Hello,
I've created my eVisa account after getting the invite link via email. The process required technical support but eventually was done successfully. I used my BRP to create the login as that was safer than using the passport number which expires in August 2025 and I will be issued a new one with a new number by my embassy few months before then.
When using the view/prove service, it shows my correct status and my BRP number. But I couldn't find my passport information. I had assumed that passport information would automatically be pulled by the system.
It's concerning since what if I travel and my passport is not linked to my eVisa in 2025? Airlines would probably not even allow me to board.
What do I do next? Use the update service to add my passport information?
It's all confusing since the UKVI video added simply says that your account should be linked to your travel document but doesn't specifically say that adding passport information is part of the account creation procedure.
Any help is appreciated!
Thanks.

I know she’s so much more popular now, but does she not do T Party’s anymore after shows like she used to?
I feel like taylor once showed so much gratitude towards fans, like it was part of her identity in the media. From 13 hour meet and greets, to inviting fans over to her house and sending them gifts, she was constantly doing PR that involved the fans.
Today just seems so much different. No more randomized meet and greets after the shows. No more interaction on social media. Nothing. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve seen a pictures from a meet and greet.
Have you guys noticed anything like this? Would love to hear your thoughts especially if you’re a former fan!!

For context, this story happened nearly 3 years ago, however a recent late-night conversation with a friend made it clear to me that the repercussions of this incident are still being felt to this day.
I (25M) met my now-ex girlfriend (25F), whom I will be assigning the fake name "Anne," when we were both 17 at our small town high school in semi-rural Georgia. Our romantic relationship began following our senior prom which we attended together. Despite our approaching high school graduations, the two of us decided that we could make our relationship work beyond high school and into college since we would both be attending different universities in the same city. We each grew up in typical southern protestant traditions and casually held onto some sort of religious beliefs. I, myself, have always identified religiously as something of a deist, meaning I believed (and still do to this day) that some sort of higher entity, force, or meaning was responsible for existence. Anne, at that time, would have self-identified as a Christian and attended church semi-regularly, however it was never a significant part of her life or attitude toward the world.
Shortly after we both began our new lives as college students in an unfamiliar city, Anne expressed that she would like to search for a new church to attend regularly as it helped create a sense of community and belonging for her which she had been missing since moving away from home. I strongly encouraged this, since I wanted her to be able to make friends and discover herself philosophically. The church that caught her attention was a non-denominational "modern" church that seemed to emphasize community at least on a surface level basis. However, out of curiosity, I took a look at the church's website and did notice a few mentions of "Pentecostal experience", which worried me since my only knowledge of Pentecostals was rumors of snake handling, especially in the more rural areas of the South. However, I chose to not be too judgmental upfront and continued to encourage her to find herself and meet new people.
Over the next few months, Anne started to spend more and more time devoted to bible studies and attending gatherings for women at the church. She specifically asked me not to accompany her on Sunday services since, as she put it, the elder members of the church would not act too kindly about unmarried woman "dragging around" some unfamiliar man who was not her husband. It became clear pretty quickly that she was becoming more than just a casual Christian and I supported this, however we did not talk much about the specifics of what she was being taught at this church.
This all came to a head when one night, Anne asked me if she could pray over me in something she called a "spiritual language." Having only ever heard vaguely of speaking in tongues, I obliged. I sat next to her on my couch and watched as she raised one hand and began quietly chanting in complete gibberish. My heart immediately sank in discomfort and fear but I was too stunned to do anything. so I just sat and watched for several minutes until she finally went quiet. All I could do or say was tell her that I appreciated her thoughtfulness and went about my day.
Pretty soon, the behaviors and acts became more and more extreme. Her "tongues" became louder and more intense and began to include violent shakes and lots (and I mean LOTS) of crying. She spoke of seeing "signs" and hearing "the voice of God" in a very literal sense. Her grades in college even began to suffer as more and more of her time was devoted to these newfound beliefs. Naturally, I became extremely worried that she was slowly slipping into some sort of paranoid delusional psychosis. At the very least, these teachings made her into a much angrier and more paranoid person. It was clear that her new beliefs were more than just a spiritual awakening but also a nose-dive into a mental health crisis.
Our relationship, at this point, was very clearly waning but my feelings toward the woman I once knew were still strong. I decided that it was time for an intervention of sorts. This resulted in me spending a whole weekend studying Pentecostal beliefs and reading Reddit stories from ex-Pentecostals about what it took to break them out of their conditioning. It was on a Monday night when I invited her over to my apartment to confront her about how the things her church were teaching her were actively harming her and even presented her with evidence of how these churches prey on mentally unwell people and how "speaking in tongues" was nothing more than an experience in her own brain chemicals. While I had hoped that hearing her new beliefs be directly confronted would help break the spell they had on her, it seemed to have no effect. Surprisingly, she did not fight back or show much anger toward my confrontation, instead resorting to the "please respect my beliefs" argument that made it so hard to push back against, since, at this time, I was still concerned about preserving our relationship.
Unfortunately, things only got worse from here. I spent some time trying to ignore the issue for the sake of the relationship, especially because I did not sense that I had many other romantic options given my shy nature and struggles to make new friends at college. However, my new "ignorance is bliss" approach to our relationship did not last long. At this point, we had been together for about 3 years and the conversation of marriage and kids started to become serious. I have always wanted kids since I come from a large family with many siblings, which Anne seemingly was excited about as well. However, after a pleasant conversation in which we fantasized about what we would name our children, she said something that sparked an anger in me that I did not often feel. She told me that if any of our future children came out to us as gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, or anything like that, that we would have to disown that child at all costs and that she could not love her child knowing that they were a "sodomite" (her words). I have always considered myself an ally of LGBTQ+ folks and wouldn't think twice about loving my children any less if they came out to me and have always felt this way. I did not say much in the moment out of pure shock and instead steered the conversation elsewhere while I quietly boiled over in anger over this comment.
Here is where the title of this post comes into play and where my role in this interaction enters a grey area. I spent several days unable to let this anger subside while imagining my own perspective children being thrown to the streets for bravely coming out to their own parents. I decided that another intervention was necessary, except this time I didn't want to be ignored. I came up with a plan that I referred to as a "scorched earth" intervention. Over the course of an evening, I began texting, calling, or messaging almost every person that Anne was close to. This included family, friends, past friends, classmates, and even some plain old acquaintances. I needed her paranoid and hateful beliefs to be confronted by more than just myself and hoped that if everyone important to her also expressed concern; that she would separate herself from this church and seek proper mental health counseling.
The responses I received from Anne's friends and family ranged significantly. Some people, including her mother whom I was close with, asked that I not try to "insert myself between Anne and God". Some friends agreed with me wholeheartedly and would reach out to Anne over text or in person to try and offer help. Some people met me with total apathy. Unsurprisingly, once Anne found out what I did, she broke things off over a brief but highly emotional phone call. She told me that I had embarrassed her and that supposedly God was telling her I wasn't the man she was supposed to marry. It did not hurt too bad since I was anticipating the end of this relationship for a while. The effects of my approach seemingly had lasting impacts on many of her relationships, however. At least one longtime friendship had ended because the friend was appalled by Anne's new paranoid beliefs. It was also unsuccessful, as Anne would never seek mental health counseling. In fact, it probably pushed her further into her church crowd - only further bolstering her new delusions.
Since much time has passed, I have started to feel uncertain whether or not I did the right thing in trying to have all of Anne's friends and family confront her about her extreme beliefs. At the time, I felt that I was justified and doing the right thing by trying to encourage a clearly delusion person to seek mental health counseling by any means necessary. Now, I am able to realize that I acted out of anger and permanently damaged how some of her oldest friends view her. I also realize that I acted immaturely and probably should not have tried to bring in every person close to Anne to fight a battle on my behalf.
Nowadays, Anne is still with that church and regularly posts on Facebook all sorts of whacky spiritual conspiracies. She is still very clearly paranoid and delusional all while putting on a facade of normalcy. I just pity her for living in a constant state of paranoia at this point. She even works full time with the church as a "worship leader," although I am not sure what exactly that means. She actually got married about a year after the relationship ended to a man she met at her church. They met, got engaged, and married all within 12 months. Thankfully, no children have been brought into this world yet from their relationship, which is surprising to me considering how urgent it seemed to her during our relationship. I do not hear much from any friends or family of hers anymore, other than one mutual friend who told me that Anne frequently refers to me as "that demon." As for myself, I finished school and have not married but was able to finally make friends and go on dates and my future is looking bright.
So, Reddit, am I the asshole for my "scorched earth" methods towards my fanatical ex-girlfriend?

Hello there! 👋 Welcome to Ethis. ✨

A warm, welcoming community awaiting your arrival. 🏕️ * Server name: Ethis * Server location: Germany * Server Type: Fabric 1.20.4 * What to expect: Chill vanilla, Hermitcraft-esque experience
An inclusive community, where everyone knows each other, and everyone can be friends.

Here’s a quick rundown of what could interest you:

• 📝 Thorough Applications: This is a key part of making sure the server stays inclusive, fun, and that everyone matches well with each other. We expect a solid application, and after you’ve been accepted we also get to know you and let you get to know us through a small voice chat call. Don’t sweat this though! We do this to keep toxicity out and good vibes in
• 🎙️Voicechat: We have the voicechat mod installed to bring extra shenanigans and make talking to people less stressful. Just walk up, say hi, then run away!
• 🗺️ No TPA/Land Claiming: We keep our mods nice and vanilla. No land claiming, no tp’s, no /homes. Nice and simple
• 🎮 Gamenights: We host gamenights weekly for a fun change of pace. This is also a great way to get to know people!
• 🗓️ Regular Events: We host regular events in game to keep the inspiration running, create some new builds, and more fun!
• 🕰️ A history of 5 years: Our community has lasted for over 5 years. Sure we’ve had breaks, but we’ve never lost contact with each other. Even if you’re a bit burned out, just join a gamenight!
• 🌈 A variety of players: We have big projects and builds sure, we have redstoners too. But we also have a lot of people just there to fool around. You dont need to be a professional to have fun here, you just need to be kind and open to new experiences.

Before you join, let me explain the whitelist process. We’re testing a new way to add people. Instead of letting people directly into the Minecraft server, we’re going to let them join the Discord first and get to know everyone through gamenights and the like. Here, they'll meet other people joining for the first time and make a few friends. Then, on the first and third weekend of the month, we’ll open the flood gates, and let all the new members in at the same time. We’re hoping this achieves a “first day” feel for the community, and that it'll be more fun for everyone and establish better comradery. DM me for the invite to the discord!

Hello there! 👋 Welcome to Ethis. ✨

A warm, welcoming community awaiting your arrival. 🏕️ * Server name: Ethis * Server location: Germany * Server Type: Fabric 1.20.4 * What to expect: Chill vanilla, Hermitcraft-esque experience
An inclusive community, where everyone knows each other, and everyone can be friends.

Here’s a quick rundown of what could interest you:

• 📝 Thorough Applications: This is a key part of making sure the server stays inclusive, fun, and that everyone matches well with each other. We expect a solid application, and after you’ve been accepted we also get to know you and let you get to know us through a small voice chat call. Don’t sweat this though! We do this to keep toxicity out and good vibes in
• 🎙️Voicechat: We have the voicechat mod installed to bring extra shenanigans and make talking to people less stressful. Just walk up, say hi, then run away!
• 🗺️ No TPA/Land Claiming: We keep our mods nice and vanilla. No land claiming, no tp’s, no /homes. Nice and simple
• 🎮 Gamenights: We host gamenights weekly for a fun change of pace. This is also a great way to get to know people!
• 🗓️ Regular Events: We host regular events in game to keep the inspiration running, create some new builds, and more fun!
• 🕰️ A history of 5 years: Our community has lasted for over 5 years. Sure we’ve had breaks, but we’ve never lost contact with each other. Even if you’re a bit burned out, just join a gamenight!
• 🌈 A variety of players: We have big projects and builds sure, we have redstoners too. But we also have a lot of people just there to fool around. You dont need to be a professional to have fun here, you just need to be kind and open to new experiences.

Before you join, let me explain the whitelist process. We’re testing a new way to add people. Instead of letting people directly into the Minecraft server, we’re going to let them join the Discord first and get to know everyone through gamenights and the like. Here, they'll meet other people joining for the first time and make a few friends. Then, on the first and third weekend of the month, we’ll open the flood gates, and let all the new members in at the same time. We’re hoping this achieves a “first day” feel for the community, and that it'll be more fun for everyone and establish better comradery. DM me for the invite to the discord!

Bit of context of how everything happened here: I recently broke up with my partner of 6 years, it was not a nice break up. My mom has started to date a man 20 years younger than her and invited us over for a dinner to meet him, and by us I mean my sister, my brother and me. There has always been bad blood between my sister and me, long story but we have never been close at all.
I want to make clear that I have not gotten over my ex yet, so regarding my feelings, i might be more sensitive than usual. My sister brought to the table the children topic, that she might want to have another child and stuff related to that. My mom decided to make one of her "spicy" jokes mentioning how she also practices on making children without getting pregnant any more, to which I responded that I found inappropriate what she was saying in such serious conversation.
All of a sudden my sister calls me salty and envious, and says the words that really triggered me "It's not mom's fault he left you for her". I instantly got in full fury mode and I had to tell her "Yeah sure, if im jealous its certainly not of you, with a husband that's an inch far from becoming part of the furniture and thinking about raising ANOTHER child functionally alone"
She called me names and left with my mother behind trying to calm her down, I left afterwards.
My mother has written me saying she does not want me anywhere near her house (I dont live there, she means visiting or talking to her) unless I apologize to both my sister and her husband for what I have said. I have no intentions in doing so. Why doesnt she have to apologize as well for being a witch? Would I be the ah here?

Bit of context of how everything happened here: I recently broke up with my partner of 6 years, it was not a nice break up. My mom has started to date a man 20 years younger than her and invited us over for a dinner to meet him, and by us I mean my sister, my brother and me. There has always been bad blood between my sister and me, long story but we have never been close at all.
I want to make clear that I have not gotten over my ex yet, so regarding my feelings, i might be more sensitive than usual. My sister brought to the table the children topic, that she might want to have another child and stuff related to that. My mom decided to make one of her "spicy" jokes mentioning how she also practices on making children without getting pregnant any more, to which I responded that I found inappropriate what she was saying in such serious conversation.
All of a sudden my sister calls me salty and envious, and says the words that really triggered me "It's not mom's fault he left you for her". I instantly got in full fury mode and I had to tell her "Yeah sure, if im jealous its certainly not of you, with a husband that's an inch far from becoming part of the furniture and thinking about raising ANOTHER child functionally alone"
She called me names and left with my mother behind trying to calm her down, I left afterwards.
My mother has written me saying she does not want me anywhere near her house (I dont live there, she means visiting or talking to her) unless I apologize to both my sister and her husband for what I have said. I have no intentions in doing so. Why doesnt she have to apologize as well for being a witch? Would I be the ah here?

Me and my husband recently got married (Both 30) During the planning process we decided that we wanted to do our wedding on a budget and keep it personal to us. We chose a local venue, made our own decor and planned the whole day ourselves with the help of our amazing MOH. For the wedding breakfast, only 90 seats were available so had to choose our guests carefully, and in the evening we could increase our guest numbers. After so much back and forth, we decided it would not be possible to have everyone's children at the wedding except from those that are related to us, especially since between our guests there would have been over 20 children, most under 10 years old. In addition, while we love all of our friends kids, they would not have appreciated the day as much as the adult would have. We let our friends know and they were very understanding, some also admitted that they would have preferred a child free night with their SO to relax.
My friend (Let's call her Stacey) had met when we were 10, but hadn't talked as much prior to wedding planning, so I had decided to invite her to the evening of the wedding. Stacey was a single mum to a six year old who had been in a relationship that had ended badly, which had led to a toxic custody battle on her side. She would often rant in front of her kid and stretch the truth, to which I would try to talk her down and support her in any way I could. My husband wasn't a fan of her since whenever we did meet up with her, she would only talk about herself and the latest dramas in her life, especially more people she had fallen out with, this seemed to be quite constant for Stacey, regardless, he accepted my wishes.
Fast forward to my hen do. The girls and my mum had planned a surprise hen do for me and it was a lot of fun. During the night (and after a few drink) I became curious as to who was not able to make it. My MOH mentioned a few people and their reasons (Not as if it mattered) and said "Unfortunately, we haven't heard anything from Stacey". I let it go and didn't think much more of it after that. After the hen do, of course we shared some photos of the hen do to socials. After a week I got a message from Stacey basically saying sorry that she could not attend, she didn't have child care, which is fully understandable.
A few weeks pass and she messages me again saying "I'm not sure if I can come yet, but if I do can I bring my new man?" My response was that I didn't know she had a new man but I would check the numbers and see what we could do. Her response was "Oh we're not together, we're just talking for now" I was in two minds since I didn't really want a complete stranger to be at my wedding day. I ended the conversation with, "I wasn't sure I was comfortable with that and for her to please let me know when she knew".
It is now nine days before the wedding, I am cooking dinner and doing the very final counts and remember that Stacey hasn't let me know if she could attend the wedding reception, so I reached out to her.
In short the conversation started with me asking if she would be there next week. She told me she could because of court cases along with other stuff and that she couldn't find child care and that she would come if her kid could come along too. Now this is understandable, except she lived with her mum who I know is more than happy to look after her granddaughter, in addition, this day had been planned so far in advance. I replied, I fully understand however so many other people have had to fork out for childcare and it would be unfair to those if I allowed her child, I added that I love everyone's kids but I could not afford them. She then proceeded to state that she no longer gets on with my friends, and that no one would find it unfair if her child attends and that it's "Only a buffet rights?" then proceeded to try and call me.
I put my foot down however said that I didn't want to lose her as a friend. She replied saying she "respects my choices and that her mum could have her child but then she would be sacrificing her time with her child since baby daddy now has every other weekend with their child". I thanked her for her understanding to which she said "Yeah it's just part of being a parent, and you haven't lost me as a friend. I'm not that petty lol. Me and child are a team so we will always do stuff together otherwise I just accept that I can't do anything, it is what it is. I don't think it would make you and husband hypocrites. Weddings are much better with children anyway. I responded with "Again, that being said, if everyone's kids were there, that would be over 20 kids, which could be chaos also" and she finished it with "You’ll understand one day when you have children yourself that children will always come first"
The wedding was great and after we heard nothing from her despite her being present on social media. No congrats, no comments about the dress or the photos when they came back. She just shared shady memes about friendship. 7 months later she messages me out of the blue saying "Hey babe, you okay?" I didn't really know what to say back and eventually, she cornered me at work in which was really awkward and she has since blocked me on social media.
I don't know if I should feel bad or if I should have tried harder. I was very present in her kids life before and she used to call me auntie like all of my friends kids. AITA

How to begin?
I'm a 38F; single.
My hobbies are D&D, art, video games, traveling, and karate. I play D&D every weekend, and go to karate 3xs/week. I work full-time doing tech-related things for a small department.
While I have "friends", I feel as though I'm often the only one reaching out to see how they are, or the only one wanting to spend time together.
I've given up the dating scene for now as it's been really disappointing after the last 3 months with local men, and a hurtful last year with falling for someone who never did (and still doesn't 'see me' or know what makes me tick.) He and I were friends before the situation, and still are, but he's distant; which sucks as I feel the closest to him more than anyone else in the area....though it may be one-sided at this point.
At work, I feel like an outlier as I don't fit in with the other girls in the department that I work with. Hobbies, age, body type; everything is different. Most of them are married as well. None of them do tech, and I feel awkward being in groups of women as most of my hobbies have always been male-dominated and I'm more comfortable talking about geek stuff than getting my nails done or the latest video on Tiktok.
D&D is fun, and I like several of the people that I play with, but they are all married/have children, while I have neither of those. And some of them are good friends of people who I don't get along with at all, and would rather not be around.
I love karate. I would go to class every day if I could. The dojo feels like my spiritual home, but it's small with a lot of kids. I would love to spend time with some of the people that go there, but they're always so busy; usually with their families or their jobs. They'll make promises to hang out, and not follow through. Or they'll make plans with me, and then change them without discussing them with me first; telling me afterwards when I've already made other plans and can't join them with their new plans.
I think the worst thing is hearing them talk about going home to their families, or the ones who are roommates; ask each other what they want for dinner as they walk out together...They say we're friends, but friends make time to hang out together, don't they? I often just end up sitting in my car for awhile after class; either in the parking lot or at home, as I don't want to return to an empty place. (I can't afford a pet right now.)
I spent 7.5 years teaching English both in Korea and Japan. The isolation and loneliness there was to be expected; with the language and cultural barrier and whatnot. I even got so lonely that I signed up for junk emails just so 'someone' would email me. I also started writing a diary and emails that I never sent to feel like maybe someone was hearing me. So I guess that I felt like when I got back here, I would naturally fall into friendships and relationships, but that hasn't been the case. My local friends from high school I feel as though I've outgrown, and my foreigner friends that I made in Japan aren't allowed to talk after a certain time, are busy with s/os, or are depressed so don't want to talk anymore.
I know that I'm "really cool" and a good person and friend with a big heart. I've heard it alot. But it just feels like if I were to slowly disappear, would people notice? Would they even care past the work I do or me being one of the few women at the dojo? I love the dojo, and I want to help there with whatever I can, but I often feel shot down when I offer to help with things; even if I have the skills or experience to help and they could really use my help.
Sometimes I fantasize that my friends would call upon me for help and support with something and I could swoop in there and be appreciated by them. I guess I just want to be wanted and needed by someone, if not something. I want to be included, and invited to things. I want to help my friends and have a strong bond with them and spend time outside of our shared hobbies with each other. I want to belong somewhere.
I miss the community that I had in high school. I tried joining community band here, but it didn't go well so I joined karate instead. My online gaming friends either are busy with their gfs and we very rarely game together now, or they no longer have a subscription to play online.
I've tried to embrace the fun parts about being alone; like staying in pajamas or staying up late or following my own plans. I'll take myself out to do fun things, like seeing a movie, or lunch, or the beach, but the novelty wears off when I get home and I'm alone and have no one to really share it with. Except Facebook.
While I was invited to a friend's birthday party last-minute, I'm also currently under an incredible amount of stress at the moment with my dad being in the hospital, and having to see him nearly every day. I haven't been able to focus on work, and when I get home, I'm mentally and physically tapped out. Household affairs have greatly fallen behind and it makes me come down on myself even harder...why do other people not have this problem and not break down and cry like I do? I've been so frustrated and hard on myself lately... I have a therapy appointment next month, but that's still so far away.
I just really need a hug, and an invitation to hang out with friends and be seen and understood without judgement.
Thank you for listening.

I (28F) am getting married next year. In my country, the principal sponsors are the GodmotheGodfather of the couple to be wed. These roles do not have any monetary responsibility, should they decide to gift anything though is highly welcomed.
I already know whom I want to be a part of my entourage, and my Aunt (let's call her Daisy) is one of them, she and my Mom do not have a perfect relationship but she has been a constant presence in my childhood and adulthood. I always consider her a motherly figure and am close to her daughters. Her eldest is my MOH while the younger one is a BM, that's how close we all are.
Sadly, when it was time for me to invite her and tell her that I was hoping she could be a Godmother at my wedding she dismissed me by saying we'll talk about it, now, I was not surprised when she responded that way as before I messaged her, my Mom already told me the same thing. When my engagement was announced, my mom was overjoyed and started asking Aunt Daisy and their 2 other sisters to be Godmothers, the latter immediately said yes and expressed their excitement and even started joking about how they should start getting back to their "body goals" to look even better in their gowns. Aunt Daisy said no, she said she'll be (please take she'll literally) a Candle or any of the secondary sponsors' roles. When I first heard it, I felt off, Isn't it that the Bride gets to decide who's who? But still, I went ahead and asked her, fast forward, she said we'll talk about it.
I did not want to talk about it and decided that I wouldn't bother her anymore, I know everyone has the right to decline, and I respect that. She just really rubbed me the wrong way, she decided what her role would be, and two, she agreed to become a Godmother for my second cousin's wedding. I'm not jealous of that because I know they are close too. I'm just really sad that she thought she could just decide what she wants without even considering that I probably have other people at my wedding too.
I'm firm in my decision but a part of me thinks that I'm just being dramatic; am I?

I have always been someone who likes to stay in but every so often, I will get a huge itch to go out. I think I follow through on plans for the most part but it’s starting to making me realize maybe there are some people I simply don’t enjoy hanging out with or drain my battery. I have friends where I look forward to seeing them and can push through whatever anxiety I feel. I will add I also work night shift right now and that absolutely exhausts me and makes me feel so pressed for time.
Tonight, I was invited to this bachelorette party for someone I knew in high school, I wasn’t invited the wedding which kinda stung and I don’t know anyone else going to the party. The whole group chat is unfamiliar numbers, and I feel like I’ll go and feel out of place. Another thing is tonight, a very old friend who lives in Colorado is in town and I said I’d be there. Now it is day of this party, I kinda forgot about it and I really don’t wanna go but feel like an asshole. This group of people all went to college together, while I stayed back so I’m kinda on the outskirts of the friend group and always feel a little awkward. Long story short, am I an asshole if I don’t go to either of these? Do I just not like these people? I don’t want to be rude but sometimes I don’t wanna socialize at all

• Welcome to Reddit Light Welcome To Reddit Light (#8YYRVUYC), an official clan of the Reddit Clan System (RCS)! Whether you want to war hard, farm casually, or just make some new friends: COME TO THE LIGHT! Everyone here is very friendly, chatty, and active. We love our relaxed but active group of players who strive to get better at the game. Many of our members are willing to teach if you have the desire to learn; also, many of us are willing to learn if you have something to teach too! Currently looking for th14+
• TH13 65/60/30 Minimum Hero Levels. Mostly if not completely max base from previous townhall.
• TH14 70/70/45/25 Minimum Hero Levels. Mostly if not completely max base from previous
• Find the Reddit clan system password [Our requirements are a bit negotiable but fairly tight due to the size and demand for a spot in an RCS clan.]

What you can expect from us:

• An Active Clan
• We have members online at all times of the day to donate and chat with. Don’t be shy, we are a family and want you to feel like you are a part of it too!
• Many of us found friendships through the can schedule and play a bunch of other games together as well!
• We max out Clan Games every season, which allows you to choose a reward from every tier! (no minimum participation required)

War Schedule

• We war every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; they are spun around 9:00 PM UTC.
• We spin for CWL the first day we are allowed around 9:00 PM UTC

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• Find the subreddit clan system password at this LINK join our discord at this LINK Hope to see you in-game!

Hi. I'm from ScriptedSilicon, and I wanted to hear your thoughts on a topic I've been researching. FYI - I have a background as a writer and I'm deeply fascinated by Augemented Reality (AR) and its ramifications for art.
In the realm of art, AR continues a long tradition of screen-mediated viewing, evolving from historical methods like the camera obscura and magic lanterns to modern digital screens. This journey reflects a deep integration of technology with artistic expression, emphasizing themes like viewer participation and site specificity.
The transformation began earnestly in the mid-1960s with the advent of installation art, which introduced media screens into environmental artworks. These installations weren't just about viewing art; they were about experiencing it, making the viewer a part of the art itself.
Today, AR represents a pioneering form of screen media that manipulates live media in real-time. Unlike traditional cinema, which seeks to seamlessly blend digital creations with real-world scenes, AR maintains a clear distinction, emphasizing the mediation at play. This not only changes our perception of reality but also invites us to interact with the art in fundamentally new ways.
Join the discussion and share your thoughts!

Discussion Questions:

1. Viewer Interaction: How does AR change the way we interact with art compared to traditional installation art? Can the increased interaction and immersion provided by AR create a deeper connection or understanding of the artwork?
2. Technological Influence: How has the progression from traditional video art to AR influenced the artistic process? Does this technology limit or enhance artistic creativity?
3. Reality and Perception: With AR blurring the lines between real and augmented, how does this affect our understanding of reality? What does this mean for the future of how we perceive and interact with the world?
4. Ethical Considerations: As AR technology becomes more prevalent, what ethical considerations should artists and developers keep in mind? How do we balance innovation with the potential risks of altering one's perception of reality?

Hey everyone! Sharing my experience and the warning signs I missed in case it helps someone else here.
I matched with a "girl" on Thursday. Very cute and very very talkative. I don't remember if it was a verified account. Going to be more careful about that going forward but I doubt they would have had trouble verifying. We messaged all day, she invited me to chat on Instagram, we had like a 2 hour phone conversation and they sent me videos in response to the things we were talking about. They sent me pictures of them holding their "cousin's baby." They had clearly hired a model working with them.
The conversation turned to "what do you like in bed" and was mostly through voice notes at that point. They kept mentioning how they had a very high sex drive and they were the opposite of vanilla, asking me what my fetishes were etc. Luckily I'm a gentleman so I didn't mention anything compromising or embarrassing.
The next day they were asking random questions like "what's your favorite line from a movie" and "what's your favorite song," and asking if I would treat them like a princess if we met, mentioning how they like fancy jewelry and stuff.
Last night they gave up, and pretended to get mad because there was a lull in the conversation for an hour. They blocked me all over, which seemed weird so I went back through our chats and I realized what was going on. The whole thing took place over about 48 hours.
I kinda lucked out here not giving up anything of value and learned an important lesson about setting boundaries and trusting my gut when flags come up. Part of me was like "this feels like a scam," but the fact that they were sending me custom videos and I'd talked to a human for 2 hours made me not sure.
Here's the warning signs to look out for 🚨:

• immediately moves conversation off hinge to another platform
• excuses about why they can't meet up
• hyper bonding over a short time period
• overly sexual conversations, with a focus on fetishes, non-vanilla sex etc.
• guilting you for short pauses in the conversation
• aggressive bullying flirting
• asking for assurances that you're prioritizing them over work, friends and family
• sparse social media accounts (there were only 6 photos on the Instagram account. I know, I should have caught that -_-)

Even posting this is going to open myself up to reddit scammers (be careful commenting, they'll probably go after you too), but I think it's important to spread awareness and get some good out of the experience. Hope this helps someone and be safe out there! Online dating is the worst...

I'm pissed off at the so called justice system and need to rant and I figure plenty of other pod listeners have experienced what a bastard it is and might relate. Feel free to share your story in the comments and we can all commiserate and bitch together.
I work the front desk of a motel and I love it. The owner pays a living wage, and I'm not required to smile in the face of Karen nonsense.
For the most part, the property is safe and quiet, but we have been having issues with this one particular loiterer for a few years now. In general, we really don't want people who are not guests or here with guests to be hanging around the property. He did more than just hang around though. He actively bothered guests, trying to bum money, cigarettes, alcohol and rides off of people while stinking drunk. He'd bother anyone but women were his favorite. He'd hit on them and try to get their numbers, even staff members. It didn't matter how many times he was told to leave, he'd keep coming back. Usually this happened at night, but he'd show up stumbling drunk during the day as well.
He's not homeless. When we figured out his name, we were able to determine he lives in an apartment complex a stone's throw away. We learned his name after an employee saw his mugshot, and that he'd been charged with trespassing and indecent exposure at a nearby business. Looking up his past criminal history, he's no stranger to run ins with the police. Criminal Mischief, False Imprisonment Of Child Under 13 Yoa, Child Abuse, Battery, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Disorderly Conduct, Trespass In Occupied Structure, Possession Of Cocaine all from one encounter with police. Others include another count of indecent exposure, assault on a female and breaking and entering.
When we learned all this, we realized he was more than just a nuisance and we needed to try harder to get him to stay the hell away before he hurt one of our guests or a member of staff. Then he ended up being gone for awhile anyway. Jail? Another state? We don't know and I'm not that good at reading court records.
But he came back with a vengeance toward the end of 2022 and started zeroing in on our night auditor who was a very pretty but naïve girl which I guess he took as an invitation. When we learned about this she was told to just call the police whenever he'd show up so we could finally get him trespassed. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to any of you that the police never showed up in time to get him on the property, so they kept saying they couldn't do anything about it. Months later the planets aligned and he was finally trespassed.
This kept him away briefly. The night auditor left and a new one was hired who was not aware of the loiterer. Unfortunately for her, he took an even bigger shine to her, escalating to very sexual comments. We hadn't seen him for a bit, so we foolishly thought having him trespassed would work and hadn't warned her about him. One day last summer she is telling me about a guy who keeps coming around on her shift, and she doesn't think he's a guest. As she's describing him I realize she's talking about the loiterer. I tell her next time he comes around, just call the police.
To make a long story short (too late), by November he'd been arrested on our property three times for trespassing. And one time for communicating threats when he came screaming at the night auditor demanding to know why the general manager was at the hotel in the middle of the night. Clearly having him trespassed was not a deterrent. We kept being told to just keep calling because it would build a stalking case against him. Private security options around here are a joke, so instead the night auditor's boyfriend was given a free room during her shifts because her stalker would stay away when her boyfriend was around. But he would watch the property from somewhere because if her boyfriend went to run an errand or was away from the desk long enough, guess who would come creeping?
Don't worry, we finally got stalking charges against him though. Early November I was working a 16 hour shift because I'm a workaholic and I like OT. I was also pet sitting for my parents so as my day drew to a close I was absolutely running on fumes. Guess who turns up on the property bothering our guests again? We do the same song and dance where I call the police and they don't show up on time. The night auditor he likes was working that night and she arrived without her boyfriend, long story but he couldn't be there.
I desperately needed to get out of there because I had to be back in 8 hours and also needed to take care of the dog, but I could not in good conscience leave her by herself when I knew her stalker was prowling around. Sure enough, as I'm about to leave we see him on the security cameras heading toward the desk. The lobby has big glass windows and he walked by them, presumably looking to see if she was alone, but he kept going because I was here.
Something in me snapped. If the law wasn't enough to deter him from coming around, we'd have to find alternative methods to discourage him. I grabbed the pepper spray we have because of him and went outside to confront him like a lunatic. I shouted "hey!" to get him to turn around and I pepper sprayed him in the face as he was eating a cheeseburger and then I did it again. I got his face and his cheeseburger and he was so drunk he kept eating it as he cursed me and called me a crazy bitch, which is a fair thing to call the crazy bitch who just pepper sprayed you even though you deserved it.
I had dialed 911 on the way out the door, so they got to hear me yelling at him and told me to stop following him and I lied and said I wasn't following him, I was just yelling at him. In reality I was doing both though I only followed him to the edge of the property. The reality of the situation hit me at that point because I absolutely just attacked him and called the police on myself. My biggest concern in the moment though was the fact that my parents were out of town and there was no one else to take care of their dog.
Anyway, cop shows up like ten minutes later to take our statements and whatever. My eyes are stinging because I'd walked through a cloud of pepper spray, so I recommend gel not spray because it apparently doesn't do that. Fortunately I did not get in trouble and the cop was like huh, if your reaction to seeing him is to just immediately pepper spray him, perhaps we have enough for stalking charges. Yay, finally. They didn't catch him that night though.
And it turns out pepper spray wasn't that good of a deterrent. He was back bothering people two days later. Fortunately his favorite target was off for a few days and the other NA was working and called the police. They showed up and talked to him AND DIDN'T ARREST HIM. They said they couldn't because he wasn't on property when they arrived, which is bullshit because all they need is proof he was here which we have because we have security cameras and he has been busted another time that way. They just didn't want to do their job.
I started bringing my gun to work at that point in case the stalker decided he wanted revenge for the pepper spray. But honestly his brain is so liquor cooked I'm not even sure he remembers I did that.
Over the next couple days we say him a few more times, learned he had a warrant out for his arrest on the stalking and trespassing charge, but the cops kept not showing up in time. Then we didn't see him for a few weeks. I'd check on the local arrest records to see if he'd been arrested, and he finally was about 6 weeks after the incident. He was bonded out a couple days later and bond conditions included staying away from the hotel as well as my coworker and I.
After that he stayed off the property, but would sometimes shout at the NA from the sidewalk out front, telling her he loved her and would never hurt her. He never stuck around long enough that she felt it was worth calling the police over.
He would still hang around the fast food restaurant parking lot next door and bother guests whose rooms faced that direction. There wasn't anything we could do about it and they weren't interested in doing anything about it. This changed at the end of March when he was arrested there for being drunk and disorderly. He bonded out on that charge as well. We didn't see him around after that but knew better than to celebrate.
End of April, he gets arrested again this time at the gas station across the road. Drunk and disorderly, indecent exposure, and resisting an officer. Bonds out again.
Just a couple days later, the other day shift person spots him hanging around the property though he didn't stay long. She warned night shift about him when she left that night. Sure enough, he turns up again IN THE FUCKING LOBBY. NA scares him off with the stun stick that was also purchased because of him and calls the police. As is tradition, they don't arrive in time. But we have proof of him violating bond, so we're hopeful that maybe he'll get locked up and give us a longer break.
But he wasn't done with his chaos for the night, the NA learned the next morning when the police came back to talk to her. He went to hang around the gas station where he'd just been arrested. He was loitering around with another guy, generally being suspicious and touching themselves. Then comes the escalation no one saw coming (/s). He and his creep buddy attempt to sexually assault a woman at the gas station. Fortunately they fail, unfortunately buddy gets away, fortunately stalker does not.
But you wouldn't know about any of that looking at his charges. All you would see is that he was trespassing at the gas station, had an open container of alcohol, damaged a police car, resisted an officer, did a disorderly conduct, and he pissed on an officer. Nothing about the sexual assault, or trespassing at the hotel and violating bond. Also apparently pissing on a cop is a felony.
On the bright side, his bail was set to $25k and I kept checking to see if he had posted bond and he hadn't. So we were enjoying a reprieve. I checked every couple of days for updates on that, and when doing so today I noticed the status of the stalking case had changed from pending to disposed.
I looked into that and discovered the stalking charge had been dismissed because the victims and officer had not shown up to court. Showing up to court is kind of difficult to do WHEN NO ONE TELLS YOU YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. There was absolutely no communication with any of us regarding the stalking charge. Everything I did know I knew from arrest and court records which I barely know how to decipher.
We've done everything we were supposed to do, but fuck us I guess right? We're having to take our safety into our own hands because the justice system doesn't give a fuck. He's not getting whatever help he needs to not be a predator because it doesn't give a fuck.
I'm so fucking angry right now. We're going to call the DA on Monday, for all the good that is likely to do. Maybe the owner can band together with other business owners in the area and get something done about him since money talks. I don't fucking know.
I'm not scared of him for myself, I'm scared of what he might do to a guest or one of my coworkers. He wouldn't be the first pervert to attack a housekeeper, thinking they're an easy target. One guy flashed his dick at a housekeeper a couple years ago and the owner chased him down and held him at knife point until the cops showed up. At least that cop had the good nature to claim not to have heard the owner when he said he was going to cut the guy's dick off.
The cop the stalker pissed on probably deserved it.
How has the justice system fucked you over?

I'm gonna give a little ⚠️content warning⚠️ here as this experience involves violence that resulted in deep rooted trauma for me.
Hi! I'm new to the reddit community but definitely not new to Charlotte's channel. As soon as I heard her mention this subreddit I RAN🏃🏻‍♀️ to download the app because I love sharing the wild sh*t that has happened in my life! Let's start with an oldie but a goodie because I got an invite to my 10 year high school reunion recently.
I grew up and attended high school in the Appalachian mountain area. There was still, of course, cliques like there are in any public school. I never really claimed to be part of a specific "clique" though. My style was "dress as punk as my Christian mother will allow me to" whereas the most popular style was Justin boots and Carhartt jackets at the time. Anyway, we would sometimes get out of our last class early if there was an "in-school" basketball game scheduled. My best friend at the time met up with me after class so we could sit at one of these basketball games together. We were sharing earbuds, listening to her iPod, when I was tapped on my shoulder by a girl standing behind me. I recognized her because we had classes together in the past but we were never close. We'll call her Becka I guess.
Becka proceeds to ask me why I was "talkin' sht" about her? I tell her that I had no reason to do that because I barely knew her, which was the truth. She walks away from me and my friend and goes back down the bleachers to talk with her group of friends. While it is a small town, I didn't even know this girl's friends well enough to be "talkin' sht" to them about her. Becka approaches me a second time to say "I KNOW for a fact now that you've been talkin' sh*t about me so why are you lyin'?" At this point I was annoyed, so I rolled my eyes and gave her the same response. Before she could say anything else I put my headphone back in to ignore her. I then watch her buzz all around the bleachers talking to everyone and not so subtly gesturing toward me.
BECKA APPROACHES ME A THIRD TIME. She sits one step above me in the bleachers to lean down and smack my foot that was propped in the seat in order to get my attention. I take out the headphone once more to ask what the f*ck she wanted, because at this point I didn't think she would escelate the situation any further. "My friends literally told me that they heard you talkin' shit so why even still lie about it?!" she asked. As soon as I turned my body away from her, she saw her chance and she took it like a cheap shot at the local pub. She pulled my head back by my hair and started hitting my face repeatedly. I had never been in a fight before in my life, so I was stunned to say the least. We later found out that not only were my glasses broken, but my nose was fractured and my tooth was chipped. My mother, infuriated, dealt with the matter legally as we didn't have the extra money to fix these things ourselves.
For those wondering where my "best friend" was during all of this, she was right there equally as stunned. I don't blame her for not jumping in to help me, but I blame every single student in that gymnasium who witnessed a girl being attacked by another girl, and chose to pull out their cell phones to video the incident rather than getting an adult involved. LITERALLY. ANY. ADULT. The whole student body and faculty were there. I made it all the way out of the gym into the commons area before a teacher seen my bleeding face and followed me to the bathroom to demand I explain what happened. I held it together until I got into the bathroom so no one would see me crying out of pure embarrassment and anger. I appreciate that this teacher was doing her job to the best of her ability by taking me to the front office to speak with the principal, but that only resulted in Becka getting suspended for a few days.
As soon as she was back in the hallways, she had convinced her whole group of friends to bark the word "snitch" at me every time they saw me. THAT is bullying. Being violently attacked is FAR WORSE than bullying. I say this because I saw a post in our 10yr Reunion event page that made me absolutely cackle. It reads:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m aware there are people with mixed feelings about having our high school reunion. I’m fully aware some don’t want to show up because they don’t want to face people that bullied them in high school. I understand that completely. That is your choice you’re allowed to make. However, with that being said we are all grown adults now. Each and every one of us was also bullied in our own way. No it’s not okay. No it’s not acceptable. We all regret things in life when it’s too late. This is a chance to possibly get that apology you’ve always wanted. This is a chance to really get to know the adult version of our high school self. We’ve all changed in so many ways!! I’m proud of each and every one of you guys!"
I didn't expect anyone to acknowledge my specific situation in that post. Honestly, no one may even remember it because it wasn't them being traumatized in that moment. Anyway, I'm choosing not to attend because I've thought of every possible conversation I could have at this event, and none of them sound appealing to me in the slightest. If anyone wanted to befriend me after high school or see what I'm doing with my life, they could easily do that through their phone screen as I'm very present on most social media.
To conclude, I'm not sure if you'd classify this as petty revenge or just life taking a horrible turn, but I was told that Becka now enjoys doing dr*gs in her free time (meth to be exact)! I'm going to refrain from saying anything else about that because I personally feel yucky joking about addiction as I have two family members struggling with it themselves. Anyway, thanks for letting me dump my tea here!☕

For the past two-ish years my girlfriends and I, who I’ve known most of my life, all had boyfriends. We used to hangout as a group together and our boyfriends got very close; now, they consider themselves best friends. Last month I broke up with my boyfriend of two years and it was very very hard for me. I did it because I couldn’t see a long term future with him and our spark faded. I love him dearly as a person and wish him the best, which almost makes the breakup even harder. He was my best friend.
My girlfriend invited everyone out to this bar tonight for her boyfriend’s birthday, and she invited both me and my ex. My ex and I are no contact right now and it would hurt a lot to see him. I guess since my ex is best friends with my girlfriend’s boyfriend, he has priority over me. I told them I wasn’t coming, but I hope they all have a fun time.
I’m honestly feeling hurt that my ex is still a part of my friend group, even though I’m happy he has them as friends. It makes me feel less cared about, and I’m not sure if things will change unless my girlfriends also break up with their boyfriends. My ex lives two hours away, so I won’t have to see him often, but it’ll always feel like my friends are choosing between him and I every time they want to invite him somewhere. It also makes me a uncomfortable that my girlfriends will be talking/drinking/laughing with him, and I won’t be there. It’s so shitty. I’m also a bit upset with my girlfriend who invited everyone out for her boyfriend’s birthday.
What do you guys think about this? I know I am valid for my feelings, but do I have the right to be upset at anyone?

My bf (27M) who is straight and I (30F) have been dating for 8 months now. Everything is running smoothly. For the most part, I feel pretty confident about our relationship. Except for recently, there is a friend of his who likes other men and he flirts with my boyfriend. It is extremely obvious that his friend likes him. He and I are openly aware of that.
They’ve had history texting each other and going out to dinner Id say maybe about 3-4 times together (3 times before we started and once when we became a couple). I never thought of it being an issue because as our social groups know, this friend of his has the personality of flirting with damn near every man that surrounds him. I also, in the past, believed that my bf was just one of the very few men who are comfortable in their own skin and can hang around with any type person no matter what background or preferences the other person has.
We had a conversation about my boyfriend’s preference and he says that he is straight and does not like men.
With that being said, I was once doing my project on my bf laptop because mine was having issues. I was starting to see incoming messages from himself and his gay friend. It was obvious that his friend was super flirtatious and my bf was sort of going along with it but would back away when the friend would invite him out.
Well, last night we went out to a business dinner and the friend was there. Once again super flirtatious. His friend barely made eye contact with me or talked to me throughout the night but made the bold decision to move from his original seat to then sit right across my boyfriend. Not only that, when we came in, he whispered to my bfs ear that he wants him to sit next to him and my bf told him, “no”. When we went home I mentioned how it bothered me that his friend was acting that way with him and how obvious it is that he likes him.
Could this friendship between him and the other guy be truly labeled as a friendship even if one party clearly likes the other? Am I maybe oblivious that my boyfriend may possibly like him or have some form of curiosity because he still has him around? Im not sure what to feel or call this anymore. Maybe my boyfriend just likes to hang out in the gray area where he doesn’t like his friend that way but enjoys the flirting.
I just want to hear the thoughts of others and I pray that my thoughts are absolutely wrong to have and my bf does not like him.
TL;DR: my boyfriend’s male friend who likes men continuously flirts with my bf who is straight. My bf does not flirt back but it makes me uncomfortable because I am now starting to question their “friendship”. Am I wrong for having this perception of their friendship or is there something going on that I may be in denial.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is such a good game despite being so… well… basic.
It’s simple — almost overly so — yet it is beloved by so many seasoned and experienced gamers.
What I got curious about after playing the game myself and reading a number of pseudo-reviews online was how exactly it achieved this.
How did a package so entry-level-looking garner such respect by 201 and 301 students?
--
The ‘Fields’ region is a great example of Kena’s dichotomy.
It’s gorgeous and inviting, with sea-foamed vistas, lush landscape and rushing waterways. There’s a even a big, lovable pet bull towering over the myriad of cute little Rot dudes scampering through the foliage. The whole place is just friendly.
Why then, does it end up being one of the game’s longest, deepest and most complex sections? Consider its many scattered puzzles, which ask you to combine platforming, archery, environmental awareness and combat proficiency. There’s even a handful of red herring platforms that you can’t properly interact with until later in your puzzle solving endeavor.
The ‘Fields’ are a microcosm of the game as a whole. A childish, Pixar-esque shell which, when uncovered, reveals a complex, involved gameplay experience underneath.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits invites you to be a kid, but treats you like an adult. This is something very few games manage — or even attempt — and it’s what makes Kena so unique, memorable and special.
--
Kena crushes its tone and aesthetic on all fronts to create something that’s desirable and attainable to a group outside of hardcore gamers.
Kena’s visuals are youthful and welcoming by using cartoonish and fairytale-esque art design. The game’s companions do the same — the Rot are your constant brigade of adorable little plush-like, Pikimin-esque comrades who hop as you walk, munch on berries, clumsily trip over each other, and squeak in pitches that can only described as ‘cute.’ You can even give them little hats to wear. They’re pets and it’s all so mired in youthful innocence that I cringe even typing it.
From a distance, Kena appears childish and immature based on its outward appearance. That is, until you peel back its outer layer.
--
The game looks like something your five-year-old might enjoying toying with on your iPad, “you-got-games-on-yo-phone?” style. But there are four elements in its building blocks that make it a game not optimized for your five-year-old on their own;

1. Narrative
2. Puzzles
3. Platforming
4. Combat

Narrative
As far as the game’s story is concerned, it may begin bright and innocent enough, but it deals not-abstractly with death and loss.
Consider that all three boys you meet in the early game — Taro, Benni and Saiya are actually dead, I-see-dead-people style. Consider also that Kena’s entire journey revolves around the loss of her own father and her desire to reconnect with him.
Additionally, it is Toshi’s selfishness and his desire to be the hero that actually ends up bringing death and destruction to his village when he jumps the gun and kills and the mountain spirit in cold blood.
Merciless affronts on nature and an up-front dealing with death and grief are not exactly for the young of age, despite their youthful packaging.
Puzzles
It would be a waste of word count to explain in detail the steps necessary to complete certain puzzles in Kena just as a set of examples to prove the point.
If you’ve played or watched gameplay, you know the puzzles are surprisingly involved, consisting often of multiple steps to complete that build on each other and require the use of all of your abilities in tandem.
One of the bigger “ah-hah” moments I recall was when I realized I could order my Rot minions to move objects while Kena stood on top of said object in order to give me a leg up to jump to a previously unreachable ledge.
Platforming
Speaking of ledges, jumping to and from them is tight and precise in Kena.
Platforming challenges are often timed (your aura-bomb weapon only activates platforms for specifically-timed bursts). Combining their scheduled nature with the need to rotate them via precise archery, mid-air grappling segments and more makes for a movement experience that is involved enough to demand the player’s full attention for every tick of the clock.
Kena and her world’s gravity also have a decided, predictable weight to them that’s not exactly forgiving, meaning the act of jumping to and fro is exact while also requiring exactness.
Combat
Fighting the enemies of Kena is similarly involved.
The cadence with which the game throws opponents your way combined with the complexities of dealing meaningful damage to said opponents creates a combat scenario which demands the player fluidly wield and swap between both melee and ranged options while carefully managing space on the battlefield.
Kamikaze-style enemies often rush Kena in carefully-spaced and well-timed waves, while enemies with shields and shells hide their weak points from visibility. Enemies like this require certain sequences to beat — be it a well-placed bomb and arrow combo, a parry, or a maneuvering to an enemy’s backside.
Boss encounters lean into these mechanics but also present new wrinkles — The Hunter fight asks the player to rethink their tactics and find a way to deal with an airborne opponent who is apt at dodging bombs and arrows, for example.
The final few bosses ask you to take everything you’ve learned throughout your journey and apply it all at once, and if you don’t… it’s defeat for Kena.
--
The above sounds like I’m describing a souls-like with platforming elements as the ‘fresh take’ in addition to the enrapturing combat.
Games that provide this much of a challenging, involved experience are typically darker in tone — be it music, environment, or what-have-you. I don’t think too many people would call Kena ‘hard,’ but these are the same people who died 10+ times to The Hunter or Corrupted Toshi.
If this game had a darker, moodier skin, would more people describe it as hard or not for the faint of heart?
In this way, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
It is accessible to new players and younger gamers due to its pleasing and friendly atmosphere. But by its conclusion, it is likely to season them into better gamers. If a newbie gamer picks up Kena, they’re in for a surprise and (hopefully) delight when they find something deeper than that which they first expected.
On the other hand, Kena is a worthwhile experience for veteran gamers if they drop their toxic masculinity and play a goofy kids game with a female protagonist. This is a game that will undoubtedly earn their respect by requiring their attention, precision and commitment throughout its experience. Like the newbie gamers, gaming veterans are in for a surprise and (certainly) delight when they find something deeper than that which they first expected.
--
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a good experience for everyone. By balancing being adorable with being difficult, it earns the respect and appreciation of everyone who plays it. Its accessibility makes it easy to recommend to anyone and the game thus earns itself a bigger audience as a result.
Its narrative and gameplay might not separate themselves in terms of newness from a saturated market, but the surprise and delight the game provides delivers an experience to its players that isn’t typical of the space.
By striking the balance between wolf and sheep, Kena elevates its quality to something beyond just the content within.
--
…and yet…
I can’t help but think, as I summarize this article, that if a game is for everyone, doesn’t that, on some level, mean it is also for no one?
I mean, when you look at the game’s narrative or gameplay, it’s not exactly reinventing the wheel here. In fact, Kena does just about nothing new. It spits out the same exact version of a game we’ve been playing for decades in the form of Tomb Raider or Uncharted or The Legend of Zelda or God of War.
Critically speaking, both the gameplay and narrative are pretty damn milquetoast.
You’re in a world infected by some arbitrary Darkness and since you’re Special and The Chosen One™ it’s your job to go around cleansing the world of evil using a combination of environmental platforming, lever and pressure plate puzzle-solving and lock-on-based, sword-swinging driven combat.
It wouldn’t be difficult to make the argument that Kena is bland.
But the discourse around the game just isn’t about that.
The game’s scored an 81 on Metacritic and has a 92% positive review rating on Steam at time of writing. It recouped its development costs in just one month, meaning every sale since then is hitting the bottom line.
People like this game.

Quick aside from me here on something that made me smile — when double-checking the score on Steam for the above info, I found these as the first two reviews at the very top of the queue: “yo wtf. bought this game to chill, why does it feels like im playing souls-like difficulty ass game HAHAHAH.” “Don’t be fooled by the graphics. This game can be a challenge at times, but it is worth the experience.”

So maybe being an experience for everyone really was the kicker?
Or, maybe, it was something else.
In fact, yeah, I can confidently say it was. It’s a game reviewer’s buzzword, but it’s oh-so apt here: polish.
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The entire experience of playing Kena is smooth. There are no framerate drops, no bugs, no broken quests or puzzles, no desynced dialogue and facial animations. Not a single hiccup to speak of.
The game features exacting archery, precise platforming, telegraphed and accurate hitboxes, as well as an unimpeding camera, responsive and weighty combat and legible visual design that accurately communicates with the player.
You can move through Kena virtually unobstructed (until you come across a puzzle you can’t solve, but that’s your problem, not the game’s). Everything is built carefully and gels together in a cohesion that works so fluidly that playing Kena is simply frictionless.
The game’s developers — Ember Lab — nailed the fundamentals, paid attention to detail and play-tested perfectly. Their effort to go above and beyond saved this game from sinking into the obscurity of being completely and utterly Mid.
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It’s frictionlessness that elevates Kena beyond itself. It makes the game greater than the sum of its parts. It makes Kena a complete, finished and polished experience.
Kena presents itself like it’s Disney Pixar’s latest goofy-ass, lame-ass, sub-par video game, but lying underneath the childish aesthetic is a challenging and engaging experience that’s not only a boon for all audiences of gamers, but a worthwhile one thanks to its extreme polish and dedication.
You should play it.