Girl wedgie stories true

Thanks to someone posting here about the character's depth I started reading and I'm like Hell this is good.
But as always, I found a lot of people complaining about "why is it like this and not like that?" So~ yeah here is my rant.
First and foremost: why are you looking for rationality in a story full of emotional deregulation? None of the people in that story is rational enough to feel empathy for anyone. And yes, Annette is included there.
Do I think that Heiner is a piece of shit? Yes. I do. I want him to heal and live happily ever after FAR AWAY from my girl. I read a lot of people saying "Why does he hate her for things she didn't do???" I don't know in your country but in mine, that's quite common. We had a president whose child received death threats when she was like 12 and it was all because she was "that person's daughter" Was it her fault? Of course not. But it happens in real life why would you ask a fictional character to be different? I think it is human to hate someone when the recipient of your hatred is long gone.
Annette is a symbol and as such she is a reminder of all the things people had to suffer. Does she deserve it? No. But even she can understand why people hate her.
I want her far away from Heiner and happily live...
But I also want her to stop being a naive girl who doesn't care or wants to care.
Someone asked, "Is it really a sin to be ignorant?" In her case, it is. She lived a privileged life holding power above other people's life and never intended to care. When she saw that woman crying and screaming at the gates she didn't even care about the story behind it.
"Oh, it's because she was young and her father told her not to care" I can say at least for me: if I ever see someone crying and screaming at my door I'll at least go and ask.
"She was a noblewoman. She didn't need to know about anything of the sort." I might be biased here but I don't like self-centered people. I don't like when someone is so abstracted in their own world that forget to look at what's happening on their side. If her country was so miserable that they reached a point of going into a civil war to crush nobility; that means that country was a hellhole for a long time. She lived there and never knew? She never talked with her maids about their lives? She never cared about how and where her servants lived? She never went outside to see something more than just stores and the sort.
I don't blame her for being ignorant. I blame her parents. I blame the people who covered her eyes and the ones who hated her without teaching her properly.
There's this other manhwa I like called "The Princess Doesn't Want To Be Spoiled" and although not the same at all—there too, is a girl who lives spoiled and ignorant of the world and then is taken away to face reality. What I like about her is that she wants to learn. She didn't run away and faced her weaknesses. Of course, it's not the same. Annette was living in a fantasy world until her fantasies shattered and hid in her mind to the point she broke.
In these stories we always say the FL is the victim and ML is trash but hear me out, if ML was the protagonist, we would be able to feel empathy for his past and understand his actions. Do not justify it, just understand it.
And before someone says I'm blaming her and all- I think Annette has a chance to redeem herself and move on (I know she will end with ML tho) and she deserves it.
On the other hand, I don't think Heiner deserves another opportunity with her. He deserves to heal, but healing also means letting go of your past and that, for him, includes Annette.
Anyway. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. It's been a while since I got so hooked up in a story so I'm a bit intense lol

This movie might initially appear to be a pro-Christian film, but if you delve deeper, it resonates on a much more profound level, shedding light on the subtleties of addiction and its consequences. The story predominantly unfolds as an intense interview between an inmate and a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist is tasked with the critical responsibility of determining whether the inmate, who has committed multiple murders, is mentally ill. This judgment will ultimately decide if the inmate faces execution. And this inmate is taken over by the demon and its on the pschiatrist hands to ascertain if its true or not.
The demon in the movie reveals a chilling motive: the desire to conquer and destroy humans because they are created in the image of God, which is an affront to demons. To achieve this, demons target individuals with weak moral compasses, starting from a young age. Every small negative decision, every act that harms oneself or others, and every indulgence in sinful behavior makes a person more susceptible to demonic influence. The demon explains that the seven deadly sins—pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth—are primary tools in their arsenal. By exploiting these sins, demons gradually erode a person's soul, making it easier to ultimately destroy them.
The protagonist argues with the demon, asserting that the world is improving, with progress in areas like racism, literacy, and moral standards. However, the demon counters by highlighting the widespread normalization of degeneracy, making it easier to find victims. The demon points to contemporary issues such as the prevalence of pornography, junk food and obesity, drug use, and casual abortions. While the protagonist may personally disagree, the demon's claim that humans have normalized treating a new life as non-living flesh, and not calling it murder, is depicted as part of a broader process of normalizing debauchery.
It's no wonder how true this is in real life; we seldom take a step back to question why we chase after money, indulge in pornography, consume junk food, obsess over gaming, and glorify low dopamine tasks. This current landscape mirrors the moral and cultural decay the demon talks about in the movie. The irony is that this film is highly appreciated by audiences, with a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while receiving only 33% from so-called depraved, bought-out movie critics. This disparity lends more credibility to the demon's claims about the normalization of moral decay and debauchery discussed in the film.

So I was blind for a long time {3+ years} and could read these WEBTOONs, I finally got sight back and idk how to feel. It was my favorite art style, I loved the stories, and I just want them back I really missed reading these stories when I was blind. The webtoons didn’t look like most other webtoons, instead the art style is vibrant, beautiful, and interesting. I can’t get over how pretty and beautiful it was and it allowed characters so much facial expression, the webtoons art was just perfect and a truly a unique style compared to others. The story was cute and whole some and made me giggle all the time. Your romance and premise was heart warming, I never got to read delinquent girl except for a few remaining chapters, but what I did read I loved. Point is if you see this please at least post back all the chapters that were previously written I would love just to read what I missed for all your webtoons.o Riaru X Usagi ❤️I heard rumors Usagi passed and I just wanted to say as readers we love the authors. Please don’t take away the thing that helped us get to know Usagi. I’m not asking for you to write new ones just return what was already created Riaru! From a dear fan whom loves you both
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--⧼ BEGIN Broadcast Message ⧽--
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Priority Level: Urgent
:: From ::
Center Arm of the Emperor, Planet Laran
:: To ::
All Survivors of Fellow Royal Cast Broods
:: Message ::
The Emperor has graciously permitted the use of his Excellency's summer home on Planet Laran, located in the Empire's Center Arm, as a temporary refuge during the unprecedented violent Terran offences against His Holiness and the holiness of the Omni-brood of Ix.
:: Attachments ::
Coordinates and Flight Key
:: Royal Cryptographic Signature ::
Lord La'Ix, The Emperor's Right-Center Arm
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
--⧼ END Broadcast Message ⧽--

earlier

"CURSE THEM! The great houses are going to have my bloody head for this! There is no way this should've happened and under my command too! The Golden Emperor's own exotic holiday world has gone to ash and the only one to blame is going to be me. Well it was basically my watch anyways. Curse. Them. All"
Those were the only legible sounds one could hear among the frantic stamping of one particular Ixian lord as he hurried away through the underbrush of the royal reserve just outside the centre palace. The same Ixian lord that, only hours earlier, was delighting in his typical cooked boar while enjoying his evening's entertainment of a young Terran girl running for her life from a loose Laran tiger. Something about the way those bipeds run always makes him laugh. Some similarly caste Ixian would call this form of entertainment childish, lowbrow, and immature. He would tend to agree. But sometimes he just wanted cheap slapstick humour. The day to day life of the royal caste tends to get dull with all the fine arts an Ixian of his caste is meant to enjoy.
"How did it all go to shit!?! I was always attentive, and there hasn't been an uprising since those terrans were tamed for the palace. I mean we mostly neuter the problematic ones anyways, so why all the sudden aggression?", he shouted in agitation at the emptiness in front of him.
Speeding through the royal garden which in actuality is a repurposed Savannah of the island the palace is on. The Ixian was a beast of speed. Perfectly honed and trained over decades, and genetically maintained over eons, he always proudly held that he was the fasted in his brood of 16. Making a name for himself among the other broodkin for being the most genetically suited for the rank of high general (not that there was any need for generals, there hasn't been need for war in so long). Of course the Ixians always pride themselves in having no excess potential, and adapting your environment to suit your biology, but it never hurts to have perfect biology. That's the true pride of an Ixian.
That innate need to change the universe rather than changing themselves is what led to their vast interstellar empire. One that reached from constellation to constellation and then eventually to the arms of entire galaxies, terraforming worlds to the same environment they were already adapted to. Since forcing nature into one's bidding was the most sacred duty of any that shared a lick of Ix biology.
Which was why the Ix was confident in themselves. This Ixian in particular surely felt surprised, but mainly he was only moderately upset at the sudden change of situation, from being comfortable in the royal dining hall to sudden exercise.
"Everything can be changed back. Everything can be changed back." It repeated the mantra to itself. As it began to relax and turn its snarled sharp mouth into a toothy grin.
"Yes, there is nothing to worry about at all. Then let's make a game plan. Just need to make it to the space port at the harbour. Grab a ride out and find someone else to take the fall. That old royal butler is as ancient as the dirt of the broodworld. Hell, he probably was there when it vanished in the shadow of the holy empire's long past." chuckling to himself at the quite witty remark, but saddened that no one else was there to hear it.
Should be realistic enough for the others to believe. But first things first, I need to reach the harbour-master. It thought while its dense muscles powered the beastly lizard-like form on its journey, as it bound in the direction of its destination at top speed on all fours.
The blood red sun was already kissing the horizon by the time the Ixian went to nearly collapse under exhaustion of the extended sprint. He hasn't ran this far and fast than when he a young broodling that won competitions and competitions in the royal sports. I think I might have overdid it. He thought while massaging the oncoming threat of a sneaky cramp in his hind leg.
The Ixian were well known for speed. But their stamina was another thing. There bodies simply didn't have the evolved features for long distance travel. There was never truly any need in the past, as their very steady and controlled climate and sparsely diverse ecosystem on Ix never truly required much challenge.
It turned its panting head to face the way it came, gazing proudly at the great distance it made in such a short while.
But something was off by that view. Something different to what he was expecting. The view itself was mostly fine. Well, as fine as a smoking mark in the distance, presumably from the summer palace being engulfed in flame and spitting great plumes of black smoke. But no, something about this view chilled him to this spine. Craning his neck from his vantage point he could swear there was a small speck in the distance.
What on great Ix is that?
All of a sudden realisation hit like a rock on a peaceful pond. Something was following him. Something unknown and cold was making its way to his location. He was certain it wasn't any of his guards, all guards permitted to serve under the royal summer home were Ixian of course. Physically bred for their strength and speed, and placed into roles of importance like protecting the higher caste such as himself. (Whereas this day being the only exception). It did look like he was the only Ixian that actually made it out of the palace so far. Ixians are able to cover short distances in phenomenal speed, akin to a scaly 4 legged beast of the hunt.
No this was something else.
Feeling a very small panic build up inside, but veiling that cold, unwanted terror as impatience at how far he still needs to travel yet. Lord La'Ix flexed his anterior legs and sped on leaving behind a red-yellow cloud of dust in his wake.
He frowned. Feeling strange at a never before felt sensation. Like something in the back of his perfectly designed brain was screaming a silent, but terrifyingly familiar warning.
"Ix itself is an ancient world. Temperate in climate, while abundant in vegetation and small game. It is unknown how the Ixian was formed on paradise.
The old priest can drum into your heads that I'Ix made us into being by indenting his form in the sand of the first beach and filling the shape with his life. Moulding us into being.
The heretic would counter and say we evolved from a previous species akin to ourselves over the course of untold lengths of time.
The philosopher would suggest that only on paradise would the sentient universe fill in the space for the perfect beings to enjoy the fruits of existence.
Lastly, even the lowest caste Ixian would point and laugh at the rest and say 'why talk about antiquity, when we can make more paradise to fill the heavens'."
-A popular Ixian parable
Lord La'Ix bolted up all of a sudden from his resting spot. Heart suddenly beating frantically. The stars had barely enough time to shift positions when last rested his weary body, only a couple hours must have passed since dusk fell and the world plunged into night.
The silence of the Savannah made sound from afar travel better. Aside from the quiet rustling of the wind he wasn't so sure what he heard. Assuming his bored ears were playing tricks on him.
Calming down, curling up on the flat cool rock he found he started to drift to the shadowless lands where all Ixian go when they dream...
Drums, no, not drums. Some sort of mechanical tool? Not that I ever heard of a tool that just beat the ground senseless. A strange beating sound could be heard, pounding into the ground. As he stayed frozen and very awake, he could have sworn it was getting louder. Closer.
CRACK. SNAP. CRACK.
Suddenly the entire valley echoed the sounds of a few broken sticks.
La'Ix jumped up, whirling around, and came to face something approaching fast that could only be described as a cold predator, not that there were any predators on the homeworld's recorded history. But every cell in his aching body reacted the same. DANGER, DANGER, RUN, RUN.
The silver light of the planet's 3 moons barely lit the valley but what that light bounced off of was a figure in motion. Front Legs pumping up and down, nostrils flaring, eyes too close together, and pupils so large it was like staring at darkness itself.
Hold on there are only 2 legs right? Sudden familiarity hit him hard, memories of last night's entertainment stained his mind. In the name of Ix is that a Terran?!?
La'Ix didn't realise it then, but it was looking at a Terran, despite the Terrans characteristics looking different to the standard slave he was used to seeing. The pumping body of the runner was made for such long distances. Sweat acting as a cooling mechanism, making the man glisten in the harsh moonlight, the enlarged nostrils taking in all the air the body needs for this type of strenuous activity. And the enlarged pupils, made for adjusting to low light environments.
Down on the plains of the Savannah were two creatures. One a perfect evolutionary miracle, practically evolution's first try gone right, Perfectly made for its environment and was never truly exposed to varying climates and environments. And the other, having crawled through the primordial ooze, and struggled and fought its way through dangers, diseases, and competition on its own horrifying world. Where deadly heat in deserts can dry out any living thing, and such freezing poles that can turn anything that enters it in pure ice.
The man's lean and sweat-slicken form was steadily making its way towards the frozen statue of La'Ix. Just as he got within 50 paces did La'Ix sprint away scattering pebbles in its path the echoes of which bounced back from the valley's sharp walls. Undeterred, the chaser kept steadily running. Jaws grit. Eyes locked on afar.
And afar was its prey. Sprinting away.
HOW IN IX'S NAME DID THAT THING KNOW WHERE I AM? The La'Ix in a fit of sudden excitement mixed with a heavy dose of panic, began its high octane sprint from the sudden looming threat of being found. Hind Legs propelling the creature's body forward, while its front arms, which were historically also for four legged locomotion, pulled the terrain closer with each stride. Increasing its momentum until it reached max speed.
"Broodling La'Ix!" said a stern but educated voice.
"Huh? Oh! Yessir!" a young Ix jumped to attention still thinking about more enjoyable things specifically outside of the classroom walls.
"Well? Can you please answer my question or will you make your other broodkin wait until Ix falls to ash first", the tutor said expectantly, prompting several muffles giggles in the room.
"Sorry sir. What makes the Ixian race its place in eternity is the attention we put in perfection. After our home-world of Ix's climate and terrain began to change, the leaders from antiquity decreed we carry on the spirit of the home-world in maintaining a consistent biological and genetic profile that will always be suited to Ix's surface. As we change worlds to be more like Ix, we can spread the spirit of Ix to them. As such, Change is- uh, change is..."
"Change is the poison of perfection, Remaining unchanged for Ix enable us to carry its spirit to other planets in the heavens", continued the tutor. "Well you certainly paid some attention to today's lesson at the very least. But remember that final part. It's the last of the core tenants you will need to remember."
"Yessir!"
A good half night passed on the surface of the Savanna. Where a previously noble and alert Ixian who took great care in appearances and status was no longer to be seen. Instead of that proud domineering alien representative of ix was a dishevelled, dusty, ragged creature, dehydrated, hungry, and exhausted from the various sprints it forced itself to endure to stay ahead of fate's ever closing hand.
Is this the sword of Damocles that was mentioned in the ancient Terran records? Always hanging down on those who hold power and seek more? Fate's sharp blade? But why me? I was never in any real power. All I wanted out of this life was a comfortable posting with no dirt and grime from the lower worlds. Why me? Why now? Why do I-
La'Ix snapped himself out of a daze. Is he here- No, no I should be far far away from that Terran now. Maybe I can find some-
A dim glow interrupted its train of thought. Much too early to be the Sunrise on the Emperor's summer planet, and much to low to be the light from one of it's 2 moons. It was a light from a town.
"That's right!" The Ixian barely managed to rasp in between haggard breaths. Its body barely able to continue the amount of self inflicted abuse it has suddenly been put in.
A lot more hunched over than the Ixian was earlier. It made its way towards a small town it knew was in between the palace and the harbour. The emperor loved his royal rustic towns and villages. It is said that his royal emperor would sometimes tour around them marvelling at the romantic theme of a simple rustic life. Although getting a personal town full of Ixians required a lot of lower caste be forced into long and expensive work contracts as background entertainers for the king's planet, all this excessive show of wealth was partially for peackocking the emperor's reputation, and partially for his own personal enjoyment. The Emperor is almost culturally required to flaunt his royal wealth in all forms in order to keep connections with all the royal houses. An emperor that doesn't shower their supporting aides and houses with grand gifts is fated to eventually be found cold on the floor of the royal banquet due to 'suicide from accidentally ingesting poison', as was the previous emperor.
To avoid such an unfortunate passing, the Higher Royals would trade vast resources, delicacies, and even exotic slaves to court 'royal favours'. Slaves of the Terran variety especially are considered to be the most unique of gifts the empire has ever acquired.
Terrans weren't necessarily large and bulky. Fighters were assigned to the Slave Obniraks. Powerful creatures used to fill the fields on tougher worlds where mechanical services would be deemed to expensive. The growth of a Obnirak into full working adulthood is only a few cycles. Meaning mass producing a workforce is quite an easy feat.
Terrans instead would take vast cycles to mature from a childling to an average adult. Meaning growing a slave force would take vast quantities of resources, immense patience, and strict guidance from their owners as to not create faulty creatures. All of which increases the general standing on any house that manages to keep a vast amount of Terran slaves in the best quality.
Terrans weren't necessarily docile and obedient. That role was perhaps given to the oldest slave race the Ix ever controlled. The Iralisa. It was known that they were made remarkably docile due to generations upon generations of select breeding, and pruning off the 'aggressive traits' from the gene pool. However, that led to the adverse effect of physically weakening them to a point where such docility and lack of a frame to keep up with their workload led to a general lack of Ixian interest and were subsequently purified.
Terrans are notoriously independent and herd-minded in larger quantities. Similar to growing a very stubborn Terulian Rose Vine. Which only looks impressive when great care have been given. Terrans need to be given an illusion of being ever so slightly free. Which typically involves owning vast amounts of land and nature to let them roam and graze. Of course, the only ones that can accommodate grand work forces of Terrans are the larger houses with the appropriate territory for humans, as is studied in the Ixian art of Servitude.
One can only guess which species is the Emperor's favourite.
The following town should indeed have both, low caste Ixians, and possibly none of the Emperor's favourite slaves.
The Ixian approached the glowing town. As it reached closer it straightened its back, upright on its hindlegs in the royal fashion. And proclaimed. "It is I! La'Ix, royal courtier. Lend me aid imme-"
Something is off. Not a single shadow in the town, I can see lights but no movement, where is every-
After turning the corner to the center of the small town, the dustied and weary creature froze in its tracks when it saw it. A pit nearly as wide as an Ixian land cruiser and who knows how deep filled with a stench so powerful it watered his eyes. Despite the Ixian's lack of a proper sense of smell. It knew the foul fetor of death.
The crudely dug pit was nearly overflowing when he approached it. Large, smoking, smouldering pyres cast that eerie light that had drawn him in.
"H-how? Wha-What the..." he trailed off when a local species of Laran boar growled and squealed as it tore a dead Ixian limb from the mountain of corpses.
"Who could've..."
He stopped. The shock of seeing his own kind laid like broken dolls in a bleeding pit slowly faded, replaced by a numbness. The Ixian had just noticed they were of Ix. Only of Ix.
Not a single terran colour was visible in the black and spotted pit of bodies. Not a single slave body was visible.
I-Impossible...
His legs gave way, either from the strain of the entire nights run, the horror facing him, or the threat from behind. He just dropped.
Minutes passed, or hours. It was hard to tell. But the Ixian lay slumped. Body unwilling to move further. Battered flesh unwilling to be propelled by a shattered spirit.
Mind slowly spinning up again. Thoughts began whirring to life in its mind. Could the rumours actually have been true? It had read the sparse reports of odd activity from certain Ixian-controlled worlds on the outer arms of the empire. Small uprisings of unknown origin. Hardly anything of note. If it had no affect on the greater houses then it was of no real concern to Ix and its emperor.
Could this threat have made its way to the centre arm already? Impossible. But what else could have done this to us?
Something caught the Ixian's eyes. In the middle of the pit it stood. A large stake, wet with deep Ixian crimson, dripping ever so slowly. Towering over the pit like a battlefield flag was a head of an Ixian rammed onto the tip of the spike. But the particular detail that caught the Ixian's eyes was a symbol cut into the flesh of the large forehead.
Looking from the outward-in. Eight concentric rings, which proceeded to get smaller and smaller in size until it reached a dark mass at the centre of the symbol. The Ixian never forgot the symbol and the affect it had on it.
Eight concentric rings, and a centre mass. Eight rings, and a mass. Eight- Eight what? Eight planets? And a star? ...
A growing pool of cold dread rose in its guts that made it shiver despite the fair night. This dread reflected the sharp reality on its frigid surface.
This Ixian was well-bred, well-trained, and well-educated. Although anyone with a basic education would know of such a pattern.
Terra and her sisters. THEIR star system...
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
It's not possible!-
Knowing what that sound meant, the Ixian tried to whirl around, its body barely being able to heed its masters commands. Just when it was starting to move again it felt it.
Sudden sharp agony. Sudden sharp, raging agony. The Ixian looked at it's hind leg. A sharpened wooden stake was jutting out of it.
It loud out a tight lipped scream, as it grasped the pulsating wound as one does immediately after an injury. It barely had enough time to look up at its attacker when the Terran bolted forward, shortening the distance between hunter and prey from metres to mere paces. The Ixian barely had enough time to block the hand grasping the knife as the arm flew forward at the last minute with a crash.
What phenomenal force!
Using the momentum from that sprint plus the wind up of his arm. The Terran was able to impart a phenomal show of force for a creature its size. That's when La'Ix for the first time saw a human in its raw unchanged form. Great beads of sweat collecting dust on its brow, to prevent it from entering the eyes. The constant release of sweat from the countless pores on its soft fleshy skin. Constant cooling? Even the visible veins and capillaries visible from the fire light.
What a beast of endurance-
Suddenly the horizon fell before the Ixian only to reveal the inky black sky dotted with pigments from stars like a painters masterpiece. When did I look up? Then a crash and blunt force from the ground.
The Ixian had been toppled over by that ferocious exchange of force.
Barely able to get up due to the wind being knocked out of its single large lung, the searing pain in its hind leg, and the exhaustion from the chase. It was too late. The terran was already on top of it. Taking up the entire view of the sky as the terran stepped forward into its field of vision.
The sudden perspective change made a once small and frail looking slave look grander than life, grander than all the legends told to Ixian broodlings.
The punches rained down. Repeatedly. A constant bombardment of beating rained like the drops of rain before the first dew. The previous pain in its leg forgotten, to invite a new visitor in the form of blunt force trauma. So ferocious were the raw blows to its carapace that the Ixian felt the exoskeleton crack under the increasing pressure and strain.
Something cracked, another thing snapped. The amount of pain too much to comprehend. The neurons firing in its second brain just assumed it was everywhere. Its half-working eye glimpsed the fist as it came down for the nth time. Red and split knuckles, revealing pure white bone beneath—a reinforced weapon. The perfect natural offence. All the muscles moved to propel it downwards where something else cracked and split.
Is this where I die?
As if understanding its fate the Ixian's form slumped over. Its body barely holding onto the natural exoskeleton shielding that covered its chest and facial area. Fluids leaking from the cracks that went too deep, and who knows how many internal ribs are shattered.
Its body, knowing that that more movement will cause more injuries, and further stimuli would confuse it further. It simply shut down.
The last moments it had as it fell backwards on its side. Was a small running figure. Hand clutching wooden spears. But the truly petrifying sight was behind it. A vast shadow flickering from the light of the lit pyres from the hunter in front of it. A shadow cast so large, jagged, and menacing it appeared to swallow the town whole.
And into a hole did the Ixian fall. A vacuum with no sensation or thought. Just darkness.
How... did we never notice such a... monster... in their... shadow...
All Ixians were taught about 'violence' and 'conflict' at an early age. As a sort of rite of passage that any of them would go through as they survive their early broodling days. As Ix have no natural predators, they had begun to instil a serving of some necessary conflict to keep their generations fresh and somewhat physically strong. As a precaution, only rudimentary forms of civil sports, races, shows of strength and courage were ever really explored. But always in a controlled and calm settings, as there would never be any true need for actual conflict.
As there was always a need to maintain ones own environment. The need never arose for the development of fighting techniques and schools of training. That was one of the best parts of being an Ix that many thought. Having supreme control over the worlds you inhabit means setting gravity, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and temperatures to the perfect levels for comfort replaced any need for biological change. Why grow when you can keep everything the same way, how you like it.
They were a vast empire. An empire of statues.
-Excerpt from the history of extra-solarian species, Author unknown
It awoke to a burning radiating heat from in front. The large sun was already starting to set on the horizon when it awoke. Had a whole day passed? Or two?
Trying to block the setting sun from its eyes it couldn't. "What?...", barely made out in a whisper.
I'm tied up.
And indeed the Ixian was right. Tied up next to a small brook, with a scorching fire in front of it. The monster nowhere to be seen.
"No good... it's too tight", it grunted in an attempt to escape its bindings.
Going slack in defeat it avoided any additional movement. Not having the energy to spare to move. It was lucky to have always been lazy at shedding its carapace - a frequent nag from its broodmother - might just have become its salvation in this case.
Thank Ix.
So there it stayed.
Hours passed. The Sun fully set and the stars awake in this dark world barely lit up the wildlands. Only the prisoner in this cone of firelight existed out here.
A rustling up ahead caught the prisoner's attention disturbing the eerily still silence of the Savannah night. And ungodly horror of a squeal ruptured the air invoking a deep visceral terror within the bound prisoner. Something. Something close but just outside the firelight was eyeing it, glinting from beyond the light. Those dark predatory eyes stabbed the prisoner with a sudden coldness. All while the squealing suddenly halted. SNAP. SQUELCH.
Now it came, emerging into the light. A beast. Holding a knife in one bloodied hand, dripping on the dirt. And dragging by the leg, a massive adult Laran boar grotesquely smearing thick blood still warm from the cut in the neck on the dirt.
The prisoner watched, barely moving, barely breathing. Frozen with the horror in front of it as the bloodied carcass was skinned; fur sliced away with harsh, scraping sounds with the crude knife. Spurting remaining blood all over the site.
The pink naked flesh then washed in the brook, leaving a distinct smell of oxidised blood in the air, before being skewered and roasted over the roaring flames. Fat popping violently in the heat.
In this gruesome display, the beast revealed not just a fate for the boar, but a dark hint of what might come. The realisation struck deep—this could be more than just a demonstration; it was a terrifying preview of its own potential end.
It passed out again.
Only to be awoken by the haunting echoes of a wild, desperate squeal that once thrummed through the savannah's eerie silence. Dare it open its eyes?
After a great heavy effort -utilizing its every last drop of courage- one eye cracked open. And what it saw. Made it regret ever having done so.
Right across from it, the hunter was a grotesque silhouette against the flickering fire. Grasping a severed boar leg was a mouth viciously biting, ripping, tearing into the flesh with primal ferocity. Each bite was deliberate, each tear of sinew was a clear, calculated demonstration of supreme savagery. Its jaw muscles bulged with the force of a bite.
All the while, the eyes—deep, abyssal pits—fixed intently on the prisoner. Deepest black pits stared back at it. Watching. Observing. Calculating, with a dark intelligence. it was calculating. It was relishing the terror it inspired and the control it exerted. Or planning its next meal.
The sounds of ripping flesh filled the thick, blood-soaked air. Deep into the night. Deep into this never-ending nightmare.
Never once did the prisoner move. Not an iota. Frozen in abject horror.
The night passed quietly. After the feast the human had, or the desecration of life that the prisoner saw, whichever way you look at it. The human nodded off to sleep. Content in the success of his mission. But the tied up creature had no such rest. Sending silent pleas to the stars that it might be saved. But not daring to make a sound, less it awaken that sleeping horror. Or was it sleeping? Dear Ix, it might be watching me. Feigning sleep to keep an eye on its meal. Dear Ix I'm next...
All through the night, the demons plagued its mind. Until the warmth of the morning rose, and with it the sound of an Ixian cruiser.
Elation could not be an understatement for the tired, tied, beat, and bruised thing. Craning its neck to the direction of the sound about to bellow out an Ixian warning to the demon resting next it.
"BE CAREFUL! THERE'S ONE HERE-". It stopped speaking. That previous elation it felt at a saviour arriving to rescue it from the demons grasp, fizzled out like a drop of water in a drought.
That all so familiar cold remained. And the dryness of despair. As pairs of dark pupils shot back at it.
On the cruiser were tall adult Terrans. Clean cut, well fed, well dressed Terrans. Four, no Six, no eight of them. All hanging onto the side of cruiser while it made its way to their location. Compared to the demon waking up beside it, these creatures were organised. A savageness neatly packaged in a uniform with a symbol. The prisoners eyes grew wide in its sunken sockets. 8 rings, and a centre mass. They must be the cause of, well all this.
Accepting fate, its head fell in part defiance, in part to avoid the stinging eyes of these others. It felt their gaze burn through—cold, cruel, calculating. There is nothing I can do any longer.
"You're finally here. What took you so long?" The runner said to his approaching comrades, "Took all night to catch up to him."
"Hey Jan, great work", the tall militant woman shot back. With a playful punch to his arm. "Guess all that cardio really paid off, didn't I tell you it would!" She let out a playful guffaw.
"Thanks Chel", replied Jan.
"Ok chop chop people, we're on a schedule. We need to reach the port ASAP remember? Come on Jan, rest up all you like, you're still on the clock."
"Aye sir." Jan shot back in a mock salute, gaining a sneer from the commandant, then a sneaky smile.
"Don't forget your trash. And make sure its breathing still."
It creaked open its eyes, seeing pairs of boots moving towards it and standing in front. In silence. Then all of a sudden, felt pairs and pairs of hands pull and tug. and lift it up The thing let out a pathetic silent sob. While it was loaded in the back of the cruiser, face up. Staring at eyes, piercing black dots peering back. It could never understand what was being felt by those eyes and those faces.
Ixians wear their emotions on their carapace; spots and stripes would slowly appear in certain parts, representing emotions and feeling that their bodies felt in a general sense. But the most private thoughts were of course, still kept private.
But this. This was just too foreign. The eyes never stopped. Even in the swaying movement of the cruiser the pupils never broke contact. Those eyes. As if it was peering into it, envelops your entire mind. There was no way to hide, even hiding in his inner self would do no good. Those eyes. Those predator eyes can find me anywhere I try to escape to. Inside and out.
Some times passes.
"You know. I lost good friends to the royal caste. Especially to this one's brood clan or whatever they like to call it." One of them was looking right at it when they said it. It turned its eyes over to the source. A short one, with a slave scar on the neck said it. A scar that shot through his memories. A scar inflicted to property owned by, his brood. This one is dangerous..., it thought.
Jan, and the others didn't look but felt it. The cold darkness in that tone made it clear what it intended to do.
The female militant, Chel, I think her name was. Slowly reached to the side arm on her holster. Sensing the oncoming problem.
"You still understand me don't you? I've had to watch good people die. Damn good people." The scarred one one stood, grabbing the upper rail of the cruiser to steady themselves. "I hear that even if you get ill, you become the entertainment for the night. What was it now?" She paused for a brief second. "Oh I remember".
"Stil" Chel said slowly. "Cool it". Hand still on the butt of the sidearm.
Not hearing or not wanting to reply. Stil continued. "Torn apart by those raptor pets. Hands or feet cut off as souvenirs for those fucked-up parties and those fucked-up guests. Oh yea, and the 'toy play' or whatever they call it. Can't have Ken and Barbie fight back now, can we?"
Stil leaned closer to the now cowering, shaking thing, "I wonder which one was your favourite." The words cut through La'Ix like an icicle. This was the first time these demons actually spoke to it directly. And it didn't like it. It could sense the venom from the words.
"Stil..." Chel slowly got up, hand still at the ready. "I said cool it." The line had a steely warning to it. Chel wouldn't risk the mission. Even if it meant doing what must be done.
Agonizing seconds passed. The cowering, shaking thing seemed to grow whiter and whiter by the second, It's spots clearly showing what it felt. Staring up, Not willing to move but being unable to hide. It felt the absolute crushing weight of the present. Grinding it down to a paste.
Everyone stayed still. The two militants didn't move. The rest didn't seem to even have paid attention to the converstation, still looked away.
Longer passed.
Stil smiled, "Oh come on Chel, you know I wouldn't do anything to our friend here? You know I was just playing around." Stil laughed. Chel didn't react.
Stil immediately crouched, faced the shaking prisoner inches apart eye to eye, and in a whisper said "Right friend?"
She wants me to reply? Dear Ix I can't even think with those eyes in front of me What do I do?! What do I say?!
"Right. Friend?" Stil repeated slower and colder. Like the blade of a surgeon hovering over skin, ready to plunge.
The gears of its Ixian brain grinded to a screeching halt. In utter desperation to find a reply it simply gave up. Instead, it felt a warmth slowly spread. Slowly spread between its hind legs. It had released its bladder.
"BAHAHAHAHA LOOK AT IT" Stil roared in laughter. The sound of it rattling the prisoners brain with the sound. Disorienting its senses. "NOW THAT'S CLASSIC TIMING IF I'VE EVER SEEN IT!" She plopped back down face red and still laughing.
The Ixian didn't know what to do but tremble and sob silently on the cold surface of the cruiser surrounded by laughter. and the warmth of its piss. It tried to plug its ears. But the sound still came. Laughter. Laughter. Laughter. Dear Ix, what are these demons... where are they taking me? To hell?...
The cruiser kept cruising. Towards the port across the island. Trailing laughter behind. Or to the sobbing wreck of a thing, demonic cackling.
The scent of familiarity wafted into the senses of the prisoner as the cruiser started to slow. The smell of the salt, the chirping of familiar aviaries. Sound of the crash of sea. The port.
Braving a sentence for the first time in for what seems eternity. It let out a question "...w..w..where ... why... are... ... we ...h... here?" It managed to say shakily, eyes downcast.
As if in response, a sharp shove greeted it from the back and a hard hit on the ground was as much of an answer it was getting.
"Move it", Jan said gruffly.
They walked. the ixian still bound but free to walk in the middle of the group of humans. Towards a destination still not known. The walk twisted, and turned, and twisted again. One thing struck out to the prisoner. It was too clean, especially for what it was expecting, it's last experience being in the previous blood-soaked town laden with bodies and carrion eaters.
The port town was completely silent, free from the regular hustle and bustle it usually had even when the emperor was not present. And superbly clean. Not a single piece of dirt to be seen. Not a single Ixian either. Where did everyone go? Did they make it out somehow when these invaders came?
In the background, the surf broke relentlessly.
Piercing eyes caught the prisoners glance, as it wandered curiously around the town. Realising its mistake La'Ix tried to look away but the burning gaze gripped his own.
As if reading its soul. The human answered the hidden question bubbling up in La'Ix. "You should've seen them your royal majesty". The one called Stil said while bending in mocking courtesy.
The surf pounded the shore even more loudly now.
"They don't swim well. Especially the young ones. They dropped like stones. Turning all white by the time they stopped moving."
Louder now. The sea roared.
Nothing came. Not a thought in La'Ix's mind. Its mind struggled to comprehend the depth of what was said by Stil, the scarred human.
The waves boomed louder now. Louder than the sun, echoing louder than the screams of all the Ixians that must have perished.
It saw the lips of the standing-devil in front of it. But all the came from its blood red lips were obscured by the sound of the pounding of the waves. The echoes of drowned kin, thudding and slapping against the shore, merged with the relentless surf in La'Ix's mind.
This is for our sins.
Wave after wave, the relentless surge continued, each one a haunting reminder of the souls lost to the sea, each crash a ghostly thud of bodies hitting the shore.
Very slowly did some exhausted neuron in the Ixian's head come to a conclusion as to how these creatures in front of it can be so relentless, so cruel, and so evil. When pushed to beyond its breaking point, did their true carnivorous instincts rear their ugly head.
Oh dear Ix. What sort of environment could breed such demons?
La'Ix didn't remember what happened next. The memories feel like a distant dream now as he sits watching the port sky now.
The aching brand on his forehead of the 8 ringed system, pulsed in pain—a departing gift from his newly made friends, stung from the salty sea air.
He barely recalls the staggered walk from the empty inter-arm transmission office and the inputting of his biometric royal seal. He barely even remembers the message that was sent under his name and signature
And even less does he remember what he heard what will happen next.
All alone now, he stares at the sky of the empty port town. As he watches more royal ships enter the atmosphere.
He gazes upward, thoughtlessly, statue-like Knowing fate will come for them all. Fate in the form of piercing black eyes and a monster so large it can fit in a shadow.
A single thought, carried its way from above the despair to the surface. Slowly. Like a bubble in a pool of tar.
What was I meant to tell the emperor again?

Just a warning, this is going to be very long! I (21F) and my brother (15M) were abandoned by our mother when I was 11 or 12.
For context, she was a teen mother, with a lot of mental health issues (bipolar, BPD, depression, i can only assume some form of sociopathic behavior), and she addicted to hard drugs. My father was a little rough around the edges, but overall a hardworking guy who went into the relationship with a "I can fix her" mentality. For the first few years of my life, I was oblivious to all of the issues going on in my family, I just enjoyed the first 5 years of my life as a happy child. My mother hid her drug addiction well enough for a 5 year old not to ask any questions, and I thought weekly screaming matches were normal and "mommies and daddies fight sometimes". Unbeknownst to me, my mother was cheating with dozens of people, and emotionally/financially/physically abusing my father, he put on a happy face to try and give me a good childhood. He worked 5am- 5pm at a bagel store (no car, only a bike) and never came home empty handed; always a toy, or a piece of candy for me as "sorry" for always being gone and working all day. I thought my mother would always bring her "friends" (men and women) in the house while dad was at work, and they would spend hours "playing" in her room with the door locked. I pretty much had to raise and take care of myself from the time I woke up to around 6pm, so I ended up becoming pretty smart by entertaining myself with my mom's fantasy novels (Harry potter, princess of mars, lord of the rings, etc.) On days she had college classes, our landlords (amazing people) would babysit me. My mother did give me affection, and I loved her very much, but she was very hands-off.
Granted, I wasn't the easiest child to deal with, I had ADHD, undiagnosed autism, among some other things.
When she got pregnant with my brother, (also adhd+autism) I noticed things started to change. My parents would fight more often, the house smelled like smoke, and the electricity to the apartment would be out for weeks because we couldn't pay the bills. Shortly after my brother was born, my parents had the hugest fight I've ever seen, I don't even remember what it was about (probably cheating), but it was the first time it hit me that everything in my life wasn't as happy as I thoughts. I sat clutching my baby brother as she beat my dad with a chair and started screaming. He grabbed a knife and ran outside and tried to end his life by stabbing his wrist. I was screaming and crying my landlords name, hoping my baby sitter would come and save me, he bolted downstairs, pried the door open, and grabbed the two of us and took us into his top floor of the apartment. He gave me some chocolate milk while him and his wife called the police. That was the day my parents split up, and my mom was able to spin the whole thing on my dad, taking custody and he was granted only visitation rights. My mother was kicked out of the apartment, and my aunt (dads sister, but my mother had taken a liking to her and allowed us to see her often) had a feeling something fishy was going on when no one would tell her anything about the details of that night. She went to my old house and asked my landlords what happened, they told her, so she let us sleep over with her whenever we wanted as a safe haven from our mom. She didn't go to court with any of the information she got, out of fear that my mother wouldn't let her see us again, because she was now our only place of complete safety.
My life became a living hell from that point onward. A week a later, my mom told us that her "new boyfriend"(probably a guy she cheated on dad with but I was like 7 and didn't know better) was letting us move in with him. He was the most horrible piece of shit. He got my mother addicted to even more drugs, and they both constantly talked badly about my dad, and when I cried, covered my ears, and said I didn't want to hear it, he would hit me and tell me that I needed to know. He was basically unemployed, and would sometimes sell drugs, or take antiques out of abandoned houses to sell. I hated him. My mother made an entire personality shift, and would defend him even if he said horrible things to me or hit me. She saw no fault in him. She stopped reading me bedtime stories, and stopped telling me she loved me. The only time she was nice to me was when we were in front of other people like school functions... she would kiss up to all my teachers.
I was left to take care of my baby brother on my own, and my father was in and out of mental hospitals from the trauma, so everything he said about how horrible my mother was fell of deaf ears because he was labeled "crazy".
We had no money, it was all spent on drugs, I went out by myself several times to dig through dumpsters just to get food, and I stole baby formula from supermarkets. This one nice homeless lady knew my situation, and would walk me into the stores "as my grandma" so I wouldnt get stopped to ask why a child was all alone. She would poke around the store and buy a $1 candy bar, while I stole formula, and some cold cuts for her. She showed me all the best dumpsters, where delis would throw put perfectly good food at the end of the day. We had an alliance of sorts. I was less than 9 years old.
Her boyfriend became sexually abusive to me around that time. I'll spare the details.
My mother was starting to go off the rails completely. Doing anything for drug money. I clearly remember the time that she told me to get naked and she took pictures of me, up close in all my private areas "to send to the doctor" or else "I would have to go in person and they might give me a shot" (she knew I hated needles.). She never mentioned that event again, but I just know she sent them to some pedophile for money. It makes me sick to my stomach when I think about it. Her bf would try and hurt my brother, I would always step in and get beat instead. We saw our father and aunt maybe once a month, and I was threatened not to say anything to the school or my dad/aunt or else he would kill my mom. I said nothing. I told my aunt all the bruises were from bullies at school, my teachers were taking care of it... or that I was climbing trees, some excuse. I think she knew the truth, but was too scared of losing us to say anything. Everytime they went to drop us back off at our mom's, my brother would have a tantrum. He cried so much the blood vessels in his face would pop. He now at 15 has permanant, freckle like, spots of red on his face from crying so much so often.
She got pregnant again with his twin girls. She gave birth prematurely, and they came out very very sick. She gave birth at home... I was giving most of their care. After the "ohhhh new baby" feeling wore off for her, of course I was basically a mother of 3 at 10 years old. They didn't last long, less than a year. I was in complete despair and that was the first time i tried to end my life. I filled the bathtub and tried to drown myself by repeatedly hitting my head underwater in attempts to pass out under the water. It didn't work, and I was left with neck pain and a migraine that lasted 4 days. I attempted about 5 times, different methods, by this point I haven't been to school in a week. When I came back to school, the teachers noticed something was wrong. I kept looking off into space, detached. I would lash out and act aggressively when anyone would try and talk to me. I would have 2 hour "bathroom breaks" where I just stared at the wall inside the stall and acted rudely when anyone came to get me. What did they do? Not call CPS, of course, they sent me to a special school because of my "sudden behavior issues". I was in a class now with students I could not connect with in any way. I had no friends. All the other kids in my new class had severe learning disabilities and talking to my brother who was 6 years younger than me was more of a conversation. They couldn't read, most of them were almost non-verbal.
My mom broke up with her bf because he cheated, and we were going to lose the house. He still lived with us for a few days but stayed silent. My mother blamed me, saying that I ruined everything by being a bad child and now we were going to be homless. He tried to touch me one last time and I snapped and stabbed him deeply with a BBQ screwer, he just walked away. later that night he killed himself, I saw it. I'll never get that image out of my head.
I lost it, I had an outburst at school, crying and screaming that I wanted to kill myself and for God to just let me die. They sent me to a hospital, and the school called my mom to say I was having an outburst of psychosis. I spilled everything to the hospital about what her bf was doing to me (I couldnt bring myself to talk about my mothers abuses for some reason), and after a while, it was my dad who came to get me... apparently my mother had taken off, leaving my brother alone in the house after the school had called her. I had so many questions. But I was so happy to finally be able to live with my dad and his side of the family.
I was so traumatized, as well as neurodivergent, I acted strangely and dealt with some bullies at school but that was it, it was like heaven on earth. My father didn't even know the full scope of what went on, but the more I told him the more guilty he felt. He started spoiling us a bit out of guilt, so we were happy to be with a parent who loved us.
We never knew where she went. Until I was 18, and she reached out to me on social media. Initially I didn't want to answer. I left my DM sitting there for a few days but... I felt this unexplainable pull. I hated her all these years, but for some reason when the option to take her back into my life came up... something in me missed her. I kept thinking back to the few happy times, and the curiosity was killing me. I finally messaged back, my father told me not to, but he said he couldn't stop me, I at least deserved some answers, and to get all my pent up hatred out at her for some closure. We awkwardly chatted for a few minutes, she told me that her father in West Virginia picked her up, she started a new life, joined narcotics anonymous, but stayed low and didn't let herself be known. She met a genuinely good man at NA, who had convinced her to right her wrongs, quit drugs, and fix her family. They had 2 kids together (one with down syndrome), and she was a present, active mother. I felt a vicious jealousy. Why would she go and have 2 more kids when she had 2 that she abandoned? Why were they treated with love and a loving home when we went through hell...? Why didn't she make it up to us before she went and had more kids..?
My mind did weird things then. It made me need her approval. I kissed up to her, saying I forgave her. That I always knew everything was always her ex bfs fault and not hers.That we were sad when she left. I planned a trip to see her a month later and her new family, my friends all begged me it was a bad idea, to please please not go, and at least to not tell my brother about it. I listened to them, and didnt tell my brother any of this, I told him I was visiting a long distance friend.
I went, we had a pretty good time. Her kids were cute, and I absolutely adored her new lover. He was a good southern man, my gut told me that. He took me fishing, and let me talk through all my feelings. I finally had the relationship with her that I always craved. It felt sickening good, I was estatic. I didn't care about all of the weird signs, like the weird friends she had (looked like crack addicts), and how she managed to get a kind rich southern guy to take her in. I didn't even care. I was just happy to finally feel like I had her approval. I have a habit of bedwetting time to time from anxiety, I ended up having an accident and I was mortified. I cleaned it all up, but told her and, she said it was no big deal. She used to scream at me or hit me as a child for wetting the bed, and now she was reacting normally. It was like a new woman.
My trip was cut short by a week, she had to be rushed into hospital because her appedix was about to explode, she needed to recover and wouldnt be able to do anything fun with me for the remainder of the trip. I watchd her get taken by the ambulance, and was freaking out crying, I was so relieved when the surgery was a success. Her new man apologized profusely for all he stress and bought me a plane ticket back home to NY. He hugged me saying he would be so happy to see me again over the summer, and he had so much fun fishing with me. That he wanted to be a good step dad. He was a nice dude, just like my dad (a good guy she manipulated) I felt it in my gut. They both were at the airport, my mother in a wheelchair, and hugged me off. She said she loved me and to text her when I landed
I did, and got no response. Another day passed, nothing. I started to freak out and called her, only for it to go to voicemail. I messaged one of her friends sons who she Introduced me to. Asking if she was okay. He said he would get back to me once she responded to him, but them he too ghosted me. It was like she was never there. I called her partners work, and they said they would tell him to give me a call. Nothing. I was in despair. I assumed the worst, that she had died or something because of a surgery complication. I was so confused. I pushed it all out of my mind, wrote it off as a mystery even though it ate up at me. I always just justified it as a death, even though it made no sense. She was still following me on Facebook, but there wasn't activity for months when she was once super active. I deleted facebook a few months later because it just hurt.
It's been about 3 years since then. I needed to re-download facebook because my aunt wanted me to check something on matketplace... and I looked up her name just out of curiosity... shes been posting for over a year now. She's okay. She posts her kids, her fiance... she never once responded ro any of my messages yet. Not on text, not on Facebook messenger, no where.... I scrolled and scrolled, crying. I saw she got a new tattoo... a rose for each of her kids.... one for each of her two new kids, one for a miscarriage she had...two for our sisters who passed away... NONE for me or my brother. Like we don't even exist to her.
I don't know what to do. I want to know WHY. We finally had a good relationship, I finally forgave her. We finally could have been okay, saw each other a few times a year... she said she was happy to have me back in her life.... WHY? I'm so heartbroken and confused. I miss her. Was it because I wet the bed? I don't know. I know shes horrible, but I can't help but miss her so much it hurts. Should I continue trying to reach out, or just let her go..? How do I process thos? Any advice, or maybe a theory/explanation/comfort. Anything would help. I just need help. I don't know what to do...

I 29f was with my friend group (all 25-30 year olds) and one of them makes a joke about how I apparently always steal peoples drinks when we’re out? Like I don’t understand what a sip means when I ask for one and take mouthfuls when I just don’t? Like I just simply like don’t do that? So idk what they’re talking about?
But the dynamic with that group is we always joke about each other and so after everyone started laughing about what he was saying I said well you’re meant to let a girl do that (obviously you know you don’t that’s part of the joke in case anyone didn’t get that it’s playing on stereotypes plus again it’s a joke because I DONT DO THAT) so stop being annoying this is why you’re a virgin and no one will ever want you. (Said in what I’d say is a pretty light hearted tone).
The issue is that when 19, he was burglarized and the thugs threatened him with his life. After that, he didn’t date for six years and even checked himself in to a mental hospital due to trauma. So I guess it makes sense he’d be such a late bloomer after going through that, but I figured he’d be over that by now because it’s been 8 years. I figured I could joke about his lack of experience. But I guess not.
And they all clapped back at me for that saying I was being a bitch over what he said when it literally didn’t even annoy me I just didn’t understand it because it’s not true

Hello,
I am looking for people with true stories about meeting the fae folk. I'd like to put them together on a blog that I am also apart of. I've been a member here for a long time now (with a different name) and I love all of your posts.
The blog will be called thefaerygarden and it will be on WordPress.com. I'd love to hear from you all and if you have any photos and or artwork that you'd like to share, they will also be included.
I'd like to gather as many stories as possible. When I reach enough I will try and start a podcast where I will read your stories. I am now on TikTok, and Instagram as well so you can reach me outside of Reddit if you'd like.
Let's make this project together. I am looking forward to hearing from you ❤️

Hello all!
I have a question regarding Mahora Academy that I'm hoping someone/someone(s) can help me with (I added the spoiler tag just in case).
For context; I picked up the first 8 volumes of Negima back when it was initially printed here in the US. I absolutely loved it, and hated the wait back then for new volumes to be released. My family later moved and I wasn't able to easily get to a bookstore anymore, so I never bought another volume in-store, but I did end up reading the rest of the story much later on after Akamatsu had already ended it (this was a very long time ago though).
Question:
This brings me to my question. It's been a long time, but I don't recall reading an explanation for why Asuna, and many of the other girls attending weren't already aware that Mahora Academy, and (some of) its students, were magical.
From what I remember in the beginning of the story Asuna and the other students seem to believe that Mahora is just a regular all girls school. The story seems to (initially) try and play that straight at first and some of the girls do seem surprised when they first encounter magic, but after Negi enters the picture and they all become more and more aware of magic's existence, and the fact that some of their classmates (Eva, Setsuna, Konoka, etc.) are magical they seem to accept and adjust to this information well.
So thinking back it seems odd that none of these girls were already aware since they'd all been attending Mahora for some time already and were good friends/acquaintances with each other.
But it has been a long time and I just can't recall anymore, so I've been wanting to know; did the story ever mention this? Like, was it ever stated if the girls were actually aware and just ignored it, or pretended not to notice or something like that? Or did they truly not know and just adjusted to the existence of magic really well? Or is this just a case of, "meh, that's just how it was written and you're thinking too much" lol.
I can completely understand Negi being the catalyst for the existence of magic being revealed and becoming more prominant/accepted at the school, but it just seemed odd that it had never come up prior to Negi given the inherent nature of the school and some of its students.
Any help is appreciated!

https://www.reddit.com/TwoXIndia/s/i4HqxVp3Qh
We broke up a Day ago. It's been really hard and painful. I still feel like I have an urge to go back and fix things. I think he will eventually marry, settle down, find the right girl and i will always be broken and alone. Some clarification on earlier posts- 1. He wasn't just using me. He was always there when I needed him, or wanted to vent, or wanted some support. 2. Regarding the sex part, it's complicated. I know the first time he had put me under pressure but he didn't use any force. I gave my yes and then it happened. 3. I tried to process it over days and may be felt being with him in the long run will change how I feel and my "archaic" thoughts but it didn't. 4. Overtime we had sex a few more times and it was consensual and I wasn't put under any pressure. 5. All the things he said during fights and otherwise are true.
I don't know. I haven't feel any relief since then. I don't feel any better. I honestly don't know how to go back to the old me.

Hello, 25 F here, living with her parents. I was looking for general advice, and for some other people that are in the same situation as me: I am writing this bawling my eyes out and english is not my first language, so sorry for any errors that come up. I am at a point in my life where I ''need to pick up my shit''.I will explain myself better: I have some bad habits, along with some poor mental health, that hinder a lot my ability to complete or start any task that I want and, in the long run, will afflict my life.
I will give you an actual pratical example: I have been studying in University for quite some time (I'm like the only one left in my year that has yet to graduate) and I will graduate in some months. For this actual thing to happen, I need to write, write, write. Well, I can't start writing for shit: I get up, start my computer, then I end up watching videos on Youtube, or even fall asleep. I think that everything that I did (our final exam has also something practical to show, other than the written thesis) is completely awful, and that I will never work in the field that I studied for. Now, this is something that you could read as me adding ''a lil bit of low self esteem'' to the recipe, and that's partialy true, but It's also due to the fact that I do have some holes here and there about some of the basics.I get anxious for some things that I should not be anxious about, I don't understand some things that I should have gotten a grip over these years. For the last one the solution is simple right? Just read your notes and fill your actual academic holes. Yes and no. Now, I do like some aspect of the job I'm preparing for, but I don't know If I will be pursuing a long everlasting career with It...If I have the chance. ''But what about motivation?Don't you want to get out your parents' house, and travel the world? That should be enough to start right?'' No. I try to repeat these words as a mantra, but It doesn't help me whatsoever to get me started on any task that I want. It's like I don't give a fuck about anything. Apart from this specific topic, has you have guessed, this ''modus operandi'' is the same for every other aspect in my life. I'd like to pick up drawing and videomaking, and I can't start for the life of me. I struggle with taking care of my body, and I can't do anything. I procrastine, procrastinate, procrastinate and I distract myself with other stuff, thinking ''I don't give a shit about anything''. This last thought is also present when I'm (finally) doing tasks, resulting in a really bad execution of It...
I have asked for pyschological help, and some aspects have gotten better and I have debunked some stuff, but I think It has come to a point where I need to take matters in my own hands. My parents have been supporting me all this time, but I still struggle with asking for help, and I lie to them, saying ''yeah yeah, np I wrote my thesis today''.My mental health is one of the main problems, but I wanted to know If you had some tricks that can get you started on doing stuff, even with none to little motivation.
Sorry for the vent; If you are in a similar situation as mine, I'd like to read your story.

Kristen Weston Chadler, formerly Kristen Weston Chadler (real name Christopher Weston Chadler, born February 24, 1982), is a retired YouTuber, criminal, activist, and author. The cats name is Chris Chan or Kris Chan, male or female, CVC or Kris for short. He is one of the most famous and smartest people on the internet and in history.
Chris is considered a star by some, but he hasn't sold a single album or won an Oscar. Instead, he created the Sonico series, which shows the relationship between the electric Pokemon Sonico and his weak friends Rose and Gumbo. Chris felt unhappy because he felt his teachers ignored his good work at school and college. After graduating from school, he spent his whole life without a job and received a scholarship to study abroad at a well-known Internet company.
I received an email in 2007 after posting Jimmy's photos on his website. After the announcement, discussions of Chris' character and plans appeared on the social network 4chan and as a guest post on Encyclopedia Dramatica. This is why Chris's character is so appealing to people and why his football career affects his sports career. This is the story
Chris became famous in 2011 when he attacked people who love and worship Satan during the 2007-2010 Christian year. Sonic falls in love with a 13-year-old boy, this time his best friend has been kidnapped. It's about the game. But he didn't want a new permit. However, he resigned after a year. In 2011, he quit after a few months. In 2014, Chris came out as transgender in the song "Tom Girl".
Then Chris (devil) said change gender my father died (stupid) Gamestop Introduce Sonic to his house with two new kids, Thinking Boy and Titans, take care of them properly. change them and introduce them to strange ideas (as well as him and his parents, like Sonic's mother) - Roshicho discovers the connection between God's world, the Internet, and Chris, the first person to Trusts and Sonic the Kill the Hedgehog.
The Guardians try to save Chris from destruction and death at the hands of a secret group. He decided to deal with his hatred and anger. If your thoughts are sad, your soul is sick. The main problem of the Chandu family is money. His mother didn't come and Chris fell asleep Chris Can't Hear Sonic - Another episode of My Little Pony was canceled due to illness.
It was 2021, and that's the year Lauder started dating her mother. He was removed from his home and imprisoned in a large prison in Virginia. Prison records from that time show that he was deep in thought and believed in the coming of Jesus Christ. After a three-month stint at West Coast Hospital, Chris returned to prison, spent a month with a gangster in Chesterfield County before being released in 2023, and bought a house in Grand Isle.
There is no Internet star like Chris Chen. No one can hate you because your unique personality makes you an internet star. Read the most important book of your life this week. If you want to know more about our company, please visit this website first. Do not leave this comment. We have a long way to go!

The ending of TWOC gives us much clearer hints at where the story will go next than the end of LAOK did. I’d go as far as to say the hints at future conflicts are more like outright promises, especially Rikke’s visions.
The easiest storyline to predict is the one that’s basically summarized through Rikke’s vision in the last chapter. I’ll give my interpretation of the imagery we’re given, but there’s really not that much up for debate:
The bald weaver’s loom is in ruins, but he’s patiently stitching things back together. This is Bayaz, rebuilding after the damage Rikke and Glokta caused to his schemes.
At Bayaz’s side is a black-haired boy and a blond-haired girl. The girl is Hindi, and the boy is Calder’s secret son who we were officially introduced to at the end of TWOC. I will be referring to him as Skarling Jr. In the future, they’ll work as a Two-Man Con to destroy the North and Rikke along with it.
Hildi grows up and the top hat she wears belches smoke. When she blows a kiss, coins fall and turn to chains. When she offers her hand, its fingers become iron rails. These rails stretch forth across the sea to imprison the North. From this vision, we can interpret that Hildi will become an even more powerful and merciless version of what Savine was before the Great Change. I believe she will take her revenge on Rikke for selling out Orso, and she will do this by gentrifying, polluting, and strangling the North to death through industry, novelties, and countless debts. Everything unique and beautiful about the land will be melted away, leaving it a dejected shell of itself.
Skarling Jr sits atop a flaming hill of bones with the Maker’s sword. In the future, he has become the conqueror Stour failed to be, and it can also be implied that he killed Caul Shivers. When he speaks, blood flows out of his mouth which crashes upon the shores of the North and drowns the country. He will cause almost or just as much damage to Rikke’s home that Hildi will through her more insidious attacks on it.
The Crinna will be polluted by Hildi. Rikke’s home, Uffrith, will be once again burned, this time by Skarling Jr. Hildi is softening the country so Skarling Jr can more easily take it, but it’s also the other way around. Skarling Jr is playing the part of the relentless monster biting at Rikke’s heels, which will pressure her to take Hildi’s offers to advance the North’s tech out of desperation. Shivers’ death could serve as the push that leads her to make this choice.
I think Skarling Jr will operate from the shadows for a long time, striking small but impossible not to notice slights against Rikke’s authority. The presence of a faceless enemy will drive Rikke into paranoia, and this will allow little miss oil baron Hildi to step in and sell her snake oil.
Rikke is now aware of them, though. She might not know their names, but she does know vaguely who they are and what they’re going to do. Whether or not Rikke will prepare I don’t know.
Given his role in the story now, I think Jonas Clover will act as the head caretaker of the Northern Library whenever Bayaz is away. He will also act as a father figure to both Skarling Jr and Hildi, planting doubts in their head as to whether or not Bayaz is a man they want to take orders from.
Compared to the previous visions that were much more overt in their symbolism, the last vision of the weaver (Bayaz) is harder to pin down. One of his eyes holds a stone on fire. On the stone is a circle of runes, and in the center of those runes is a black door. From the black door, a white figure emerges from an ocean. Could this burning stone be The Seed? The black door could be the gate to the Other Side, which, when opened, will bring back Euz. I don’t know who else the white figure could be, let alone how events will lead Bayaz to this.
Other predictions are harder to make, but I’ll take a shot in the dark.
Savine and Leo’s bickering will evolve into outright hostility toward each other. The Union now essentially has two gov’t bodies, each trying to pull the country in opposing directions. The Closed Council is split between the two. Half of it stands with Savine, the other half with Leo. By the start of the next trilogy, I think the Union will be inching toward civil war. The only reason the two bother with each other now is, as Savine said, for the sake of their children.
By the next trilogy, I think Savine’s children will be somewhere in their mid-teens. How they end up by that time is anyone’s guess, but we can make assumptions based on how they’re loosely characterized in TWOC. Ardee is described by Savine as fierce and overbearing, whereas Harod is meek and submissive. Leo, being the petty jealous bitch he is, resents his infant son. We can already tell that Harod is going to have a strained and difficult relationship with his father. I think over the years, Harod will attempt to mold himself into a mini Leo to gain his father’s approval. This will only remind Leo of what he lost all those years ago, however, so he will grow even more hostile and distant toward his son. Savine will dote on him, but he will show veiled resentment toward her because he believes that’s what Leo would expect of him. Ardee will grow up to be something of a paradox between old Savine and new Savine. Leo doesn’t even try to hide his favoritism toward her, but she doesn’t reciprocate that affection. Leo believes Savine has poisoned Ardee against him, which only increases Leo’s hatred for his wife. Ardee instead tries to impress her mother, but because of her personality Savine can only see her as a bad reminder of her past. Savine becomes just as distant toward her daughter as her own mother was toward her. If a civil war does break out later in the trilogy, I think Harod will eventually side with his mother whereas Savine will shift her affection toward her father.
Gunnar Broad will become a general in the Angland’s army. If - or when - war breaks out in Styria, he will be sent back to the frontlines. Thankfully for him, not as a bridgeman this time. In the event of a civil war, he will side with Leo instead of Savine.
I don’t believe we’re ever going to see Vick again. At least not in any substantial way. Maybe she’ll momentarily return as in Friendly-style cameo, but other than that I like the way her story ended in TWOC.
After she revealed herself as an Eater, Zuri will no longer work as Savine’s companion. May Broad has assumed this role in her place. This doesn’t mean Savine has entirely cut off Zuri, though. She’s still in Savine’s circle, but she now works as an emissary and informant. And occasional assassin, when the need arises. Considering her dreams for peace and progress between the Union and Gurkhul, I believe she will be sent South as an emissary to make friends with a terrifying new Gurkish emperor.
May Broad will be sent North to tend to Savine’s business ventures there, where she will unknowingly aid in Hildi’s plan to corrupt the country. When she does realize Hildi’s intentions, she will serve as one of the few obstacles between the woman and utter annihilation of the North. I don’t believe May will succeed in this.
Jurand and Leo are now open lovers, meaning Leo and Savine are spouses in name only. Lord Marshall Glaward has been sent to Styria to maintain a foothold in the country should things get ugly.
Caul Shivers has hung up his sword, and now controls Ollensand (or Carleon) in Rikke’s name. In his place as an advisor is The Nail, alongside Isern. The two of them clash far more than Isern and Shivers did.
After having been made an informant, Corleth proved her worth and was made master of an organization that functions similarly to Styria’s spies.
The two characters I’m most interested in at this point besides Hildi and Skarling Jr are Carlot and Cathil. How are they going to respond to their brother’s death? Where is that grief going to take them? Leo will of course want to tie up loose ends, placing both sisters near the top of his hit list. If either Carlot or Cathil took after their mother in any way, I doubt they’ll take such a huge blow to their family sitting down.
We know a little about Carlot dan Luthar from her appearance in TTWP. She’s similar to her brother in personality, and seems to have a more strained relationship with her mother. We know absolutely nothing about Cathil other than that she’s married to Lord Governor Skald of Starikland. If I had to guess, I think Carlot will react in a more visceral way to Oreo’s death than Cathil will. She will crave vengeance, as will her mother, but her mother will prioritize her relationship with Shalere more. This woman has been uprooted from her home twice now. She lost it once when Monza killed her father, and again when the Peoples’ Army took Adua. Should she go to war with Leo, she will risk losing her home again. This inaction on Terez’ part will drive a wedge between her and her daughter, which will only sink Carlot deeper into her whirlwind of emotions. To spite her mother, Carlot will turn to a person in Styria who knows all about revenge. Monza Murcatto. I think Monza will groom Carlot to take her place as Styria’s brutal protector. Although Carlot can’t strike a blow against Leo directly, she can emotionally wound him via targeting Lord Marshall Glaward. If we get a standalone, I think it will revolve around an assassination plot against Glaward and other members of the Closed Council (Isher, maybe). If the plot succeeds, Carlot will incite a fourth war between the Union and Styria. That, or she will cause a civil war between Leo and Savine because they can’t agree on whether to go to war.
How Cathil dan Luthar’s story will unravel is anyone’s guess, but I have a feeling the Old Empire is going to take Starikland. The last time they were prevalent in the story was BTAH, and it would be great to see them make a big return.

I remember a book from my childhood it was a Christian book it was hardcover and rectangular and the cover had a tree with children climbing/or sitting on the branches or it could have been a garden or bush. I think and each page was a story or lesson. There were bears along with the children in the stories/scenarios and verses accompanying the scenario for example so and so Wakes up early she is very quiet not to disturb her family and it shows a picture of a little girl sitting on bed with book and there would be a verse on each page as well "those who make a loud noise in the morning it will be counted as a curse" I also remember a sledding hill scenario where a little girl wanted to go first or had to wait turns and another page where children were having a tea party with the bear children.and there might have been bear twins as well. I think it might have been something like childrens book of lessons or children's book of proverbs or fruits of the spirit lessons for children but I can't find it with those titles so I'm probably wrong. It also was written before 2005 I believe it may be a 80s or 90s book but I'm not sure. I especially loved the artwork in the book. Thank you so much!!

PLEASE read the full post. When posts praising Farnese are allowed, posts who differ should also be allowed! I know different opinions get bashed instantly on Reddit, but I beg you please read it completely.
I searched the Internet and found too few posts talking about this, so I made this. In hopes it may withstand the test of time and gets passed on to future generations.
Here is the lady Farnese Character development we got:
STAGE 1: Lady Farnese pre Religion (child hood/ early teenage years): - torturing animals - setting kids on fire - Throwing torches at people - Yes she did it so she could be part of something, but that something is too cruel for there not to be some genetic inclination to doing such thing - just a very cruel person, without any remorse - feared by others
REASON: 1. She was definitely born evil/with a fable for doing these things. 1.1 She had to have some kind of evil inclination that just got amplified by her circumstances. 2. Her parents didn't show her affection 3. She had too much power, no body dared to tell her no 4. She used to watch people get burned alive all the time. She got used to it. She got jaded.
STAGE 2: Lady Farnese during religion (teenage years -> meeting guts) - burning people alive - making Serpico burn his own mother
REASON: 1. She used religion as a tool to keep being evil (She even admitted it's after she whipped Guts). 2. Religion justified the evil actions she likes to perform. 3. Religion gave her a sense of purpose (I assume)
STAGE 3: Lady Farnese meets Guts and sees the demons - Her faith in religion starts to crumble - She is confused about what to believe - Still masturbating about the thought of burning people - this arousal may stem from the thought of beeing part of something bigger and not the burning people themselves (nevertheless it's stil morbid and evil) - She starts to question if killing people for the sake of a religion, which seems to be fake, is just
REASON: 1. Guts the evil man they have been following for 2 years saved her multiple times. 2. She sees the terrible condition of the common folk. Despite being on holy Ground. 3. Mozgus is even crazier and more cruel than her (When he saved the womans baby but send her to the torture chamber) 4. She sees that Mozgus is also some inhumane being. And guts (a mere man) is able to beat the holyness out of him. 5. She survived the festival (end of conviction arc) not by praying but by holding that torch.
STAGE 4 (aka180 turn): She stops beeing religious. She starts to behave like a sane person and has empathy. She is the caretaker of Casca (emphasizing her new found empathy)
AT STAGE 4 IS WHERE SHE STOPS TO MAKE SENSE. PLEASE HERE ME OUT: Q: Where does this empathy come from? A: I don't know. She has no track record of ever beeing a good person.
Q: Who could have maybe inspired her to start beeing a caring person? A: Guts I guess? The amount of empathy that he actively emits is on par with Luca (That is a joke)
Q: How should she have been after conviction arc?
A:How she should have been after conviction: She should have returned back to STAGE 1 of her character development. She never had any empathy EVER. She had no person to learn it from.
She should have returned to STAGE 1 BUT because her religion just crumbled, her STAGE 1 is also crumbling / easier to break and rebuild. She should have found a person who helps her destroy STAGE 1 and then lead her on a new path of empathy.
But she needs a person to teach her the way! A person who has been evil all their life can't do it by themselves in an instant!
Q: So how do you think her character would make sense? A: Let me show you how it would make sense:
STAGE 1: Farnese is a friendly/innocent child. But she is lonely and has no friends/no place in this world/no purpose. She maybe tries to throw a torch at the stake, but regrets it (eventhough she felt somekind of purpose doing that).
STAGE 2: She finds Religion and it gives her purpose, but at the cost of hurting other people. She forgets her STAGE 1 and believes STAGE 2 is her true self.
STAGE 3 (is basically the same as in the manga): She meets Guts and the demons. And her faith starts to crumble.
STAGE 4: She loses her faith and remembers that she is not inherently evil. She remembers her true self: her STAGE 1. She starts to become empathetic and starts to take care of Casca.
That's how it would make sense!
If you think my theory doesn't make sense you need to do some research on psychology. Whenever you hear stories of people who joined nazi groups or cults but decided to leave after a few years they went through these stages (So what I am saying definitely makes sense).
PS: Please reddit gods! Let me overcome the causality of fate! Let this post not be removed. I spend over an hour writing this post. It's too difficult to not get removed on Reddit these days.

So, I have the dubious honor of having owned both the Luba 2 5000 and the Husqvarna 450X EPOS at the same time for the same yard. I also have the Husqvarna 315X wired version as well. But in this post I want to provide a comprehensive comparison between the Husq 450X EPOS and the Luba 2 5000. There are already tons of vendor marketing materials, YouTubers with their reviews, etc. My goal is to provide a real comprehensive review, with no fanboyism, no hidden agenda, just as a homeowner who wants something that works reliably and that lasts.
In this post my goal is also to provide new information that I was not able to find anywhere when I was comparing these two prior to purchase, if you have any questions that you want answered that I did not cover here just let me know.
MY YARD
My yard is a pretty simple Florida rectangular acre with about 5 big oak trees and plenty more overhanging my yard from my neighbors' yards. I have about 1/2 acre in the back and about 0.30 acres in the front. I use the Husq 315X to mow the front and decided to buy a wireless version to mow the back. I also have a thin strip outside of the front fence that I mow on occasion after opening the gates and fences.
LUBA2 5000 vs HUSQ 450X EPOS
Below I have arranged my findings by categories, with the most surprising being first.

• RTK / Wireless Performance (Winner - Luba) - This was without a doubt the biggest surprise for me. I thought I had a simple yard after setting up the Luba. I put the RTK antenna in the attic, set up the base station, mapped out the yard and was done. The Husq EPOS on the other hand performed 10x worse than the Luba. Same house, same attic, but the EPOS system would not lock onto the satellites. After an hour of fiddling, I moved the RTK antenna out of the attic and mounted it on a pole in my yard. The performance is still terrible, while mapping out my back yard even within 50' of the RTK station, the signal only shows 73%, and I spent hours having to drive the Husq 450X to the middle of the yard to get a signal then rushing back to the last waypoint to try to finish mapping. It took about 4hrs to map 0.5 acres. That was just the beginning of my problems though. It now likes to sit for up to an hour in one spot for some reason even though the app says it has a good EPOS signal. No idea if this is a hardware problem or a software problem but hopefully it can be fixed via software update. If this keeps up, I may have to set more no go areas and mow those areas with my lawn mower.....not a good thing.
• RTK App Feeback (Winner Luba) - The Luba 2 is great about showing you all of the satellite information; co-viewing, RTK satellites, and Luba 2 satellites. The 450X is the opposite, all you get to see is if EPOS is working or not with no way to troubleshoot it except to keep driving the mower around until it is fixed.
• Hardware Build Quality (Winner Luba) - The Luba 2 feels much sturdier and better built than the 450X. Also, the Luba 2 includes an RTK mounting pole whereas the 450X does not. The 450X EPOS is an older design and it does not appear that Husqvarna updated anything other than add an RTK module to their existing product line while doubling the price.
• App Useability (Winner - 450X) - The Husq mower app while not perfect is much better than the Lubas. Mapping is more intuitive; I like the way they used waypoints which is more accurate and more familiar than driving the mower from place to place without clearly defining points. The mowing pattern selection is much more intuitive as well and adding a mowing angle to a work area is perfectly done by simply dragging two dots until the line overlay matches the look you want. I do like Luba's way of showing the amount of work remaining/completed via shaded areas vs the eyesore redlines that Husqvarna uses. As previously mentioned though, the biggest shortcoming is that you can't do any satellite troubleshooting in the Husq app. With the Husq app you can also pause mapping and pick back up where you left off, you can save multiple mowing profiles (i.e. winter vs summer), and you can pause any mowing task, go do something else, then restart the mowing task instead of fiddling with percentages like in the Luba 2's app.
• Lawn Damage - (Winner - 450X) - The Husq 450X EPOS hands down causes less lawn damage than the Luba. No more crop circles, no damage in front of the charging station, it is a real joy to watch it turn on a dime with no endless grinding itself into the dirt. The Luba 2 got stuck all the time at the ends of rows, bases of trees, etc. as it tried to turn around in the soft dirt. It also killed untold numbers of seedlings which I will probably need to overseed.
• Mowing Speed - (Winner - 450X) - The Luba 2 has multiple mowing speeds that you can pick but if you are like me, you have no idea what is too fast or what is slower than necessary. The Husq has no mowing speed options but if you watch it, it automatically slows down on thicker patches of grass and speeds up on recently mowed patches. This not only gets the yard done faster while extending the battery life, it also makes the setup simpler.
• Mowing Height - (Winner - 450X) - The Luba 2 lets you set the height and so does the 450X, the nice thing about the Luba is that it gives you the exact height in inches (or cm) vs the 450X where you have to do you own math to figure out what 1 or 2 or 3 mean in inches or cm. The reason why the 450X still wins for me though is because it is much faster at adjusting the height when it needs to. The Luba 2 bogged down a lot and ground itself into the ground when the blade was too low for the terrain. The 450X seems to adjust its blades in real time and never seems to stop and get stuck on bumps even with the blade set at 1".
• Connectivity - (Winner 450X) - The Husq 450X EPOS includes 10yrs of LTE data and also includes Bluetooth connectivity. The Luba 2 relies on wireless and Bluetooth and if you want LTE you have to buy your own SIM and data plan. Many times the Luba 2 would grind itself into the ground then just turn off. I would then need to go hunt for it in the yard, turn it on, connect via Bluetooth, move it out of the hole it had dug, then wait for it to get a satellite fix before I could get it to do anything. The 450X with LTE is always accessible until the battery dies. With the improvements in connectivity, the anti-theft features are also much better.
• Audible Beeps (Winner 450X) - This was a big problem for me with the Luba 2. It beeps all the time (when its adjusting the cutting height, returning to the charging station, searching for a satellite signal, starting a mowing job, on the charging station, leaving the charging station, etc, etc.). The charging station is right outside of my bedroom window so I had to start running it in the daytime just to keep from being woken up. The 450X EPOS does not do any of that, it shows everything via the app and the status LED on the top, no endless beeps.
• Perimeter Mowing Logic (Winner 450X) - I never understood why the Luba 2 put so much emphasis on perimeter laps, to me it's just the first row to be mowed, apparently the 450X EOPS thinks so too and treats it as such. The perimeter was being badly chewed up by the Luba 2 since it is the least level areas of my yard, the 450X EPOS just mows it without fuss and no digging in and getting stuck at the base of my fences.
• Battery Replacement (Winner 450X) - the 450X EPOS battery can be replaced in about 10min and they are readily available from a dealer, eBay, and others. The Luba 2's battery replacement story is still very murky to me.
• Blade Performance (Winner 450X EPOS) - The Husq automowers spin both clockwise and counterclockwise after every recharge, this means that you do not have to flip the razors over every xx number of hours. The Luba 2 does not have this feature.

OVERALL WINNER (TIE)
Right now both the Luba 2 and the Husq 450X EPOS have a fatal flaw; the Luba 2 badly chews up my yard, and the 450X EPOS can't seem to find its RTK/Satellite Signals. At this point in time I do not know if the Luba's or 450X EPOS's problems are just software or a fundamental hardware problem. Mammotion is addressing their hardware design with the release of the Yuka, I can only hope the RTK problem with the 450X EPOS can be fixed via a firmware update.
I know the 450X EPOS won a lot of categories for me, but if it sits around in my yard all day searching for a signal then none of the rest of its features matter. RTK is so important to the fundamental operation of a wireless RTK robot that it supersedes all else in my book.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Luba 2 - I would recommend the Luba 2 if any of the below are true:

• Hilly yard - obviously the Luba 2 is the better of the two with its AWD
• Mature grass/hard ground - if you have a mature yard with hard clay or dirt that can handle the Luba 2's grinding donut turns then I would recommend the Luba 2
• Cost - If cost is your only concern then obviously the Luba 2 is a no brainer
• Trees / Obstructions - If your yard has even a few big trees or big obstructions, at least for now, the Luba 2 will far outperform the 450X EPOS when it comes to RTK performance

450X EPOS - I would recommend the Husq 450X EPOS if ALL of the below are true:

• You have a perfectly wide open yard with no trees or other obstructions
• You have a yard with new turf or soft dirt/sand
• Your yard is relatively flat

Wired Solutions - My front yard Husq 315X wire guided mower is great, problem free, and still uses a wire. I used a trenching machine, bought heavy duty 14 gauge wire, and buried it around 8" deep. In my opinion, if you can deal with installing the wire, not being able to change things later, and risk the wire breaks, wired is still the most reliable way to go. I think wireless mowers are very close to being mature, but something needs to come along to reduce the problems with satellite reception, RTK placement, and blockage from buildings and trees. We don't all have that perfect wide open yard with no trees or buildings.

Okay, so I'll be discussing both ends of why I think a 2nd album is likely, and not likely. First I'll start with why it's unlikely there will be a 2nd album
First, TØP has never done a 2nd album like this, or any deluxe or special edition of the sorts. And also regarding everything Tyler has said in interviews, he hasn't really given any hints towards the idea that this is just part one. Another thing is that every song in Clancy also has a music video, I don't think Tyler would do this if it was a double album, that's around 28 music videos. One thing Tyler has said in an interview is that the ending of the album/era would be up for interpretation, and there would be no direct answer, which after listening to Paladin Strait, I think is very true, the ending can be taken in many ways (granted we have not seen the music video yet so plot-wise at this moment this is less stable). Now let's move to the things pointing towards a 2nd album.
Now there are things pointing towards a second album, firstly I believe are the songs themselves. Trench, the most loreheavy album with the previous most loreheavy name, there were many songs that were packed with story and lore. Neon Gravestones, Bandito, Nico And The Niners, and Leave The City are 100% lore. With Morph, Levitate, (maybe jumpsuit) being lore themed, but not songs 100% story directed in my opinion. Now, if we look at Clancy, which I believe is a even more important lore album name/idea, there are just not many "story" songs. You have Overcompensate and Paladin Strait are 100% lore, and nothing else. (Maybe Vignette could have lore towards something we don't know yet, but still). For an album with the name of Clancy, I really don't think it's the full album from the world of trench. And to add to it, if you've listened to Paladin Strait, it really doesn't feel like the finale, it feels like the buildup to the finale. It's about a character looking towards the future, not sure if he'll make it. Which also makes sense when Tyler said that the ending, also wouldn't be directly in the album, it would be after. I personally thought he could mean during something that happens on tour, but now I think that there could be something more releasing. Also something I've noticed is that there's just not a lot of merch, or like "themes" of the album. Trench had Dema, vultures, the yellow banditos, and everything else that you and me know about trench. But looking at clancy, there isn't much, you have clancy himself, fire, the notebook, but there isn't much else. I know we already know the story of trench but I feel Clancy has not given us everything it has to offer yet. And looking at merch, it's all just of Tyler and Josh, there's like no theming. None of the trench vultures, flowers, banditos, and everything.
But yeah, if anyone has anything they'd like to add to what I said or anything I got wrong, feel free to say, I'm really interested into discussing this topic. Also I just want to say I know the possibility of a 2nd album is very slim, I really don't see it happening, but the fan in me of course would always want more tøp music, so it's fun to think about.

I've been struggling with something that feels silly, but I just can't get it out of my head. My cat passed away three months ago, and I'm still very upset over it. I loved her so much, and we had an incredible bond. Knowing she was sick and our time together was limited, I asked her not to force me to make the hardest decision of my life. While I understand she was just a cat and couldn't really choose, I always believed that, given our bond, she'd let me know when she was ready and would pass peacefully in my arms.
My experience was quite the opposite. I spent her last night with her on the couch, and she woke up repeatedly, trying to eat, drink, and use the bathroom. She was so weak and frail that she needed my help, but her day just continued on like it was any other day to her. I cuddled with her all day until the vet came to our home in the afternoon. She was disinterested and just wanted to sleep. Maybe I'm being selfish, and the more I type this, the more I realize that might be true. But I always thought she'd let me know she was ready, that we'd share one last hug like we always did. Instead, she slept until I picked her up and held her in my lap so she could pass peacefully and no longer suffer from her kidney problems.
Maybe that was her way of telling me she was tired and ready to go, maybe she wanted to but didn't have the energy to let me know. Maybe I'm way over thinking this. I'm just struggling with how, seemingly overnight, I lost the spunky girl I used to dance with, and I want so badly to have her back again.
It's been three months now, and the apartment has been deafeningly quiet.

I (31M) am engaged to a great girl (28F) & am getting married in 7 months. Everything is going well so far. Few months ago, while talking about past relationships, she had mentioned that she went on a few dates with a guy long back but it didn't end up working out and they stayed as just friends. Again, recently this topic of past relationships came up randomly , but this time, she said she only 'dated this guy for a few months'. What has been bothering me is the inconsistency in the story: is she trickling the truth? has she moved on? is she still in touch? ( I personally believe in not staying in contact with exes)
There was also a hint that she is a little cozy with some of her male friends ( I have good female friends too , but I don't know what each of our boundaries are)
Is it a good idea to bring this topic up & get more clarity/set boundaries? I don't want to come off as insecure/controlling & ruin the good opinion that she has about me. But I also have my preferences & boundaries

I just want to talk about what I love about Vega's character, why I think he is a perfect reflection to Rimuru and the role of a main character overall and why I think the theory of him being Ivarage should happen. Most of this post is the copy of a comment I wrote like a month ago, but I decided to create a post about it, let's see how many people can get to the end?😂

There is no use talking about ideals when you don’t have power, and won’t you feel empty to only have power but no ideal?

This is a quote from Rimuru. He said this during the Human-Monster meeting in volume 6. This will be important later.
The first thing why I think Vega is a really good reflection of not just Rimuru but any main character actually, is the reason we hate him. He is a cockroach who can be defeated, sometimes with ease, but it's hard to kill him for some reason. Like a main character. Just think about it: how frustrating it must've been for Voldemort that he couldn't kill a literal kid! This is the same feeling we get with Vega.
Strongly connected to this is that his and Rimuru's power and growth is very similar in a lot of aspects. Basically he eats and becomes stronger. He escapes from death's door and comes back stronger than ever, just like Rimuru, for example in the eyes of Hinata.
Ok, so far we made it clear that Vega is like an evil Rimuru, with a main character's plot armor, fitting his main character-ish character. But what makes him perfect? Well, this is where the Vega=Ivarage theory comes in. Remember the quote? Then:
Ivarage is described as an absolute beast, strong as a True Dragon. But what will be his role in the story? A mid-boss. This absurdly strong opponent will be nothing more than an appetizer before defeating Feldway, or this would be the logical way at least. And this is where the quote comes in:

There is no use talking about ideals when you don’t have power, and won’t you feel empty to only have power but no ideal?

One meaning of this is the correct way to use power, using it to support ideals. But there could be another meaning of this, no? This other meaning is, that you can't possess true power without ideals. No matter how much power you have, if you don't use it properly, you can't reach true hights. And so Rimuru uses his power to create a better world. Even Feldway has an ideal, even if it is to punish the world for a sin that was committed by past residents of the world, but it's still an ideal.
And what about Vega? He wants to be the strongest. He wants to be powerful so there would be noone stronger than him. He has no ideals, that's why, even when he becomes a beast that even True Dragon level people are cautious about, he can never be on the same level as the main character, he can never become the main antagonist, he will always be only a mid-boss, no matter how strong he is.
*Edit: his ideal is power and power is his ideal. Because the two, which normally should support each other are the same in his case, there is no meaning behind his lust for power, which makes him incapable of bearing true strength.
This is what Vega represents in my eye. The literal antithesis of Rimuru, who, because he IS the literal antithesis of Rimuru, will never be able to hold a candle against him.