From The Question Concerning Technology
APPENDIX

1. Such reflection is not necessary for all, nor is it to be accomplished or even found bearable by everyone. On the other hand, absence of reflection belongs to a very great extent to certain definite stages of achieving and moving forward. And yet the questioning belonging to reflection never becomes either groundless or beyond all question, because, in anticipation, it question concerning Being. Being is for it that which is most worthy of questioning. Reflection finds in Being its most extreme resistance, which constrains it to deal seriously with whatever is as the latter is brought into the light of its Being. Reflection on the essence of the modern age puts thinking and decision into the sphere of effective working that belongs to the genuinely essential forces of this age. These forces work as they will, beyond the reach of all everyday valuation. In the face of these forces, there is only a readiness for their decisive issue, or, instead, an evasive turning away into the ahistorical. In this connection, however, it is not sufficient to affirm technology, for example, or, out of an attitude incomparably more essential, to set up “total mobilization” as an absolute once it is recognized as being at hand(*21). It is a matter of constantly grasping in advance the essence of the age from out of the truth of Being holding sway within it; for only thus, simultaneously, is that which is most worthy of questioning experienced, i.e., that which radically carries forward and constrains a creating into the future, out beyond what is at hand, and lets the transformation of man become a necessity springing forth from Being itself. No age lets itself be done away with by a negating decree. Negation only throws the negator off the path. The modern age requires, however, in order to be withstood in the future, in its essence and on the very strength of its essence, an originality and range of reflection for which we of today are perhaps preparing somewhat, but over which we certainly can never gain mastery.

[*21. Heidegger refers here to the central theme of Ernst Jünger’s “Die Totale Mobilmachung,” first published in 1931 as the preliminary sketch for his monumental book Der Arbeiter [The worker] (Hamburg: Hanseatische Verlaganstalt, 1932). Originally, on the basis of his experience of World War I, Jünger sees “total mobilization” as the fundamental characteristic of modern warfare. Primarily a confrontation between man and technology, war shows itself to be a “gigantic labor process” (gigantischer Arbeitsporzess). (See “Die Totale Mobilmachung” in Blatter und Steine [Hamburg: Hanseatische Verlaganstalt, 1934], p. 130.) In the evolution of Junger’s thinking, the meaning of the term “total mobilization” extends itself to denote the phenomenon which for him is the essence modern times: man’s dominating of the earth by means of his technological will. “The war front and the labor front are identical” (Der Arbeiter, p. 109). Viewing Jünger’s thinking in the light of Nietzsche’s, Heidegger understands “total mobilization” as the final realization of the metaphysics of the will to power, or as the final phase of “active nihilism.” See The Question of Being [Zur Seinsfrage], trans. William Kluback and Jean T. Wilde (New York: Twayne, 1958), pp. 41 ff.]

1. The phrase “ongoing activity” [Betrieb] is not intended here in a pejorative sense. But because research is, in essence, ongoing activity, the industrious activity of mere “busyness” [des blossen Betriebs], which is always possible, gives the impression of a higher reality behind which the burrowing activity proper to research work is accomplished. Ongoing activity becomes mere busyness whenever, in the pursuing of its methodology, it no longer keeps itself open on the basis of an ever-new accomplishing of its projection-plan, but only leaves that plan behind itself as a given; never again confirms and verifies its own self-accumulating results and the calculation of them, but simply chases after such results and calculations. Mere busyness must at all times be combated precisely because research is, in its essence, ongoing activity. If we seek what is scientific in science solely in serene erudition, then of course it seems as though the disowning of practical activity also means the denying of the fact that research becomes ongoing activity, and in that way mounts to its proper level of performance, the more constantly does the danger of mere industriousness grow within it. Finally a situation arises in which the distinction between ongoing activity and busyness not only has become unrecognizable, but has become unreal as well. Precisely this balancing out of the essential and the aberrant into the average that is the self-evident makes research as the embodiment of science, and thus makes the modern age itself, capable of enduring. But whence does search receive the counterpoise to the mere busyness within its ongoing activity?
   
2. The growing importance of the publishing business is not based merely on the fact that publishers (perhaps through the process of marketing their books) comes to have the best ear for the needs of the public or that they are better businessmen than are authors. Rather their peculiar work takes the form of a procedure that plans and that establishes itself with a view to the way in which, through the prearranged and limited publication of books and periodicals, they are to bring the world into the picture for the public and confirm it publicly. The preponderance of collections, of sets of books, of series and pocket editions, is already a consequence of this work on the part of publishers, which in turn coincides with the aims of researchers, since the latter not only are acknowledged and given consideration more easily and more rapidly through collections and sets, but, reaching a wider public, they immediately achieve their intended effect.
   
3. The fundamental metaphysical position of Descartes is taken over historically from the Platonic-Aristotelian metaphysics and moves, despite its new beginning, within the same question: What is it to be? That this question, formulated in this way, does not come to the fore in Descartes’s Meditations only proves how essentially the change in the answer to it already determines the fundamental position. Descartes’s interpretation of what it is to be and of truth first creates the presupposition underlying the possibility of a theory of knowledge or a metaphysics of knowledge. Through Descartes, realism is first put in the position of having to prove the reality of the outer world, of having to save that which is as such.
   

The essential modifications of the fundamental position of Descartes that have been attained in German thinking since Leibniz does not in any way overcome that fundamental position itself. They simply expand its metaphysical scope and create the presuppositions of the nineteenth century, still the most obscure of all the centuries of the modern age up to now. Indirectly those modifications confirm the fundamental position of Descartes in a form in which they themselves are almost unrecognizable, though they are not for that reason the less real. In contrast, mere Cartesian Scholasticism, with its rationalism, has lost all power further to shape modern times. With Descartes begins the completion and consummation of Western metaphysics. And yet, because such a consummation is only possible once again as metaphysics, modern thinking has its own greatness.
With the interpretation of man as subiectum, Descartes creates the metaphysical presupposition for future anthropology of every kind and tendency. In the rise of the anthropologies. Descartes celebrates his greatest triumph. Through anthropology the transition of metaphysics into the event of the simple stopping and setting aside of all philosophy is introduced. The fact that Dilthey disavowed metaphysics, that fundamentally he no longer even understood its question and stood helpless before metaphysical logic, is the inner consequence of his fundamental anthropological position. His “philosophy of philosophy” is an outstanding form of the anthropological abrogation - not the overcoming - of philosophy. This is why every anthropology in which previous philosophy is employed at will but is explained as superfluous qua philosophy has the advantage of seeing clearly what is required along with the affirmation of anthropology. Through this, the intellectual situation finds some clarification, while the laborious fabrications of such absurd offshoots as the national-socialist philosophies produce nothing but confusion. The world view does indeed need and use philosophical erudition, but it requires no philosophy, since, as world view, it has already taken over a particular interpretation and structuring of whatever is. But one thing, surely, anthropology cannot do. It cannot overcome Descartes, nor even rise up against him, for how shall the consequence ever attack the ground on which it stands?
Descartes can be overcome only through the overcoming of that which he himself founded, only through the overcoming of modern, and that means at the same time Western, metaphysics. Overcoming means here, however, the primal asking of the question concerning the meaning, i.e., concerning the realm of the projection or delineation, and thus concerning the truth, of Being - which question simultaneously unveils itself as the question concerning the Being of truth.

1. The concept of world as it is developed in Being and Time is to be understood only from within the horizon of the question concerning “openness for Being” [Da-sein], a question that, for its part, remains closely conjoined with the fundamental question concerning the meaning of Being (not with the meaning of that which is).
   
2. What belongs properly to the essence of the picture is standing-together, system. By this is not meant the artificial and external simplifying and putting together of what is given, but the unity of structure in that which is represented [im Vorgestellten] as such, a unity that develops out of the projection of the objectivity of whatever is. In the Middle Ages a system is impossible, for there a ranked order of correspondences is alone essential, and indeed as an ordering of whatever is in the sense of what has been created by God is watched over as his sense of what has been created by God and is watched over as his creature. The system is still more foreign to the Greeks, even if in modern times we speak, though quite wrongly, of the Platonic and Aristotelian “systems.” Ongoing activity in research is a specific bodying-forth and ordering of the systematic, in which, at the same time, the latter reciprocally determines the ordering. Where the world becomes picture, the system, and not only in thinking, comes to dominance. However, where the system is in the ascendancy, the possibility always exists also of its degenerating into the superficiality of a system that has merely been fabricated and pieced together. This takes place when the original power of the projecting is lacking. The uniqueness of the systematic in Leibniz, Kant, Fichte, Hegel, and Schelling - a uniqueness that is inherently diverse - is still not grasped. The greatness of the systematic in these thinkers lies in the fact that it unfolds not as in Descartes out of the subject as ego and substantia finita, but either as in Leibniz out of the monad, or as in Kant out of the transcendental essence of finite understanding rooted in the imagination, or as in Fichte out of the infinite I, or as in Hegel out of Spirit as absolute knowledge, or as in Schelling out of freedom as the necessity of every particular being which, as such a being, remains determined through the distinction between ground and existence.
   

The representation of value is just as essential to the modern interpretation of that which is, as is the system. Where anything that is has become the object of representing, it first incurs in a certain manner a loss of Being. This loss is adequately perceived, if but vaguely and unclearly, and is compensated for with corresponding swiftness through the fact that we impart value to the object and to that which is, interpreted as object, and that we take the measure of whatever is, solely in keeping with the criterion of value, and make of values themselves the goal of all activity. Since the latter is understood as culture, values become cultural values, and these, in turn, become the very expression of the highest purposes of creativity, in the service of man’s making himself secure as subiectum. From here it is only a step to making values into objects in themselves. Value is the objectification of needs as goals, wrought by a representing self-establishing within the world as picture. Value appears to be the expression of the fact that we, in our position of relationship to it, act to advance just that which is itself most valuable; and yet that very value is the impotent and threadbare disguise of the objectivity of whatever is, an objectivity that has become flat and devoid of background. No one dies for mere values. We should note, for the sake of shedding light on the nineteenth century, the peculiar in-between position of Harmann Lotze, who at the same time that he was reinterpreting Plato’s Ideas as values undertook, under the title Microcosmos, that Attempt at an Anthropology (1856) which still drew sustenance for the nobility and straightforwardness of its mode of thinking from the spirit of German idealism, yet also opened that thinking to positivism. Because Nietzsche’s thinking remains imprisoned in value representation, he has to articulate what is essential for him in the form of a reversal, as the revaluation of all values. Only when we succeed in grasping Nietzsche’s thinking independently of value representation do we come to a standing-ground from which the work of the last thinker of metaphysics becomes a task assigned to questioning, and Nietzsche’s antagonism to Wagner becomes comprehensible as the necessity of our history.

1. Correspondence [Die Entspechung], thought as the fundamental characteristic of the Being of whatever is, furnishes the pattern for very specific possibilities and modes of setting the truth of this Being, in whatever has being, into the work. The art work of the Middle Ages and the absence of a world picture in that age belong together.
   
2. But did not a sophist at about the time of Socrates dare to day, “Man is the measure of all things, of those that are [der seienden], that they are, of those that are not, that they are not?” Does this statement of Protagoras not sound as though Descartes were speaking? Most importantly, is it not true that the Being of whatever is, is grasped by Plato as that which is beheld, as of whatever is, is grasped by Plato as that which is beheld, as idea? Is the relation to what is as such not for Aristotle theoria, pure beholding? And yet it is no more the case that this sophistic statement of Protagoras is subjectivism than it is that Descartes could carry into execution nothing but the overturning of Greek thought. Certainly, through Plato’s thinking and through Aristotle’s questioning, a decisive change takes place in the interpretation of what is and of men, but it is a change that always remains on the foundation of the Greek fundamental experience of what is. Precisely as a struggle against sophism and therefore in dependency upon it, this changed interpretation is so decisive that it proves to be the end of Greek thought, an end that at the same time indirectly prepare the possibility of the modern age. This is why Platonic and Aristotelian thinking has been able to pass for Greek thinking per se, not only in the Middle Ages but throughout the modern age up to now, and why all pre-Platonic thinking could be considered merely a preparation for Plato. It is because from long habituation we see Greek thinking through a modern humanistic interpretation that it remains denied to us to ponder the Being that opened itself to Greek antiquity in such a way as to leave to it its uniqueness and its strangeness. Protagoras’ statement runs: Panton chrematon metron estin athropos, to men onton hos estin, ton de me onton hos ouk estin (cf. Plato, Theaetus, 152). *23
   

“Of all things (those, namely, that man has about him in customary use, and therefore constantly, chremata chresthai) the (particular) man is the measure, of those that presence, that they presence as they presence, but also of those to which it remains denied to presence, that they do not presence.” That which is whose Being stands ready for decision is here understood as that which presence of itself within this sphere, within the horizon of man. But who is man? Plato gives details concerning this in the same place, when he has Socrates say: Oukoun houtos pos legei, hos hoia men hekasta emoi phainetai, toiauta men estin emoi, hoia de soi toiauta de au soi’ anthropos de su te kai ego: *24 “Does he (Protagoras) not understand this somewhat as follows? Whatever at a given time anything shows itself to me as, of such aspect is it (also) for me; but whatever it shows itself to you as, such is it in turn for you. You are a man as much as I.”*25
Man is here, accordingly, a particular man (I and you and he and she). And this ego is not supposed to coincide with the ego cogito of Descartes? Never. For everything essential, i.e., that which determines with equal necessity the two fundamental metaphysical positions in Protagoras and Descartes, is different in the two. What is essential in a fundamental metaphysical position embraces:

1. The manner and mode in which man is man, i.e., is himself; the manner of the coming to presence [Wesensart] of selfhood, which is not at all synonymous with I-ness, but rather is determined out of the relation to Being as such
2. The interpretation of the coming to presence [Wesensauslegung] of the Being of whatever is
3. The delineation of the coming to presence [Wesensentwurf] of truth
4. The sense in which, in any given instance, man is measure

None of these essential moments in a fundamental metaphysical position may be understood apart from the others. Each one always betokens, from the outset, the whole of a fundamental metaphysical position. Precisely why and in what respect these four moments sustain and structure in advance a fundamental metaphysical position as such is a question that can no longer be asked or answered from out of metaphysics and by means of metaphysics. It is a question that is already being uttered from out of the overcoming of metaphysics.
To be sure, for Protagoras, that which is does remain related to man as ego. What kind of relation to the I is this? The ego tarries within the horizon of the unconcealment that is meted out to it always as this particular unconcealment. Accordingly, it apprehends everything that presences within this horizon as something that is. The apprehending of what presences is grounded in this tarrying within the horizon of unconcealment. Through its tarrying [das Verweilen] in company with what presences, the belongingness of the I into the midst of what presences is. This belonging to what presences in the open fixes the boundaries between that which presences and that which absents itself. From out of these boundaries man receives and keeps safe the measure of that which presences and that which absents. Through man’s being limited to that which, at any particular time, is unconcealed, there is given to him the measure that always confines a self to this or that. Man does not, from out of some detached I-ness, set forth the measure to which everything that is, in its Being, must accommodate itself. Man who possesses the Greeks’ fundamental relationship to that which is and to its unconcealment is metron (measure [Mass]) In that he accepts restriction [Massigung] to the horizon of unconcealment that is limited after the manner of the I; and he consequently acknowledges the concealedness of what is and the insusceptibility of the latter’s presencing or absenting to any decision, and to a like degree acknowledges the insuspectibility to decision of the visible aspect of that which endures as present. Hence Protagoras says (Diels, Fragmente der Vorsokratiker: Protagoras B, 4): *Peri men theon ouk echo eidenai, outh hos eisin, outh hous ouk eisin, outh hopoioi tines idean. **27 “I am surely not in a position to know anything (for the Greek, to have anything in ‘sight’) regarding the gods, neither that they are nor that they are not, nor how they are in their visible aspect (idea).”
Polla gar ta koluonta eidenai, he t’ adelotes kai brachus on ho bios tou anthropou.*28 “For manifold is that which prevents the apprehending of whatever is as what it is, i.e., both the nondisclosedness (concealment) of what is and the brevity of man’s historical course.”
Need we wonder that Socrates, considering Protagoras’ circumspection, says of him, Eikos mentoi sophon andra me lerein: “We may suppose that he (Protagoras), a sensible man, (in his statement about man as metron) is not simply babbling on.”
The fundamental metaphysical position of Protagoras is only a narrowing down, but that means nonetheless a preserving, of the fundamental position of Heraclitus and Parmenides. Sophism is possible only on the foundation of sophia, i.e., on the foundation of the Greek interpretation of Being as presencing and of truth as unconcealment - an unconcealment that itself remains an essential determination of Being, so that what presences is determined from out of unconcealment and presencing is determined from out of unconcealedness in its particularity. But just how far removed is Descartes from the beginning of Greek thinking, just how different is the interpretation of man that represents him as subject? Precisely because in the concept of the subiectum the coming to presence of Being as experienced by the Greeks - the hypokeisthai of the hypokeimenon - still resounds in the form of a presencing that has become unrecognizable and unquestioned (namely, the presencing of that which lies fixedly before), therefore the essence of the change in fundamental metaphysical position is to be seen from out of that coming to presence of Being.
It is one thing to preserve the horizon of unconcealment that is limited at any given time through the apprehending of what presence (man as metron). It is another to proceed into the unlimited sphere of possible objectification, through the reckoning up of the representable that is accessible to every man and binding for all.
All subjectivism is impossible in Greek sophism, for here man can never be subiectum; he cannot become subiectum because here Being is presencing and truth is unconcealment.
In unconcealment fantasia comes to pass: the coming-into-appearance, as a particular something, of that which presences - for man, who himself presences toward what appears. Man as representing subject, however, “fantasizes,” i.e., he moves in imaginatio, in that his representing imagines, pictures forth, whatever is, as the objective, into the world as picture.
[*27. “As to the gods, I have no means of knowing either that they exist or that they do not exist” (Nahm).
*28. “For many are the obstacles that impede knowledge, both the obscurity of the question and the shortness of human life” (Nahm).]

Hi everyone! I (f17) have a boyfriend (M18) of almost 8 months and we are currently in a relationship with no distance boundary. However, in 3 months, I am moving to Ireland for 3-4 years to pursue a degree in psychology. We will have a 5-hour time zone difference and a 6 hour flight and an entire ocean between us.
We have both been afraid of it in the past but decided to give it a try. Do you think it is a good idea? Our future goals align directly; we have the same hopes and dreams and he is hands down the love of my life and I feel so connected to him even if I'm 17 and don't know what love is lol. I only see a few potential sources of conflict:
When he gets tired/stressed, he is unable to communicate as well. Obviously, with him starting college, he will be tired and stressed a lot, and I depend heavily on good communication which makes me nervous. Additionally, he is very worried about how it will take a toll on his bank account (flights/hotels). I'm a little worried this will inhibit him from visiting me. Those are the only two major sources of conflict between us I can see. I also have past struggles with relationships and thus am anxious/need reassurance a lot, which will be much more difficult with distance. I am aware that he is not any of my exes and I need to get over that fear, and am trying to actively in therapy.
Has anyone been in a similar situation who can vouch for why I should or shouldn't try it? And if so, could I have some tips too? I know I'm young but I want to marry this man and he has expressed the same sentiment. I really hope it works out.

Almost 21. In college for 2 years but likely not be able to afford to complete the rest of my degree currently even on aid. so need help brainstorming a long-term backup plan for work. I am legally considered homeless, but are housed with a friend's family and would like to work towards saving up to be self sufficient. I have 6 months of retail experience from 2 years ago but it wasn't feasible long term.
Looking for jobs where I can walk around and does not require to be standing or sitting in one place all day. I do not have a driver's license (complicated situation, if I could I would but I am not able to right now. Please do not say to do this because that is truly not obtainable right now), but can bike and have another reliable method of transportation where I am not driver. I am kinesthetic and constantly need to move or I end up zoned out and staring at the wall all day.
Some jobs that attract me on the surface level are landscaping/lawn care and firefighting because these types of things are goal-oriented, helpful, and follows a procedure. I also like the idea of being outdoors or having a change of scenery and not being stuck in the same location constantly. I have been browsing on Indeed.
Realistically, I wish I had went into trade school instead of attempting a 4 year degree because I feel like I would have found enjoyment in construction / carpentry / plumbing or other specialized fields where I can use my hands and get stuff done. However, I do not have any specific mechanical knowledge currently beyond operating basic power tools and lawn equipment. I don't directly know anyone in fields like this that can mentor.
Personality-wise, I am not very social, but more mellow and chill. Quiet and unexpressive. I can follow directions and I like to learn. I am admittedly not very smart, a slow reader, and struggle with memory loss. Would probably do best working with a small team. I do not have a lot of upper body strength, but average build and flexibility. My hobbies are watching sports and video gaming.
TLDR: Looking for ideas and advice on finding an entry level way into a path that allows me to move around and be active, complete tasks, develop useful skills, does not require driving a car or truck or extensive schooling.

Hi everyone,
This has been a question on my mind for awhile as a 26 year old guy. Alot of women love styling their outfits, going to the salon, getting their nails done, makeup, fashion, etc to make themselves feel great and confident. However, looks and attraction to certain styles has been a very big thing for me to look for in a partner and I'm not good enough to be going out to models and fashion designers to date.
Sooo, I was wondering how a girl would find it if I helped her 'do it all' for her, or give advice on styles, making her look better, etc. Am I overstepping a boundary and going into a "her-only" activity and making myself look like a fool?
I'm no designer or modelling agent and my careelife has nothing to do with it, it's more to style the girl I'd like to be with, buy her all the different types of outfits I would like her to wear, do her makeup to what I'd like it to look (basically create and style her to be more attractive when we go out).
If this oversteps it, I'll refrain from ever doing this and will just be the 'helping hand' and buy her gifts/ little things / pointers and let her have it be a "her-time"

The average joe would be in jail or face a heavy fine if they are caught doing illegal activities like tax evasion or stealing. Corporations on the other hand perform illegal activities like tax evasion, fraud, wage theft or price fixing on a MUCH larger scale, MUCH higher impact to the society, and higher frequency, yet they almost always get away with barely a slap on the wrist (i.e. a laughably small fine which is less than pocket change, and zero consequences for the c-suite). Is it because it's easier to prosecute individual average joe's as opposed to multiple billionaires who probably has connections with the justice system and government?

Honestly? I know posting this again and again on this sub is what I’ve been doing lately and I’m now kind of loosing hope. But even if someone still seems interested? I’ll post again!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful time.
Pls ignore if you want to ghost.
A little bit about myself- So basically I love movies, loves some good music, I read sometimes, I meditate, does workout, watches cartoons too sometimes(SpongeBob SquarePants & Adventure time are my favorites), Chainsaw man has been my favourite anime, recently finished berserk now reading the manga, kind of a foodie, can cook also & I have a huge collection of memes.
I’d really like make some friends here. I’d really love to have some deep,weird,funny conversations no matter what you’d like to talk about even if they’re nsfw. But would really love some real connections & I'm up for long term friendships.
Also last year got diagnosed with Tinnitus unfortunately.
Have been on a rough place mentally, so kind of knows what it feels like to be alone & the irony is that I’m still alone. But would love to have someone to talk to, to be there if someone needs or want to vent out. Still going through a very rough patch. But it’ll be fine. Can say I’ve changed but for good.
My hands made me popular- So I accidentally found about that theres a thing about hands people like? So I started posting from last year as people like my hands. Eventually people also started to catfish people around the internet using my hand pictures. Fixed that! But had to make a Tumblr account. So I mostly post there now. Honestly? From last year till now? I’ve discovered so many new things & yes most of them are nsfw. Currently active on Tumblr as I’m posting more of my hands there.
Kind of bad at conversations at first but once I understand the vibe of the person I’m talking to I try to match the vibe. Im a quick Lerner & a good listener too!
Yes! I’m a biker too!
I do have a doggo too, so I can like send u pictures of him. & yes, I’m a guy!
Also my chats here are messed up so if you want? do add me on discord or Snapchat.
It'll be all upto u that it's SFW or NSFW! But do just point it out. Cause it's important to know before a great start of our conversations also I'm like making NSFW reference jokes all the time & into NSFW big times. Currently practising SR and yeah it’s cool. But if you have a dirty mind? It’s a bonus cause I’m big times into nsfw and I’d love to be able to talk freely about anything.
Superpowers I have? Well I have a photographic memory, sometimes I can continue the dream I left of after waking up to to go pee and come back to sleep, my visualisation game is way too strong like if you tell me a story or an incident, I'm mentally there and could see it. I once did NoFap for 111 days.
Pros of having me as a friend? · I'm there for you whenever you want someone to talk to or vent to. · I barely judge anyone, so I just make sure if someone is comfortable around me. · I'm actually pretty good at giving some good advices. I've saved life's if u want know. · I'll send you memes everyday. Best ones. · I'm dominant person!
Cons of having me? · I send you memes everyday!
& if no one told you today, you’re really amazing/beautiful, you’re doing great! You got this! have a wonderful weekend & you’re not alone!
Let's see how many times I have to post such stuff to find a friend! Sigh
Since reddit is broken, add me on discord! Or telegram & Please wherever you add me or text me kindly give an introduction! And please don’t just send “Hi” or “Hello”. I’m putting much efforts to tell you so much so I’d like at least a little introduction of yours.
P.s. I have a humble request, if you’d ghost me after just having a conversation once, then please don’t text. It hurts when you’ve been ghosted while u had a conversation with a person and you plan to talk about more stuff but you’re ghosted! It’s just stupid.
Also! I'm straight. So freaky guys! Just no please. 🤦🏻‍♂️
Sorry if I didn't respond to your message, my reddit chats are going bonkers lately! Kindly add me on discord.
Sorry for a really long text! Here’s a Doggo u can pat 🐶

We share 3 kids, a nice home, and some property.
We do not have a joint account after his financial infidelity. I pay for the mortgage, all kids expenses, my personal expenses, household expenses and my vehicle. He pays for the rest.
We’ve been together for 6 years.
We were engaged. I don’t know what we are to each other now. He calls me coldly “old woman” or “wife” to his colleagues. I call him a boyfriend.
I broke off the wedding the first time 4 years ago because he was not coming overnight when he promised he would and drinking to black outs.
We agreed to make it work and started wedding preparation anew.
I broke off the wedding the second time 6 months ago because not only he started working very late and showing up drunk, not spending any time with me and kids, but I also discovered he had what he called an “emotional affair” with his female colleague that lasted for 6 months and he hid it from me. I personally think they had some form of sex, or he had it elsewhere and was hoping to get it from her. She’s 3 years older than he is, and dates several men at the same time. I don’t think she wanted to be with him, tbh. It looked like he was grooming her. Anyway. They were talking at nights for hours. FYI, he’s never talked to me for hours before I discovered his affair.
We agreed to reconcile and give it one last chance. He said he will go sober.
He’s starting to drink again. He says he can control it and drink on occasions. When he drinks, he gets angry. I’ve told him that many times. He ignores what I say and dismisses it altogether. He mocks it and makes fun of it. He doesn’t seem to treat it seriously. He truly believes we’re okay.
He agreed to the full device and account transparency and to read Not Just Friends, but everything seems really forced on him. He shows no initiative in anything. He resents if I ask him for favors. He calls those barking orders even if I nicely ask and say it’s important for me. He doesn’t initiate date, give gifts, text or call during the day. He’s annoyed when I text or call him. He isn’t willing to commingle accounts again.
He now just Zelles me a portion of his paycheck to pay his portion of the bills, and keeps the rest. So we have no savings. At least, to my knowledge. He spent all our savings during the affair period , he says.
He hasn’t talked about our future. I mentioned how important the marriage is for me and he dismisses it. He’s always busy to discuss it or plan. He dreads planning or talking about chores/responsibilities. He doesn’t do much around the house when home. He works 12 hours, or at least he’s not home during that time.
Most of the time, I call and ask where he’s at. I decided to stop doing that and disengage.
He wants me to have another child and believe him on his word that he “loves me and only me”. But to me; his actions don’t speak it.
A few days ago, I discovered he was on Onlyfans. I asked him to delete the account. He said he didn’t want to but would do it for me. He did.
He switched jobs because he was let go from his previous job since I emailed his boss and exposed their affair. He was a director of operations and she was a director of HR. I was hoping the boss would let her go since her conduct was unprofessional of an HR. The boss kept her.
He found a new job. He blocked her on LinkedIn and unfollowed the LinkedIn page of his former employer that she posts since she has access to their social media, controls and manages it.
So, now I discover he re-followed the social media. He goes there every day. It’s like an obsession for him. He’s literally obsessed with her posts. He doesn’t go to other places even close to the amount of times he goes there. She worked for the energy sector and his current role is not related to it, but he claims he goes because his current employer used to be involved in energy too and it’s interesting to him. He also continues to talk to his former colleagues. He was only there for a year. Last time, he went there right after he snapped at me out of the blue and just stared at her social media post about her sponsoring a conference.
I talked to him about it. I was so upset I was crying and saying I’m very sad, deeply depressed and his actions destroy my self-esteem. He dismisses all of my feelings, said I’m overreacting, I’m being too dramatic, also implied I’m crazy. He said he’s sick of problems. Now, he even denies the emotional affair and says they were just friends and nothing happened.
I asked him to unfollow and stop giving attention to this woman. He said he doesn’t want to do it because he doesn’t think it’s a big deal, but will do it for me. He told me I will have to go check if he’s still following her or not on my own, because he doesn’t want to talk about this ever again. He also told me to stop “spying on his conversations and media” because I take things out of context and react like crazy.
I actually think my reactions are proportionate. I think any woman would act at least like that and likely worse. I think my feelings are valid. I think he doesn’t care.
I booked a date for us and kids at the observatory to go stargazing. He got wasted. I was nervous all the time to not set him off so he doesn’t get livid.
He went to work today without even looking at me.
I am seeing a therapist to cope with depression and be the best mom for my kids.
My therapist can’t give me advice, but she’s very concerned with his BPD/NDP traits. She used to see us together and him individually a few times. She thinks he can get help but he refuses it and says therapy isn’t for him.
I feel lack of any connection. I want to walk holding hands, do activities, visit new places, cook/look each other in the eyes, and have this romantic simple life together. He wants drinks, sluttiness, and stay home on the couch or golf, to the extent we can do our own things although in the same area. I feel like a pursuer deprived of attention. He feels suffocated by me.
My depression/anxiety are worse due to his constant dismissal and invalidation of my feelings. It gets worse when he follows other women.
I think he needs a more independent person, and he wants me to be on my own and possibly with other men. I am not sure about other men, but I suspect it. He’s turned on by that. She should probably also drink a lot for them to enjoy. He says wants me to be happy and not sad. He says that My depression turns him off. He’s tired of all the problems, and just wants to enjoy.
Is there anything I can do to help restore and heal this, or are we doomed?
To me, it seems we both can’t give each other what the other one wants. I need perspectives.

We share 3 kids, a nice home, and some property.
We do not have a joint account after his financial infidelity. I pay for the mortgage, all kids expenses, my personal expenses, household expenses and my vehicle. He pays for the rest.
We’ve been together for 6 years.
We were engaged. I don’t know what we are to each other now. He calls me coldly “old woman” or “wife” to his colleagues. I call him a boyfriend.
I broke off the wedding the first time 4 years ago because he was not coming overnight when he promised he would and drinking to black outs.
We agreed to make it work and started wedding preparation anew.
I broke off the wedding the second time 6 months ago because not only he started working very late and showing up drunk, not spending any time with me and kids, but I also discovered he had what he called an “emotional affair” with his female colleague that lasted for 6 months and he hid it from me. I personally think they had some form of sex, or he had it elsewhere and was hoping to get it from her. She’s 3 years older than he is, and dates several men at the same time. I don’t think she wanted to be with him, tbh. It looked like he was grooming her. Anyway. They were talking at nights for hours. FYI, he’s never talked to me for hours before I discovered his affair.
We agreed to reconcile and give it one last chance. He said he will go sober.
He’s starting to drink again. He says he can control it and drink on occasions. When he drinks, he gets angry. I’ve told him that many times. He ignores what I say and dismisses it altogether. He mocks it and makes fun of it. He doesn’t seem to treat it seriously. He truly believes we’re okay.
He agreed to the full device and account transparency and to read Not Just Friends, but everything seems really forced on him. He shows no initiative in anything. He resents if I ask him for favors. He calls those barking orders even if I nicely ask and say it’s important for me. He doesn’t initiate date, give gifts, text or call during the day. He’s annoyed when I text or call him. He isn’t willing to commingle accounts again. He just Zelles me a portion of his paycheck and keeps the rest. He hasn’t talked about our future. I mentioned how important the marriage is for me and he finishes it.
He wants me to have another child and believe him on his word that he “loves me and only me”.
A few days ago, I discovered he was on Onlyfans. I asked him to delete the account. He said he didn’t want to but would do it for me.
He switched jobs because he was let from his previous job since I emailed his boss and exposed their affair. He was a director of operations and she was a director of HR. I was hoping the boss would let her go since her conduct was utterly unprofessional of an HR. The boss kept her.
He found a new job. He blocked her on LinkedIn and unfollowed the LinkedIn page of his former employer that she posts since she has access to their social media, controls and manages it.
So, now I discover he re-followed the social media. He goes there every day. It’s like an obsession? He continues to talk to his former colleagues. He was only there for a year. Last time, he went there right after he snapped at me out of the blue and just stared at her social media post about her sponsoring a conference.
I talked to him about it. I was so upset I was crying and saying I don’t want to live anymore, I’m very sad, deeply depressed and his actions destroy my self-esteem. He dismisses all of my feelings, said I’m overreacting, I’m being too dramatic, also implied I’m crazy. He said he’s sick of problems.
I asked him to unfollow and stop giving attention to his affair partner. He said he doesn’t want to do it but will do it for me. He told me I will have to go check if he’s still following her or not, but he doesn’t want to talk about this ever again.
I booked a date for us and kids at the observatory to go stargazing. He got wasted. I was nervous all the time to not set him off so he doesn’t get livid.
He went to work today without even looking at me.
I am seeing a therapist to cope with depression and be the best mom for my kids.
My therapist can’t give me advice, but she’s very concerned with his BPD/NDP traits. She used to see us together and him individually a few times. She thinks he can get help but he refuses it and says therapy isn’t for him.
I feel lack of any connection. I want to walk holding hands, do activities, visit new places, cook/look each other in the eyes, and have this romantic simple life together. He wants drinks, sluttiness, and stay home on the couch or golf, to the extent we can do our own things although in the same area. I feel like a pursuer deprived of attention. He feels suffocated by me.
My depression/anxiety are worse due to his constant dismissal and invalidation of my feelings. I think he needs a more independent person, and he wants me to be on my own and possibly with other men. I am not sure about other men, but I suspect it. He’s turned on by that. He wants me to be happy and not sad. My depression turns him off.
Is there anything I can do to help restore and heal this, or are we doomed?
To me, it seems we both can’t give each other what the other one wants. I need perspectives.

We share 3 kids, a nice home, and some property.
We do not have a joint account after his financial infidelity. I pay for the mortgage, all kids expenses, my personal expenses, household expenses and my vehicle. He pays for the rest.
We’ve been together for 6 years.
We were engaged. I don’t know what we are to each other now. He calls me coldly “old woman” or “wife” to his colleagues. I call him a boyfriend.
I broke off the wedding the first time 4 years ago because he was not coming overnight when he promised he would and drinking to black outs.
We agreed to make it work and started wedding preparation anew.
I broke off the wedding the second time 6 months ago because not only he started working very late and showing up drunk, not spending any time with me and kids, but I also discovered he had what he called an “emotional affair” with his female colleague that lasted for 6 months and he hid it from me. I personally think they had some form of sex, or he had it elsewhere and was hoping to get it from her. She’s 3 years older than he is, and dates several men at the same time. I don’t think she wanted to be with him, tbh. It looked like he was grooming her. Anyway. They were talking at nights for hours. FYI, he’s never talked to me for hours before I discovered his affair.
We agreed to reconcile and give it one last chance. He said he will go sober.
He’s starting to drink again. He says he can control it and drink on occasions. When he drinks, he gets angry. I’ve told him that many times. He ignores what I say and dismisses it altogether. He mocks it and makes fun of it. He doesn’t seem to treat it seriously. He truly believes we’re okay.
He agreed to the full device and account transparency and to read Not Just Friends, but everything seems really forced on him. He shows no initiative in anything. He resents if I ask him for favors. He calls those barking orders even if I nicely ask and say it’s important for me. He doesn’t initiate date, give gifts, text or call during the day. He’s annoyed when I text or call him. He isn’t willing to commingle accounts again. He just Zelles me a portion of his paycheck and keeps the rest. He hasn’t talked about our future. I mentioned how important the marriage is for me and he finishes it.
He wants me to have another child and believe him on his word that he “loves me and only me”.
A few days ago, I discovered he was on Onlyfans. I asked him to delete the account. He said he didn’t want to but would do it for me.
He switched jobs because he was let from his previous job since I emailed his boss and exposed their affair. He was a director of operations and she was a director of HR. I was hoping the boss would let her go since her conduct was utterly unprofessional of an HR. The boss kept her.
He found a new job. He blocked her on LinkedIn and unfollowed the LinkedIn page of his former employer that she posts since she has access to their social media, controls and manages it.
So, now I discover he re-followed the social media. He goes there every day. It’s like an obsession? He continues to talk to his former colleagues. He was only there for a year. Last time, he went there right after he snapped at me out of the blue and just stared at her social media post about her sponsoring a conference.
I talked to him about it. I was so upset I was crying and saying I don’t want to live anymore, I’m very sad, deeply depressed and his actions destroy my self-esteem. He dismisses all of my feelings, said I’m overreacting, I’m being too dramatic, also implied I’m crazy. He said he’s sick of problems.
I asked him to unfollow and stop giving attention to his affair partner. He said he doesn’t want to do it but will do it for me. He told me I will have to go check if he’s still following her or not, but he doesn’t want to talk about this ever again.
I booked a date for us and kids at the observatory to go stargazing. He got wasted. I was nervous all the time to not set him off so he doesn’t get livid.
He went to work today without even looking at me.
I am seeing a therapist to cope with depression and be the best mom for my kids.
My therapist can’t give me advice, but she’s very concerned with his BPD/NDP traits. She used to see us together and him individually a few times. She thinks he can get help but he refuses it and says therapy isn’t for him.
I feel lack of any connection. I want to walk holding hands, do activities, visit new places, cook/look each other in the eyes, and have this romantic simple life together. He wants drinks, sluttiness, and stay home on the couch or golf, to the extent we can do our own things although in the same area. I feel like a pursuer deprived of attention. He feels suffocated by me.
My depression/anxiety are worse due to his constant dismissal and invalidation of my feelings. I think he needs a more independent person, and he wants me to be on my own and possibly with other men. I am not sure about other men, but I suspect it. He’s turned on by that. He wants me to be happy and not sad. My depression turns him off.
Is there anything I can do to help restore and heal this, or are we doomed?
To me, it seems we both can’t give each other what the other one wants. I need perspectives.

My (26M) partner on the ace spectrum (23F) recently ended things with me after 9 months. It was a pretty amicable split and we're still friends as of me writing this.
To provide context, she said she's pretty neutral on everything intimate except for stuff that involves mouth contact. Meanwhile, as someone who has been wondering if they are on the gray-ace spectrum (lower sex drive and romantic attraction than most, possibly demi-romantic) I was completely fine with how things were going, my only request from her being that I hoped we could try cuddling for our 1-year anniversary.
The reason she wanted to end things was because she felt we didn't fully know each other well enough after 9 months, and she didn't enjoy the pressure of simply being in a relationship, as she felt higher expectations were on her. For further context, our relationship has mostly been along the lines of friend hangouts- walks in the park, playing video games, watching movies, chatting, going to dinner, etc. The one thing I wouldn't consider platonic in these interactions was a kiss on the back of her hand we both agreed to try recently. I really didn't expect anything more intimate than cuddling once for the next year+, and I wouldn't hold anything against her if she didn't want to go further.
What makes this tough is that these points, while completely and totally valid, were kind of sprung on me during the breakup talk, and I am more than willing to try and work past them- they seem easy enough. But I feel sad I didn't have the chance to even try improving since I was only informed of them right at the end. I will admit there's a bit of frustration in how paradoxical it can be sometimes where you need more emotional closeness to try new bonding activities in a relationship, when oftentimes bonding activites are how you gain emotional closeness.
And now that we're back to being friends, it's been both easier and harder for me than past breakups/rejections. Since we did mostly platonic activities already, it feels like there's less of a "divide" between how things have been before and after the breakup.
And I feel guilty to admit a part of me wants to try and make things work again. I will admit that it could be good to interact as friends without the subconscious barrier of keeping up appearances for dating, and to deepen our bond in this new dynamic. But I still have the slight hope that after enough bonding, and after I find myself in a more secure work-life situation over the next few years, I could try asking again to see if we can get back together.
I really do like this person, they're beautiful and sweet and funny and we share a lot of interests, and I am still more than willing to make a low-intimacy romantic relationship work. It just hurts that now I know what I need to do better, but I may not have the chance to put it into practice.
So what do you all think? Should I still retain hope that we can make things work in the future, or should I try something else? And how do I make the sting of such a breakup hurt a little less?

Morgan lot will ship in a medium flat rate box and will be packaged to the max with tape and bubble everything, no part of the box will be left without tape box within a box style. With that being said by buying this lot you agree that after it has been handed over to the usps and it is accepted the package is yours I can’t be responsible for usps mess ups but will help in any way possible. Currently accepting Venmo and will ship once cleared, usually next day I don’t accept crypto under any circumstances ever.
PSA Scam going around where someone will message you accusing you of scamming and ask you to give up your password or change your password this is a SCAM! Do not do it!
2 factor has been activated on my account and will never give up my password purchase with confidence!
Proof = https://imgur.com/a/XvrbbE0
1875 10 gulden graded ngc ms62 NGC has nice mirrors check out video!
$500 shipped gold is on the rise or so it seems!! .1947 AGW (actual gold weight)
https://imgur.com/a/VF2Rp9u
*Please look at each individual video of the coin as the proof pic came out a little blurry!
Morgan dollar lot $$500 $490 shipped! Will not find these cheaper! There are some key dates and commons if you don’t like the price feel free to shoot an offer!
1881 P ms62.
https://imgur.com/a/OJTE902
1883 P ms62.
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1878 S MS62.
https://imgur.com/a/3dy5MpZ
1887 P au58.
https://imgur.com/a/Wkg7QFl
1890 P ms62.
https://imgur.com/a/9K5z3rU
1896 P ms63.
https://imgur.com/a/15xaZAU
1899 O ms62.
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These can be bought individually
1921 peace dollar au50 details cleaned. $180 $170 shipped!
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1894 O au50 cleaned. $175 $160
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Duelist Pack: "Duelists of the Sparkling Light" Edition

Etymology/Translation Corner
Tagline: "The light of battle shining throughout the galaxy! Draw your swords / cards on this prideful stage, and illuminate the road to victory!!"
This is a list of translated Japanese names for all of the cards in Duelist Pack: "Duelists of the Sparkling Light" Edition. See below for further notes.
Each card name is linked to an image!! (Use an image-zooming extension like Imagus to view them instantly.)
Any questions or issues you may have about the translations are welcome.

1. Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Primal / Temporal Origin Dragon with Galactic Eyes
2. Tachyon Cloudragon / Spatiotemporal Cloud Cradle
3. Schwarzschild the Infinity Dragon
4. Divine Shadow Golden Dragon - Dragluxion
5. Tachyon Spiral of Eradication
6. Seventh Tachyon / The Seven Emperors of Time and Space
7. Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy
8. Seyfert, the Dragon of Sparkling Light
9. Nebula the Star-Cloud Dragon
10. Bulge the Spiral Dragon
11. Numbers 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon / Numbers 107: Spatiotemporal Dragon with Galactic Eyes Original artwork
12. Chaos Numbers 107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon / Chaos Numbers 107: Spatiotemporal Dragon with Supergalactic Eyes
13. Numbers 97: Dragon Shadow God - Dragravion
14. Galaxy Satellite Dragon / Galactic Satellite Dragon
15. Rank-Up Magic - Varian's Force
16. Seventh Ascension / Ascension of the Seven Emperors
17. Tachyon Transmigration
18. Tachyon Galaxy Spiral
19. X - Cross Cannon
20. Y - Dragon Yearhead
21. Z - Zillion Caterpillar
22. XYZ - Hyper Dragon Cannon
23. Union Controller
24. Union Activation
25. A-to-Z Energy Load
26. X - Head Cannon
27. Y - Dragon Head
28. Z - Metal Caterpillar
29. A - Assault Core
30. B - Buster Drake
31. C - Crush Wyvern
32. XYZ - Dragon Cannon
33. ABC - Dragon Buster
34. A-to-Z - Dragon Buster Cannon
35. Union Hangar
36. Trickstar Hoodie
37. Trickstar Aqua Angel
38. Trickstar Band Drummatis
39. Trickstar Colchica
40. Trickstar Noble Angel
41. Trickstar Diffusion
42. The Maiden with Blue Tears
43. Trickstar Lilybell
44. Trickstar Manjushka
45. Trickstar Candina
46. Trickstar Carobane
47. Trickstar Broom
48. Trickstar Holly Angel
49. Trickstar Light Stage
50. Trickstar Fes
51. Trickstar Fusion
52. The Angel with Blue Tears
53. Trickstar Reincarnation

Etymology and other trivia:

• Tachyon Primal is named after PRIMAL ORIGIN, the OCG booster set in which Chaos Numbers 107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon was first released. Its artwork is based on the obscured Numbers 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon which appeared in the first opening of ZEXAL II, prior to the monster's first appearance in the anime. It could also be based on the "Dragon of Time", the previous form of Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon before it became an Over-Hundred Numbers.
• Cloudragon is a portmanteau of cloud and dragon, and a counterpart to Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon.
• Schwarzschild is named after the Schwarzschild radius—the radius of an object such that, if all its mass were compressed within that radius, the escape velocity would equal the speed of light. The name also refers to a Schwarzschild black hole—a black hole that has neither electric charge nor angular momentum (non-rotating). Its title of Infinity Dragon serves as a contrast to the original Schwarzschild the Limit Dragon.
• Dragluxion is named after a luxon—any particle that travels at exactly the speed of light and has zero mass (photons, gluons, and gravitons). The monster's appearance is based on the original Numbers 46: Divine Shadow Dragon - Dragluon adorned with a gold armor resembling Neo Tachyon's. It also slightly resembles Numbers 100: Numeron Dragon, referring to the legend surrounding these dragons in the anime, with Numeron Dragon being considered the true form of the Galaxy-Eyes. Its title of Golden Dragon is read jinlong in Chinese, referring to the character called Jinlong from the ZEXAL anime, who used Dragluon in his Duel against Kaito and was revealed to be the dragon itself personified.
• Tachyon Spiral of Eradication is the attack name of Numbers 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon in the anime.
• Seventh Tachyon's artwork depicts a scene from the ZEXAL anime in which a cloaked Mizael materializes and seals Numbers 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon inside a card.
• Lord of the Tachyon Galaxy is named after the core booster set in which Numbers 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon was first released (as well as being its cover card). The artwork is based on a scene in which Tachyon Dragon uses its time-rewinding effect during Mizael's first Duel against Kaito.
• The new artwork for Numbers 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon comes from an official 2014 OCG playmat.

• X - Cross Cannon is named after the fact the English term cross is sometimes denoted with the letter X in Japanese media.
• Y - Dragon Yearhead might be named that way due to 2024 being the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese calendar.
• XYZ - Hyper Dragon Cannon's name is a mix of XYZ - Dragon Cannon with its attack name in the anime/manga: X·Y·Z Hyper Cannon.
• Union Controller's artwork depicts a scene from the Duel Monsters manga in which Kaiba uses his Enemy Controller to take back control of X - Head Cannon after Yugi had stolen it from his field, during their Duel in the Battle City semifinals.
• Union Activation's second effect is a reference to how in the anime and manga, XYZ - Dragon Cannon was treated as three sacrifices for the summon of Kaiba's The Giant God Soldier of Obelisk.

• Hoodie is named after monkshood, one of the names of Aconitum (also known as aconite or wolfsbane)—a genus of poisonous perennial plants with a distinctive helmet-like shape.
• Aqua Angel is based on Aqua, one of the Ignis from the VRAINS anime who became Aoi Zaizen's partner and gave her the Marincess cards. Her second effect of revealing the opponent's hand and face-down cards is a reference to Aqua's ability to read people's minds.
• Drummatis is a portmanteau of drum or drummer and Clematis—a genus within the buttercup famiily, composed of mostly vigorous, woody, climbing vines and lianas.
• Colchica is named after Colchicum—a genus of perennial flowering plants (which includes the autumn crocus and similar plants) that grow from bulb-like corms.
• Noble Angel (Nōburu Enjeru) sounds similar to Blue Angel (Burū Enjeru) in Japanese, which was Aoi Zaizen's first avatar name in LINK VRAINS.
• The Maiden with Blue Tears is a reference to Blue Maiden—Aoi Zaizen's third avatar name in LINK VRAINS—as well as a reference to The Angel with Blue Tears, a fairy tale book from Aoi Zaizen's childhood that she used as inspiration for her Blue Angel persona.

V Jump July 2024 Edition bonus card

• Detonizing Kuribo

Etymology:

• Detonizing Kuribo's (Kiraikasuru Kuribō) artwork depicts a scene from the Duel Monsters anime/manga in which the many Kuribo clones created by Dark Yugi's Multiplication are absorbed by Pegasus's Thousand-Eyes Sacrifice. Kuribo's special ability at the time was called Detonization (Kiraika, lit. "mine transformation"), allowing it and its clones to blow themselves up and completely neutralize all of Thousand-Eyes Sacrifice's magical eyes.

QUARTER CENTURY UNITY & PRIDE Campaign (side:PRIDE)

1. Blue-Eyes White Dragon / White Dragon with Blue Eyes
2. Red-Eyes Black Dragon / Black Dragon with Crimson Eyes

/uw This is a continuation of the first post which I will tag in the comments, once again I apologise in advance for length as well.
Hirk: “I offer you one chance to kill yourself. After that I might just have to do it for you.”
Hirks words are serious and cold, behind every word there is the threat that this is a mercy and it refused, he will do it himself.
Jean: “fine.” Jean incinerates herself, until not even ash remains.
After Jean dies an announcement is made shortly after over the speakers.
"ALL IMMORTALITY SAFEGUARDS HAVE BEEN LIFTED."
Safi: “You'll have to earn that my friend.”
Maximilian slowly walks closer to Hirk. “Make me.”
there's not a hint of regret in his eyes. He wants Hirk to deliver the blow.
Hirk’s arm in a single moment moves and connects to Maximilians stomach, ribs break but not killed only sent into a nearby wall.
“Poor choice.”
Hirk is fuelled by pure rage in his voice. He fully blocks the door.
Maximilian: “Tsk. Didn't think I'd be dueling my best man before the wedding.”
After he says this he spits out some blood, still confident and stubborn in his belief even after taking a hit from the Demi-Giant.
Nhak: “If you can kill me…”
“Then I implore you to do so…”
He spreads his arms and wings acceptingly… as if begging…
“I beg you to make it hurt.”
Hirk attempts to throw a needle of thing rock through Nhaks eye hole in his helmet with a flick of his wrist.
Parts of it break on the edges of his eyehole in his armour as he makes no attempt to stop it overrun by his guilt. There is now a stone needle poking through his helm not fully certain where it hit under that golden helm.
Aoi: “I think you should calm down, boy.” Aoi then proceeds to try to grab Hirk’s arm
Hirk shrugs off the attempt and before any further can be made someone intervenes.
Noticing direct conflict starting to break out, there is barely a blur as Hirk notices Gonkgar in front of him. Even as tall as Hirk is, Gonkgar stares down at him. He tries to grab Hirk by both of his wrists, making sure to not hurt him.
Hirk flicks his hands nudging them away, he is focused on his duty.
Zeroth: :Shutting down all defense systems:
Elize the Siren starts singing her song, making Hirk's mind filled with discord.
Edjar(?): "HIRK! STAND DOWN! THE GODS HAVE SPOKEN. I WAS GRANTED DIVINE RIGHT TO OVERSEE TRIAL AND EXECUTION!"
Rachnia: “I am sorry, Hirk. Spirit whisper.”
She proceeds to shoot out an ethereal purple string enchanted with domination magic as it begins to work its way up his nervous system through his spine to his brain and then soul.
“No-one. and I mean. NOONE. Hurts Max in front of me. Not even you Hirk!”
The lights outside all go dark, and Zeroth switches to Emergency power mode.
Hirk is glowing with the erratic wild rays of fire, emitting a partially dim light from under his skin.
Hirk resists the attempt of domination against his mind, but his mental fortitude built of hatred and fire is being chipped away by it.
“Stand back. Or else.”
Gonkgar is pushed away for the moment, at first only attempting to stop Hirk. But now sees another opportunity
"Okay. Me see how it go."
Gonkgar pulls a fist back and punches immediately, a shockwave of air from the sheer speed of his punch. He aims for Hirk's chest.
The punch connects, there is a loud sound of bones cracking and skin being heavily bruised and bloodied. But he still stands in the doorframe refusing to move, his body will break before he does.
A fourth voice joins the amalgation that is Ejdar right now, high and commanding, but compassionate.
"My Executioner will end you if you lay another hand on anyone here. You will be put RIGHT BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!"
Safi: “That will not be necessary.”
Ejder looks over at Safi. His darkened eye turns to the same silvery gold as the other. He gives Safi a respectful nod. There's a good chance that Ejder himself is not fully in control.
Lady Fortuna: “By Fate's weave... Your continued charge... Ends.”
Kyoko appears from behind Hirk after hearing the commotion
“What's going on here?”
Nhak with a gigantic needle sticking through his ghostly helm Immediately tackles Kyoko to the ground and out if the way of any fighting… shielding the two of them with his spectral wings…
Eliza siren's song is that of pain and suffering, one that was often heard at sea to crash ships. Despite the noises of fire dancing inside Hirk’s mind the song still acts as a wind disrupting the fire even if it is not fully quelled
the soulfire burns bright, Ali’s scars are almost at full brightness already. “You do not, get to touch him again.”
She punches Hirk straight in the chest at full force.
Hirk feels the second blow to his chest, there is not a noise of cracking this time as it can be assumed there was nothing left to crack as his skin goes loose from the muscles being pulverised by both attacks he’s took head on. Having to rely on his arms holding him upright by grasping at the doorframe to not fall limp. There is no response still.
Max: “Hirk. Do not. Try to hit me again.” He takes a swig from a regenerative brew.
Safi: “You asked him to do it”
Max: “Eh, expected better from my best man than to actually go through with this foolish move.”
Hirk finally after catching his thoughts which he lost from the beating he took by only two punches and Rachnia’s attempt to dominate his mind finally replied to Edjar(?), speaking less from the air in him and more the crackling of the fire inside.
“Where I came from? My home is gone. The very realm burned to ash. There is nothing left. I have nowhere to go back to.”
It is clear Hirk is not himself or he is now his true self which he hide under a scarf, sweater and broken promises. He makes one mutter afterwords with his breath this time rather than his fire to Aoi.
“Go. I do not wish to kill you, you were not involved.*
Aoi: “You really fucking think... I'm going to let you kill Max?”
Sarah: “Yeah, how about fucking no.”
Rachnia: “Over my cold, dead, body.”
there is a eattling of a snakes tail grows louder, an ever growing sense of foreboding.
"HIRK" Jean's voice booms loudly throughout the entire area. "IF YOU THINK THAT ANYONE SHOULD DIE HERE, COME AT ME! I DESERVE IT MORE THAN ANYONE IN FUCKING EXISTENCE!"
She is holding both Tartarus's and 0's cores in her hands
Hirk does not respond. But there is a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
Jean: "I TORTURED THAT BASTARD FOR 10 QUADRILLION YEARS. I'D SAY THAT MAKES ME THE WORST ONE HERE!"
A flaming knife gets thrown at Jean by Hirk, he aims directly for the heart hoping to make it quick as a mercy.
Ari: “Stop this needless fighting, this isn't going solve anything”
Ari attempts to block the knife with vines but the few that reach it in time are cut through and scared by charred marks
Jean takes the knife square in her chest. Without the immortality safeguards in place, her shards fall helplessly to the ground
Steam appears from Hirk’s eyes, he does not stop his savage duty despite clear grief at his own actions.
Gonkgar: "Only thing that matter is no one else hurt."
Gonkgar clenches both of his fists. He goes to grab Hirk's arms, and there's a glint that sparks in his eyes.
A glint that emerges and starts to travel down his body. Different from his Ultra Instinct... Stranger, perhaps. Nhak recognizes it as a modicum of a power Gonkgar once held. The juggernaut power, gifted by the God-Slaver, that made it impossible to stop Gonkgar's advance.
At that, he attempts to start pushing Hirk out of the doorway.
Ari begins to cause vines to grow around everyone except Gonkgar.
Cerne pointers her blade straight at Hirk, her daggers fly above her head.
“Not, a, step, closer, to, Max.”
Ejdar(?) shouts over to Ari after feeling their legs become tangled in them.
"Ari, Don't. You know what happened last time you restrained Ejder with those vines."
" Mo chionta. Mo chreach. Bròn."
Hirk suddenly bursts into flames, the metals surrounding him behind to melt even slightly. His skin is flaking off in embers. The vines at his feet and others nearby him burn.
Hirk has made a deal, his blood boils. His body nothing more than kindling, no pain, no feelings of his own. Even death has lost its meaning other than knowing it will be soon.
Gonkgar shattered Hirk’s bones, joints and muscles with his might. But yet Hirk stood with only one arm giving in as he still refuses to move. Inside he glows a blinding green as his body could never keep up with it without outside intervention from his ‘soul’
With Hirk now throughly on fire approaching temperatures fire should not be allowed to reach. Most without decent fire resistant would be getting hurt inside the room and around him.
Fire erupting from Hirk douses over Gonkgar's body, singing at his immensely durable skin. Even so, his burned palms grip with unbreakable might. He watches Jean fall, and Max.
"No..."
Glorg phases out of his back, looking at Gonkgar with wide eyes before pulling at his shoulders. A memory flashes behind Gonkgar's eyes. The powerlessness as his friend was killed long ago. The reason he trained in the first place... Was it vengeance? Or was it to protect those he loved? Even when he gained the power to fight gods, he could not protect his friends.
The glint of Juggernaut enshrouds his body, but something is off... His body is no longer resisting the flames. He is engulfed with heat, skin melting away. He doesn't let go of Hirk, trying to pull him back... Protect anyone. Protect *anyone...*
A symbol manifests on Gonkgar's forehead. He screams and lets go of Hirk. Gonkgar falls to his knees, burning... This level of attack should not have been enough to phase him so... And yet the fires enshrouding him grow stronger on their own, not by Hirk's command.
Edjar(?): "If that man thinks what they were doing was torture, he knows nothing. And I watched his punishment."
Upon those words being said a chain of fire appears behind and wraps around Ejdar’s neck. It does not do anything other than burn them a bit.
Ari realises what Hirk is doing and runs off with the shards and cores
:ARI. PLEASE PUT US BACK DOWN.:
“Can you stop this fighting?”
:NO. THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN STOP THIS IS HIRK HIMSELF.:
Ari: “I'm afraid I'll just have to take you to a safe place than”
she is trying to navigate to the core room
:ARI. WAIT.:
“What is it?”
:IT IS POINTLESS. JEAN SMASHED THE CONSOLE WHEN SHE PULLED ME OUT. SOMETHING WAS CONTROLLING HER.:
“I can try to repair it.”
:BEFORE YOU DO, WE NEED TO HELP JEAN. SHE REMOVED ME FOR A GOOD REASON, WHILE SHE WAS STILL IN HER RIGHT MIND.:
“we can restore here with things that match her attributes right.”
:JEAN WON'T BE OK UNTIL HIRK HAS CALMED DOWN. SHE WAS BEING OVERWHELMED BY EVERYONE'S EMOTIONS, AND HIRK'S WERE CAUSING HER TO GO INSANE:
“so if i take her far from Hirk I could be able to restore her.”
:THAT WON'T WORK. SHE'S FORMED A SEMI-PERMANENT CONNECTION TO HIM, AND HIS EMOTIONS ARE FORCING IT ACTIVE:
Ari sets the cores and the shards down before returning
The Biomancer… Having assured Kyoko’s safety… Rises from the ground… turning once-more to meet Hirk…
Nhak: “Hirk.”
His voice is not a thundering yell… but a straight… genuine statement
“If killing is going to bring you peace…”
“Then Kill me.”
”Do it.”
“I will not resist… I will not stop you…”
“I will die… and come back again…”
“Over”
“And over.”
“And over again…”
“I will let you kill me in this room.”
“I will let you kill me outside…”
“I will let you do it over and over and over again for 759,673 thousand years, 3 months, 23 hours, 13 minutes and 3 seconds…”
“If that’s what’s going to deliver you peace…”
“I know my penance…”
“But I beg of you to spare the others…”
“They do not deserve an eternity like me…”
Hirk: “H-HOW MANY KILLS.”
Hirks voice is hard to make out as it’s spoken through the fire itself and its crackling. This time it sounds pained.
Nhak: “Me… none… the things I did to that woman are far worse than death… I will not hide that fact…”
“You… as many times as it takes to watch me die to satisfy your rage…”
“I have as long as time itself…”
“H-HOW MANY KILLS.”
Hirks voice is hard to make out as it’s overshadowed by the sound of fire.
Nhak: “Me… none… the things I did to that woman are far worse than death… I will not hide that fact…”
“You… as many times as it takes to watch me die to satisfy your rage…”
“I have as long as time itself…”
Max: “I am sorry. friend. But I am not fighting this battle. Not with you. You wanted me to kill myself? THEN HAVE IT YOUR WAY.” You see him take a swig of a potion.... his muscles bulge, his eyes grow bloodshot, his veins turn purple.... Lost Hope's Tonic.
He charges right at Hirk, Grabbing onto his shoulders. He stares him straight in the eyes. The panic, the torment, all of it doesn't matter. You do not see a glimmer of regret.
more beast than man, he has less than a minute alive. "Do you think, I have any intention to change things? to say I was wrong? No. I've done this for hundreds of years, and will do so for hundreds of years.”
“To protect those who cannot protect themselves. To shield those who were exploited. You must set an example. YOU MUST SHOW HOW THOSE WHO TERRORIZE THE WEAK ARE TREATED IN KIND.”
Now. You got what you wanted. Are, you, happy? His heart stops as he says his last words.
Hirk does not get a moment to respond until Max dies in front of him, he grits his teeth as more steam comes from his eyes but he does cool down as he shakes a bit.
Nhak runs over to Max
“Max… Max please…”
“Not like me… not like me…”
“Max…”
He holds the body tight
“June 20th…”
“You promised Max…”
“You promised her…”
“You promised us all…”
“And we were going to be there…”
“And you had the most wonderful ring for her…”
some tears runs down Hirk’s cheek before turning into steam.
Hirk: “Please. Just die, I don’t.*
Hirk can hardly even get his words out, hyperventilating on every word. There is less hatred in his voice as it is not filled with sorrow.
Nhak sits back against the wall… sheltering Max’s corpse from the flames… trying in vein to stop the heat as his hair and clothes begin to steam
A small, inconspicuous rift opens near Max's body, attempting to hide behind Nhak. Talios peeks his head out.
"Nhak. I will keep his body safe until revival. You can come with if you'd like, although don't stop touching me... Even though you're a ghost, the sure-hit effect may damage you still."
Sarah walks up to Nhak. “Don't... worry too much. I'll take you to see him... soon.”
Nhak lets go of the Corpse… letting Sarah and Talios handle it as they would…
Max’s body simply puffs into ash, with a small golden glimmer remaining, until it puffs away in a golden mist.
Talios: "Oh. Well then."
Sarah: “Don't forget... Zeroth isn't all that we have... Not since the gamble in the hells.”
Talios's head pops back into the rift, and it would close.
Nhak: “Promise he won’t be like me… you have to promise… you have to promise… you have to…”
He chokes on his words
Sarah: “He won't be. I promise you.”
Nhak tilts his head towards the heavens…
“Max… Max I promise… I’m going to protect her while you’re gone…”
“No harm is going to come to her…”
“And I’m going to make sure she’s ok…”
“I’m not going to let the universe take her away from you…”
“As mine was taken from me…”
“And you are going to get married…”
“And you are going to have that honeymoon…”
“She’s safe…”
“She’s safe…”
“Don’t be afraid…”
“I promise…”
Hirk’s other arm falls, his body looks to go mostly numb on hearing ‘Promise.’
Meanwhile Safi is way too calm given the current situation. They lean back in a chair. You don't know where it came from
Eliza’s song increases in volume, it places a heavier tax on everyone in the room. Hirk only gets angrier as intended.
She shifts her song, now that of sorrow, and death. A song used for executions... and for memorial.
Somehow, Kyoko is immune to the effects of the siren's song.
Ejder tilts his head, as if listening to something. A look crosses his face. He suddenly disappears.
Rachnia is still trying to make her way into Hirk's mind, getting closer, as he loses sanity. The further they delve the more Images of hatred and pain slash them like daggers as they attempt to go further.
She just sits through the pain of Hirk's counterattacks, she bores further through his defenses. She's getting oh so close to accessing his mind.
Memories of Hirk’s home and every little joy he had there acts to disorientate Rachnia. He has had someone in his mind before from some of the memories looking tampered with.
Aoi: “Everyone... get, the, fuck, out.”
Safi: “I don't intend to leave, and I don't think the rest of you can.”
Ari makes it back to where everyone is and uses vines to reach up behind Hirk
“Hirk you got to calm down, you're hurting all your friends. Look around you, Is this what you want.”
despite all the fire and overheating she attempts to put her hand on Hirk's shoulder, bracing for the pain
The fire burns Ari, but it cools down slightly to the touch. He is hesitating.
Hirk pays no attention almost as if he cannot feel it. His skin is gone on that part, only charring is left.
she still ands still keeping her hand on Hirk's shoulder
Hirk still does not notice.
you can see Nagisa’s tail slip under Hirk, pushing Ari backwards. "don't, he can't feel it..."
Eliza’s song of sorrows starts to reach it's climax. Sadness hangs in the room like a thick mist, her eyes are filled with tears.
Hirk shows some wincing sorrow in his eyes now.
Rachnia: seems to finally be out of the confusion, she's been set back a few steps, but continues.
All they see is fire. There is nothing else but yet it’s still his memory’s. Only burning
Rachnia powers through, incredibly angry.
She continues to bore further, trying to simply get a hold over Hirk's physical state instead of mental. “I just need him... calm...”
She tries to burrow beyond the memories. “Oh dear.... Hirk... I need to calm you down before things go wrong...” She makes one final push for the finish.
You see the tournament, His death at Paleo and his humiliation to Inferno. There is visible cracks around this memory. As you get closer you hear a voice. *”Stad”** you feel a desire to obey. It is not Hirk saying it.*
Rachnia: "Not until I get to the bottom... Not after this." she pushes right through.
A kind, compassionate, but stern voice speaks into Hirk's mind.
Ejdar(?): "Don't you think you've caused enough pain? Stop this madness, and show the rebirth that fire can create."
"The weeds have been burned. There is now room for the flowers to bloom. You can rest."
Aoi begins channeling the power of the Oni's Setting Sun to increase her own strength. “HIRK, COME TO YOUR SENSES, YOU KNUCKLEBRAINS.”
Another voice speaks to Hirk
:HIRK. JEAN HAD TO PULL US OUT OF OUR CONSOLES BECAUSE YOUR EMOTIONS WERE CAUSING HER TO FALL INTO MADNESS HERSELF, TO PREVENT THIS WORLD FROM KILLING IT'S INHABITANTS. PLEASE, COME TO YOUR SENSES:
Eliza sings final verse, A verse about the death of a lover, a death of a friend, the death of your entire world. In one vicious and hateful display of mockery to Hirk.
Hirks eardrums are completely burned away. But still his heart even as it is kindling right now, still feels pain.
A singular blade of fire comes at Rachnia, it’s different to Hirk’s chains, even more volatile and no refinement. It is the source, it is fire in its perfected state.
she sidesteps, both mentally and physically. "not this time. Not again. I'd make him sad again." She tries to grab into the very source.
There is only a singular stone in the centre. Burning hot and bright.
She winds her purple silk around it, before finally casting "Spirit Whisper"
Nhak Just sits there… motionless… arms as if he still had the body of his friend…still gazing at the heavens…
“I Promise… I promise…”
“I promise…”
“You two are going to get that happy ending…”
“I won’t let the world take from you what it took from me…”
“I promise you won’t end up like me…”
“Broken and violent and unstable…”
“I promise…”
“That the two of you will get the future I never had…”
“I cannot let anything like me ever happen again…”
“I can’t…”
“I’m sorry…”
He devolves once more into sobbing
The sheer unrelenting heat from interacting to the stone enough to begin melting the skin off of Rachnia, but the string does not burn fully.
"SPIRIT WHISPER. STAND DOWN, HIRK. KNEEL."
(https://youtu.be/6bg3YSxcRLo?si=pJYflBnJbJDQku_e)
Glorg looks at Gonkgar as he is burning on his knees. The Stand, acting on its own, starts trying to pat him down. It does nothing to dissuade the flames. It's almost as if Gonkgar is exuding his own flames now, with no amount of resistance to it as opposed to normally. These flames, however, do not spread as Hirk's would. They serve only to harm Gonkgar.
Glorg grabs Gonkgar by a shoulder and tries to lift his chin. The Stand, despite being unable to talk, looks petrified with worry. Gonkgar looks back up at him with a broken expression, and then looks beyond to the mayhem. There is a symbol on Gonkgar's forehead reminiscent of the one he obtained from the God-Slaver. Burning tears run down his face, eyes closed as he gives a sad smile to his long-dead friend Glorg.
"Me get it now..."
Glorg looks at him with astonishment, questioningly.
"It not matter what Gonkgar do... They always going to die."
Even as people make headway with Hirk's psyche, Gonkgar's has seen too many friends die on his watch for him to handle anymore.
"Gonkgar sorry, Glorg... Me give up."
Glorg screams as the fires intensify to a blinding white light around Gonkgar. Gonkgar doesn't know it, but his power has always been about belief. He was unstoppable because he believed himself unstoppable. He was strong because he believed he could become strong. His Stand ensured him of that. Now, as he believed himself worthy of death, or rather, as he *desired it, his Stand's power subconsciously turned on him...*
And Gonkgar disintegrated away to ash. Glorg, staring down, disappears with a steady waver.
There is an impossible thunder of the clap of wings…
Nhaks arm is around the string in an instant… feuled by the death of gonkgar… his form is a brilliant deep blue… where he treads there is ice…
The Sting smokes and steams…
Nhak’s ghost winces…
But the temperature is reduced… just barely enough to prevent any permanent damage…
“I’m… sorry…”
“Hirk…”
“But I can’t let you hurt her…”
”I promised him…”
Rachnia: “You... Need to realise what you are doing... Hirk... Just like you tried to punish the torturers... You became one yourself.”
“Do you see, just how slippery this slope is.”
”DO YOU UNDERSTAND, JUST HOW MUCH DAMAGE YOU'RE DOING.”
Hirk either upon seeing Gonkgar die. The one true innocent person here or Rachnias magic he falls to his knees. The fires dissipate as Hirk turns cold enough for frost to start forming on him. His head facing behind him, eyes pointed at Gonkgar the only one who he truly didn’t want to die.
The voice speaks in Hirk's head again. "Hirk, you are burning more than the weeds. You're destabilizing the forest."
“I do not need your agreement, Hirk. I do not need your.... pleasantries. I need you to realise what you are causing... You could have caused the collapse of the birch world.”
”THE END OF COUNTLESS CIVILISATIONS. THE DEATH OF EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT. THE DEMISE OF INSURMOUNTABLE EFFORT. YOU ALMOST DOOMED EVERYTHING. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
Hirk pays no full attention to anyone. Either because he cannot hear, feel or truly do anything in his charred state. He only looks at his scarf, it is charred and much of it is ash now. Only barely wearable. His promise.
For the first time since hirk met Rachnia, there's no kindness towards him in her eyes. There's spite, despair, and anger.
”DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOUR LITTLE TRIP OF JUSTICE NEARLY COST EVERYONE?! YOU SPEAK DOWN TO US, BUT ALL YOU ARE, IS A FILTHY HYPOCRITE.”
Hirk can only mouth 1 thing not even being able to speak it as he coughs up ash. He pulls his scarf close to him
’I am Sorry.’
Rachnia disconnects from Hirk entirely.
“I'm going to check on Max... on the Ironsides. Nhak, you're joining me. He needs someone he can TRUST right now.”
Sarah follows behind Rachnia, carring Eliza in her hands.
There is a crunch of metal as he tears the thorn violently from his head
“Yes Ma’m.”
He Instantly follows suit
Ari returns to the shards.
she applies a broken piece of one of her inventions to the shards trying to bring one of them back
:Entity Ari, you should be able to place me back now. I can restart the systems.:
she applies a broken piece of one of her inventions to the shards trying to bring one of them back
The green, translucent branches reach out toward the shards, and toward Hirk.
A loud voice heard from the Ironsides
<>Well fucking goddamnit that hurt...<>
Rachnia: “that... is what I meant with checking up on him.”
<>I'm alright, I think... I'm coming down.<>
A droppod falls from the Ironsides.
Maximilian: “Fucking... ouch... I need to stop using those....”
Rachnia hugs him, then hits him, then hugs him again.
Max: “Deserved…”
He looks like he's been through hell and back, literally.
Nhak waits patiently for his turn… a comically large chunk of his face completely missing as a part of Hirk’s thorn
Max: “I.... hope I didn't spook you too much... Nhak.”
The towering form of the Biomancer looms over the man… wings outstretched…
The backhand is swift and fluid… not near enough to do any serious damage… but enough to definitely sting…
”That…”
“Was for scaring me as bad as you did…”
“The things I might have done…”
“The terrible decisions I might have made…”
He sighs…
Then… just as quickly… as he had slapped him…
Max found himself wrapped in a supreme hug…
Feathers and everything…
“And that… That’s for coming back…”
“You big… lucky… Idiot…”
Max: “Ouch, but again... deserved. I'm glad to be back.”
Safi: “Looks like Hirk finally calmed down.”
Safi walks up to him and places a hand on his body
“This is not your time to die my friend.”
Hirk soul refuse. Even in death it’s instinctually resists any godly influence, as if it was too used to resisting it to save itself. He also refuses to be revived himself.
Four Drakenwardens approach the door, and stop seeing Hirk's body. "What happened down here? Ejder sent nothing but a message telling us how to get here."
No response
The four Drakenwardens stand outside the doorway. "Sir Maximillian, is this Hirk?" The one who spoke points to the charred body.
Max looks to Rachnia, who has a pure look of spite on her face at the mention of Hirk. He's confused.
He looks to the wardens. “I.... sure hope not.”
Safi: “it is.”
Max goes in to check for a pulse.
he see’s the scarf being clutched by Hirk. Or what is left of it. But upon inspection veins themselves appear gone gone, burnt away and melted by his own blood.
Zeroth: :Revival safeguards were shut down during the outburst: :Entity Hirk Lifesigns have Ceased:
The 'Wardens reach down and attempt to use healing magic to restore Hirk's body so that it does not look so gruesome.
Some skin reappears but it is mostly unsuccessful, there is little bits left of skin to even heal.
Max: “...... You fucking idiot... You just had to go on a powertrip... Now, of all times... How am I going to return you from this......”
One of the 'Wardens stands. "Does anyone know what happened to Ejder?"
Safi: “He left.”
Max: “How in the everliving hells....”
shock seems to surge through him before anything else.
The Drakenwardens glance at each other. They seem to have a silent conversation, then shake their heads. "We will be outside the chamber if anyone needs wounds treated."
Max: “Where's Jean...”
Nhak: “Max… Act now… ask questions later… I didn’t know Hirk very well… you did… we need his soul back… if there was anything… anything you might say to him which you’d like to tell him before he goes… this may be your last chance to turn things around…”
“But you need to be at his side… now…”
Max is quiet. he genuinely doesn't know what to say to Hirk.
Rachnia: “He's... not good with this stuff...”
Max…
Nhak is glowing gold now…
“Second chances are a dreadfully rare thing…”
“If you do not speak now… you may never get to see him again…”
“But is has to be you… or her…”
“Nobody else could ever claim to be as close to him as the two of you…”
Sarah: “Fellas, uh... anyone gonna check on the caveman? I will do so if no one else does.”
Gonkgar's god-rock and a pair of intricate gauntlets (which he never seems to wear) are lying in his ashes, unharmed.
Olive: “Max can you bring Reedus back up I need to let off some steam”
Nhak: “Olive… Can you just read the room please.”
”Not NOW.” You hear a hint of Fortuna's voice in there, he does not even wish to hear that name right now. The root of this problem.
Nhak: “Shank me or something I don’t care… but let everyone be…”
Olive: “I need to unwind, and I don't want to hurt anyone I care about”
Max: “Then go to the ironsides and hit some of the damn dolls in the training grounds.”
Nhak: “Well… stab me then… It doesn’t hurt… you could never actually hirt me…”
He spreads his arms out to her…
“But get on with it, get productive, or get out of our way… “
“We are in a time where what we do now… in this room… will decide the course of history…”
A lone girl stands in front of the charred remains. Gray ashes do not rain relentlessly down from the sky and pale mist does not devour the horizon. Yet she weeps.
*She falls to her knees as her hands move ravenously toward what once was her friend. They encounter no resistance, the raging inferno of his soul is but a placid pond now. Panic hinders her movement as she shakes in terror. Then she grasps something. It is a minuscule spark, but it's still burning.
Searing pain engulfs her, but she is not shaking anymore. Her hands slowly retract. Her fists are clenched around the spark. She can feel its physical manifestation now: it's a small molten pebble. Her body screams, urging to let go, and yet she brings it closer to her chest. Agony soars with her every movement but she does not stop. As her tears begin to fade into white mist, panic flares again in her heart. Her time is running out.
With one last movement, fueled by desperation, Livia's hands reach her heart. A ravenous void welcomes Hirk's soul, howling hungrily, surrounded by a vile and grotesque amalgamation of countless souls. It tries to reject Hirk's molten essence. It struggles and shrieks, but in the end the chorus of screams hushes. Only silence remains, as the lone girl fades once again, devoured by pale mist. She is no longer weeping. A tiny molten pebble stands defiant where her soul once stood, keeping the hungering void at bay. As her consciousness wanes, a faint smile appears on her lips. Nothing will ever deprive her of Hirk's warmth.*
/uw this has unironically taken days to do since I’ve been busy and it’s annoying to format. I want to thank all involved and to personally ask that I never have to do this again (joking if it’s Hirk’s thing again I will do it.)
I hope all who read this do enjoy it. I get to enjoy finally being free of this joy to take part in, hell to format
Edit: Formatting

Short Version:
I'm worldbuilding for DnD and I'm looking for resources. What's a cool way humans have survived in hostile places as a society? Bigger than familial and tribal, prefer long-standing ethnic groups or cultures. As many sources for this info as you can think of. Looking for these environments mostly, but other sources are welcome as I might use them later:
Mountains (oxygen-thin levels of mountains, lack of arable soil),
Deserts (not taiga or tundra, traditional hot-in-the-day desert),
Wetlands (level of wet=mostly impassable to large groups, difficult to navigate without water vehicles like rowboats or better),
tropical rainforests, mountainous jungle regions, etc. (tbh, I'm sure there are other, better examples out there, but the best adaptation I know of this is remnants of steppe farming in machu picchu. I'm sure there are better.)
Canyons, chasms, etc. (I'm aware of the Navajo settlement remains in the grand canyon, but haven't found much outside of that)
Any sources you have come across like this? Any directions to cool research rabbit holes I can jump down?
Longer explanation:
Yes, I've been googling for 3 hours to find a starting point of reference that gets me where I need to go. No, I haven't found what I'm looking for. Most are way too general for what I'm looking for or so small and specific that they can only support small tribal groups or populations in total under 1000. I'm worldbuilding for fantasy and making a desert within an area between mountains (hence the desert, rainshadow and all) akin to a subcontinent shaped like a caldera between the mountains (yes, historical and geothermic reasons, etc). There are a few passages out of the desert through the mountain ranges that converge here, forming trade routes and the main roads to the outskirts of their area. The biomes on the other side of these mountains are mostly hostile in the opposite ways, either overgrown with vegetation tropical-rainforest style, or shadowed valleys as though when the mountains rose the land around them fell, etc., canyons and fissures in the earth, possibly a patch of active volcanoes somewhere around here, etc.
So, I'm worldbuilding, and I'm trying to figure out technological and cultural adaptations within moderate to large societies that develop in natural settings that are above average difficulty to survive in and adapt to. Societies that were built and continued to exist for a significant amount of time (let's set a benchmark minimum of a handful of centuries, longer is good too). Stuff about historical or even recent societies with a standard level of tech that can safely be said to be pre-industrial. Bear in mind, I'm including in 'technology" things like clothes, weapons, potable water collection and storage, basic shelter construction adapted to the environment. Technically a knife or flint spear is technology. So is an aqueduct. So is a fire pit. These exist not in nature, but because we have shaped nature to our purposes. Thus, tech.
Part of the results of this will determine what other humanoid species hedge out humans in this area, what competition occurs, and what adaptations emerge as part of my worldbuilding. Thanks!

After four years on my current layout, it's time to fix some shortcomings. Keyboard is 36-key.
Two similar things I'd like to do:

• Temporarily access layers with two normal alpha keys held down - or possibly three, if regular typing accidentally activates the layers too often. Layers include nav, symbols, and numbers - so they are accessed with high frequency.
• Map things like ESC, Tab, Return, and CapsLock to in instantaneous combination of three normal alpha keys - or possibly four, if regular typing accidentally activates them too often. This is possible on ZSA's Oryx visual configurator, which I understand uses a modified QMK on the back-end. (But my main keyboards aren't ZSA.)

I'm comfortable with programming, but ideally if it can be done in a visual configurator that would be great. There's still a learning curve, steep or not, figuring out how to program in any specific firmware environment. Seems like this would be easy and I'm just missing something?
If it matters, I have nerve damage and other hand and arm injuries that stacked up over the years. Although I'm proficient on musical instruments, relying on precise timing for mods is not really feasible for keyboards for me. (I think it's also an issue of my brain being able to form the necessary neural connections for ms-level timing at my age, no matter how much practice it gets. It's just too sloppy.) So I have to rely more on robust mappings that are hard to accidentally trigger.

I've tried a lot of inner and outer carbons, ALC, ZLC, etc, and I hated all of them... the dull *tink* or *crack* sound, and I can't tell at all how the ball really connected on each shot.
I finally got my hands on a (cpen) Dynasty Carbon. Played it for past 3 days with H3 on the forehand.
The feeling is still a lot less than YEO, but there is enough and it still feels better than my inner carbons. Blocks and flicks activate the carbon with no effort, but I can still do touch shots and brush looping with 0 trouble. The speed is comparable to YEO, maybe a tiny bit faster, but hard to tell.
The biggest change is... mine is 10g lighter than my YEO setup (194g) and doing work. It is so much lighter in my hand (and less head heavy). I'm not noticing any decrease in spin either. So I'm liking everything so far to my surprise.
Might have to jump on the carbon train after hating on it for so long. Will see after testing it in more serious matches in coming days...
Dynasty Carbon users, what are your thoughts on this blade?

Their trip to the Phobos shipyards was more of the same, with the exception that Captain Oliver had Sundancers AI begin lessons. At first they were resistant to beginning school, but when Sunny explained that the lessons would be on starship manufacturing, assembly and operations, they became more enthusiastic.
In truth, Sunny was clever enough to select a base subject that required them to learn many others, such as mathematics, sciences, and engineering - while wrapped in the fascinating practical necessities of starships. So instead of boredom while learning differential calculus, physics or chemistry, they had an immediate use for their new found knowledge applicable to a very exciting field. Sunny had taken the time to download the two scholastic transcripts before they left their home station. Lan was stronger in mathematics, having completed her first course in calculus and scoring well on testing. Joe was weaker in mathematics, but had done very well in engineering and orbital mechanics for his year.
Sunny's extensive resources made her a good teacher, but it also helped that, being an AI, she was an immortal being with infinite patience, with substantial information on how the human mind worked. Keeping her captain in top shape was her prime directive after all, and she was designed to solve problems. Educating two teenagers would take up less than one tenth of one percent of her neural processing power.
After their arrival at the shipyard, Captain Oliver left the ship alone, as children in the massive industrial station would be very out of place. He was still trying to maintain some appearance of normal operations. Left alone with with the ship, they studied what they could see of the shipyards operations in the view port, and on the screens on the bridge. A large inter system liner was attached to a huge umbilical arm that was both an access tunnel, carrying personnel, materials and equipment into and out of it, and an anchor point, securing the massive vessel to the shipyards structure. The tiny suited figures crawling over the hull resembled crabs crawling over a whale. There was a massive gaping hole in the hull, where it looked like the reactor and major engine components were being removed. Frequent bright sparks of plasma welding and cutting illuminated parts of the scene in sharp black and white relief. As they watched, a massive part of the hull was freed from the ship, being guided away from the construction site by a large powerful arm. The arm released the section and it drifted towards what looked like a floating junkyard. Several of the crabs lifted off from the hulk, and attached themselves to the part, guiding it into a positing and then returning to the work at hand. The shipyards solution to storage of massive objects in space was relatively simple, they just set things off out of they way, made sure their velocity exactly matched the shipyard, and let them float until needed. Only occasional maintenance by one of the work-bots was needed to keep things tidy.
Eventually though, even this unique vista couldn't keep their attention any more. Joe finally left the bridge, and wandered about.
In response to Sunny's question, he said,"I just can't wait anymore, I need something to do." He rejected Sunny's suggestion to resume their class on orbital mechanics. After a few moments his face lit up with an idea.
"Hey!" he said, "How about training in EVA suits and airlock operations? That could be useful!" Sunny considered this, and then acquiesced. Joe and Lan had both been trained since they could walk on how to don the emergency escape suits that were a ubiquitous part of life for families in space. But the EESs were designed to sustain life in a vacuum for up to 72 hours. They were just armored bags with a helmet, mittens, boots, life support and a simple reaction motor with limited burn time. They weren't the elegant working suits that allowed a near acrobatic freedom of motion needed to accomplish complex tasks in space.
Sunny directed Joe to one of the ships airlocks. The airlock itself was the usual chamber with a door that opened to space, a second door that opened to the ships interior, and enough room for several people or reasonably large items to pass through in either direction. Inside the interior door, was another chamber, this one with lockers and suits. The noticed that their names were on two of the lockers. They each opened their respective locker and found hanging inside EVA suits of the latest manufacture, These suits were light weight, using complex carbon nano tube fabric that provided the required fifteen pounds per square inch for their human wearers, while still being very flexible. There was a ring around each neck that fitted a helmet, which provided the user interface for communications, access to water, and of course, air. The helmet was a marvel of engineering, almost unbreakable, the wearer could set any part of it from opaque to transparent as needed using the wrist pad. By turning their head slightly a small tube provided access to water, and audio was picked up and played through tiny transducers. It was very light, and resembled a slightly oval soap bubble. A transponder built into the suit allowed Sunny to track it until the power supplies ran down. The small back-pack carried power, atmosphere regeneration, and water supply. It fit neatly between the shoulder blades and extended downwards to about mid back. It was smooth and permanently part of the suit.
"Please direct your attention to the screen," Sunny said, and one of the wall panels lit up, a suiting up vid played, with Sunny providing commentary and advice on donning and using the suit, it's capabilities, and procedures for exiting and entering the ship. There was some momentary awkwardness when the part about waste handling came up, as the fitment for those functions was specific to the sex of the wearer, and the instructions were detailed and left nothing to the imagination, When venturing out into the most hostile environment known to mankind, information on how to survive trumped modesty or awkward teenager reactions.
When the lesson completed, Sunny directed them to don their suits. They quickly pulled off their ships jumpers, and climbed in to their suits. The compression method of retaining pressure on the wearer meant that any garment that could bunch up or form a wrinkle would become a painful hot spot in a short time, that would become unbearable, and eventually could also cause damage to the wearer so typically their light undergarments were all that was worn while using the suits.
At first the suits appeared almost comically too large, but this was a design feature to enable them to be put on with a minimum of effort. They turned and looked at each other, and with a nod, they pressed the activation panel on their wrist pad. Each suit immediately contracted around their bodies, resembling a second skin. there was a moments discomfort as the suits over contracted, the internal computer testing the fit and suit integrity, then the suits relaxed to their normal skin-tight compression.
At Sunny's direction they moved about the room, getting the feel of wearing the suits. In truth it was like wearing very tight fitting workout clothes. They felt pressure everywhere, but had no trouble moving about.
"Very Good" Sunny observed. "Let's put on the helmets now, and run some final checks." They each collected their helmet from where they floated, and attached a small tether between the helmet and suit, put it over their head, and twisted the base of the helmet into the collar on the suit. Early attempts at making the helmet integral to the suit had met mixed results. It seems the ability to remove the helmet while still wearing the suit in an atmosphere was more important to the end users than the slight reduction in reliability in the simple electro mechanical joint.
They touched their wrist pads and their suits went through the final checks, pressure and power were both confirmed at full levels. They were ready to go.
"I will reduce the airlock pressure now." Sunny said. She had run her own diagnostics on the suits, her link to the suits computers giving her authority over their operation. As the pressure fell, so did the feeling of compression. The suits provided the fifteen pounds per square inch the humans needed, but when worn in atmosphere the wearer felt that pressure, once a in a vacuum, the lack of atmospheric pressure reduced the compressive feeling of the suits. They became hardly noticeable.
They moved around in the airlock under vacuum. After a few minutes, Joe asked, "So Can we go outside?"
"Standby" Sunny replied. She checked the area around herself to make sure nothing would be a threat to the two neophyte astronauts, and checked her control linkage to the suits reaction motors. Worst case, she would simply assume control and stuff them back into the airlock bodily. "All set" she said after a few seconds, "Please face each other and hold hands."
This position would provide the most support to Joe and Lan as they exited the ship. The first experience in exposed space could be, dramatic. The exterior door opened at about half it's normal speed. As it slid away, it exposed a black rectangular void. Sunny dimmed the airlock internal lights, and the stars appeared. Countless stars became visible. They pushed gently outwards towards the opening and slowly floated out of the ship. Before them stretched the universe, with nothing between it and them but a few millimeters of fabric and transparent polymer. They were roughly oriented with the long axis of the ship. Below them hung the Red Planet, Mars, in all it's dusty sand blown glory. They could see details, sand storms, valleys and mountains. To their left, or the ships bow, the shipyards massive structure, cranes, arms, ships, and the huge central rotating cylinder floated, sparkling in reflected light, and the working lights of the active complex.
So taken in by the view, they would have floated beyond safe limits, so Sunny gave their suit thrusters a short command, and they stopped about two meters away from the airlock door. Being born and raised in space, they had experience in zero g movements, They released one pair of hands, and rotated themselves so they could face outwards away from the ship.
"Wow" Joe said.
"Yeah," Lan Replied, "this is... amazing."
They spoke in hushed voices, as people who enter a church do, they felt the awe of the experience. Sunny gave them some time to just float there, holding hands, and enjoy the expanse of the universe that had opened in front of them. She had to admit that even her artificial consciousness appreciated the grandeur of space, although with a degree of precision and accuracy no human mind was capable of. While a human mind would look at a star system and see beauty in the gas giants, or nebula, Sunny found beauty in the mathematical perfection of a cluster of moons orbiting a planet, the precision of the frequency of pulsars, down to a hundred decimal places. How the frequency of the cosmic background radiation, the very echo's of the act of the creation of the universe created harmonics with all the mass she could sense. She could feel joy at riding a gravity wave and boosting her drive efficiency, but not the excitement of traveling on the wave. She could tell you the wavelength of the color of a star, but not that the particular shade appealed to her. She found beauty in her own way, but it was not a human way.
Eventually, she said "OK, lets try some basic maneuvering shall we? Joe, you start, just get to the forward edge of the airlock, and place your feet on the exterior of the hull."
Joe slowly released Lans hand, and, pressing a few commands, enabled manual control of his thrusters. He could now control his motion by moving a few fingers on each hand, sensors in the gloves and the suits onboard computer would translate those motions into thruster commands. Joe could control speed and vertical with his left hand, and rotation in both axis with his right hand. He gingerly twitched the fingers of his right hand, until he was facing where he wanted to go, he over corrected, and had to rotate back. Once aligned he flexed his left pointer finger, and felt his suit push him in the small of his back, the push subsided. He had a small velocity towards the spot he wanted to land. He flexed his knees and 'landed' by absorbing as much of the momentum as he could, otherwise he'd rebound off the ship. A tiny pulse of the thrusters was all that was needed to stop the tendency to float away. He 'stood' there, his feet lightly touching the hull, knees bent. As long as he didn't move to aggressively, or push off with his feet, he could stay there. He triggered the thrusters and turned to look back at Lan.
"Very good Joe!" Sunny said. "Now, stay there until Lan joins you. Always stay together." This last admonishment was not needed, but bore repeating. As scuba divers of old knew, so did people in space, the buddy system was one of the best safety protocols available.
Lan triggered her thrusters, she nailed her rotation to face Joe, but came in a little to fast. She couldn't absorb all the momentum and rebounded slightly off the hull. It looked like the worlds slowest high jump. She grunted slightly, annoyed. Then triggered her thrusters again, and settled gently next to Joe.
"Well done Lan!" Sunny was glad they seemed to be taking to the controls and systems. "Lets try some more exercises now, and really see what you can do."
Sunny ran them through a series of exercises that involved them maneuvering in ways that would make a gravity bound acrobat jealous. Even in zero g, they had begun to sweat a bit, as they were not as relaxed as more experienced crewmen would be, they over worked themselves, where experience would let them use momentum and the thrusters together to minimize their effort they clenched muscle in futile attempts to shift their mass or momentum.
"Time for a short break" Sunny finally said. "While you rest lest review emergency procedures. On the right side of your pack, you can reach back and find a small tube protruding. Grasp that and pull it out."
They did so, finding that the tube would extend as far as they could easily reach.
"Now, just above where the tube comes out of the pack there is a small port. Plug the tube into each others port. This enables two users to share one support pack, in case one is damaged. While using the buddy system, you must hold hands, as if you pull away and disconnect the tube, you'll have to reconnect quickly, as the person with the failed pack will only have the air remaining in their suit, which is about 3 minutes worth."
They listened and nodded, more serious than their years implied they could be. Both had seen accidents in space, and knew the seriousness behind such instruction. The price of this knowledge had been paid in blood.
"If you have to maneuver using buddy air, the disabled pack should be held in front of and about waist high on the person with the operational pack. That will keep the center of gravity close enough to allow essential maneuvers. Be careful not to pick up too much speed, as you'll have twice the mass and the thrusters will need more time to change your velocity. Don't rush, under these circumstances return immediately to the nearest airlock."
"In the event of communications failure, you can still talk through sound conduction via your helmet to another helmet, of possibly a solid surface. Try this now. Touch your helmets together gently, and speak without triggering your coms systems."
They faced each other and brought their heads together slowly, in a slow motion pantomime of a gentle kiss. Their helmets touched, and they held each other to keep them together.
"umm, Hi" Joe said. Lan heard his voice, only slightly muffled, as if he was speaking to her through a door.
"Hi back" she said, "this is pretty amazing! Did you know we could do this?"
"I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned we had space suits aboard while we were in the shop. I didn't think either the Captain or Sunny would actually let us. It is so cool!"
Lan nodded in agreement, she was just as surprised at this turn of events, but delighted. Even living in space, few people actually venture Outside.
As they held their helmets in contact, Joe noticed their faces were very close together, he saw she had tiny freckles across her nose, and flecks of gold in her brown eyes. He looked into those eyes, until the silence grew a little too long, and was finally ended by Sunny resuming radio coms with them. Later on, Joe's thoughts would linger on how looking into two golden flecked brown eyes had made him feel so much, more even than the vastness of the entire universe stretched out before him had done.
Sunny had finished her instructions, she had assumed the spike in heart rates had been due to the momentary isolation. Their voice profiles didn't indicate stress however. Her vast psyche came to a conclusion, Biology, she though, bemused.
"You two take a few moments to look around, and then we'll end this exercise. I believe the captain has concluded his business, and we'll be loading out our cargo soon."
As they enjoyed the remaining few minutes of their first space walk, Lan looked back towards the drive end of the ship. It faced away from everything, into deep space, and the view was spectacular. She looked again, there seemed to be something shiny moving around near that end of the ship. Being over a kilometer away, she had to look hard, but yes, there was something. Maybe one of the crab like working suits the shipyard personnel used. She couldn't be sure. It might have just been light glinting off of something harmless.
"Sunny, " Lan said, "Is there something going on at near the engineering section? I thought I saw something moving over there, but I can't be sure".
Joe turned and looked as well. "I don't see anything," he said.
In fact Sunny had detected what appeared to be one of the shipyards worksuits, operating near the engineering section. It was suspicious, as the suit had disabled it's lights and transponder, which was illegal and highly dangerous, as if anything had happened the occupant would be lost in space, unless they could restart the transponder. It did however provide a high degree of stealth, which explains why it was able to get within a few meters of the ship before she noticed it. Had Sunny not had her two charges outside the ship, where she was monitoring the environment she might have missed it. Maybe, she liked to think not much got past her, and she was usually right. She enabled camera's and captured images of the work suit, confirming that's what it was. She noticed that the external registration markings had been altered, meaning it would be very difficult to find the operator now.
To Lan she said, "Yes, I see something there as well. I'll look into it. Meanwhile you two return to the airlock and get changed, we're boarding cargo and technical crew in about an hour. Best you're ready."
Joe and Lan entered the airlock and the door slid shut, once again shutting out the vast universe from the interior.
Sunny, the greatest multi-tasker ever, monitored and assisted Joe and Lan exiting their suits and the airlock, at the same time, turning her available sensors to a small spot on the exterior of her hull, adjacent to one of the ventral thrust nozzles. Her quantum circuits flickered though entangled states as she considered the multiple meanings of someone in a stealth posture attaching something to the outside of her hull without her knowledge. Even her artificial sense of self felt indignation at that violation, however she realized there was more here than meets the eye, much more. She sent a very discrete encrypted signal to Captain Oliver, one that only he would hear and understand.
They would have some interesting things to discuss soon.

Once Upon a time, in the digital realm of the internet, there was a social network called twitber.com. it was a world full of little peeps and videos that kept alive the communication between people from every corner of the Earth.
Anna was an ambitious photographer from Athens, known for her impressive shots from her walks in the city. He loved to capture the moments others passed by and share them in twitber.com, where her followers praised her for her talent.
Dimitris, on the other hand, was a developer from Thessaloniki, passionate about technology and gadgets. He was also an active user. twitber.com, sharing his thoughts on the latest tech news and giving advice to those who have had problems with their computers.
One day, while Anna was wandering around the site, she came across a post by Dimitris about artificial intelligence and photography. The way he wrote made her want to know more, and she decided to leave him a comment: “very interesting article, Dimitri! How do you think artificial intelligence will affect the future of photography?”
Dimitris, seeing Anna’s comment, was impressed by her work. He replied directly: “your work is amazing, Anna! I think artificial intelligence will help photographers create more striking images, but human creativity will always be irreplaceable.”
From that moment on, Anna and Dimitri began to exchange messages regularly. They were discussing art, technology, their dreams and ambitions. As the weeks passed, their conversations became more personal and profound.
One night, after a long conversation, Dimitri proposed that they should meet in person. Anna accepted with enthusiasm and they decided to be in Athens, in her favorite cafe.
The meeting was magical. From the first moment their glances met, they felt that they had known each other for years. They talked, laughed and enjoyed every moment together. As the sun set, Dimitri asked her to take a walk and photograph the city together.
From that day on, Anna and Dimitri became inseparable. Their relationship blossomed and eventually became a beautiful love story that began with a simple comment on twitber.com. their world became brighter and each tweet reminded them how lucky they were to find themselves in each other’s lives.
And they lived happily ever after, proving that technology can bring hearts closer together, even in a digital world.
https://twitber.com

“Someone is coming through for you but it’s not a relative, dear.”
Genevieve could see the woman across from her was skeptical in her practice, speaking to those who had passed. She’d explained that she’d only come in out of curiosity not because she wanted a reading. And Genevieve had almost immediately heard someone for her, a sort of desperate pleading that was rare and fueled by a deep love. The stranger regarded her with a frown of confusion, fidgeting with her own hands as she glanced around the room. Tapestries hung draped across the walls while a red neon sign depicting an open palm flickered in the corner of the dimly lit space.
“He… he says to dress warmly tomorrow. To wear your long, powder blue coat and the brown leather boots you wore yesterday.”
The stranger’s demeanor immediately shifted as she glanced up at Genevieve with wide eyes, all suspicion suddenly gone and replaced by what seemed to be a mixture of fear and shock. She’d seen the look a thousand times before so she offered a warm, understanding smile as she gave the woman time to process the message. Genevieve didn’t understand it herself though it wasn’t her job to. She was simply there to act as a translator
“If he’s not a relative then how do I know him? How does he know me?”
The words were just above a whisper while she went back to glancing around the room as though she was expecting to see some sort of ghost. Again, it wasn’t anything that Genevieve hadn’t seen before. In an attempt to provide some sort of comfort to the woman as well as satisfy her own curiosity, Genevieve took her fidgeting hands and pulled them to rest on the table. Turning the woman’s delicate hands over, she exposed her palms so they faced the ceiling while her eyes traced over the lines she saw.
“He was your lover it seems. And is quite taken with you still it sounds like,” the medium explained with a fond smile. She could hear the man speaking to her, telling her about the woman across from her, about how he had waited so long for a chance to speak with her. His love for her was so obvious that it came with a sort of pain that Genevieve felt herself. It was evident from his tone alone that being unable to speak with the woman who had wandered into her shop had been agony for him.
“He likes your hair like that, up. He likes being able to see your face,” she murmured softly, her thumb brushing over one of the longer lines that ran across the woman’s palm before picking her hand up to view it more closely.
“And he says that he’d like for you to know that he’s with you often. I wouldn’t be surprised if you felt him from time too. Tends to happen when a bond between souls is that strong.” Her voice came in a thoughtful tone, her fingers smoothing over the woman’s hand to try and provide some sort of comfort but as she took in the stranger’s face all she saw was worry.
“I don’t have any lovers who have passed away.”
The confession was followed by the stranger attempting to pull her hands away through Genevieve’s grip tightened while her head turned to the left, her eyes flickering over the corner of the room where she could feel the presence radiating from. Spirits didn’t show up for the incorrect people. They never had in all of her years of practice. And then she heard it. Heard him explain where he was from.
“Where are you going tomorrow?”
As Genevieve asked the question, the knot in her stomach told her that she already knew the answer, knew why the woman had a lover who was deceased that she’d seemingly never met. She’d be meeting him soon.
“The tree maze,” she answered a bit breathlessly while searching Genevieve’s face as the medium continued to stare at the corner of the room. At the same time she answered, so did her lover, his voice breathless all the same as he spoke. ‘To meet me’.
——————————————-
After a break from writing and roleplaying brought on a rather miserable period of writer’s block, I’m searching for a partner to write with in hopes of undoing the unpleasant spell I seem to be stuck in:) Above is a blurb I wrote that came from the idea I’m hoping to build off of.
I’m a twenty four year old woman living in EST who has been writing on and off for eleven years give or take. I enjoy reading in my free time as well as gardening and obsessing over my cats.
A multitude of genres interest me from more modern, crime driven plots to high fantasy adventures. But romance is a common theme I enjoy including in all of my stories as I find relationship dynamics to be some of the most interesting things to explore especially when playing out in different worlds.
Today I’m looking to write something that shows two people who are from different times, making it appear as if they are from different worlds entirely. And through a woman accidentally traveling back in time, a love is born that changes history itself. If intrigued by the simple outline, I’d love to share ideas and build a full plot out together that way everyone’s interests can be included! I’m also a firm believer that constructing a plot with someone else is half the fun of a writing together.:)
If interested please be

• 21+
• use decent grammar and have replies that average 400+ words. My replies tend to range from 400-1,000 words so I’d like a partner who writes with a similar style. I also write in third person past tense.
• active in building a story. And active with replies. I tend to get out at least one reply a day though most days I can do two to three.
• use discord. I won’t write anywhere else.
• And lastly I will not write with men. It’s simply a personal preference. Too many weird experiences have happened before.

Here’s some things I’m hoping to include in our story: -lots of angst. All the angst. -flash backs and tying the future to the past -political intrigue -an unstable land that brings our characters together through navigating difficulties -light supernatural or fantasy elements that are mainly a mystery to our characters -a history involving mythology and lore that we can create ourselves and tie into our world -a male character who is not so secretly obsessed with the fiery, strong willed female lead
If this story is one you’d like to help create, message me a bit about you and your interests as far as writing goes and please have a sample ready as well! I have my own that I’ll be happy to send:)