She can pec flex

Respect Karate Kid (DC Pre-Flashpoint)

2024.05.21 11:13 TerrWolf Respect Karate Kid (DC Pre-Flashpoint)

"Good-bye, lover-- It's been fun... And I always did want to go in battle. You get to keep your planet, kid... Don't forget me... Don't forget me"
Bio: Val Armorr was the son of Japan's greatest crimelord, Kirau Nezumi, also known as Black Dragon, When he was born, his mother, the American secret agent Valentina Armorr, tried to hide him from his father, but she failed and was killed for her affront. Japan's biggest hero Sensei Toshiaki, the White Crane, eventually killed Black Dragon for his crimes and adopted the infant Val. He raised Val as if he were his own son, and trained him in all manner of the martial arts.
Origin in scan form ^{(Superboy vol 1 #210})
Alternate look at his origin ^{(Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes #2})
Databook entries

Original Val

Strength
Note: Karate Kid needs to concentrate and channel his chi to perform feats of strength ^{(Adventure Comics #359})

In his origin, chops through a steel beam ^{(Adventure Comics #346})
Chops through a spaceship hull ^{(Adventure Comics #347})
Lightning Lad flashes back to Karate Kid stopping a car with a single chop ^{(Adventure Comics #351})
Knocks out a Jovian Mastodon and a Tricorn Beast with a single strike each, and judo throws a Sloth Ape ^{(Adventure Comics #358})
Chops through two trees in one swing ^{(Adventure Comics #358})
Analyzes some thick gates, then chops through them ^{(Adventure Comics #360})
Kicks away a hover car ^{(Adventure Comics #361})
Chops through a tank, then starts a small earthquake with a stomp ^{(Adventure Comics #367})
Destroys a practice bot in a rage ^{(Adventure Comics #373})
Claims his chops could fell giant redwoods ^{(Superboy vol 1 #203})
Creates an earthquake with a stomp that breaks apart a statue ^{(Legion of Superheroes vol 3 #31})
- Note: This is a flashback to earlier times, so despite being in vol 3, takes place Chronologically in vol 1, as shown by him wearing the brown gi instead of his more famous white one
Punches through a robot ^{(Superboy vol 1 #214})
Kicks a meteor to pieces ^{(Karate Kid #2})
Creates a counter-vibration strong enough to reverse Major Disaster's artificial earthquake. ^{(Karate Kid #2}.)
Flexes off six cavemen ^{(Karate Kid #11})
[MASSIVE OUTLIER] When bound with ropes made of indestructible Inertron, he somehow manages to break free. ^{(Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #231})
- Album of Inertron being invulnerable/unbreakable/strong enough to resist Kryptonians
Breaks out of a machine that saps powers, minds and will (Legion of Super-Heroes vol 3 004)

Speed

Moves "with the speed of thought" ^{(Adventure Comics #361})
Dodges Mano and Persuader's attacks ^{(Adventure Comics #378})
Dodges Validus' mental lightning ^{(Adventure Comics #378})
Dodges a blast from the Emerald Eye of Ekon ^{(Superboy vol 1 #198})
Dodges a blast from *sigh* Radiation Roy ^{(Superboy vol 1 #208})
Rushes forward and front tuck into a Rider Kick in a fraction of a second ^{(Superboy vol 1 #214})
Dodges a bolt from Lightning Lad ^{(Karate Kid #1})
Dodges radiation blasts from Nemesis Kid ^{(Karate Kid #1})
Intercepts a falling meteor ^{(Karate Kid #2})
Backflips over a bullet ^{(Karate Kid #2})
Dodges a laser ^{(Karate Kid #13})
Leaps over a bullet and behind a guy in less than a fifth of a second ^{(Karate Kid #15})
Dances around Pharoxx's strikes ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes #309})
Redirects Pharoxx's own magic against him ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes #309})

Durability

Survives an explosion that KO'd and nearly killed his sensei ^{(Adventure Comics #367})
Smacked by a giant robot and recovers being back to fighting shape on the next page ^{(Adventure Comics #373})
Endures ever-increasing pain through meditative techniques even though the pain was so bad, it made Timber Wolf go feral within a few minutes ^{(Superboy vol 1 #209})
Clears his mind of mental influences ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 2 #268})
Wades though blasts from Pharoxx ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 2 #288})
While sick, takes a blast from Pulsar ^{(The Brave and the Bold #198})
Pulsar explodes right next to him and he's all good. ^{(The Brave and the Bold #198})
Gets clawed by a monster and shrugs it off ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes #309})
Gets blasted by Pharoxx's magic and recovers, while Pharoxx getting hit with the same blast made him immediately flee ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes #309})
[Limit] Dies after being beaten nearly to death by Nemesis Kid, then missile launches himself into a planet-draining machine. ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 3 #4})

Skill
Statements and styles

Great Skill in all forms of martial arts, but especially Karate and Judo ^{(Adventure Comics #346})
Master of all forms of fighting ^{(Adventure Comics #359})
Switches from Boxing to Savate to Kendo against a robot ^{(Adventure Comics #363})
Knocks some guys out with chops to the back of the neck ^{(Adventure Comics #360})
Mastered every weapon form "from fencing foils to Jovian trident spears" ^{(Adventure Comics #368})
Temporarily puts Timber Wolf in a Judo hold ^{(Superboy vol 1 #209})
Falkone IV arm riflie technique ^{(Karate Kid #12})
Loback III restraining hold for non-powered people to restrain super-powered people ^{(Karate Kid #12})
Karate, Judo, "Arcturian Sli-tilla", "Venusian Txrxvrx", and boxing ("the good old one-two punch") in one page ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 2 #268})

Against skilled opponents (Solo)

Beats a boxing champion ^{(Adventure Comics #377})
Beats the absolute stuffing out of Black Mace ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 3 #31})
- Black Mace is stated to be Ganglands's answer to Karate Kid ^{(Adventure Comics #374}) and a fast, strong invincible fighter ^{(Superboy #213})
Beats Black Mask again, with an assist from Princess Projectra ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 3 #31})
Quickly beats a dual nunchaku wielding black belt ^{(Karate Kid #3})
Beats the Samurai known as Master Hand ^{(Karate Kid #4})
Had the advantage on Black Dragon II, the student of his father he previously beat in Superboy vol 1 #210 ^{(Karate Kid #10})
Karate Kid vs Black Dragon II in a ceremonial fight. ^{(Karate Kid #10})
Beats Dick Grayson quickly ^{(Karate Kid #14})
Wins a tournament and the title of Samurai, going down as the youngest to gain the title ^{(Secret Origins vol 2 #47})

Against Skilled opponents (groups)

Defeats three Black Belts he claims could waste a battalion of ordinary men ^{(Superboy vol 1 #210})
Beats six opponents trained by his father, Black Dragon, including the future Black Dragon II ^{(Superboy vol 1 #210})
Beats a bunch of 20th-century martial arts masters ^{(Karate Kid #1})
Quickly beats four martial artists ^{(Karate Kid #4})

Against superpowered opponents (1v1)

Fights Superboy and does so well, Clark says he needs to be in the Legion ^{(Adventure Comics #346})
Training with Superboy ^{(Adventure Comics #368})
Gets the advantage over Don Allen, descendent of Barry Allen and a speedster ^{(Adventure Comics #373})
Defeats Ultra Boy ^{(Adventure Comics #375})
A brainwashed Karate Kid easily beats Ultra Boy ^{(Superboy vol 1 #205})
Survives a fight with Superboy, though he constantly mentions he's outmatched and it's taking all of his skill to just survive . ^{(Karate Kid #12})
Temporarily holds Superboy, but admits he needs help immediately and is losing him and is saved by Mordru's magic wearing off ^{(Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #245})

Against Superpowered opponents (groups)

Solos the Fatal Five ^{(Adventure Comics #378})
Manages to hold his own against Lightning Lad, Superboy, Colossal Boy, Saturn Girl, Sun Boy, and Chameleon Boy before being stopped by Cosmic Boy ^{(Karate Kid #13})

Against Skilled Superpowered opponents

Fights four superpowered assassins and is holding his own ^{(Adventure Comics #361})
Beats Pharoxx of Orando in a sword fight, forcing Pharoxx to resort to magic ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 2 #286})
Beats Timber Wolf in a spar ^{(Legion of Superheroes vol 4 #52})

Accuracy

Splits a rock so each half flies off and KOs a foe ^{(Adventure Comics 361})
Hits a knight with a stone and KO's him ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 2 #288})
Uses his sash as a lasso to disarm Pulsar of his power staff ^{(The Brave and the Bold #198})

Agility

Rushes forward and front tuck into a Rider Kick in a fraction of a second ^{(Superboy vol 1 #214})
Contorts himself in mid-air to stop himself from falling out of a building then Jumps back in ^{(Karate Kid #1})
Jumps from the street to a sign to a third story roof ^{(Karate Kid #2})
Does a series of flips to land safely after jumping out of a building while holding someone ^{(Karate Kid #2})
Jumps out of a window, does a ton of flips, and starts running on cars ^{(Karate Kid #3})
Flips on a pole ^{(Karate Kid #11})
Flips over a car ^{(Karate Kid #11})
Flips out of Batman's grasp ^{(The Brave and the Bold #198})
Rolls back to get out of a monster's range, then launches himself into a flying kick ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 2 #309})

Weak Point Sensing

Finds the weak point in a diamond ^{(Adventure Comics# 365})
Finds the weak point in a wall ^{(Superboy vol 1 #210})
Finds Omega's weakest point, but is too weak to capitalize on it ^{(Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #251}). This is the first time it's called an explicit "power" and not a skill.
Finds the weak point in a hatch ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes #277})
Originally struggled to find a weak point in massive chains encircling Earth, but after getting a hint from Princess Projectra manages to sense and destroy it ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 2 #279})

Retroboot Val

Despite dying.....Val Armorr's back and in the past! ^{(Justice League of America vol 2 #7}) How? Never explained! ^{(Justice League of America #10}) Here's his feats. Note: All feats are done while he's dying (Countdown Weeks 14-15/ 38-37) from what's later revealed to be the Morticoccus Virus

While disguised as a supervillain, freezes Parasite without Black Lightning realizing Parasite was the target ^{(Justice League of America vol 2 #2})
KO's Black Lightning with a chop to the neck and stalemates (and arguably has the advantage over) Batman while sick and memoryless ^{(Justice League of America vol 2 #8})
- Another view of the fight ^{(Countdown Week 2/#50})
- Doctor Mid-Nite says Karate Kid very nearly took down Batman in that fight ^{(Countdown Week 7/#45})
- Batman conceeds Val outfought him but claims he wouldn't in a rematch though he may have been being a jerk to get into Val's head ^{(Countdown Week 10/#42})
Is still conscious and talking despite being loaded up with enough tranquilizers to give Wonder Woman trouble ^{(Justice League of America vol 2 #8})
Somehow survives Speed Force Lightning that should have insta-killed him ^{(Justice League of America vol 2 #10})
Finds the weak point in a vault he's sealed in ^{(Countdown Week 13/#39})
Tears through Oracle's tendrils and punches through a wall ^{(Countdown Week 13/#39})
Hurts Equus, an enhanced being who bragged he had fought Superman ^{(Countdown Week 16/#36})
Kicked Equus arm clean off his body ^{(Countdown Week 17/#35})
Breaks shotguns and kicks a police car over ^{(Supergirl vol 5 #21})
[Limit] While he can dodge her attacks, can't move Supergirl with his strikes ^{(Supergirl vol 5 #21})
Chops Equus arm off ^{(Supergirl vol 5 #22})
[Limit] The closer to death he gets, the less he's able to focus and use Super-Karate feats ^{(Countdown week 32/#20})
Takes out four Apokoliptians ^{(Countdown Week 41/#11})
Takes a hit from an OMAC and shows some agility ^{(Countdown Week 42/#10})
Dies of the virus ^{(Countdown Week 45/#7})
Time Trapper puts his and Una's bodies in the mainline Earth when they had died in Earth-51 ^{(Action Comics #864})

Misc

As a Legionnaire, he has a Legion flight ring ^{(Karate Kid #1})
Invited his 20th-century friend to his wedding, not realizing she was in love with him ^{(The Brave and the Bold #198})
Man married a princess. Respect. ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 annual 2})
Brave enough to try to hit Darkseid with a flying kick, though all it accomplishes is knocking himself out. ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 2 #294})
It's implied he somehow came back/will come back to life again, but this wasn't elaborated on because of the Flashpoint ~~thanks Barry~~ ^{(Legion of Super-Heroes vol 6 #6})
- Time Trapper also foreshadowed this ^{(Action Comics 864})

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2024.05.21 07:54 Angelust16 Dine and Dash Managers - The Rolling Stones of the Dynasty Community

If you've taken a look at the available orphans out there during the off-season, you tend to notice the same kinds of rosters far more often than not. A couple serviceable QBs, maybe a few high-risk busts like Justin Fields, but a ton of win-now pieces like Tyreek Hill, CMC, Keenan Allen, Davante Adams, and maybe 3 RBs in the flex spots. Basically a team that is rolling down the hill of decline, with a manager who doesn't want to commit to a rebuild.
One thing that has become clear to me after having picked up a bunch of orphans and playing in a bunch of leagues is that the managers clearly drafted their team during the startup to have a high chance of getting into the playoffs for about 2-3 years, with no plan to stick around. They'll sell their picks, and they're especially all-in on it if the league has no clear rules to limit future pick spending.
This is a problem in dynasty with a bunch of strangers, with no obvious answers right now. Paying 2 years up front to draft a win-now team seems prohibitive for this kind of behavior, but it's not. I'm not great at math, but you just need to edge your chances to win beyond a certain percentage to make a 2-year stint worthwhile after having paid 3 buy-ins (33%?). That can be pretty easy to do when your chances to win in a 12 team are less than 10%, and you just need to make your chances close to around 15-20% to justify a short-term strategy. It's probably even easier than that when some managers are just going all youth, or tanking year 1. In a few startups, I've seen no less than 4-5 players deciding to punt the first year in order to tap into rookies and struggle for the 1.01-1.03.
What makes this even more aggravating is that the whole, "next year is paid, but you need to pay for the NEXT year" is no real incentive to pick up a depleted orphan. "They paid for 2025, so they were allowed to trade their 2025 picks". So the poor commish has to recruit someone to pick up an orphan with no picks this year, a geriatric team that will be a nightmare to trade, and they still have to ask you to pay the buy-in before you can actually play the year that is the first of probably 2-3 years of rebuild.
Like at some point, don't you see a manager in a startup draft Anthony Richardson, CMC, Tyreek, Kelce, Dak, Saquon, Achane, Kyren, etc. etc. and think to yourself, "this dude is gone in like 2 years. " And you know that the dude, whether he wins the chip or not, is going to get his money's worth, because he may have paid 3 buy-ins, but he had two really solid runs at the money and also has no financial obligation to hang around to babysit a rebuild for 2-3 years, because honestly that's the way he/she likes to play and they don't care what it does to the league. The excuse will be, "got too many leagues, need to cut a few," or "need to downsize, got some money issues," or whatever BS they say.
I realize this is more of a rant than a discussion starter, but it really sours my taste for dynasty when I see a team or two that is almost certainly headed toward being an orphan, and no one in the league can do anything about it but hope the league will stay around long enough to weed those guys out.

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2024.05.21 07:48 Impossible_Dot4156 Red flags? Should I get out quick? 44M' '35 F' '23-NB' 'M44' 'F 35' 'NB-23' 'M/24'

44M' '35 F' '23-NB' 'M44' 'F 35' 'NB-23' 'M/24'

I've been dating a girl for 6 months. After meeting her and spending time with her she seemed pretty quiet and innocent. After we slept with each other one chill Sunday afternoon she started asking me about my sexual experiences. She prompted me with questions like "Have you done it in the outdoors", "where the craziest place you've done it" ect. I didn't tell anything that would seem that crazy. She asked me if I've ever had a threesome, to which I replied nope. Naturally I asked her if she has and she said she'd had a threesome at a party when she was 17 and drunk which surprised me given her shy personality. Ever since then, her personality has kind of changed. She always wants to watch these TV series or movies that involve people cheating on each other, she went from being shy to talking pretty dirty in bed, she brings up the threesome she had with the two dudes as a bit of a flex at dinner and other stuff of that nature. Most of the stuff I can deal with but I'm pretty weird about bringing up the threesome over dinner (a few times). She also has this crush on a couple and third wheels them on tropical holidays and she's revealed her sex toy arsenal to me...its massive . It's gone from 0 to 100 personality wise. A lot of it has come across as surprising because she's super shy soft spoken. I've never come across someone like this. Is this weird behavior?

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2024.05.21 06:12 Richard_Ingalls The Prisoner of Elixium: Part 2

Author's Note: Here's part 2! Please leave any feedback in the comments. :)
First Next
Fertsic Talics was ecstatic, practically bouncing in his seat. His master had invited him, his star apprentice, to participate in an actual diplomatic meeting! He knew logically, that an emergency meeting called by the Sefliicians probably meant that either the Mei-Kai had broken the rules, or they had and were trying to shift the blame, but still! He was actually going to participate in a diplomatic discussion, rather than just observing it in a vid and discussing the meanings. Obviously his master was going to take the lead, but he was allowed to make contributions! Ask questions! He startled when the shield flashed suddenly, indicating they had hit space debris. His master chuckled. "If you startle so easily, perhaps you should have stayed home," he chided gently. Fertsic paled [This is the same as a human blushing], embarrassed, and vowing to be more observant in the future.
"Attention passengers, docking proceeds in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and we're docked. Thank you for choosing the SQUILL PROAZ for your flight." The two passengers grunted as the docking clamps thunked against the ship, before unbuckling and getting out. "Don't forget to stretch your spines, Fertsic," his master cautioned. You do not want them suddenly cramping in the middle of a diplomatic meeting." Fertsic shuddered at the idea of his back, arm, and head spines cramping, causing them to extend and flex, and likely a diplomatic incident as well. Such an event has been the embarrassment of many a Dokrifian {Dohk-ree-fee-an} delegate. He stretched his spines extra hard, making sure they were as loose as could be as they walked off the ship. Almost immediately, they ran into the Raxalon delegate, almost literally, coming around the corner of the dock just as they were walking past. "I am so sorry!" Fertsic apologized. "I never meant..." The Raxalonian held up a hand, cutting him off. "No harm done. Besides, you are clearly my friend's apprentice," At this, he turned to the elder Dokrifian. "And how are you, Malagsar, my friend?"
"I am doing quite well, thank you," Malagsar replied. "This is my apprentice Fertsic Talics." He pointed at Fertsic, who by now, was all but hiding his face in his neck feathers. "Hello Fertsic. I am Grilchek Dlamok III. How are you?" Fertsic cautiously raised his head. "I am doing good. And you?" he asked, a little sheepish. "I am doing excellent. I had a marvelous flight. Their pool was cooled to the perfect temperature," Grilchek replied. Fertsic was briefly confused, then remembered that Raxalonians loved cold water. To an... odd degree. After some further conversation, the three resumed travel towards the council chambers.
As they walked into the chambers, they saw a few delegates from various other council races, the Sefliicians, of course, as well as the Mei-Kai, the Terrans, the Kralvic, the Haltip, and the Fo-jii {Foh-jee-ee}. As he thought this, the Vechy delegate arrived, followed by the Zell and Yox. Fertsic shivered a little at seeing the Vechy delegate. Though they had not fought each other since they had each realized the sapience of the other, the Vechy had preyed upon the Dokrifians for a long time prior to that point, and genetic memory is often difficult to overcome. He hid it before the delegate could notice, and she passed by without incident.
As the rest of the delegates trickled in, taking their seats in the large room, Fertsic was surprised to notice that the Sefliicians had a fourth member of their group, High Admiral Traxiv. He turned to his master and opened his mouth, but was cut off by his master. "They called the meeting. As they are at war with the Mei-Kai, and so obviously need someone who can verify their claims. Who better than their top military mind?" he asked his pupil, twisting his jaw [This is the same as a human raising their eyebrow]. Fertsic nodded, sitting back in his seat as the last delegate, the Quillic, hurried in.
The current Council Speaker, a middle-aged Terran human, stood up from his seat opposite the half-ring of delegates. "The council is now in session. Sefliician delegates, step forward," he stated. The three Sefliician delegates walked to the middle of the chamber, leaving Admiral Traxiv behind. "Please state why you have called this emergency session." The lead delegate cleared her throat, before speaking. "We have received a report most dire, your excellence. We have brought High Admiral Tilgrix Traxiv with us to give his report in person," she said. The Speaker nodded once, and Admiral Traxiv quickly walked up. "High Admiral Tilgrix Traxiv, please tell us the reason for this meeting."
"As you know, we were at war with the Mei-Kai," he began. "When..." He was cut off. "Were at war?" the Kralvic delegate asked, eyebrow raised. "Order," the Speaker said. The delegate nodded, chastened, as he sat back in his seat. "Continue," the Speaker prompted. Traxiv nodded, and began again. "We were at war with the Mei-Kai. When I was being transferred from the front, my ship was ambushed, three systems in." There was some grumbling about that, and some narrowed eyes darted towards the Mei-Kai delegates, as the delegates in question shifted in their seats. The Speaker looked at Admiral Traxiv. "Go on..." he said. Traxiv nodded once, then resumed. "We lost badly, especially because our escape pod bays had been damaged beyond repair." More muttering and angry looks at the Mei-Kai followed this statement. "I only managed to escape because I was able to get in a fighter. However, my fighter got hit by an EMP, which knocked out all but my life support and grav-gen, which was, unfortunately, spinning." Winces of sympathy or their equivalent followed from everyone in the room, including the Mei-Kai. Spinning grav-gen. That's a nightmare. Fertsic shuddered, before turning his attention back to the Admiral.
"As the Mei-Kai were taking apart my ship, a wormhole was ripped open behind them from my perspective, and from it spilled forth trillions of small vessels." Stunned looks from every delegate in the room, faces darkening [The same as a human face paling] or their equivalent from those who knew what those numbers entailed. Fertsic racked his brain, desperately trying to think of where he had hear about such things. "They tore through the Mei-Kai ships, and did severe damage to the Terran hospital ships before the EMP wore off and I could escape." Several delegates gasped in shock at that, including Fertsic. The humans were supposed to be invincible. I mean, yeah, it was a hospital ship, but still. Who could have... Oh. Fertsic thought, face darkening in horror as he remembered just who had that power. "Both I and my computer were able to positively identify these vessels as Volctic." Two-thirds of the room Jumped up from their seats in shock, or had similar reactions, while the rest, all newer members, looked around in confusion and fear, wondering what could provoke such a reaction. Some protested, saying it couldn't be, they had been destroyed, others saying no, they were banished, and reduced to primitives. "ORDER! ORDER!" the Speaker shouted over the din. The delegates quieted down. "We humans can confirm that they were Voltic. We have the footage from our one surviving hospital ship of the four." He put the footage up on the holo-screen. The delegates gasped in shock as they saw what the Admiral had seen, although from another angle. "They barely managed to jump before they overwhelmed the defenses. Fortunately, most of the wounded and the non-essential crew had been all moved to this ship, but still..." the speaker trailed off, looking sad. "Anyway, I apologize, Thomas, for taking over your role briefly."
"Old habits die hard, Speaker," The man replied, a small smile on his face. The Speaker resumed. "Now you have heard why we are here. The Volctic have returned. Now, we must decide how we will move forward."

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2024.05.21 05:53 freemaxbwaves The Secret Subliminal War Between Kendrick Lamar and Drake

I don’t think people realize that Drake and Kendrick have been having a back and forth in their songs since before "First Person Shooter." Yes, we all know they’ve been sending subliminals to each other for over a decade and have been beefing for a while now, but since "DAMN.," no one has really paid attention to the subliminals in their music, and they’ve been directly responding to each other in songs for a while now.
Here’s some backstory on where I think this modern beef started. On March 5, 2021, Drake released the song "What’s Next." The song was originally supposed to have Baby Keem on it, but his verse was left off, and it was just Drake on the song. I’m just going to leave this information here because it might play into the later disses.
Family Ties
August 27, 2021
Where I think the disses really start is on "Family Ties" with Kendrick Lamar. This song is the first official collaboration between Keem and Kendrick. It comes five months after What’s Next. In Kendrick’s verse, he states that he’s:
"Smokin' on your top five tonight, tonight
Yeah, I'm smokin' on your, what's his name, tonight, tonight."
This could be aimed at anybody in the game, but I think it’s directly targeted towards Drake based on the “what’s his name,” since Drake and Rihanna have a song called “What’s My Name.” Kendrick is saying he’s smoking on Drake.
Throughout Kendrick’s verse, he starts calling himself the GOAT and explains why he’s been absent in the game before this. At the end of the track, Baby Keem says:
"Number two DM'ing my bitch
That's cool, I don't ask why."
"Number two" here refers to Drake, as number one would be Kendrick Lamar. Drake is known for DMing people’s girls and stuff like that; Baby Keem says Drake is DMing his girl and is confused.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
https://preview.redd.it/f8c3x1uhbp1d1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=042914e480929880962297dff8e7f1c585752c02
It’s been about a year since "Family Ties," and Kendrick releases his next studio album in five years. The album is supposed to address his demons and is about his growth and maturity through therapy. I think there are some subliminal on here towards Drake.
Father Time
This entire track is Kendrick addressing the issue of parenthood, specifically fatherhood, and the toxic nature of present and absent fathers due to the toxic masculinity that is passed through generations. It’s interesting that this is the track where Kendrick directly mentions Drake's name since we know later on Kendrick would call Drake a bad/absent father and call his father absent as well.
"When Kanye got back with Drake, I was slightly confused
Guess I'm not mature as I think, got some healin' to do."
Kanye and Drake got back together for the Larry Hoover concert, and here Kendrick is confused about why Kanye “made up” with Drake. He realized he’s not as mature as he thinks and has some healing to do because he wouldn’t get back with Drake like Kanye did.
Rich Spirit
I think "Rich Spirit" might be the real warning shot towards Drake. I also think this is a direct reply to "Toosie Slide." The entire "Rich Spirit" video is him alone in his house, away from fame and society. There are a lot of lines here that, in retrospect, seem to be Kendrick telling Drake what a real “Rich Spirit” is. For example:
"Takin' my baby to school, then I pray for her."
This is something Kendrick directly attacks Drake for in his diss tracks.
"And celebrity do not mean integrity, you fool."
Kendrick is saying that celebrity does not equal integrity. He also uses this same angle in his diss tracks later on.
"Stop playin' with me 'fore I turn you to a song (Yeah)
Stop playin' with me 'fore I turn you to a song (Ooh)."
This is pretty obvious. Kendrick is telling Drake to stop playing with him before he turns him into a song (diss track) like he did with "Not Like Us."
Here’s where I think it gets even more obvious:
"Ayy, clout chasing hell of a disease, brother
I'm fasting four days out the week, brother
I pray to God that you realize the entourage is dead
I pray to God that you not lackin' when you off the meds
I pray to God she knows them Cabo trips don't last forever
Bet she argues with her momma, go and get them kids."
Everything Kendrick says here is exactly what he says to Drake in his diss tracks. He mentions meds, his entourage is against him, calls him out for his trips to islands, and calls him a clout chaser. This is clearly referencing Drake.
These lines directly reference J Prince, like he does in "Euphoria":
"I pray to God you actually pray when somebody dies
Thoughts and prayers, way better off timelines
False claimin' not cute, I'm mortified
The new Earth in hot pursuit, two-hundred lives."
He says the exact same thing to J Prince in "Euphoria."
He also says:
“I would never live my life on the computer IG'll get you life for a chikabooya More power to ya, love 'em from a distance Why you always in the mirror more than the bitches?”
Drake is known for his antics online and Instagram captions/Internet culture. This one’s also pretty obvious.
Honestly, Nevermind
https://preview.redd.it/hhptm12nbp1d1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=87ccec540b1538faa76f59c155994690808250cc
Drake responds to Kendrick on his album "Honestly, Nevermind." What’s important to realize here is that this album dropped on Kendrick’s birthday. The entire album is club-inspired music and was something people did not expect, and he dropped it on Kendrick’s birthday on purpose. It was to showcase to Kendrick that he can make music that Kendrick couldn’t. The entire album is club-inspired music except for the last track “Sticky” with 21 Savage. On this track, Drake states:
"Couple hits, now you brave, boy
You n**** better behave (What)
All that pumpin' up your chest (What)
All that talk about the best (What)
You know how sticky it gets."
He’s telling Kendrick to behave and stop talking about how he’s the best like he did on "Family Ties." Now what’s very interesting is that Kendrick & Baby Keem directly respond to this track on "The Hillbillies." I don’t think people realize that "The Hillbillies" is a direct response to this. But before The Hillbillies was the "America Has a Problem" remix with Beyoncé. This entire verse is clearly a Drake diss.
America Has a Problem Remix
https://preview.redd.it/41ncfnysbp1d1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f1ba1948e5a70de84ac6b88fea298655a8ab95f
"Geeked up, choosy love, well, they chose violence
Universal, please don't play possum
I'm a businessman doin' as follows
Truthfully, I be lyin' in my rap song
'Cause I always fail to mention I'd slap homie
His career didn't come with no life insurance
Hope his day-one fans got some facts on him."
He calls out Universal (UMG), saying he’s just a businessman doing as he chooses. He states that he’s lying in songs because he fails to mention he’ll slap somebody. He states that this person's career didn’t come with life insurance and hopes his day-one fans have some facts on him. He’s clearly referring to Drake here.
"Them diamonds don't be fly, they all CGI
You better get it off your chest like breast reduction
If she stressed over you, she stressed for nothin'."
In these lines, he calls Drake's diamonds fake and states that Drake should get it off his chest like breast reduction. He’s mocking his surgery yet again. Then the “if she stressed over you, she stressed for nothing” is a subliminal towards Drake’s latest album before this track, "Her Loss," stating that it’s not her loss since if she’s stressed over Drake, she isn’t stressed for anything.
Next, he says:
"Even AI gotta practice clonin' Kendrick
The double entendre, the encore remnants
I bop like ten men, the opps need ten men."
During the time when this track came out, there was AI Drake music blowing up. Kendrick is saying that even AI needs to practice to clone him, using a double entendre to imply he’s unmatched. He is saying the opps “need ten men” aka the ghostwriters, he is calling Drake easily replaceable. Now onto The Hillbillies.
The Hillbillies
https://preview.redd.it/5ugsqc2wbp1d1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=fac50b242aec856fea19f304ff08264c94d460c9
"The Hillbillies" was released on May 30, 2023. The entire track is completely different from the music that Kendrick normally makes. It’s a track where he’s flexing, and it’s over a club-inspired beat and flow. Baby Keem even called it a “Sticky” remix. So this track is basically Kendrick saying that he can do what Drake did on "Honestly, Nevermind," but better.
First, let’s look at the title of the track. It is called “The Hillbillies.”
On "Sticky," Drake says that he’s:
"King of the hill, you know it's a steep one."
Drake calls himself the king of the hill, Kendrick & Keem call themselves the Hillbillies, you get it.
Now let’s look at some lines in the track:
"Messi, get them girls off the stage, 'cause somebody's gonna get taken
Somebody's gonna invade on a one-on-one conversation
I'm ducked off from the world, I'm immersed in the PlayStation."
This is a direct response to "Sticky" when Drake says:
"Ayo Eric, bring them girls to the stage
'Cause somebody's getting paid."
Throughout this entire track, Kendrick and Keem are mocking Drake and his flow on "Sticky," showcasing they can do anything he can do and better. They’re rapping about the things he’ll rap about. Also what I find interesting about the music video is that they have Tyler in it and announce that they will be headlining Camp Flog Gnaw in the video, where Drake famously got booed off stage. Could be a reach but still.
In July a month after this track, Drake on stage during his tour said “he is not like those rappers who disappear for 4 or 5 years”. So another subliminal towards Kendrick.
Meltdown
https://preview.redd.it/spcuz8zybp1d1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d636950b1706368297a514c110e1a4351f06ded
Drake responds to the disses on "Meltdown," which was released two months later on Travis Scott’s album. While this verse is mainly about Kanye/Pusha, I also think it can relate to Kendrick as well.
"I love to fuck on a regular bitch
Famous hoes lame, but they stay on my dick
Heard your new joint, it's embarrassing, shit."
On "Hillbillies," Kendrick/Keem rap about wanting a regular girl instead of a famous girl, and on "Meltdown," Drake says the same thing, also calling their new stuff embarrassing.
"Your bodyguard put in some work on a fluke
Now you wanna go and inherit that shit
Don't talk to
the boy 'bout comparisons, shit
Or come to the boy on some arrogant shit."
More bodyguards talk, and he’s telling people not to compare him to anybody. We all know who he really means.
“I melt down the chains that I bought from yo' boss
Give a fuck about all of that heritage shit.”
Kendrick directly responds to this, saying he inherited the beef from Pharrell since Drake was disrespecting him. Now here’s where I think it gets obvious. On the second verse, Travis says:
"The boy going Lionel Messi, I go Tom Brady (Woo)."
In the track "The Hillbillies," Keem is calling Kendrick Messi and himself Neymar. Now in this track, which comes out two months later, Drake is comparing himself to Messi.
Also he says in this song "You act like you love this American shit, but really the truth is you scared of the 6" which could be a response to the title "America Has a Problem", this might be a reach though.
First Person Shooter
https://preview.redd.it/emn9lgd2cp1d1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=fc52eeee5b1834f392c657c306dff32dab17746a
After "Meltdown," we get "First Person Shooter," which we all know ignited this beef even further. I have a theory about this track, though. I believe that Drake originally sent Kendrick the track to hop on, but Kendrick denied the feature request. I think the original "First Person Shooter" was going to feature Drake, Cole, and Kendrick rapping over the first beat of the song. I believe the beat switch was made after Kendrick denied the feature request, and Drake added it later. This is why Kendrick says on his diss tracks:
"Surprised you sent that feature request, you know we got some shit to address" and "Did Cole foul, I don’t know why you still pretending."
Drake wanted to squash the subliminal beef he had with Kendrick with the feature request, and when Kendrick denied it, he thought it was real beef.
Look at the second half of "FPS":
"My youngins richer than you rappers and they all stream
I really hate that you been sellin' them some false dreams
Man, if your pub was up for sale, I buy the whole thing
Will they ever give me flowers? Well, of course not
They don't wanna have that talk, 'cause it's a sore spot
They know The Boy, the one they gotta boycott
I told Jimmy Jam I use a GRAMMY as a door stop."
Drake gets way more aggressive in the second half of the track and states that Kendrick is selling people false dreams, he is broke, they won't give him his flowers, he is at the top, and that he doesn't care about GRAMMYs (which is what Drake mocks Kendrick for in "Family Matters").
Then he says:
"What the fuck, bro? I'm one away from Michael
N***, beat it, n****, beat it, what?"
He compares himself to Michael Jackson and even says he will beat his record, which Kendrick directly responds to in "Like That." At the end of the track, Drake says: "Don't even pay me back on none of them favors, I don't need it."
We know that Drake feels like he put on Kendrick and that Kendrick would be nowhere without him, so he rubs that in his face. This verse is where I think Kendrick really took it as a threat rather than just the big three line. That was a part of it, but I think this is what really set Kendrick off. Also interestingly in this video Drake recreates the Messi/Ronaldo picture with J. Cole and compares himself to Messi AGAIN.
Another thing, in the second verse Drake says:
“I click the trigger on the stick like a high beam”
So in Like That when Kendrick says “if he walk around with that stick, it ain’t Andre 3k” it could be reffering to this line as well since that track is a direct response to this song. At first most people thought the stick line was about Cole but we know Kendrick calls out Drake for acting tough later on, so it could be a response to this line as well.
Red Button
https://preview.redd.it/y8zhrmr5cp1d1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=6d40f3c901c2afecd20743066c736c3f29e2a6ba
A month after this track, Drake releases “Red Button” on "Scary Hours 3," and I also think this is about Kendrick Lamar (and Kanye, but we are focusing on Dot here).
This entire track, Drake is warning people that if he presses his red button, it will be over for certain people. This red button thing obviously refers to Kendrick since during their diss tracks, Drake was constantly talking about pushing the red button and posting images of red buttons.
“N**** think it's sweet, but I am not a diabetic patient
No, I will start blackin' over here like it's segregation
I will fuckin' double-cross you n**** like it's meditation
I'll give you a hard pill to swallow, this your medication
I will fuckin' pop up on your ass like a revelation
I could tell you better than I show you, this a demonstration
I will fuckin' leave you in the dirt like some vegetation
Chemicals is mixin' in my brain and killin' hesitation
I will fuckin' force a few shots like a vaccination
I'll get to you ten years from now like procrastination
I'll fuckin' find out wherever y'all are celebratin'
Pull up, park my Phantom on the curb like I'm Larry David
And then we'll see who's really crazy”
I have a feeling this is about Kendrick specifically based on the words he’s choosing to talk about, like segregation and procrastination. Things that he makes fun of Kendrick for in his latest disses.
After this we know what happens, Kendrick responds on Like That and the beef really ignites with the diss tracks coming out.

submitted by freemaxbwaves to KendrickLamar [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 05:39 Danny8-hands 38 [M4F] Northeast US Not quite golden retriever BF energy but I promise I will get really excited if I've lost you in a crowd and find you again

I'm not sure if that post title even makes sense but it's kinda late and I can't sleep. Maybe you have black cat energy? Maybe I should stop these comparisons?
Anyway, in all seriousness, my name is Derek and in the interest of connecting with someone real I'm just going to keep it open and transparent. Maybe you'll do the same. I figured I'd give this reddit thing one more shot.
* 6'3"
* Bearded
* Full head of hair (though more grays are popping up all the time)
* If you're into burly Jason Kelce type men, I got you covered i.e tall, broad, hairy, handsome?
* I wish I had a better smile, but what can you do right?
* I oddly get complimented on my hands a lot. A woman really did tell me to model watches once. No idea why I wrote that here, but if you're into that, awesome haha
* Yes, I can probably fix most things around the house. Except electrical and plumbing - won't touch that.
* I can cook and I was also raised on the idea that if a woman cooks you a meal, even if it's not good, you eat all of it because she made it for you. Maybe a bit old fashioned but I don't disagree with it.
* I'm introverted (probably like most people here) but I like deep conversations and getting to know people.
* I have this thing where I seem to give off a beacon where perfect strangers will tell me their life story or what they're working through if given the chance. This applies to waiters, cashiers, this random guy at the gas station once. People in line at the DMV. Wish I was kidding.
* I have a small, but tight knit group of friends who I know I can count on for anything and I think that's more important than having a ton of friends who never text you back or only call you when they need something from you.
* I'm emotionally intelligent and a good listener. Therapy has helped me a lot over the years work out some issues with anxiety and relationships.
* Fully employed. Own my own house. Car's paid off. Debt free. Hoping to retire early.
* I think for 2024 the flex is actually *not* being busy all the time, like actually being in control of your schedule enough that you can do what you want, when you want.
* I love reading and I read a lot. Tell me what's on your TBR if you like. I'm also a huge history nerd so I'm actually really thinking about the Roman Empire.
* I hate the gym but force myself to go because apparently when you're past the age of 35 you can sneeze wrong or sleep wrong and throw out your neck or back. Fun!
* I will gladly be your plus one to a wedding and tell people we met in line at Target where you were definitely *not* buying anything you didn't need.
* No, I will *not* get things off the top shelf for you because you are a strong, independent woman who don't need no man (kidding, I'll get you a stepladder if you need it).
**What I'm looking for:**
Well, like most folks on here - a longterm relationship haha. Someone ideally I can provide a nice life for. Someone that enhances my life and I enhance theirs. But I'm also aware of how damn hard that is in 2024 and the year is almost half over. When describing someone I get along with I always apply what I call the "16 hour roadtrip" rule, i.e, could I go on a 16 hour roadtrip with this person and have the conversation feel effortless? Do we not run out of things to talk about? Can we tolerate the silences, the small talk, etc. I love making inside jokes with someone, people watching, and a woman who can make me laugh is pretty special in my opinion. We don't have to talk about our jobs, tell me what keeps you busy outside of work. What's your favorite show? What is your Roman Empire? (For the record, I don't think about it *that* much).
Look, I know attraction has to factor into this too. I'm a guy, I love feminine women. I like when I can take a woman out somewhere nice that she can dress up for and toss some heels on. Just being honest.
Anyway, I've probably rambled enough. Get in touch if this at least made you laugh or you're interested. Look forward to hearing from you.
**NOTE:** This came up a bit last time I posted and in case it wasn't clear in the post haha I'm looking for a relationship. That takes time and I'm definitely not looking to rush into anything at the drop of a hat. That being said I'm not looking for a penpal or an online chat buddy. Long distance is okay within reason. But I'm old and need sleep haha. So unless you have a cute British accent it may not be in the cards if you're 5 hours ahead or 5 hours back.

submitted by Danny8-hands to R4R30Plus [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 04:03 stacymandell Jeri

WOOOOW, just saw the videos posted. Just when you think Dana is top level crazy, here comes Jeri. Does she have family and friends?? My God, I can’t imagine she does. If Dana’s family disowned her then surely Jeri’s has too. She thinks she so clever because she’s a bully. Imagine that being your only flex. Lady, we can all act a fool , you aren’t special. We choose not to because it’s a bad look. Nut job !

submitted by stacymandell to beingdana33 [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 03:03 Croxiin Vacuum Leak?

TLDR: I think my vacuum leak is behind the firewall, how can I double check?
So I have a really bad misfire right now and I believe it's a vacuum leak because it sounds like someone sucking through a straw when I accelerate, my car struggles to go uphill, and runs rough when at low RPMs. I also have an O2 sensor issue, but I'm 99% sure that's due to my flex pipe being severed by rust haha. When I ran the car and sprayed my engine with brake clean, it didn't give much reaction. I lifted the air filter housing and sprayed the intake manifold and it kind of sputtered, but the idle is rough sometimes so I wasn't sure if that was it. Weeks later (last week, actually!) I wiggled the main vacuum line that runs into the firewall and hoo boy, she didn't like that at all. The line wiggle + the sound being passenger-side makes me think it's somewhere behind the firewall at the bottom of the body. Is there some kind of diagram I can use to see where the lines run? I only have a Haynes manual.
I have a 2010 Mini Cooper base (R56/MKII) !

submitted by Croxiin to MINI [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 23:56 Whirlwinds228 Animus touched objects in the Starstealers possession. I made up some of these and have some canon items in there as well.

A bunch of Animus touched objects in the Starstealers possession. You guys are welcome to help me come up with names lol.
I need name suggestions for some of them so you guys are welcome to help me come up with names for some of them. Some of them are kinda lame or boring. So help would be appreciated!
Also tell me what you guys think of these! I would love to know your guys opinions! :D
1.) Darkstalkers’ Dreamvisitor: Darkstalker The family found one of the Dreamvisitors and purchased it off the underground magic market. Starseeker was the one who found and bought it and it has remained with the family since then. It is heavily protected and only allowed to be used by trusted family members or be monitored.
2.) Darkstalkers fire-shooting spears: Darkstalker Also bought in the underground magic market, this time from Civet from his first few years of being the Head. He managed to get his claws on three of the ten being sold. They are routinely put in a spell room to keep old magic alive and strong since the magic is getting older and weaker as time goes on. Rarely used to preserve the magic remaining inside of them. They made their own versions of the spears but still keep Darkstalkers’, as a kind of flex I guess.
3.) Soulreader: Darkstalker Bought by Starseeker from the underground market after it was stolen from the Dragonets at Jade Mountain Academy over a hundred years ago. Only used on animus dragons(Starseeker, Mojave, Hamada, Hyena) and is preserved in the artifacts room to keep its weakening magic alive, it is not used often but Hamada has used it plenty of times on Hyena and Mojave to be safe. Coyote uses it on Hamada too but not as often.
4.) Immunity crests: Starseeker Made when Starseeker was the head of the family and lasted till Hamada’s turn. These were crests of the Starstealers symbol given to the Diamondbacks during their times of friendliness. They were only given to the Diamondbacks and after the fallout between the two families such enchantments were never made again. For safety reasons. The Diamondbacks still have these enchantments and are now subsequently immune to animus magic and any magic in an area within a 40 foot radius of these crests will immediately be canceled out.
5.) Starseekers shields: Starseeker Starseekers dangling moon earring, it grants a protection spell to keep the wear from harm or any kind of threat. She enchanted it when she first arrived and started to form the Mafia, due to various assassination attempts. She has enchanted other jewelry with the same enchantment, any dragon who is the head of the family receives one to be an extra safe guard. Any dragon of importance also receives such jewelry.
6.) Starseekers Observatory: Starseeker Starseeker was an avid astronomer and stargazer. She enchanted a normal observatory to have walls with actual views of the stars in live time incase for any reason the stars aren’t visible. Many use this as a place to relax and destress, Mojave tends to go there when he is having his ‘bad days’.
7.) Hyena, Mire, and Everblazes’ fire cuffs: Hyena Cuffs enchanted by Hyena to allow the wearer to bend and control fire. Only Mire, Hyena, and Everblaze have these cuffs. Hyena and Mire have matching gold ruby encrusted cuffs while Everblaze has gold and teal gemstones with feathering on the sides. Everblazes' is different as it diverts his firescales to pyrokinesis, while Hyena and Mire just have normal fire-bending and are not firescales. Everblaze also has blue flames rather than Hyena and Mires’ normal flames.
8.) Hyenas’ shapeshifting earring: Hyena Hyena enchanted this when he was younger and his father, Hamada, wouldn’t allow him to go out as himself for safety reasons. He can shapeshift into any tribe and even change his gender, though he rarely uses this function it is there for emergencies. Mire borrowed it for a little bit and has his own copy of the spell but in a separate ring on his claws. He doesn’t wear this often and hides it safely in his room.
9.) The cloak of anonymity: Starseeker A cloak made by Starseeker during her first few weeks in the Scorpion Den to keep herself anonymous and safe from Nightwing scouts looking for her. Its enchantment makes dragons ignore and just view the wearer as a boring non-important stranger, even if the wearer is being seen by their own family. Hamada uses this often for when he sneaks out and only Gila is immune to it and can see who is actually under the cloak.
10.) Darkstalkers’ gifts of super strength, speed, gifts of mind reading or prophecy: Darkstalker Managed to get their hands on one of each and maybe some extra. Usually given to family members of high importance or family members with vulnerabilities that need to be protected like Atacama or Civet. The dragons who have had one: Civet, Atacama, Coyote, Galah, Gazelle. They don’t wear them all the time, only Atacama wears hers full time, she usually wears the Invulnerability bracelet. But she has worn almost all of them.
11.) Hamadas’ spell reader: Hamada A scroll enchanted to document every spell Hyena has ever or will ever cast. Hyena doesn’t know about this spell at all and Hamada intended to keep it that way. Was enchanted before Hyena even hatched to be prepared for any accidental spells he casts before he actually finds out about his magic. Hamada checked it everyday and every week to make sure Hyena didn’t do anything without permission. This has the unintended consequences of Hyena becoming a literary master in his writing to work around these restrictions and not have Hamada know the true intention of his spells. Hyena can write in the most poetic and elegant of styles only to be insulting you and your entire bloodline at the same time.
12.) Obsidian blade and Obsidian Throne: Starseeker The Obsidian Blade is used when a new head of the family is officially chosen. It will cut the palm and the moons on the throne with glow if they are truly of Starstealer blood. It will not glow if they are not from the direct family line and they will not be allowed to be the head of the family. The blade works in tandem with the throne, so you need the Obsidian Blade to actually initiate a new head of the family.
13.) Hyenas’ wooden snake: Hyena Hyena enchanted a little wooden rattlesnake toy of his to come alive and be his pet/friend when he was six. He still has it at thirty four years old but keeps it hidden in his room. It keeps him company when he is alone or just vibing. Sometimes he will bring it out but not often. It's a little worn from age and the wood finish is starting to wear but Hyena hasn’t made any move to fix it up. There is no special enchantment to it, it's just his little pet he made as a dragonet.
14.) The summoner: Mojave Enchanted by Mojave, the Summoner is a golden snake made of plated gold pieces and can be sent anywhere to anyone. Only those who are wanted can see the snake and follow it to the dragon controlling it. The dragon controlling it can simply send it or actually see through the eyes of the snake and talk to said summoned dragon. It all depends on their choice and really is only used to summon someone in the Compound or within the range of the Scorpion Den. It has never been used anywhere beyond the Stronghold. It can teleport but usually just slithers really fast, the dragons who use it prefer short distance because of timing. The dragons who use it can see it but if it is being used and they aren’t a target they can’t see it. It can be summoned and be seen by the user if they say a specific phrase. Hamada mainly uses it on Hyena because he doesn’t go out of his way to leave his office to get himself. He also uses it whenever he doesn’t feel like finding them himself lol. Hamada is the only dragon in the family who has used it as extensively as he has. It is used on spy missions and is perfect for startling or threatening an enemy without being actually there.
15.) Eye of Onyx: Jerboa Queen Aardvarks’ mother was killed by the Eye of Onyx, as she wore a fake one. But one day wore the real one by mistake, killing her. Aardvark was reasonably traumatized and placed the Eye of Onyx in the claws of the Starstealers. Probably not a very good decision on her part to be honest. They keep it safely tucked away in the main artifacts room with all the other animus touched items. It can be handled if the dragon is wearing a certain pair of cuffs to act as a shield between the dragon's talons and the Eye so they aren’t actually touching it. Though Atacama and Gazelle have been able to hold it without protection. Everyone else though, must wear the protective cuffs. If not pretty much everyone else in the family would probably be dead if they actually touched it. Especially Hyena lol.
16.) Mojave’s animus suppressor(Might need to ask for a name): Hamada Due to Mojaves unstable mental state, his magic had to be sealed away for his safety and others. It was cast by Hamada and is an irremovable bracelet on his wrist. Hamada can turn it off if he wanted to but wouldn’t cause Mojave is just too unstable.
17.) Hyenas’ heart: Hamada Hyena is an artificial animus and was enchanted by Hamada using both Soul and Surface magic. His heart was enchanted to produce its own magic and act as an artificial ‘well’. He has a quicker recovery rate and can refill on Surface magic much quicker than anyone else. He has a pretty deep ‘well’ and is only second to Hamada for a very dangerous reason. He only doesn’t realize how to be that dangerous and reach his full potential. Due to Hyena being an artificial animus, he has no ‘soul’ to damage. So he can use as much Soul Magic as he wishes, but he does not know he can do this. He has been taught that using Soul Magic is dangerous and not to be used unless absolutely necessary. So, yeah, he has the potential but doesn’t unlock it because he was taught not to.

submitted by Whirlwinds228 to WingsOfFire [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 22:50 Mr_wobbles Newly minted Skull Admiral’s opinion: this game is awesome (but it’s what you make of it).

I am a casual gaming enthusiast, as a lot of 30-40 something’s are. I don’t have a ton of time to game so when I get time, I want to have as much fun as possible. Helldivers does that for me. I reliably can hop on and communicate with random humans as we work towards a goal. That scratches a primitive itch I have. I don’t get that level of cooperation in my job as a middle manager. But in HD, I get to be a cog in the machine of war and I like that.
When I get a silent group I do what needs doing. Lately it’s smacking Heavy sites with the 380, now that I unlocked Atmospheric Monitoring or solo fighting into the secondary objectives to call in a hellbomb. If I get into a group of people talking, I’ll do whatever the boss says. You want a logistics pack mule? I’m in. Turret tosser? Say less. Anti heavy? I’m strapping in with Orbital Rail and a recoilless.
I try to set my load out to give me universal impact if the team doesn’t have better plans. This often comes with compromise, but I have found a Sickle for bugs or a scorcher for bots paired with an auto cannon gets it done. Sometimes if I see a several breakers on my team I’ll flex to a Dilligence CS and shred devastators at range. Sometimes I like to go cowboy with the breaker incendiary.
Sometimes the nerfs and balancing irritate me but I also appreciate how that pushes me to experiment with different setups. If the OG breaker hadn’t got its mag shrank, I would probably still be running it, but then maybe I wouldn’t have met the stun grenade and slugger combo.
All this rambling to say this is a great game with a solid community. I like the frequent balance changes that force me to experiment with other kit, but in reality I’m here to play with a random British dude and who require a hug before we board the Pelican, or the mom begging us not to call her back in because she had to cut the crust off her toddler’s sandwich.
I came for a starship troopers power fantasy and stayed for you weirdos.

submitted by Mr_wobbles to Helldivers [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 22:43 Tricky-Elk6692 My AFK Journey as a F2P and it's good

Hello AFK Journey'ers.
First of all, thank you devs for making such a simple yet interesting game to play. I have some experience with AFK Arena as I've played that game in the past, and I gotta admit that I was a bit reluctanct to try out this game but am I glad that I did. (this isn't a feedback post, though, you may take some of this as such in case you're a dev. Just leaving this here as it's part of my experience and how I feel about the game).
I would like to see more things added (maybe fishing or housing?) and one of my complaints is that most of the puzzles are too simple and there could also be more throughout the map. It's okay to have very simple ones and I've scratched my head at least in one or two but maybe a rather difficult one here and there would be interesting.
I didn't like when some "non-passable zones" barely described or explained why they weren't possible to go through them which made me Google as to why that was the case. I don't remember their exact names and I don't want to spoil the story and progress to anyone, so I won't go into details.
I dislike Tactical Encounters (forgot the actual name for it). I know they are supposed to make you to think, but I feel that there's a bit too many of them. They should be a lot more scattered or preferablly less in number. Maybe only two or three in each zone like, two in Golden Wheatshire 1 and maybe three in Golden Wheatshire 5.
I'm saying this because most of my progress, specially as of late, I've encountered way too many of those and it gives me an uncomfortable feeling. I tried to avoid doing them sometimes because it breaks the flow of the game.
Now, onto the story.
Today, I have finished all the Main Quests and have gotten myself to AFK Level 1125 as well.
I started playing this game about two months ago and I have played it pretty much daily. Sometimes for one hour or so, sometimes just to grab the AFK rewards, other times for a few hours.
I used to get myself a specific schedule to play this game and only logged in at that time of the day. It helped me to keep my daily activities organized and I made sure that it wasn't overlapping anythings else.
I don't know if anyone will find any of this helpful or not but I would like to share part of my experience as doing most of the content.
My most used characters are, with their current ascension levels in ( ):

Cecia (Mythic+) - the core of my account and the reason why I got this far. She's with from the beginning and I have invested in her ever since;
Antandra (Mythic+) - my most spectacular and used tank at the moment;
Brutus (Mythic) - got him without wanting but then learned that his 5s immunity is great;

Other characters that I have used in different stages of the game were:

Fay (Epic) - used her since the beginning before I got Smokey & Meerky
Smokey & Meerky (Legendary) - carried my early game as I was dropping Fay usage. After almost two whole months of having him as Epic+, I finally got him to Legendary;
Lucius (Legendary+) - also helped a lot in the early game before I got Antandra and Brutus. Still useful in Double AFK Stages;
Hewynn (Mythic+) - got her super early and often used with Smokey at the same time. Been using her a whole lot more now;
Parisa (Mythic) - I got lots of Parisa's and started using her early to mid game. She recently came back because I needed damage in some levels;
Lyca (Legendary+) - didn't like her in the beginning, but began to use her around mid game because of AoE damage, AoE buff (Comet Archery) and specially because of her Physical Debuff (Nova Fall);
Oddie (Epic+) - yes, I didn't know about the Wishlist and I wasn't aware how strong he is so I barely used him because no Mythic+ and stuff;
Seth (Elite+) - used him at some point. Felt useful at some AFK Levels but dropped him quickly;
Bryon (Epic) - was useful for a while but then I quickly dropped him for a stronger Parisa;

I tend to run a healer in almost all my team comps and more often than not I have a flex character for whatever need that might be. I've used Satrana (was experimenting), Reinier (very situational), and Valen, specifically, used him in the early game.
At the beginning, my strongest character was Cecia. She dealt the damage that I needed, she had some CC and she added another character in battles (Mr. Clarlyle). Without her, I don't think that I would've gotten such a smooth gameplay.
Right now, though, she kinda fallen off and other characters that I neglected for a while have reemerged (Lyca, Parisa, Hewyn).
None of my characters synergize incredibly well with each other but I make it work.
I have realized since early, and I try tp do this in other gacha games, that it's not good to "chase" after a character. We have to make do with what we have and, in my case, I got too many Hewyn's early on but then, plenty of Lyca, Parisa, Antandra and even Lucius. These carried me throughout the early to mid game and sometimes in later stages too.
The only character that I truly focused was and is Cecia and, yes, I did use Arena Coins + an event reward for that, although, that is now changing for other characters because I feel like she doesn't get much more benefits from Supreme and Supreme+ at the moment. I got lucky that she dropped in a few other pulls, of course, which helped a lot.
I remember once hitting a progression wall and was sitting for a whole week just to ascend my Hands of Resonance. I was kinda busy with other things and playing another game so I basically just logged in for the daily stuff and logged out. It was worth it since I haven't hit a single progress wall afterwards.
I enjoyed doing some AFK Levels every once in a while in a batch of 5. Everyday, I would make 5 and then stop and I did this for about a week and a half. Then, I realized that all my characters were powerful enough and just started progressing faster and doing many more AFK stages. Not too long ago, I was at AFK Level 300 and something, now I'm at 1125. That's a pretty good progress in my opinion.
As of this post, I am still Free to Play but that will change in a near future, though, I don't intend to spend a lot of money in this game. I play games for fun, for the story, for the progression and If I'm gonna pay to progress faster, what's the point of even playing?
I've also done my fair share of Arena (currently at Epic III) and I find it really fun. Too bad that the people at the top have incredibly strong accounts, even with Hypogeans and Celestials at Supreme+ levels with highly enhanced equipment. I don't think that I can compete against that sort of strength anytime soon.
Anyways, I hope that this serves any purpose for anyone that might feel "lost" or may have hit a progression wall.
No, you don't have to pay for anything to finish most of the game. Just be patient. If you have to sit for a few days to gather enough pink powder or books to level up your Hands of Resonance then so be it.
My next step now will be treading The Trial of the Abyss, experience the season and finish the rest of the side quests. I can feel it now that I'm about to need to invest more into this game if I want to progress any further.
I wish you all a great journey and see'ya anytime! Byeeee!

submitted by Tricky-Elk6692 to AFKJourney [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 19:45 Financial-Put6230 Open letter to my ex's new / previous GF - Long

An open letter to my ex’s new girlfriend. She deserves to know that he wasn’t faithful to her the first time and was not truly single when they reconnected. My therapist recommended I write about it. It’s been sitting here for a while so I decided to share it and let this be my final closure.
This is all true, with no embellishments and events recounted as I understood them to be. We can only believe the truth that others allow us to see.
D and I met through a local hiking group. I had chatted with D a few times over a year on things like cameras, cars and waterfalls. We followed each other on Insta. I didn’t have anyone to go hiking with me this particular week and had been chatting with D about something, so asked if he would like to hike with me. He said sure and we made plans to meet.
The first impression I had of him was he seemed kind of nerdy and inexperienced. He had long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and oval rimless glasses. Just some kid I was going to hike with. He led the way and was quiet at first. But towards the middle of the hike, we talked about where we were in relationships. Or he did. He did most of the talking. He told me about a friend with benefits situation with A. That he wanted more, but it couldn’t happen because she was living with a guy. And had been for years. The guy was helping raise her daughter, who she had gotten pregnant with during a teenage one night stand. A basic single mom. D had gotten his dog from them, a great dane and said he had kept in touch with her and taken some pictures of the puppies they had. At some point, D and A began a sexual relationship. I never asked how it happened, who initiated, I was just stunned that this guy dumped this on me, someone he knew for literally hours. It made me feel gross. He justified his interaction with her because her partneboyfriend was a narcissist and treated her horribly. She was claiming to be in the process of moving out and he said when she was, they could be a public couple. He told me details about her - her job, what kind of car she drove, how they communicated. He obviously was hung up on her. I asked him if he didn’t feel bad for cheating, and he said no, he wasn’t cheating, that she was, but he wasn’t. He didn’t have anyone to cheat on. I still don’t understand that justification at all. He was partaking in a clandestine act, it was a secret that was kept between them and if it came out, would affect others. This had been going on for four years. He said that A encouraged him to date other people and he had tried on a few occasions. He had met N through his Facebook photography page. He said he only saw her a few times over two months and she was crazy. She texted him twenty times in an hour when he didn’t respond. So he blocked her. I told him he could have just told her he would get back to her later, but he said no, she was annoying. He took the easy way out and blocked her. I notice that this guy takes the easy way out on a lot of things. He truly has no back bone. But we’ll get to that later.
We had a good day. It was a good hike. We continued to talk and spend time together after that. Platonically, then a bit more as time went on. Two months into knowing D, I was with a good friend, K, who I had also met through the group. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend, J. I hadn’t met him, but didn’t like what I heard about him. He had things that he hid from her. They had dated on and off for over a year. She brought up J and said she thinks he was dating this woman where they work believed it started while they were still in a relationship. She said they worked together and named this woman’s job. She said she saw the car she drives. She mentioned that this person had a daughter. All of those details were very specific and exact descriptors of what D had told me about his FWB, A. I hated to see my friend, K, in distress, so I told her that I thought I knew who this person was. I asked if her name might be A, and K said yes, that’s it! I told her that I knew of her through a mutual friend. I said she had lived with a man and she seemed to be in the process of moving out. That’s all I could share. This is where things got weird. I don’t remember how it all happened, but something along the lines of K and J exchanged words. She pressed me for where this knowledge I had came from, so I caved and told her D, but she could not say anything. D had become a bit distant and I was going to tell him, but figured why, if he wasn’t hanging around, I didn’t want to be involved in this. We were casual, nothing set in stone. A few days later, he was being odd and I said, it’s a small world, my friend’s ex is dating someone who drives this kind of car, has this kind of job, sounds just like A. I knew he didn’t know this, and probably still thought he had a chance with A because she was still leading him on even though he claimed he hadn’t seen her in person for months. He was surprised, I could tell he was pissed in the manner he responded. I stepped back and said I didn’t want to be involved in this shit show, I was just letting him know because he deserved to. Apparently A was dating J while still living with the long time boyfriend, but the long time boyfriend didn't know about J or D. D then reached out to the long time boyfriend and told him that A had been cheating on him for years (but failed to tell him that he was the one that A was cheating with, or one of the ones). D loves drama. He even admitted it. He confronted A, sent me a bunch of screen shots of their convo. They kept their convos secret on snapchat. The whole thing is so fucked up, that as I’m writing it out, I can’t believe I was even involved in something like this. I told D to keep me out of it, that I didn’t want to be involved in this. Eventually A moved to her own place and stayed in a relationship with J.
I kept my distance from D, but he would reach out every few days to remind me he was here. We remained friendly for a few months then embarked on what would become a year long relationship. It wasn’t something I planned or even wanted, but it happened and we spent a good amount of time together. Towards the end, I was getting tired of his low vibe energy, his racist, homophobic, transphobic, anti-semetic comments, his lack of engagement conversationally and his very narrow minded world view. He was 34, still living with his parents, with no intentions to leave, wouldn’t spend the night, was breadcrumbing me. I was seeing him for who he really was, not what I envisioned he was. What was I doing? I knew we had to break up, but I put it off. The last time I saw him, he was doing everything he could to turn me off. On his phone constantly (I’m now sure he was already talking with or seeing N, I had a feeling he was chatting with someone), vaping more than usual, the sex wasn’t as connected as it usually was, dropping snide comments, he was just off in a way that was not the him I knew at all. We texted a bit, then a few days later, I called him in the evening. He didn’t answer or call me back. The next night, I texted him that it seemed he was going out of his way to ignore me, so even though I felt our year together deserved a respectable parting, he obviously wasn’t going to give me that. And I was done. He texted immediately that he was going to call me back but he forgot and he was sorry he couldn’t give me more at this time, but he would like to remain friends and I could invite him to hike. Thanks for the good times. I ok’d it and that was it.
I didn’t hear from him at all. On my birthday a few weeks later, I saw a FB post he made about if your birthday is around now, that means your dad looked at your mom on Mother’s Day and said, you’re not a mother now, but I can make you one. It was so stupid. I texted him and said you didn’t have to do higher math to come up with that, you could have just said happy birthday. He responded that he knew a bunch of people with birthdays around then and that was for all of them but happy birthday. I told him thanks, then told him a bit about my new job, and that he was right, it was tiring because I still have my other job when i came home from the new one and sometimes was gone from 6am to 9pm. A while later, he sent me a wall of text, going on about how now imagine doing that 6 nights a week because someone (he was meaning me) wanted you to come over, and if he didn’t, that someone made him feel guilty and all of the work he had to do, and if he couldn’t hike or hang out on the weekend, again, the someone made him feel bad, etc. And if he didn’t comment or respond to every FB or insta post or text that someone got upset. I read it a few times and my response was, first, I don’t know whose house you’re going to 6 nights a week, but it’s not mine. And I don’t get upset if you don’t respond to everything because I rarely post and I wait days for texts sometimes. And this sounds like how you described N, not me, so keep us straight.
A week later, I see N interacting with D’s FB feed. Apparently she got unblocked. Did she reach out to him or him to her first? Just so happens she thought the birthday post was for her. It was all I could do to not comment on it, but I didn’t want to be a part of any of their drama, so I kept it to myself. D had something of mine, I asked for it back. He said he was so busy, he didn’t know when he could get it to me. I waited a week. Sure, I FB stalked N and saw that D had interacted with her stuff in an overly friendly manner. I’m not stupid and I’m more observant than I let on. So I contacted him for my item again and offered to come get it. He said he wouldn’t be home (it was a Monday night, he was always home on Monday nights - we rarely got together on Mondays because the few times we did, he was always in a mood, so I kept Mondays distant). I said i could meet him somewhere when he got home and that I just wanted to get this over with. He said he didn’t know what that meant, but ok. I said I notice that you’ve reacquainted yourself with N. That’s an interesting choice. I guess you’ll be at her house tonight. An hour later, he left the item by my back steps and sped away in his obnoxiously loud man child sportscar that he can only afford because he still lives with his parents. I called, he didn’t answer. I texted and asked if I needed to get an STD test and the only thing he said was “I never cheated on you.” Cheating to him just means he didn’t have sex with her while we were still together, but I don’t believe that either. Why would I? I deleted him immediately. He has a second FB profile that he uses just to snoop, and I let that one remain.
He had told me he would never get back together with an ex, especially N. He mentioned her once or twice, never with any enthusiasm, or any kind of empathy. She was easy to snag, a bit desperate. He had mentioned another woman who he was FB friends with. He had hung out with her once, but didn’t like the way she talked, but he said on more than one occasion, “I should date her and be really mean to her and see how long it takes for her to walk away”. People who think that way are not ok. They are off in the head. D really had very limited compassion and no moral compass. It took me a while to get over it, I think mostly because we didn’t have closure. We had split up for a week a few months into the relationship, and I asked for a convo, I just wanted to state a few things. We didn’t argue, I asked him questions, I felt settled and thanked him for allowing me that space to talk. We both agreed it was better when we communicated like that. He said he wasn’t happy about our parting and he would still like to see me. I agreed because it seemed like we had come to a mutual place of understanding, but we never had communication like that again. I wish he would have just broken things off earlier, instead of lining N up before he could fully disengage from me. He’s a complete coward and that along with him leaving the item by my back step proves it to me. He couldn’t be a man and look me in the eye. Maybe N is more his speed. Maybe she has the same narrow world views and disrespect for others of different races and religious beliefs. Maybe they are a match. But I wanted to let her know the kind of person he really is, and I think she knows. She just doesn't want to believe it, when honestly, having him as a partner is not a flex. Quite the opposite when you know the kind of person he is. I’ll bet he told N that I texted him non stop too, which I never did. D probably says all of his exes are crazy, now including me. If I ever run into D and N, I will happily hand my phone over and share his texts and screen shots so she can see the truth. Maybe she will stumble upon this, but I doubt it. Whether she believes it or not is up to her.

submitted by Financial-Put6230 to JustNoSO [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 19:42 RhinoSparkle The Ebb of Chaos

Themos thought it would be better to travel past Tempest Peak in the dark hours of the night. With all the talks of superstition, and the strange way the trees seemed to refuse to grow on that dour mountain, neither of them could shake their nerves. As the crow flies, traveling over the mountain itself would be quickest, so they would skirt as close as they could, using the edge of the forest as a way to keep hidden.
The woods were eerily quiet, with only the rare croaking of a dragon frog piercing the silence. They climbed over large roots and ducked under heavy branches. Fortunately, though the canopy was thick, the lower foliage was relatively sparse. Despite the ominous roll of thunder coming from over the mountain, they felt optimistic that they were progressing at a good pace.
Suddenly, from deeper in the woods, there was a hoarse screech, silenced by the unmistakable sound of steel on flesh. Themos got low, behind a root. Caimoraxis hid behind a tree. Careful not to arouse the attention of whatever was there, they sat still, daring not even to breath for the next 10 minutes.
Themos tried desperately to listen and watch for a sign of movement. A twig, a leaf, a breath, anything. But nothing came. His mind raced. Finally he couldn’t stand it.
He reached into the ground beneath him, taking a fist of dirt.
“Potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus…”
Numbers swirled through his mind as he recalled the elemental makeup of most common soils, and their particle natures. Slowly, but surely, he drew out the soil into a short coil of copper, and held it pointed towards Caimoraxis’ location. Into it, he whispered as quietly as he could.
^{“How long should we wait?”}
^{“A few more minutes. It could be waiting for use, the same as we wait for it.”}
Eons seemed to pass before there was the tiniest sound. A tap, directly ahead. Then another to the left. And another and another until there were hundreds of tiny taps all around. Rain drops. Disastrous and blessed. It would mask their sounds as they tried to leave, but so too would it be for whatever else lied in wait.
Themos whispered into his wire again.
^{"This is it. We leave, now.}
The gentle rain grew to a torrential downpour. Unheard by anything, the pair darted in tandem through the trees, hoping not to have been noticed by that which lurks. Fifteen minutes of sprinting through gaps, leaping over thickets and roots, and sliding under branches. They stopped to catch their breath for only a moment. Looking around, both were content they had lost whatever it was. And so they continued on their path, over the foothills of the mountain.
The first light of day began to peak through the clouds as the rain faded away. The air was cool, made rather uncomfortable by their soaked clothes.
Still, the rising dawn brought them hope. With the rising of the light, they could feel their fears falling away. It wouldn’t be long before they would escape the shadow of this dastardly mountain, and press on towards the Quarry in Crater Fields.
Caimoraxis stopped to look behind them.
“Something wrong?” Themos asked.
“It’s still there. I can smell it.” She answered. “And it’s getting closer.”
Themos didn’t answer. He only looked on where, best as he could tell, the thing would appear.
*He tried to think of a strategy, but without knowing the foe, only basic tactics could be considered. “We should ambush it. We know its coming, we could take the initiative and-“
“It won’t work. It already knows we’re here. We stand and fight.”
He didn’t like the idea of an open confrontation against an unknown foe. But there was no convincing her. He simply took behind a tree, and waited for an opening.
It wasn’t long before the sound of footsteps could be heard, but it was impossible to determine how many. At times it sounded as if there were two creatures running. But then it sounded like only one. Or could there have been 4?
Shrill screaming broke his line of thought, and wood splintered violently. It tore through a tree, destroying its based and causing it to fall onto one of its neighbors.
She was two and a half meters tall, covered in gnarly black armor. She carried an enormous sword, glowing with embers, and when she spotted her prey, her wings and tail flexed in a display of intimidation and excitement. There was no discernable face. Just the light of hellish flame. She was vaguely humanoid, but with the unmistakable traits of a dragon. And yet, it was all twisted by demonic evil and lust for violence.
She spoke, her voice resonating in several simultaneous registers. “Lord Maelstrom will have been pleased to have found the delinquents who attacked his poor nephew Kordran. Come, let me take you to him.”
She bowed politely, but the flames about her face were contorted into an evil grin.
“He will not have the satisfaction!” Caimoraxis shouted as she raised her Winter’s Wrath blade.
“Good… I was hoping to have some fun first.” She lunged towards Caimoraxis, her massive blade no longer glowing with embers, but raging with hell flame. Caimoraxis parried with her icy sword, but the sheer force of the blow still knocked her off balance. The demon swung wildly, pressing her advantage, but was stopped by 4 red arcs of light, slamming into her, leaving magical burns in her armor.
From behind the tree, Themos had cast Magic Missile. She didn’t really seem hurt, but it at least stopped her attack. Caimoraxis recovered her balance and took the fleeting moment to level the playing field. Her features grew sharper, her muscles grew larger. An aura of power exuded around her. With blazing speed, Caimoraxis struck with her sword. Left, right, left, above, every single blow was parried. Despite the demon’s large size, it was as nimble as a hummingbird.
Caimoraxis screamed with fury as she continued her rapid attack, until finally, the enemy parried her blow. Again, she was knocked off balance, and again the demon sought to end the fight. But as before, Themos launched a Magic Missile from out of sight, intercepting the attack.
The flames about the evil being turned from bright oranges and yellows to a concerning red, as she looked about for the source of the spell. Distracted for just that moment, Caimoraxis finally landed her sword in the ribs of the enemy. The edge of the blade sank a few inches into her side, but she didn’t seem to react. She merely grabbed the dragonling by the throat, and threw her aside. The removal of the blade left a gaping fire hole in her armor, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. Instead, her gaze stayed transfixed on the tree where Themos was hiding.
She sliced her sword through the air, sending a wave of flame towards him. The tree was felled. Were it not for his immunity to fire, Themos knew he would have died. He said a quiet “thank you” to John before unleashing an eldritch blast on the foe. But she seemed to catch the energy in her hand and merely deflected it to the side as she trudged towards Themos.
“Twice have you thwarted my attacks. There will not be a third time.” She rushed him with blinding speed. He only had time to raise his hands and a just put up a barrier between him and her sword. The clashing magic energies let off a brilliantly flash of light. His barrier cracked. He was thinking desperately of a way to deal with a foe of this magnitude, but he felt himself gripping with fear.
She swung her sword again, and though her blow was still deflected, his barrier shattered, and he was knocked to the ground. The demon pressed towards him and raised her sword for a final blow. As she swung down, her sword clashed with the ice blade, Winter’s Wrath. Caimoraxis had made it in time.
“You will die if you touch him!” she growled.
Seeing the expression on Caimoraxis’ face, Themos knew she was serious. And yet, the threat was also hollow. They were outmatched. This thing attacked with such ferocity as to kill either of them with a single blow. And it was so fast, there was no way they could avoid death’s embrace forever. They needed to do something. But what?
As Caimoraxis and the demon continued their ferocious bout, his mind raced desperately, considering every letter of the contract he had taken. And then it hit him. A way to at least distract the creature, if not actually defeat it.
He took a few steps back, creating some space between him and the fighting pair. He summoned his contract, and read from, as an incantation from a spell tome. Suddenly, three red circles appeared on the ground around him, and the earth in those spots fell away. Smoke rose and the smell of sulfur, already in the air, grew substantially. From each one, a clawed, bony hand reached out. The demons emerged, each the size of a hippopotamus, appearing starved, but muscled and dangerous to be sure.
He wasn’t sure how it was he knew, but these demons were inherently bound to him. Perhaps it was the magic of the pact. Regardless, he didn’t have time to consider the nuances. He merely raised his finger toward his foe, and his new minions attacked.
Between the three of them and Caimoraxis, this new foe was unable to keep up. A flurry of claws surrounded this demon-dragon, as Caimoraxis’ enchanted sword threatened to freeze her in place, ensuring her doom. Despite the change of the tide, she just laughed, and leaped into the air, her wings bearing her aloft.
“Hehhehehhehheeheheh. You have some mettle, and you have made the night fun, just as I’d hoped. But don’t get too cocky, dragonlings. The Lord of Chaos will have you before the end!”
She flew off, still chuckling madly, and leaving a sour taste to the otherwise beautiful morning. The three summoned demons looked to Themos for instruction.
“Go home.” he said. And they did. They crawled right back into their holes, which closed abruptly behind them.
Now, standing alone with only his singular companion, Themos collapsed to his knees, breathing heavy. The fight had not been especially taxing on him physically. But it served to remind him that despite his newfound power, he was still vulnerable to the world. And eventually, he would run into a foe that uses a weapon aside from fire. His immunity would not protect him from everything.
Once they caught their breath, they agreed to leave these woods as quickly as possible.

submitted by RhinoSparkle to wizardposting [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 17:28 Darkraven940 Stix - Stiff vs Flex

So - I started golfing about 1 year ago and I’ve gotten pretty consistent. I use STIX flex shaft and i’m hitting most fairways with my driver , and as a birthday present my mother (unknowingly because she doesn’t know golf) got me a STIX Driver but it’s stiff.
I’ve noticed with my flex driver , i always make solid contact and hit the center of the face with pretty good swing speed (athletic 5’10 27 years old) But when i used my buddy’s stiff shaft hand me down, i carry it 270 vs my flex shaft which i carry around 230-250
What can i expect with my new stiff shaft? will i get more distance?
Thanks for all your answering in advance! 👍🏼

submitted by Darkraven940 to golf [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 17:08 ReasonableDetective My Costochondritis Journey - What helps, What doesn't + Tips

In this post i will be giving some insights in my own costo journey, giving some tips and tricks and things i figured out and things i didn't. Please beware that costo can be different for everyone and that some of the things i will share might not be for you. English is not my main language so please ignore any incorrect grammar.
My costo started at the end of 2021, it started with minor stabs in my chest and it would go away after sometime but always come back. At this time i did not know what costo was and just ignored it as i knew it would go away probably. As the time went on the pain got worse and worse and i developed (heart) anxiety due to the chest pains. In March 2023 i had a full heart check (EKG, heart-echo, cycling stress test, blood test) and everything came back normal. At this time i still did not know what costo was and for some reason the pain wen't away from April 2023 until September 2023. At that time i wen't to the doctor and she diagnosed me with Costo, i started reading things about it online and got completely stressed out from the things i was reading... 'mysterious inflamation' 'no known cause' 'not fixable, should resolve on its own' etc etc.
I then found the subreddit, Steve August, the Backpod and it all maked sense. I was relieved, i learned the cause (for my case) and know knew how to fix it and what was going on. I am 23 years old at the time of writing and i have been gaming since i was 10 years old. ALWAYS HUNCHING WHILE DOING SO! I have been having a bad posture for over 10 years and learned that that was the cause. I knew my posture wasn't good but i didn't care. Until my body couldn't stand it anymore and thats why the costo came.
So, why did the pain go away for the whole summer of 2023? I don't know for sure, but at that time i was working out 4x a week in the gym and cycling 2 times a week. I also stopped working in construction for the whole summer. When i stopped going to the gym (Yep, sometimes you lose that motivation) I learned that the costo slowly came back. (Still hunching).
The last couple of months i have been doing construction work for 2 days a week. I noticed that the symptoms over time got worse from doing this. Everytime when we finish the day the pain comes back and slowly resolved in the next coming days until we get back to work again.
So, lets wrap things up, what works, and what doesn't?
What works (in my case) - Backpod, i use it once a day for 10 minutes before going to sleep. I will probably start doing it 2 times a day. - Sleeping on Back, difficult for sure but it does help! - Going to the gym, very low weights! Focus on stretching not muscle building! Avoid heavy chest excersises. - Stretches everyday! (The stretches Steve demonstrated in his costo video part 2) - Stop bending over and lifting (heavy) things up. I was pain free for 2 weeks last week until i did some heavy shoveling work. The next day was hell. - Stop hunching when you can, you need to free up the tight rib joints around the back first. - Massaging the pecs. - Regular hot baths.
What doesn't work (in my case) - Voltaren - NSAIDS - Crying on reddit and not giving the things meantioned above a chance. No but seriously, put in the work, get a backpod, go out there and fix yourself. Trial and error. You will find out what works for you and what doesn't. We are all here to guide you in this great supportive subreddit!
Things i've encountered/Things i figured out & things i didn't - Pain on the side of my rib cage, coming from under my armpit into halfway my chest. I know it's probably muscle related and not in the ribs itself, sometimes when i lift something up it shoots right in there. I noticed that pec stretches and doing light chest excersises in the gym help. Anyone else experience this?
- Sometimes gas(?) can trigger my costo. I fee lthe pain, i hear my stomach OR esophagus making sounds and the pain fades away quickly. (I have been checked for H. Pylori and had a gastroscopy so it is not a stomach related thing) How can gas trigger costo? I haven't figured this one out.
- Pain in the pecs. Probably muscle related. I think Steve once said that the muscles can shorten and get tight/scarred when being hunched over for so long and that when using the backpod, freeing things up and getting back into a good posture things can start to pull and hurt. I noticed going to the gym and doing stretches helps for these aswell.
- Sometimes when the costo is really bad, like the day it was after shoveling, i get a very dull ache shooting pain exactly where my heart is. It freaks me out completely but when i push down on that exact spot on the left side of the sternum i can fully recreate the pain. It is very reassuring and you know right away that it is costo. You can't touch your heart, it is way deeper.
- Don't start using the backpod without any pillows used. The first time i used the backpod, this Februari, i used it without any additional cushioning and pillows. The next day i had severe chest pain, back pain and a burning sensation in my sternum. I stopped using it until 4 weeks ago scared of getting the same thing again. Luckily i know used pillows and everything wen't okay!
- When i first started fixing my posture it gave me a burning sensation in my chest near my sternum. When i hunched the pain wen't away. I asked about this on the subreddit and it seems that now that you're getting a good posture again everything at the front will start pulling etc and therefore causing the pain/burning. This lasted for 1,5 week, massaging helped. Voltaren didn't. I figured it's a weird sign that lets you know you're improving!
- Don't think that you're fixed when your pain free. Even though the pain is gone, the inflammation can still be there and it only requires 1 wrong choice for it all to come back. Healing takes a lot of time!
I hope to have informed some of you with my personal insights, any comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading through!

submitted by ReasonableDetective to costochondritis [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 16:48 Ok_Kaleidoscope_8461 RN/LPN roles at my current job

I've been an LPN for 15 years. I've worked in med/surg for 2 years, been a rounding nurse for a busy internal medicine group in the hospital for over 6 years and also worked in corrections. I've completed my pre-reqs and am in the process of applying for the bridge program. I've been at my current job for over a year. The roles of RN/LPN at my current job are essentially the same with the exception of certain eval notes they want the RN to complete, but seldom do I ever actually see the RNs do it the "correct" way, which would be to go out and interview the patient and ask appropriate questions. Usually, they just sit at the computer and complete it without even seeing the patient. Recently one of the RNs I work with a majority of the time made a comment about the RNs being the "boss" of the LPNs. This ticked me off. Before I go forward, understand, I know my role as the LPN. We have a nursing supervisor and a DON that we ALL report directly to. Sometimes my role will be administering the medications to patients (med nurse), other times I will have unit assignments SAME as the RN. This is not a place where we are hanging blood, or titrating drips, etc. The RN never has to co-sign anything I do here. I am also certified to start IVs if need be. If I come across anything unusual in my unit, I report directly to the medical/psych provider myself and obtain orders. As a matter of fact, when I was med nurse one day, I was the one who brought it to this particular RNs attention that one of her patients wound was getting increasingly worse. Needless to say, he was sent out to the hospital for further evaluation and admitted for treatment. How can she look me in the face and say she's my boss when she can't even evaluate her own patients properly? I felt like this was her way of flexing and putting me in my place. Like I said, I know I'm an LPN and do not take issue with reporting things to RNs when I'm med nurse on their units. But I also think my experience should account for something. Not to mention, a lot of the RNs come to me and ask questions about how we do things at the facility (filling out which form, policies, procedures, etc), so it feels like a slap in the face when you ask me how to do something and turn around and say you're the "boss" just because you have RN behind your name. I have a nursing supervisor and a DON that I report directly to. Sorry, I just needed to vent about this. It really makes me not want to over and above for certain RN co-workers anymore. I will always advocate for my patients.

submitted by Ok_Kaleidoscope_8461 to nursing [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 16:46 Irrelevant_rierie Dating a Stranger

Been dating this girl for a few months already but it feels like we’re still strangers.
She’s (27) and I’m (21). We met on a dating app, talk for months and ended up dating each other. Our social communication are through instagram, tiktok, sometimes telegram, and also Imessage. But we always talk through text messages, which is more convenient because I turned off the notification settings of all my socials and other apps.
We are not out with our family because both are scared and not ready. Plus, I am still under my parent’s care. So our relationship is really lowkey, only my closest friends know about us, and some of my instagram followers because I flexed her there.
I was just wondering, I am feeling a bit uneasy because we are not friends on facebook, and sometimes, threads notify me about her post in there, we are not friends on threads but her account is on public mode so I can see the things that she post. She’s been posting stuff in which I don’t really have an idea what it is all about. It feels like she’s not really open with me, while I’m being completely honest with her, about my feelings and other stuffs.
Also nobody knows about me, but a month ago, she told me that her cousins found out about me, because of a tiktok video I posted. Now they know that she has me, she has a girlfriend. And she was really angry because she’s still not ready on being out but her cousins told their other cousins and her younger brother about me. But they don’t know my name.
I also don’t know her mom, dad, brother, or even some of her cousins name, or even her friends name. I don’t know where she exactly live. I am lowkey sulking.
She asked me one time, if I’m the type who wanted to be hard launched. I told her no, but I want sometimes, to be seen. I can see through her that she’s not the type to do such things, that’s why I was the one who compromised.
Right now, I’m kinda scared, that if such things will continue, I will lose the feeling of being secured in the relationship, I also might end up falling out of love.

submitted by Irrelevant_rierie to OffMyChestPH [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 16:39 Irrelevant_rierie Dating a Stranger

submitted by Irrelevant_rierie to lgbt [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 16:36 unstopable_bob_mob Question concerning a lease violation

I’m fuming, so I apologize for grammatical error, if any.
Friday I had a lovely discussion (heavy sarcasm) with my complexes regional manager over the blatant unprofessional behavior my apartment manager exhibited when I confronted her over one of our residents, who keeps bringing one of the homeless ladies who pisses and shits herself purposely, whether to troll or to protect herself from rape (I’ve heard both, so your guess is as good as mine and is irrelevant to the point), where I expressed to her that I did not appreciate her manager making it about me and my feeling when this lady is a safety hazard to the complex as she is a safety violation as she is in and out of jail as a violent offender, where she asked me where I heard this, and I told here that I heard it from the other homeless in the area as I am not a bigot and I will conversate with them at the local park when I first moved in. She said this is hearsay, and yeah, that’s true, it is, but this leads to the violation.
After this she begins to go into how my demeanor and how I talk makes her manager “uncomfortable“… I talk bluntly, in a nonaccommadationist sort of way. It’s just how I am, comes with years upon years of trauma and, well… but here the kicker, and folks, I’ll be 1000% honest, and you can even see in my post history - I swear, a lot, but she said I swore at her manager and I never once did. Not one time. Never. And I’ll put my entire VA pension on the line on this one.
She flat out pulled hearsay on me, she doesn’t have it on camera. She doesn’t have it on any recording. Just her managers word. So this regional manager can use hearsay, but I can not? In California?
All I want is the violation removed as I feel like this regional manager is flexing. Is this even a case worth pursuing and what lawyer do I even look for, as I’ve been all over google with no results…
Edit* I forgot to add that I am assuming that the only reason she even issued the lease violation is because of the phone interaction we had shared;
“After our call today I am issuing a lease violation for the encounter you had with management”

submitted by unstopable_bob_mob to AskALawyer [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 14:38 bendermichaelr Track electricity usage between 2 cars?

My MIL bought the solterra. We have a prime. We plan to get a level 2 charger so my utility can connect and we can get some benefits like TOU rates and rebates. Our options are juicevox and chargepoint home flex. My question is if it's possible to figure out kWh used per car so we can charge her accordingly?
Edit. Part of the reason for getting specific with the cost would be because MIL would probably find it fun seeing her cost vs how much it would cost in gas or like if she wanted to hypermile how low she could go. Also we get .07 back per kWh from 12-8am and I want to make sure not to cheat her on that. I'll probably just tell her not to charge while away unless necessary and then do miles driven ÷ 18 and then subtract money spent on charging networks.

submitted by bendermichaelr to electricvehicles [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 06:23 Its_sven1 Long distance relationship

I apologize in advance for the length of this behemoth Story time Reddit: Last night I was chilling at a camp grounds in upstate NYC and this really cute bartender was on her first day ever for the job, anyways I didn’t even notice her until a community dinner at 6pm when she got some food and went to the bar to get ready for the night because us folks at the camp were gonna party till LATE I’m 18M turning 19 and I had aspirations to be a bartender myself in the familiar country of Mexico where my family operates a gin booze business. she 22F just turned and I was eager to Yk like ask her how her first day on the jobs going right? Now I time goes by we all just chilling having dinner and our rolls out some Gigachad kitchen employees with dessert and everybody fiends the fucking ice cream sandwich bars and I hastily think about the fellow bartenders out the back of the building (it’s the girl I’m taking about whose new and one other girl whom is basically her chaperone because they are her aunt) approach the bar with 2 ice cream sandwiches asking if they wanted the last stock of what remained of dessert 😂 they politely decline and I just give them away to my boys and walk back to the main cafeteria area and around 5 minutes pass people start to clear out and I not really a drinker and not of age to drink in the US (although I have been to other countries to bars that you don’t need to be 21 to drink all fine) Sit down at the bar with the 2 bartender ladies, i start yapping about all the musical bullshit I do in life and the video game I’m developing and whatnot and that’s why I came up to nature to record the ambient sounds for my project idk why BUT then when I realize is that the girl whose new’s eyes fixated on me intensely full German stare and I’m kinda intimidated ngl, so ofc as a good bartender would ask, they ask if I want anything to drink and i politely decline because I wasn’t really thirsty 💀 We start to just chat a bit I ask about how their day went and then that’s when I realize the new girl whose bartending it’s her first day and she’s absolutely drunk out the wazoo, I feel kind of bad because she was about to just go take a walk break and I saw she could barely even move straight 💀 so I ask “so what are some good things to do around here?” They reply really excited that before it gets too dark (somehow they say that and it’s already becoming 8:30 and dark at out) I should go to this really pretty creek waterfall and the absolutely double whammy hammered chick volunteers to take me. Now me skeptical af and realizing that either A, she can’t keep her eyes of me because she’s deadbeat drunk or B, she thinks I’m cute and wants to know me this is why she offered to take me to a cool place. I accept and I have to walk this girl out the bar because she’s in heels and bouncing all over the place. We make it to a downhill section we have to cross and I see her struggling and ask if she needs a hand and she hastily accepts, next thing up her arms are basically spaghetti and rolling with the wind as we make it down this hill her holding onto me for dear life. We start to walk a bit and I start to ask the big legal concern questions that us “technically inclined” men ask like “How old are you” “Do you have a boyfriend?” And “Are you in school?” I eventually get all these answers and we by some will of god walk up to an abandoned dark horror movie looking ass tipi (basically this ⛺️ thing for u non cultured swines) for some reason my hood senses start tingling and the white girl slasher film mindset goes into my mind like “Why the fuck am I about to go in there?” But hey YOLO why not go into creepy dark crowded place with drunk girl? We waltz up into that bitch looking like injured bank robbers clobbering all over the ground because the ground muddy and we can barely fit into the small opening of it, point is in there she starts basically interviewing me fucking speed run piers style and I answer being sober decently competent. Me not trying to make her feel uncomfortable turn my flashlight on to scout the area and we realize there’s some makeshift bench in there so we have a seat. She doesn’t like the fact the lights on and then she asks “do you want to kiss” and proceeds to inform me I’m a weirdo for turning on the light. Now I’m like: “ aight what the fuck girl like it’s dark spooky af out the hell u want me to do get mauled by spiders in this Native American trap house? Then Yk me never had a girlfriend and curious accepts her kiss offer and right as we are about to friggin kiss a RANDOM ASS NPC COUPLE SPAWNS IN AND JUST WALKS UP TO OUR FUCKING TIPI! What are the fucking odds bro, like it’s pitch black basically out and I’m in the middle of the woods, now they see us (we look hella sus at that moment) and kinda just walk away after being like “ooooh cool!” But anyways I get a pretty Alr first kiss, get insulted for being a horrible kisser and walk it off quoting myself “Bro it’s cuz I’m a Libra right?” Jokingly anyways we kinda talk a bit she enlightens me on some personal facts and me too, I ask if she’s had a boyfriend and she says yeah I would had asked how many but didn’t weirdly enough and she’s asked me then if I had ever had a girlfriend and I respond honestly that nope I haven’t and she doesn’t buy it, she thinks I’m lying. She then proceeds to ask me how tall I am and me being a tall ass mf for my race i respond “6 foot 3” and she’s like DAMNNNNNNN ewwww. I’m dying of laughter and ask what’s wrong. I never get a response 😭 Anyways she then decides to empty her pockets and she came for some reason with basically a mythical rarity load out of pocket loot. 2 Cinnamon booze plastic shots, lip gloss, chapstick and a cart. Now me being the worlds biggest glorified coward who never smoked and almost never drinks was amazed she had all this shit on her. I ask her how much she had to drink tonight and she told me how for every drink she served she also drank (idk why tf weird flex but ok?) we then kinda decide to go out of the tent because all of a sudden she wants to explore the pitch black woods when we both have very little phone battery left for flashlight. I think in my sober mind that’s a horrible idea and I remember in the back of my mind we had to be back in an hour from like 8:30pm and I remind her assuming she will have it into account but fail to realize SHES DRUNK AF AND CANT PROCESS SHIT!!! Anyways we walk around the creek bed and eventually we have a seat and just weirdly enough lay down watch the stars and talk about romantic stuff, she is very kind all of a sudden and we are just laughing wholeheartedly and enjoying ourselves and occasionally she tries to sloppily kiss me and I’m kinda just laying there like : 🙃. But yeah we there doing all that and then she somehow convinced me to do shots of the weird spicy booze she brought and I was very nervous and almost about to fully fold because I had a lot of important things in my life impending in the coming days and I didn’t want to fuck something up being drunk (not knowing myself if I’m a lightweight or heavyweight drinker) We each do one and I’m kinda there lying paralyzed and shivering in my boots not because of the alcohol but because of the nerves I am chilling with a girl on a beauty of a night next to some lovely sounding creek noises and making out. Me being the newbie I am just go along with anything she says or does because I’m not trying to blow what I have going Yk. But yeah time passes we just there on essentially natures lawn hugging and kissing and talking about cute life aspirations and then I have to break the hard news to her, I inform her I won’t be staying around long by any means ( I leave the next day back to da hood for school) and I feel so bad inside! Like this girl even age difference aside whatever was very kind and I didn’t want to ruin what we had going so I try and explain how I would try to visit her and later the next day I am able to check that tickets cost roughly $50 for one ways to the town she lives in and takes 2 hours and a half something if me for love I was able to do im down ig… Now as a recap: She knows I live super duper far away, She and I both understand we don’t want to ruin what we have and we are trying to see how we can keep this going. I hear someone scream her voice and then I’m like Awww shit ur in trouble right? I check my phone and it’s MOTHERFUCKING 11PM!!!! I’m like OH SHIT WE BEEN GONE A WHILE DAMNNN, I pull her up off the ground and try to get her to her aunt who I assumed was looking for her and then we sadly said it last farewell quickly. She kisses me and then she gets yoinked and chewed tf outta by basically her big auntie bartender me feeling horrible and all because I was so immature not checking the time, I walk up to her to take responsibility for the situation and not be a beta male type character she asks me all of a sudden if I’m “ok or hurt” and I say yeah I’m fine and then she walks away and for some reason my good manners and habits kick in as I quietly shout “good night” and she shouts back “yeah good fucking night!” Slams the door with my newfound friend and they both gone. I feel real bad for the situation but hey it already happened, and I then find out from some of my fellow campers that she was threatening essentially to call the state police because people have gotten lost in the woods but in my head I’m like NUH UH I GOT S TIER GOD MEMORY!!! Anyways I do have the girl I was withs number I message her apologizing for not being more responsible and whatnot and then a lot of time happens from there on. I go to bed at 1:30am, wake up the next morning at 6:57am and I’m worried because she hasn’t responded. I paranoid and feeling like a hopeless romantic sit around stressing for hours until BOOM I get off a call checking up with my moms who was out of town get a message from my dear bartender girl! I’m beyond ecstatic and try to see if we can say goodbye because I have to go so soon that same day (today as I’m writing this) we try to compromise and plan but sadly it doesn’t work out for us and we just don’t get a well deserved farewell. I feel truly defeated and depressed about it and people I’m with are speculating how I have barely eaten in all the hours I have been up today. I reply it’s that m stresses but don’t go into detail trying to avoid ancontroversial discussion. This girls name is Sofia and I as I hope a constituted decent person hope I can keep this relationship but there are a few obstacles. 1, she lives 2 hours best case scenario from me. 2, she doesn’t really answer my messages until very late after I send them (for example i message her 12:30 she responds then doesn’t respond until past 5pm same day) and It’s hard to have a relationship with flawed communication I can see. Now for me I have always wanted to find love but never really succeeded in it and I’m truly just grateful for having any experience like this at all and I want to hear feedback from fellow guys and girl as to what I should do to keep this a respectful and responsible relationship you know?
Sincerely and looking forward to feedback, K

submitted by Its_sven1 to dating_advice [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 01:30 ZachTheLitchKing [SerSun] Serial Sunday: Watch!

Original Prompt

Chapter 27
"And you say this starry field consumes your entire form?" Kher's attention - like everyone else's - was on Cass's arm. As they rode forward at the head of the caravan, colorful bands and flecks of distant starlight moved through her limb. Like glittering lights in a stream, never did the same pattern repeat.
"When I want it to, yeah." Cass flexed her night-black fingers. Her arm was pain-free in the dark, so long as the others kept their torches away. The flames had been put out after a stray flicker of light gave her a jolt; the sudden, involuntary twitch nearly caused her to remove Charis's hand.
"Why does your arm seem so much smaller during the day?" Nuu asked. "I've seen you in battle, you are not a withered husk of a person."
"Part of the curse. Fire weakens me." Cass looked up at the night sky, imagining the great ball of flame hanging over her head as it did all day, every day. She did not need to explain to them that the Sun was the greatest source of fire in the world. Their religion was built around that.
"But that's only when I'm not immersed in it it," she continued, "when I'm trying to be me. When I use it to fight I sort of..." She rolled her right hand in front of her as she looked for words. The feeling she'd never been able to verbalize continued to elude her. "I sort of...jump into it. Like into a pool of water, but it's not water, it's something else."
"Darkness," Nuu said, quietly.
"Stars!" Kher was more enthusiastic.
"Maybe? I don't know another way to describe it, but-"
"What is going on here!?" The icy whiplash of Kebb's tongue cut through the night. Cass looked over her shoulder and saw him riding up with his torch in hand and quickly covered her arm with her robe.
"Careful!" Charis said, holding out a hand toward Kebb, "Put out your torch or-"
"Put out my torch?" Kebb, who had always been so calm and peaceful, looked like he was caught between the desire to vomit or to strike Charis for what he'd said. "You all know the Tenets. Putting out your flames in the dark is...is..."
"I'm sorry," Cass spoke up, waving her good hand to take Kebb's attention, "I was just-"
"Cassandra, I do not blame you for any of this." Kebb didn't yell, but he was terse. "You are not a Disciple, you are not obligated to follow the Light. Please, take my position at the rear of the caravan so that I may remind these wayward Flames of their oaths."
"But-"
"Please." Kebb leveled a stare at her. Cass was undaunted, but Charis touched her shoulder. She looked their way and they smiled at her.
"We'll be fine," they said.
Cass reigned in Cassiopeia, her camel, and they waited off to the side of the sandstone road for the others to pass. Mica and Iuven both gave her a nod while Nuut ignored her. Anatu - riding near the back with the water cart - asked what she was doing.
"Kebb wants me to ride in the rear," she answered. That was enough for the Captain and they continued on.
Cass followed well behind the caravan for a time, lamenting the silence and the loss of interesting conversation. She thought Nuu was starting to come around, too. Having them and their sister not give her a death stare every time they looked her way would be nice.
With a tug on the reigns, Cass picked up the pace and got closer to the water cart. Her swordspear was there and, if she was going to be protecting from any raiders sneaking up from behind, she wanted it on hand. As she grabbed it she heard Kebb return to ride along with Anatu.
"I took care of the Light," he said, "since you wouldn't."
"It's advantageous to keep to the dark at night." Anatu sounded tired.
"It goes against every Tenet of-"
"I know the Tenets, Kebb. I'm not saying I agree with their...'poor' choices. I just wish you wouldn't get upset at them for being logical."
"Hmph. You give them too much slack. They were all huddled around Cassandra and looking at her...affliction."
"The curse? Did she look like she was losing control?"
"Helen assured me that Cassandra is in full control of her beastial nature."
"Hmph. Is that supposed to be comforting? That she chooses to become that creature? To rip people in half?"
"As long as she does it on our command-"
"On my command."
Cass wanted to tell them both to fuck off in the silence that followed but waited just a moment longer. Cit always told her to count to ten before acting whenever she had an advantage or was ready to spring an ambush. Taking a deep, slow breath, Cass counted backward and within seconds they continued talking.
"I'll put Cassandra on lookout duty tomorrow," Anatu said.
"I already told you, no. The light makes her vulnerable. Helen would not want it."
"Fine, write Helen then." Anatu's tone was light and daring. "Oh wait, you didn't think bringing a hawk was a good idea. I guess you'll have to wait for Helen to write you so you can ask."
"Careful, Anatu, you-"
"You can both just fuck off, you know." Cass was tired of being talked about like a tool. She gave her camel's reigns a tug to stop her and let the water cart pull further ahead. Kebb leaned around the cart while riding and looked back at her. She held up her swordspear in a mocking salute until she could no longer hear the clatter of camel feet and wagon wheels on sandstone.
With a smirk, she clicked her tongue and Cassiopeia continued forward. Letting Kebb and Anatu think she might ride up behind them and eavesdrop any moment was a nice consolation prize for losing out on a night of gossip.

submitted by ZachTheLitchKing to TomesOfTheLitchKing [link] [comments]

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