Shadow suggests that he was likely born there and has either been bound to or willingly decided to preside over the Land of Shadow (or possibly even been assigned the Land of Shadow as his domain by Marika herself). There may very well be something concrete I’m overlooking that could explain this discrepancy, if so please let me know.
So how do we reconcile this contradiction? Basically what I’ll be positing is that Messmer is the result of Marika’s first foray into the world of asexual reproduction, the same process that would eventually result in the births of the Twin Prodigies, Miquella and Malenia.
Radagon
One of the biggest mysteries in Elden Ring ever since it’s release has been Radagon. Whether it be his origins, powers or emphasised significance in the Lands Between despite very little information regarding his past, Radagon has been shrouded in mystery. What little info we are given regarding his character only serves to complicate things further, as his statue in the Royal Capital reveals that Radagon is Marika. We know that he was once a champion of the Erdtree Faithful and waged two wars on Liurnia on Marika’s behalf, and that soon after he would fall in love with and marry the Carian Queen Renalla, bringing an end to the conflict and establishing peace between the Carians/Academy of Raya Lucaria and the forces of the Erdtree. As some point after Godfrey’s exile from the Lands Between Marika would call upon Radagon to essentially abandon all his duties/responsibilities in Liurnia and return to the Capital to serve as King Consort and Second Elden Lord. Radagon, being the (in Marika’s own words) “leal hound of the Golden Order” he is, does this without question, but not before leaving an an amber egg behind as his parting gift for Queen Renalla. We don’t have too much to go on from this point on aside from minor interactions/tidbits of info regarding the relationship Radagon seems to have had with his children, as well as the fact that he seems to have been the most ardent supporter of the Golden Order. His story would ultimately culminate in the shattering of the Elden Ring with his role being that of a doomed servant, slaving away in an attempt to repair the Elden Ring despite the futility of it, minding the Elden Ring until the arrival of the next Lord.
I believe that Radagon’s story begins much earlier than initially expected. It was commonly assumed that Radagon was active, at the very least, as a loyal supporter of Marika as far back as Marika’s genocidal campaign against the Giants, but I believe his story begins much earlier than that. I believe that prior to even marching on the Mountaintop of the Giants Marika may have come into some kind of contact with the Fell God, or at the very least an avatar of some kind for the Fell God’s power, and that this encounter left Marika marked with some kind of curse and that this curse would manifest physically. It was this vestige of the Fell God’s influence that had forced Marika to resort to most unusual means of expelling the influence of an Outer God; to simply carve out the piece of her that has been ‘tainted’, so to speak. In order to do this she would need to take full advantage of her power to give life by physically expelling/carving out the part of her that has been cursed by the Fell God and, rather than letting even a piece of her being be taken by death, sprouting that piece of herself into a unique life form in itself. A life form whose sole purpose is to serves as the vessel for a curse. This being would eventually go on to serve Marika and even become her most loyal follower, a natural development given that they are literally a part of her. This part of Marika would eventually go on to become a well established figure among the Erdtree Faithful despite their mysterious beginnings, the only clue to which being his burning red hair; a constant reminder that he was born of a Fell God’s curse.
Messmer
This is where things get a little complicated as we don’t have sufficient enough info to properly speculate imo on the circumstances surrounding the Land of Shadow, but I’ll try anyways. I believe that at the time of making contact with the Fell God, Marika had still been residing in what is now the Land of Shadow. I believe that, prior to marrying Godfrey and securing his might in support of her genocide on the Giants, Marika had already given birth to a child. A child who was marked with the same curse as his father, a burning mane of red hair. As to why Marika would decide to have this child, it could any number of reasons (early attempt at birthing an Empyrean to succeed her, deciding to have a child in case Hoarah Loux wasn’t chill like that and deeming Radagon the only one worthy of being father to the Queen’s son for whatever reason, etc.) but I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch given Marika’s heavy association with the power of giving birth/life, both literal and symbolic. I believe this child to be none other than Messmer.
Seen as this part of history is very murky it’s unclear just how long Marika had stayed in the Land of Shadow. For the sake of speculation I’m going to assume it was long enough for Messmer to have grown into an individual in his own right, perhaps even standing out as a truly faithful servant of the Erdtree just like his father, and a Demigod who might one day be worthy of Empyrean in the eyes of Marika. As Marika’s ambitions eventually led to her union with Hoarah Loux/Godfrey and the establishment of a Royal Line, it was becoming increasingly clear to her that Messmer could not be allowed to exist in a world where his lineage would undermine the claim of her child(ren) with her now-husband and King Consort Godfrey. Marika’s solution was rather blunt yet undoubtedly cruel; if Messmer couldn’t exist in Marika’s New Age then he simply wouldn’t. Prior to embarking on her final campaign, Marika would grant Messmer dominion over the region that is now called the Land of Shadow and would bestow upon him the task of punishing those who are without Grace.
This is where I am yet to decide whether I think Messmer is carrying out Marika’s wishes loyally, completely oblivious to the fact that his mother has virtually erased him from the hearts and minds of all inhabitants of the Lands Between, or if he is aware of the fact that Marika abandoned him in the Land of Shadow and holds some degree of resentment toward her for it but still deciding to ultimately be Lord of the Land of Shadow.
Just a few more things regarding Messmer specifically: - He seems to have heavy association with/control over flames in general, whether this comes down to a connection with Dragons or the Flame of Ruin is anyone’s guess. I personally believe it to be both given that he has the red hair synonymous with Giants in the world of Elden Ring, as well as seemingly draconic features such as his eye and the dragon-like wings on his helmet and all over his snakes (also his drip which many people have compared to the Drake Knight set). - Messmer’s snakes seem to indicate some connection Messmer may have with the Serpent that has only ever been described as an ancient enemy of the Erdtree. If this is the case then not only would it give us an idea of why Messmer might hold some kind of animosity toward Marika/the Erdtree but it would also parallel the biblical serpent (who is Lucifer in disguise) in the Garden of Paradise who leads Adam and Eve to stray from obeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. In this case Messmer would be Elden Ring’s Lucifer; he who was once the most faithful, now the very icon of blasphemy. At this current point in time we can only speculate on his motives, though I suspect he may have been punished and ‘veiled’ beneath the Erdtree/in its shadow (his own ‘hell’ that he claims rulership over) as punishment for embracing things that Marika sought to eventually cull (after the Giants had been slaughtered maybe) despite himself being not only her son but an enforcer of the Golden Order. - Then there’s the case of the butterflies. I still believe there’s a chance that Melina could be matched with the smouldering butterfly though I can’t ignore the glaring possibility that this could very well be Messmer’s butterfly; not only for the visual similarities but also because of the fact that Messmer seems to have a unique relationship with flames, with an NPC even commenting on his flame in particular in the trailer for SotE. There’s also the fact that, despite being present almost anywhere in the Lands Between that has fire, the smouldering butterfly seems to bare connection to and might even come from the Mountaintops of the Giants, further tying Messmer to the Giants/Fell God. Butterflies are also symbols of metamorphosis, transformation and rebirth, and each sibling born of Marika and Radagon seems to experience a “hatching from the cocoon” represented by their butterfly; Malenia Aeonian butterfly representing her blossoming into the Goddess of Rot, Miquella’s butterfly representing his premature removal from his cocoon, and perhaps Messmer’s butterfly represents being born of the Fell God of Flame or maybe it’s just meant to visually represent him. It is possible that Messmer also shares the theme of rebirth through his father Radagon who had gifted the Rune of Rebirth to Renalla, indicating that Radagon was the very least interested enough in rebirth that he decided to extract the rune that was rebirth manifest. I personally think Messmer’s butterfly (if it is indeed his) could symbolise any hope of Messmer’s ‘second life’ in the Lands Between going up in flames as a result of Marika’s actions and subsequent reign.
That’s about all I have for now, feel free to point out anything I may have missed in-game that could reduce my entire theory to smithereens.
TLDR: Marika at some point during her time in the Land of Shadow encountered the Fell God and was marked with a curse. She expelled this curse through what is essentially mitosis in a way, splitting herself in two and having her other half (Radagon) carry the curse (red hair). She then proceeds to have her first child (Messmer) with Radagon before marrying Hoarah Loux/Godfrey and abandoning Messmer in Australia and making sure he never sees the light of day.

1. Resident of NW1 6XE, London
2. Legendary figure found in the opera house
3. 3600 seconds

The name of the game has 6 words The first word has 8 letters The second word has 6 letters The third word is AND The fourth word is THE The fifth word has 8 letters but there is an apostrophe after the 7th letter The sixth word has 4 letters

Intro:
Ever since the trailer for SotE dropped and we got our first look at Messmer, coupled with the info that Miyazaki has provided in interviews since then, people have theorised that Messmer is the child of Marika ( confirmed ) and Radagon. At first I couldn’t really see this being the case even with the supporting evidence, such as Messmer aligning pretty well aesthetically with the smouldering butterfly, completing the trio alongside Miquella’s nascent butterfly and Malenia’s Aeonian butterfly, as well as the initial letter M in his name suiting the twins’ naming convention along with the obvious red hair.
The reason was simple; if Messmer exists in the Land of Shadow as an already well-established historical figure who seems to have been wiped from the histories of the Lands Between then how could he exist as a sibling to Malenia and Miquella who were born well after the establishment of the Golden Order? Everything about Messmer visually as well as what little we know about his character seems to suggest a strong connection to the twin prodigies, or at the very least Radagon, yet his very place in the word of Elden Ring seems to contradict the idea of him being born any later than Marika’s campaign to become God of the Lands Between. In other words, Messmer’s very existence which seems to only be acknowledged within the confines of the Land of Shadow suggests that he was likely born there and has either been bound to or willingly decided to preside over the Land of Shadow (or possibly even been assigned the Land of Shadow as his domain by Marika herself). There may very well be something concrete I’m overlooking that could explain this discrepancy, if so please let me know.
So how do we reconcile this contradiction? Basically what I’ll be positing is that Messmer is the result of Marika’s first foray into the world of asexual reproduction, the same process that would eventually result in the births of the Twin Prodigies, Miquella and Malenia.
Radagon
One of the biggest mysteries in Elden Ring ever since it’s release has been Radagon. Whether it be his origins, powers or emphasised significance in the Lands Between despite very little information regarding his past, Radagon has been shrouded in mystery. What little info we are given regarding his character only serves to complicate things further, as his statue in the Royal Capital reveals that Radagon is Marika. We know that he was once a champion of the Erdtree Faithful and waged two wars on Liurnia on Marika’s behalf, and that soon after he would fall in love with and marry the Carian Queen Renalla, bringing an end to the conflict and establishing peace between the Carians/Academy of Raya Lucaria and the forces of the Erdtree. As some point after Godfrey’s exile from the Lands Between Marika would call upon Radagon to essentially abandon all his duties/responsibilities in Liurnia and return to the Capital to serve as King Consort and Second Elden Lord. Radagon, being the (in Marika’s own words) “leal hound of the Golden Order” he is, does this without question, but not before leaving an an amber egg behind as his parting gift for Queen Renalla. We don’t have too much to go on from this point on aside from minor interactions/tidbits of info regarding the relationship Radagon seems to have had with his children, as well as the fact that he seems to have been the most ardent supporter of the Golden Order. His story would ultimately culminate in the shattering of the Elden Ring with his role being that of a doomed servant, slaving away in an attempt to repair the Elden Ring despite the futility of it, minding the Elden Ring until the arrival of the next Lord.
I believe that Radagon’s story begins much earlier than initially expected. It was commonly assumed that Radagon was active, at the very least, as a loyal supporter of Marika as far back as Marika’s genocidal campaign against the Giants, but I believe his story begins much earlier than that. I believe that prior to even marching on the Mountaintop of the Giants Marika may have come into some kind of contact with the Fell God, or at the very least an avatar of some kind for the Fell God’s power, and that this encounter left Marika marked with some kind of curse and that this curse would manifest physically. It was this vestige of the Fell God’s influence that had forced Marika to resort to most unusual means of expelling the influence of an Outer God; to simply carve out the piece of her that has been ‘tainted’, so to speak. In order to do this she would need to take full advantage of her power to give life by physically expelling/carving out the part of her that has been cursed by the Fell God and, rather than letting even a piece of her being be taken by death, sprouting that piece of herself into a unique life form in itself. A life form whose sole purpose is to serves as the vessel for a curse. This being would eventually go on to serve Marika and even become her most loyal follower, a natural development given that they are literally a part of her. This part of Marika would eventually go on to become a well established figure among the Erdtree Faithful despite their mysterious beginnings, the only clue to which being his burning red hair; a constant reminder that he was born of a Fell God’s curse.
Messmer
This is where things get a little complicated as we don’t have sufficient enough info to properly speculate imo on the circumstances surrounding the Land of Shadow, but I’ll try anyways. I believe that at the time of making contact with the Fell God, Marika had still been residing in what is now the Land of Shadow. I believe that, prior to marrying Godfrey and securing his might in support of her genocide on the Giants, Marika had already given birth to a child. A child who was marked with the same curse as his father, a burning mane of red hair. As to why Marika would decide to have this child, it could any number of reasons (early attempt at birthing an Empyrean to succeed her, deciding to have a child in case Hoarah Loux wasn’t chill like that and deeming Radagon the only one worthy of being father to the Queen’s son for whatever reason, etc.) but I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch given Marika’s heavy association with the power of giving birth/life, both literal and symbolic. I believe this child to be none other than Messmer.
Seen as this part of history is very murky it’s unclear just how long Marika had stayed in the Land of Shadow. For the sake of speculation I’m going to assume it was long enough for Messmer to have grown into an individual in his own right, perhaps even standing out as a truly faithful servant of the Erdtree just like his father, and a Demigod who might one day be worthy of Empyrean in the eyes of Marika. As Marika’s ambitions eventually led to her union with Hoarah Loux/Godfrey and the establishment of a Royal Line, it was becoming increasingly clear to her that Messmer could not be allowed to exist in a world where his lineage would undermine the claim of her child(ren) with her now-husband and King Consort Godfrey. Marika’s solution was rather blunt yet undoubtedly cruel; if Messmer couldn’t exist in Marika’s New Age then he simply wouldn’t. Prior to embarking on her final campaign, Marika would grant Messmer dominion over the region that is now called the Land of Shadow and would bestow upon him the task of punishing those who are without Grace.
This is where I am yet to decide whether I think Messmer is carrying out Marika’s wishes loyally, completely oblivious to the fact that his mother has virtually erased him from the hearts and minds of all inhabitants of the Lands Between, or if he is aware of the fact that Marika abandoned him in the Land of Shadow and holds some degree of resentment toward her for it but still deciding to ultimately be Lord of the Land of Shadow.
Just a few more things regarding Messmer specifically: - He seems to have heavy association with/control over flames in general, whether this comes down to a connection with Dragons or the Flame of Ruin is anyone’s guess. I personally believe it to be both given that he has the red hair synonymous with Giants in the world of Elden Ring, as well as seemingly draconic features such as his eye and the dragon-like wings on his helmet and all over his snakes (also his drip which many people have compared to the Drake Knight set). - Messmer’s snakes seem to indicate some connection Messmer may have with the Serpent that has only ever been described as an ancient enemy of the Erdtree. If this is the case then not only would it give us an idea of why Messmer might hold some kind of animosity toward Marika/the Erdtree but it would also parallel the biblical serpent (who is Lucifer in disguise) in the Garden of Paradise who leads Adam and Eve to stray from obeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. In this case Messmer would be Elden Ring’s Lucifer; he who was once the most faithful, now the very icon of blasphemy. At this current point in time we can only speculate on his motives, though I suspect he may have been punished and ‘veiled’ beneath the Erdtree/in its shadow (his own ‘hell’ that he claims rulership over) as punishment for embracing things that Marika sought to eventually cull (after the Giants had been slaughtered maybe) despite himself being not only her son but an enforcer of the Golden Order. - Then there’s the case of the butterflies. I still believe there’s a chance that Melina could be matched with the smouldering butterfly though I can’t ignore the glaring possibility that this could very well be Messmer’s butterfly; not only for the visual similarities but also because of the fact that Messmer seems to have a unique relationship with flames, with an NPC even commenting on his flame in particular in the trailer for SotE. There’s also the fact that, despite being present almost anywhere in the Lands Between that has fire, the smouldering butterfly seems to bare connection to and might even come from the Mountaintops of the Giants, further tying Messmer to the Giants/Fell God. Butterflies are also symbols of metamorphosis, transformation and rebirth, and each sibling born of Marika and Radagon seems to experience a “hatching from the cocoon” represented by their butterfly; Malenia Aeonian butterfly representing her blossoming into the Goddess of Rot, Miquella’s butterfly representing his premature removal from his cocoon, and perhaps Messmer’s butterfly represents being born of the Fell God of Flame or maybe it’s just meant to visually represent him. It is possible that Messmer also shares the theme of rebirth through his father Radagon who had gifted the Rune of Rebirth to Renalla, indicating that Radagon was the very least interested enough in rebirth that he decided to extract the rune that was rebirth manifest. I personally think Messmer’s butterfly (if it is indeed his) could symbolise any hope of Messmer’s ‘second life’ in the Lands Between going up in flames as a result of Marika’s actions and subsequent reign.
That’s about all I have for now, feel free to point out anything I may have missed in-game that could reduce my entire theory to smithereens.
TLDR: Marika at some point during her time in the Land of Shadow encountered the Fell God and was marked with a curse. She expelled this curse through what is essentially mitosis in a way, splitting herself in two and having her other half (Radagon) carry the curse (red hair). She then proceeds to have her first child (Messmer) with Radagon before marrying Hoarah Loux/Godfrey and abandoning Messmer in Australia and making sure he never sees the light of day.

Intro:
Ever since the trailer for SotE dropped and we got our first look at Messmer, coupled with the info that Miyazaki has provided in interviews since then, people have theorised that Messmer is the child of Marika ( confirmed ) and Radagon. At first I couldn’t really see this being the case even with the supporting evidence, such as Messmer aligning pretty well aesthetically with the smouldering butterfly, completing the trio alongside Miquella’s nascent butterfly and Malenia’s Aeonian butterfly, as well as the initial letter M in his name suiting the twins’ naming convention along with the obvious red hair.
The reason was simple; if Messmer exists in the Land of Shadow as an already well-established historical figure who seems to have been wiped from the histories of the Lands Between then how could he exist as a sibling to Malenia and Miquella who were born well after the establishment of the Golden Order? Everything about Messmer visually as well as what little we know about his character seems to suggest a strong connection to the twin prodigies, or at the very least Radagon, yet his very place in the word of Elden Ring seems to contradict the idea of him being born any later than Marika’s campaign to become God of the Lands Between. In other words, Messmer’s very existence which seems to only be acknowledged within the confines of the Land of Shadow suggests that he was likely born there and has either been bound to or willingly decided to preside over the Land of Shadow (or possibly even been assigned the Land of Shadow as his domain by Marika herself). There may very well be something concrete I’m overlooking that could explain this discrepancy, if so please let me know.
So how do we reconcile this contradiction? Basically what I’ll be positing is that Messmer is the result of Marika’s first foray into the world of asexual reproduction, the same process that would eventually result in the births of the Twin Prodigies, Miquella and Malenia.
Radagon
One of the biggest mysteries in Elden Ring ever since it’s release has been Radagon. Whether it be his origins, powers or emphasised significance in the Lands Between despite very little information regarding his past, Radagon has been shrouded in mystery. What little info we are given regarding his character only serves to complicate things further, as his statue in the Royal Capital reveals that Radagon is Marika. We know that he was once a champion of the Erdtree Faithful and waged two wars on Liurnia on Marika’s behalf, and that soon after he would fall in love with and marry the Carian Queen Renalla, bringing an end to the conflict and establishing peace between the Carians/Academy of Raya Lucaria and the forces of the Erdtree. As some point after Godfrey’s exile from the Lands Between Marika would call upon Radagon to essentially abandon all his duties/responsibilities in Liurnia and return to the Capital to serve as King Consort and Second Elden Lord. Radagon, being the (in Marika’s own words) “leal hound of the Golden Order” he is, does this without question, but not before leaving an an amber egg behind as his parting gift for Queen Renalla. We don’t have too much to go on from this point on aside from minor interactions/tidbits of info regarding the relationship Radagon seems to have had with his children, as well as the fact that he seems to have been the most ardent supporter of the Golden Order. His story would ultimately culminate in the shattering of the Elden Ring with his role being that of a doomed servant, slaving away in an attempt to repair the Elden Ring despite the futility of it, minding the Elden Ring until the arrival of the next Lord.
I believe that Radagon’s story begins much earlier than initially expected. It was commonly assumed that Radagon was active, at the very least, as a loyal supporter of Marika as far back as Marika’s genocidal campaign against the Giants, but I believe his story begins much earlier than that. I believe that prior to even marching on the Mountaintop of the Giants Marika may have come into some kind of contact with the Fell God, or at the very least an avatar of some kind for the Fell God’s power, and that this encounter left Marika marked with some kind of curse and that this curse would manifest physically. It was this vestige of the Fell God’s influence that had forced Marika to resort to most unusual means of expelling the influence of an Outer God; to simply carve out the piece of her that has been ‘tainted’, so to speak. In order to do this she would need to take full advantage of her power to give life by physically expelling/carving out the part of her that has been cursed by the Fell God and, rather than letting even a piece of her being be taken by death, sprouting that piece of herself into a unique life form in itself. A life form whose sole purpose is to serves as the vessel for a curse. This being would eventually go on to serve Marika and even become her most loyal follower, a natural development given that they are literally a part of her. This part of Marika would eventually go on to become a well established figure among the Erdtree Faithful despite their mysterious beginnings, the only clue to which being his burning red hair; a constant reminder that he was born of a Fell God’s curse.
Messmer
This is where things get a little complicated as we don’t have sufficient enough info to properly speculate imo on the circumstances surrounding the Land of Shadow, but I’ll try anyways. I believe that at the time of making contact with the Fell God, Marika had still been residing in what is now the Land of Shadow. I believe that, prior to marrying Godfrey and securing his might in support of her genocide on the Giants, Marika had already given birth to a child. A child who was marked with the same curse as his father, a burning mane of red hair. As to why Marika would decide to have this child, it could any number of reasons (early attempt at birthing an Empyrean to succeed her, deciding to have a child in case Hoarah Loux wasn’t chill like that and deeming Radagon the only one worthy of being father to the Queen’s son for whatever reason, etc.) but I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch given Marika’s heavy association with the power of giving birth/life, both literal and symbolic. I believe this child to be none other than Messmer.
Seen as this part of history is very murky it’s unclear just how long Marika had stayed in the Land of Shadow. For the sake of speculation I’m going to assume it was long enough for Messmer to have grown into an individual in his own right, perhaps even standing out as a truly faithful servant of the Erdtree just like his father, and a Demigod who might one day be worthy of Empyrean in the eyes of Marika. As Marika’s ambitions eventually led to her union with Hoarah Loux/Godfrey and the establishment of a Royal Line, it was becoming increasingly clear to her that Messmer could not be allowed to exist in a world where his lineage would undermine the claim of her child(ren) with her now-husband and King Consort Godfrey. Marika’s solution was rather blunt yet undoubtedly cruel; if Messmer couldn’t exist in Marika’s New Age then he simply wouldn’t. Prior to embarking on her final campaign, Marika would grant Messmer dominion over the region that is now called the Land of Shadow and would bestow upon him the task of punishing those who are without Grace.
This is where I am yet to decide whether I think Messmer is carrying out Marika’s wishes loyally, completely oblivious to the fact that his mother has virtually erased him from the hearts and minds of all inhabitants of the Lands Between, or if he is aware of the fact that Marika abandoned him in the Land of Shadow and holds some degree of resentment toward her for it but still deciding to ultimately be Lord of the Land of Shadow.
Just a few more things regarding Messmer specifically: - He seems to have heavy association with/control over flames in general, whether this comes down to a connection with Dragons or the Flame of Ruin is anyone’s guess. I personally believe it to be both given that he has the red hair synonymous with Giants in the world of Elden Ring, as well as seemingly draconic features such as his eye and the dragon-like wings on his helmet and all over his snakes (also his drip which many people have compared to the Drake Knight set). - Messmer’s snakes seem to indicate some connection Messmer may have with the Serpent that has only ever been described as an ancient enemy of the Erdtree. If this is the case then not only would it give us an idea of why Messmer might hold some kind of animosity toward Marika/the Erdtree but it would also parallel the biblical serpent (who is Lucifer in disguise) in the Garden of Paradise who leads Adam and Eve to stray from obeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. In this case Messmer would be Elden Ring’s Lucifer; he who was once the most faithful, now the very icon of blasphemy. At this current point in time we can only speculate on his motives, though I suspect he may have been punished and ‘veiled’ beneath the Erdtree/in its shadow (his own ‘hell’ that he claims rulership over) as punishment for embracing things that Marika sought to eventually cull (after the Giants had been slaughtered maybe) despite himself being not only her son but an enforcer of the Golden Order. - Then there’s the case of the butterflies. I still believe there’s a chance that Melina could be matched with the smouldering butterfly though I can’t ignore the glaring possibility that this could very well be Messmer’s butterfly; not only for the visual similarities but also because of the fact that Messmer seems to have a unique relationship with flames, with an NPC even commenting on his flame in particular in the trailer for SotE. There’s also the fact that, despite being present almost anywhere in the Lands Between that has fire, the smouldering butterfly seems to bare connection to and might even come from the Mountaintops of the Giants, further tying Messmer to the Giants/Fell God. Butterflies are also symbols of metamorphosis, transformation and rebirth, and each sibling born of Marika and Radagon seems to experience a “hatching from the cocoon” represented by their butterfly; Malenia Aeonian butterfly representing her blossoming into the Goddess of Rot, Miquella’s butterfly representing his premature removal from his cocoon, and perhaps Messmer’s butterfly represents being born of the Fell God of Flame or maybe it’s just meant to visually represent him. It is possible that Messmer also shares the theme of rebirth through his father Radagon who had gifted the Rune of Rebirth to Renalla, indicating that Radagon was the very least interested enough in rebirth that he decided to extract the rune that was rebirth manifest. I personally think Messmer’s butterfly (if it is indeed his) could symbolise any hope of Messmer’s ‘second life’ in the Lands Between going up in flames as a result of Marika’s actions and subsequent reign.
That’s about all I have for now, feel free to point out anything I may have missed in-game that could reduce my entire theory to smithereens.
TLDR: Marika at some point during her time in the Land of Shadow encountered the Fell God and was marked with a curse. She expelled this curse through what is essentially mitosis in a way, splitting herself in two and having her other half (Radagon) carry the curse (red hair). She then proceeds to have her first child (Messmer) with Radagon before marrying Hoarah Loux/Godfrey and abandoning Messmer in Australia and making sure he never sees the light of day.

It’s been such a long process finding an internship in this tough market. I finally found a really good sales and management position (my major is management), they paid well, the company environment was great and I signed my employment contract and other documents too. When it came to using Everify for my documents, I brought my SSN, License, I-94, Passport, and I-20. For some reason they weren’t going through.
My manager told me to go home and that he’ll see me next week (anticipated start date). Unfortunately while I was driving home, he called me and said they won’t be able to hire me as I require CPT sponsorship.
He wrote me an offer letter and said it shouldn’t be a problem but when Everify wasn’t working, he called corporate and they said they don’t have the “license” for hiring me. I’ve never heard of companies needing a license but I didn’t question it.
I’m just upset because this was an amazing position with job opportunities for after graduation.
Lesson: make sure the hiring managers are 100% sure they can work with OPT/CPT

Introduction
Please note this is all from my own perspective. I'm sure my Dad has his own version of things if you ever met him, and I'm also sure neither of our accounts are to be trusted as they're both fully biased and subjective.
What Happened?
I wanted to come out to my parents together, I really did, but I couldn't. My Mum is the "scary" one of them both, the one who I've clashed with the most over the years, the one least likely to "get it". I wanted my Dad's help to bridge this gap between myself and my Mum and support me in coming out to her.
Obviously we all know there's no rhyme nor reason to when we come out for the most part, it isn't a logical step. It's a purely emotional one based solely on finding the right situation.
Thursday evening (16th May) I thought I was in said right situation. Apparently I was wrong.
Me and my Dad had a lovely evening, we watched the first 2 episodes of the new series of "Welcome to Wrexham" and when we came to go to bed I left my coming out letter on his pillow. I told him I wanted to tell him something but that I couldn't find the words and that I'd written it down.
We went to bed, I felt ill and horrible and, well, I can't describe it really. I expected my Dad to read the letter and approach me about it that evening. He did not. In fact I found out later that he didn't even read the letter until mid morning the next day.
The next day, yesterday (17th May), I called in sick to work. I knew there was no way I'd be able top concentrate with this looming over me. The morning went fine, but at around 1pm my Dad came to me and said we'd discuss the letter I gave him at dinner. He sounded angry, but that silent and quiet type of angry that your parents get when you really fucked up. Sensing the vibes weren't exactly A-Ok I decided to drive to my sisters' house as they had just returned from holiday and also were not in work that day.
I stayed at my sisters' house as long as possible, hyping myself up and convincing myself that this conversation over dinner was going to be ok. My sisters had to leave and so I did too and returned home and waited for dinner.
After about an hour I went downstairs and ate dinner with my Dad. The TV was on and we ate in silence, but not an awkward silence to be honest. Still, after dinner he told me not to go anywhere, we're discussing this letter. I'm like "Ok sure", and I get ready for a little pushback but overall a positive result.
I was blindsided.
My Dad argued with me, told me that telling him in a letter was cowardly, and argued that the time wasn't right and that this was a bombshell to drop on him. I agree with that last part to an extent. It was a bombshell, but when wouldn't it be?
In terms of the time not being right he was referring to the fact that the reason my Mum isn't around this weekend is that she's at my Grandmother's house as my Grandmother's experiencing some health issues lately. The reason I told my Dad is because if anything happened to my Grandmother before I was able to come out to her, regardless of her reaction, I would be devastated knowing she passed on without really knowing me. And having Mum away meant I could ask my Dad for advice on how to approach that very sensitive subject. She's my Mum's mum and as such I didn't want to say to my Mum's face "Hey, I'm trans. Just telling you so I can tell Granny before she dies and we never ever see her again". (Hyperbole, but you get what I'm saying)
I never managed to explain myself fully though because my Dad dropped a bombshell on me. When he asked why I told him separately to Mum I said that it was so he could help me broach the subject with Mum. He said he can't keep any secrets from my Mum and that the "help" he is going to give me is that when my Mum returns on Sunday (tomorrow) he's going to tell her that "Artistic_History9476 has something to tell you" and that if I refuse to come out then he's going to out me to her regardless. He told me that I needed to "Man, oh I'm sorry Woman" up and tell my Mum to her face as soon as possible.
I left the house very quickly and waited at my sisters' house until my Dad had gone to bed before I returned. It's now the next day (18th May) and he left early to go fishing but he's getting home in about 70 minutes. Talking with my sisters last night means I have a few things I want to tell him now that I have a clearer head, things I either couldn't think about in the heat of the moment or things I tried to but couldn't say.
Suffice to say this isn't what I expected from my Dad and quite frankly I'm disappointed in his reaction and behaviour.

In April I got offer from company B to join due to short tenure of offer I said I can join immediately. I gave my resignation in company A and asked for early resignation while I told company B I'll able to join them. Now came the joining date and big mistake I did, since I was in notice period and I didn't know about PF overlap or dual employment. And since both were remote, I joined company B while I was working in company A. The crazy thing is both HR talked to each other, the new company HR called company A my previous HR for verification. Things were very weird but since there was a financial situation I wanted to join company B as early as possible ( Mind you the increment wasnt great but It did the job). In may I joined company B, they onboarded me and told me I can't work at two places I have to submit a written statement that I am working in company B now in may. They told me you can give your resignation later from company A , which I did in June. Now this company B fired me after six months with some performance reason which isn't true. I did the projeçt great. And I recently got to know about this pf overlap. They were aware but they didn't inform me or did anything. I did good work in both companies, got relieveing letter from but this pf issue happened. Basically overlap of one month between may and June between company A and B. .what are my options here? What can be done? I am very stressed out due to this. I told company B about this but they are giving vague answers. And I reached company A, they are not willing Company A I can understand since I left them for pity reason.

I’m creating an Austronesian conlang and languages from this family tend to have infixes. However I didn’t want to make three syllables long words for basic activities, so I decided to make conjugation based on vowel alternation (or rather syllable ending alternation). Here is an example how it works:
To wish - sara - sura - sivra - sevra - savra
To see - kita - kanta - kinta - kjenta - kjanta
To sleep - tidu - tandi - tindi - tjendi - tjandi
You can see that the only thing which changes is the syllable ending and every other letter remains as it was. (in my conlang syllable can end only with vowel or j /j/, n /ŋ/, v /w/).
First word belongs to the first conjugation which uses „a” as a changeable vowel, but second and third one uses „i” because first consonant is soft. First form is infinitive, second is present active, third is past active, fourth is present passive and fifth is past passive.
And that’s a very good solution for me, because there is still the same amount of syllables and if I make some verbs irregular it will sound more natural.
But there is one problem. When I want to turn a noun into a verb, conjugation won’t work, because nouns aren’t made like verbs, so fist vowel in the noun can be something different from „a” or „i” and it would be too complicated and hard to make special conjugation for every ending (there are 16)
I thought about changing first vowel in noun to „a” or „i” in order to change it to verb, but if I would have three nouns (tari, teri, turi), they would have the same verb form which is very confusing.
Only root is conjugated, so in word bekita (to show) be will remain as it is, but kita will change normally.
Please advice me a good solution for this problem. Thank you for your answers.

Self-Employed Tax Credit (SETC) — Over $50,000 in Tax Credits for Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Individuals

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges, especially for entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals.
Enter the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) with its vital Sick Employees and Tax Credits (SETC) provisions.
This legislative act has been a lifeline for millions, and here's why you should be informed and act swiftly...
👉 Click here for more information on claiming your tax credit
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The author is not liable for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on this information. Consult a qualified legal professional for advice tailored to your circumstances. Please seek proper legal guidance.
In March 2020, the FFCRA was enacted to support businesses with paid sick leave and unemployment benefits due to COVID-19. Initially, it focused on employers with W-2 employees.
https://youtu.be/J0IMsehvlNw
By December 2020, the CARES Act expanded FFCRA to include self-employed individuals, freelancers, independent contractors, and gig workers, providing them with tax credits to offset lost income due to COVID-19.
The FFCRA offers paid sick leave, free COVID-19 testing, food assistance, and unemployment benefits. For self-employed individuals, it provides equivalent coverage through tax credits claimable on income tax returns, reimbursing them for COVID-19 related sick leave.

Self-Employed Tax Credit (SETC) FAQs

What Is The FFCRA?

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), enacted in 2020, aimed to help small business owners provide sick leave for employees affected by COVID-19. Initially targeting small business employees, it was expanded in 2021 to include self-employed individuals facing business losses due to the pandemic.

What is the Difference Between SETC and FFCRA?

The "Self-Employed Tax Credit" (SETC) refers to the tax credits for sick and family leave provided to self-employed individuals under the FFCRA. Essentially, SETC is for self-employed individuals, while FFCRA targets employees.

What Dates Are Eligible For FFCRA/SETC Income Tax Credits?

Eligible dates for FFCRA/SETC income tax credits are from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, and up to 10 days between April 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021.

Breakdown of Eligible Days:

• Childcare-related time off: Up to 110 days
  • 50 days between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021
  • 60 days between April 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021
• Personal or family illness: Up to 20 days
  • 10 days between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021
  • 10 days between April 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021

Do I Still Qualify If I Did Not Pay Myself Sick Leave?

Yes, the FFCRA/SETC is designed to cover self-employed individuals, even if they did not pay themselves sick leave.

Why Can't I Find Information About SETC on the IRS Website?

SETC is an informal term for the sick and family leave tax credits for self-employed individuals introduced under the FFCRA. Look for information under the FFCRA and its application to self-employed individuals.

Do I Have to Be Self-Employed to File for the Tax Credit Refund?

Yes, the tax credit is specifically for self-employed individuals, including small business owners, freelancers, partners in partnerships subject to self-employment taxes, and 1099 contractors.

Do I Need Positive Tax Earnings in 2020 to Qualify?

No, if you did not have positive earnings in 2020 due to COVID-19 but were self-employed, you can use your 2019 net income if it was positive.

Do I Need Positive Tax Earnings in 2021 to Qualify?

No, if you did not have positive earnings in 2021 due to COVID-19 but were self-employed, you can use your 2020 net income if it was positive.

How Much of a Tax Credit Can I Expect to Receive?

Several factors determine the refund amount, including:

1. Net income from Schedule C on your 2019, 2020, and 2021 tax returns.
2. Days missed due to sickness or quarantine from COVID-19.
3. Time spent caring for a loved one affected by COVID-19.
4. Duration of school or daycare closures requiring care for a minor child.

Can I Qualify if I Already Filed My Taxes for 2020 & 2021?

Yes, you can still qualify. An amended tax return will need to be filed, requiring copies of your 2019, 2020, and 2021 tax returns and your driver's license.

Do I Have to Fill Out Extensive Paperwork?

No, the process involves signing an agreement letter, completing a survey for information, and uploading copies of your tax returns and driver's license. The rest is handled for you.

Can I Claim SETC Tax Credits If I Am Also a W2 Employee?

You may still be eligible for SETC tax credits if you earned self-employment income in addition to your W2 salary during 2020 and/or 2021. However, receiving paid leave benefits as an employee may affect the amount you can claim as a self-employed individual.

Do I Qualify If I Already Received Sick & Family Leave Credit on Previous Returns?

You would only be eligible if you did not fully utilize the credit(s) on previous returns.

Is the SETC Tax Credit Based on Gross or Net Self-Employed Income?

To qualify, you must have a positive net (after deductions) self-employed income for 2019, 2020, or 2021, and qualifying COVID days.

How Long Before I Receive My Cash Refund?

Once the necessary paperwork is submitted, the process usually takes 12-16 weeks to complete and receive your cash refund from the IRS.

Can Both Spouses Qualify for the SETC?

Yes, if both spouses are self-employed, each could qualify for up to the maximum amount of $32,220 under the right circumstances.

Refund Statute of Limitations and SETC

The deadline to amend the 2020 tax return for SETC credits occurring between April 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020, is April 15, 2024. For SETC credits between Jan. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2021, the amendment deadline is April 18, 2025.

Can I Qualify If I Received Unemployment Benefits in 2020 and/or 2021?

Yes, but you cannot claim days you received unemployment benefits as days unable to work due to COVID-19.

Is a Complete Copy of My Return Needed to Amend?

Yes, a complete copy of the return is required to amend it for SETC credits.

How Much Is the SETC Credit?

The SETC tax credit can be up to $32,220, based on your self-employed net earnings in 2020 and 2021.

How Can I Claim the SETC Tax Credits?

Determine eligibility and amend your 2020 and/or 2021 tax returns, preferably using a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or through Legacy Tax & Resolution Services.

Why Would the IRS Refund My Taxes?

The federal government supports businesses affected by COVID-19. This is a limited-time opportunity, so filing for SETC credits promptly is crucial.

What Is the Social Security Tax Deferral?

Employers can defer the 6.2% employer portion of Social Security tax for March 27, 2020, through December 31, 2020. Self-employed taxpayers can defer 50% of their self-employment tax for the same period. Deferred amounts must be repaid by December 31, 2022.

Who Qualifies for the SETC Tax Credits?

Eligible individuals include self-employed persons, such as sole proprietors, 1099 contractors, freelancers, and partners in partnerships who filed Schedule SE with positive net income and paid self-employment tax for 2019, 2020, and/or 2021.

Does SETC Apply to C or S Corp Income?

No, C or S Corporation income is not considered self-employed income. However, corporations may qualify for sick or family leave tax credits under FFCRA.

Is Health Insurance Required for SETC Eligibility?

No, health insurance coverage does not affect eligibility for the SETC.

Are Unpaid Medical Bills Eligible for the Tax Credit?

No, the SETC credit only considers average daily wages and missed days due to COVID-19-related issues.

What Qualifies as a Reason for Claiming SETC?

Reasons include quarantine orders, self-quarantine advised by a healthcare provider, caring for someone under quarantine, experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, waiting for test results, getting vaccinated, experiencing vaccine side effects, and caring for a child due to school or daycare closure.

How Long Before Receiving a Cash Refund?

Once paperwork is submitted, the process typically takes 12-16 weeks to complete and receive the cash refund from the IRS.

Do Both Spouses Qualify for the Maximum SETC?

Yes, both can qualify for the maximum credit but cannot share qualifying COVID days.

Is the SETC Tax Credit Taxable?

No, the SETC tax credit is not taxable.

What

If I Have IRS Debt or a Treasury Offset?
You need a $0 balance with the IRS to receive a refund. Outstanding debts must be paid off first.

Can I Claim SETC Tax Credits If I Am Also a W2 Employee?

Yes, but paid leave benefits as an employee may affect the SETC credit. If the employee status does not provide full coverage, additional credits based on self-employment income may be claimed.

Can Weekends Be Claimed?

Yes, if self-employment work is typically done on weekends. If not, weekends cannot be claimed.

What Is a Form 1040?

IRS Form 1040 is the standard individual income tax form used to report annual income and calculate tax liability.

What Is a Form 1040X?

IRS Form 1040X is used to amend previously filed individual tax returns. Legacy Tax & Resolution Services will use Form 1040X to file for SETC tax credits.

What Is a Schedule SE Form 1040?

Schedule SE is a tax form used by self-employed individuals to calculate the self-employment tax owed, covering Social Security and Medicare taxes for those who work for themselves.

What Is a Schedule C?

Schedule C is used by sole proprietors, single-member LLCs, and other self-employed individuals to report business income and expenses. The net income from Schedule C is used to calculate self-employment income on Schedule SE.

What Is a Form 7202?

IRS Form 7202 is used to claim the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) credits for self-employed individuals, detailing eligibility and tax credit calculations.

What Is a Form 8821?

IRS Form 8821 authorizes the release of tax information to a third party, allowing Legacy Tax & Resolution Services to access necessary tax information to calculate SETC credits and amend returns.

Are Processing Fees Required?

Legacy Tax & Resolution Services charges no upfront fee. After calculating the tax credit, the fee for filing tax returns is $395. An additional 20% of the refund amount is due after the refund is received.

Does Filing for SETC Impact 2023 Income Taxes?

Filing for SETC credits does not impact the filing of 2023 income taxes. The team at Legacy Tax & Resolution Services will amend previously filed returns for 2020 and/or 2021.

If Both Spouses Have Self-Employed Income, Can They Each Get the Credit?

Yes, both can receive the credit but cannot share qualifying COVID days.

Is the SETC Tax Credit Taxable?

No, the SETC tax credit is not taxable.

How Long Before Receiving a Cash Refund?

Once the necessary paperwork is submitted, it typically takes 12-16 weeks to receive the cash refund from the IRS.

What If There Is IRS Debt or a Treasury Offset?

A $0 balance with the IRS is required to receive a refund. Any outstanding debts must be paid first.

Can SETC Tax Credits Be Claimed If Also a W2 Employee?

Yes, but receiving paid leave benefits as an employee may affect the SETC credit. Additional credits may be claimed if employee benefits do not provide full coverage.

Can Weekends Be Claimed?

Yes, if self-employment work is typically done on weekends. If not, weekends cannot be claimed.

What Is the Definition of a Dependent?

A dependent is a qualifying child or relative of the taxpayer. A child must have lived with the taxpayer for over half the tax year, and the taxpayer must have provided more than half of the relative's total support. Gross income thresholds and other criteria apply.

What Happens in Cases of Divorce After Filing 2020/2021 Taxes?

If the 2020 and/or 2021 tax returns were filed jointly, both taxpayer and spouse must sign the amended returns. If filed as Head of Household or Married Filing Separate, only the taxpayer's signature is required.

Can Days Taken to Care for a Child Other Than Your Own Be Claimed?

No, only days taken to care for a dependent can be claimed.

Can More Than One Parent or Guardian Claim FFCRA/SETC Credits?

Yes, but parents or guardians cannot claim the same dates twice.

Is Online Schooling Considered "Closed" for the Credit?

Yes, if the physical location of the school or place of care is closed, it is considered "closed" for the purposes of the credit, even if the child is expected to complete assignments.

What Does It Mean to Be Self-Employed?

A self-employed person is generally someone who carries on a trade or business as a sole proprietor, independent contractor, or a member of a partnership that conducts a trade or business. This includes part-time businesses and gig workers.

Can SETC Tax Credits Be Claimed If Receiving Unemployment Benefits?

Yes, but days receiving unemployment benefits cannot be claimed as days unable to work due to COVID-19.

Will Refunds Be Sent by Check or Direct Deposit?

Refunds for 2020 and 2021 will be sent directly by the IRS via check to the address provided on the amended return(s).

Why Are Positive Net Earnings Required for SETC Income Tax Credit?

Positive net earnings are necessary to qualify for the credit as they indicate taxable income against which the credit can be applied. If positive earnings were not available in 2020 due to COVID-19, 2019 net income may be used.

Can SETC Tax Credits Be Claimed If Also a W2 Employee?

Yes, but receiving paid leave benefits as an employee may affect the SETC credit. Additional credits may be claimed if employee benefits do not provide full coverage.

Can Weekends Be Claimed?

Yes, if self-employment work is typically done on weekends. If not, weekends cannot be claimed.

Can Days Taken to Care for a Child Other Than Your Own Be Claimed?

No, only days taken to care for a dependent can be claimed.

Can More Than One Parent or Guardian Claim FFCRA/SETC Credits?

Yes, but parents or guardians cannot claim the same dates twice.

Is Online Schooling Considered "Closed" for the Credit?

Yes, if the physical location of the school or place of care is closed, it is considered "closed" for the purposes of the credit, even if the child is expected to complete assignments.

What Documentation Is Required?

A complete copy of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 tax returns, including Schedule C and a copy of the driver's license for identification, is required.

What Is the Form 1040 SE?

Form 1040 SE is used to calculate self-employment taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes for individuals who work for themselves.

What Is the Form 1040-X?

Form 1040-X is used to amend previously filed individual tax returns to claim the FFCRA/SETC credits.

What Is a Schedule C?

Schedule C is used by self-employed individuals to report business income and expenses. The net income from Schedule C calculates self-employment income on Schedule SE.

What Is the Form 7202?

Form 7202 is used to claim the FFCRA credits for self-employed individuals, detailing eligibility and tax credit calculations.

What Is the Form 8821?

Form 8821 authorizes the release of tax information to a third party, allowing the calculation of SETC credits and the amendment of tax returns.

What Are the Processing Fees?

Legacy Tax & Resolution Services charges no upfront fee. The fee for filing tax returns is $395, with an additional 20% of the refund amount due after the refund is received.

Does Filing for SETC Impact 2023 Income Taxes?

Filing for SETC credits does not impact the filing of 2023 income taxes. Amendments are made to previously filed returns for 2020 and/or 2021.

If Both Spouses Have Self-Employed Income, Can They Each Get the Credit?

Yes, both can receive the credit but cannot share qualifying COVID days.

Is the SETC Tax Credit Taxable?

No, the SETC tax credit is not taxable.

How Long Before Receiving a Cash Refund?

Once the necessary paperwork is submitted, it typically takes 12-16 weeks to receive the cash refund from the IRS.

What If There Is IRS Debt or a Treasury Offset?

A $0 balance with the IRS is required to receive a refund. Any outstanding debts must be paid first.

Can SETC Tax Credits Be Claimed If Also a W2 Employee?

Yes, but receiving paid leave benefits as an employee may affect the SETC credit. Additional credits may be claimed if employee benefits do not provide full coverage.

Can Weekends Be Claimed?

Yes, if self-employment work is typically done on weekends. If not, weekends cannot be claimed.

Can Days Taken to Care for a Child Other Than Your Own Be Claimed?

No, only days taken to care for a dependent can be claimed.

Can More Than One Parent or Guardian Claim FFCRA/SETC Credits?

Yes, but parents or guardians cannot claim the same dates twice.

Is Online Schooling Considered "Closed" for the Credit?

Yes, if the physical location of the school or place of care is closed, it is considered "closed" for the purposes of the credit, even if the child is expected to complete assignments.

What Documentation Is Required?

A complete copy of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 tax returns, including Schedule C and a copy of the driver's license for identification, is required.
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