A couple of months ago after I lost my friend to an overdose, I told myself I would stop smoking weed, or at least significantly cut it down. But the truth is that although I greatly reduced my usage for a couple of weeks, I started to use more and more to cope with the overwhelming amount of grief. And all that shitty coping has just led to more grief, more shame, more anxiety, and just an overall sense of unhappiness.
I have bad ADHD, so obviously this made it a lot worse, and I never got anything done while violently high. If anything, I was getting violently high so I could avoid work, and now here I am months later feeling so embarrassed by my lack of progress and productivity.
I mainly go to carts and vaping, and occasionally joints if all I have is bud left. I just burnt through my carts completely, and I'm trying to stay away from the joints. usually, I would smoke multiple times a day all into the night and try to get high enough so I could just pass out and sleep. It's become an especially bad habit at night because that's when existential thoughts and crises kick in so I try to distract myself (although I wind up getting no sleep).
Without weed, I feel unmotivated, tired, depressed, irritated, and have no appetite. Obviously, I know these are withdrawal symptoms, and if anything, a good sign to take a break. I just have no idea how I'm going to cope with all these cravings, insomnia, and inevitable stomach issues.
I'm just really sad, because I feel like I've wasted so much of my life being high. And for what? To only hold myself back and not accomplish things, and then it just leads into the shitty cycle of "i'm going to smoke because I feel like shit" and then I'll continue to feel like shit because my life hasn't changed. And then I sit there and compare myself to all my peers who actually spent their time working instead of smoking.
I could go on a whole rant beating myself up on my mistakes, but I also need to focus on the present now instead and focus on what to do to get through this and make some changes to my life that have been needing to happen. If you've read this far, thank you for doing so. This has been a hard conclusion to face as a 20 y/o college student, and I'm really thankful for a community like this.

So, Jedi Survivor is the first game I’m playing on my PS5, and here’s my impressions on it. For context, I have just beaten Dagon in the Forest ring and am playing on Jedi Knight difficulty
As for why this is so long after the hype (ya know, one month)…well fuck you ya clicked on this anyways
Game looks good…but there’s still some of the same tech problems from the last game. Texture pop is really bad, basically every customization screen takes at least 2 seconds for the textures to unpixelate. In fact, one of the textures on one of the clothing options is just fucking broken (the one with clone trooper boots).
Also there’s some weird…what I can only describe as screen tearing that happens sometimes. The camera will move and the skybox gets a bit pixelated and jagged for a few moments. During initial setup there was a setting about camera blur I think? Maybe that’s something to do with it?
Combat feels…heavier in the original, in a bad way. All of Cal’s swings feel like they take longer then before to hit. That and somehow small groups of enemies feel WAY harder to deal with in the first game. Three scout troopers and a single storm trooper in the distance were not this hard in the first game. Also not a fan of the change to slow and especially the triangle button on the two saber style.
The story feels…I don’t know. I see what they’re going for, but it just isn’t clicking for me so far. That opening mission is very stylish with the long walk, but those guys you work with are introduced way too late in the mission for me to care about them dying though I’m impressed that they pulled the rug out from me on Bodo dying so far.
Cal and gang splitting up is fine but also…ok this is a “other things floating around the current discussion” thing, but I see the mystery of “Why did Cal and Cere fall out?” And my mind goes to “What did Peter Parker do to ruin everything?” That Wells has been teasing for the last year. That’s not the game’s fault, that’s just a me thing of being tired of this kind of setup. Greez is still the best and he’s gotten more likable by the minute…though I can’t figure out why he can’t just unlock the door so I can get to the goddamn aquarium.
I think part of my problem with the plot and the game so far in comparison to Fallen Order is that…it kind just dumps your ass in this huge open plane and says “Go that way, also here’s a bajillion other things”. Fallen Order, while having huge maps, was still kind of linear but with clever secrets and shortcuts in the style of Metroidvanias. Here…the whole thing’s just too fuckin big all at once.
”Well just go to where the story is and let that be your guide”
I mean yeah…but that feels kind of against what the devs are trying to impart on me here. I get the message of “here’s the story, also this big chunk for you to go around in and stuff”. I think this is probably why I don’t find BOTW interesting (haven’t played it, this is speaking from impressions). That whole “the game dumps you in the world, says the story is that way and just lets you go” thing everyone praises it for sounds like a nightmare to me. Really hope this doesn’t turn into another Elden Ring/RDR2 debacle
One more point on the story, and again this is 100% a me thing, the minute they started talking about The High Republic I started to check out. And before you say anything about me being an Old EU elitist, here’s a nuclear take: I don’t care about/like The Old Republic either. Ironic considering I’m the history guy, but yeah I just don’t care. Part of it is because I played KOTOR1 for the first time as a junior in college…in 2020, and didn’t enjoy myself at all, part of it is because I always find that sort of setting to be a lot of “it’s like the modern thing, but slightly different!”, part of it is because for the ancient past, their tech and culture seems…almost identical to the current timeframe, and that apparently everyone back then was Uber powerful compared to all the weaksauce guys now. Again, this is 100% a me thing I don’t blame the game for, just something that’s holding me back.
I know that whole spiel was very negative, but that’s because I’m just better at articulating my issues with the game then what I like about it. I am still enjoying the experience, I’m just not constantly creaming my jeans like it seemed everyone else was a month ago, in between talking about the gigabyte issue.
Anyways, here’s some random miscellaneous hopes, questions and notes:
-Hope there’s a red lightsaber Crystal and inquisitor armor like the free update in the last game
-Hope you can get actual Jedi robes
-How the hell do you mark collectibles? There’s the waypoint markers but the way the tip describes it makes it sound like how you could scan Riddler trophies in the Arkham games
-Dagon using the force on his stub of an arm is cool, but not as cool as how they did that idea in the 2003 clone wars
-Cal looks weird as shit with a beard in the custom screen. It looks like it’s fake. Looks mostly fine in the world though
-Cameron Monaghan and Debrah Wilson still look really odd in game. Cere’s still got those huge eyes and Cal’s face just looks…odd, I think it’s the chin. I don’t know if that’s just a problem with the models or the photoscans they did, it just looks off.
-There better be more then just this one planet and Coruscant, because if there’s less then the first game I’m going to be very cross.
-Getting REAL tired of this prospector planet
-Is the Mantis no longer customizable?
-WHEN THE FUCK DO I GET RID OF THESE SEEDS?!
-Do the stables…do anything?
-Spawn of Oogoo is a cheap as shit boss and is the only time I lowered the difficulty, I have no shame in saying that.
-Hope there’s something like the crashed Venator, that was my favorite local in the first game

Took a day and a half trip to Sacramento! Easy two hour drive from the Peninsula. I'm not from Sacramento though I used to visit a lot, apologies for any mistakes or wrong opinions.

• California Railroad Museum: Lives up to the hype. Great museum, with immersive ceiling to floor exhibits, interesting info, and, of course, TRAINS! It's very California/History specific and more about the impact of trains on CA history than about how trains work specifically, but there's a bit of that. Beware: The one train that has sleeper rooms rocks back and forth to simulate the train moving. My wife got seasick from it. (I loved it!) Also, don't forget to visit the the fourth floor.
• Old Sacramento State Historic Park: You really need a guided tour or watch some history videos on YouTube to get the most out of this place. There's a lot of cool facts but you will need to find it yourself or through a tour. This old PBS show has a decent overview: https://youtu.be/Bd4PM8UV5Hw
• Fanny Ann's Saloon: Came here for the "ambiance" over lunch. I could see this place being rocking at night for the bar crowd, but for lunch it's just a funky place with "meh" food. There are pinball and arcade machines and decent amounts of seating.
• Top Hand Ranch Horse Carriage Rides: Since the temperature was moderate and the horses seemed happy, we took a $20, 15 minute ride around Old Town. My kids loved it. It was super calm and uneventful but fun to be so close to people walking around. The ride was a little bouncy even on the paved streets, hard to imagine riding faster on dirt roads.
• Old Town: Pretty touristy. But some of them are really nice tourist traps! Shout outs to Evangeline's Costume for having funky "gifts" and being fairly reasonably priced. Cerealism was kind of funky and not bad (food themed around cereal) and Blueprint Coffee was a nice sleek modern coffee shop. Did not love Boxcar for froyo, overpriced, could have gone for better ice cream but kids wanted it now! Ferris wheel is worth it for the views of Tower Bridge and Old Town, though it goes really fast (speed wise.)
• DOCO: "Newer" style shopping district near the Sacramento King's stadium (some concert was there too). Mostly focused around eating with some light shopping. Made the mistake of walking past DOCO up K street towards the Capital and... it's a ghost town. A drunk guy called us a racial slur and accused us of smelling like vomit. Then a random guy was sitting there swinging a claw hammer around and we decide to go over to Capital Mall where it felt safer.
• State Capital: Very nice, beautiful place, nice architecture. Make sure to check out the "back" where there's a park and war memorial. Sadly, museum and main building were closed by the time we got there.
• Frank Fat's: This place is an institution and we had to try it. The décor is something else and the back booths are very private. The bar and front room, less so, we were practically sitting in the laps of the table next to us. The food is NOT TRADITIONAL CHINESE FOOD. You don't go for that: You go for the California/Chinese historic fusion of food. It's pretty interesting to see how Chinese food would have evolved over time as it intermingled with American palettes and ingredients (and older school cooking methods.) Make reservations in advance, they were turning people away who didn't have reservations. I enjoyed it.
• Sutter's Fort: Pretty small, but really gives you an idea of what living permanently in California would have been like (assuming you weren't Native American) before the gold rush. Sadly, the Donner Party Doll was not viewable as it's deteriorating fast and needs to be restored and taken off display. Each room is decorated to look like it might have during that historic period. There's a bunch of written information and a little hand out with each room labeled. The park rangers are very engaged as well, so feel free to ask questions.
• Sacramento County Fair: A pretty typical CA county fair, dominated by carnival out front. Nice they have a kid specific building and they have more demonstrations than my county fair (like racing ducks, racing pigs, or frisbee dogs, and horse and rider costume events.) Pretty low key like many CA county fairs that aren't in Southern CA. I loved the Demolition Derby where cars smash each other until they can't drive. Overall, I'd say the Sacramento County Fair is better than most Northern California County fairs out of the handful I've been to, but doesn't quite stand up to OC or LA County Fair. I wish I could have seen the Rodeo, but our schedule didn't work out.
• Yang Kee Dumpling (Davis, not Sacramento): Very good Chinese dumplings. The skin of the dumplings is a little thick, but everything tastes very good. Gets crowded on weekends, join the Yelp Waitlist. It's kind of a back building to the Safeway parking lot so it's a little odd to find.

Overall, a good 1.5 day getaway to Sacramento. Still a lot we didn't see (Crocker, Stanford, State Indian Museum, etc.) And last time we were here, we went to Locke with the kids, which is a blast if you're into Chinese in CA history.
Please let me know if I got anything wrong!

Lethal Feral packs seem to be a hot debate point for the community. Long term lethal players seem to think they're anywhere from easy to annoying. While newer players seem to find them somewhere between difficult and scary enough to not even attempt lethal.
I think a change I would like to see tested would be to slightly alter how feral packs spawn in. Rather than always spawning in as three blood ferals, I think feral packs should mix and match blood ferals, standard ferals, and enraged ferals.
Definitions
1.Standard feral (SF) = the ferals encountered in lower difficulties and daybreak. No blood plague, but inflict large damage. 1 headshot to kill.

1. Blood feral (BF) = The lethal zone feral that is dripping with blood plague and requires 3 headshots to kill.
   
2. Enraged feral (EF) = The lethal zone feral once it has lost its helmet and the brain is exposed. Enraged ferals run, climb, attack, and recover faster than regular blood ferals. 1 headshot to kill, very difficult to hit.
   

I think every lethal feral pack should be guaranteed one Blood feral, and then the other two should be a random combination of BF, SF, and EF's.
The idea is to get some variety introduced into fighting feral packs. Right now it's almost always better to run than engage a feral pack. If you see a pack that is one of each feral type, maybe it would be better to bring the fight to the pack sometimes. Because EF's are more aggressive, there's still some degree of risk-reward. And having some SF's around might help smooth out the difficulty jump from having no feral packs spawning, to having them regularly occur.
Mixing and matching feral types could be an interesting way to introduce blood ferals into nightmare and/or dread too.
Thoughts? What would you want to change and test about feral packs?

So, here's the fourth chapter. Sorry for releasing it a bit late, I've had some pretty tough finals. The next chapter might be delayed as well but after that I should be able to get back to my normal schedule of once a week or possibly better. And thanks for the support on my last chapter, your upvotes and comments mean the world to me!
Big thanks to u/Rand0mness4 for proofreading my chapter and to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating NoP and its amazing literary universe.
CW: Descriptions of desecrated bodies (just your ordinary sapient cattle farm)
[first] [previous] [next (hopefully out in about a week)]
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Memory transcription subject: Oscar Williams, UN Marine
Date [standard human time]: December 3, 2136
With the hum of the cars’ engines tapering off, everything turned quiet, far too quiet. The only sound bar my own breathing was the wind making its way through cracks in the building’s metal shell. Gunfire should’ve been raining down on us by now. The building in front of was at least the size of a football field and going by the faint, but disgusting, smell of the poor victims, the place was packed. There was no way only the about two dozen scalies we eliminated worked here.
Where was the fight? Were all of them hiding inside? We couldn’t have gotten all of them before, right? Well, there’s only one way to find out where the fuckers were hiding.
Richards lined us up next to the large pair of doors separating us from the farm and a soldier from another squad grabbed a handheld battering ram. I doubted the door would hold after just a few hits with a rock but speed was of the essence. The faster we cleared out the arxur infestation, the more people would survive. I wasn’t about to let anyone else die in that hell. My grip around my rifle tightened and time almost seemed to slow down when the first hit was winded up.
We were quietly signaled to step back from the door and with just one hit with the battering ram the lock was separated from the rest of the door. The force from the hit slammed the door open and we promptly stormed in through the opening. But no gunfire met us. The inside was just as deserted as the outside had been. We had entered what seemed to be some kind of warehouse, large crates strewn throughout the floor and deep freezers lining the walls. At that moment I desperately wished I was a mouth breather. The stench, that had previously been contained by the sheet metal walls, was now flooding into my nostrils. Manure, unwashed bodies, and rotten meat. I tried my best to focus on anything but the freezers but every single wall was covered with them. Wherever my eyes darted, more proof of the murders appeared. A dried splotch of blood, some tufts of fur, a bloody machete.
They took pride in it. Pride in this… They’re going to pay.
We crept through the wide open space, making our way from cover to cover. The dirt floor muffled any sound our footsteps would’ve made and we were only exposed for brief moments. If any arxur caught us, we wouldn’t be caught like a deer in headlights. After one of our many rushes between covers, I ended up next to one of the many freezers.
Oh god. My poor nostrils.
The smell had grown even stronger and when I glanced at the freezer I quickly realized why. It seemed to have lost power, going by the fact that it wasn't cold, and that the lid was ajar. The remains of a person, a person who had friends and family, were rotting away inside. My knuckles were turning white from how hard I gripped my rifle and my teeth felt like they were going to crack due to my jaw clenching so hard. I was going to repay them in kind. Those motherfuckers, wherever they were.
When I stood up, en route to the next cover, my eyes caught a glimpse of the inside of the freezer. Pieces of mangled body parts filled the bottom of the box and a swarm of insects swarmed around something in the middle and-
Retch
Parts of yesterday’s meal filled my mouth when I realized what was hiding under the swarm. A severed venlil head with empty eye sockets stared back at me. Blood had dripped down from the sockets, painting long streaks of orange in the white fur. The head’s mouth was locked in an expression of terror and pain and the neck looked like it had been ripped off from the venlil’s body. Part of the spine hung limp beneath the neck and, knowing arxur, I doubted the venlil had been dead during the ripping.
As soon as I found out where they were- Where the hell were the arxur?
Realization suddenly flashed through my mind. Of course those cowards had fled. Fled their just punishment that I had sworn to deliver. My grip around my rifle tightened when I thought about the fuckers running this farm. They’d almost certainly escape justice, and there was in all likelihood nothing I could do about it. If only I could convince Olivia to hunt them down like they deserved.
My train of thought was brought to an abrupt end when we reached the other side of the warehouse. The door on this wall was far smaller, clearly just used by personnel. And it didn’t even have a lock. Maybe they decided to take cover behind this smaller choke point. I immediately squashed the idea in my mind as soon as I thought of it. They weren’t disciplined enough to not rush us with nothing but their natural weaponry.
My theory was quickly being proven true when we rushed into the next room. There wasn’t a single arxur in sight, but the sheer amount of victims more than made up for their absence. We had emerged on some kind of raised walkways, overlooking cramped pits filled with aliens sleeping in the most abhorrent conditions. The air reeked of unwashed bodies, feces, and many other disgusting smells I didn’t even recognize. The victims in the pits looked even worse for wear than the rest of this dilapidated building. Several of the harchen in the closest pit were covered in deep gashes and some even missed entire body parts.
Torture, there was no other explanation. Those fucking crocs.
As I looked around at the other pens, it was quickly made evident that the treatment of the harchen was more of a rule than an exception. Over in another pit, several krakotl had been completely plucked, and what I assumed to be words had been branded onto their backs. Despite my deep hatred for most of their governments, I couldn’t find it in myself to be mad at anyone here. They’d more than likely been captured long before they even knew earth was still inhabitable and even if they weren’t, they still didn’t deserve this torture.
This was so much worse than I thought. Of course it would be horrible but this, how-
Nausea quickly filled my thoughts and before I could even bend over, today's lunch spilled out of my mouth, and I wasn’t alone. At least a third of my fellow soldiers had the same reaction as me.
Good to know I’m not the only empathetic person here. Maybe they’ll agree that the arxur deserve to be treated like their prey after this. Oh, what I would do if I caught any of them.
“HELP!”
The krakotl’s hoarse scream sent a shiver down my spine. It sounded like they hadn’t used their voice for years. I hastily pulled up my bandana and checked that my visor blocked my entire face. I didn’t dare think about what would happen if they realized we were predators.
“P- P- Please help us…”
The screaming had quickly woken up the rest of the aliens who were looking at us with a mix of bewilderment, fear and hope. My eyes darted around the pens while my mind prayed that they wouldn’t land on anyone that recognized our ‘arboreal’ eyes. After what felt like the longest five seconds of my life, I finally allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief. If no one had fainted yet, they probably didn’t know we were human.
“We’ve come to rescue you, you’re going to get out of here. Just stay calm.”
Richards immediately took command of the situation, preventing widespread panic from the aliens.
“T- T- Thank you… Is the f- f- federation winning?”
The brave krakotl who asked us for help clearly thought we were from the federation and I silently thanked god everyone else seemed to believe the same thing. If they didn’t there would be pandemonium. Those poor souls must’ve seen arxur bloodshed every single day. I could barely imagine how terrified they would be if our identity was revealed. In their eyes we would be nothing but another species of predators and this was the worst possible place to try convincing them we weren’t.
“We’re just going to make sure there are no arxur left in the building, then we’re getting you out of there. We’ll be back before you know it.”
Avoiding the question. I really hoped Richards didn’t tip off the aliens about us there. At least she didn’t deny that we were from the feds. As long as we got out of there as quickly as possible, everything would be fine.
“I- I- saw them leaving. They were a- a- angry, and before they l- l- left they- they…”
The krakotl lifted their wing and shakily pointed towards a dark corner of the room as their voice faltered. Some kind of poles with clumps in the middle filled the corner but any more detail was masked under the veil of darkness. Carefully avoiding looking at the flickering lamps filling the building with light, I turned on my night vision goggles and as soon as my brain registered what it was seeing, I wished that I had been born blind. The poles were wooden stakes and the clumps were the mutilated corpses of a dozen aliens. Deep gashes stretched across their abdomen and their intestines were pouring out of the holes. Not even their heads were spared. They were nigh unrecognizable from blunt force trauma and one of the victims still had the hammer buried in their face. Disgust and rage flared up within me, almost stronger than I’d ever felt before. I wanted to vomit and chop arxur into small pieces at the same time.
Why do they fucking exist? Why the fuck do I have to fucking see this. How can someone… do something like this? And why did we let them escape? Wait, the faster I clear this building, the faster we can hunt them down.
“You’re safe now, we’re getting you off this planet. Squad, we’re make sure there are no arxur left on the premises.”
Sergeant Richards’ command immediately pushed me to act. While about half our our force moved to clear out the rest of the building, my squad rushed for the back door at the other end of the cattle pens. We quickly made our way outside into a large yard, the dirt ground stretching several dozen meters from the building before slowly morphing into a field. In the distance, several large piles of timber were piled high next to a large, deforested area. The only feasible place for the arxur to hide on this side of the compound was the shack that stood at the edge of the yard. In contrast to the concentration camp, this building actually looked relatively structurally sound. Thick concrete walls, a door made of something other than sheet metal, and a roof with only a few visible holes. That was incredibly impressive for an arxur.
Just gotta check this shack, then we can start chasing the fuckers.
Following Richards’ directions, we quickly began making our way towards the building. Reminding myself there was no time to spare, I sprinted ahead of the others and squeezed through the slightly ajar door. A loud slam emanated from behind me as the door shut behind me and I emerged into something that almost looked like living quarters. Several bedrolls were laid out on the ground, piles of equipment were scattered across the floor, and a large scaly repti-
SHIT SHIT SHIT!
They hadn’t left. Those fuckers just laid in ambush, waiting for me to let my guard down. Its hideous body sat on one of the bedrolls, radiating bloodlust. I could feel its eyes bore deep into my soul, sending an involuntary shudder down my spine. Every single part of it was tailor made to kill, and nothing else. It could easily rip off my limbs with its massive claws, and then chop them into tiny pieces with its razor sharp teeth if I was careless.
Can’t be careless then. That fucker isn’t going to walk out of here alive. If I’m going down, it’s going down with me.
I instinctively threw myself to the ground, raising my rifle to take out my target. My rifle was aimed directly at the unarmed creature’s head, through the chain-link fence sectioning off the arxur from me. Just before I pulled the trigger, my brain connected the contradictory information, stopping me from firing from sheer bewilderment.
Why the fuck did that thing not have a weapon? And why were they in some kind of improvised prison?
“Hey! Oscar, the door’s locked. What’s your status?”
David’s voice and a loud banging on the door I just passed through snapped me back to reality. I was locked away from my squad in a room full of arxur. The same species that fucking impailed a dozen people out there. And here they were, right in front of me, behind a chain-link fence. Red flashed before my eyes as I realized what was happening.
They were trying to fool us. And those morons thought I wouldn't notice. They put up that barbed wire, trying to exploit our empathy. We’d try to imprison them, and then they’d strike. And they would have succeeded, had I not been alone.
I slowly stood back up, and shuffled backwards until I stood flush against some kind of railing. The multiple arxur that were hiding behind the chain-link looked at me with unreadable expressions but I could noticeably see their eyes widen as I raised my rifle.
Finally realizing the jig is up? They were going to pay for for the people they fucking impailed, for the venlil whose head they fucking ripped of, and for the fucking cradle.
All I had to do was tell the white lie that they attacked me and open fire. Then my squad wouldn’t be murdered and justice would finally be served. The arxur remained quiet as mice as I prepared to enact justice, probably in shock from their stupid ploy being seen through. I was eternally thankful that they were so stupid. The anger that had filled my entire system slowly melted away, being replaced by satisfaction at their imminent demise. Right as I was about to press down on the trigger one of the arxur began speaking but as I looked for the culprit I saw that all their mouths were shut. The voice was high pitched, almost childlike, and it echoed from… below.
What the-
“Hi, what are you? You look really cool!”
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Is Oscar being a bit delusional? Should he analyze the situation a bit more objectively? Possibly, but where's the fun in having completely sane characters.
Anyways, the two protagonists are about to meet. Will said meeting remain entirely civil or will Oscar "accidentally" drop a grenade into the pit? We'll find out next time.

Alright so I have been wanting to do a supernaturally roleplay. So I'm going to give some examples of what I'm interested in roleplay.
Now when I say supernatural I do refer to the show. But I also refer to the supernatural beings world too. So down below I'm going to put some stuff I'm interested in roleplay being based under the Supernatural spot light.
I would also like to add that I do have some plots in mind. But these are just the pairs I am interested in roleplay right now.
Dean Winchester x my oc
My hunter oc x your hunter oc
Ghost x human
Ghost x ghost
Werewolf x vampire
Vampire x Witch
Witch x werewolf
Hunter x werewolf
Hunter x vampire
Hunter x Witch
Angel x Demon
If any of these ideas interested you please message me. But before you message me I would also like you to know I am 21 almost 22 in July. I don't roleplay with minors. So please tell me your age when you message me. I am also a female and will only roleplay as female. Only roleplay with a M x F roleplay.
You also must be able to type three or four very long detailed proper English paragraphs. I don't not roleplay with anime or k pop or drawn oc face claims. Also my time zone is eastern standard time zone. But if we are off by a couple of hours thay alright. You must be able to respond to the roleplay within a week thays seven days or I will leave the chat
So I hope you're interested in and can't wait to hear form you

Hello gardeners!
I’m fairly new to gardening (only started last year) and I’m looking for some plants to add to the garden to bring some colour year round!
I have a south facing garden, with an 8ft hedge, so under the hedge gets very little to no sun. Added to that the soil quality is very poor - there is a thin layer of soil on top of rock. In most places, the previous owners covered everything in a weed control layer and then gravel (which has completely failed to prevent weeds anyway).
I currently have a lot of Vinca, weed Robert, a few poppies, aquilegia, a handful of evergreen shrubs and a holly bush. I also have something that looks a bit like foxglove but the leaves are the wrong shape so I have no idea what it is.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated - bonus points if the plants have shallow roots so I don’t have to dig through gravel and rock!

Hey! I had this idea initially while supporting my brother's home improvement business, sharing here in case anyone might be curious.
It's an app that will reply to inbound texts/missed-calls/voicemails/emails from new clients - as if you had a receptionist on staff.
You can try it out by calling/texting 415-449-1623 (it's setup for a fictional residential painting company)
Let me know if something like this might be helpful for your business. Thanks!

Hey! I had this idea initially while supporting my brother's home improvement business, sharing here in case anyone might be curious.
It's an app that will reply to inbound texts/missed-calls/voicemails/emails from new clients - as if you had a receptionist on staff.
You can try it by calling/texting 415-449-1623 (it's setup for a fictional residential painting company)
Let me know if something like this might be helpful for your business. Thanks!

I have been a Geronimo Stilton fan since I was young and I still collect the books. When I heard that there was a Geronimo Stilton tv show I bought the DVDs and when I found a Geronimo Stilton plush I also bought that. When I heard that there are talks of a Geronimo Stilton I was so happy and I can wait for it just like the Anya's Ghost movie. I don’t know what the plot is going to be but I have my own idea, it should mix It's Halloween, You 'Fraidy Mouse! and The Secret of Cacklefur Castle to act as an origin story to ship Geronimo and Creepella. I’m honestly shocked there is little to no fanfiction or fan art of Geronimo and Creepella; they are kinda perfect for each other, opposites attract. And don’t be like “WhAt AbOuT PeTuNiA PrEtTy PaWs?!” That is never gonna happen and you know it, plus Geronimo even says that he found her attractive in it's Halloween, You 'Fraidy Mouse! If I could create a Geronimo Stilton film, my cast would be.
Ryan Reynolds as Geronimo Stilton
Sofía Vergara as Creepella Von Cacklefur
Jack Black as Trap
Rebel Wilson as Thea
Ben Whishaw as Benjamin
Timothy Dalton as William Shortpaws
Awkwafina as Pinky Pick
The Spice Girls as The Thea Sisters
Melanie Brown ("Scary Spice") as Pamela
Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice") as Violet
Melanie Chisholm ("Sporty Spice") as Nicky
Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice") as Paulina
Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice") as Colette
Jennifer Aniston as Tina Spicytail
Ralph Fiennes as Boris
Peter Capaldi as Grandpa Frankenstein
Jenna Coleman as Shivereen
Judi Dench as Madame LaTomb
Julie Andrews as Grandma Crypt
Terence Stamp as Boneham
YUNGBLUD as Snip and Snap
Gino D'Acampo as Chef Stewrat
David Tennant as Simon Squealer
Drew Barrymore as Sally Ratmousen
Johnny Depp as Billy Squeakspeare
Eddie Izzard as Booey the Poltergeist

Aegon the Unworthy was not a good king at all. You all know plenty of the reasons why. Many say the worst thing he did was legitimize all of his many, many bastards when he was laying dying, that he could have only done this to throw the realm into chaos after his death. I have a different idea.
Imagine you are Aegon IV. You have spent your life drinking, whoring, partying, and now are faced with the early death that comes from that. You have countless bastards that cannot live freely due to the cultural and political ramifications bastardy has in Westeros. Now with just a stroke of the quill, you can legitimize all of them and at least give them some ability to rise the ranks of Westeros.

The trivialization of doping in Jiu-Jitsu and the biggest fallacies in defense of its use.
Contrary to what people want to believe, the biggest advantage of those who use these resources is not the strength itself at the time of the fight, which should be welcomed, but the ability to recover faster from strenuous training sessions and injuries. If it were just the benefit of strength itself, some not well-versed could accept the argument that “Jiu-Jitsu is not strength, so put a weightlifter there to see if he wins”, but this is an argument from those who think about steroids as the thing that makes you bloated and muscular, when in reality the biggest benefit is different. In cycling, for example, there are no athletes with large muscle mass, so there are several cases of athletes caught using doping, even when strict control are applied.
Within everything I've heard and read about it, I'll say again that the biggest benefit is the possibility of much faster recovery between one workout and another and coming back from injuries faster. While one athlete arrives at the end of the week exhausted and in need of rest, the other is able to continue training without feeling drained. It then becomes a matter of logic: among athletes of similar levels, if one can train more than the other, whoever trains more has an advantage.
It is known that there have always been people using drugs to improve performance in training and championships, but those who used or still use them do not usually admit it outside their circle of intimate friends. For me, this is the biggest proof that whoever does it knows they are cheating. This person is ashamed to publicly assume their behaviour, as he secretly wonders if he would be capable of the same achievements if he were clean. Therefore, he does not want the public to raise concerns about his ability to achieve the same results, because, within himself, he bets he would not.
“The use of anabolic steroids does not make a person good at Jiu-Jitsu.” This is a common argument from those who defend those who test positive in the anti-doping test, but again it starts from a wrong premise, that the purpose of use is just to gain strength. The drug itself doesn't make anyone good at Jiu-Jitsu or even become good at strategies involving competition. If I were to give steroids to a lady walking on the Copacabana promenade, she won't enter and win any championship. But think of your gym partner who trains the hardest with you, that balanced out training, which you win one day and he beats you the next. You are always pulling and encouraging yourself to improve. Did you think of anyone? Now give this guy an enhancer. Will he have an advantage or not? The answer is yes and ends with the initial argument, which is a reasoning that only thinks about gaining strength, so it is used in the wrong circumstances and therefore leads to wrong conclusions. Faced with this example, I can still argue that yes, the use of anabolic steroids can make a person good at Jiu-Jitsu, as it allows them to train more often, bringing about faster technical evolution, if we consider that training evolves. Still using the same example with this training partner who now started to use enhancers. Imagine that before, he did 5 workouts a week and now he can do twice as much, because it doesn't take as long as for him to rest or recover from an injury. At the end of 12 months you trained 260 times and he trained 520. If the next year you stay clean and he doesn't, he will have accumulated 1040 trainings and you will have 520. It's like he advances two years for every year of training you did . Can you imagine how much more Jiu-Jitsu techniques evolve in someone who initially has a similar level to his, but manages to train twice as much? So I could even say that the use of anabolic steroids can actually make a person good at Jiu-Jitsu. Robbing a bank can also make a person rich, but I don't want to get rich that way. It goes from how you want to achieve your dreams and goals.
I can imagine some people arguing that “so I take it too”. Got it, but then it would be you and him getting undue advantage over two other friends or opponents from another gym. What's the problem? The problem with that is that it's illegal, it's prohibited, so whoever does it and enters a championship like the IBJJF that forbids it in the rules, is cheating.
A simpler and more direct example. If it were possible a confrontation between you and your identical version, but that makes use of these anabolic steroids. Who gets the advantage? Those who ask themselves know the answer and when they know it, it is impossible to support any defense of its use, unless the illegality in the rules and the health risks are disregarded.
"Those who don’t want to use it, simply don’t." When reading about the undue advantages of those who take it, without listing the health risks, it might even seem like an excuse. If it speeds up recovery from fatigue and injuries, should I take it? Let's ignore that it's against the rule for a moment, as I know that there are events that don't test and one could argue that in those events it's not illegal. Yet there are health hazards that some people are not willing to deal with..
“If you test everyone, there’s not one single person that will be clean.” This phrase has become a cliché in BJJ, as well as the idea that “you can only be a champion by taking enhances, because everyone takes them”. Phrases that also start from wrong premises, first because it is not true that everyone takes it, although many of those at the top do. What must be remembered is that there are those who prefer to respect the rules and not use enhancers, even if they have become a minority. These people may be eliminated in the early rounds or even in the qualifying stages. Those who are wronged are likely to be people much closer to yours and my reality than the reality of those false champions created in the laboratories. When you decide to admire someone who makes use of these subterfuges, you are choosing as an example someone who wins by cheating. I go back to giving the example of the person with financial success, because it is easy to understand, I admire those who conquer financial independence through honest work, even if their wealth is less than that person who achieved greater amounts, however dishonestly.
“I had to use it to keep up with the others” If you understand that using it is illegal, that by using it your opponent is cheating, do you want to do the same as him? I understand that you might feel wronged, but is your response to this to become equal? If that's your justification, I don't think you think any differently than who uses it.
“You have to take into account that I am older and fighting against the new generations” But the rule does not change according to age. There are categories for each age, if you choose to venture out with the younger ones, that doesn't give you the right to use enhancers. At least in championships that the rule prohibits it. It would be like signing up for a Jiu-Jitsu championship, being punished by knocking out my opponent with a punch and feeling wronged. NO, the rule is clear regarding the prohibition of punches, as well as the use of doping. If, due to age, the athlete is no longer able to face the younger ones, enter the category of the older ones or retire from competitions. Natural order. In addition, the veteran who assumes the use, leaves in the air the doubt that if in fact he was not already using it since he was young. If there are championships that don't test, why don't they fight only those? No one is obliged to fight in the only federation that tests it, the IBJJF, even so, everyone wants to, because they know it is the most prestigious one. The strategy is not a secret, they use it indiscriminately and seek the title and recognition by the IBJJF, if they are eventually caught in the weak test, they still enjoy the notoriety until the exam is released. They give more seminars, close sponsorships and are invited to compete in other paid events while they wait to pass the punishment deadline without fighting at the IBJJF. When it's over, they fight back and do it all over again. There are already athletes who have been caught more than once. They are not scared, as the punishment is not valid for other events and the number of people who still manage to defend it is alarmingly growing.
“But it's unfair to only test the champion” This phrase is a smokescreen against the real problem. Of course, the ideal is to test everyone and with more efficient tests, but it is financially unfeasible for now. Faced with this fact and the fact that this is usually said when someone “gets caught”, the phrase becomes just a distraction. Better to test only the champion than nobody at all, just as it is better to arrest only one assailant than none at all. Can you imagine someone arguing that it is unfair to arrest just one robber because it is impossible to arrest everyone?
“There is no undue advantage, I just do hormone replacement” an athlete told me trying to convince me. I was curious to understand better and I learned about it. In fact, there are some cases where hormone replacement is necessary, they are very specific cases or for much older people, over 65 years old. This black belt who told me that, a Brazilian champion in the adult category, saw absolutely nothing wrong with taking hormone replacement. As he was younger than me, I asked him at what age he had started and without any shame he said that at eighteen, only in doses to adjust the recommended levels. He was convinced that this was okay. I discovered that it is normal for athletes over thirty or forty who started using testosterone at a very young age to actually need to replace it, as the body stops producing it naturally. I cannot accept that these cases serve as excuses or justification for normalizing use.
“I've already been tested and I wasn't caught in doping” is not the same thing as saying with all the words “I've never used prohibited substances, I'm against it and anyone who does is cheating”. Have you ever asked yourself why you haven't heard from the lips of some great champions the repudiation of those caught in doping? I'll give you a hint, it's for the same reason certain politicians don't celebrate the arrest of other corrupt politicians. Deep down, they're just thinking "Thank God" for not being the ones to get caught.
Ask these 3 questions to your sports idols: 1) Do you use or have you used any substance to improve performance? 2) Do you consider that whoever uses this is cheating? 3) In your opinion, should athletes who have already been caught in the anti-doping exam be banned from fighting all events?
If they stutters when they answers, you may be suspicious. Most don't have the courage to assume it, but some, on the other hand, are already no longer ashamed and trying to normalize the use. In 2015, I heard a five-time black belt world champion, speaking at a crowded dinner table for anyone who would listen, so it shouldn't be a secret, the following statement: “The way the IBJJF tests, only on the day and with a urine test, only those who are very stupid are caught in doping. It is enough to use it accompanied by a good doctor who knows when to stop and that way the substance leaves the body before the test day, without disturbing the benefits during training”. I trained with several teams, lived with several athletes. I've heard confessions of using it from their own mouth or even from their training partners. I'm not saying this because I want to point out a specific person, and I don't even need to, anyone in the field already knows, but I see the problem as being greater than accusing just one individual, I'm just saying this because I see that they're trying to normalize something that can't be accepted in Jiu-Jitsu. Its use has become banal and that scares me, but not as much as realizing that defending its use has been broad and open, not only by athletes, but also by practitioners who use it as a hobby. They lost the shame of defending doping and seeking justifications for it. Even among students who are not professional athletes, who sometimes do not even compete or only do it sporadically, are using it indiscriminately. I consider this a dangerous path. It is possible to win fairly without enhancers. I speak not only based on my achievements, but also based on other champions I've seen rise to the top. Think about which choice suits you best and think that, for those who use it, it must be horrible to go home, look at the medal table and wonder if they would have being able to win them without enhancers
Wrote by black belt World Champion Felipe Costa

Add-ons, are they things that the Killer has to carry around, or do they keep them in some room the Entity provides to them for personal time meant to make them more efficient killers? I ask because these add-ons include...
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• Amanda's self-harm box, which I doubt she'll carry around while hunting. Does the Entity just give her spare time to cut herself because John Kramer's trap-method really is that unhelpful to people that she's been reduced to that?
• Pictures of the kids Freddy Krueger molested (Why, remake, why?) Does even the Entity find that creepy?
• A dead cat, a soda can, and a rotted pumpkin. Where would the butt-naked Demogorgan even keep that stuff on it?
• A friggin' torture pillar, which I have to wonder where Pinhead would keep on him if he's carrying it around with him. I don't want to say it's probably shoved in his poop-schute, but given this is the same character who hooks his nipples, I'm not ruling it out as a possibility.
• Family pictures belonging to the Singularity's victims. I accept that not all these items are things the killers like (Amanda has a blackmail letter that pisses her off and Leatherface has a broken piece to remind him of what the Entity will do to him if he fails) and are probably thrown in by the Entity to rile them up. That begs the question of what the Entity does to its killers to make them like this, how much of their personalities are stripped away to the point where they won't question being given this stuff?
• Stuff from the Fold cult for the Dredge. Same reason as above. I get that it's a monster made from the misery and bloodshed of that cult, but I have to wonder if this inhuman monster is actually getting some breaktime in-between killings to look at this stuff, because that is a mental image I just love.
• The Blight's research items. I doubt he's getting work done in his current state, so if the Entity is likely just being a dick and rubbing his former life in his face.
• Leatherface has some chili as an add-on. Does he eat it or just let it lay around whatever breakroom the Entity gives him?
• Under a previous post, I said I loved the idea of this all-powerful, old-as-time Entity being forced to entertain its killers by using whatever puny human media or tech they're familiar with, including social media. With that said, the Clown has a VHS of porn. Either he's carrying that around with him for sentimental reasons (Which really just means he has no life), or the Entity really is just forced to humor this guy and let him have time to shake his silly-stick in private. Or does the Clown just consider porn some fancy art to be admired, because he really doesn't strike me as the pretentious type.
• Some add-ons would imply that the Knight and his buddies get off-time to torture people and the Deathslinger gets time to drink. You think he ever gets drunk on the job?
• For that matter, costumes. Did the Entity canonically just give the Legion Robbie the Rabbit costumes just 'cause? Did William Birkins and HUNK end up in the Entity's realm as well, even though one isn't happy with his current state and the other at least has a few redeeming qualities that the Entity likely stripped away? How does the Clown feel about the Dredge killing and wearing his horse Maurice, or did the Entity mindscrew the Clown so badly that he doesn't even remember his horse at this point? Did the Oni canonically turn into a minotaur just out of the Survivor's fears? Are the Titans canon to DBD because as an Attack on Titans detractor, that sucks on many levels. Did all those painful Blight costumes really happen to the Killers? Yeesh.

This post is inspired by a recent analysis I saw on this subreddit earlier that challenges the idea that Oshi No Ko is a tragedy, which I have linked below. I find it a great read and would highly recommend everyone to check it out! Note that this post isn't meant to respond to the linked post below, but an independent analysis of why Oshi No Ko could be a tragedy.
https://www.reddit.com/OshiNoKo/comments/13u6ke8/an_analysis_of_oshi_no_ko_the_story_is_not_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
This analysis will be split into three parts:

1. An analysis of the elements of tragedy and how Oshi No Ko aligns with it
2. Certain points of foreshadowing specific to the story that points to certain characters' deaths
3. Other miscellaneous reasons for why it would make sense for Aka to make it a tragedy (and maybe why it wouldn't)

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1) Elements of tragedy
I'm still a bit of an amateur at literary analysis, so I would love for others to add more insight into this which I might have missed.
According to Aristotle, a tragedy has three main characteristics (hamartia, anagnorisis, and peripeteia) that align with 6 other elements in the story (plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle and music). I'll explain each element and how the manga connects to its tragic aspects (as well as tragic characteristics, where applicable).
Plot (The Uncontrollable)
Quite intuitively, Aristotle says tragedies are supposed to end in tragedy. Tbh, there's not much to discuss here, since any protagonist dying would be disastrous to the other characters (as well as the entire fandom). What is more interesting to discuss though, is the claim Aristotle makes, which is the tragic events that happen in the plot should be out of the tragic hero's control.
I give you our very likely tragic hero: Aqua (this is not an assertion. The characteristics I describe later throughout the analysis also give reasons for why Aqua's character lines up with a tragic hero's).
Interestingly enough, Aqua has had a long track record of doing insanely reckless things that have earned him the ire of other characters and fate himself. Two main examples are his response to Akane's suicide attempt early on in the manga, as well as his decision to suddenly reveal his and Ruby's relationship with Ai to the public. Both times, Aqua was criticized for the averse impacts his actions have had (even though he later solves the Akane situation with the raw footage video), and honestly were highly dependent on a lucky response from the public. Even during his previous life, the mf ran after a stalker into the woods at night AND TOWARDS THE EDGE OF A CLIFF without any thought about his safety whatsoever. Especially in his currently emotionally-driven and irrational state, if Aqua keeps up this trend of doing reckless things, he could very well provoke a response entirely out of his control that might bring his downfall.
Character (Hamartia)
According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must have hamartia: a tragic flaw that eventually leads to their downfall. In this case, Aqua's progression as a character seems to be driven by one very large motive: his unhealthy obsession with avenging Ai's death. Given the current point in the story (the 15-year lie movie arc) is completely based on his obsession with Ai, it gives the necessary buildup to have that character trait backfire on Aqua to kickstart the tragedy. There are also explicit criticisms of this flaw of his, such as Akane's active opposition to Aqua's self-destructive behaviour, as well as some implicit ones like the recent interaction between Aqua and the crow girl in chapter 118. In the chapter, the crow girl says that Ai didn't get reincarnated unlike Ruby and Aqua, and that maybe he should consider the reason he was reincarnated. To many (including myself), this could imply a suggestion that he should reconsider his current path and use this second life of his to the fullest. When he let go of his intent for revenge for Ai earlier (because he thought his father was dead), he started TRULY living like a normal person. It is more than possible that Aqua's obsession with revenge and Ai could be his hamartia.
Diction (Anagnorisis)
Diction in tragedy is based on anagnorisis: the sudden realization the tragic hero has about their situation, and that eventually leads them to their downfall. I believe we've already seen this anagnorisis in the manga: When Aqua realizes that his father is alive, and who Hikaru is.
This is the point where Aqua begins his downward spiral, and we see him start to revert to his vengeful, self-destructive arc. Except for this time, we see it amplified tenfold since his motives previously were somewhat diverted from the story painting his rise and development as an actor. Now that that's done, this particular downward spiral is centred solely on its purpose: revenge. This realization is the turning point to turn him into the self-destructive, hateful mess of a person he is currently; which is what leads us to the next element:
Thought (Peripeteia/Catharsis)
A tragedy isn't just a story of the protagonist suffering at the end of it. It is a rollercoaster that constantly builds up the disaster the more twisted the tragic hero becomes, until it drops; and there is a release of emotions within the audience. Pity, sadness, grief. Relief. It is not a sudden twist of events, not an unexpected ending. It is an outcome everyone sees coming and when it finally hits, it releases all that buildup in a burst of emotions. This is catharsis.
Catharsis is primarily built with three components. The character (as mentioned earlier) of the tragic hero must begin with a morally upstanding individual, who the audience grows to root for. Then the downward spiral of events as a result of the anagnorisis. Then the release of emotions in the eventual downfall/death of the character.
It's very easy to argue that Aqua resembles that morally upstanding person. Even in his previous life as Goro, he's had many feats that point to his strong moral foundation. The fact that he was a doctor signalled his desire to help others. That he cared about his patients (Sarina) so much to the point of even taking up their hobbies post their death in their honour. That he actively stuck to his obligations as a doctor rather than to his instincts as a fan when he was with Ai. Up to his life as Aqua, where he is portrayed as a great brother who truly cares for Ruby (quite intuitive, examples are sprinkled throughout the manga). Additionally, a very common trope in these tragedies is to have the morals of the tragic hero into their very own hamartia. Guess whose hamartia could also be seen as a product of his undying love for his mother as a good son? Aqua himself.
But at this stage of the manga, we no longer see that loving Aqua. We no longer see his compassion and start to see him become a more twisted and hateful person in the current arc. The majority of his appearances now feature him with a black star in his eyes, which is typically referred to as a symbol of lies and manipulation, often with killing intent (this would take a whole other analysis). But even without making these assumptions, we've already seen him do some terrible things, such as actively manipulating Kana by playing with her emotions, casting Akane aside despite her good intentions, exposing his and Ruby's relationship with Ai without Ruby's consent, etc. I'm sure all of us still love Aqua and truly want to see him come out of this alive, but for most people, it is undeniable that he is the same compassionate, empathetic individual he was at the start of the story. That is the second component of catharsis to a tick.
The part we haven't seen yet is the ACTUAL release of catharsis, the horrific events that happen to the tragic hero at the end of the story. We haven't gotten to that part at this point in the plot yet, but since the first two components are present, it is fair to assume that the final release is impending.
Spectacle (Realism)
There's not much to discuss about spectacle here tbh, since this isn't a live play. However, Aristotle's view on tragedies is for them to work, they have to imitate reality to an extent to make them relatable to the viewer. We can see the manga adhere to this rule by not only using realistic settings but also tackling realistic issues related to the entertainment industry. This doesn't mean anything though, since it's a manga. Just wanted to point that out.
Music
Yeah, nothing much to discuss here. This is a manga, there's no music. The anime music banging though!
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2) Foreshadowing
"Yeah OP, you have a long essay about what a tragedy is and all, but what if I don't buy any of that?"
I wouldn't blame you. That's the whole point of starting this discussion with the analysis! But here are two more examples that I think foreshadow Aqua's tragic end.
Some might say this is a stretch, but I find it interesting why Aqua ended up playing the villain while filming the Sweet Today adaptation in the Entertainment World arc. He even explicitly mentions the irony of it all, playing the "stalker that killed Ai." But it is never brought up again throughout the manga. I can understand it being a lone tongue-in-cheek irony thing, but for a writer like Aka who is always so comprehensive with his motifs and symbolism even in this manga, it doesn't rule out the possibility that this was foreshadowing Aqua's eventual dark path. Also, the stalker ended up committing suicide after killing Ai. Which has also been expressed as Aqua's plan once he kills his father. Make of that what you will.
In addition, an enigmatic character who is showing some rising relevance in the story is the crow girl, who is not only a supernatural character, but also has some semblance of being a deity of death (crows are also a very widely-used symbol of death). We never truly see her before her appearance in the Private Arc, but when she interacted with Aqua and Ruby, both of them seemed familiar with her. They both may have met her somewhere off-screen during their reincarnations. The reason I bring her up is that the three appearances she makes, it often has to do with death in some way. Be it a discussion about Gorou's death or Ruby's discovery of Gorou's corpse. The one appearance that doesn't seem to have much immediate proximity to the theme of death is her latest one in chapter 118. Yes, this is during an arc that is about revenge for Ai's death, and Aqua's pursuit for Hikaru's death, but this interaction doesn't seem as linked to those as her other appearances. This interaction with Aqua was not about a previous death; hence, the logical conclusion is that it foreshadows an impending one. And while some might argue that the death might be Hikaru's, I believe this to be a bit too random, and Hikaru's character too insignificant (development-wise) to make this about his death. Consider that of all the appearances Crow Girl has made thus far, they have all been about one other character's death and one character only. Aqua, and his previous life as Gorou.
I want to note that it's been a while since I've read the earlier parts of the manga, and presently am writing this largely off my memory (I also really can't find the time to do a comprehensive re-read up to the current point in the story while taking notes). If there are any other possible moments of foreshadowing I've missed, please bring them up in the comments since I would love to know as well!
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3) Miscellaneous/Meta
As we cross the 2k word mark, I would like to end with an additional comment about the series in itself, and why it might make sense to Aka to make this story end as a tragedy.
Unlikely his other massively popular series (an absolute masterpiece), Kaguya-sama, Oshi No Ko is a series dedicated to dark themes. It is a series that exposes the dark side of the entertainment industry, actively tackles potentially triggering themes about suicide and parental abandonment, and has shown no mercy to the prospect of making its readers squirm with shock, discomfort, and sadness. It is a series that began by killing off its protagonist and ending its FIRST arc with one of the hugest and most emotionally devastating twists in manga history. This sends a huge message to the audience: do not expect happy endings, this series is dedicated to making you cry. While it doesn't rule out the possibility of Aqua getting a happy ending, a tragic ending would absolutely be consistent with the narrative that the story has had so far.
That said, in a small point for devil's advocate, this is also a series that largely hinges on twists and moments that shock readers (in a very NON-comprehensive list, we have Ai's death, Akane's imitation of Ai, the discovery that Aqua's father is alive (at the time we thought he was dead), Ruby and Akane suddenly discovering Gorou's body, and Sarina's absent mother showing up as the distributor for the 15-year lie movie in the latest chapter). Aqua, who has long been saying he doesn't intend to live once he's enacted his revenge, kind of deviates from that trend. If HE were to die, that wouldn't exactly be a shock to the audience, since it's been a long time coming. In short, it is possible that all my previous analyses about the release of catharsis and the foreshadowing might've also worked as reasons AGAINST the story ending in Aqua's death since it counteracts the whole strategy of the manga getting its appeal from its twists.
Therefore, if this isn't about Aqua's death, then there's one other plausible way this could be turned into a tragedy. An event that would absolutely break Aqua and might turn him into an empty shell of the person he once was, POSSIBLY resulting in him taking his own life by proxy.
I'm talking about Akane Kurokawa's death.
I won't get into a whole other analysis about whether or not Akane's death is likely. But one thing the post I linked above and I agree with is, if someone were to die, it might be Akane. This is also a thought that is shared by a lot of fans in the community and has been arguably foreshadowed through her flawless imitation of (a now dead) Ai, her strong resolve to oppose Aqua's plan and save him (which might result in her doing some things that might end in her death, potentially also making Aqua feel responsible), and even more explicitly, that damn bridge scene in chapter 97 that made most of us think she was going to die. There are a lot of reasons to expect a possible Akane death in the near future, since it would not only be consistent with said foreshadowing but would also arguably have the same if not stronger tragic impact on Aqua and the Oshi No Ko fandom if she were to die. I pray that I am wrong, but these are my speculations for now.
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Conclusion
Long story short, this was an analysis that looked into the elements of a tragedy and how the Oshi No Ko storyline thus far has fit within it. Independently of that, there are some additional reasons to suggest Aqua's death in the future; and if not, it MIGHT be Akane's (I REALLY HOPE I AM WRONG).
If you've read all 2.5k+ words of this analysis, thanks! I want to note that I am not a literary expert, and there are simply too many unresolved nuances to form a definite prediction on the outcome of the story now. Therefore, I'd love to hear some more of your thoughts in the comments and am very open to further discussion or debate on this matter. Hopefully, this has given some food for thought on the literary aspects of the series, and I can't wait to see where it goes!

So it seems pretty clear that Lue Elizondo is the figurehead for official, slow drip disclosure that the government supports. Even John Ramirez had said pretty straightforward "The word Lue can't say is hybridization, but they're counting on him to eventually."
"They" are the group behind Lue allowing him to speak out about stuff and disseminate disclosure on their schedule. Lue is the official face that the public can see on mainstream news, talkshows, etc.
But let's look at John Ramirez now. He seems to have an idea of the schedule. He knows what Lue is supposed to and not supposed to say. He seems to have some inside information and knows who "they" are.
But what does Ramirez do? He one-ups Lue on disclosure information it seems. He's more in the background but he's also from government, and seems to be connected to what Lue knows. The public might not be ready for hybridization, but he's allowed to use the term. He's not clearly related to the programs and his stuff can be dismissed easily if needed. Lue, not so much.
My theory is that there's Lue that's way more obvious and the safest slow drip, then there's Ramirez... To all the people listening, he's giving the faster drip info. I think both sides are to test how we react to new information. Ramirez says the weirder shit, they see how we react to it, even just the word hybridization. Lue doesn't say it yet, but they have an idea of how people react to new data already. It's like A/B testing practically, one side gets beta features and the other official production knowledge. They see how their new stuff works in practice then can continue the conversation with Lue if they're happy. It's a super safe way of doing disclosure, testing disclosure before you give it, and be able to be like "nah Ramirez is wrong, don't believe him," if they don't like public reaction.
Now I'm not saying I completely trust Ramirez and he's said some very questionable shit lately. He might be a bit out there. He might be completely unrelated to slow drip official disclosure and throwing in some of his own wild theories. But I think it's possible that he's on the same team as Lue unofficially.

Hi Everyone!
Best & Worst of a series I wanted to get off the ground for years. Probably a AsianBeauty hangover. I loved those threads! It was just easy to refer back to, figure out what will work for my skin, and keep track of things that stuff interesting.
So here we are. Attempting to do this once more, fingers crossed that most of you enjoy this as much as I do and that some of you will participate.
Okay, I'm done with gushing. Moving on to the actual, official mod note.
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Offical Mod Note

A commonly asked query in the sub is “What are the best/worst products from ?”. This spurred the idea to start a Best and Worst of Megathreads!
This ensures all the reviews of a single brand are neatly organised in a thread for easy perusal anytime. It can be accessed at any time for those wanting to buy during sales (which are extremely common these days) or otherwise.
We’re starting off with Plum Goodness!! This was in our lineup but u/proxy262634 posted asking about Plum today, so this is going up first.
About the brand (from their website): Our cruelty-free skincare, makeup, haircare, and bodycare products are made with formulations that are all about 'good science' that pairs natural ingredients with science-backed actives for goodness that truly does deliver. They are cruelty-free and vegan. And prices affordably.

Please read the instructions below carefully

Please find the main category in the comments below

• Cleansers
• Moisturisers & Oils
• Sunscreen
• Serums
• Toners
• Masks & Scrubs
• Haircare
• Bodycare
• Makeup
• Fragrance

And post your reviews as a reply to the appropriate parent thread.
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For example, If you want to review 15% vitamic C, scroll down to serums and post your review in the following format

• Full name of the product
• Your skin type & conditions or haiscalp type & concerns
• Effect on skin/hair issues and result of using the product / Experience and thoughts in detail
• Anything that you think others might find a con
• Holy Grail / Will Re-purchase / Will Not Repurchase / Holy Fail Status

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If you have previously posted a review if a plum product and don't want to re-type or copy paste it, no issues, please leave a link to the review in the following format

• Full Name of the product
• Your skin type/skin conditions or hair type/scalp type and concerns
• Link to review

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Optionally, you could follow our usual review guidelines.
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PLEASE ONLY REVIEW ONE PRODUCT IN ONE COMMENT, for next product, reply to parent comment in a fresh comment.
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***I'm sorry if it sounds like we're asking for too much, we're doing it this was for searchability purposes, not to put you to trouble. ***

Hello all, given the fact one of most common posts we seem to get on the subreddit is tips/advice for coming to Nats Park either from Visiting Fans or First Times. I thought it would be a good idea to get a decent size run-down of all the things new and "old" this season at Nats Park and the surrounding area to help ensure a good experience by all (If I forgot something please comment, my brain can only hold so much Nats Park knowledge).
Old:

• Nats Souvenir Soda purchase means unlimited refills during game. I've heard tales you could use the cup throughout the season for unlimited refills but those days seem to have passed. Given the price of a regular soda is 6.49 and a Souvenir Soda is 10.99, this is one of the better deals in the park.
• First Game/Foul Ball/Home Run Certificates. If you go to Guest Services (located behind Sections 103, 131 and 320) you can get a certificates for these events. Additionally on first game you get a button, which might be something your kid will enjoy.
• Cashless Ball Park. The Ballpark is all cashless for better or worse. A pro-tip is to use mobile ordering (on the MLB Ballpark App) cause sometimes previous coupon codes will work a day or two after they were supposed to expire. Common ones that have worked: BUD, BUDHAPPY, VALUE. This can be helpful when you consider a cost of a single beer can be 14.99.
• Kids Run the Bases. All kids age 4-12 are invited to run the bases at Nationals Park after every Sunday afternoon home game, weather permitting. Kids will start their run at first base and they will be directed around the bases to home plate.
• Signature Sundays. Two Nationals players will sign autographs for fans at every Sunday home game all season long. Autographs will take place at the top of the Nationals dugout starting one hour prior to first pitch, weather permitting and subject to player schedules. Fans must obtain a free voucher in order to participate in the autograph sessions – vouchers will be distributed on a first come, first served basis at Section 103, starting when the gates open 90 minutes before first pitch. Fans are limited to one autograph voucher per person. These tend to go very very fast even in our current state of the franchise.
• Grandstand Tickets: These are $5 tickets available starting 90 minutes from first pitch, there are some rare exclusions and you will be sitting way up top but probably the best ticket deal you can get. You do need the MLB Ballpark APP to get the tickets though.
• Bags. I'm just gonna link it here cause shits complicated yo. here
• Fifth Inning is typically when the mascots (Presidents) come out and race. Very looney Tooney. (LET TEDDY WIN!!)
• Food: You can take food into the park whether it be a snack bag or Chipotle bowl. It just has to be a single serve item (no whole pizzas) and can't be in a glass or metal container. They say only water is in, but I've seen folks take soda in. So who actually knows. As far a takeout options will list below since some are new.

New:

• Food options in the park. Besides your standard hot dog (Hebrew national) and chicken tenders there are a few "local" places in the park that are worth noting: Ben's Chili Bowl (chili dogs), Capo Deli (italian subs), La Casita (Pupusas [Salvadorian "Quesadillas"]) , Swizzler (burgers and chicken sandwiches), Arepa Zone(Venezuelan food), Capital City Mambo Sauce (wings), ShakeShack, Rocklands BBQ, Roaming Rooster. Additionally some other places to note in the Park: Haute Dog (for my money the best hot dogs in the park), Jammin’ Island BBQ (Jerk Chicken and one of the better food deals), South Mountain Creamery (one of the few ice cream joints in the park , but warning melts fast).
• Also this is a Budweiser Park for better or worse so Bud, Bud Light, Michelob will dominate the landscape. That being said there has been a small influx of local beers into the stadium notably from Atlas to Devil's Backbone. Additionally Golden Road has a presence as well. I will also note that in the year of our lord 2023, I did end up finding Miller Lite being sold in Nats Park during the last home stand the Nats had.
• To the surprise of no one, this is a Coca-Cola Park so there's that. Sorry you weird Pepsi Lovers.
• Food options outside of Park: Walter's Sports Bar, Mission, Royal Sands, Atlas Brew Work (has an Andy's inside which for my money is one of the best if not the best pizza in DC for what's that worth), Bullpen, Buffalo Wild Wings, Silver Diner, Chicken & Whiskey (Peruvian Chicken great for taking inside the park), Swizzler (if you want a burger go here and save like $10 vs inside the park), Chipotle, Rasa, Greene Turtle, Dacha Beer Garden, Salt Line (Zimmerman owns a stake in them), Solace Outpost (great on hot days cause it gets really breezy there), Bluejacket Brewery. As of now despite previous reputation of being a good burger place, don't visit Duke's Grocery.

Seating in Ballpark:

• So the Homeplate faces NorthEast-ish. This means on sunny days, the home side of the stadium gets absolutely baked. This to me is the biggest flaw about the stadium cause that also means the outfield view is random apartment buildings. So for 1pm-4pm gametime, any ticket in the sections 128-143, 106-100,218-243, 317-321, and 416-420 are just in for a bad time. If 7pm don't worry becomes relatively tolerable. Also if you are determined to get a foul ball sections 133-134 and 112-114 see a sizable amount of action. Best chance for home run is probably sections 106-105.

Fans in Ballpark:

• Overall Fans are pretty welcoming in the ballpark. Not a whole of jeering or boos for rival teams. In fact umps probably see the worst of it. We very much aren't Philadelphia.

Idk where I am heading to . I am lost , I just hope I could make something out of my life . Every other person has some goals or targets here , I don’t have any purpose in life, it’s like I am wasting my life . When I see people with blueprints of their life and openly discussing it with each other I just feel left out because I haven’t decided anything and I am fuckin scared but I still wake up everyday trying to understand everything and purpose of everything . Everyday I wake up to prepare for entrance exam and I don’t even know if I even passed the exam would it change my life for good or make it worse. Am I following my parents blindly to get their validation or attention? I haven’t figured out anything till now - where ever I am now it’s a hell hole. My life is now limited to my room wake up- study-eat-binge watch-sleep. And this time table has made me sick. I wanna live a real life , meet some people , discuss things, have a convo with them . Almost 5 days a week I don’t have anyone to talk to and other 2 days ( weekends ) my elder brother doesn’t talk to me much . And my parents makes it worse , they don’t let me go out much not even for 10 mins and my exams are near and the idea of me not getting accepted in college makes me precipitate and the face of disappointment my father would have on that day makes me wanna kms. I am dying inside but the small hope that everything would turn out great is making me alive.

In S1 E7, Lottie pulls a pristine vertebra from the charred deer they had burnt after finding maggots in its stomach. Later, while the crew is leaving to find rescue, Lottie gifts Van the vertebra as a protective object, saying she thinks it will keep her safe. She makes Van promise not to lose it. Then, when Tai wakes up in the tree to the sounds of wolves attacking her friends, she is holding the vertebra. Without it, Van is unprotected, and her face is torn apart by the wolves. I can't tell if she has it on when she is about to be cremated but then wakes up (it's too dark for me to see--does anyone else know?) Also, a deer vertebra that could be the same one is seen hanging from a tree during the pit girl seen in the pilot.
I think that after the cabin burns in S2 E9, while looking through the ruins, they will find a single object that should've burned but didn't, to parallel the deer vertebra. I don't have any ideas as to what the object could be, does anyone have any theories or potential guesses?
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P.S. I also think that Van was grabbing the vertebra when she lingered for a second in the cabin before running out.

For context, I'm a cis-fem (romantically) in my early 30s, romantically prefers men (also, I'm rather new to the terms and English is my 2nd language so... I'm doing my best).
I realized I'm probably a demi after finding the tern for the first time and being able to connect it with me, being attracted only to (a few) long time friends or at least after talking to someone very personally on a daily basis for weeks (in a friendly matter first), plus never understanding nightstands or wanting to just have s*x with "whoever",or finding strangers (that for me might be as aesthetically pleasing as cupboard figures) as "hot" and also not be very aware to sexual innuendos and signs until they are screamed at my face.
And after a long relationship that followed by marriage and lately a divorce after a few years, I started to wonder rather my attraction in the long run is rather "typical" or not. After the 1st year of it being constant, it started to fluctuate, dissapearing for months, having random spikes and most of the time s*x becoming not a priority for me at all, feeling I couldn't care less about it and therefore not initiating it, but rarely, sometimes, actually feeling something once my ex would initiate by himself. And because of that, him not understanding me and fearing I'm actually not attracted to him or love him, and me feeling ashamed and "not normal". Right now, after the divorce, I'm not looking for meetings, dates or a sexual relationship (I might feel missing a serious, romantic relationship in the future, but for now I would be fine without it), and I'm not thinking of actually looking for things in dating apps because "who the hell are you people??"
Is that what being a demi that IS attracted to "that special someone" supposed to feel like? Or the inconsistency, the long periods of lacking or the spikes are a sign there is something else, such as aceflux, and as a demi only, you can (or should) feel a stable attraction (in general, of course it can be changing for everyone) to someone specific for months or even years? Maybe there's another specific term I can use that I don't know about?
And, as Pride Month approaches in my country and for the first time I'm thinking to join the parade, I wonder if Demiseual-aceflux, if it's an actual "thing", has a symbol or a flag, and if there's a place, even online, for all the grey "umbrella", including demis and acefluxes to connect? Because I feel trying to come out to relatives and friends as an demisexual-aceflux (or even a demi, or even just grey in general), especially after knowing me being in "normal" relationships before, would be rather hard. It's not an easy orientation to explain in the first place, even before knowing someone's history. So I feel quite alone in this right now.
Soooo... what do you think?

I see a lot of people counting us out already because we have no answer for Jokic.
"Denver should win in 4. This series will go 5 at the most"
"The Celtics matchup better. The Heat have no chance."
"Jokic will destroy Bam."
"Their role players will regress. Denver will beat them easy."
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Yeah. It's true that we don't have the size to matchup to them compared to their previous opponents but how did that work out for them?
Minny (Gobert & KAT) - Den win 4-1
Suns (Ayton) - Den win 4-2
Lakers (AD) - Den in 4-0
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Maybe that isn't the answer. The Lakers found something working with Rui and he's only 6'8".
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Unlike the other teams they have faced. We are more balanced.
Minny didn't even have Jaden McDaniels. Naz Reid and SlowMo (Game 5).
Suns lost Chris Paul to an injury and was relying on Cam Payne who just came back from injury.
Lakers had trash Dlo and Lebron with probably his coldest shooting stretch from 3.
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Time and time again. Our players have stepped up in different games.
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Jimmy going crazy from the midrange, pump fakes, hitting 3s and his incredible steals
Bam with this underrated passing ability, defense and his putbacks.
Lowry provided hustle, shots and passing.
Caleb scoring to stop the bleeding and defense.
Love had his moments. Hitting those 3s and outlet passes.
Duncan's offball movements and improved defense. Those easy layups and clutch 3s to keep us in the game.
Gabe and his craftiness to the basket. You can't teach his fearlessness in shooting the shot.
Max Strus continues to defend, shoot 3s and stay effective.
Zeller wasn't the best but there were minutes where we managed to hang-on even with him on the floor.
Highsmith staying ready and playing minutes for us in this playoffs.
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Fuck the stats and analytics. It doesn't matter if we haven't beaten the Nuggets at their homefloor since 2019-20 season. The series starts at 0-0. I trust Spo, our coaching staff and this team. I hope we give them a hell of a fight!