Attention deficit disorder worksheets free

Many years ago, I began the journey of entering a PhD program in Psychology. I knew what I was up against. Lots of hard work and not getting paid for it! Possibly 6-7 years of classes, writing papers, and of course the dreaded dissertation.
I started the program and after a few classes, I thought I can do this. But that was just the class part of the PhD program. After the first two years of classes, I was ready to take the comp review exam, and get started on my research. Again, I was okay and ready to move forward.
I passed the comp exam on the first try and what a relief. Now on to the dissertation. I knew I wanted to research gambling disorder but in what context? It took a good year or two to figure that out.
After much thought and this is the abridged version, I wanted to research what a problem gambler can do to be successful in recovery. Gambling disorder is an insidious one that takes lives and ruins many in financial and spiritual ways. But there are those out there with months or years of staying away from gambling behavior. What do they have that maybe others do not.
Well, the answer is support. All of my participants stated having support was the single most important factor in staying away from gambling.
So what is this support? In a nutshell, it is whatever you want it to be. It comes in many different forms and you will need to figure out what kind of support you need to stay gambling free.
For me, it was GA meetings, my husband, my family, friends, therapy, and groups.
Recovery should never be done alone. You will need people to talk to and to find those that share in your recovery efforts. Stay away from those who might say, you can't do this, or you will relapse again. Surround yourself with positive individuals.
Now that we have these groups online, we can also share with others here and other sites.
Find your support however you need to. Be consistent and honest about yourself and what you are facing each day you are in recovery.
I will continue to post here in this group as a way to support those that might need it.

Webtoons has done another update and I'd like to touch on it from a Canvas creators perspective. Rewards Ads is a way for creators to get money from readers watching video ads before reading individual episodes. For Webtoon's own info about Reward ads, you can read HERE.
And here's why if you make the threshold, you should DEFINITELY apply:
Webtoons is lowering its minimum threshold from 200k views to 100k views. While yes, 100k is still a hard threshold to make, the reason why I want more creators to know about this is because it's ACTUALLY good for creators.
Webtoons has done a lot of shady things so I think it's important to make a distinction when they actually offer something good with *practically no string attached.
Yes, webtoon will take its portion of the money you get from the ads (I have no idea what this percentage is).
Yes, your comic will have to be viewed critically to make sure it's complying with Webtoons rules. So if you've been just squeaking by, you'll be putting webtoon's direct attention on your comic.
Yes, the system of how to post the videos and how to post them at a standard time every week is harder because you have to submit them ahead of time to be analyzed.
BUT, it's totally free for readers to support creators by watching the ads, and depending on what your viewership is like you can make a decent amount of money from it.
The reason for this is because webtoon's user base is so high, it's a little like youtube in that they can generate LOTS of views.
In April I made about 200$ USD from Rewards Ads because readers watched the video before each episode. It's not enough to survive on but for posting a couple episodes early every month, it's pretty good!
The reason webtoons is lowering the threshold is because they make money from your episodes as well, BUT I genuinely believe (unlike superlikes) this is a GOOD sustainable way to earn money from posting to webtoons without having to be an originals creator or having to resort to superlikes.

Hi everyone! First, thanks in advance for reading and your generous help.
TL;DR:
I'm diving into my first nano tank and want to do it right with your expert advice. I’ve mapped out a detailed plan and budget, but I need your tips, warnings, humiliation and cheaper alternatives. Help me avoid rookie mistakes and create a beautiful, easy-to-maintain setup I won't want to change right away. I have my parameters here, and details in the comments.
FFT channel, if you're out there, this is your fault and I'd like either your wisdom or your apology.
Why am I doing this?

• Up-front planning and budget estimates, plus feedback from experienced owners, can save me long-term. Please skim or read through, poke holes, tell me how to do it cheaper, etc.
• Most "10 gallon aquascape for under $75!" videos assume you're already in the hobby and don't include the full cost. I'm starting from scratch and want quality items when possible, so I'm estimating the real time/cost for absolute beginners who may need more stuff because they don't have the experience/intuition yet.

My goals:

• A nano tank I can enjoy long-term without needing constant upgrades.
• Work to my strengths and weaknesses (OCD) by heavily investing time and effort now for a cheap, quick-growing, lovely, easy-to-maintain tank in the future.
• Minimize spending, clutter, waste, disappointment, killing live things.
• Don't get so overwhelmed, only add new things when I know I'm ready.

My overall plan:

• Plan, plan, plan, budget, estimate, then post and grovel for your attention and advice. (check)
• Use free/cheap equipment, supplies, leftovers from local hobbyists.
• Keep the tank simple but high impact: All-black rock and substrate hardscape, 2-4 quick-growing beginner plants, 1-2 beginner-level species in pops of red.

About my environment and experience:

• Tank will be in my home office (finished basement in Brooklyn) with temperature variations and high humidity in summer. Limited space, no car, no access to free hardscape materials, must avoid pests.
• I already have a pest: Cat (uninterested in fish, never jumps on counters, has asthma).
• Many good LFSs and a dense population for second-hand supplies via FB, craigslist, /aquatrades, freecycle, etc.
• Experience: Kept guppies alive as a child, fostered stray cats, kept a foster fail alive despite a 100% fatal illness (FIP). Tenacious with living things but bad with house plants (cats helped), just succeeded for the first time with Sea Monkeys (!).
• I only learned what aquascapes and nano tanks were 5 days ago.

For each step, I love to know:

• What am I missing or oveunder planning/budgeting for?
• If you had 4+ hours a day for 4 weeks to start a new tank, how would you spend that time?
• Is there something you wish you'd have known when you were a total beginner?

I have OCD, anxiety disorder and depression. Below are the bloodwork I've done in public hospital. Is the bloodwork comprehensive enough?
4 Jan, 2024:
A1C, CBC & DC, CR, Estimated GFR, LFT, Lipid, RFT, FG
16 Aug 2023:
Alanine Aminotransferase, Albumin, Bilirubin, Total, Cholesterol, HDL, Cholesterol, LDL calculated, Cholesterol, total, Creatinine, Estimated Gfr, Glucose, Fasting, Lithium, MBIAR Potassium, Protein, Total, Sodium, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, Thyroxine, free T4, Triglycerides, Urea
6 Jan 2023:
Alanine Aminotransferase, Albumin, Basophil, %, Basophil, absolute, Bilirubin, Total, Creatinine, Eosinophil, %, Eosinophil, absolute, Estimated Gfr, HGB, Lymphocyte, %, Lymphocytes, MBIAR Monocyte, %, Monocyte, absolute, Neutrophil, %, Neutrophil, absolute, Platelet, Potassium, Protein, Total, RBC, Sodium, Urea, WBC

Hello! As the title says, I am writing an amputee character and I need help understanding the lived experience of amputees. Trying to look up info on the internet gets me medical articles about basic care… I haven’t been able to find much about the details of recovery and lived experience (other than from a few amputees on YouTube). It would help me so much if you’d be willing to take time out of your day to share about your experiences.
My character is in his 20s. His leg is traumatically amputated (by accidental magical means). It’s either just below or just above the knee.
As such I am specifically looking for answers from those who have lost a leg, but I am happy to hear answers from all amputees willing to provide helpful info.
If there is a better place for me to ask these questions, please direct me to it. If you have reputable resources I can learn from, besides yourselves, please share them!
I am about to ask some detailed questions. If any of the questions are triggering to you, feel free to skip them, or scroll past my post entirely. I do not want to cause distress, I’m only trying to gather info.

1. Would that “just below” or “just above” make a huge difference? Can you tell me what differences it would cause?
   
2. How conscious are you during the actual event of a traumatic amputation? Fully conscious? In a daze? Do you go into shock pretty quickly? Simply lose consciousness? Does it depend? If so, what factors might cause one reaction or another?
   
3. How long can one go without medical attention? How long can one go without medical attention if the area is cauterized? What complications, reactions, and changes that might arise in the time in takes to get medical attention?
   
4. What is recovery like? If you can provide them, I would like details and timelines for this one. (Even down to “Day 1, recovery looked like this. Day 2, recovery looked like this”, if you can. And/or “week 1” “week 2”).
   
5. Does the stump need to be raised up or just bandaged? If it needs to be raised up, how long are you in that position?
   
6. Are you completely bedridden at any point in recovery? If yes, how long does that last? When can you get up using crutches?
   
7. Did you use a wheelchair at any point?
   
8. How long did you use crutches?
   
9. What does physical therapy entail and how soon did you start it after the amputation? Do you ever stop it?
   
10. Were you given drugs for the pain? How were they administered? May I ask which drugs they were? And how high of doses were you given? How long did you you take them for? What was the pain like once you were off them?
    
11. Anything else that happened during recovery that I haven’t asked about?
    

Please give me details on the process of getting a prosthetic:

1. How soon into recovery can you start the process of getting a prosthetic?
   
2. What IS the process of getting a prosthetic, and how long does it take to get one?
   
3. How does putting the prosthetic on feel, at first?
   
4. What happens when you first try to walk on a prosthetic? Can you walk on it the first day, or does it take time? How soon after the event are you able start successfully walking on a prosthetic?
   
5. What is the process of learning to walk on a prosthetic?
   
6. What kind of prosthetics are out there? What are the differences between them?
   
7. Can you provide me some details on the day to day life of using a prosthetic when you’re out of the hospital? Years later?
   
8. What does phantom pain feel like in your experience? What did it feel like right after the amputation? Does the nature of the pain, and/or the frequency of it, change over time?
   
9. If you’re willing to share, what was the experience, and what was recovery, like psychologically?
   
10. How does it psychologically affect you after the event? What are some aspects you still have to deal with, mentally?
    
11. How did the people around you react? (Be it your loved ones and/or strangers). How do they react today?
    
12. What are some things writers commonly get wrong when writing amputees?
    
13. What are some ways writers could write an amputee that you might find offensive or harmful?
    
14. Is there anything I haven’t asked about that you think I should know for writing an amputee?
    

Thank you very very much for your help!! Any answers are helpful, even if you can’t answer them all!!

Revised for sentence structure:
Being on a Long Streak: The Mental and Social Impact
Going on long streaks can make you vulnerable to the social pressures of maintaining them, especially if you're not mentally well. Let me tell you about my experience. I'm 17, and I maintained a streak for about two and a half years. Honestly, it had a lot of positive effects. However, here's the thing: while I was on the streak, I wasn't mentally or socially healthy. People around me, frankly, bullied me. I never understood why. I was surrounded by immature guys who obsessed over porn, yet they seemed okay.
Then I realized it was because of the streak. When your mental health is already struggling, not taking a break from a streak can make it worse. In my case, I was already vulnerable, and these people, who weren't even in as bad a place as me, took advantage.
On the other hand, when I was mentally healthy, it was incredible. My positive energy, like an "aura," had a real effect on others. My presence, for some reason, seemed to heal people. I think it might be because I'd dealt with a lot of mental struggles myself when I was younger. Maybe because I was healing, people were drawn to my positive energy more than others'. It's a strange phenomenon, and it's a shame my social skills didn't develop alongside it. If they had, who knows where I'd be today, who I'd be with? I got a lot of attention from women. I could see the desire to be around me in their eyes. It's honestly fascinating how that works, even with women who already had boyfriends.
Being on a streak also seemed to make me sharper and more intelligent. Now, I don't know if this is just me, since I'm still healing from past experiences, but whenever my streak was going well, I could almost "see" people's flaws. Somehow, just being around me seemed to help them grow.
Anyway, that's my experience. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Focusing on simplicity and what's essential, can be deeply transformative. Interestingly, astrocartography and relocation astrology can play a significant role in supporting this transition. Let’s explore how these astrological tools can help you find locations that resonate with a minimalist lifestyle, as well as how to leverage your astrological blueprint to embrace simplicity.
Relocated Chart Considerations for a Minimalist Lifestyle
Your relocated chart can highlight areas that support a minimalist approach:
Prominent House Positions:

• 4th House (Home and Environment): A strong 4th house can indicate a supportive environment for creating a peaceful, simplified home life. Beneficial planetary placements here can encourage detachment from material possessions.
• 12th House (Spirituality and Subconscious): This house is about letting go and finding peace in solitude and simplicity. Planets in the 12th house can support a minimalist mindset by focusing on inner richness.
• 2nd House (Values and Possessions): A well-aspected 2nd house can help in redefining your relationship with material possessions, emphasizing quality over quantity.

Key Planetary Aspects:

• Saturn Aspects for Discipline: Positive aspects to Saturn, the planet of restriction and discipline, can facilitate a minimalist lifestyle by encouraging responsible and limited use of resources.
• Venus for Valuing Simplicity: Harmonious aspects to Venus can help in finding beauty and satisfaction in simplicity, rather than excess.
• Jupiter for Philosophical Shifts: Beneficial aspects to Jupiter can support a philosophical shift towards valuing experiences and knowledge over material accumulation.

Planetary Combinations Supporting Minimalism:

• Saturn-Venus: Can instill a sense of contentment with less and an appreciation for the value of simplicity.
• Mercury-Uranus: Encourages innovative thinking and breaking free from conventional materialistic mindsets.

Astrocartography Lines for Embracing Minimalism
Astrocartography can pinpoint locations where planetary influences align with minimalist values:

• Saturn Lines for Discipline and Restriction: Locations under Saturn lines can foster an environment where living with less feels natural and necessary.
• Venus Lines for Simplified Pleasures: Venus lines can help you appreciate the beauty in simplicity, making minimalism more appealing and satisfying.
• Mercury Lines for Clear Thinking: Mercury lines can support clear, logical thinking about what’s truly necessary in life.

Integrating Relocation Chart and Astrocartography for Minimalism
Combining insights from your relocated chart and astrocartography can guide you to locations that support your minimalist aspirations. For instance, a strong Saturn influence in your relocated chart, combined with a Venus line in astrocartography, can create the perfect balance for embracing simplicity with contentment.
Natal Chart Considerations
Your natal chart lays the foundation. Pay attention to:

• Natal 2nd and 4th Houses: Understand your inherent relationship with possessions and home life.
• Natal Saturn and Venus: Their placements and aspects can indicate your natural propensity towards minimalism or materialism.
• Aspects to the Ascendant: These can influence your outward approach to life and material world.

Adopting a minimalist lifestyle is not just about where you live, but how you live. Astrocartography and relocation astrology offer unique insights into the best environments that support a life of simplicity and contentment. When combined with a deep understanding of your natal chart, these tools can help you align your external environment with your internal desire for a simpler, more meaningful life. Remember, minimalism is a personal journey, and astrology can be a guiding light on this path.

May I have your attention please? This is a lengthy post but i promise you it’s is worth the few minutes it will take to read. This is straight from my heart to the entire nation. A nation I believe in and want to see thrive. Are you tired of the same thing every 4y? Sick of the saying “lessor of two evils” -where the best options we have are a hair sniffing potato or a twitter happy misogynistic pig? Are you ready to exit this revolving door of one side eliminating the doings of the other whether it works or not, just to prove a point? Do you dream of a chance at true progress and real change? I ask myself these questions and a whole lot more, especially when I think about what the future has in store for my children and yours. I know there has to be a better way. If there wasn’t, I would be heartbroken. What if I told you there is a way? That I have spent countless hours searching for a solution, and after more sleepless nights than even I can count, have formulated a plan. Would you be willing to at least give it a shot? Here is a glimpse of what we can achieve, but only if we truely unite! 1. Increased salaries for all K-12 teachers resulting in better quality of public education. 2. Free vocational training for necessary trades boosting skilled workers and the elimination of current labor shortages. 3. Universal Healthcare to every American citizen with quite possibly zero tax increases. 4. A solution for infrastructure and deteriorating road conditions across our nation. Among these a few additional items to help sweeten the pot. These claims seem far fetched and completely crazy right? I’m here today to tell you not only are they’re achievable, I can guarantee them. However, it will take all of us coming together and uniting as a people for it to happen. Spread the word .. write me in to this years election ballot.. I’m Ridiculous Nicholas Robinette and I approve this message.

Disclaimer: I am reposting this so more people get a chance to see the post! If you applied to the previous post, no need to apply again! :)
Hello there! This will be a long post but I do encourage you to read all of it so you have an idea what kinda game you are applying for. This would be a long-term campaign, so be willing to commit to the game! Have fun reading!
Game details:
We play using both Discord for voice and video and Foundry VTT for maps and character sheets! Webcams are mandatory since we all have been using them and it helps a lot with roleplaying when you can see the other people! Make sure that your PC or laptop is capable of running Foundry, here is a link to the Foundry system requirements: https://foundryvtt.com/article/requirements/
Do note that you don't need to buy or download anything! How Foundry works is that I send you a link and you'll join through there so no need to worry about that!
We are here to make the story together so while there is a main plot for you to follow, there will be distractions along the way and of course, things that relate to your characters and what they might find interesting!
During session 0 we will go over the initial plot hooks, how your characters might know each other, safety rules, and so on!
The available days are listed in the questionnaire. The start time for the session regardless of the day would be at 9 pm GMT+3 and when a day has been chosen, we would play consistently on that day every week!
RP to combat ratio:
I would say 50-50 since you as players can with your decisions affect how much combat or roleplay there is going to be but I as a GM, am geared more towards weighting narrative but that doesn't mean that there wouldn't be some cool combat set-pieces ;).
There might be moments in the game where we focus more on the social aspect of the game, interacting in character with the world around them and then there might be some more action-oriented sessions where you get to sit at the edge of your seat!
I will say that how I like to run games, I like to focus on characters and what their motives, goals, and flaws are. This would be a more character-driven game so be ready for that and don't be afraid to get into character and have fun while doing so!
How to apply:
All that I require from you is that you read the whole post and then fill out the questionnaire to the best of your ability. I pour a lot of time into making sure that the sessions are good and that everyone is having fun and you can contribute to that by being genuinely interested in the game!
Here is the questionnaire: https://forms.gle/TAnUSBRAoEpKe1Ra8
Basic rules of the campaign:

• Be consistent: I know that emergencies can happen and sometimes life throws a curve ball. Those happen to me too but if it does, I expect you to let me know ASAP when you know that you are not going to be able to join for the session. The general rule in my table is that as long as we have four people playing, we will continue with the game.
• Cinematics: I like to inject some cinematic in the game and I will let you know when there is a cinematic. This happens usually at the end of the session to show you what happens somewhere else where your characters are not necessarily present.
• Campaign may have mature themes: I like to run narrative games and they usually lean towards a more serious tone and while there are moments of lightheartedness, it's not what I am going for this campaign. This is not a campaign for joke characters or happy-go-lucky characters. I will NOT include SA or intense torture roleplaying in my games and there is no tolerance for that. These will be discussed more during the session 0!
• Be attentive during the sessions: During the session, I would like you to feel that you want to be there so I do put a lot of time into prepping the sessions with maps, NPCs, music, etc. So as a player, all I require from you is to know the basic rules, how your character works, and just generally be respectful towards everyone on the table!
• Don't be a dick: Don't rage quit if the dice don't go your way or if you do something in the game that can result in a bad consequence to your character and then it happens. No PvP, unless both agree to it and it needs to have a good reason! Just be respectful and be able to communicate and I am sure we will get along very well!
• There is always a possibility of death: We are here to make an awesome collaborative story together that we can look back to years later with fondness! This however doesn't mean that I am going to pull my punches in combat so that's why I roll in the open. If the dice decide that it's time for your character, then that's how it's going to be. Of course, sometimes there is something that can save you but those are rare. Also, I am not going to go out of my way to kill you and I will make sure that you always know what kinda situations your characters are going to.
• Have a good mic and connection: Having a good mic is important because most of us use headphones so if your audio quality is so bad that it makes our ears bleed then that would be a dealbreaker :D. Bad mics can also negatively just impact the flow of the game if they keep cutting out!

The most important rule is to: HAVE FUN! We are here to play a game and make a story together and everyone's comfort is important to me! If you have doubts or if something feels off, you can always come to talk with me!
Game Rules:

• Write "One Piece is real" in the final questions so I know that you read this far ;)
• Ability scores are determined using point buy with 28 points or a standard array.
• Death saves are rolled in secret
• We are starting from level 2
• Criticals are maxed damage + die rolls
• If you go down, you get a wound up to a maximum of 3 when you get up again. On your third one, if you fall, you die

The reason for Banned spells is that I like to make mysteries and that players need to think. For example, Remove curse would make a situation where you can get cursed not that tense. I like to make curses into plotlines so thus banning the spell gives us that opportunity.
Here are the banned spells:

• Identify
• Detect Thoughts
• Locate object
• Zone of Truth
• Remove curse
• Goodberry
• Silvery Barbs
• Geas
• Legend lore

Banned subclasses:

• Twilight cleric
• Eloquence bard
• Peace cleric

Races from Eberron, PHB, and MPMM are available minus Tortle, Fairy, and Centaur. Also, flying races are not allowed
Here is a little bit of info about me!
My name is Michael, 22 years old. I have been a GM for 3.5 years now! I have enough experience so I won't fumble around but obviously, I don't know everything.
Something about myself is that I have been a huge fan of TTRPGs ever since I started 3.5 years ago. In that period, I have had the pleasure to play multiple systems such as 5e, pathfinder 2e, Call of Cthulhu, cyberpunk RED/2020, mothership, City of Mist, etc. So I have quite a lot of experience and I know the ropes! I also like to draw, write stories, do worldbuilding, play video games, and watch movies and anime.
I am a huge fan of One Piece, it was also an inspiration for this setting so if you are a fan, you'll notice some subtle references here and there!
I do enjoy Eberron as a setting and have read quite a bit on it! Still, while it's an established setting with its lore, that means that there will be things that I might be unaware of or I might change things here and there. I like to stick to the established lore since it's quite expansive and really good but expect changes at some points!
Final words
Thanks for reading this long-ass post and I do hope that you can see that I am putting my all into this! I hope you do too so feel free to fill out the application! Take it slowly and don't rush it since I am using it to gauge how interested you all are to join in! I will keep the post up for a few days and conduct interviews before Sunday. If you have questions, feel free to comment and I'll answer when I have time!
I hope all of you have a nice day/evening and I hope to talk to you later!

Disclaimer: I am reposting this so more people get a chance to see the post! If you applied to the previous post, no need to apply again! :)
Hello there! This will be a long post but I do encourage you to read all of it so you have an idea what kinda game you are applying for. This would be a long-term campaign, so be willing to commit to the game! Have fun reading!
Game details:
We play using both Discord for voice and video and Foundry VTT for maps and character sheets! Webcams are mandatory since we all have been using them and it helps a lot with roleplaying when you can see the other people! Make sure that your PC or laptop is capable of running Foundry, here is a link to the Foundry system requirements: https://foundryvtt.com/article/requirements/
Do note that you don't need to buy or download anything! How Foundry works is that I send you a link and you'll join through there so no need to worry about that!
We are here to make the story together so while there is a main plot for you to follow, there will be distractions along the way and of course, things that relate to your characters and what they might find interesting!
During session 0 we will go over the initial plot hooks, how your characters might know each other, safety rules, and so on!
The available days are listed in the questionnaire. The start time for the session regardless of the day would be at 9 pm GMT+3 and when a day has been chosen, we would play consistently on that day every week!
RP to combat ratio:
I would say 50-50 since you as players can with your decisions affect how much combat or roleplay there is going to be but I as a GM, am geared more towards weighting narrative but that doesn't mean that there wouldn't be some cool combat set-pieces ;).
There might be moments in the game where we focus more on the social aspect of the game, interacting in character with the world around them and then there might be some more action-oriented sessions where you get to sit at the edge of your seat!
I will say that how I like to run games, I like to focus on characters and what their motives, goals, and flaws are. This would be a more character-driven game so be ready for that and don't be afraid to get into character and have fun while doing so!
How to apply:
All that I require from you is that you read the whole post and then fill out the questionnaire to the best of your ability. I pour a lot of time into making sure that the sessions are good and that everyone is having fun and you can contribute to that by being genuinely interested in the game!
Here is the questionnaire: https://forms.gle/TAnUSBRAoEpKe1Ra8
Basic rules of the campaign:

• Be consistent: I know that emergencies can happen and sometimes life throws a curve ball. Those happen to me too but if it does, I expect you to let me know ASAP when you know that you are not going to be able to join for the session. The general rule in my table is that as long as we have four people playing, we will continue with the game.
• Cinematics: I like to inject some cinematic in the game and I will let you know when there is a cinematic. This happens usually at the end of the session to show you what happens somewhere else where your characters are not necessarily present.
• Campaign may have mature themes: I like to run narrative games and they usually lean towards a more serious tone and while there are moments of lightheartedness, it's not what I am going for this campaign. This is not a campaign for joke characters or happy-go-lucky characters. I will NOT include SA or intense torture roleplaying in my games and there is no tolerance for that. These will be discussed more during the session 0!
• Be attentive during the sessions: During the session, I would like you to feel that you want to be there so I do put a lot of time into prepping the sessions with maps, NPCs, music, etc. So as a player, all I require from you is to know the basic rules, how your character works, and just generally be respectful towards everyone on the table!
• Don't be a dick: Don't rage quit if the dice don't go your way or if you do something in the game that can result in a bad consequence to your character and then it happens. No PvP, unless both agree to it and it needs to have a good reason! Just be respectful and be able to communicate and I am sure we will get along very well!
• There is always a possibility of death: We are here to make an awesome collaborative story together that we can look back to years later with fondness! This however doesn't mean that I am going to pull my punches in combat so that's why I roll in the open. If the dice decide that it's time for your character, then that's how it's going to be. Of course, sometimes there is something that can save you but those are rare. Also, I am not going to go out of my way to kill you and I will make sure that you always know what kinda situations your characters are going to.
• Have a good mic and connection: Having a good mic is important because most of us use headphones so if your audio quality is so bad that it makes our ears bleed then that would be a dealbreaker :D. Bad mics can also negatively just impact the flow of the game if they keep cutting out!

The most important rule is to: HAVE FUN! We are here to play a game and make a story together and everyone's comfort is important to me! If you have doubts or if something feels off, you can always come to talk with me!
Game Rules:

• Write "One Piece is real" in the final questions so I know that you read this far ;)
• Ability scores are determined using point buy with 28 points or a standard array.
• Death saves are rolled in secret
• We are starting from level 2
• Criticals are maxed damage + die rolls
• If you go down, you get a wound up to a maximum of 3 when you get up again. On your third one, if you fall, you die

The reason for Banned spells is that I like to make mysteries and that players need to think. For example, Remove curse would make a situation where you can get cursed not that tense. I like to make curses into plotlines so thus banning the spell gives us that opportunity.
Here are the banned spells:

• Identify
• Detect Thoughts
• Locate object
• Zone of Truth
• Remove curse
• Goodberry
• Silvery Barbs
• Geas
• Legend lore

Banned subclasses:

• Twilight cleric
• Eloquence bard
• Peace cleric

Races from Eberron, PHB, and MPMM are available minus Tortle, Fairy, and Centaur. Also, flying races are not allowed
Here is a little bit of info about me!
My name is Michael, 22 years old. I have been a GM for 3.5 years now! I have enough experience so I won't fumble around but obviously, I don't know everything.
Something about myself is that I have been a huge fan of TTRPGs ever since I started 3.5 years ago. In that period, I have had the pleasure to play multiple systems such as 5e, pathfinder 2e, Call of Cthulhu, cyberpunk RED/2020, mothership, City of Mist, etc. So I have quite a lot of experience and I know the ropes! I also like to draw, write stories, do worldbuilding, play video games, and watch movies and anime.
I am a huge fan of One Piece, it was also an inspiration for this setting so if you are a fan, you'll notice some subtle references here and there!
I do enjoy Eberron as a setting and have read quite a bit on it! Still, while it's an established setting with its lore, that means that there will be things that I might be unaware of or I might change things here and there. I like to stick to the established lore since it's quite expansive and really good but expect changes at some points!
Final words
Thanks for reading this long-ass post and I do hope that you can see that I am putting my all into this! I hope you do too so feel free to fill out the application! Take it slowly and don't rush it since I am using it to gauge how interested you all are to join in! I will keep the post up for a few days and conduct interviews before Sunday. If you have questions, feel free to comment and I'll answer when I have time!
I hope all of you have a nice day/evening and I hope to talk to you later!

As I stated in the title, I believe I know what causes male entitlement to women’s time, body or just women in general. At the very least what caused it for me, and how I (am breaking) free of it.
When I was 7, I would watch TV. There would always be an episode where a male protagonist gets a Girlfriend. Loses her to a dumb mistake. Tries to get her back, fails, tries again, and succeeds.
I’ve always been in favor of Womens Rights -er believed I was. As a little boy, nobody ever told me about love or women or relationships (especially considering I don’t have any sisters). I didn’t know how to talk to women, and I’m not attractive enough for them to come to me. But by some miracle for little me. When I was 12 going on 13, I got a girlfriend. She was the same age, let’s call her “Kelly”. I obviously cared deeply for Kelly, and I know she did for me too. I was just exploring my sexuality at the time (we’re both straight).
As we got closer together I rushed things, I would want to touch her, and she would let me. I would become focused on that. Long story short. I neglected her consent, not even intentionally. It just didn’t register to me. It didn’t occur to me because I don’t think I was subconsciously programmed to listen to Kelly, or any woman my age for that matter. So we break up and I move schools etc… but the misogyny doesn’t end there. That’s when the misogyny SURGES!
I move to another school. I was broken from the last year as it took a big toll on me. But burns stop being hot after at least a little bit. So i was ready?, for someone else. Well, I guess I was window shopping again thankfully. But this time it was different. I‘m high function autism, and it kinda? shows. But not enough that I need special classes or whatever. But regardless, I saw more attractive men, with better clothes, hygiene, social skills. They got girl’s attention. Well, they got the girls that got MY attention. Hot guys with Hot girls (what a shocker lol). But I felt angry, not at the other men. But at the girls, when I was at my worst, I saw a hot white girl with a tall lightskin dude. (I’m white male btw) And I thought to myself “of course HE gets her.” Even at my worst I rejected that kind of thinking. But that doesn’t change the fact that it came to me naturally.
I would see hot girls and internally label the h*es, sl*ts, you get the idea. Insert chudjak. I saw something on , it was a tweet that said “Nobody calls a woman a hoe more than a man who can’t fuck her”. And that’s when it hit me. I knew it was a me problem. But I just now I INTERNALIZE the idea. And I kept thinking, I‘ve heard people on TwoX talk about male entitlement. And I’ve seen places like and talk about it. I never understood what it meant to be entitled to a woman. But now I do. Think about it. I got mad at a hot white girl, who i have no connection to, with some hot dude. I had NO relations with her. But I was mad somebody else had her? I felt like a victim all along. A victim of what? Unfairness, or even injustice. But everyone get’s justice (morally). And if everyone gets it, everyone’s entitled to it, literally! So denial of my “right” to women is (from this flawed perspective) wrong to do. And logically, to resolve it. I can be given a woman.
If that sounds messed up, it”s because it is. Because when you put it like that, you seem crazy. But I never thought if it like that. And that’s why women pick up on that instantly.
So in conclusion, It’s occurred to me that young boys are taught that getting women is a right. And everyone is entitled to rights, so if you perceive women as the object of s right that you have, you (aware or unaware) will become entitled.
TLDR: Male entitlement to women stems from cultural rhetoric, and when access is denied, it sparks rage.

At the world’s top college of magic and technology, every day brings a new discovery -and a new disaster. The advanced experiments of the college students tend to be both ambitious and apocalyptic, with the end of the world only prevented by a mysterious time loop, and a small handful of students who retain their memories.
Surviving the loops was hard enough, but now, in his senior year, Vell Harlan must take charge of them, and deal with the fact that the whole world now knows his secrets. Everyone knows about Vell’s death and resurrection, along with the divine game he is a part of. Now Vell must contend with overly curious scientists and evil billionaires hungry for divine power while the daily doomsday cycle bombards him with terrorists, talking elephants, and the Grim Reaper himself -but if he can endure it all, the Last Goddess’s game promises the ultimate prize: power over life itself.
[Previous Chapter][Patreon][Cover Art]
“Should I be worried?”
Why would you be worried?” Kim said. “Dean Lichman loves us.”
Dean Lichman had asked the two of them to stop by his office, though his brief message had not said what for. That left Vell to concoct nightmare scenarios in his head.
“He doesn’t love all of us.”
“Alex doesn’t count as ‘us’,” Kim said. She was a looper in purely a technical sense, mostly due to her own refusal to be a team player. “Besides, she’s been behaving lately. She’s only been an asshole, not an active liability.”
“That we know of.”
“If we don’t know about it, Dean probably doesn’t either,” Kim said. “It’s fine, Vell, he probably just wants to ask us for advice or deal with some problem he has.”
“That’s not much better,” Vell said. “How weird would things have to be that the Dean is asking us for help personally?”
“Only one way to find out,” Kim said. She gestured to the door to the Dean’s office.
Kim entered first, and found it in much the same state as it always was. The desk piled high with paperwork, a small bowl of assorted candies shoved into the corner of the desk, and Dean Lichman behind it, frantically tapping away on a laptop. Vell had not been in this office for several years, and it was vastly different than the last time he’d been here.
“Ah, there you are, come in, have a seat,” Dean Lichman said. “Unless you’d rather we have our conversation elsewhere, Vell.”
“Why would I want that?”
“Well, it’s my understanding you haven’t been in this office since my, uh, predecessor,” Dean Lichman said.
“Oh, right, the kidnapping,” Vell said. “No, I’m good, I don’t really get traumatized by things anymore.”
Vell had been killed too many different ways in too many different places to have a functional trauma response. A few days ago he’d gotten his legs chewed off by a vending machine, and still stopped by it to pick up a soda on his way to the office.
“That’s a very concerning response, Mr. Harlan.”
“Yeah. Anyway, what did you need?”
Dean Lichman gestured for the duo to take a seat, and both did so. He folded desiccated hands in front of himself before beginning to speak.
“I would like to ask you two to take a look at an experiment that will be occurring later this week,” Dean Lichman said. “I don’t have any reason to believe it poses a threat, but I would like to be assured it is a safe and ethical environment, and, well, you two have a knack for identifying trouble spots.”
“You could say that,” Kim said. It was more accurate to say that trouble had a way of identifying them -and then leaping at them and ripping their heads off.
“I’d appreciate it if the two of you could simply examine the laboratory and give it your approval, or disapproval, as the case may be,” Dean Lichman said. “Though if you’re too busy, I fully understand.”
“If you don’t think this is dangerous, why are you asking for our help anyway?”
“Simply for my own peace of mind, frankly,” Dean Lichman said. “The school’s policies on animal experimentation are...satisfactory, I suppose, but I do want to take extra precautions when the subject is a creature as smart as an elephant.”
“An elephant?”
“Yes, a resident of a reserve in Thailand,” Dean Lichman said. “An older elephant by the name of Mae Noi. She has cancer, apparently, and she is submitting to experimental treatment in the hopes it will be useful for younger elephants.”
Kim’s digital face briefly flashed with a facial expression of concerned skepticism.
“‘She’ is submitting to treatment? As in the elephant?”
“Yes. Apparently the elephant can talk,” Dean Lichman said. “No, I don’t know how it works, they said it was ‘more impressive in person’.”
“Well now I kind of want to go just to see the talking elephant,” Vell said.
“Same.”
“Well, do try to take a few glances at the experiment’s safety while you’re there,” Dean Lichman said.
“Sounds like a plan,” Vell said. “Thanks for the heads up.”
“I’ll be there too,” Kim said.
“Excellent. Thank you both, and I’ll try not to take up too much of your time,” the Dean said. He then bid them both a polite goodbye and returned to his mountains of paperwork. Vell took a step out of the office and then took a sip from the soda he’d recently retrieved from the evil vending machine.
“So, what do you think?”
“I think I really do want to see the talking elephant,” Kim said.
“Obviously, yeah, we all want to see the talking elephant,” Vell said. “I mean the whole situation. You think the elephant thing is going to be the daily apocalypse for that day?”
“Well, on the one hand, an elephant seems like the kind of thing that would kill us,” Kim said. “But on the other, I feel like the fact we have advance warning means it’s not going to happen.”
“True. The universe probably wouldn’t make it that easy for us.”
“Yeah, but the elephant thing still feels pretty threatening,” Kim said. “Only way to find out is to wait a few days, I guess.”
A FEW DAYS LATER
“Hello you two,” Dean Lichman said. “And Hawke.”
“Hey,” Hawke said.
“He also wanted to see the talking elephant,” Kim explained.
“Well, that’s not a problem, it was an open invitation,” Dean Lichman said.
“Thanks. Still, sorry for not saying I was going to show up in advance,” Hawke said. “It took me a long time to make up my mind whether I was more interested in or afraid of a talking elephant.”
“They are rather large, aren’t they? I suppose that could be intimidating.”
“I’m okay with elephants on their own, it’s the talking part that doesn’t sit right with me,” Hawke said. “What if the elephant doesn’t like me? What if I’m the first person to ever get insulted by an elephant?”
“You’re less afraid of getting trampled by an elephant than insulted by one?”
“I’m a little afraid of trampling, but elephants are chill,” Hawke explained. “They wouldn’t attack unless provoked. I kind of feel like one might call me a dipshit unprovoked, though.”
“You have oddly specifics fears, Mr. Hughes,” Dean Lichman said.
“Yeah.”
In spite of those fears, Hawke happily stepped through the door to the zoology lab. It did not take a long time to locate the elephant in the room, as it was a literal elephant. The towering pachyderm was in a makeshift pen in the center of the lab, with an ample supply of food and a strange pedestal in front of her.
“Dr. Chanthara,” Dean Lichman said, with a polite wave to one of the researchers in the room. “Good to see you. These are the students I told you about.”
“Hm. Nice to meet you,” Dr. Chanthara said. He was, perhaps not unreasonably, skeptical of why three seemingly random students were in charge of a safety inspection. The fact that one of the three was a robot made him even more skeptical.
“Hi, nice to meet you too, and, uh, don’t mind us,” Vell said. “We just have an eye for weird things other people might miss.”
“Sure. I- wait. Aren’t you that kid who got chosen by a god?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” Vell said. “And her too, technically.”
Kim shrugged. She didn’t care for any extra attention on that point.
“Right,” Chanthara said. He was beginning to see why these students might know their stuff. “I suppose we should start by introducing you to Mae Noi. Say hello, Mae.”
The elephant shifted on her feet and poked her trunk at the wide pedestal in front of her twice.
“Hello. Friends,” a synthesized voice droned. Vell stepped a little closer to the pedestal, just enough to see that there were an array of buttons on the side facing Mae Noi.
“Oh, it’s kind of like a keyboard,” Vell said. He’d seen similar things used with dogs, though usually in a much simpler fashion. Mae Noi seemed to have a few dozen buttons at her disposal.
“Smart,” Mae Noi said, with another prod of her trunk.
“We initially put it into our sanctuary as a bit of a novelty, something elephants could choose to interact with,” Dr. Chanthara explained. “Mae Noi took to it a bit better than most. Especially once she found out she could use it to ask for food.”
“Food. Pumpkin. Pumpkin. Pumpkin.”
“No, Mae, no food until after experiment,” Dr. Chanthara scolded.
“Experiment,” Mae Niko said with a prod. “Pumpkin.”
“Yes, experiment then pumpkin,” Dr. Chanthara said.
“That’s not really a talking elephant, is it?” Hawke said.
“It’s more talking than most elephants,” Dr. Chanthara said.
“Elephant. Smart,” Mae Niko said. “Smart.”
“Yes, uh, right, elephant smart,” Hawke said. He took a step back, to avoid any further offense and any further risk of being insulted by Mae Noi.
“You’re very impressive, Mae, don’t mind him,” Kim said. “How many words does she know?”
“Our platform back home has around three hundred words, though she’s still learning some of them,” Dr. Chanthara said. “The ‘travel’ version we put together only has a hundred, just enough to make sure she can get her basic needs met and communicate about the experiment.”
“Right, speaking of, I do believe we should put some time into our reason for being here,” Dean Lichman interjected. “You’re welcome to stick around afterwards, at Dr. Chanthara and Mae Noi’s discretion, of course, but we should get underway.”
“We probably should get to business, yeah,” Kim said. She tapped the side of her metal head. “I’m going to scan the lab. Vell, you talk to the elephant and make sure everything’s above-board.”
“Abov- oh, right,” Vell said. “Sorry, not exactly used to being able to ask animals if they agree to animal experimentation.”
“Experiment,” Mae said.
“Yeah, experiment,” Vell said, as he turned to Mae. “So, Mae Noi, this experiment might hurt, do you know that?”
“Experiment. Hurt. Elephant,” Mae Noi prodded. “Experiment. Help. Elephant. Help. Baby.”
“Help baby?”
“Baby. Baby. Elephant. Sick. Baby. Sick.”
“We’ve explained the nature of her condition to Mae Noi as best we can,” Dr. Chanthara said. “She has several children, and is concerned they might be similarly affected.”
“Help. Baby,” Mae Noi said. “Experiment. Help.”
The way Mae Noi frantically tapped the buttons tugged at Vell’s heartstrings, but he choked those emotions down.
“So you want to do this experiment to help baby, got it,” Vell said. “Even if it hurts you?”
“Elephant. Old,” Mae Noi said. “Hurt. Okay. Help. Baby.”
“Huh. Well, that does sound like informed consent to me,” Vell said. “Passes ethical muster, at least.”
The campus rules allowed students to be experimented on, with their consent, so Vell saw no reason not to apply the same standard to an elephant.
“You speak up if you change your mind about the experiment, okay?”
“Stop. Stop. Stop,” Mae said, mashing the same button a few times. “Yes.”
“You got it. I’m going to go help my friends check things out,” Vell said. “Good talking to you, Mae.”
“Good. Talk. Friend,” Mae said. She waved goodbye with her trunk, and Vell waved back. He wandered away from Mae Noi’s pedestal and found Kim and Hawke carefully examining rows of beakers and various other supplies.
“Nothing sus yet, boss,” Hawke said.
“Nothing caustic, mutagenic, or explosive?”
“Well, something mutagenic, but it’s supposed to be,” Kim said. She had scanners built into her body much like those that had once been in Vell’s glasses, allowing her to analyze the complex chemical formulas at a glance. “They’re going for some gene editing similar to what we’ve tried to do on human cancer patients. Low success rate, but not harmful. Some adaptations to work on elephants, of course.”
“Run it by any of our chemistry and biology student friends yet?”
“A few,” Kim said. “Haven’t gotten anything back yet, though.”
“Maybe run it by Skye, too,” Vell said. “She’d recognize anything that’d mutate an animal.”
“She does love to mutate things,” Kim said.
“Benevolently,” Vell insisted. “Just show her. I’m going to check for any stray equipment.”
The presence of an unusually large test subject had resulted in the lab being rearranged and reshuffled, so Vell did a quick scan for any misplaced equipment that might pose a threat. He found, to his surprise, a tidy and well-organized environment, with any and all extraneous materials securely locked away. There wasn’t so much as a shrink ray out of place. Vell did another loop just to be sure, but returned to his friends empty-handed.
“This place has less safety hazards than my lab,” Vell said. Hawke stared at him for a while.
“Why does your lab have safety hazards?’
“I do runecarving, there’s like, hammers and chisels,” Vell said. “Those can hurt people.”
“Mm, true,” Hawke said. “So you really didn’t find anything?”
“Nothing,” Vell said. “This place is secure as I’ve ever seen a lab be.”
“It’s like I said,” Kim began. “We got an actual warning about it, so obviously nothing’s going to go wrong. That’d be too easy.”
“Maybe,” Vell said. “Things can get teleported in, or someone could cast a spell, or something.”
“Yeah, but that applies to anywhere, at any time,” Kim said.
“Kim’s right,” Hawke said. “I say we go business as usual.”
“I guess,” Vell said. “We have to branch out a little, at least. Can’t keep an eye on one room all day.”
The trio stopped sulking around the outskirts of the lab and returned to Dean Lichman and Dr. Chanthara.
“Everything looks good,” Kim said. “Probably the safest lab I’ve ever seen.”
“I’ll choose to take that as a compliment,” Dr. Chanthara said.
“We have very high safety standards here at the Einstein-Odinson,” Dean Lichman said, defensively. “Relatively speaking. Innovation requires some risk.”
“I understand perfectly. So does Mae.”
“Hurt. Okay,” Mae said.
“Not that okay,” Vell said. “Nice meeting you, Dr. Chanthara. You too, Mae.”
“Wait.”
Mae prodded one of the buttons on her pedestal and then pointed her trunk at the three of them. Hawke looked deeply concerned, but stepped forward alongside Vell and Kim. Mae Noi appraised them with massive brown eyes, and then moved her trunk back towards the pedestal. Vell noticed a distinctive scar on the bridge of her long nose just as Mae Noi pressed another button.
“Joke.”
“...Joke?”
Dr. Chanthara sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Just go along with it,” he said. “She likes to tell her joke.”
“Uh, okay,” Vell said. “Let’s hear it.”
“What. Elephant. Favorite. Part. Tree.”
“Umm...I don’t know, Mae,” Vell lied. He’d heard this joke from a kid, once. “What part?”
“Trunk,” Mae said. She gave a loud bray of amusement and then slammed her trunk down a few more times to emphasize the punchline. “Trunk. Trunk.”
“Oh, ha, I get it,” Kim said, hoping her feigned laugh was convincing. She’d never tried to lie to an elephant before. “Good one, Mae.”
Mae Noi shifted from side to side, looking pleased with herself, while the trio took a step back and stopped their feigned laughter.
“Did you give her buttons just to tell that joke with?”
“She gets upset,” Dr. Chanthara said. “I’m not even sure she understands the pun, she just likes people’s reactions.”
“As long as she’s having fun,” Hawke said.
“We’ll get out of your hair now,” Vell said. “Good luck with the experiment, feel free to let us know if you need a hand with anything.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Dr. Chanthara said. Some of his earlier skepticism seemed to have softened, but he did not seem entirely onboard with three strangers mucking about with his experiment. Vell and his friends left before they stretched what little goodwill they had any further. Mae Noi waved her trunk goodbye as the three left the lab and stepped back onto the quad.
“I’m going to try and sneak some classes in,” Hawke said. “Later.”
“I’ll check some of our usual hot spots,” Kim said, before she too left. Once again alone, Vell headed to one of his own classes, and called up Samson.
“Hey, Samson,” Vell began. “See anything interesting while we were playing with the elephant?”
“Well, I thought I clocked someone acting suspicious, but it turns out he was only sneaking around to go see his boyfriend,” Samson said. “Nothing apocalyptic, but I did get called a homophobe, which is pretty emotionally devastating.”
“I’m sure you’ll recover someday,” Vell said. “Keep an eye out. Usually the safer things look, the more dangerous things end up being.”
“Will do,” Samson said, before saying goodbye and hanging up.
***
Vell got increasingly nervous the longer the day went without its daily disaster. He thought about checking in on Mae Noi again, but then recalled Kim’s warning about it being too obvious, but then remembered that nobody had seen anything suspicious anywhere else, but then remember that Mae Noi’s lab had looked perfectly safe-
“Vell.”
“Huh?”
“You’re spiraling,” Kim said.
“I’m not spiraling, I’m just,” Vell said, with a pause for contemplation. “Considering multiple options.”
“In a spiral fashion,” Kim said. “Eat the damn french fries. Honestly, what’s the point of ordering so many if you’re just going to let them get cold?”
“It’s not like they’re going to go to waste,” Vell said. The same time loop that allowed him to eat massive amounts of french fries without fear of gaining weight also allowed him to avoid food waste. One of the upsides of life in a time loop.
“Just eat, Vell,” Kim said. “You worry too much about all this shit.”
“I’m in charge, it’s my job to worry about it,” Vell said.
“It’s your job to handle it,” Kim said. “There’s no point thinking about this shit before it happens, you spend all day thinking about an elephant and then the universe drops, like, a bat with tentacles on your head. Just deal with as it comes, Vell.”
Vell leaned on the table and managed to chomp down on a french fry or two.
“You know, next year, when I’m not running the show anymore, I’m going to call and see if you still think it’s that easy.”
“I sure hope so,” Kim said. “I’m saying all this shit trying to make myself believe it too.”
“Oh good, you’re lying to both of us,” Vell said. “That’s cool.”
“Fake it ‘til you make it, Vell, that’s how it goes,” Kim said. “Eat your damn french fries.”
Vell rolled his eyes and returned to his fries, which were now starting to cool. Thankfully he would not have to worry about finishing them. A loud crash from across campus interrupted him mid-bite and nearly made Vell choke on his fries. He painfully swallowed the half-chewed food and then looked over his shoulder.
“Son of a bitch, finally,” Vell said. A few years ago he’d found it weird whenever he was relieved about a disaster, but now he was just genuinely glad to get it over with. The waiting was as killer as the apocalypse. He tossed his fries in the trash and headed toward the sound of chaos, with Kim right behind him.
“Already told everybody?”
“Well, I may or may not have left Alex and Helena out of the loop…”
“Kim.”
“They’d find out anyway,” Kim said. “I got to use my brain parts to get in touch with them, even over wi-fi that shit feels dirty.”
“Just get in- stop.”
Vell held out his hand. Kim froze in place and did not move. Not intentionally, at least. There was a small amount of unintentional movement. The ground was vibrating.
“Always love a good earthquake,” Kim said.
“That’s not a quake,” Vell said. “That’s...footsteps!”
Vell grabbed Kim and dove out of the way just in time for something to barrel through the walls of the dining hall and stampede across the room. Tables, chairs, and more than a few students were crushed under the feet of a hulking, brown-furred behemoth as it charged. Kim picked herself and Vell up off the floor and tried to trail its progress.
“That’s a- oh fuck me,” Kim said. “Please don’t say you told me so.”
Vell got his bearings and looked across the room at the titanic form of a woolly mammoth. Though it was definitely recognizable as an archaic mammoth, the ancient creature was also heavily mutated, unnaturally large even by mammoth standards, and with multiple curled, jagged tusks protruding from a slobbering maw.
“Well that could be unrelated,” Vell said. “Mammoths can come from a lot of places, cloning accidents, time machines…”
The mammoth reached a wall, and rather than barreling through, turned around, facing directly towards Vell. A prominent scar covered the bridge of its broad trunk.
“Oh, nope, that’s definitely Mae,” Vell said. The scar was in the same place and at the same angle. Even a clone wouldn’t have an identical scar.
Once the revelation had struck, Mae took her turn. Vell found himself staring straight down the barrel of a very angry mammoth coming right at him at Vell-squishing velocity. Luckily he’d been charged at by a lot of creatures over four years of looping.
Vell jumped up and to the side, and latched on to one of the curled tusks, which made for very convenient handlebars. Kim did the same on the opposite side of Mae, and punched her in the head.
“Wait, wait, hold off on the violence for a second,” Vell shouted. He tried to wave at Kim to stop, but Mae was thrashing so violently he had to grip the tusks with both hands.
“Good plan,” Kim shouted. “Can you get Mae on board?”
Another set of tables got crushed underfoot. Thankfully the other students were out of trampling range by now, but Mae Noi’s feet were still coated in the blood of earlier victims.
“Mae’s smart, maybe we can calm her down,” Vell said. He then ducked to dodge a swat from Mae’s mutated trunk.
“Call me crazy, Vell, but I think this is more than just a bad mood,” Kim said, as she climbed up Mae’s seven jagged tusks like a ladder.
“We have to try,” Vell said. The loopers rule against hurting other intelligent life forms had some flexibility for blood-crazed mutants on violent rampages, but they had to at least try to reason first. Vell climbed up on of Mae’s tusks and looked into one of her bloodshot eyes for any sign of recognition. “Mae! It’s Vell, do you remember?”
The only response Vell got was an enraged trumpet, which he didn’t think was a “yes”.
“Come on, bud,” Vell said. “What’s an elephant’s favorite part of a tree, right? The trunk?”
The massive brown eye staring at Vell blinked, and he felt a brief glimmer of hope. He then felt a brief glimmer of his lungs being crushed as Mae swung her head and slammed her tusks into the wall, and Vell along with them. Kim punched Mae in the throat and then jumped across the tusks to grab Vell and carry him to safety.
“You okay, Vell?”
He opened his mouth to respond, and a pint or two of blood came out instead.
“Apparently not,” he mumbled. “I might be down a few ribs. And a lung. Or two.”
Kim carried Vell a safe distance from the fight and set him down on the ground, where he promptly spat out another mouthful of blood.
“Okay, uh, you just lie there and try to die peacefully, I guess,” Kim said.
“Way ahead of you.”
***
“Was that last bit as funny as I thought it was?” Vell asked. “I think the blood loss was affecting my sense of humor.”
“It was kind of hard to appreciate in the moment,” Kim said. “But as far as dying jokes go, it was pretty good.”
Vell and Kim walked into the lair for their morning meeting and joined the loopers that had already gathered.
“Okay, what’d I miss while I was dead?”
“Well, after Alex was done getting herself killed,” Samson began.
“You’re saying that as if it’s something to be ashamed of,” Alex said. “Vell also died.”
“Yeah, but he got killed trying to do something good. You got killed trying to do something stupid.”
“Trying to eliminate a threat is not stupid,” Alex said.
“We don’t kill intelligent creatures,” Hawke said. “Sometimes we punch them into a coma, but we don’t kill them.”
“When a dog bites, you put it down, I don’t see why the same principle doesn’t apply to a mammoth that’s crushed seventy people.”
“That wasn’t Mae’s fault,” Vell said. “She got mutated, or something. On that note: did you guys figure out what happened to Mae Noi?”
“Nothing,” Hawke said. “Looked like Mae smashed up the entire lab, trampled everyone involved in the experiment too. Nothing left to investigate, and nobody left alive to interrogate.”
“Typical,” Vell sighed. “At least we have an easy out. Dean Lichman was really concerned about the ethics of that whole experiment. We raise some kind of complaint, we could probably get the whole thing shut down.”
“The problem is getting the complaint,” Hawke said. “That lab was airtight, Vell.”
“Apparently not completely airtight,” Kim said. “I can camp out in the lab and raise an entirely justifiable stink whenever something capable of making a murder-mammoth shows up.”
“And what if it happens so suddenly you can’t complain about it?” Samson asked. “For all we know that could’ve been some kind of dimensional rift, or time anomaly, or something. It might not be as simple as somebody just putting in the wrong syringe at the wrong time.”
“He’s got a point,” Vell said. “We might want to shut this down before it gets there.”
“Seems like our best option is to plant evidence, then,” Alex said.
Everyone else at the table spent a few seconds brainstorming ways to prove her wrong, and much to their frustration, could not.
“Okay, fine,” Vell said. “But it needs to be something incidental, not something anyone would get blamed for. We want to cancel the experiment, not get anyone in trouble.”
“I could have a seizure on some sensitive equipment,” Helena offered. “It’ll break something and nobody would dare get mad at me.”
“Can you fake a seizure?”
“No, but I’m allergic to elephants, so I’d probably have one anyway the moment I stepped in the lab,” Helena said.
“I don’t feel entirely comfortable sending you into anaphylactic shock for a bit,” Vell said.
“Offer’s on the table,” Helena said. “I’ll live. Wouldn’t have made it through that trip to the zoo otherwise.”
“Anybody have any non-medical emergency suggestions?”
“Seagull in the air vents,” Kim said.
“Will that work?”
“It happens now and then,” Kim said. “Seagull gets in, and Dean has to close down the whole lab for potential material damage and biohazard risks if they shit in the vents.”
“Really? We’ve never had to deal with anything like that,” Hawke said.
“It may shock you to learn that sometimes minor, tedious bullshit happens that we have nothing to do with,” Kim said.
“That is kind of surprising, actually.”
“Enough. Kim, can you grab a seagull?” Vell asked. He shouldered his bookbag, and stuck a hand into the extradimensional pocket that existed within it. “I can probably smuggle it in with my bag.”
“Yeah, I can get you a seagull,” Kim said. Since she did not need to sleep, she had to find ways to keep herself entertained at night, seagull-grabbing being among them.
“Alright, we’ll go grab one and put it in the bag,” Vell said. “The rest of you, be ready to meet us when I call.”
***
Roughly three minutes later, Vell put out the call and they reconvened in front of the biology lab.
“Yeah, that was much faster than I thought it would be,” Vell said.
“I’m great at grabbin’ birds,” Kim said. Seagulls were among the easier birds to snatch, even. They were suckers for food, and many of them were attracted to her shiny metallic body anyway.
“Let’s just get this over with,” Vell said. “I want this thing out of my bag ASAP.”
Even though the seagull was safely within a pocket dimension, Vell would swear he could still feel the bird thrashing and squawking inside his bag. He tightened his grip on the shoulder strap and led the way towards the zoology lab entrance. He grabbed the handle and held it as he froze for a second.
“Vell, what’s up? Is this bird escaping?”
“No, the handle’s vibrating,” Vell said. It was shaking the same way a wall near an incredibly loud speaker might. He pressed his ear to the door and listened closely. He opened the door immediately, and let all his friends hear the frantic trumpeting of a panicked elephant.
Inside the lab, Mae Noi was stomping her feet and trumpeting as loud as he long trunk would allow. She swayed from side to side in her pen, bumping against the walls not quite hard enough to damage them, but hard enough that it was clear she was doing it on purpose.
“What the heck is happening here?”
“Ah, Vell,” Dean Lichman said. He hustled over to Vell’s side and gestured to the entire room. “Maybe you can figure out what’s going on.”
Mae Noi stopped braying long enough to start mashing her trunk against her pedestal, mashing out the word “Bad” over and over again.
“Our test subject, Mae Noi, has been throwing an absolute fit ever since she got here,” Dean Lichman said. “Dr. Chanthara, these are the students I was telling you about earlier.”
While Vell reintroduced himself to Dr. Chanthara, Kim and Hawke stepped up to examine Mae Noi and her enclosure. It was a far cry from the peaceful, orderly scene they had examined on the first loop. They were half an hour earlier this time than before, but Kim found it unlikely that they had been able to calm Mae Noi down, clean everything up, and get back to work in such a short amount of time. They hadn’t mentioned any of this panic on the first loop either. They were soon joined in their confusion by Chanthara and Vell.
“We’ve tried everything; food, water, her favorite toys, even videos of her children,” Dr. Chanthara said. “We’ve even offered to call off the experiment, but she won’t listen.”
“She is an animal,” Alex said. “Sometimes they do things arbitrarily.”
“Not Mae,” Dr. Chanthara said. “Some of our sanctuaries residents from traumatic backgrounds can have outbursts, but Mae was injured in the wild. She’s never been like this.”
“Maybe some experiment on the island is upsetting her,” Vell said. “A sonic experiment only she can hear, or something…”
Vell stopped and thought about it. If there had been such an irritant, it would’ve been there on the first loop too. Everything always repeated exactly the same, except for-
“Could you, uh, take a step back for a second?” Vell mumbled. “I want to try talking to her.”
“Don’t get close,” Chanthara warned him.
“I’m not, I’m not,” Vell said. He didn’t need to get very close to tell a joke.
The massive brown eyes of Mae Noi stayed locked on Vell as he approached, and she continued to mash the “Bad” button on her pedestal.
“I know, I know, bad,” Vell said. “But, uh, do you want to hear a joke?”
Mae Noi stopped. She locked eyes with Vell for a few seconds, and then cautiously tapped a button on her pedestal.
“Joke.”
“Right, joke,” Vell said. He tried to recall the exact sequence of words Mae had used on the first loop. “What elephant favorite part tree?”
Mae didn’t blink.
“Trunk,” Vell said.
After a moment of contemplation, Mae Noi let out one final, fervent, trumpet, and then started mashing buttons on her pedestal again.
“Bad. Help. Help. Experiment. Bad. Help. Bad. Help.”
“Yeah, bad help, one second,” Vell said. He turned away from Mae Noi to look at Dean Lichman. “Hey, uh, excuse me, Dean? Hey, uh, if I remember correctly there are some pretty complicated rules on having intelligent animals on campus, yes?”
“Well, yes,” Dean Lichman said. After hearing of some questionable ethical practices involving an octopus back in first year, he had instituted a few clauses into the school’s ethical code of conduct regarding intelligent animals like elephants, octopuses, and dolphins. “Mae’s presence here is a bit of an outlier, but there were workaround, given her apparent consent to the experiment.”
“Yeah, about that, is she, uh,” Vell began. “Is she registered as a student?”
“Yes.”
Vell pursed his lips. It took a few seconds for his friends to catch on.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Samson snapped. He turned his back on the crowd and leaned against a wall while Hawke put his head in his hands.
“The first rule of looping,” Alex said quietly. “Loopers are randomly selected-”
She looked up and locked eyes with Mae Noi.
“From all registered students.”

Well hi there! How's the weekend been treating you?
Mine's been alright, but that's not what you're here for is it?
You saw the title on this post and now you're all curious right?
I bet you're wondering what boyfriend stuff includes? Let's start with:

• Getting texted back regularly with an option for phone calls!
  
• Going out on dates with possible holding hands or making out!
  
• I'll make you laugh with all sorts of jokes from the sophisticated cynicism, cutting sarcasm to childish fart jokes I can do it all!
  
• You can get home cooked dinners! And breakfast too if I'm working overnights!
  
• You'll get all sorts of attention and compliments!
  
• I'm emotionally available and completely over my ex's!
  
• Flowers!
  

....and so much more!
Sounds pretty great right?
But who am I?
I'm a nearly middle aged divorced ex stand up comic that's worked himself into full on burnout working in hotels for the last twenty years. It's made into someone that's very empathetic and caring while still being to be cold as fuck when needed.
In my free time I'm kind of a traditional nerdy white guy. Gaming, cartoons (not anime though), science fiction, detective stories, alternative history, sketch comedy, various sitcoms, hiking, cooking and mowing the lawn occupy my off hours. I also tried getting back into writing again, but it's been challenging.
Now it's your turn! PM me and we can start planning the first date!

So the past 6 months have been the wildest rollercoaster ride of my life. More like a horror movie. Back in November 2023, a woman I used to see (but recently broke up with) pretended she was pregnant, lying to me first and then to my family. She was convincing and had pics of the positive test (belonging to one of her sisters-in-law, as I later found out), and thought she wouldn't lie about it because I never knew her to lie before and thought she would be crazy to lie about such a huge thing in our conservative culture & religious community. Well it turns out that's exactly what she was.
I was pressured/threatened to marry her, and felt it as my responsibility, because that's how you patch it up in our community.
But I found out she wasn't pregnant, from her messages with her best friend on her phone and then a lot of questioning. There were many more manipulations to follow over the months, one of the biggest ones being her previous marital history and her age - she pretended she was 28 but according to her passport she's 40! She later claimed she's actually 28, or 29, or 31 (different dates in different conversations). So with that and everything else from the very beginning, I don't know what to believe anymore. Oh, and the fact that I didn't even want the marriage in the first place.
I tried to divorce her many times, but she constantly threatened me with either her family/brothers or with suicide.
Long story short, and skipping over many details, I tried to make things work between us a few times but it kept on breaking down. Eventually one crazy night where she was round my & my family's place, she hounded me for almost the whole night about me not having sex with her (at this point I had just stopped) and my father had to even get involved and calm her down, warning he would call the police because of her harassment.
She wasn't allowed back in our house and we basically ignored her calls for a couple of days until things calmed down. But then the unexpected happened: she reported ME to the police alleging that I had raped her multiple times (ironic considering she was pressuring me for sex), when I had never dome anything non-consensual with anyone in my entire life. I was arrested and detained for a day while being interrogated and examined before let out on bail.
It turns out she then dropped the case, furiously shouting at the police for arresting me and apparently now launching legal action against them. Bizarre, what did she think would happen when reporting rape?
She has since begged for my forgiveness and for me to take her back, but I don't have the slightest desire to do so. I don't seek revenge and I can even forgive her, but I just want peace of mind and for her to get out of my life.
She's claimed numerous times since then that she would accept my decision even to divorce, but then when I brought it up yet again recently (with an intermediate mutual friend present - I ain't meeting her alone) she denied it and insists on staying with me.
My dilemma is this: I suspect she likely has borderline personality disorder (BPD) based on a lot of symptoms, and her mental state has apparently deteriorated. If I divorce her, I fear she might kill or harm herself, and that would be on my head. Alternatively she could even reopen the rape allegations case and I could get rearrested. Or she could at the very least set her family on me or get some type of revenge (for what I don't know).
Either way it could get messy. If anyone has any advice on the next steps, feel free. Otherwise it's been great finally venting

So the past 6 months have been the wildest rollercoaster ride of my life. More like a horror movie. Back in November 2023, a woman I used to see (but recently broke up with) pretended she was pregnant, lying to me first and then to my family. She was convincing and had pics of the positive test (belonging to one of her sisters-in-law, as I later found out), and thought she wouldn't lie about it because I never knew her to lie before and thought she would be crazy to lie about such a huge thing in our conservative culture & religious community. Well it turns out that's exactly what she was.
I was pressured/threatened to marry her, and felt it as my responsibility, because that's how you patch it up in our community.
But I found out she wasn't pregnant, from her messages with her best friend on her phone and then a lot of questioning. There were many more manipulations to follow over the months, one of the biggest ones being her previous marital history and her age - she pretended she was 28 but according to her passport she's 40! She later claimed she's actually 28, or 29, or 31 (different dates in different conversations). So with that and everything else from the very beginning, I don't know what to believe anymore. Oh, and the fact that I didn't even want the marriage in the first place.
I tried to divorce her many times, but she constantly threatened me with either her family/brothers or with suicide.
Long story short, and skipping over many details, I tried to make things work between us a few times but it kept on breaking down. Eventually one crazy night where she was round my & my family's place, she hounded me for almost the whole night about me not having sex with her (at this point I had just stopped) and my father had to even get involved and calm her down, warning he would call the police because of her harassment.
She wasn't allowed back in our house and we basically ignored her calls for a couple of days until things calmed down. But then the unexpected happened: she reported ME to the police alleging that I had raped her multiple times (ironic considering she was pressuring me for sex), when I had never dome anything non-consensual with anyone in my entire life. I was arrested and detained for a day while being interrogated and examined before let out on bail.
It turns out she then dropped the case, furiously shouting at the police for arresting me and apparently now launching legal action against them. Bizarre, what did she think would happen when reporting rape?
She has since begged for my forgiveness and for me to take her back, but I don't have the slightest desire to do so. I don't seek revenge and I can even forgive her, but I just want peace of mind and for her to get out of my life.
She's claimed numerous times since then that she would accept my decision even to divorce, but then when I brought it up yet again recently (with an intermediate mutual friend present - I ain't meeting her alone) she denied it and insists on staying with me.
My dilemma is this: I suspect she likely has borderline personality disorder (BPD) based on a lot of symptoms, and her mental state has apparently deteriorated. If I divorce her, I fear she might kill or harm herself, and that would be on my head. Alternatively she could even reopen the rape allegations case and I could get rearrested. Or she could at the very least set her family on me or get some type of revenge (for what I don't know).
Either way it could get messy. If anyone has any advice on the next steps, feel free. Otherwise it's been great finally venting

While looking at whale-related news today, the following article grabbed my attention: N.B. Liberal MP calls for loosened right whale protection measures to help fishermen CBC News
Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/n-b-liberal-mp-calls-for-loosened-right-whale-protection-measures-to-help-fishermen-1.7209306
Summary: New Brunswick Liberal MP Serge Cormier has called for a loosening of North Atlantic right whale protection measures to support local fishermen facing economic challenges. The current measures, implemented to protect the critically endangered species, include fishing gear restrictions and area closures. Cormier argues that these regulations are too stringent and harm the fishing industry, suggesting a more balanced approach. Environmental groups, however, emphasize the necessity of these protections to prevent further decline of the whale population, which is already critically low.
This is important news for us Canadian whale lovers. If you live in Canada, please urge your Member of Parliament to take a stand against this idea, and stand with the endangered North Atlantic right whales instead. I have included an email template below, which you can send to your electoral district's MP. Here is a link to a Government of Canada tool to find your local MP: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en
Here is the email template:
Dear Mr./Ms./Mx. [Member of Parliament's last name],
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent proposal by Acadie-Bathurst MP Serge Cormier to loosen protection measures for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, as detailed in the following CBC article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/n-b-liberal-mp-calls-for-loosened-right-whale-protection-measures-to-help-fishermen-1.7209306
While I understand the significant challenges faced by our fishermen as a result of these protective measures, I firmly believe that the survival of this magnificent species must remain a top priority for Canada.
The North Atlantic right whale population is already on the brink of extinction, with fewer than 350 individuals remaining. Easing the current protective measures could lead to increased whale entanglements and vessel strikes, further threatening their survival. The consequences of such actions are irreversible and would tarnish Canada's commitment to biodiversity and environmental stewardship.
Additionally, Canada has legal obligations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to ensure the conservation and protection of marine mammals. Weakening these protections would not only endanger the right whale further but also compromise Canada's adherence to international conservation standards and agreements.
I urge you to oppose any measures that would weaken the protections for the North Atlantic right whale. Instead, I encourage you to advocate for alternative solutions that can both support our fishermen and ensure the continued survival of the right whale. These could include:

1. Investment in Whale-Safe Fishing Gear: Support the development and adoption of innovative fishing technologies that minimize the risk to marine life.
2. Enhanced Monitoring and Enforcement: Strengthen the monitoring of fishing activities and enforce stricter penalties for violations of whale protection regulations.
3. Collaborative Solutions: Foster collaboration between scientists, conservationists, and the fishing industry to develop sustainable practices that protect both the whales and the livelihoods of our fishermen.

The survival of the North Atlantic right whale is a critical issue that requires our immediate attention and action. I trust that you, as a member of the Liberal Party, will stand for the preservation of our natural heritage and oppose any measures that compromise the protection of this endangered species. Our actions today will determine the fate of the right whale and reflect our values as a nation committed to the conservation of our planet's precious biodiversity.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to hearing about the steps you will take to ensure the right whale is safeguarded for future generations.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name] [Your Address] [Your City, Province, Postal Code] [Your Email Address] [Your Phone Number]
Thank you to everyone who is participating in conservation efforts! I made the very same post on whales. Feel free to repost this on other subs dedicated to whales and conservation to protect our friends!

Hi background I am 29F work full time and life can be fairly stressful. Technically diagnosed around 2 years ago by psychiatrist, but I mostly deal with things in therapy in terms of words like anxiety. Even though I am aware of my neurolodivergancy and was before official diagnosis, I still struggle to understand what is classic ‘panic attack’ and what is more meltdown/shut down.
Today I was paying attention to my thought process. I started to feel overwhelmed by positive things in my life and my thoughts about them and felt a bit like shutting down curling up in a ball. But I was in the office so I didn’t and then the anxiety and panic symptoms set in. I wonder if this is often the case and I am trying to treat an ‘anxiety disorder’ how much success I will have. Not so much in the last year or so. Any thoughts?