I’m gonna lay out the whole context here, and it’s 2 years long so bear with me. A TL;DR isn’t really possible as there’s so much important context to whether or not IATA.
We’ve been married almost 10 years and she’s from overseas. She came here through our marriage. We were happy and doing extremely well for ourselves.
The problem started to 2 years ago. My friends wedding. Afterward we went out and then went to another friends house to continue partying. At the party one of the wedding guests started having a pity party about how he’s depressed because all these happy couples are around and he’s single.
For context. This guy is weird. He’s disrespectful to women, capitalizes on captive audiences (waitresses most often), and is overall a loser. He’s got a good job but that’s about it.
My wife, listens to his sob story and says “I have a sister!” and immediately starts FaceTiming her sister. This is something I’ve said isn’t okay. We’re not tinder, and we’re not matchmakers.
Beyond that her sister has a history of treating her poorly. She constantly told my wife she’s stupid growing up, well into adulthood. She blocked my wife for a whole year because my wife called her and told her not to go on boats with men she doesn’t know. Told my wife to live like she doesn’t have a sister. For a whole year I consoled my wife a couple times a week.
Anyways we were both drunk and with people so I’m not gonna start a fight right there. I figure I’ll talk to her about it maturely later. So I do. In the meantime, I switch to speaking Arabic with her sister and tell her this isn’t okay and isn’t what she wants.
Her and my wife to this day claim I was happy and supportive. They claim I was too drunk to remember. But there’s a few things wrong with this. I drove home, I take drinking and driving VERY seriously and would never, ever do it. In fact, if I know I’ve drank too much, I’ll hand my keys to a friend before the liquor starts hitting, just to avoid any possibility of making that bad decision.
Secondly, I switched to Arabic. I’m white. Arabic is a language I learned. When I speak it, I speak it very, very deliberately and remember the conversations perfectly. I know exactly what I said.
Anyways, when I talk to my wife later, I’m told how it’s wrong to prevent her from helping her sister and how her sister really likes this guy. A guy she talked to for 5 minutes. I told her it’s wrong to think of it as “helping” her sister in the first place and that her sister is a grown woman who can find her own partner.
So my wife says “okay I’ll tell my sister to stop talking to him”. That was the end of it. Or so I thought.
A few weeks later I’m at a different event and this guy let it slip they’re still talking. Immediately I’m upset and text my wife about how she lied to me.
She said her sister was really falling in love with this guy and separating them would be wrong. She said she did tell her sis to block him but when her sis went into a depression she told her she can unblock him and talk to him, behind my back.
Upset I told her we need to talk about going behind my back and how disrespectful of my boundaries this whole ordeal was. She said “it’s okay I’ll tell her to block him again”.
Over. Or so I thought for the next few months. A few months later I again am at an event with this guy and this time he’s smart enough to lie about them talking. But I’m a salesman and a bullshitter. You can’t bullshit me unless I trust you. I knew immediately he was lying but I let it go. I did ask my wife and she said no they’re not talking. So I believed her.
Well, a year and a half goes by. In that time her sister and her fought about how her sister could come to the US. We said we’d help her but it’s a lengthy process. At the time I had little animosity toward her sister and would’ve loved to see her come here and be near my wife again. She wasn’t happy with that and said it takes too long. This is her sister’s mindset.
Anyway. Her sister gets a B1 visa in the meantime, temporary business visitor and wants to come visit my wife. Lies through her teeth about her intentions to the immigration officer, telling them she wants to stay 90 days. They approve her for 60.
So we file for an extension ASAP so she can visit for 3 months. Staying with us the whole time. I wanted her to have fun on her visit so I arrange for my friends and I to go out. This guy shows up. She talked to him and told him our plans.
Immediately they disappear into the casino and come back holding hands and all kinds of PDA. I’m fuming because I know she’s a conniving word I won’t say here. I don’t say anything though and we go through the night and I let it go so I can have fun.
The next day he’s picking her up from my house and they’re out for the whole day. The next time my wife is off work, same story. Well, I thought you were here to visit her? And that’s where I put my foot down.
I got told it was wrong to try and control her, wrong to try and separate them, etc. etc. etc. Finally she blocks his number and he calls from a separate number. I turn off her SIM card because I’m not gonna support her going behind my back in my own home. He calls me and tells me he really loves her and just wishes I’d accept it.
I tell him very plainly I will never, ever accept it because it all stemmed from him, her, and my wife going behind my back. Primarily my wife, as she’s the only one of the three I should be able to trust is telling me the truth.
At this point, I feel as if my wife had an emotional affair, although it’s with her own family. She repeatedly chose to go behind my back, against a boundary I had told her repeatedly before this situation at my friend’s wedding after party ever transpired. If that’s not an emotional affair, I don’t know what is.
So I tell him bluntly to not call me anymore and I’m not going to change my stance, and his feelings don’t mean shit to me. He started to give me a sob story about how we’re friends and he I should be happy for him and I cut him off and told him to save his breath.
My wife is upset at me for how I talked to him. Another emotional affair. Trying to protect the feelings of this dude.
The next day, while my wife is at work I’m eating lunch at our dinner table and studying schoolwork her sister comes to the table and starts talking to me about this guy asking if I talked to him and I tell her plainly I did and what I told him.
She goes into a story about how she really loves him, she’s an adult woman and I shouldn’t be intervening etc. I told her I agree I shouldn’t ever have been involved and neither should my wife. I told her to save her breath with any talk of her feelings because I don’t care. She started crying telling me I’m cruel etc.
I told her at this point I’m done being nice. I’ve been lied to for 2 years and it’s over. I’m done being my laid back self and I’ve been pushed repeatedly and I’m standing up for my marriage and my boundaries.
I did turn her SIM card back on so she could call my wife and I, her hosts.
The next morning I wake up to my wife in tears calling me to her sisters room. Her sister is bawling her eyes out and packing her bags to go home. I talk her sister into coming for a car ride with my wife and I to talk things out.
Immediately in the car my wife starts berating her sister about how she’s selling her for a man and a whole host of other things. I calm my wife down and tell her that’s not okay to say to her sister. Because against what they thought I don’t want and would’ve never wanted this to cause a separation between them. I know how much my wife values family.
In the car her sister tells me she really loves this guy and that she can see them being a family one day etc. etc. etc. I tell her plainly don’t ever bring him around my house, if they do marry and have kids, don’t ever bring them around my house, and don’t consider me her brother in law because I will never do anything for her again after she goes home.
My wife is shocked, she’s shocked and they both wonder how I could be so cruel. I said I’m over it. I’m over hearing about this guy, I’m over being used, and I will never again trust her. She said she understands and resumes talking to this guy.
A few days later we’re in the car going to a family event with my family and I get asked if he can come. I said no, very politely. I said no, he’s not part of my family. I was told how terrible I am, and my wife and her sister both jump out of my car in a bad part of Chicago, an area neither of them know.
My wife calls my family and tells them I kicked them out of the car. So my family starts blowing up my phone screaming at me. Once I explained the situation my family said they’ll come pick them up but I hung around and kept driving by to make sure they were okay. Eventually my wife calls me and says they’ll get in.
So I pull over and they open the doors and my wife goes “I’m scared I don’t feel comfortable getting in the car with you”. So I drive away pissed off. This is a 85,000 car in a bad part of the city where carjackings happen every other day.
I go park somewhere but keep an eye on them to make sure they stay safe. A homeless guy passed them and my wife calls me to come get her. So I do and we go home.
Again her sister packs her shit and cries that she’s going home. I tell her to relax, sleep on it and we’ll talk in the morning. She does eventually and in the morning she decides she’ll stay.
A week goes by and I hear nothing about this guy from her. My friends and I all joked about him and made light fun of him. He caught wind of it and cried to my wife’s sister who told my wife, who came to me and aggressively told me to stop and leave them both alone. I got pissed off because this was a private convo between me and my friends and if he heard it and got his feelings hurt it’s on him.
This spiraled into a huge argument with me, my wife, and her sister. In the argument I asked her sister plainly if she planned to leave at the 90 day mark. She said no.
So I kicked her out of our house. Her and my wife went for a walk and I yelled out the front door to get her shit to the curb before the walk before I do, because if she doesn’t do it herself it’ll be thrown on the wet ground. They both thought I was joking before then I assume. Her sister comes in and packs her stuff and gets out. I said if you plan on staying here illegally it won’t be in my house. If the choose is between here or the streets, it’ll be the streets.
She went to stay with the boyfriend and his parents. His parents must not have liked her too much because within a couple weeks they made them both move out.
This was in January of this year.
Since then, I’ve been repeatedly goaded into accepting this. My wife has tried to get me to visit her sister, etc.
It came to a head recently at a wedding we went to for another friend. Her sister and this guy were there. I didn’t say a word to either one the entire night and all was fine.
Except my wife spent the whole night at their table because he wouldn’t dance or do anything to have fun. She can’t handle the idea that her sister might find something she doesn’t like about this guy. She has to be there just in case the relationship goes on life support.
This pisses me off, obviously. She’s more invested in their relationship than she’s been in ours for the past 2 years. Grown adults.
Well, today she was going to her sisters house. She had 2 bags. An ulta bag and a discovery bag. I asked what that is, and she said it’s for her sister. She pulled out taco shells and said it’s just small stuff she wants her to try. But I could see through the bag and saw beauty products. I’m not an idiot.
I looked in when she went to the bathroom and saw a fucking armoire full of shit. I looked at the receipt. $300. I was fucking livid.
I continued getting ready for work and said “her husband can’t buy her that?”. It’s confrontational, yes. But I said it politely, and was open to talking about it.
I get met with immediately hostility. I never raised my voice but I made it very clear I wasn’t being nice about this or anything anymore.
I told her “maybe she could pay you back and find you a new husband”. I’m going to give her a choice. Me or her sister now. Because this has gotten fucking ridiculous.
We pay for her to come here. She hired an immigration lawyer apparently, but doesn’t have money to pay me back for the flight or even pay for the Ubers they take or anything. My wife is trying to make up for this losers shortcomings. He’s too much of an idiot to see that her sister is using him.
By the way, this isn’t her first fiance. It’s not even her first western fiance. She’s been engaged to at least 3 different guys. One from France, another from Belgium, and a third from Canada before this guy. She was looking to immigrate. He’s a fucking idiot though so, oh well.
My wife’s sister is very materialistic. My wife is fortunately down to earth but is so far up her sisters ass because she thinks if she doesn’t do everything her sister wants that her sister will cut her from her life again. Which is exactly what would happen.
I told her that’s on her sister. I’m not asking her to never talk to her sister. I’m asking her to stop treating her sister like she’s a child and putting their relationship before ours. Stop bending over backwards for a grown woman who will throw you away the moment you’re inconvenient.
But it’ll never happen it seems and it’s the reason I’m strongly considering divorcing her. I’m over this fucking shit. Oh, and by the way, my wife claims that she’s scared of me etc. now when she tells the story to other people.
I have never and would never hit my wife. I’ve never given her any reason to be afraid of me. So to put that out there on me is absolutely fucking bullshit and I’ve lost all trust in her.
AITAH?

My first real strong hockey memory is watching Patrick Roy win his first Cup. The Canadiens, dominating the sport with stars like Cornoyer, Richard, Dryden, etc. were my favorite team, as they were also one of the teams on our box hockey set, lol. So it was awesome to watch him kick ass in the playoffs, which was about all that we got to see in Ohio at the time (pre-cable in our area).
Just started watching hockey for real now that I am in Tampa with enough streaming options to watch virtually all the games. Super impressed with a lot of goalies around the league, but let's face it, I'm not qualified to rank them, let alone compare them to the greats of the last 50 years or so.
I know Vasy was a beast during the Bolts Cup runs, and was coming around nicely towards the end of this season. So that is part 2 of my question: Where would you rank him based on his work so far? Part 3; What's his realistic ceiling going forward, assuming he stays healthy and the boys win another Cup or 2?

Our dog escaped from our backyard, after looking for 40 minutes we saw a neighborhood Facebook post that a neighbor found him and took him to the shelter. She said she had him in the backyard for a while and he was happy and safe. She took him to the shelter and signed the paperwork and told us that he was healthy and not injured. When we picked him up he had large gashes on his shoulder and forearm and small one on his face and was limping.
We were told by multiple neighbors that were in the area and helped transport him he was fine and friendly. The shelter said "he doesn't play well with other dogs huh cuz looks like he was in a fight".
We had to take him to the vet and pay for the visit and treatment.
What action should/can we take?
Edit. Should add that the Shelter waved all the inpound fees, and gave him a free permit, updated his vaccines and gave all the medicine for free which we thought was nice but looking back now wondering why they did that for us without prompting

Olá! It's me! I'm Rickle Pick! Hello everyone!
So, I’ve been listening to some stories about Neckbeards and Kevins, as well as some Legbeards and Kevinas (Is that the correct term??). Well, most of the times I listen to those stories, I am reminded of some people I used to deal with in school. Specifically, this time, the tale of a guy, who I’ll name Roger Bacon for reasons soon to be explained. Sorry for any grammar errors, eu falo português! I also don't really know the posting rules here, so I'll just post it and see how it goes lol
This prologue is more of a compilation of stories that I think is needed before we get to the main shenanigans and awkward situations this guy put himself AND me into. If this generates any interest, I will post more specific tales of this weirdo! Long time lurker, first time poster, english is definitely not my first language and the whole shebang. I also never wrote a text this large, so go easy on me!
THE LIST:
Well, I guess it’s usual to make a list of people that appear in those stories, so I’ll make one just for you!
Me: Your basic musician-type nerdy theater kid white guy! Tall, thin with medium-light brown hair. At the time, I usually wore a leather jacket and sometimes a hat (not a fedora, a Chaplin hat. Also, where I live, hats are an acceptable attire choice lol). I kinda looked like the Once-ler from Lorax. At this time, I had just failed my second year of high school because of… honestly just lack of effort, mixed with undiagnosed ADHD and a bit of lacking in the ol’ confidence and self-respect department. At the time, I also was physically incapable of saying no and had a crippling fear of disappointing people.
Roger Bacon: 168 centimeters (or 5,5ft for the uncivilized) of pure muscle! Or at least he thought it was that way. In reality, he did have some muscles but was kinda chubby and flaccid. Not FAT fat, but athletic fat (???). He was mixed, light skinned, had shaved short curly hair, no beard (except for the inside beard) and his face was a special kind of oval, besides having a, "chiseled jaw". He always smelled like he had just gotten out of a day-long brawl with a french cologne wearing burrito. He wasn't an usual neckbeard, but he was a huge attention whore. Thought too much of himself, as we say here in Brazil: “Promised too much, delivered nothing at all.” His moto was: “Dude, I think she’s into me!”
For now, these are the characters, as the focus is to introduce you all to Roger Bacon as a person.
With the list over, let us get to the story.
FEBUARY 2018:
The year of 2018 started pretty badly for me. I had just been held back from 10th grade, had no friends and didn’t really know anyone. As most people know, high school in Brazil is quite different from America, as we start school in febuary and we share the same class with the same people all day, excluding language classes and extra-curriculum activities. This meant that, for the foreseeable future, I was alone. On the first day of school, I shyly sat on the last desk on the far right corner of the room, as I scanned my classroom to see what I was dealing with. A few groups of people sitting together, talking and greeting their friends, some loners reading or playing on their phones. The artsy girl drawing a beauriful woman on the white board. Some guy drawing a penis right beside her. Perfect balance. A normal classroom.
Another difference between our school systems is that we don’t really have clicks based on like Jocks or Nerds or Pretty Girls, it’s mostly people who connected in childhood or matched personalities, instead of connecting through roles and interests within the school. Not saying either one is better, just different. And yeah, the bullying situation is just as bad. I was bullied for my whole middle school and through first year of high school, and made a very specific group of low profile friends. So when I failed sophomore year I thought to myself “Screw it, if I’m going to be held back, that’s at least a second chance for me to grow an acceptable social life.”
All this elucidates how intimidating it could be for someone to join a new classroom full of mostly new faces. If you were unable to make a friend, you’d pretty much be on your own for the whole year unless an already formed group “adopted” you. So my mindset was to at least try and meet new people.
Well, have you ever said “I’m gonna do this thing I’ve never done before!” And got the worst possible circunstance you could get at the very first attempt? Welp, that’s just what happened. My strategy was to start small, and go talk to only one person at first, and then try to interact with a few of the groups as that was a bit intimidating (fun fact: we call “clicks “panelinhas”, spelled “pah-neh-lin-ias”, wich means “little pans”, because, you know, they’re closed groups, like a closed… pan. Idk, anyway), so I went up to this guy in front of me, and that guy was Roger Bacon.
He was almost lying on his chair, on a cool guy pose while messing around on his phone. He was also wearing a black sports tank top with a grey opened sweatshirt and the standard uniform wine-red shorts that were mandatory in our school, which made him look like a short and jelly version of Rocky balboa mixed with Kick Buttowski.
In real life, my name and his started with sequential letters, and because of this, we would sit near each other for the whole year, so I guessed he’d be the best person to interact with. I also KINDA knew him because we had basketball training after class in like 2015 and I went to the same church as him, in which I befriended his brother, Kevin, slightly, but didn’t have much contact with him because he had already graduated (I have some stories about basketball and church so tell me if yall wanna read them lol). I approached and gestured for him to take of his headphones (They were extremely loud, so I could recognize he was listening to the song In The End by Linkin Park).
Me: Hey! Aren’t you Roger? You’re Kevin’s brother, right?
RB, trying to sound stoic: “Oh, hey Rick. Yeah, it’s me… fortunately for you.”
Me: “What do you mean?”
RB explained: “Well, I’m the cool brother! Kevin was lame, and also had no friends.”
Me: “Isn’t he in a band with [insert band members]? They seem to be his friends…
RB: “They might look nice, but they’re all assholes. Don’t let them fool you! I’m the nice brother, Kevin is a dipshit.
To elucidate you: that band he said was made of assholes was the Worship band of the church we went to. It was also the worship band that I occasionally played the piano with.
I said, jokingly: “Guess I’m an asshole then! Because, ya know, I play with them more often than not”
RB: “No man, it’s just them. They’re just so infuriating! They never let me participate!”
Me: “Wow, that’s weird… I mean, I didn’t know you were a musician too! What instrument do you play?”
RB: “I play the drums, piano, guitar, bass and I also sing. But Kevin keeps me out because he wants to be the 'star brother'!”
I could tell he got a little heated, and went silent for a little while. I decided not to mention the band or his brother in his presence, 'cause ya know, that was pretty awkward lol.
I remember thinking to myself “This guy’s kinda weird”, because his brother was one of the nicest people I had ever known, and he also didn’t have the say on who played on the band, the worship leader did. I thought about confronting Roger with this, but I didn’t want to abandon my quest of finding a friend. And also, he seemed chill at first, if not a little insecure.
I was a little uncomfortable with this line of conversation, so I opted to change the subject. We talked a bit more about me having been held back, and he went on about how he was really good at math and chemistry, and how he could help me with my school stuff.
I was glad to have someone to help me, and even more, someone who apparently liked the stuff I liked. I remembered what he was listening to, so I commented on it and asked which song was his favorite, and we talked about Linkin Park for a bit. He said “In The End” was his favorite song, and then I mentioned I was a huge Linkin Park fan. He told me he was a big fan as well, but as we talked about it, it became a bit fishy. He never specifically said anything and just kinda repeated what I said. It became clear after a while that “In The End” was, in fact, virtually the only song he knew from that band.
That was the first time I noticed something strange, but only in hindsight, as at the time I just thought he really wanted to make a human connection. I remember thinking he was just excited to know someone who was open to talking to him, so I didn’t think anything of it.
Also, not everyone memorizes this stuff, and maybe he did only remember one song, for whatever reason, so I let that pass. I only felt necessary to include this information because it was, at least in some way, the first lie that Roger told me, a little sample, if you will, of what’s to come.
After we talked for a while, mostly catching up on our lives, the bell rung and our first actual class had begun, and I had the first-hand experience of this guy’s sense of humor. The teacher walked into the classroom and introduced himself as the new Geography teacher, and started a power point presentation about some of the subjects we’d be covering that year, saying “Please pay attention to this class, as you’ll need to know how our schedule will work”. Roger looked back and said “Huh, I guess this class is useless for you then, being held back and all, hahah”, which made everyone look at me and just kinda stare like I should say something, and he kept repeating the joke to anyone that showed any reaction besides just staring, adding “Amirite? Huh? Amirite?”.
I was kinda salty about this, but my people pleasing peapod brain couldn’t handle letting it show, so I just laughed and said nothing. I guessed it was a poorly thought out joke at first, but then Roger proceeded to make the same comment on every single one of the opening classes we had for both of the introductory days. There were 12 of them. He did it every time. Every. Single. Time. Sometimes he repeated it even louder, as if he didn’t think people heard it, because no-one was laughing.
“Ok”, I said to myself, “He didn’t mean to make fun of me, he’s just a little overexcited and probably is trying to make a connection and help me get acquainted to our classmates.”
Either way, I was very uncomfortable and annoyed.
Thankfully, this came to a halt when he was practically thrown out of the Literature class for interrupting the teacher mid-sentence while she talked about how important the first month of class would be for our comprehension of the whole subject. He made the joke four times. FOUR TIMES. I was beginning to think that I made a mistake, but well, the mistake was already made, at least I can try and understand him a bit, before judging.
The rest of the week went by and he didn’t get any better, but I got kinda used to it. In fact, I actually enjoyed having conversations with him at recess, when we could talk a bit more freely. And, as all things in life tend to do, it got weirder. Weirder in the sense that as we spoke more and more, I noticed a bit of a concerning pattern: every time I shared an experience I had, he’d share a cooler and more awesome almost equal experience back.
Some light examples:
I told him I went hiking for 2-3 kilometers on a trail by the beach. Then he smirked and said he went hiking for “at least 7 kilometers on a deserted beach that only his father’s company’s employees had access to and he saw a Gorilla. There are no gorillas in Brazil. Maybe in zoos, I guess, but definitely no gorillas.
I told him I was kinda sad because I had just ended a “thing” with a girl from my old grade. He “proudly” said he’s been dumped by his ex, Laura, after they dated for 11 months and made out aaaallll the time after school, and he even saw her “lady parts” once!”.
And then he went on to describe that shit for like 3 straight classes, adding more and more to the story every chance he had to speak, providing me with my daily dose of cringe in tiny bits of uncomfortable information at a time! Like a sporadic cringe snack! Sninge! Crack? Probably Crack.
ANYWAYS
There was also the time I told him the story of how I became best friends with a guy because we got into a fight in P.E.. We were arguing about some nonsense and he wanted to fight, so after he socked me on my stomach, I cheaply kicked him in the face so hard I almost sprained my ankle and then we started laughing (because I guess sometimes that’s all it takes). Phillip is my best friend for almost 10 years now.
Roger puffed up his soap dish chest went on for at least 2 classes worth of time about how he “beat up his last bully and broke both of his arms, and almost went to prison, but his dad is a lawyer and bailed him out”. Dude was 16, and I don’t think he’d need to be bailed out, but okay… He was, in fact, very badass.
Those are all approximations of actual stories he told me, because my ADHD memory is shit, but you get the gist of it.
My days were filled with endless stories filled with absolute bullshit, like a Gary Stu from a dying rpg campaign. (I have a story about a DnD game he participated in, but that’s for another time!)
Roger, not content with lying to me about anecdotal facts about his past that could be true but were almost certainly mostly bullshit (if not entirely), had a tendency to just negate reality when presented with facts in certain situations.
And example of this situation is the time we were doing a group assignment and a girl at least 3 meters in front of him dropped her pencil and he just kinda threw himself on the ground, picked it up and said “Here you go, Lana!”. She said “Thanks Roger!”, barely turning around and carried on with the assignment. Roger, then, turned to me with a sleek shit feasting smirk on his face and said:
RB: “Dude, do you think she’s into me??”
I contained a ridiculing laughter just in time to realize he was dead serious.
I said “I don’t know man… Doesn’t seem like it to me, but sure I guess.”
RB then straight up asked ME to go talk to her and get HIM her number. When I asked why shouldn’t he do it, he said it was “the wingman’s job to get the number of the girl” so that he wouldn’t “look weak for asking”
I said I’d do it, cause I genuinely wanted to see if he was right about her liking him (I hadn’t really understood the dynamics of the classroom, so I actually had no idea if he was actually right, just a gut feeling that yeah, he probably wasn’t).
I went up to her and asked for her number, explaining it was Roger who was interested in her and, as I pulled out my raging 2014’s Sony XPeria, I was swiftly interrupted by her delicately saying “Sorry! I have a boyfriend.” (She said the boyfriend part out loud, and stared at Roger)
I said “Oh, ok, sorry to bother ya!” and, as I was starting to walk back, I noticed that she turned back and glared at Roger. Later that day her boyfriend texted him, telling him that “He’s got to stop asking her out, and next time, if he wants to get rejected, he should come do it himself” He called him a moron. And then they both blocked him.
Well, that was embarrassing.
Despite having been turned down (for the 6th time now, I’d come to find out), Roger still maintained that she was “totally into him”, and it wasn’t just Lana. Any time he had even the smallest interaction with any girl, he’d say that they’re “probably into him”, or that “they made out at a party, but she was drunk and probably won’t remember”, or that they “sent him nudes last year but he’s already deleted them because he’s a good person, with morals”.
This went on for a while and, after about a month, Roger begun to dial down the crazy stories about how he’s a “badass and he gets all the girls but he’s single because he’s too good for them”. Until I started seeing a girl from another church I started going to. I met Janice () at the churches youth group, and we talked the whole time afterwards about lots of stuff. This name’s given because of her insanely similar laughter and demeanor of Janice from Friends. We clicked well and I was very interested in her, but my ADHD ass forgot to get her number, and remembered it only when she had already left.
When I told Roger, he laughed and said “I had just cockblocked myself” and that I’d “probably missed my only chance of banging a girl ever”. I was bummed, but clarified I didn’t really want to have sex before marriage or at least before making an emotional connection (I had just then begun to go to church, so I didn’t really get the rules, so it was more of a personal choice I always had in mind when thinking about dating. Also I met her at church so wtf).
He said “that was dumb” and, “even though he was a virgin, he’d dance the Devil’s Tango with the first chick he had the chance to”
“What about Laura?”, I asked. His face went from a confident smirk to an almost sad expression, and he blankly replied: “She didn’t want to, but I tried anyway at times. I even got a blowie once!” I let it go because I was very tired, as Mondays are hell on earth.
A few classes later, I went up to him and reminded him of our conversation and asked:
I said “Ooookay, but what about all those girls you told me were all over you? Didn’t they want to have some bum bum times with you??”
He was taken by surprise by this, and was visibly trying so hard to think of an answer for at least 15 seconds. He mumbled “Well…”, and like just left. Like he got up in the middle of the class, and walked away. Well that was weird!
He got back and I didn’t pry, thinking he had some kind of trauma, and I tried to change the subject.
I say “tried” because instead we were suddenly interrupted by a girl asking me if I was Rick. I didn’t know her or how she had materialized beside our desks, but later I found out that that girl’s name was Mary. She had blue eyes and was smiling mischievously, and I answered “Yup, that’s me”. She then giggled and said that “Anna wanted to make out with me after class”. Me and Roger were both very much taken aback by this, and I immediately thought to myself that this could only be some type of dare or prank (which it probably was), and was about to try and respond with the first witty joke that popped up in my monkey brain when, without missing a beat, Roger said “Rick’s already seeing someone!”. Mary was visibly surprised and said “Oh, you have a girlfriend??” with a look of disbelief on her face. Ouch. I explained that I wouldn’t say I do, I just liked a girl from church and we’re going to see a movie with some friends on Saturday, and that either way it was a pass on the making out sesh! Mary said “Oh, okay!” and started to walk back to her desk. I was about to make a joke and say that Anna could probably do better than me, when Roger interjected:
RB: “I’d like a making out sesh if she’s interested!”
Mary looked back with a visible “Lol, ew no” expression and just said: “I’m sure you would, Roger!”, turned away and sat down, laughing with her friends when she got to her desk.
Roger turned to me and said:
RB: “Dude, do you think she’s into me?”
This cycle repeated once in a while, so I’m not gonna tell you all of the situations that I felt like shaking him and trying to wake him up like Woody does to Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. Exhausting, right?
Another thing Roger tended to brag about was that he did Martial Arts. Specifically, Kung Fu (Wushu). I would come to find out that, in the year before, he made a big scene to tell everyone in class that he’d just started Kung-Fu classes and, when no-one payed attention, he started a habit of punching the wall beside his desk, audibly making “hmpft” noises. When anyone asked why, he’d say he was training, and that his Sensei (Not shifu, he actually said sensei) had asked him to do that to strengthen his fists so he could harness all the strength he had, so one day he could put a hole through a wall with his fists.
He would also punch the school’s fireproof doors because, if you didn’t know, they dent pretty easily, and he would show me and tell me to bask at his strength and ability. That until I said I’d give it a try. He told me not to, because “I wasn’t trained” and “it could really hurt my hand”. I punched the door. It made a dent.
Roger said it was beginners luck and that he’s just a good teacher. I told him I really didn’t even make an effort to pay attention, the metal was just bendy and soft. Roger never talked about it again, and started only punching walls. For that, he would feel superior because, yeah I ain’t doing that. There were consequences for his wall punching habits, but I’ll address that some other time.
The last thing I’ll say about him for now is how clueless Roger was, how much he thought of himself and how he treated everyone else like they should (and would) respecting for what he told them, and not for what he showed them.
(I plan on doing another part eventually, with the story of how his disconnection with reality, lies, schemes and generally narcissist behavior eventually exploded back into his face.)
As a last bit of exposition of our circumstances, there’s an important part of our school life that fueled Roger’s social life’s demise.
Pranking was a big part of my class’ culture. There were also some people in my classroom who were bullied. The thing is: the bullies actually made fun of literally everyone else, which made it very hard to figure out if you were considered a target or just a colleague. They’d mess with people’s stuff, tie backpacks to the windows and hide pencil cases, but they would also do it to their own group.
Essentially, the only way to differentiate those who they considered normal schoolmates from those who were bullied was the frequency of the pranks and their demeanor in general towards those people. They would apologize for the pranks, ask to make up for it, buy you lunch, make jokes, try to laugh with you. I swear some of those guys were politicians in the making. Luckily, was very good friends with one of the guys in that group, I’ll call him Turkey, who was also held back a few years before me, and he liked my sister, so I was mostly safe.
Roger, on the other hand, THOUGHT he was one of the pranksters. Every time someone pranked him or anyone else, he would laugh knowingly, like he was in on the joke the whole time, and try to make jokes, only to further humiliate himself. And they would capitalize on that as hard as they could.
You see, Roger liked to portray himself as the “Mysterious-Badass-Quiet-Protagonist-Take-No-Shit-From-Anyone-Mr.-Steal-Yo-Girl” guy. This combo of personality substitutes was the recipe for the downfall of his popularity, and the start of the longest lasting pranks I’ve ever seen in my life, which will come if yall want another post. That prank is also the reason I named him Roger Bacon.
Because he was so into Math and Science (and into himself too lol) he also always wanted to look like the smartest guy in the room. The problem is that, as our first semester went by, it became clear that he wasn’t as good as he hyped himself up to be. Shocker, right? This was proven to be true when we were doing a chemistry group test, and I was paired with him and Anna, and we needed to calculate some entropies or whatever. He made a point of telling us to do all of the “easy ones”, and he would take on the more complicated questions.
The thing is, he was trying really hard to look like a genius, to maybe impress Anna, so every time he made a calculation, he would roll his eyes up and kinda vibrate a little. I guess he wanted to look like a genius mathematics robot, but instead he looked like he was trying to imitate an autistic person having a small stroke. I didn’t mind the Good Doctor amateur impersonation, because at least it looked like he knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, it really just looked like he knew what he was doing.
Each easy question of the test was worth 1 point, and there were 4 of them, and there were 3 hard questions worth 2 points each. We got a 4/10 on that test, and lo and behold, the only questions we got right were the ones me and Anna worked on. We were a bit pissed, not gonna lie.
Until the last time we spoke, Roger still blames Anna for his complete failure at this test for, in his words, distracting him because she was obviously into him.
But that’s just Roger, I guess!
I've got A LOT of stories about Roger and other neckbeards I've encountered, and I can't wait to tell them!
Until then, thanks for reading, and have a good one yall!

My wife and I have been having a silly argument about the appropriateness of my actions during the last weekend. I wanted to get opinion on if my actions were appropriate.
We both are in our mid 40s and have been married for 16 years. Overall, things have been amazing (so far), and I could not ask for a better partner. I have been overweight for most of my life. Around 3 years ago, I started hitting the gym as it was my last chance to gain any muscles before my twilight years. I have lost substantial weight and body fat and am happy with how I look (compared to other dads my age). I am more comfortable to take my t-shirt off if it's a hot summer day. My wife has never had any problems with it.
Last week, my wife had a few of her friends over. They were all in the backyard drinking wine. I took the chance to go to the gym in the evening and stay late to give them some privacy. When I came back home, they were all pretty drunk. When I got back, I decided to go back to the yard to say hi to everyone before taking a shower. They were all in the hot tub enjoying themselves.
I go there and one of them asks me to come in the hot tub. I politely decline and she said, "Take off your clothes and get in". Everyone laughed. Others joined in and also started making some pretty crude comments. Everyone was laughing and I realized they were all drunk and just trying to make me uncomfortable. My wife was also in on the joke, and she was smiling. She was telling them "No, he is mine, that's only for me". I am not the one to back down and was also taunting them. Finally, I took off my shirt and threw it aside and they all laughed. I then excused myself and took shower and sat in my office to play videogames for the rest of the night.
The next morning, my wife was giving me a cold shoulder. She told me that I should act my age. She felt I acted in a pretty lewd "stripper-like" manner and should have just left after her friends started commenting about taking off the clothes. She told me that she also asked me to not do it, and I still did it because I enjoy the attention. She says that she now feels embarrassed with the whole incident, and I just gave her friends green flag to make sexual comments about me all night.
I felt they were just having fun and they have seen me without my shirt on 100s of times. I am also comfortable around them as we know them forever. I personally do not see how I crossed any lines. My wife though felt her friend's actions were not appropriate, and it was more inappropriate that I acted along and took off my shirt. Note that all her friends were in the bathtub in their bathing suits. She feels it's not taking off the shirt, but the context around it that made the act very cheap, and she does not want her friends to view me in that way.
Dear people of reddit, can you please weigh in on this stupid argument we are having right now. Do you think my wife is right in this one? My wife will also be reading the comment section, so please be nice (i.e. please don't tell her to divorce me).

Hear the Whisperings of the Soulmask
The sun was setting, casting long, warm shadows across the jagged peaks of the mountain range. A lone figure crouched low, their broad back hunched against the chill of the evening air. They were clad only in a loincloth and leather armor, their muscles tense as they gripped a battered wooden shield and a massive spear, its tip stained with the blood of countless enemies. A quiver of arrows was slung over their shoulder, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. This was Cid, the outcast of his CLAW tribe, banished for reasons he could no longer remember. His only purpose now was survival. And survival meant raiding the mountain fortress of his former brethren. Cid crept silently through the underbrush, his senses on high alert. The faint sound of drums echoed through the air, signaling the approach of a patrol. He tensed, ready to strike. As the patrol rounded a bend in the path, they caught sight of Cid and shouted a challenge. The outcast barbarian did not hesitate. With a primal roar, he charged forward, spear thrusting and shield arm blocking as the arrows rained down around him. His superior strength and agility soon became apparent, as he overpowered the surprised guards and continued deeper into the fortress. The sound of battle echoed through the mountains, and soon reinforcements were pouring in from all sides. Archers took to the walls, raining down arrows upon Cid as he fought his way through the main gate. He ducked and weaved, using his shield as a living shield against the deadly volleys. The ground beneath him grew slick with blood, both his own and that of his enemies. Cid's fury knew no bounds as he reached the inner sanctum of the fortress, where he knew the chieftain would be holed up. The air was thick with smoke from burning herbs, and the flickering light cast strange shadows across the walls adorned with the skulls of slain enemies. The chieftain stood before a great altar, his face painted with symbols of power and dominance. He held a ceremonial hammer, its edges glowing red-hot, as if forged in the fires of the mountain itself. As Cid closed in, the chieftain turned to face him, a sneer curling his lips. "So, you have come to die at my hands, outcast?" he mocked. "Very well. Then die you shall." With a mighty swing, the chieftain hurled the hammer at Cid's shield. The impact sent a shockwave through the outcast's body, but his grip did not waver. He thrust his spear forward, aiming for the chieftain's exposed throat. The chieftain dodged with surprising agility, and in the same motion, he counterattacked with a swift kick to Cid's shield arm. The outcast stumbled back, grunting in pain. The chieftain circled around him, his movements fluid and deadly. "You are no match for me, outcast," he hissed. "I am the true leader of this tribe, chosen by the gods themselves." Cid growled in response, his anger burning hotter than the lava that had birthed the mountain. He charged again, this time avoiding the chieftain's trap and landing a solid blow with his spear. The chieftain stumbled back, but did not fall. The battle raged on, the sounds of clashing metal and grunting warriors filling the air. Cid could feel the weight of his armor, the strain in his muscles, but he pushed forward. The chieftain was tiring too, however, and his movements were becoming less precise. Seeing an opening, Cid lunged, thrusting his spear at the chieftain's heart. The chieftain parried with his ceremonial hammer, but the force of the blow sent it flying from his grip. As it clattered to the ground, Cid stepped forward and drove his spear deep into the chieftain's chest. With a final gasp, the chieftain crumpled to the ground. The remaining guards, realizing they were defeated, threw down their weapons and surrendered. Cid stood over the body of the fallen chieftain, his chest heaving with exhaustion and victory. The fortress was silent now, save for the occasional groan from a wounded warrior. As he surveyed the carnage, Cid felt a strange mixture of satisfaction and despair. He had saved his people from the chieftain's tyranny, but at what cost? So many lives had been lost, and the wounds inflicted upon the tribe ran deep. He knew that the task of healing and rebuilding would be long and arduous. The surviving warriors looked to Cid, their faces a mix of relief and awe. They knew that he was now their leader, chosen by fate or the gods themselves. But Cid felt no pride in his new title. He knew only that he must guide his people through the darkness and back into the light. Cid knelt beside the chieftain's body, studying the symbols painted on his face. They were symbols of power, dominance, and control. Control that had been used to enslave his people for far too long. He wondered how such a man could have been chosen to lead. He turned to address the surviving warriors. "Today, we begin anew. We will rebuild our tribe, we will mend the wounds that have been inflicted, and we will find the way."

I'm a 26 year old autistic man and transgender (it is relevant to the story) from England and basically I moved from Cornwall to Preston to live with my girlfriend. Basically I used to be a very introvert person but since moving here 3 years ago in the past year I've wanted to make some friends so I did just that and went to a pub one day and met an older guy (58 year old man) who I considered a good friend.
Well anyway I've known him about a year maybe and he was a nice bloke, we would share rounds of drinks and that. He told me had suffered 2 strokes and a heart attack, he also lost his dad who he was close too about 4 years ago. I helped him as he helped me become more sociable. I had him on Facebook and WhatsApp as a contact who I'd message.
After about 3 months of knowing him he told me he fancied an 18 year old, he was telling me lets go and meet him all the time at his work place which i thought was really weird but I didnt believe him that he actually liked an 18 year old. But it was just weird in my opinion It turned very weirder when he got rejected by him. He would go on about hating black men but he'd "joke" that he would shag a black man because the size of their penis to which I thought he's drank too much il just ignore him and go home for the night. He then got creepy towards me saying because I'm trans he would like to have a 3some along with another trans person and when I turned it down he said he hated trans people and that were perverts to children. I then stopped hanging out with him for a while due to his racism and transphobia. My girlfriend was aware of this and agreed that I shouldn't hang out with him.
In August last year I went out and met him randomly whilst we was in the same pub and he apologised and said he didn't mean any of it and that he was drunk and being really stupid. I was sat with another friend of mine and he said just talk to him basically. He was fine and I forgave him. That same night I was sat in a pub and I had left my phone with my friend whilst I went for the toilet. To which I came back and it was gone. I looked everywhere and even broke down crying I asked him if he had seen it and he said no. I was crying and went home but realised I had a tracking app on my tablet at home to locate it. Well sure enough it came up to his house when I googled the street! So I demanded my phone back and he said yeh he had it and that it was a joke and that he was going to give it back anyway. I decided that was absolutely it and I'd never meet him again.
I was getting on with my life I was getting help for all my problems I was facing with autism and had him blocked for ages. My friend messages me one day out the blue saying basically he is threatening suicide because I had him blocked and that he had been sectioned because of me. I unblocked him and sent him a message saying "I want you to leave me and my friends alone for good I don't want anything to do with you" he told me he wanted to meet me and talk to me face to face and I did... I probably shouldn't of done. Anyway I made friends with him stupidly but didn't hang out with him as much.. my girlfriend always said he picked on me cos I'm considered a very vulnerable adult.
To the point I'm getting too this was just context. I've not met him for a drink since January I told him I didn't want to go out as I was focusing on university and to be true I lied to him a lot because I didn't wanna meet him. Ever since I said that to him he's been driving his car past my house and taking pictures of it and sending it to me on WhatsApp. Now he's faking heart attacks and that if I don't talk to him he will kill himself, he's not leaving me alone (I have blocked him) but he's been texting me on unknown numbers so I can't block those threatening if I don't talk to him he will tell everyone I know that I'm transgender, that I'm autistic and desperate for a job to the place I applied for for a job. He has stalked me to find out where I live basically and
I love Beth Evans she was my best girlfriend

Are wa tenshi no koe!

"Library — Abandoned Factory — Beginning of the World"

Extra Info and Links

ANN MAL TV Tropes Wikipedia

Comment of the Day!!

SMSmith woke up and chose to shit on Kana!

So I’m a big dummy and thought Kana was a guy this whole ass episode until “she” was mentioned in the subs haha. Anyways, crows can remember faces and Kana is most definitely on their shitlist with all that broom swatting.

Zadcap has a pretty neat world building solution for why anyone would hire a useless shitter like Kana~

But you see, there's only a few places the Haibane can work, and they get nice benefits for employing the winged girls. Between what we learned yesterday about only the oldest bakery being one the Haibane can work at, and the little clock shop being part of the actual clock tower of the town, I have a feeling the old man lives more on what the town pays him to take care of the tower and the girls than actual clock sales.

QotD

• Have you got a favourite creation myth? Did you expect the episode on the sleepy librarian to explore the world's origin?
• Do you have a favourite children's book? I'm willing to accept manga if it's applicable!
• How do you say "goodbye" to people? Do you wave? Hug? Do you use the same phrase for everyone? What makes your "goodbye" unique to you?
• This is kind of in line with what I wanted from today's Abyssbringer Prompt but if you've written something different for that, please try to elaborate on your thoughts towards Rakka and Nemu's creation myth? Is this a happy interpretation of God's "mistakes" or do you see it in another way? I'm wording this weird but there's a few less QotD so let yourself go more in depth with these ones!

Abyssbringer's "What is the thematic purpose of this scene corner!!"

Vatrix-32 wins the weird ojisan wisdom corner. Remember when Abyssbringer prompts used to actually have good and weird and fun images I could use?

Perspective may allow you to know yourself better, but seeing your own limits still doesn’t mean you can go beyond them.

Yesterday's Prompt!

Today's Prompt!

Tomorrow's Prompt

If you strain your ears, you can probably hear it.

Found these below but wanted to get some additional feedback.

Post Diet Refeed:

• “For 24 hours following the end of the five-day FMD, patients should follow a diet based on complex carbohydrates (vegetables, cereals, pasta, rice, bread, fruit, etc.), and minimize the consumption of fish, meat, saturated fats, pastries, cheeses, milk, etc.”
• he says he talks about 10% protein, 30% fat and 60% carbohydrates in the book.
• "The Longevity Diet": “If you are below the age of sixty-five, keep the intake of protein low (0.31 to 0.36 grams per pound of body weight).”
• Day 6 Goal: Stay below protein goal (0.31-0.36 grams per pound of body weight)
• Protein (.31-.36 x body weight in lbs) / 45g fat (30%) max / remainder carbs (59%)
• avoiding animal protein while refeeding
• I'm also thinking one of the reasons he's restricting animal protein for the refeed is to ensure a healthy foundation for the gut microbiome.
• transition day. i.e. one that involves complex carbohydrates vegetables/legumes/fruit/whole grains and minimize fish, meat, dairy, saturated fat, refined carbohydrates, etc. Longo recommends in his book, "The Longevity Diet": “If you are below the age of sixty-five, keep the intake of protein low (0.31 to 0.36 grams per pound of body weight).” Go back to eating normal calories. Take it slow, enjoy it, but follow the above.
• day six should consist of similar eating to the diet but adding in whole grains. And no more counting calories, portions, etc, just being mindful. After that, back to regular diet.
• Go easy on the stomach and intestines to wake them up nicely.
• Personally, I return almost to normal, just a little bit heavier on broths.
• Typically starting with easily digestible foods like broths and low-sugar green smoothies. Taking digestive enzymes can also assist with the transition to solid foods. The further out you get from your fast, the more you can relax these rules and return to your diet of choice. Your diet choices are up to you, but however you eat, it’s smart to ease back into post-fast feeding with easier-to-digest food. Here are recommended foods to break your fast: high-quality lean protein, less-starchy, non-cruciferous vegetables, avocado, and/or bone broth or a green smoothie. Here are recommend foods to avoid: processed high-glycemic carbs, high-lactose dairy and cruciferous vegetables.

Hello GoG,
I would like to take this opportunity to request Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth! at -30% off.
If there are 3 things the Yakuza/Like a Dragon developers know how to do:

• 1) It's how to make a compelling narrative.
• 2) Make an astonishing amount of mini-games and silly side-content.
• 3) Somehow manage to refine their combat system even further.

Of course, I did have a fantastic time with Yakuza 0 a few years back. I grew to love the Kamurocho district. It's a densely packed and pleasantly detailed location. So, Hawaii will be an entirely new experience.

• GIF: Absolute style, once again.

Having experience with Yakuza 0 and watching multiple playthroughs of Like a Dragon, you can easily tell there is a tremendous amount of heart and care put into these titles. It did take a little bit to adjust to Ichiban as the new protagonist going forward, but with the change in story direction, the new turn-based combat style and even the location, I found the Like a Dragon series to be heading in a very promising direction.
This time we're going to Hawaii! Expanding to a much larger map and having a plethora of new and old mini-games that we all love and adore. There's blackjack, card games, mahjong, uber eats delivery service (?), sujimon manager simulator, (Totally not Pokemon with real people, I swear.) dating adventures, photography, a whole island management game that is basically Animal Crossing. I haven't even scratched the surface, there is a tremendous amount of content and I don't think the human body can sustain that much sensory stimulation. That's a good thing. Like a Dragon is a marathon, not a sprint, and it is meant to be enjoyed.

• GIF: Who knew that delivery service could be so intense?

Ichiban is a delightful new protagonist and serves as a great foil to Kiryu. They have their common ground, but their personalities create room for interesting interactions with other characters. I'm very fond of Ichiban's sincerity and passion. He is the heart of the party, I love him!
I know Kiryu is the face of the Yakuza series, but passing the torch to Ichiban in Like a Dragon opened up so much more room to experiment with different character archetypes. Like a Dragon took a different approach to the beat-em-up combat in favor of a surprisingly good turn-based combat system that still feels visceral and interesting. It's also a visual treat since everything is so well-animated while also being hilarious and brutal, depending on your actions.

• GIF: It's great to see Kiryu and Ichiban working together. At karaoke, of course.

I very much appreciate having an older cast of characters for the main party. It's a nice break to have characters who have a solid grasp on their own identity while grappling with deep-seated flaws from their sheer life experience.
The entire Ichiban crew is odd and interesting. Saeko is a particular favorite of mine. (Don't mess with the bartender.)
The "job" system is great for combat and comedy, and I'm really curious about the direction of the plot. The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series always managed to balance the line between serious, interpersonal crime drama and the absurd shenanigans in the side quests. It's a great palette cleanser if you're in the mood for drama, heartfelt side stories, or silly antics.

• GIF: Absurdity at it's finest.

I really hope they kept the "summoning" system in the sequel because it equates to you phoning up a friend to call them into battle. It seems like they did! Because I miss that crawfish, Nancy, she's great.
The characters in the party really make up the heart of the story. I can't think of a single character that I didn't like in Like a Dragon. So, I'm really curious to see any new additions and how everyone interacts with one another.

• GIF: I need context for this.

I mean, the established crew is delightful:

• Ichiban is NUMBER ONE! No, seriously, it's in his name. Our delusional protagonist with the biggest heart is the most versatile character. Sure, everyone in the party can have their jobs changed, but it feels fitting that Ichiban can fulfill any role as he discovers more about himself in his personal journey. Or, at least, that's my interpretation.
  
• Nanba is your cynical homeless best friend who can wield the power of pigeons. He's basically the healer or wizard of the party.
  
• Adachi is the voice of reason. Your connection to reality and the gruff dad of the team. He fulfills the role of the tank by getting way too hands-on with his riot gear.
  
• Saeko (MY FAVORITE!) is the no-nonsense, sane person who happens to be a heavy-drinker. (Around this group, can you blame her?) She gets annoyed easily, but she's probably the most "normal" individual here. She's the debuffer by being an excellent barmaid in combat, or she makes a great healer with the power of...cheer and motivation...through the Idol job?
  
• Joongi Han. Well, I can't say too much about him. But he's cool and the assassin of the party.
  
• Zhao is a mysterious one. Principled, but a schemer. I'd say he would be the fighter of the party.
  
• Eri! Our special secret party member. She's an office lady who uses office supplies like a ninja. No, seriously, she'll strangle you with a lanyard, use thumbtacks as floor spikes, or she can cloak herself by stomping on a bag of flour to create a smokescreen. It's ridiculous, she's great!
  

Like a Dragon had a great soundtrack and a fantastic performance from the cast, both motion capture and vocal work. I was certainly invested, and I'm definitely curious to see where Infinite Wealth goes!
In terms of content, it's enormous, which is a delight in a single-player game. So, you certainly won't be wasting your time if you want to get invested in that world.
I'm really curious to see where it goes from here. So much happened in the prior game to establish the origins of the new cast and introduce their own development over the course of the game. So, I'm very interested to see how they develop and grow from this point forward.
As you can tell, I'm very much in it for the narrative. As serious, thrilling and silly as it can be.
It really is the complete package.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Steam Profile

I would like him to be less fat. He's a dirty thief. We have to keep bread in cabinets, any leftovers the kids drop he's on like a dog, he will eat the rest of kittys food when she's done. The vet gave me a small portion scoop, and said feed them this much 2x a day. And that's what he gets. I've tried putting kittys food up high, but she's getting older now and i don't like the idea of her falling from the top of the fridge. Kitty will eat a few bites and walk away, wanting to save the rest of it for later, and here comes his royal fatass to wolf down the rest. I've thought about a collar that only opens their own food dish. Any word on if they're good? Any other ideas how to keep a fat clever cat from stuffing his fat kitty face?

I have been dating for past 3+ years and planning to marry my boyfriend. He is really a great guy who I admire, adore and respect.
But recently after a discussion with my parents, I have been questioning myself if my love is true? Or does true love actually exist?
I come from a wealthier family (networth somewhere around 80cr) than my boyfriend who comes from a family where he is the sole bread winner with lot of financial responsibilities (basically no assets). He is hardworking, passionate and I know he will be successful irrespective of anything.
Coming to our relationship, I was the one who proposed him, back then money was never my criteria. I just could not help myself from not falling for him.I knew his financial and family conditions.. But for me nothing mattered as I just saw him as an individual. He was someone who was more hardworking than me, more passionate than me and had really high morale. Currently he earns more than me though we have same degree.. So if we see individually he is more capable and also I feel is a better person than me which made me fall for him.
Coming to my family discussion, I was always with a perspective that boy and girl are equal. I am 25 now and I can say never till today I saw my parents differentiate between me and my brother. But recently now that my brother is getting married I came to realize that the whole property would go solely to my brother. I love my brother and we have a great bond. But hearing this I did not know how to react.
I know that I have cousins where girls were not given any inheritance, but my dad always complained about how unfair it is. My mom also was not given any inheritance though her dad owns a fortune (his network is 10x of my dad) .. And my mom use to complain about the same. Seeing this I expected that my parents are different, I will have an equal inheritance with my rother.But no.
Basically there is no inheritance for girl child as girls are always expected to get married into a way more wealthier family. So the whole property goes to the son alone. while if a girl does a love marriage then it's her fate and she gets no inheritance.
My family is not open to love marriage so they deemed that mine will be an arranged marriage, sometimes my brother keeps joking about how I should lend him luxuries ones I get married to a richer guy ( in an arranged marriage).
The irony is that few years back my brother fell in love with a girl (who was a gold digger and cheated on my brother later very badly) who came from a very poor family background, though my parents did not like her.. Not because she was poor but there were lot of roumors of her being not a nice girl (had multiple affairs). Still my parents agreed to my brothers choice, as it's his life. It was easy for him as he has no change in life. The girls financial condition never mattered to him as his life is not changing at all.. He will have all the money anyways. No life style change.
But for me... If I marry my boyfriend, I will be living in a 1bhk rented house with his parents. Untill recently the guy I was soo sure about now because of this drastic change which I will have to face.. I am getting a cold feet. I can convince my parents for the marriage, but I know I will get blessing but no wealth.
Till date I always thought I will be living in one of the 5 house which my dad owns, with my bf and his family. But now.. I feel I have too much to lose.
(Legally - only ancestors wealth can be distributed equally, and all the wealth we have now is solely generated by my dad (he is great at stock market). So it's his choice to not give me any assets. Though he loves me i am sure if I go for love marriage .. He won't give me a penny! )
My bf is perfect no reason to break up at all! So if my love is true I should not be afraid to let go of wealth and live in a rented 1bhk right?.. But i am feeling suddenly so chickened out. Feeling too scared about the change in my lifestyle.
I know, if we work hard we can get rich too but tentatively the struggle is scaring me.
If I chose to marry him now.. Will I blame him in future after a fight?
Will love fade away and will I regret later?
Is love greater than money?
Do i really love him? I really think I do... Then why am I getting second thoughts ?
Was I never in love with him?
I am just dwelling in these thoughts now...

Does anyone have songs that aren’t referenced in the series but lyrically or tonally make you think of the Tower or Midworld? I have a few that any time I hear them they transport me back into the world of Roland and the Ka-tet.
“Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young In a world of magnets and miracles …. To a life consumed by slow decay” High Hopes by Pink Floyd really makes me think of the world before it moved on, when Roland was young, living in Gilead. As if he was reminiscing of his life before the Tower.
“When evening falls She'll run to me Like whispered dreams Your eyes can see Soft and warm She'll touch my face A bed of straw Against the rays …. But life’s not a wheel With chains made of steel” Catch The Rainbow by Rainbow makes me think of Roland’s time in Meijis. There are actually a lot of RJD lyrics that I think would fit very nicely!
Honorable mention: Heaven Is A Place On Earth by Belinda Carlisle because whenever I hear it I hear “Blue Heaven is a place on earth”
What are some songs that fit for you? Please share some lyrics and let us know why! Long Days and Pleasant Nights

I purchased the game yesterday. Saw a bunch of content about it and felt like it was my vibe, I liked the unique style of survival the game had, the low-poly graphics reminded me of old Resident Evil games I quite liked, and overall this seemed like my thing. Even now, after what I'm about to say after what comes down to a poor new-player experience, I still think this game is for me and I just need to know what I'm doing wrong here.
That being said, I booted up the game, the tutorial was fine and kinda funny but still left me kinda confused about the game at large, then I started playing. Chose the Burglar 'cause I like stealth classes and I saw it could Hotwire cars. NICE. Then I spawned in Muldraugh, tried searching my house to see if there was anything of use, only thing I found was a screwdriver, then a zombie barged through the window. "No way I can kill this thing with a screwdriver, I'm running." As I ran, I almost faced a massive horde of zombies, but quickly learned that my walking speed is faster than any zombie, so I just anticlimactically avoided all of them and kept walking through the neighborhood. Tried entering houses, but all the windows were locked and I couldn't break them with my screwdriver for some reason. As I tried to run from one horde, I would inevitably attract the attention of another, leading me to quickly accumulating hundreds behind me, and while they weren't threatening, I couldn't do anything with them around, so I just kept walking until I finally lost them. Had to go to sleep, so I left.
Today I got home, booted up the game. Reasoning that, like other survival games, I was screwed if I didn't get a good start, I decided to start again, this time in Riverside as a Burglar again, reasoning that, with less zombies, I'd have more time to think and learn. This attempt was considerably shorter. I ran around the house, didn't find anything even remotely useful (yes, not even a screwdriver this time), walked around the neighborhood again avoiding zombies, didn't find ANYTHING. Eventually managed to sneak into a house. Last I had checked, there was a single zombie following me. Found a frying pan there, NICE. Didn't know how to equip it, so while I was trying the zombie jumped through the window I accidentally left open. Since I couldn't equip my weapon, decided to fight the bitch with my bare hands, and I was doing surprisingly well. Then 10 seconds later 6 or so zombies I hadn't seen before jumped inside the tiny house and I didn't know how to jump out the window, so I died, at least having had a somewhat more interesting and fun experience this time since I was fighting for my life there.
Then for my final attempt so far, I decided to go back to Muldraugh, hoping that I'd get it right this time. Chose Burglar again 'cause I'm nothing if not persistent. This time I managed to grab a Griddle Pan and a Rolling Pin in my starting house, so once the first zombie barged through my window, I blew her head off with my terrifying pan. Perfect. Then I started running and, once again, there were just too many zombies in every corner. This was not really fun to deal with because they were never really a threat, just a nuisance. By just walking I managed to avoid all of them, but that also meant I wasn't doing anything other than running away. Eventually I decided to try and grab some car, that was the selling point of the Burglar after all. It seemed that not a single car in this massive city where the apocalypse has JUST STARTED had fuel on their vehicle. Either that or I'm missing something, either way I couldn't check because I was always being chased by at the very least 20 zombies and there were always at least 5 next to every car, meaning I never got the chance to actually learn how vehicles worked as I would always have to leave the car and run away after a few seconds otherwise I'd be overrun. I managed to kill like... two enemies, but those were the ones I managed to find isolated, but I rarely got this sort of opportunity. Eventually, after a long time running, I got lost in the middle of the woods. Found a place with a bit of water to drink so I wouldn't die, but then another horde showed up and I ran deeper into the woods. That was when I figured out that this game has a map, and once I looked into it I realized just how far away from civilization I was. There was no coming back, I had to delve deeper into the woods until I could find SOMETHING. That something never came. Eventually I ate my last bit of food, began to get exhausted as the night came, started bleeding outta nowhere and realized my shoes (alongside nearly every piece of clothing in my body) had been worn off by walking through the woods, found a random zombie and decided to end it all there, I had my weapon but I didn't care, I just let it bite me 'cause that run was done.
So here's the real question: what am I supposed to do? There's no way to find a safe house in the city due to the sheer amount of zombies walking around, it's impossible to fight the zombies since they're always stacked in large groups of 10 or more, I can't learn the game mechanics because there's always the constant pressure of a horde chasing me and I just don't know what should my initial objective be. So that's what I'm asking here. What should I look forward to doing first? What am I doing wrong? Are my poor decisions the cause of my frustration here? And mostly: what can I do to make this fun? Because so far the game has been a mix between frustrating and tedious in a way I really don't think it's supposed to be, considering how immersive, high stakes and engaging everything I saw in other people's gameplay seemed to be.

Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for the NOP Universe.
Hey, I hope everyone's doing well!
Today we return to the namesake of this fic, an actual lesson about animals. This one focuses on Koalas! One of Australia's most recognisable critters. I hope you enjoy.
It's hardly worth mentioning, seeing as I'm an infrequent poster at the best of times, but I'll not have another chapter out for a few weeks due to limited free time and devoting most of my writing time to an upcoming ficnapping. Be sure to look out for that!
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Memory transcription subject: Rysel, Venlil Environmental Researcher
Date [Standardised human time]: 8th September 2136
“Koalas!”
Bernard’s energised voice boomed through the air as the classroom's monitor flickered into life, images of this paws lecture topic popping up one after the other until the entire screen was filled with a collage of furry quadrupeds.
Squee! I’ll never get tired of this, it’s all so cool!
As usual the sight of something new stirred immediate discussion, hushed murmurs swelling into vibrant discourse in little more than a heartbeat. Most of the class swiftly huddled together into small herds to bounce ideas around while the rest opted to stick to the solace of their own thoughts as they took in the display.
I’d be quite happy in either situation, though seeing as Sandi had already sunk into deep concentration and Kailo had peeled off to talk with Ennerif and Solenk, it seemed the decision had been made for me on this occasion. Wasting no more time on idle inspection of the people around me, I focused my full attention forward, eager to form first impressions before the lesson began in earnest.
Now then, time to make some educated guesses. What traits does this animal have? I wonder if I’ll get any right this paw?
Professional assumptions went paw-in-paw with the lectures, examining and coming up with hypotheses about the specimens was only natural. Recently however, I’d started to make a little game of it to make things even more interesting than usual. A veritable bonfire of ideas had been set ablaze within me, fueled by my newfound knowledge of Earthen wildlife. Every flash and spark of the flame was a fresh theory I could try to apply to the lectures. It was an invigorating exercise that further stoked my unceasing wonderment.
So far I’d only done this once during the previous class and, to my disappointment, I’d not done too well.
I was right when I guessed that chickens were omnivores, but wrong in my assumption that they could fly. And that red thing on their head, the um… what was it called? The comb! Yes, the comb. I thought that was to attract mates, but it regulates body heat instead. It’s fascinating. Oh! Stars damn it I’m rambling!
I bapped my tail against my leg, the soft thud being just enough to snap me back from my runaway thoughts before I went completely wall-eyed. I was becoming more and more accustomed to getting lost in my own head while remaining conscious of the fact; it was happening so frequently now that it was pretty much impossible not to. Now I was able to pull myself back to the world around me without having to rely on someone else shaking me out of it. Most of the time anyway.
Sandi still keeps an eye on me, and Kailo even decided to help out once without being too snide about it. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, Koalas.
Glancing at the furred animals, two things immediately stood out. Firstly, their eyes were in a more central position on their face. And second, all the images showed them being on or close to trees. There were other noteworthy observations of course, such as the Koala’s prominent nose and rounded features, but they fell to the wayside as I honed in on these points first.
Hmmm… ok. I already know to discount the idea that they’re predators just from eye position, so let’s get that thought out of here. Maybe omnivorous? Herbivore? Agh no, I can’t just guess that for the sake of guessing, that’s the same problem! Hrm, it’s tough making these assumptions now that everything I thought I knew has been turned on its head.
Nevermind, I’ll focus on the other thing. All the trees make me think they’re arboreal, that seems to be a reasonable assumption. I wonder what else they-
Clearing his throat, Bernard broke my concentration, his call for attention silencing the murmuring conversation and redirecting everyone's focus to the lecturer's podium.
His gaze panned across the room as he waited for everyone to settle, a beaming smile lighting up his face, “As ever I’m delighted to see you all get so into the subject matter from the get go. I’m looking forward to hearing what you were discussing should you wish to share. For now though, how about we get started, hm?”
A chorus of merry bleats rang out from across the audience, ears and tails flicking happily in agreement. Bernard's grin grew in tandem with the class's fervour, clasping his hands together enthusiastically as he launched into the lesson, “Excellent! Then let’s get started.”
The pictures on screen dissolved away until only one remained, enlarging to cover the entire monitor with the fluffy grey face of a Koala peacefully reclining in the crook of a tree.
“Ah, there we are,” Bernard’s baritone timbre drifted through the room as he looked up at the image, his own tone reflecting the relaxed attitude of the animal on screen, “He looks so comfortable doesn’t he? Perfectly at peace with the world, not too surprising considering they sleep almost 20 hours a day. A full paw!”
A wave of beeps and gasps rippled through the herd, punctuated by a single yawn-dressed comment from Rova, “A full paw? Hwuuu… jealous.”
Her drowsy remark elicited several whistling giggles from the herd, Bernard's own jovial chortle joining them as he turned to face her, “Late evening Rova?”
I twisted a little in my seat, panning an eye in Rova’s direction just in time to see her bleary eyes bulge open and her ears shoot up, now intensely aware of the fact she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she had.
Sitting up abruptly, she hastily tapped down errant tufts of wool that’d flared in surprise as she composed herself, though her nervousness at becoming the centre of the class's attention was still plain for all to hear, “Uh- I um… achem, a little bit yes, um- …sorry. Lokki dragged me out to a movie viewing in the rec centre. It went on pretty late.”
A melodramatic bray from the other side of the room drew everyone's ears away from Rova to the now aghast Lokki, paw splayed across his chest in faux indignation, “Dragged you? Well excuse me for trying to broaden your horizons with human movies. That’ll be the list time I- …Ahaaaa…”
Lokki’s theatrics were cut short by a heavy yawn of his own, a swell of whistling laughter rolling through the herd as vibrant bloom lit up his snout, a sight that elicited a particularly amused bleat from Rova.
Turning away from the duo I looked back at Bernard, pleased to see that he was chuckling along with us. Behaviour like Lokki’s would never have been tolerated in my school and university days but, in stark contrast, Bernard revelled in it, the liveliness of his students fueling his own bombastic style of teaching. It was a pleasant change of pace having a teacher who let us all be ourselves in class; provided we weren’t too disruptive to the lesson plan.
Speaking of which.
His laughter still rumbling through the air, Bernard clapped his hands to pull everyone's focus back to him, “Ok, ok, let’s get back to it then shall we? Rova. Lokki. Hopefully the two of you can stay awake long enough until you can grab yourselves a coffee.”
As the class settled down and the last few giggling beeps petered out, Benard pointed a hand to the screen, “So, the Koala. Let’s start simple shall we? They are herbivorous marsupials native to the eastern and southern coasts of Australia. Easily recognised the world over, they are a well known and beloved symbol of their homeland, along with other animals such as the Kangaroo and the Emu. The former of which you might remember from one of our earlier lectures.”
Indeed I did remember, along with how angry Bernard had gotten after some speh-head had derided the Yotul after he explained how he held specific disdain for such attitudes.
Uuuggghh… I never want to see him angry again. So chilling.
I shook my ears in an effort to dismiss the unpleasant memory, panning my eyes back to the monitor to try and distract myself by inspecting the Koala’s physical appearance once more. Thankfully, by some Star's blessed intervention, Bernard had the exact same idea.
“Koala’s are rather squat in stature, ranging around sixty to eighty-five centimetres in length and weighing little more than fifteen to sixteen kilograms at their full size. As you can see, the fur of this fellow before you is a lovely silvery grey, but their fur can also sport a chocolaty brown hue as well. Arguably the most distinctive part of their appearance is their head, being rather large for their body size and having rounded ears, a large nose, and a pair of small eyes. These are often brown but variations do occur.”
It didn’t slip past my notice that Bernard didn’t bother to point out that the Koala’s eyes were forward facing. I didn’t think he’d simply forgotten, so perhaps he just felt it wasn’t necessary given that he’d already stated it was herbivorous. Either way, no one stuck up a paw or tail to question him.
“Now this will hardly be surprising considering how long they sleep, but Koala’s are largely sedentary and it’s rather easy to see why when you have a look into the contents of their diet.”
With the press of a button the Koala on screen was replaced by images of vibrant green vegetation. Soaring trees and flowering shrubbery weaved together across landscape framed pictures pulled admiring trills from the herd, the diversity of the plant life being shown standing as a reminder that it wasn’t only animal life that flourished on Earth.
After giving everyone the chance to take in the picturesque scenes, Bernard casually hammered that point home, “This is eucalyptus or, more accurately, a choice selection of more than 700 plants belonging to the eucalyptus genus, though the Koala itself favours 30 of them in particular.”
700!? Stars…
Realising that my ears had drooped in my momentary awe, I twisted them back to tune into the lesson, only for them to splay out in shock at the next words to come out of Bernard's mouth.
“The leaves of these plants are the primary food source of the Koala and there are a couple things worth mentioning when talking about these plants. For starters they do not have much nutritional or caloric value, leading to the Koala’s low-energy lifestyle. Additionally, they contain toxic compounds.”
A shiver instantly ran through the herd, ears flicking rapidly in confusion and alarm followed by a few quizzical whispers. It didn’t take long for someone to decide to give a proper voice to the murmuring.
“Excuse me Doctor. Did we hear that right? Their diet is made up of toxic flora?” Vlek’s grumbling incredulity cut through the herd's mutterings with ease. Until Kailo’s recent change of heart, the fifty something rotation old blonde Venlil had been a close second in terms of scepticism. Mercifully his rebuttals had always been relevant questions as opposed to ranting diatribes, so he at least remained on topic if nothing else.
Bernard nodded in confirmation, smiling back at Vlek while absentmindedly twirling the end of his moustache, “You heard me right, they do indeed consume plants that are toxic. Just not to them.”
Any worry or uncertainty still clinging to the herd was swept away by the provision of the glaringly obvious answer, leaving me chuckling inwardly at the oversight.
Ah of course! The plant might be poisonous but they’ll have evolved to deal with that. Stars… I’m so used to expecting the unexpected with Earth that I didn’t even consider the simplest solution.
“I see, thank you Doctor,” Vlek replied, a tinge of interest still audible in his tone, “I assume they’ve developed some adaptation to become immune to the harmful effects?”
The question immediately evoked a smirk from our teacher, but he hurriedly suppressed it while bobbing his head, “They have indeed. There are several factors that aid in their digestion of eucalyptus leaves without succumbing to the plant's baleful properties. The first is a part of the intestinal tract called the cecum. It contains a microbiome that allows the Koala to digest the eucalyptus. Coupled with this is an enzyme in the Koala’s liver that helps them break down the toxins. They are also capable of sniffing out the plants with the least amount of toxins, ensuring that they ingest as little as possible.”
Pausing for a breath Bernard looked back at the screen before turning to face us, another grin curling at the edges of his mouth as he continued with his explanation, “This is mostly for adult Koala’s, because while their young also possess these same adaptations, they don’t just go straight to munching through foliage right after being born. No, they need a little help making that jump and getting a stomach full of all that good gut bacteria. It’s nothing bad, but those of a sensitive stomach may wish to prepare themselves for this next part.”
Bernard’s assurances did little to assuage the concern that his warning had foisted upon us. Having been exposed to so much of the weirdness Earth had to offer everyone always ended up on edge whenever Bernard gave advice like this, even if he did say it in jest.
What strange nonsense thing do Koala pups do then? Judging by the way he’s acting it probably isn’t something as simple as drinking milk from the mother. Hmmm…
“So,” Bernard began, snapping us from our pensive stupor, “Young Koala’s, known as joeys, have a gestation period of thirty-five days on average, which is approximately forty-two paws. Once born they travel from the birth canal to a pouch in their mother so that they can continue to develop and grow. In the pouch the joey finds and latches onto one of two teats and these provide the newborn with a steady stream of nourishing milk. It spends the next six to seven months growing in the pouch, its eyes, ears, and fur all developing as time goes on.”
Okay, interesting. But this is exactly how I thought it’d go. What’s different?
The unexpected normalcy of the Koala’s birth and growth cycle had calmed everyone's nerves, only to be replaced with an air of suspicion as we waited with rapt attention for Bernard to drop the other claw and upend our expectations like he always did.
Not wanting to keep us in further suspense he forged ahead, the tempo of his voice picking up as the smile started to crease his face once more, “Now to make the switch from milk to eucalyptus, the mother also feeds the joey a substance called pap. It comes from the cecum I mentioned earlier, and contains all the gut bacteria required to help the young Koala in making the switch to eucalyptus.”
He stopped and looked around, searching us for a reaction to what I felt was a rather bland statement of fact. What was it he was saying without actually saying? Koala pups drink milk to mature and then include this pap substance so that they can start eating plants. I don’t see what-
The cecum is part of the intestine.
I blinked.
I blinked again, the intrusive interruption scouring my brain clean of any other thought bar the one it’d just implanted itself in the forefront of my mind.
Oh stars. They-
“They eat their own poop!?”
The shocked bleat shattered the peace of the room to reveal that most if not all of us had come to the same tail curling conclusion. As the hall filled with unrestrained vocalisations of disgust, an ‘Ugh’ over here and a ‘Blegh’ over there, Bernard’s own bellowing laughter joined the throng of voices.
“Ha! Everytime! Each and every time. Clearly it doesn’t matter if my students are Human or Venlil. Whenever someone learns about the Koala’s dietary development the reaction is the same!”
Pleased with himself beyond reason, Bernard chuckled away while the rest of us grappled with this ghastly reality. While there were plenty of animals that feasted on things that ranged from simply unappealing all the way to the stomach churningly grotesque, I’d never heard of an animal that actively consumed the excrement of its own species. Benefits aside, the prospect of having to do that to survive to adulthood sent a shiver of revulsion down my spine.
Ewww… Stars, I hope I forget this feeling by 2nd meal. They’re serving sturen and magamroot stew later. I was really looking forward to it.
With the herds mood beginning to temper Bernard tapped the podiums controls, removing the verdant collage of eucalyptus to display several similar yet distinct environments, still chortling merrily to himself in the process, “Ok then, with that little foray into their diet complete, why don’t we look at their habitat in more detail? As you might imagine given their diet and arboreal nature, Koala’s live in forested regions, and can be found in tropical and temperate zones. About a century ago they were classed as a vulnerable species, however efforts were made to turn this around and increase their numbers. Sadly the largest factor in their decline was human activity, as the fertile lands that gave rise to their bountiful forests were coveted farm land for our settlements.”
It was strange to hear Bernard so matter of factly admit to humanity's negative impacts on other species. He’d alluded to such things in the past but always with an air of caution, carefully pawing the line between honestly answering a question while not painting humanity as uncaring and destructive. AKA, the ‘predators’ we’d all initially expected them to be.
Perhaps his comfort in making such admissions was a reflection of the class's comfort with him, for no one so much as batted an ear. Even Kailo, who I would’ve expected to jump at the chance to use this as a prime example of predatory danger, only flicked an ear in stern yet silent concern.
A cough from Bernard drew my attention back, a new picture on screen that showed a forest from a bird's-eye view. Drawn across the image were around a dozen ringed areas, some bordering one another while others overlapped to some degree. It took me a moment, but I soon recognised that what I was looking at was a map, the rings representing what I assumed to be territories. And it didn’t take much effort to guess who each one belonged to.
“From habitats we move onto behaviours, so let’s start with territories. Koala’s are solitary animals. Yes, despite being herbivores. Considering they’re only awake for roughly four hours of the day I can hardly blame them. Lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Jokes aside, once they mature they are quite independent, carving out a little slice of land for themselves, as displayed in this example, called a Home Range. That is not to say they go it alone and leave everything else behind however. Rather, as shown in the map behind me, they live in their own space while still being part of a larger social group.”
With another press of his pad the picture was updated to show one of two symbols in each segment, along with a key to the side of the map displayed in helpful Venlang. A quick glance told me that the symbols were representing whether the territory belonged to a male or female of the species.
“As you can see there is quite a bit of overlap between different Koala’s territories. It is in these areas that most of the socialising takes place between neighbours. The trees in these locations represent the few areas where intrusion across territories is acceptable for the sake of social interaction. Outside of that the Koala’s stick to their own territories for the most part, with the exceptions of Koala’s who are passing through, attempting to become part of the social group themselves, or dominant males who sometimes go off into another Koala’s range. But how do they know where one range begins and another range ends you might ask? Well, this brings us onto the next part of the lecture. How do Koala’s communicate?”
Wiping away the map from the monitor, Bernard loaded up a video of a Koala sitting in a tree and pressed play. Head held high, the Koala’s body shook as it belted out a reverberating call into the wilderness that could only be described as a garbled combination of a car engine failing to turn over mixed with the hiccups of someone with a particularly sore throat.
That’s how they sound? Oof that must be rough on the lungs.
I clearly wasn’t the only one to share such a thought, because I clocked Sandi tracing a paw along her neck as the noise went on, ears fluttering in discomfort at the noise.
Bernard himself cleared his own throat as the video came to an end, minimising it and replacing it with another image of a tree with a Koala rubbing up against the bark, “I think they’ve got me beat on who’s got the deeper voice!”
His joke garnered several amused beeps, a rare reaction that caused a beaming smile to shine across his face at lighting speed, “Oh you’re too kind. I’ll be here all week. Now where were we? Oh yes! Communication. As you’ve just heard, Koala’s are capable of loud low pitched bellows that can carry over vast distances. These express everything from ‘Hello I’m over here’ to ‘This is my turf, stay away’. Bellowing is more common in the males than the females, opting for shouting matches as opposed to outright fights when it comes to asserting dominance. Other vocal expressions include grunts, wails, and snarls if they’re acting particularly angsty. Mother and joey pairs also communicate through gentle clicking, squeaking, and murmuring sounds. And there’s one more thing worth mentioning. Something they have in common with Humans and Venlil when it comes to emoting.”
Really? They do something we do?
Curious, I pressed myself against the desk, straining as close as I could to once more scrutinise the Koala’s features. Not a lot stood out to me at first, the grey marsupial not sharing many similarities with a Venlil that I could identify.
Ok think. We show emotion with our ears, tails, and our wool on occasion. They don’t have tails so it’s obviously not that. Wool standing on end is more a reaction than a conscious expression. So it must be the ears then.
To my quiet satisfaction, my hunch was soon validated by Bernard, “As well as their vocalisations, Koala’s are very emotive through their facial features. Just like humans, they use their mouths and lips to show how they feel, but these tend more towards the aggressive side of the scale than what you might see on a human. Regarding yourselves however, Koala’s utilise their ears in tandem with their mouth movements when showing strong emotion.”
I was delighted to hear that my assumption was correct, a little happy flick twisting out through my tail and bapping against my chair with a muted thump against the plastic.
Hehe yes! Got one right!
“Now then, we are getting close to lunchtime so I’ll finish this segment off with something I think you’ll find particularly interesting. Diplomacy.”
Perplexed mutterings followed in the wake of the bizarre inclusion to the lecture, my own thoughts being dominated by bewilderment as I tried and failed to make sense of how the two could possibly be related.
Why would Koala’s, or any animal for that matter, be linked to diplomacy? Hmmm...
I could understand dispatching exterminators to deal with a predator issue as a show of goodwill, that at least includes animals, but Humans aren’t like that so I think I can safely scratch that off the list.
Maybe the humans who live in that region benefited from Koala’s in some way. Could they have gotten something from them? But what?
Hopefully not what the pups get from their mothers.
Agh no! Begone awful intrusive thoughts. Blegh! I don’t need that in my head.
As I wrestled with the short-lived revulsion inflicted upon me by my Star's damned subconscious, Bernard placed a new image on screen, one that was decidedly different from all that had preceded it.
On screen were more than a couple dozen pictures of humans. Some were pictured alone while others congregated in large groups while cameras surrounded them from all angles. Across all the images, I noted two common themes. First of all, a solid majority of the humans were wearing formal wear similar to what I’d seen worn by UN representatives on TV. If the gaggle of journalists in the background of the photos didn’t already confirm my suspicions, then it was this similarity which made me conclude they were all people of some importance. Likely politicians judging from context clues.
Secondly, each of the individuals was interacting with a Koala in some form. Some cradled one against their chests while others were feeding it eucalyptus leaves or pellets of some kind. One of the assumed politicians had become an impromptu bed for a snoozing bundle of fur, a gleeful smile spread across their face as they lovingly gazed down at the sleeping Koala in their lap.
As I continued to stare at the assorted photos something clicked into place, a sudden spark flickering into life. A burgeoning light of comprehension that flared and swelled with every wide-eyed breath I took. Some things still escaped me, things I hoped would soon be explained, but in staring at all of the humans happy smiling faces, I was struck with an instant of pure understanding.
If someone, say a Nevok for instance, offered to gift me a creature that was common to them but which might exotic and breathtaking to a Venlil, how could my feelings not be swayed? How could I walk away from that encounter and not have grown closer to them as a result?
“Koala diplomacy,” Bernard waved his hand up at the monitor, a slight reverence in his tone, “My favourite kind of soft power diplomacy. Where political leaders take photo ops with Koala’s and, on occasion, the Australian government loans Koala’s to other nations for a time to bolster positive relations. It certainly helps that Koala’s are a beloved animal worldwide, drawing large crowds and revenue for countries fortunate enough to host the adorable critters.”
The truly alien concept predictably sparked instant discussion in the herd, two polar opposite schools of thought swiftly cementing themselves as the most popular opinions. Simultaneously, I heard one voice trill excitedly while another scoffed at what they clearly saw as a ridiculous and offensive notion.
“Squee! That’d be so cool! I’d love to get the chance to see a Liri from Coila. Remember the Rainbow Boa? Think of that shimmering effect and colour but put it on a bird! Ah! I’ve only heard their song on video. It’d be a treat to hear it in person!”
Ooo! I’ve read about them! I’d love to get up close to one.
“Loaning. As if animals are property to be hoarded and traded? Pugh! Another predatory trait the humans don’t want to acknowledge for what it is.”
Ugh, typical. Jump right to the worst possible option.
However, despite my dismissal of their disparaging fumings, an uncomfortable thought pressed upon my mind. While it was plain to see how much humans cared for the Koala, it didn’t change the fact that humans did keep animals as property just as the scornful herd member had said.
This begged a rather important, disquieting question. Aside from keeping some animals as cattle, a stomach tightening minefield I had no desire to step a claw onto right now, how else did humans keep other creatures. And how did they treat them?
Before I was fully conscious of doing it my paw was in the air, the question primed on my tongue.
Noticing my elevated paw Bernard pointed at me, smiling warmly, “Yes Rysel? What’s on your mind?”
Sorry Bernard. I hope this one’s not too awkward for you to answer.
Flicking my ear in appreciation, and waiting for everyone to settle enough so that I could be heard, I voiced my concerns as neutrally as possible, “Thank you Doctor. I uh, just had a thought. We know that humans keep certain animals for… particular reasons, and we know why. From how you’ve spoken about Koala’s I think it's fair to say that the same cannot be said for them. However, this makes me wonder, what other reasons do humans have for keeping animals and how do you treat them?”
A flash of surprise blinked across Bernard's eyes but vanished so quickly that it felt like I’d imagined it. Had he not expected such a question? Maybe he was just shocked that it’d been me who’d ended up asking it?
Stars, am I so predictable that no one expects me to ask difficult questions?
Unfortunately, a quick glance at my deskmates seemed to prove that to be the case, as both Sandi and Kailo were looking at me with differing degrees of astonishment flapping in their ears.
Well speh.
“A very good point Rysel, certainly one that’s worth raising. Yet another example of you all anticipating what I have to say before I can bring it up myself.” Bernard tapped the podium, switching off the monitor before returning his focus to me, “We won’t be needing that. I’ve nothing prepared that I can show you and we’re heading to lunch in a few minutes anyway. Still, that’s plenty of time to give you a bit of an answer.”
A bit? What does he mean just a bit?
Made even more curious by Bernard's preempted admission that he wasn’t going to fully answer my query, I dialled both my ears on him, fixing him with an inquisitive stare as he started to explain with a tone that was noticeably more nonchalant than any of his previous explanations.
“So, animals in captivity for reasons other than what you already know. Honestly I would love to delve into other reasons regarding why we keep animals. However, I have a lesson plan in the works that I hope to share with you all in the not too distant future. Some of it touches upon this very topic and I’d quite like to bundle it all together. That said, I can tell you how animals in captivity are treated. In short, the answer is very well. There are a mountain of laws both on private and public interests that govern the standards and ethical treatment of animals, and breaches of these laws are quite severe even for relatively minor infractions.”
While I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by the vague answer to what was really the bulk of my question, I was at least satisfied by Bernard’s assurances that animals in captivity, such as the Koala, were well looked after. Considering the barely subdued grumbling coming from some corners of the audience it was clear that several of the herd didn’t believe Bernard outright, but I trusted him to be honest. Additionally, the mention of an upcoming lecture focused on humans keeping animals caused quite the buzz.
I felt a mix of excitement and trepidation at exploring the topic further. He’d pretty much confirmed we wouldn’t be talking about cattle farms, for which I was relieved, but that still left a huge amount of uncertainty in what was to come.
Humans keeping animals as cattle was a forgone conclusion. As horrifying as that reality was, it was one I could understand from a detached and strictly clinical point of view. Being predators they ate meat and therefore they kept cattle. But the concept of keeping animals for any other reason baffled me.
What could be the purpose? The diplomacy thing makes sense now that I have context, but what other reasons could they have.
The class's discussions were interrupted by the recognisable ring of the break bell, the shift in attention eliciting a change in conversation from confused hypotheses to peppy conversation on how everyone was planning to spend their break and what they had in mind for 2nd meal.
“Well I can see everyone’s excited for lunch, and who am I to disappoint,” chuckling Bernard waved us all up from our seats, pocketing his pad from the podium and heading to open the classroom door for us, “Enjoy your break, get a good rest along with a hearty meal, and I’ll see you all back here at the usual time.”
As everyone else filed out I stayed behind, waving at Sandi and Kailo as they left, and pawing over to Bernard once he and I were the only ones left in the room.
Ears folded down and with an apologetic tinge in my voice I greeted him as I sidled up to him, “Hey Bernard, I uh… sorry if that last question was unexpected.”
Chortling in reply, Bernard waved a hand through the air in a sign I’d come to understand meant ‘not a problem’.
“No need to apologise Rysel. It was a good question and most certainly not a problem.”
Heh, called it.
I sighed, allowing tension I didn’t realise I’d been holding to relax itself from my shoulders, “Phew, that’s a relief. I’m glad. I’m curious to hear what this new lesson is you’ve got in store for us by the way.”
Bernard wagged a finger at me, throwing up his eyebrows in mock amazement, “Oh are you now? Well I’m afraid you’ll have to remain curious for the time being. It’s going to be quite the surprise if all goes to plan. But…”
He trailed off, glancing at me before looking to the door like he was making sure no one else was around.
Wait, is he going to tell me? Oh please yes let me know now!
Stopping myself from jumping on the spot in excited anticipation, and trying my damndest to stop my tail from wagging in equal measure, I stared up at Bernard as he stewed in his thoughts before turning back to face me.
“I can’t tell you the specifics, but I’m working with Alejandro and Tolim to get something together. A trip that’s not a trip as it were. And when it happens, I’m going to need a few of the more accepting members of the class to lend me a hand. I’m hoping you and a couple others will be able to help with that?”
A trip that’s not a trip? What does that mean? Agh who cares about that right now! Bernard’s relying on me to help out!
Still trying not to keep myself from bouncing around with pup like glee I swished my tail and nodded my head in joint agreement, happy to help with whatever Bernard had in store for us, “Of course! Anything you need I’ll be there to lend a paw. You can count on me!”
A broad warm smile lit up Bernard's face, a hand patting me on the shoulder in appreciation, “Thank you Rysel. I knew I could rely on you but it still warms my heart to hear it. And, as thanks for this and for the many times you’ve shown your support, the surprise includes a little something special I think you’d appreciate the most.”
If my earlier enthusiasm had been at a nine, then the implication of a supposed gift sent it rocketing all the way to a hundred in a heartbeat.
“Wait… WHAT!? What do you mean? What are you doing?”
As impossible as it seemed, Bernard's grin grew even wider as I almost lost myself in wool shaking exhilaration, “Call it my own form of Koala diplomacy. But I’m afraid that’s all I can say for now. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise even for you!”
“Oh you ass!” Whistling jovially I bapped my tail against Bernard’s leg in fake indignation, evoking a barking bellowing laugh from the man himself.
Still laughing, the two of us departed the class and made for the canteen, my rumbling stomach leading me on while my mind spun with fantastical thoughts as to what Bernard had prepared for us.
And what specifically he had in store for me.

I was going to make a throwaway but no one IRL knows my reddit so I guess it'll go here, I never saw myself making a post like this but I feel like there's no one I can talk to about this because a lot of people around me have a "grow up and get over it" type attitude about it.
For some context my mental health has never been amazing but I've generally always been a very ambitious and enthusiastic person. When I was a kid I was desperate to be an actress and I went through all the necessary training to do this through high school and college but due to a disability affecting my legs, along with burnout, unrelated trauma and being short and a little chubby (which is basically a death sentence for most actors unless you're exceptional or very lucky) now that I am 24 and have been out of training for so long it's obvious that it's just not the path for me, I'm not willing to ruin my mental or physical health for it and moving away from my mother who's acting as my carer would be a bit risk since last time I attempted drama school I ended up dropping out three months in after a breakdown that sent me to a psych ward temporarily where I was diagnosed with Autism .
I've been anxious and worried about my future since. I like my job but it's not exactly my dream to work in retail my whole life and I want to do something better with myself, and I was mostly working through these issues until a couple of months ago when my on and off boyfriend of six years decided to cheat on me during my birthday party and then dumped me over text a couple of days later. It now seems he's dating the girl he cheated on me with and he's now decided his favourite place to go two or three times a week is my favourite bar that I used to work at, know everyone and feel safe, even though he told me he hated it when we were together. He was abusive and I'm happy to be out of the situation but he's isolated me from somewhere that felt safe for me and although it's by far the worst relationship I've had, I've never actually had a relationship that was good, which leads me to think I'm just not worth being treated with any kind of respect.
Because of the looming dread of how my future is going to play out since currently I'm always broke, I'm unfulfilled, I'm single, I have friends but not many really close friends (the closest of which lives in another country and I only see them twice a year if I'm lucky) I just have such an overwhelming desire to change every single little aspect of myself to the point where even looking in the mirror is physically painful because I can't believe that my face and my body and everything else looks so weird and lumpy and not as good as other peoples. My room is a mess because I was homeless a couple of years back so I have no furniture and being disabled prevents me from dong anything too that's going to tire me out too much unless I want to be in bed for days which I really can't since I have a job and a life that I need to tend to.
I started briefly dating someone, and he was really nice and we had a good time together but we agreed after our third date there was so romantic chemistry so we called it off, and even though I know we wouldn't have worked out and it's better to have him as a friend it also feels like an added name to the list of people who don't want me, which left me feeling like if I was thinner, or more funny or less TMI or taller or more interesting etc etc etc he would have stayed even though I didn't even want him to.
I'm also really overthinking things I've said, like to the point where it's physically all I can think about for days if I say something slightly rude or embarrassing to someone, I don't even know if Identity Crisis or existential crisis is the right term for what I'm going through so if anyone else knows different please tell me what's happening to me. I think I might have an undiagnosed condition or disorder that's flaring up because I keep being told how I feel is normal but I don't think it's normal to feel like my brain is constantly fighting itself and it's manifesting in physical symptoms like tiredness or hot flashes. I want to make these feelings stop and I don't care what it takes but I feel like I doctor won't listen to me at all because they didn't last time, they just gave me a week off work and said there was nothing else "worth doing."
I just really want to be happy and I just feel like the world around me won't let me. I've been getting into writing recently and I'm ok at it so it's a possible career option but I know it's not a likely one so I'll just settle for feeling ok for a while.

Greetings, brothers and sisters. I published this text elsewhere, but I think you'll find it, at least, moderately amusing. It may be a small wall of text.
(---)
This text is especially for those who believe that children require the mind-forged manacles of religious indoctrination to cultivate virtue and morality, though others may find it mildly interesting as well.
Lying to children is fundamentally wrong, even under the guise of good intentions, particularly when it involves the nauseating absurdities presented by religion.
How many children have suffered sleepless nights, tormented by the very graphic images of hell that old virgins — priests, rabbis, and imams — insisted were true?
It’s pornographically evil to tell a child he’s going to roast in eternal damnation if he’s a bad boy or girl. Imagine the terror etched into their young innocent minds, the nightmares filled with flames and torment, the constant anxiety of stepping out of line and facing an eternity of suffering at the hands of Satan, Beelzebub, the King of All Possible Misery and Evil, that was created by God, the one who is oh so incredibly good and forever compassionate towards his creation. Can you detect a hint of a threat here, or is it just me?
Such horrifying notions can scar a child’s psyche, breeding fear and guilt rather than nurturing a healthy, moral and ethical upbringing.
If a student from another planet studied our texts and asked parents what they wish for their child’s future, they’d hear, “I want them to learn, be considerate, have a family, and be free.” Unfortunately, none of these aspirations align with religious indoctrination. It’s crucial for everyone to recognize this sooner rather than later.
You’re teaching your child, or allowing someone else to do it for you, to become everything you don’t truly want them to be.
Teaching a child that she was created sick and ordered to be well isn’t a nice thing to do, at all. It’s a ghastly proposition, one that urgently needs some intense domesticating. How to do it? Well, by criticising it, by ridiculing it, by making it look and sound as foolish as it truly is.
Religion, mingled with childhood experiences, often serves as a mental barrier, fuelling our fear of leaving the comforting walls of faith. If it were clear that the numinous essence within the human soul is a natural radar for the transcendent, organised religion’s power would crumble, making its claims completely obsolete.
Consider the reflections of philosophers, classical music, or acts of altruism.
These experiences transcend our mortality and belong to humanity. The numinous isn’t the domain of dogmas but is accessible through art, science, and heroism. Religious fervour doesn’t account for human creativity’s true depth, and never will. It poisons it as well, in my opinion, as with everything else it touches with it’s suspiciously shiny hands.
In times when the clergy held financial power, artists aligned with religious institutions for survival, blurring the lines between true faith and necessity. We, the skeptics and the unbelievers, aren’t antagonists of culture but pioneers of a new paradigm where science and art mediate the transcendental. This call is a celebration of the human mind, challenging always the belief that religion is essential for greatness when it effectively is not.
Religious ideas emerged from the need to defend against nature and address cultural imperfections. Passed down like basic multiplication tables, these beliefs shape individuals without encouraging critical thinking or self-discovery. The helplessness experienced in childhood and the dependence on religion in adulthood reveal its psychoanalytical roots, creating gods from a need for protection. These dogmas claim truth based on tradition and discourage questioning, which reveals their shaky foundations.
As society progresses and science advances, these flaws are exposed, leading to a gradual severance from belief, and this must be encouraged.
Ultimately, indoctrinating children with fear and guilt is not only cruel, but also stifles their natural curiosity and potential. Imagine a world where children are free to explore, question, and learn without the looming threat of eternal damnation. By encouraging critical thinking and nurturing their innate sense of wonder, we can raise a generation that values knowledge over dogma and compassion over fear. It’s time to break these chains and allow our children to grow into thoughtful, truly enlightened individuals.

The game opens with constant gunfire and artillery shells bursting, the sound of men yelling as gunfire stifles the darkness of the night. We focus in on a platoon of troops in a foxhole, like lightning a shell hits close to, wiping out most of the men. As the ringing of the remaining ears clear they realize they need to retreat as they can no longer stay in the tight, cramped, flooded hole they've found themselves in and the only way back is up.
Every player must roll a d10, the player with the lowest role finds a piece of wood stuck within their leg, not bleeding but obstructing the ability to run without help, the players decide to deal with the issue there and then or deal with assisting the injured player in the retreat to try and fix it in a safer location.
As the players leave the foxhole a machine gun fire begins to target the group
Triggers a sequence
Flairs shoot lighting up the battlefield as you hear a whistle from the enemy blows They're crossing no man's land.
This sequence where the players must make a 200-250yd dash for a trench behind the foxhole.
Players take priority in turn rotation

Fleeing is (Mov x 5 =x yd) 

Every player must make a dex roll on their turn
-a critical success allows them to run uninhibited
-a regular success causes equipment to get snagged on barbed wire causing them to get slowed
-a failure causes you pouches or bags to rip dropping a small amount of ammunition
-a critical failure causes you to get cut by barbed wire dealing 1d4 damage
Players carrying injured role with penalty die
On the machine guns turn roll to full auto at players but role with triple penalty dice due to multiple shots, out of range, and fast targets. You can decide volley size and damage per shot, BE NICE it's just the beginning
Once all players have made it across no mans land they will arrive at the door of a rather large bunker, they bang on the door and request assistance. After a bit of pleas a slot on the large door opens with a bun barrel sticking out. A rather shooken young man asks the players to tell him “where are you from” clearly trying to see if the players are enemies. A player can say anything but the second the man hears perfect english or french he swings open the door. The players see a young man with a shotgun, couldnt be over 20 years old. He commands the players to get in fast. As all the players enter he immediately goes to slam the door shut seeming to struggle to do so.
You meet Bert Newman a strapping young man from new york a very charming quick witted kid, he's always there to boost morale and is always ready to get work done. Its best to slowly show off his personality with small talk while he leads you down the winding halls.
After a few turns and twists you arrive at a sort of check point with a man with a british bren gun points his barrel down the hall, directly at Bert and the players.
You meet Rook a very large man sporting a very clean uniform, he seems concerned and Isn't too welcoming to the new residents, hes a harsh with his words, and presents himself as no nonsense, he does have a soft spot for Bert, able to handle his constant cracks and stories. I recommend making some dialogue for them to have every now and then to show their relationship.
After the players are done interacting have rook notice the player with the injury if it hasnt been taken care of he’ll direct the players to go to the infirmary to get fixed up. Have Bert offer to show them where to go. On the way to the infirmary try to keep engaging with the players as Bert
As the players arrive they will notice a large room with a few injured men, a very poor sight to behold. Once you arrive at the entrance you will meet a beautiful young lady dressed in a nurses gown
This is Louise, say hi to Louise :D. A pretty woman with a caring face, but with a hint of concern and fear.
She welcomes you and immediately notices the protruding fragments sticking out of the injured player, she looks back up and tells them to take a seat. The players can interact with Bert more, with each other, or Louise. Try to have Bert and Louise interact if you can, they are great friends.
After the player is patched up they can leave. They can follow Bert back to rook where Rook will give you the task to retrieve barbed wire from the armory as they want to start adding more defenses for the door incase of being invaded. Bert will again offer to guide the players
You begin your journey to the armory, once again try to interact if you can, mention what could have brought Bert to the war and his family. At a certain point Bert will trip a grenade wire trap, everyone roles a dex or dodge role. Bert is killed in the blast anyplayer that fails gets knocked to prone, you can determine if they were close enough to take damage. After all the dust clears the players see Bert's body slumped against a wall lifeless,they can't save him. If the players decide to search him they will find a mostly burnt map of the bunker, some ammo for a shotgun and a letter addressed to what you can assume is his family.
If the players continue to go and retrieve the barbed wire they will get a chance to change their weapons if they choose. As they return they notice Bert’s body is now gone, with a blood trail leading around an separate hallway
Thank you for reading!!!

I've seen quite a few folks mentioning Bilbao and the following few towns to be a good choice for skipping by bus or train. I can absolutely get not wanting to walk through some industrial areas. Actually, I'm in Portugalete now, but it's not a bad looking little city.
My question is about Bilbao. Is it just me or does it seem like the city is losing/has lost it's cultural identity? I spent 2 days there and I don't really know what I did or what I saw. I did get some supplies at the Decathlon and had a decent dinner. I noticed there were a lot of differences between this city and other places for example like San Sebastian. Bilbao was the first place in Spain that I've been where most of the people had their hardcore "city face" on. It's like a mix of anger with a hint of hopelessness. I know it well, I live in a city of 10 million. It wasn't so clean either. Quite a lot of trash and junk around.
A lot of crap American chain places are there also - everything from Papa John's to Five Guys.
Did I just not "get" the city or is it just not that nice of a place?