For context, I've been a faithful Mormon believer all of my life until the age of 45+. I live in Layton since 2003. I stopped attending in 2013, and my children (minors at the time) happily stopped attending too. I formally resigned in 2017. Haven't put a foot in a Mormon building of any kind in more than a decade. Haven't attended a Mormon tEmpLe in at least 15 years.
A week ago my youngest daughter, now a young adult who just finished her semester in AZ, came to spend a week with me before going to the East coast to spend summer with her mother. While I've answered all her questions about Mormonism whenever she has asked throughout the years, she doesn't remember much about it because the whole family stopped attending shortly after she was baptized. She was instantly curious when I mentioned the new monstrosity built in our hometown. Knowing it is still in its "open house" period I offered to go and visit it.

• We had to park at one of several designated parking lots several blocks away from the actual building. A shuttle picked the small crowd gathered there and took us to the disproportionate structure.
  
• The tour was procedural. Guides (which were Mormon volunteers of all ages, almost all of them looked hopelessly bored) were stationed all along the route inside the building's corridors to direct visitors in the approved directions.
  
• Short speeches were read or recited in certain parts. Known tropes were repeated (like the mirrors symbolizing eTeRnItY, etc). Something that resembled a Mormon testimony was said at one of the sealing rooms by a couple using the expected baby fundie voice (my daughter looked obliquely at me during that part with a cringe expression in her face).
  
• Many paintings on the walls representing a white Jesus talking, blessing, embracing, carrying, etc ethnic people, which is an obvious effort at ingratiating after more than a century of institutionalized racism.
  

Once the shuttle left us at our original parking lot and we were free from earshot, I asked my daughter what her impressions were. She thought for a few seconds and said "It was like a rich person bragging. Just showing off luxury." Then we engaged in a very refreshing conversation about the Mormon motivations for such a extravagant (and inexcusable) opulence, etc.
On my part, visiting a Mormon tEmpLe after a 15+ year hiatus allowed me to perceive it with fresh eyes, heart, mind; and (more importantly) with richer criteria. My impression is this: it felt like a one inch deep attempt at sacredness; a superficial attempt to display the image of spirituality through expensive materialism. There was no substance within those walls. No history, no content, no god, no love. Just expensive marble and expensive wood and expensive carpet. It was... an empty building.
Any Catholic cathedral, any museum, any library has so much more substance, content, essence, meaning than the ostentatious building we visited last week.
This is my report.

Hello friends, I'm so glad I found this sub today.
After a slew of recent events, combined with reading this sub, I've finally started to really see what my therapist and my friends have been telling me for years: that I can't fix my parents. They raised me to be enmeshed in their codependent, manipulative mindset and I nearly stayed there.
I've wanted to write them a letter for years, and have even written drafts before that I've found when cleaning out files/folders/notebooks. Thankfully I never sent those, because they were from deep in the FOG and too heartfelt for this.
My therapist, who is also estranged from her narcissistic parents, has agreed with my desire to write a letter to them. I was initially going to list examples of things they've done so they don't misunderstand me.
But, thanks to the Letter guide in the sidebar on this sub, I now see why that's a bad idea.
I am still going to write them a letter though. With basic bullet points and as few explanations that i can get away with, so that they can't misconstrue as badly as they could otherwise. I don't want to go NC, but I would be perfectly happy with just calling them a few times a year and being available if a medical emergency happens. ...which is basically where we are at now, now that I think about it. This would just be kind of solidifying that rather than having it happen naturally.
Unlike many parents on this sub, my parents have actually shown the ability to change in the past. I'm not holding my breath on them actually following through nowadays though.
I know it's suggested not to send a letter, but my more difficult parent (my mom) is not a full narc. She's mostly just traumatized by narcs and life in general. Abandoning her completely out of nowhere is not what I want to do. I just want her to stop using me like a therapist. Once again, I'm not counting on anything. I just want to try one last time before giving up.
I don't know why I'm writing this post anymore. I guess just to justify myself. So I'll stop and say thank you, reader, for being here. And thank you to the mods for the extremely helpful info on this sub.

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New Flash everyone: the guy who hangs out with Daniel Greene(a pro-fairy rights socialist), is loved by redditors, and got a Hugo award is… woke. Who would have ever seen that coming? But, thanks to Jon Del Arroz making a video about it on May 18th, I am here to repeat the news back to you so there is an easily accessible source as to HOW he’s woke. Everything was revealed back in January 2023, but I want people to understand the implications and narrative that he’s presenting when he says his concerns about fairy rights. By the end of this, you will realize that people calling themselves Christian does not cause them to be immune to wokeness.
In fact, with how Christianity has influenced wokeness into existence, it’s likely a lot of "Christians" are what we can call “first wave wokeness”.
For context, Brandon Sanderson is a Mormon, part of the Latter-Day Saints (LDS). Mormonism is almost exclusively a US issue, and I’ve also noticed that there are a lot of youtubers who tend to be Mormon women(probably because they have other women in the house to do the chores). These people are great with money, big in business, and their church is anti-fairy. A lot of problems the fairy-rights activists have are with Mormon churches, which is strange for Europeans to witness with how open a lot of their churches are, outside of the US. Protestant, evangelical, unitarian, the national church of Denmark, it’s a big list.
But in 2008, Brandon wrote an essay about his Mormon beliefs on how Dumbledore from Harry Potter liked to have wands stirred around in his brown cauldron. His quote:

How does this relate to Dumbledore? I'm not trying to present him as an antagonist or a villain. All I'm saying is that if you believe in the truth of your message, then you shouldn't care if someone decent, respected, and intelligent is depicted as believing differently from yourself. Decent, respected, and intelligent people can be wrong--and you can still respect them. It's okay. That doesn't threaten our points, since we (theoretically) believe that they are eternal and stronger than any argument we could make.

Back in this time, Brandon had only been an author for 3 years, but he won an award for his first published book, Elantris. He was being careful with his words, and his take is considered liberal. He was trying to defend the backlash JK Rowling received for her (poor) choice of virtue signaling and tried to mend this defense with his own religion. Mentioning his religious views is what got him canceled back then, which he later apologized for in 2011:

I cannot be deaf to the pleas of \[fairy\] couples who want important things, such as hospital visitation rights, shared insurance, and custody rights. At the same time, I accept and sustain the leaders of the LDS church. I believe that a prophet of God has said that widespread legislation to approve \[fairy\] marriage will bring pain and suffering to all involved.

He was not backing down from his religion yet. His goal post moved to the legal ramifications of the US, which are separate from his church(remember, church and state, supposed to be separate in the US), but he was still saying his religion wanted him to oppose people calling it a marriage and having it in churches. This was a second “cancellation” that didn’t go very far, mostly because he was able to use religion as an excuse for his take, with the Christian Cake Packed With Fudge Scandal not happening yet(2018).
Fast forward to 2023, after he hangs out with a bunch of woke youtubers, and we get a new quote from Brandon:

The church’s first prophet, Joseph Smith, famously taught, “I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves.” My current beliefs are where I’ve arrived on my journey, as I attempt to show the love that Jesus Christ taught. I look forward to seeing further changes in the church, and I work to make sure I am helping from within it to create a place that is welcoming of \[fairy\] people and ideas. I would love, for example, to see the church recognize \[fairy\] marriage among its members. Both temporally and eternally. I would support ordaining \[tinkerbell\] men to the priesthood. (And would support the ordination of women, though that is another issue.)

That’s interesting. It seems like he made a complete 180 on his stance, claims that he’s always believed this new stance, blames Jesus for this new stance, and then doubles down on this new stance by adding female ordination(becoming a priest and higher) and even Tinkerbells. As time went on, he decided that his religion was totally wrong about fairies, and this 13 year difference means way more than the nearly 200 years Mormonism has been around. I believe a fellow Mormon, Shadversity, would love to have a discussion about how any of this makes sense, but I’m starting to feel that he’s the same way. Who knows if Ethan Van Sciver understands Mormonism as well as Brandon Sanderson does, with how easy it is to manipulate prophecies and reinterpret scripture.
But that’s been the point for a while, right?
Wokeness is here to restructure both historical evidence and even religions, in order to shift cultures and social institutions to obey this progressive change. Words are changed in the dictionary, social “norms” are changed to be updated for a “modern audience”, and postmodernists like Foucault were able to trick college kids into thinking the Greeks were all pixie fairies. Once a critical theorist gets their hands on something with power, their goal is not to keep it as it is. It is to keep it for themselves. This is why you will hear these people say everything is subjective, which is secret code for “Look at me: I’m the captain of reality now.”
But wait, it gets better! Brandon Sanderson continued with:

Back in 2007, I was mostly known only in my community, not to the world at large. The essay, then, was directed at my local community, and was more controversial among them (for being too liberal) than it was controversial to the world at large for being \[fairy\]phobic. That might surprise you, if you’ve read the excerpts that often float around the internet. This was mostly me trying to encourage other members of the church to be more open and welcoming of \[fairy\] characters and ideas.
That said, the essay does display the casual bigotry common to people who (like myself) have lived lives where we haven’t had to deal with some of the issues common to the lives of people suffering discrimination. Many of the assertions (such as my view on \[fairy\] marriage) do not reflect my current stance. After writing it, and interacting with those who found it objectionable–even painful–I came to understand them and their experiences better. Though they did not owe me that honor, they gave it freely.

You see, he's honored to hear about the life of a bug chaser.
Brandon cares deeply about the pain he caused to his wallet… I mean the fairies who saw his essay. He was an award winning author back then, he didn’t know it would be a global thing. It was supposed to be only seen by people in Utah, that’s it. This is what we call: bullshit. The woke rely heavily on gaslighting and pretending they’re ignorant of everything, while telling others that they need to learn and understand EVERYTHING about a subject before they are even able to mention it.
He was already big on reddit, he knew all about his fandom, and he knew about his publisher, Tor. The only thing that really changed is that now he is unable to stick to being liberal and he has to present himself as progressive. Why? Well, the new Amazon deal happened recently, and he’s the writer of the series The Wheel of Time. As if Rings of Power wasn’t evidence enough of how Amazon mistreats their properties, Brandon was forced to erase his own past, like Agent J in Men in Black, burning his own hands in the process.
I’m not surprised that he’s woke or even that Christians are falling to this woke inquisition. When I said first wave wokeness, I would like to clarify why it’s the catalyst for all of this stupidity. Wokeness is not of Christian values, but instead a parasite upon Christianity, in the same way Gnosticism and Satanism would be. When Christianity started to allow new sects, and a lot of these were considered valid, the crazy sex cults of the 60s opened the floodgates for a bunch of crazy reinterpretations. It’s the same way as how there are still circles of Christianity that go for flat earth theory or say that dinosaurs don’t exist, with these people usually at the forefront of the home-schooling movement.
It’s not that home-schooling is bad by itself, it’s that bad people use it to then have the good people using it be wrongfully grouped into the same area, in the same way gun-ownership does. This type of bastardization has always been a problem in the US, due to the lack of authority over what makes something categorized as such a thing, thanks to liberalism allowing the freedom to constantly change things. As time went on, this liberalism changed into progressivism, with the key difference being that liberalism is an allowance of change while progressivism is an enforced change. The liberalism of the 1800s allowed the Confederates to claim Christianity approved of their enslavement of black people, by blaming the story of Ham and using scripture to claim it was okay to enslave certain people for generations. We always see this strange cherry-picking of scripture from fake Christians, and this problem has expanded into the Vatican itself with the current and following generations of Popes.
A lot of times, we’ll hear news about how Christians are under attack, a bakery is targeted to expose discrimination, or even where people claim they were banned from twitch for being Christian. But what they get wrong is that they are in the same circle as liberal and progressive Christianity, their openness created this weakness to tourism, and most Christian circles have been taken over in the US since before the 60s. The south has a culture of being liberal, Mormons have a culture of being liberal, protestants are very liberal, all because the US began as a liberal culture in the form of classical liberalism. The libertarian argument is always used by these liberal groups, that changes into the progressive enforcement, and over the years these liberal people get infected by the virus.
Add money to the mix, and we have ourselves an endless chain of liberal minded people falling to wokeness. The “redemption” narrative, along with original sin, from Christianity is currently its main weakness. The appeal to ignorance is another weakness, with people playing skeptic as a snake slithers through the grass. Christianity isn’t the problem by itself, it’s the naivety that comes from blind faith, which then expands into a contradictory blind faith that people are good inside, only to later wonder why everything is changing for the worse when evil people are put in charge. Fantasy stories have been under attack by the woke for quite a while, long before they tried to appropriate Tolkien with Rings of Power.
The fantasy that is controlled by the woke is an extension to their attack on religion, because to them a fantasy story is no different than a bible. Mythological presentation, symbolic themes, a dream-like world to present morals to follow; the entire thing has been used by Brandon to then have him later claim that he’s always had fairy characters since the beginning. Sure, his religion says fairies are bad, but then he virtue signals by claiming he’s always made fiction about how they’re good. He would never say this if the publishing world made sense and if publishers were the way they were in the 1950s. That is because he would never have to choose between religion and money back then, with money always mattering more to the typical materialist.
I’m sure people will say that I’m being hard on Christians, or that I’m evil for saying this, or even that I am a satanist for noticing. These people would only be angry at the truth being said, which is the opposite of what Christianity teaches. Fantasy writers, like Brandon, have a lot of supporters, with this support merging between the woke and Mormons. So many feel that they need to make sense of their fandom, so they claim their religion is wokeness, converting it into blind Satanism. This is far from the truth and we need to condemn those who focus solely on radical subjectivity.
Especially if they blame God for their stupid takes, like how Brandon does now.

Burner acc for obvious reasons And my apologies this is long.
Me (f) and my fiancé (f) have been engaged for 2 years. We are waiting for her to finish university until we get married as she gets certain benefits as ‘single’, so we haven’t had to rush to think about what type of wedding we want yet. She has talked about a big-ish wedding (think Twilight style haha) and I don’t really mind I just want my family there and fireworks 😂 but we have also spoken about eloping (with family there) a lot and having a big party with our friends later.
An opportunity came up about a week ago to do a wedding photoshoot with a photographer at this beautiful venue. Fitted dress, fitted suit for me, videographer, our dog could be there etc and we joked about if we should just get actually married there but decided against it because of the main reason at the moment. She figured out a ‘loophole’ a few days ago and asked me 24 hours ago. Basically we get all dolled up in this beautiful venue etc do the shoot and actually tell people we eloped, then we have a party next year with all our friends and family to ‘renew our vowels’ with them there and actually legally get married. It was obviously a lot to process but she said no pressure whatsoever etc. But really made a point of how expensive weddings are and we are travel bugs so when would we get around to paying for something we both want and we would rather spend that on a holiday etc. I then got told I need to make a decision tonight to get the ball rolling as it’s in a couple of months and we go on holidays in a month for a whole month. I didn’t get a whole heap of time to think about if that’s the way I want it to go down.
It seems like a perfect opportunity with everything paid for, beautiful location etc BUT I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that 1. We would essentially be lying to everyone we know and love, and 2. What if doing this takes away the special moment for when we do actually get properly married? I am not opposed to a big wedding OR eloping. I really haven’t given much thought to be honest except for knowing I want to spend the rest of my life with her, but the only unsure feelings that were revealed in my head for those 24 hours were the 2 things above. I mentioned this to her and she immediately got defensive and quite pissed off and it sort of felt hostile and that made me feel pretty shitty and also pressured even though she said no pressure. She said that she’s shocked that I won’t think it’s special (when I said ‘what IF it doesn’t feel AS special) and now she doesn’t want to do it at all. Why does there need to be so much emphasis on a piece of paper etc.
I said if we are going to elope why don’t we just wait til university is up then we can ACTUALLY elope, have our family there. Then it went back to money again and it’ll still cost to do that. Then said she had such high expectations of how this was going to go but she doesn’t want any doubts so she’s just going to call it off all together. It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t want me to be unsure. This isn’t how it’s supposed to feel.
I said you are right - it’s not how it’s meant to feel and I feel upset for bouncing back with questions and feelings that arose since actually thinking about it and I feel like i’m disappointing you for being honest about it. She said she wanted me to be honest just didn’t expect it to go this way. Then it doesn’t matter again and she doesn’t want to talk about it anymore and to pretend she ever asked.
Naturally I’m going to feel quite shit about how it’s played out and disappointing her, but I also didn’t say NO, I was just voicing my thoughts.
I said I don’t know what I expected because we haven’t had to think about it until literally the last 24 hours. But when we get married I actually want to be married to you. Not put up this facade to our family and friends. And because it seemed to me like it was about the cost of weddings and elopements that this was why it was a good idea for her. And that I couldn’t care less if we got married in our backyard with sparklers as long as it was to her.
She then bounced back with this -
And see I don’t care about that. I don’t want to get married in the backyard with sparklers, I want it in a beautiful place with a beautiful dress and photos forever. I’d rather not do it than do that. I’m a femme that wants my fairytale. A piece of stupid paper from what’s actual marriage - to what feels like actual marriage to us - that’s not even a priority to me. As long as it felt like a wedding and was special to us and the perfect day who cares what a piece of stupid paper says. 5 years ago you couldn’t even get the papers for it. I don’t want to talk about it ever again please It’s tainted and ruined and I’ve been crying for the last 20 minutes and I don’t want it anymore please.
Obviously that upset me instantly but also out of the whole discussion about it this didn’t come up ONCE to me. If I knew that was so important to her then maybe it would have helped me navigate my feelings and thoughts on it in the brief time I had to do that, because I didn’t know she was feeling that way since we didn’t even get to that part of the discussion until after she said she was going to call the whole thing off together. Now I feel like an absolute asshole and I told her that if it’s not too late let’s do it because I want to give her her fairytale.
AITAH?? Or am I feeling guilty because she’s just upset it didn’t go the way she thought? I have been spiralling over this for hours since and can’t talk it through with heshe doesn’t want to talk about it anyway, and I’m on nightshift so can’t talk to anyone else, and can’t help but feel like this is a major fuck up, but also I am not a mind reader and I feel like her reaction may have been a little unfair? Or am I a delusional asshole as well?
If you made it this far, thankyou so much for reading.

Hei, hi and hello!
I’m Onsie Onsfjord or Fjord feel free to call me whichever is not mind to me.
I’m a 26-year-old English Norwegian who’s mainly lived his whole life in the United Kingdom and graduated from university with a degree in Computer Networks and is now working as a DIE for the NHS (Digital Infrastructure Engineer).
Caught you off guard with that job title acronym huh? Yeah, trust me when I first started it had me in fits of laughter, but you get used to it after a while.
So a bit about me; - I’m an introvert and tend to avoid public crowds, events and such and just try to vibe with friends on a nice game of anything (which you’ll see below) - I’m an avid IT nerd and will most likely remain this way for my whole career as IT is my education and career at this point - On top of IT you guessed it I’m also a very big avid “gamer” I mainly play PC and PS5 games with my current interests being in Helldivers 2, Star Wars: The Fallen Order, and Jedi: Survivor amongst a few other things like WoW, CoD, SWTOR and so on. - I love learning, whether it be history, game lore, languages, cultures, etc. You name it, and I’ll probably be interested in it (Trust me, you give me a flag of any country, and I’ll be able to tell you the country’s name and political structure. - I’m also an avid book reader and you’ll most likely see my shelf full of different manga from all types of genres, I don’t particularly watch anime, I mainly read instead because I find it more “interesting” for better or not. (Not that I'm opposed to watching it) - I’m trying to learn to cook myself but not very good at it as my most recent attempt I ended up giving myself food poisoning so it’s sufficient to say you will have a big gamble if you’d like me to cook ha-ha. - I do watch football from time to time and do support a few clubs from around the world (mainly northern Europe, the UK, and the US) feel free to guess if you’d like! - I’m currently on a VLCD and have lost about 2 stone within 1 month which I’m super super happy about.
In terms of looks and such I’m what an average 26-year-old would look like who is 6’1/6’2 with a picture on request.
Please don’t judge too much as I’m still working on improving myself.
What am I about? I’ve always made it a goal to help, care for, and support those close to me, whether it be friends, old friends, or the equivalent of my family. They’ve been there for me, and I’ll go hell and back for them as they’ve stood by me through thick and thin, even through the loss of other close friends; they’ve picked me up and brushed me down and set me straight to which I will always forever be in their debt and have helped them being.
Whilst I’ve been shot and backstabbed by many of those who I thought were close to me I just try and see the positive and avoid the unnecessary drama and arguments as life is just way too generally short for that kind of stuff and we should all get along with each other in my mind.
What am I looking for? I apologize if this comes off as really picky - Someone in the realm of the US, Canada or Europe - Someone between the age of 20 to 28 years old - Someone who has an interest in IT, manga, gaming, and such (It’s easier to talk to people with the same interest I’ve found though you don’t need to work in IT at all) - Just be a kind honest individual who I can back and vice versa. Be there for each other.
I am looking for a monogamous and serious relationship and not a friendship, however, I’m fine with starting out as friends whilst getting to know each other etc.
The end? Well, I’d like to say that this was the short and sweet version of myself without giving much more away about me but hey hopefully you’ve stayed this far and if you have, I have a very small simple request for you!
If you do decide I’m someone you’d like to get to know and all of that stuff then when messaging me, please make a somewhat attempt of an introduction (I’m not asking for the mass of paragraphs or anything) just a hi, your name (doesn’t have to be your real name), where you’re from, how old are you, what you do, hobbies, etc and we’ll go from there!
Low-effort chats & messages will be removed also, so I know that you’ve made it this far please put your answers to this question (wrong answers don’t matter, it’s what is attempted counts)
“I was born in the winter on a remembrance day, which day was this?”
Take care and hope to see your message 😊

Hei, hi and hello!
I’m Onsie Onsfjord or Fjord feel free to call me whichever is not mind to me.
I’m a 26-year-old English Norwegian who’s mainly lived his whole life in the United Kingdom and graduated from university with a degree in Computer Networks and is now working as a DIE for the NHS (Digital Infrastructure Engineer).
Caught you off guard with that job title acronym huh? Yeah, trust me when I first started it had me in fits of laughter, but you get used to it after a while.
So a bit about me;

• I’m an introvert and tend to avoid public crowds, events and such and just try to vibe with friends on a nice game of anything (which you’ll see below)
• I’m an avid IT nerd and will most likely remain this way for my whole career as IT is my education and career at this point
• On top of IT you guessed it I’m also a very big avid “gamer” I mainly play PC and PS5 games with my current interests being in Helldivers 2, Star Wars: The Fallen Order, and Jedi: Survivor amongst a few other things like WoW, CoD, SWTOR and so on.
• I love learning, whether it be history, game lore, languages, cultures, etc. You name it, and I’ll probably be interested in it (Trust me, you give me a flag of any country, and I’ll be able to tell you the country’s name and political structure.
• I’m also an avid book reader and you’ll most likely see my shelf full of different manga from all types of genres, I don’t particularly watch anime, I mainly read instead because I find it more “interesting” for better or not. (Not that I'm opposed to watching it) - I’m trying to learn to cook myself but not very good at it as my most recent attempt I ended up giving myself food poisoning so it’s sufficient to say you will have a big gamble if you’d like me to cook ha-ha.
• I do watch football from time to time and do support a few clubs from around the world (mainly northern Europe, the UK, and the US) feel free to guess if you’d like!
• I’m currently on a VLCD and have lost about 2 stone within 1 month which I’m super super happy about.

In terms of looks and such I’m what an average 26-year-old would look like who is 6’1/6’2 with a picture on request.
Please don’t judge too much as I’m still working on improving myself.
What am I about? I’ve always made it a goal to help, care for, and support those close to me, whether it be friends, old friends, or the equivalent of my family. They’ve been there for me, and I’ll go hell and back for them as they’ve stood by me through thick and thin, even through the loss of other close friends; they’ve picked me up and brushed me down and set me straight to which I will always forever be in their debt and have helped them being.
Whilst I’ve been shot and backstabbed by many of those who I thought were close to me I just try and see the positive and avoid the unnecessary drama and arguments as life is just way too generally short for that kind of stuff and we should all get along with each other in my mind.
What am I looking for? I apologize if this comes off as really picky

• Someone in the realm of the US, Canada or Europe
• Someone between the age of 20 to 28 years old
• Someone who has an interest in IT, manga, gaming, and such (It’s easier to talk to people with the same interest I’ve found though you don’t need to work in IT at all)
• Just be a kind honest individual who I can back and vice versa. Be there for each other.

I am looking for a monogamous and serious relationship and not a friendship, however, I’m fine with starting out as friends whilst getting to know each other etc.
The end? Well, I’d like to say that this was the short and sweet version of myself without giving much more away about me but hey hopefully you’ve stayed this far and if you have, I have a very small simple request for you!
If you do decide I’m someone you’d like to get to know and all of that stuff then when messaging me, please make a somewhat attempt of an introduction (I’m not asking for the mass of paragraphs or anything) just a hi, your name (doesn’t have to be your real name), where you’re from, how old are you, what you do, hobbies, etc and we’ll go from there!
Low-effort chats & messages will be removed also, so I know that you’ve made it this far please put your answers to this question (wrong answers don’t matter, it’s what is attempted counts)
“I was born in the winter on a remembrance day, which day was this?”
Take care and hope to see your message 😊

I am about to start going to the gym for the first time and from advice I’ve read (please let me know if I should do this differently) I’m going to do one day for arms, one day for chest, and one day for legs. I tried looking up some videos for good arm day routines but I don’t know which YouTubers are trustworthy as I find a lot of them say opposing things. Does anyone have any recommendations or even just some tips for someone who is starting to workout?

In recent years, the low carb diet has gained immense popularity for its effectiveness in weight management and overall health improvement. Whether you are a seasoned low carb dieter or just starting, having a well-curated list of the best low carb snacks and a comprehensive low carb diet grocery list is essential. This article will guide you through the top low carb snacks and a detailed grocery list to make your shopping experience seamless and efficient.

Best Low Carb Snacks

When following a low carb diet, finding snacks that are both delicious and low in carbohydrates can be challenging. Here are some of the best low carb snacks that you can enjoy guilt-free:

1. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are excellent low carb snacks, packed with healthy fats, protein, and fiber. Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are particularly low in carbs. They are perfect for a quick snack on the go or to add a crunch to your salads and yogurt.

2. Cheese

Cheese is a fantastic low carb snack that offers a good amount of protein and calcium. Varieties like cheddar, mozzarella, and Swiss cheese are great options. String cheese or cheese slices are convenient for snacking between meals.

3. Avocado

Avocado is not only low in carbs but also rich in healthy fats and fiber. You can enjoy avocado as a spread, in salads, or simply on its own with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Guacamole with raw veggies is also a delicious low carb snack option.

4. Hard-Boiled Eggs

Hard-boiled eggs are a protein-packed snack that can keep you full and satisfied. They are easy to prepare and can be seasoned with various spices to add flavor. Keep a few hard-boiled eggs in your fridge for a quick and nutritious snack.

5. Greek Yogurt

Opt for plain, full-fat Greek yogurt, which is lower in carbs compared to flavored varieties. Greek yogurt is high in protein and can be enhanced with a handful of berries or a sprinkle of nuts for added taste and texture.

6. Vegetable Sticks with Hummus

Vegetables like cucumber, bell peppers, and celery are low in carbs and make great dippers for hummus. Hummus provides healthy fats and protein, making it a balanced and satisfying snack.

7. Berries

While most fruits are high in carbs, berries such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are relatively low in carbs. They are rich in antioxidants and vitamins, making them a healthy sweet treat.

8. Jerky

Beef jerky, turkey jerky, or any other meat jerky is a high-protein, low-carb snack. Choose varieties with no added sugars or preservatives for a healthier option.

9. Olives

Olives are a savory snack that is low in carbs and high in healthy fats. They are also rich in antioxidants and can be enjoyed on their own or added to salads and dishes.

10. Dark Chocolate

For those with a sweet tooth, dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content is a low carb snack option. It is packed with antioxidants and can be enjoyed in moderation. Read More

Best Low Carb Snacks #Low Carb Diet Grocery List #low carb diet

Hello, you can call me Drake, I honestly looking for find someone who is the perfect other half to myself. I currently work from home so am available most of the time. In my free time I enjoy playing video games, watching anime or reading just to name a few. I also love sports of basically any kind and watch them and go to sporting events and concerts when I can. Musically I lean more into rock and metal but am not opposed to pretty much anything but most country music.
As far as what I am looking for, more than anything someone who I feel a connection to when I talk to them. Someone who shares hobbies or interests would obviously me great, if we could play games or watch anime together count me in, but I also like learning about people and what they enjoy just the same! If any of this interests you feel free to send me a chat, also there are pictures of my on my profile if you want to see what I look like. Hope you are all having a great day!

First time un arizona, first time really seeing this many Cactus lol.
I thought at first they were eaten off. But I noticed a lot of Cactus in one large area all had many chunks missing, black, rotting looking. Typically the lower half.
Been driving a while and now the Cactus I'm seeing look much healthier and normal.
I read those Cactus are likely diseased. But it seemed strange to me thousands of Cactus just outside of phoenix would be suffering from disease. I could see some were outright dead.
What's a other reason other than disease for them to look in such sad state opposed what I've seen since. Driving, we'll the lady is driving now, but if we stop and I can snap a picture of what I'm talking about ill be back.
Tldr: Cactus look sick, black and rotting. Tons of em. Not dead though. What's the cause?

Barsamian: In the media, and among the political class in the United States, and probably in Europe, there’s much moral outrage about Russian barbarity, war crimes, and atrocities. No doubt they are occurring as they do in every war. Don’t you find that moral outrage a bit selective though?
Chomsky: The moral outrage is quite in place. There should be moral outrage. But you go to the Global South, they just can’t believe what they’re seeing. They condemn the war, of course. It’s a deplorable crime of aggression. Then they look at the West and say: What are you guys talking about? This is what you do to us all the time.
It’s kind of astonishing to see the difference in commentary. So, you read the New York Times and their big thinker, Thomas Friedman. He wrote a column a couple of weeks ago in which he just threw up his hands in despair. He said: What can we do? How can we live in a world that has a war criminal? We’ve never experienced this since Hitler. There’s a war criminal in Russia. We’re at a loss as to how to act. We’ve never imagined the idea that there could be a war criminal anywhere.
When people in the Global South hear this, they don’t know whether to crack up in laughter or ridicule. We have war criminals walking all over Washington. Actually, we know how to deal with our war criminals. In fact, it happened on the twentieth anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan. Remember, this was an entirely unprovoked invasion, strongly opposed by world opinion. There was an interview with the perpetrator, George W. Bush, who then went on to invade Iraq, a major war criminal, in the style section of the Washington Post — an interview with, as they described it, this lovable goofy grandpa who was playing with his grandchildren, making jokes, showing off the portraits he painted of famous people he’d met. Just a beautiful, friendly environment.
So, we know how to deal with war criminals. Thomas Friedman is wrong. We deal with them very well.
Or take probably the major war criminal of the modern period, Henry Kissinger. We deal with him not only politely, but with great admiration. This is the man after all who transmitted the order to the Air Force, saying that there should be massive bombing of Cambodia — “anything that flies on anything that moves” was his phrase. I don’t know of a comparable example in the archival record of a call for mass genocide. And it was implemented with very intensive bombing of Cambodia. We don’t know much about it because we don’t investigate our own crimes. But Taylor Owen and Ben Kiernan, serious historians of Cambodia, have described it. Then there’s our role in overthrowing Salvador Allende’s government in Chile and instituting a vicious dictatorship there, and on and on. So, we do know how to deal with our war criminals.
Still, Thomas Friedman can’t imagine that there’s anything like Ukraine. Nor was there any commentary on what he wrote, which means it was regarded as quite reasonable. You can hardly use the word selectivity. It’s beyond astonishing. So, yes, the moral outrage is perfectly in place. It’s good that Americans are finally beginning to show some outrage about major war crimes committed by someone else.

https://chomsky.info/20220616/

Ahoy there! We're on the lookout for one more to join our crew on a Pathfinder 2e nautical campaign. One of our crewmates is currently sailing (studying) abroad for a semester, and we are planning to add a 4th to a group that will become 5 total upon his return.
About the Campaign: We are journeyman pirates, each of us apprenticing under some significantly more experienced officers while dreaming of riches and adventure. As the campaign unfolds, we’ll acquire our very own ship, ready to raid and conquer the vast oceans in our GM’s homebrew campaign setting. But beware, the seas are treacherous, and only the most cunning and courageous will carve their names into the annals of maritime legend. This campaign is aiming to focus on light-hearted shenanigans in a hard-hearted world on the open ocean.
We are currently set to prepare on a months-long voyage to an isle of (potentially) undead in search of a specific person our captain is looking for. Plenty of adventure and exploration awaits!
The party just hit level 3, so that will be the starting level of our new crewmate. The party consists of a Laughing Shadow Magus, an Angel Eidolon Summoner, a Mentalist Familiar Wizard, and an Animal Companion Precision Ranger (on hiatus).
If you are curious as to what style of world we will be playing in, our GM has given us a short summary of what to expect. Feel free to read it!
The World
Ship Encounters: Our DM has created bespoke Pathfinder-friendly rules for ship encounters, adding an extra layer of sea travel and combat. These rules are very granular, so being interested in engaging with this system is a must. This is a new system that we'll navigate together and if playtesting shows things need to be changed, they will be changed (we have already adjusted the system once, and we'll surely do so again if needed). Brace yourselves for naval battles, daring escapes, and unforeseen challenges on the open waters.
Each player will have an assigned role as part of the ship's crew, and these roles are what we will use for ship-to-ship encounters. There are more roles than there will be players, and each role is unique- no double dipping! Also, they are flexible enough to fit multiple attributes, so as long as you can come up with an appropriate reason for it, you can select most stats for the role's key ability score. Roles already taken: Captain, Master, Man-at-Arms. Our Quartermaster is on hiatus.
Roles Aboard The Ship:
Taken- Captain: The leader of the crew, making crucial decisions in the heat of battle and steering the ship to victory. The captain is not the king of the ship, majority rule has powerful sway and the captain’s decision may not always be a final one.
Taken- Master: The navigator and cartographer, guiding the ship through waters, setting course to engage and fleeing combat when in rough waters.
Available- Ship's Mate: The right-hand to the Captain, managing the crew’s morale and assisting in various other ship functions.
Available- Gunner: Mastering the ship's cannons, turning the tide of battle with precise and devastating firepower.
Available- Surgeon: Healing wounds and curing ailments, ensuring the crew is always ready for the next adventure.
Taken- Quartermaster: Managing supplies, overseeing critical repairs, negotiating with ports, and keeping the ship's stores in check.
Taken- Man-at-Arms: Leader of the marines on board, skilled in combat for boarding and plundering.
Other Optional Rules: We are also using the popular Ancestral Paragon and Free Archetype rules, with FAs pending DM approval. We also use incremental level up rules, where you gain one attribute point at each at levels 2-5, rather than getting all 4 at level 5.
Other than these three rules, we plan to run the game entirely RAW. We will also be running everything per the remaster.
About the group: Our group has been playing together for the past 4 years. Although most of our experience is in 5e, we have recently switched to pathfinder. One of the players is very experienced in pathfinder, while the other three have about a year's worth, the rest of their TTRPG experience notwithstanding. There will be a learning curve, especially post-remaster, as we still get our spell names mixed up on occasion.
Additionally, our GM has double-digit years of tabletop experience, including multiple in Pathfinder.
We use voice chat on discord for sessions and foundry for our virtual tabletop.
This will be a strategic and lighthearted pirate themed Pathfinder 2e experience. If you're interested in joining us, please fill out the form below!
The Fooooooooorm!

We're a friendly, active level 12 clan looking for a few new members eager to dive in and participate! If you have a non-rushed base of TH12+ and like to chat, read on to see how we roll.
Current membership 46/50
War:
We war constantly with a straightforward attack strategy sent via clan mail and discord. War is optional, but if you opt in, it's expected that you use both attacks. We allow war participants to have one hero down. We encourage our members to use both attacks even if the second attack is not needed to win -- it’s free loot! If you're not a pro attacker but eager to learn, we have friendly, veteran players who can help coach you to three stars. We also post videos in our Discord to help people learn new strategies and use better bases. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
War League:
We are in Crystal League III. We take CWL seriously, we bring in every member for the search so everyone receives some league medals. We like to run 30v30 wars, so if you are an interested in being a war participant, that is a big plus! Actual participation in CWL is based on TH level, performance, and the opposing team’s lineup. Bonus medals are distributed to members based on performance, donations, and reliability.
Clan Capital:
We are level 10 and in Champion I for the capital. Hop in for your six attacks every weekend and donate to the prioritized upgrades. Our capital is growing fast, and so is the loot! We expect all players to participate in raids. We receive 1200+ raid medals on average right now and it will only increase from there! 🤑🤑🤑
Clan Games:
We always max out clan games very quickly, always within 24 hours. Participation is optional, but it’s highly encouraged, who doesn't want freebies AND an extra reward at the end for maxing out your points!
Donations:
We've got you covered!!! For farming, war, or shenanigans, donations are filled lightning fast, and it's not expected that you donate before requesting or maintain a ratio- request troops and donate freely (if you can beat us to to punch 😉)
Discord:
We have a Discord for our members but it is optional to join. If you are interested in earning a leadership position, Discord is a must.
Most of our members are located in the US 🇺🇸 and Canada 🇨🇦
Sound like a fit? Search for Balrog's Flame (#2GCG29VP2) and request to join and mention Reddit.
https://link.clashofclans.com/en?action=OpenClanProfile&tag=2gcg29vp2

So I've been reading Todd's comprehensive guide and have been kinda stuck on page 14 talking about the respiratory system. Avali lungs are described as being seperated into 2 different groups of air sacs, which makes me think their lungs work similar to avians who have multiple air sacs/chambers in sequence with the actual lungs so that they're constantly getting oxygenated blood. That would make sense to me since in the book it also says they can fly on avalon. But it's said that the two pairs are used seperately for varying activies, with the smaller ones being used for idle or ground activities, and the larger ones being used for flight or intense workouts. This makes me think they work more like mammal's lungs but with two seperate sections for varying levels of exertion. The part that I'm also getting stuck on is that the 2nd lungs are described as being constantly filled during flight or intense workouts, which I'm just not sure how to interpret. I'm likely just getting cought up in the wording since i'm autistic, and "constantly filled" could just be used to decribe them when in active use, but I don't want to assume which is why I'm asking for clarification/personal interpretation.

I've been doing a lot of research and believe there is a great opportunity to buy a Boomer business (or two) in the coming years. Anyone have a positive review on a business buying program or course?
Looking specifically into Codie Sanchez's Contrarian Thinking or Carl Allen's Deal Maker Wealth Society. Understand there are more than these. Also understand there are varying price levels within all of these programs.
For background, here is where I am on my journey:

• Currently reading Buy then Build by Walker Deibel. Plan to read Here's the Deal, HBR's Guide to Buying a Small Business, and the Private Equity Playbook next.
• Understand you need a bit of capital for a sizable downpayment. Think I can get up to $300k from equity investors.
• Making my "buy box" to understand where I would add value to a company. I have been in direct sales for over a decade. If a company has grown primarily through word of mouth then I could be a big asset here.
• Three main areas I would look for in a program: assets and wisdom on standardizing the deal process (legal, negotiation, etc), strong networking and mentorship around growing a business after closing, and access to a network of people who might be interested in providing equity for future deals.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

So I just watched the series of game of thrones and house of the dragon and I'd like to start reading the books of asoiaf...and therefore I need to start with the book Fire and Blood... So is there any helpful guide to read the book without spoiling the show?

Hi folks,
We got into a 3k program and so very excited about that but now setting our sights on the next couple of years. We are going to have to move as we are outgrowing our current apt in Downtown Brooklyn. Our zoned elementary school is good but seems like there aren't many middle school options and so we are looking to a different neighborhood.
I have a few questions hoping someone can help with:

1. Looking at prices for different neighborhoods near good schools the prices are a bit crazy and with the whole priority/lottery system are people really paying these prices without a guarantee getting into the zoned public school? Or is the expectation that for say if youre zoned for ps 321 that you will likely get in?
   
2. Is it better to move in during the application process for kindergarten or the summer before kindergarten? or should we be looking to move way before?
   
3. Are there are any resources I should look at to navigate this? I've been on Insideschools and read Alina Addams' guide but just wondering if there's other resources for us to consult with. It seems like trying to thread a needle on a huge bet which is causing some anxiety so trying to arm myself with as much info as possible.
   

thanks in advance!