Welcome to Polyhedra - a growing community of nerds and ttrpg enthusiasts, just like you!
Friday @ 7:30 p.m. EST
BE THE LEGEND YOU WERE BORN TO BECOME
In a land where even the gods are bound by oaths and prophecies...
At the dawn of time, a war between the gods and Titans left the world of Thylea forever changed. Thousands of years later, the first mortals arrived, carried by ship and dragon.
The Dragonlords were the champions who overthrew the Titans 500 years ago and forged the Oath of Peace. But the power of the Oath has waned, and now the Titans seek vengeance.
You are one of the heroes called by prophecy to end the conflict once and for all. Poets will sing of your deeds for centuries to come... if you survive.
Interested? Check out our Website or Schedule a Chat!
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WHAT WE OFFER
We are a team of ten gamemasters who run 25+ paid campaigns for our 200+ community members. Over the past two years, we've built an inclusive community of respectful players and talented gamemasters to provide a reliable and excellent game experience for everyone.
Yeah okay, Why Paid Campaigns?
We love free games! Nothing, including our games, is better than sitting around a table with your friends playing a TTRPG. That said, for those of us who face life stressors, lack friends interested in the hobby, have odd work schedules, etc. Polyhedra is the perfect answer.
What do virtual tabletop games look like?
Feel free to check out DM David's ( nadriancox ) streamed games on YouTube and Twitch.
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[CONTACT](mailto:[email protected])
For more information and specific questions, please either visit our website or send a message via Discord to DM David (Nadrian#9820) or Jason (a_unicorn_person#6909). You can also reach out through reddit here: nadriancox for David or at a_unicorn_person for Jason.
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GAME DETAILS
6 Player virtual tabletop.

• 3-4 hours of gameplay per session.
• Player’s Choice for character creation: Pointbuy, Roll 4d6 drop lowest, or standard array.
• Private, tier 3 boosted Discord server with voice and video (by DM) - players only need a working microphone and headset.
• Individualized creation chats with each player (available beginning now and through the first session of the campaign) where we will handcraft your PC's origins, background, and campaign-shaping plot points. NO CHARGE
• Class, Feats, Backgrounds from any official sourcebooks and Unearthed Arcana. Homebrew dependent on DM permission.

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CODE OF CONDUCT

• By becoming part of the community server, and my games, you agree to abide by the rules delineated therein.
• Be respectful of other players and myself at all times, even between sessions.
• All people are welcome, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, minority status, language skill, etc.
• This game is for players of 18 years of age or older.
• Payment of the game fee guarantees a seat for the scheduled game that week. Payment is due the Monday before a session is scheduled. No refunds, unless specifically agreed upon by the DM.
• No streaming of the session without express consent. Violation may result in a kick and ban from Polyhedra games, and possible legal liability.
• Polyhedra reserves the right to screen, add, remove, or otherwise "manage" players in the game for whatever reason, but will automatically remove any player who upon warning continues to violate the terms of the CoC.

Preface
I did a detailed writeup on my very first concert experience last year which was seeing Dreamcatcher's Apocalypse: Save Us concert in Reading and I got a positive response so I wanted to do it again for this concert. Hopefully this will help future Insomnia going to their first Dreamcatcher concert that are anxious about what to expect. Writing all this down is also a nice way for me to look back on the experience in the future. This is gonna' be another long read, don't think I can just TL;DR it so feel free to skip around to specific sections if you like. If you want to check out my previous concert writeup you can find it here:
https://www.reddit.com/dreamcatchecomments/vpzmqo/20220701_santander_arena_concert_in_reading_pa_my/
Ticketmaster
FUCK TICKETMASTER, ALL MY HOMIES HATE TICKETMASTER
I don't think there is too much to say here, Ticketmaster is already garbage about scalping bots and they continue to show their incompetence with this fuck up. It caused myself a good amount of anxiety like everyone else. I decided to wait till the day of the concert to see if they'd send the extra email with my printable ticket. Well that never happened, so I was debating calling Ticketmaster or just risk trying to pick them up at Will Call. That's when I saw people suggesting to make a separate new Ticketmaster account to transfer my tickets to. Lo and behold, it worked! Seriously, shout out to those suggesting that and whoever figured it out, real life saver! The only silver lining was that my seating got bumped all the way up front (third row specifically) smack dab in the center. So I can't complain too much but it sucks to everyone that got bumped out to much worse seating.
Concert Prep
Since attending the last Dreamcatcher concert in July, which was my very first ever concert experience, I've since seen Kard in Atlanta and Pixy, AleXa, and Rolling Quartz at Otakon in D.C. Not a veteran by any means but I've got a bit more experience going now. I work night shifts during the week so my sleep schedule is usually trash trying to readjust to days over the weekend. I woke up on the day of the concert at 3am and began doing some prep work. Charging my lightstick and battery brick (for charging phones), getting my ticket sorted, checking where I want to park once I get there, etc. I bought some equipment to attach my phone to mongmonie so I can record parts of the concert while keeping another hand free if needed. My original plan was to use all my lightstick extensions and use it as a sort of monopod setup for recording the whole concert. A few things made me change my mind, the first was that I couldn't find a clear answer on if extensions would be allowed at the concert, then there was the fact that my seat got changed and I felt like I'd be blocking people's view with it (plus I'd have to break it down every time we had to sit). It would've been a more ideal setup in a PIT area in the corner where I wouldn't be blocking people. I had planned on using a completely separate phone to record the whole concert so I cleared up a bunch of memory on it, but in the process managed to brick my phone 😒. So I had to resort to using my primary phone. Anyway, I felt like I somehow spent 10hrs. doing concert prep, not sure how lol. It was time to finally head out. It's only an hour and a half drive for me, think I left the house around 2:30ish in the afternoon.
Arrival in Reading
I arrived in Reading around 4pm. Reading Parking Authority recently switched to gateless parking which I've never used before. I downloaded the ParkMobile app before I left. When I got there it only let me pay for a 30min. increment on the app, so I used that time to get a bite to eat since I hadn't eaten anything all morning. Once I got back to the parking garage I noticed the little kiosk where you can pay for the full day, so that's what I did. After that I walked down the street to the venue so I could grab my VVIP bracelet which only took less than 5 minutes since there wasn't a huge line for it at the time. I wanted to chill in the short line forming outside the venue and chat up some Insomnia but decided I should probably go back to my car and get some rest since I had been up since 3am (shoutout to the Insomnia with the same Seven Spirits hoodie that I had who said hi to me on the way back though). After getting a bit of rest I went to go line up at the venue, the weather was a really nice mild day (55℉/13℃) with thankfully no rain like last time! There were so many nice Insomnia handing out banners and freebies in line. One was handing photocards/polaroids and asked me my bias, said I couldn't choose so just give me a random one, when I opened it up it was a choccy milk Gahyeon polaroid! Even if it wasn't official I got so hyped seeing that, haha. Someone else was handing out some cute DC anime stickers, this time I specifically chose Dami since there were only two of those left (person behind me snatched the last one). I signed the Dreamcatcher Reason flag while in line, it's super unfortunate they couldn't end up giving it to the girls! The line started moving around 6pm and moved pretty quickly, I was in the doors past security by 6:15pm.
Santander Performing Arts Center Venue review
I grabbed a Blue Moon and waited in the merch line. This venue was pretty small so they only had one spot to setup the merch table. The line was super long and wrapped around the entire venue starting on the first floor and leading up to the merch table on the second floor. The line moved at a decent pace considering how much it zig-zag'd around the place, shout out to the staff that were straight up sprinting around the line making sure to keep it orderly and moving it around so people didn't have problems accessing the rest of the venue. I got my merch by 7pmish so I waited in line for maybe 40min. There isn't too much to say about the venue itself, you can pretty much see the whole lobby in that pic I posted while waiting in line. There were easy to find bathrooms on a level lower than the ground floor, there were big signs to point you in the direction of each seating section and staff were great about helping people find there correct seats. For some reason the staff here felt even more proactive with helping everyone than the Santander Arena (though everyone there was also very friendly and helpful). I got seated at 7:05pm and the first thing I noticed was how cramped the seating was. Sitting down my shoulders were touching the shoulders of the people sitting to both sides of me, I feel like plane seating didn't feel as cramped. Once I got seated, the Insomnia next to me noticed my camera setup to record the concert and we had a nice conversation about photography and the gear we each use. Also talked about the messed up ticket situation with the venue change. One of my goals was to talk to more Insomnia this time around so thank you to the dude that chatted me up as I'm terrible at starting conversations myself but once I'm in it I could talk forever, haha.
The Concert
Once again, I noticed everyone's fits being on point at the concert. So many people with cool outfits, custom clothes, some people were wearing outfits that matched certain Dreamcatcher stage outfits, etc. Shout out to the bunny costume guy hyping everyone up before the concert! One thing I might've messed up on was footwear, whenever standing and jumping I could feel my feet killing me. I'm used to standing all day at work in these shoes, so I think it was the jumping up and down that really did it for me, not as comfortable as the UltraBoosts I wore last concert. Anyway, it was easy enough to ignore since the concert was so awesome! I was practically front row, which I never thought I'd get a chance to do. I'm really short for a guy, so I always worried about not getting a good enough spot in the PIT to see over people. Most people in front of me were taller than me but it wasn't a huge issue for the most part. The members entered and the hype begun, seriously never thought I'd get to be this close to them! One of my slight complaints from the last concert was that I am a bit nearsighted and it was hard to make out the members faces from where I was seated (although I know them well enough to pick them out on their gait alone). Now it was like seeing them in glorious 8k, and they all looked gorgeous! The setlist was so good, finally #justiceforWHAT! Plus getting to see the 'YOU AND I' choreo complete with props and Dami's awesome staff spinning! Everyone sounded so good and I was surprised that the acoustics sounded really good in such a small place not really designed for the type of music being played. Even during the songs with choreo you could here each member through the backing track at least a few times here and there. Like last time, the members I noticed really punching through the backing track the most were Siyeon and Dami. You can tell Dami goes all in on her raps at these concerts, to the point of bending over like 70° in order to really belt them out with as much power as possible. Also, OH MY GOD 'Reason' went as hard as I hoped it would live. They are pushing their vocals so hard during that song and the "woah" chanting parts get everyone so hyped. It was a fantastic idea to have the encore be all three fan songs. Celebrating Dami's birthday was so fun! Sua announcing herself as Dami's B-day present and her just ignoring it was hilarious, also Sua giving Dami the rights to being the Queen™ of Dreamcatcher while celebrating her birthday had me dying. I don't remember what song it happened during but at one point I'm pretty sure Yoohyeon's timing was off in one of the choreos and she completely bumped into another member (think it might have been Gahyeon but I don't recall) it was really cute as she quickly brushed it off with a smile. I thought I had recorded this part but can't find it so now I'm gonna' have to check other fancams to make sure I'm not going crazy, lol. During the last goodbye talks, Gahyeon cried saying she wasn't feeling well and hoped that it didn't show in her performing (it didn't, she did great!) and other members were tearing up too. It honestly feels so heartwarming as a fan getting to see Dreamcatcher's sincerity in their faces and words up close and personal, I'm surprised I didn't cry myself. Jiu especially goes the extra mile with her genuine facial expressions that show gratitude on the deepest levels. Another thing I loved about Jiu was her crowd control abilities, especially when it came to getting everybody to wave their lightsticks in synchronicity. Speaking of the crowd, I was pretty disappointed by the shrieking banshees that yelled over the members when they were talking. It's honestly super rude and makes the fandom look bad, it sucks that there isn't much you can do about it but to try and tell people near you to be quiet. You could see Dami was visibly annoyed by it and continued to make a shushing gesture at the crowd while pointing at the member currently talking. It doesn't help that the members also enabled the behavior by responding to a few people yelling things to them so that lead to others trying to grab their attention, it seriously got out of hand. Other than that slightly souring the experience, I still had a wonderful time. I will end this section by mentioning the only member I have yet to talk about here and I will will simply leave it with this; Handong's orange hair omfg?! 👨🏼‍🍳💋
Meet & Greet, Hi-Touch + Group Photo
After the concert ended, everyone started to line up for the VIP and VVIP M&G event. They lined up the VIP first since they were just doing the hi-touch. The VVIP participants were all seated and wherever you sat was basically the order they were going to have you go in with each row of seats being a section for the group photos, this way anyone in groups that wanted to stick together for it could figure out their order beforehand. Staff was great at giving everyone instructions and getting everything in order as fast as possible. I was so exhausted after the concert with running on little sleep that I just about snoozed off while sitting and waiting my turn. A weird thing I noticed was that I was seated towards the back of the venue and the seating seemed to be spaced out a bit better than where I sat for the concert. Anyway, it was my sections turn for the hi-touch. I kind of knew it was going to go by too fast to even get out anything meaningful so I tried to to be anxious about what I was going to say. The line moved so fast that when I got to the members I barely got to say "hi [member's name]!" in fact I remember getting to Sua and I think Siyeon was right before her and I called her Shua by accident cuz' I was trying to nail saying She-yeon previously, I felt so stupid but it is what it is, I'm laughing at it now looking back on it 😂. I also remember Jiu was first in line and I realized I gave her a pretty hard high five and ended up toning it down with each member till I got to Dami last and barely touched her hand. It was over as fast as it started, it went exactly how I thought it would but still left me a little disappointed. That was made up for with the group photo. As I waited back in line for the group photo, and was slowly approaching the line seemed to stop for a bit longer than it was before. It seemed that there was a group way ahead that didn't want to be separated for the group photo so they were looking for a single person to fill in the last spot. I stepped up and volunteered so we could get the line moving again. The staff were appreciative since they were on a time crunch, the people in line were happy to not get separated, and I got to skip like 30 people so win-win for everyone. That wasn't the best part though. Since the members were also waiting for a minute or two they all had their direction focused on the last person waiting to come up the stairs and that was me! Jiu gave me a very warm and cheery "hi!" as she was closest and was who I was going to sit in front of, needless to say my heart melted and I gave her an equally ecstatic "hello!" right back. I was going to ask her to do like a heart or something with me but since they were waiting I didn't want to hold them up any longer and decided to just quickly get seated so they could take the photos. Photo only took a sec and they we got up to let the next group in. I was the last person in line so I kinda' got selfish and took my time saying a few things to the members as we left. I got to look each one in the eyes and tell them what a great performance they put on, how cool they are, etc. Also told Gahyeon to feel better, and Dami was last so I got to personally wish her a happy birthday as well! Honestly made the VVIP package super worth it. I grabbed my VVIP merch on the way out and left the venue feeling great. The temperature had dropped quite a bit but it honestly felt really nice having the cool air hit my face after being packed like sardines for over 2hrs. I don't remember what time everything ended exactly but I headed back to my car by around 10:30pm. The drive back was a bit stressful as I was exhausted and we had a freak blizzard come out of nowhere. I didn't see anything about snow on the weather forecast for the day so I was surprised, but it was manageable for me since I live in the area and drive an AWD Forester with winter tires.
Final Thoughts
I got so busy with work, then my router shit the bed, then the great Reddit outage happened, then was busy at work again. I've been meaning to post this much sooner, it's crazy that it's already been two weeks since the concert. I surprisingly didn't get the usual post-concert depression this time, I think it was because this concert felt waaaay shorter to me for some reason. I kind of equate it to the feeling you get after watching a movie for the second time, you know what to expect and what scenes are coming next so the movie feels much shorter on the second watch-through. Everything straight up just felt like a 5min. dream to me it went by so fast. So it's a little sad in that sense but I still felt a feeling of fulfillment overall. Also, I thankfully didn't catch COVID this time so pretty happy about that .I should mention that masks were encouraged but not required, even for hi-touch/group photos. I wore mine all concert and for the hi-touch, but took it off for the group photo so I could see my face in the pic. I talked about my seating position off to the side giving me this weird feeling of disconnect from the performances last time, and this time felt much better as I was front and center and got to make lots of eye contact with the members the whole concert. I have no real regrets this time around, but my goals for my next concert are to talk to even more people and I kind of want to do something to give back to the community like the kind Insomnia that hand out cool freebies at the concerts. Not sure what I'm going to come up with yet but can't wait to get the creative juices flowing. Also, since I talked about photography with the Insomnia sitting next to me, it got me thinking about getting a press pass to shoot a Dreamcatcher concert in the future. I don't know how difficult that would be as an amateur with no real professional portfolio to speak of but it would be amazing if possible! I have to head off to work now, I'll probably fix some formatting to make this more readable and add other tidbits I forgot to add once I get off work.
Thank you to Dreamcatcher, DCC staff, Santander Staff, and all the wonderful Insomnia for another great and memorable experience!!

I've read a lot of complaints from people that just like to complain, so I'll try to keep this short. I've been a Diablo fan since the 1st Diablo (I still vividly remember the day I bought it). Loved Diablo 2, and contrary to most opinions I enjoyed Diablo 3 for what it was (I LOVED the witch doctor basically). So now here we are, a couple of decades later, Diablo 4 is upon us....
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My final verdict? I FUCKIN' LOVED IT!!! Was it perfect? Nope. And I didn't expect it to be. Just like Diablo 3, I loved it for what it was. The return of that dark and foreboding tone was EVERYTHING (especially loved that one side quest that gave HellraisePinhead vibes). The artwork/graphics were amazing. Even some of the voice work had me blown away (Lothar or whatever his name was? I look forward to hearing him narrate the rest of this tale...). The classes/skills/fighting/action.... I really liked it. I'll say this real quick about the 3 classes that were playable during this beta:
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*SorceroSorceress - Powerful, but basically the same mage from all of the Diablo series games.
*Barbarian - This has always been my least favorite to play in all of the previous Diablo games, but this iteration was interesting with the arsenal system. Still not my cup o' tea, but I can see the allure.
*Rogue - I liked this class the most, as it gave some D2 Assassin vibes.
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I already know that Druid will be my favorite class (closest thing to a Shaman I'm gonna get), and it will be great to see them in action along with the necromancer in the next weekend. Did I have any problems?
Sure!
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*Connection Issues/Login Issues- Meh, I mean it's a beta, I expected those issues, And those were really big on Friday and some of Saturday, virtually none by Sunday.
*Repetitive Dungeon design - Meh, yeah it kinda sucked (especially the cellars) but it was just the 1st Area, so perhaps it will get better as you progress in the game.
*Weirdly close zoom in - I don't know why it seemed like it was zoomed in ALL of the time, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't zoom out to a depth I was happy with.
At the end of the day, I've been a Diablo fan for 20 something years, and from the looks of the beta, I'm hoping to be one for another 20. Even with questionable business practices, and aggressive monetization, the world of Sanctuary needs me.....
and Lilith must pay.....

Janelle Piernza and Parvati Shallow were both well-known reality TV contestants. Janelle had appeared on multiple seasons of the hit show Big Brother, while Parvati had made her mark on Survivor.
One day, while attending a reality TV convention, the two women found themselves waiting in line for coffee. They struck up a conversation, and soon realized that they had a lot in common.
"I loved watching you on Survivor," Janelle said, smiling at Parvati. "You were such a fierce competitor."
"Thanks," Parvati replied, returning the smile. "I always admired your gameplay on Big Brother too. You were so strategic and smart."
The two women chatted for a while about their respective experiences on reality TV. They talked about the challenges they faced on the shows, the alliances they formed, and the friendships they made.
"It's crazy how much our lives have changed since being on these shows," Janelle said, sipping her coffee. "I never would have guessed that I'd be here, meeting fans and talking about my experience on Big Brother."
"I know, right?" Parvati agreed. "It's been a wild ride, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."
As they finished their coffee, the two women exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch. They hugged, both grateful for the chance to meet someone who understood what it was like to be a reality TV contestant.
As Janelle walked away, she couldn't help but feel a sense of connection with Parvati, and with all the other reality TV contestants she had met that day. Despite the drama and tension that often came with the territory, there was something special about being a part of that world, and Janelle was grateful for the experiences it had brought her.
As Janelle and Parvati continued to chat, they suddenly noticed two familiar faces in the crowd. It was Russell Hantz from Survivor and Paul Abrahamian from Big Brother, both known for their villainous behavior on their respective shows.
Janelle and Parvati exchanged a worried glance, knowing that things could quickly escalate with these two in the mix.
Russell spotted Parvati and sauntered over. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Black Widow herself," he said with a smirk. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Parvati bristled at the nickname, but tried to remain calm. "Hi, Russell. What brings you to this convention?"
"I'm here to remind people that I'm the greatest Survivor player of all time," Russell said. "And to remind you that you never would have won if it wasn't for me."
Meanwhile, Paul had approached Janelle. "Hey, Janelle," he said, a sly grin on his face. "I heard you're still trying to ride your Big Brother fame. What, couldn't make it in the real world?"
Janelle rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you too, Paul. I'm just here to meet fans and have some fun. What's your excuse?"
Paul shrugged. "I'm always looking for ways to stay relevant. You know how it is."
The tension in the air was palpable as the four reality TV veterans stood facing each other. Janelle and Parvati both knew that they needed to diffuse the situation before things got out of hand.
"Look, we're all here because we love reality TV," Parvati said, trying to sound conciliatory. "Why don't we all just try to enjoy the convention and leave the drama at the door?"
Russell and Paul exchanged a glance, but surprisingly, they both nodded in agreement. "Fine," Russell said with a shrug. "For now."
As the two villains walked away, Janelle and Parvati exchanged a relieved smile. They both knew that things could have gotten a lot worse, but they were glad that they were able to keep the peace. Even in the world of reality TV, it was always better to be kind than to feed the drama.

I am in another city, away from all of my friends. I have developed this fear of abandoment. I feel like they will start to dislike me for whatever reason. I don't often interact with all of them by person on chats because we have big chat groups. I am bad at conversations one to one but i do my best to do small talks. I feel like they will consider me not a good friend for this. I try to check up on them but idk. I guess I fear that in time they will find me annoying and think that it is a one sided-friendship. How can I reduce my anxiety about this? I feel like our connection is blurring. I love them but I don't want them to think that I don't care about them

Spring break was nice. Gave me the right state of mind to write this chapter, and the next ones coming up within the week. **note that I don't know enough about bug biology so if you have any articles about bug behavior and anatomy that'd be great
DREAMS
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First
Previous
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I was not entirely sure what happened. All I know is that he walked off to go do his business and he… vanished. Just like that. Almost in an instant. He could not have simply wandered off, he had simply vanished off the face of the earth. I had heard every theory given by the authorities, and none made sense. How could someone walk a few meters behind you and disappear completely?
I paced back and forth in the bedroom of her new house, going over every detail of the situation. It was late at night and we were stargazing. All was extremely quiet. There were no rustles in the bushes or anything during the time that he had vanished, and there were certainly no cries of pain or exclamations of surprise that would indicate he was attacked. I had lost track of him for approximately 12 seconds before he had vanished. When he vanished, I thoroughly searched the surrounding area for any signs of life. Footprints, dens, nests, fluids, and whatever else, I analyzed. I found no evidence that there was anything else in the clearing we were present in except us. This meant that whatever could have possibly taken him did it extremely stealthily.
But why? I sat down on the bed with my hands on my head, pondering the question in grief. Why him? Why the sweet and lovely man that I had known for so long? If he was taken, why must they have chosen the love of my life?
I was filled with both rage and grief. I wanted to punch the wall as I wept, to let my emotions take hold and thrash about wildly in an uncontrollable meltdown, but instead I opted to sit on the ground and cry to myself. No amount of wild tantrums would relieve her of the pain, and I knew that. I permitted my dog to sit next to me and rest his head on my shoulder. I found it comforting.
Once I was done with my weeping, I immediately went back to theorizing. It was surreal, really. The last few days had been a repeat of this situation over and over. I had not been able to make sense of it. It made no sense. It was impossible. Well, according to normal logic it was. Was there anything else I had not considered?
I had done significant research into missing persons cases in similar circumstances as these. People disappearing when they should not have, people vanishing the moment they leave someone else’s sight, and those experienced with nature seemingly going insane and traveling to places they should not have. It was all eerily similar to what she had experienced. They had named these kinds of cases the “Missing 411” cases. Perhaps they would have to add in his case then.
Later that day, after I had done additional research into the situation, I decided that rest would be beneficial for me after I had gone 2 days without sleep. Luckily, it seemed my mind was too tired to protest, and I went to sleep without any sorts of issues.
In my dreams, I imagined myself in a grey void that seemed to stretch in all directions for infinity. I did not mind it, though. I wished to remain alone in that moment. I sat down on the cold, yet soft floor of the void, and simply stared off into the distance.
I imagined seeing him again. Seeing Timothy’s form approaching me and embracing me. Telling me it was going to be okay, that I did not have to worry anymore. I knew it was imaginary, but I refused to admit that. I hugged him and kissed him like he had never left me, like he had never been taken from me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried on his shoulder for what felt like an eternity. I wanted him back, my sweet, sweet husband that I had known since high school, I needed him back. He was the only person I could trust, the only one who had confided in me his true feelings, the only one who told me the truth, the only one who really cared.
In that moment, he had disappeared from the void, leaving me alone once again. I was about to let out a wail of grief until I noticed a figure in the distance. It seemed to be a rapidly approaching darkness that grow a little more clear the closer it came. It was almost like I was viewing it through the glass of a shower door.
However, despite its obvious creepiness, I could not bring myself to fear it. Instead, I felt comfort. I did not know why. I knew I should have been afraid, but in that moment, I could not help but draw myself closer. As I approached, the figure of whatever this was became more apparent. It seemed humanoid. It had a pair of legs, a pair of arms, and a head. Every part of its body seemed to be as black as the night, and a cloud of this darkness seemed to follow it as it approached.
As I walked closer, I came across a barrier that seemed to be the source of the blur. I leaned closer, staring at the figure as it come to a stop right in front of the glass. I felt a certain familiarity regarding this figure. Could it be…?
The figure put its hand to the glass, and a pair of white lights shined where its eyes would be.
“Leah?” It asked.
It was him.
I was so shocked she could barely gather the strength to move my own hand up to the barrier, resting my palm across from his hand. As tears fell down my cheeks, I croaked out my own reply.
“Timothy?”
The figure nodded, and soon after, he disappeared from the void, returning to whenever he came from.
I cried once again. Not out of grief, but of joy. Of course, he was still missing, but he was alive. He was still out there somewhere. There was still a chance I could be with him once again.
There were still yet many questions in my mind. Why was there a barrier between me and my love? Where was he? How could I get to him? Was he safe? Could he perish at any moment?
These questions overtook my mind for the entire time I dreamt. I questioned not his appearance or the creepiness associated with it. The only thing on my mind in that moment was my husband, and how I could reunite with him.
The description of the events surrounding this time may be… inconsistent. It was very soon after Timothy had gone missing, and I was very hysterical during this time. However, as far as I can tell, this is what had happened. Following this dream, I remember my awakening as being fully rested and clear of mind. The hysteria had vanished from my mind, and I had given myself one purpose. That is, to figure out where my husband had disappeared to and to reunite with him as soon as possible. Now, my search would have been fruitless had the news that would blast over the entire planet a few weeks later not unveiled itself, as my husband was nowhere where I thought he was. He was, in fact, beyond that.
He had not fully comprehended his situation until after he had woken up in that hole in the side of an alien spacecraft. He probably would have had an emotional breakdown, but something was preventing him from falling into despair. An unusual calmness that held him together in such a difficult time. He elected not to question it and to instead thank it. Now was not the time to panic.
He looked around the hole in the ship, analyzing the changes that had taken place since he was fully conscious. The hole had grown substantially larger, and the cover that he had placed behind him to ensure he was hidden had been… corroded? It was as if some large beast had taken a big bite out of it. Why had that happened?
He decided to intensify his focus on the environment around him, looking for any clues as to how this could have happened. Suddenly, he found the reason. The same… things… he was made of were floating about, consuming bit-by-bit pieces of the ship and (he assumed) using that to multiply or feed themselves or whatever.
He did not like that they were doing that. He really did not need that right now. How could he stopped them from doing that? He attempted to lift his hand to his chin to think for a moment, before realizing that he had lost his humanoid form. He cursed in his head and manipulated his body to the optimal form.
Maybe he could use the same method for those runaway… things? He still did not know what to call them, but he knew that they were tiny swarms originating from a much larger swarm, that being himself. He would just call them swarmites. He focused his will on ensuring the swarmites he saw would return to the main swarm, individually guiding each swarmite back into his care. It worked very well, with all of the littles swarmites returned to their progenitor. Now that that had been taken care of, he needed to ensure that they did not do that when he was busy “sleeping” or focused on other tasks.
He thought for a moment before manipulating his form once again. A thin membrane formed around his body, keeping the swarm in a consistent form outside his will and allowing him to interact with physical world far easier than before. Perfect!
Now that he had finished his task, he looked out to the vast expanse of space. He could not see any ships, which meant they had probably not stumbled across the sight of himself in the hole… probably. In any case, he knew he needed to move now that the hole was exposed, as they would definitely send someone to investigate once they located it. Whoever runs this ship will probably get chewed out for it.
In that moment he remembered those he was fleeing from. The bug people. He barely remembered their shape, as he was too busy escaping their clutches. All he knew is that they had kidnapped him from earth and had fed him to something, and now he was a sentient swarm made of something unknown to even himself. Whatever the case, they seemed to be afraid of him, given the massive amount of munitions they had fired at him once he began to significantly resist. He could not blame them entirely.
He began to float outside the ship and look around. All the ships he had seen earlier were still present, and in much the same positions as before. Hopefully they would not spot him.
He chose the least threatening ship he could and began floating toward it, taking note not to speed toward it lest he make himself more noticeable. The greater the velocity, the greater the energy, after all. Plus, he would rather not crash full speed into a giant spaceship if he failed to slow himself down.
What he did not know in that moment was that he had not taken every part of himself with him. Many swarmites remained behind, and now that their master had left, had taken to drifting through the ship, looking for any openings that would allow access to the habitable parts of the ship, where many bugs walked.
One of these bugs was in the cleaning chambers, using water to wash themselves of any potential germs or gross secretions. It was enjoying itself until a large collection of strange black gas began falling down from a vent above the bug.
“What in…?” the bug did not finish its response as it was forced to cough from the smoke-like gas invading its lungs. After a violent and intense coughing session, the bug regained its faculties.
“Preposterous! I cannot believe the engineers are allowing smoke into the ventilation systems! I am going to strangle them! They have wronged me too many…” the bug said before a stray thought entered its mind. It suddenly found its original mission far less important than traveling to its resting quarters and cuddling with its mate.
“Hm… he is likely feeling quite alone at this moment. I should pay him a visit, I am certain he will enjoy a surprise,” the female bug said. She immediately set her sights on the exit of the bathing quarters and began walking toward the resting quarters, ignoring the fact that she was still wet and had not brought her belongings.

We’ve been together for two and a half years. We love each other and have tons of fun. We have a lot in common and she is one of the few people who genuinly makes me laugh.
Recently though I am getting fed up with much of her attitude. She never asks in a polite manner. Anything. And she always «braces for the negative oputcome» in every situation. She always expect me to help her with chores 50/50, and she constantly makes me feel like everything i do and say is wrong and that i am dumb. (I renovated the entire apartment without her help. Like at all, and i havent complained once. And whwnerver i finish a project its never a «good job». She always starts looking for errors…)
Since we started dating ive spent scary low amount of time with friends. I miss that, but everytime i try to hang out, she manages to kill the mood for me by «guilting» me through messages when i am with friends. Note that she doesnt have many friends, and i get that she «sits around waiting» til i get home. However she refuses to take up hobbies, join me, or use the time to occupy her in any way. She makes no effort to better her situation. I am extremly extroverted and this has been eating up my insides…
Shes also extremley stubborn and i know it doesnt sound like much but when it is constantly it becomes this big heavy thing wheighing over me. When I say shes stubborn its in a way that everything is done like she wants to or om her terms. She NEVER takes lead on what/where to eat, she cannot let pots and pans air dry on the counter and i HAVE to help her stand there like an idiot to just wipe them dry. She cannot let clothes lie in the washer for a minute after its done. I/We have to drop everything we are doing to hurry and hang the clothes. We live on the fifth floor and i cannot remeber ONCE that shes even tied up the garbage or let alone carry it out. I know its just small things but at this point its such a heavy burden.
The dilemma however is this; she is a cryer. The minor inconvenience makes her upset, and if i «wrong» her she gets in a mood for the rest of the day. Almost reserved. Not especially mad but very silent and vague. Shes also borderline depressed and i am literally scared for her if i decide to end the relationship. We live in a different city than friends and family so if i end it she literally has no one here. Ive managed to gain somewhat of a network through work and studies, but here like of work doesnt offer those opportunities.
Note that when things are good they are really good. Our families get along and love and care for eachother and we grew up in the same small town. A lot of the same referances growing up etc. Shes funny, pretty, normal and easy to talk to.

Curious to know everyone’s bike cleaning routine. What products you use, how often you clean your bike, etc.
I typically clean my bike after any big ride or muddy ride. I use Dawn dish soap, a sponge, and a toothbrush. I will do a quick once over on the frame and wheels with the sponge and then I’ll use the tooth brush to clean my drive train, chain, cassette and any hard to reach places on the frame.
I’ve been cleaning my bikes the same way for years and haven’t put much thought into changing my routine. Maybe hearing from others would inspire me to change up my process or the products I use.

When he confronts Edelgard in Crimson Flower Dimitri asks her the following: "Must you continue to conquer? Continue to kill?" Edelgard's response has often been mocked for being ad hominem attack. Some insist her reply is mistranslated and that she makes a stronger argument in the original Japanese script, others contend that the line is basically the same in both versions. Who is right?
Here's her reply in the English localization:

Must you continue to reconquer? Continue to kill in retaliation?

Here's a version closer to the original Japanese:

So you'd feel better if you reconquered... if you killed in retaliation?

So there is a difference between the English and Japanese lines. The Japanese version puts an emphasis on Dimitri's motivation that is mostly absent in the English version. The significance of the change becomes more pronounced when you remember that Edelgard says more after that. Her complete reply is, in English:

Must you continue to reconquer? Continue to kill in retaliation? I will not stop. There is nothing I would not sacrifice to cut a path to Fódlan's new dawn!

In Japanse:

So you'd feel better if you reconquered... if you killed in retaliation? I will not stop. I am willing to sacrifice to pave the way for the future!

While you can still kind of get the original intent by reading between the lines of the English version the Japanese version is much clearer that Edelgard is not only calling out Dimitri for doing what he's accusing her of but also contrasting their reasons for doing it. She is going on the offensive to bring about a better future, he's doing it to indulge his own desire for vengeance (note that she never brings up his purely defensive actions, only his retaliatory ones).
It actually mirrors what Dimitri says when he's tormenting Randolph in Azure Moon:

Dimitri: You are a monster too, General. You have just yet to realize it. A monster who thinks he's a man... despicable. As a general, you must have killed countless souls without a shred of mercy. Do you still remember the sound of them begging, just as you're begging now? Or, now that your life is at its end, will you hold to the lie that your hands are not stained red with blood? Randolph: This...this is war. I did what I had to for the Empire...for the people...for my family! Dimitri: So, you are piling up corpses for the people and for your family. And I am doing the same for the salvation of the dead... After all is said and done, we are both murderers. Both stained. Both monsters.

The difference of course is that while Dimitri rejects the idea that why he and Randolph kill makes a difference, Edelgard highlights the fact that although they are both killing people she is doing it in service of the greater good, while Dimitri is just looking to satisfy his own desire for vengeance. It's a reflection of their deontological and consequentialist ethics respectively.

Hi all! Short time reader first time poster :)
I'm wondering if anyone has experience with a small-business-compatible software to manage tasks around the team, and if so which ones and what did you think?
My company has a CRM and calendar solution that's been in place for decades and at this point would be impossible to change, but we have no solution at all for assigning, tracking, and sharing tasks. I've looked at different options that turned up via Google but it seems like everything out there is either way too big or doesn't really focus on this (or both).
Any suggestions would be appreciated!

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩: Previously on 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝; Wave and Basko were ambushed by a group of Orca mercenaries who were unknowingly working as Emperor Kraken's pawns. Then Wave's magic pendant gave him immense power to fight off the brutish pod but all the power put intense strain on Wave's body causing him to pass out, luckily his father Basko was there to catch him before he could sink to the murky depths of the ocean. Now Basko and the recuperating Merboy Wave head towards their plausible final destination.
​
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓: "Ngh, ugh my head. Wh-where are we?" Wave's eyes slowly opened as he regains his movement. "Right above Deadman's Trench. They say fish who go in there die." informed Basko. Wave took deep breaths as he gazed down into the dark abyss. "I don't see a bottom, there's no way we can navigate the trench as dark as it is." Then out of nowhere an unfamiliar voice shouted at them. "Howdy fellers!" Both Wave and Basko jumped as they looked down on a small little Anglerfish. "Who are you?" Basko asked. "Just a little ole' Anglerfish passing through." Wave then saw the bulb sticking out of his head and got an idea. "Hey old-timer mind lighting up our way down this here trench?" said Wave failing to mimic the Anglerfish's accent. "No can do young fish boy, that there is Deadman's trench and even I know of its perilous predicaments." Wave swam in front of him to block him from leaving. "Wait what if I told you there was gold down there?" The Anglerfish's eyes lit up. GOLD!? You didn't tell me there was gold to be found down there in those parts. What're you waiting for? Come on! "Wave how did you know that would work?" asked Basko confusingly. "I don't know I just had a feeling." The two of them dive down after the Anglerfish who is now lighting up the way for our subaquatic heroes. "Whoowee! My fins are tired." The Anglerfish looks around at the lack of gold. "Hey there ain't no gold down here! This was a wild goose chase!" Wave comes down to calm him. "True but I had to lie, you see me & my dad are on a quest to save the ocean." The Anglerfish bursts out laughing. "HaHAHeHEHaHAHeHEHeHOo! Good one young feller! A shark and an ugly half-fish creature is going to save the world, yeah right." *click* *click* *click* *click* *click\* "Uh guys what's that sound?" The three of them turn around to see giant glowing eyes and a humongous beak. Basko yells "Swim!" They all swim as fast as they can away from the huge creature. "Watch out for the thermal vents! If you get hit you're fried!" warned Basko. Dodging the blasts from the vents the huge creature continues his pursuit of the trio. "I know we fella's should split up to draw attention from the big behemoth!" quickly advised the Anglerfish. "Good idea, split up!" shouted Basko. The three all took separate tunnels but the creature followed Wave seemingly targeting him and him alone. *Huh, huh, huh, huh...* Wave gasps fearing the creature in pursuit of him. "Ah an opening!" Wave swam through the small hole in the tunnel ceiling attempted to get back near the surface. "Where's Wave?" Basko asked worriedly." The Anglerfish replied. "Last I checked he took the left tunnel." Wave zooms towards the others but gets caught by a giant tentacle. "Father help!!" Basko and the Angler fish look down. "Son! I'm coming!" The tentacle pulls Wave back down into the depths of Deadman's Trench. "Daaaad!" They watch as Wave disappears into the darkness as his voice slowly goes silent. "I have to go back and save him." Basko told the Anglerfish. "Even if I can't see I'll sniff him out." The Anglerfish looked at Basko comfortingly and smiled. "You won't need to when you got a light."
​
Wave is no more.... or is he? What humongous beast attacked our heroes and why did it only target Wave? I guess we'll have to find out next ti- *breathing heavily* "Where am I? What is this place? Who are you?" The huge tentacled beast turns around. "Enough of the questions, Wave. Yes I know your name as well as lot of other things but before I tell you further you need to make a choice." Wave looks at him angrily. "Either die here and let the entire Ocean suffer or join me and help make the ocean better. Your choice."
This epic story comes to a close tomorrow in the 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝: 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐞.
It's all or nothing for the young teenage merboy, he'll have to make an impossible decision and and the ultimate sacrifice. DON'T miss it or your ship might sink.

We wanted to highlight a couple things we noticed from the subreddit survey.
First, we want to thank anyone who took the time to fill out this survey.
Second, it seems as though there was some confusion that this survey was mandatory. It was not, and we can’t really track that or enforce it on a google docs survey, as it’s all anonymous.
Third, we are considering offering the survey out bi-annually to users to get a feel of how they think the sub is being maintained.
Now we will share some thoughts/opinions we found from the survey.

General feedback results

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Thoughts/opinions from the open ended questions

We had a lot of responses (198 comments in total!), and for that we thank you! We will be addressing the “top” topics that had the most comments.

Downvoting

Downvoting is not something that can be handled by mods. This is the nature of reddit. We can’t tell people not to downvote, because there is no way for us to control this. If anyone is hoping to gain further clarification on what the intended purpose of downvoting/upvoting is by reddit admins, they can find that information here.
To clarify, mods cannot monitor who is downvoting/upvoting.

Ships

A big one was the theories and shipping related posts. Because it will be some time until we get the next book, it’s natural for people to speculate over who or what that book will be about. This is a large fandom, with many different opinions and interpretations. A few comments stuck out to us that claimed that multiple ships/couples books are next, and while it’s easy to just throw that out there and claim it as fact considering the amount of buildup characters may have had, it’s not fact yet. Until we have that 100% confirmed as the next ACOTAR book from SJM or Bloomsbury, nothing is certain. Do some of us think it’s likely that a specific character’s book is next? Of course! But we only think this, we don’t know for sure. It’s all a theory, no matter how strong it is!
When it comes to ships, a lot of users are becoming frustrated with the constant repetition of arguments surrounding two of the biggest ships in the fandom as it currently stands. One particular comment stuck out to us that while ship talk is fun, it turns harmful very quickly when real life issues surrounding the ability of someone being able to carry a child, or people who have been sa’d not being able have romantic relationships. These two discussions are harmful, no matter which way you try to spin it. Both takes are ignorant, full stop, and not the way SJM writes her stories. She writes of empowerment, resilience, and characters who are more than just their circumstances and trauma. Conversations surrounding the inability to have children and not being able to have a romantic relationship after being SA’d are STRONGLY discouraged. You will be met with criticism for these beliefs from across the subreddit, and while we don’t condone bullying, people have a right to disagree with you if you believe either of the two.
Some users have felt alienated for their shipping preferences on the sub. To provide further context, shippers feel like they can’t safely share their shipping opinions and that they are attacked by other users for these opinions. This opinion has been shared across the board with all ships, not just specific ones. Between people saying that they can’t share their thoughts, without being downvoted, to an influx of users disagreeing, or worse, shaming their (non-harmful) opinions. Unfortunately, this is reddit. We can’t control the thoughts and opinions of others, as this is a public forum. What we can do however is remove posts/comments that attack users. If someone disagrees with a user's shipping preference, that’s one thing. If someone starts to call users or a group of shippers crazy, idiots, lacking comprehension, that’s another. Reporting because someone is being cruel, and targeting you as a person is a valid concern, but we are not safe from disagreements.

Rants

Lots of responses included growing frustration regarding the amount of rants that are seen on a daily basis. We are currently considering including a day relegated to rants to keep the repetitive/controversial conversations to a minimum. This doesn’t mean that you can’t post anything else on those days (gush posts, theory posts), but that rants can ONLY be posted on those days. This will hopefully clear up the amount of ranting regarding characters, and may even decrease the need for cooldown topics.

Spoilers

While we try and make sure things aren’t spoiled, things do fall through the cracks. We are going to try and crack down on this more. There were many comments that asked to crack down on spoilers in the titles, and this is something we hope to be more vigilant in.
We are working vigilantly to crack down on this more than we have, while it is easy to flair posts as spoilers for Throne of Glass or Crescent City, we unfortunately cannot flair comments in that sense. After some feedback a couple of months ago we have taken the precaution of deleting comments, especially, and not restoring them until the spoilers are appropriately marked. If you see something that is a spoiler, flag it! The mods are only human and things can slip past us, we're doing our best.
This is also something that we all need to collectively do as a community.For any ToG/CC comments, they should be marked as follows.

KoA spoilers >! text here !< 

Any post that is not an ACOTAR spoiler post should also be marked in comments.

MaF spoilers >! text here !< 

Specific events of any of the books are spoilers, endgame couples are spoilers. Character names are generally okay as long as there is no information regarding that character that is a spoiler.
If you are unsure, feel free to message the mod account or you can check out the post here

Maasverse

Please proceed with caution! Do not click if you have not completed all three series!
Because the Maasverse is such a largely talked about topic right now, we are looking for ways to decrease the amount of spoilers. With CC2 having been the catalyst for the Maasverse, we know that a lot of users specifically want to talk about that in general. We’re hoping to also include a day, similar to the potential “Rant” day, where we have a day dedicated to the Maasverse. This will hopefully decrease the amount of spoilers as well, as the posts won’t be everyday! Some responses voted that we should redirect Maasverse topics to their respective subreddits, while others found it fine. We feel by allowing Maasverse topics on a specific day, this might be a happy medium.

Bullying

A lot of users voiced their concerns over bullying.
Users believe that they aren’t able to share their thoughts and opinions on the series without facing severe backlash, vitriol, or troll accounts. We understand the concern over this not being a safe space, and want to make it safer for everyone.
For whatever reason, tensions really run high in fandoms, especially in ones where we don’t have an end to the story yet. There are also a lot of opinions over things like specific characters, their motivations, and their behaviours.
The critique/hatred/love for a fictional character is absolutely fine, and engaging in civil discourse is expected. However, we think the majority of us can agree that those who try to paint real people in a negative light, diminish the intelligence and integrity of real people, name calling of real people, and targeted harassment of real people online is not only inappropriate, but creates a space of hostility. We don’t want this, and the majority of users don’t want this either.
A disagreement is not grounds for outrage, but when hurtful things about real people start to get spewed, that crosses a line. This goes for individual users, and groups of fans of specific characters/ships. People who have common opinions don’t deserve to be grouped together with people who display cruelty or rudeness, and a single person doesn’t deserve cruelty over an opinion that doesn’t pertain to real people. Offering your opinion to them that goes against their own is fine - that’s bound to happen! But hurtful comments and targeted harassment will not be tolerated.
Going forward, users who behave in a cruel manner will first receive a warning for this kind of behaviour, then a two week ban, then a full sub ban if the behaviour continues. We can’t stress this enough again, disagreements are one thing, being intentionally hurtful is another.
At the end of the day we are all here because we love and appreciate this series, there is absolutely no room for any of the hate that has been harbored. We want this to be a safe and welcoming space for all users, anyone who puts other users in jeopardy of feeling unwelcome and unsafe in sharing their opinions will have taken action against them.
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Thank you again to everyone who provided us with feedback, new policies will be implemented as of March 20th, 2023, new weekly features will be rolling out over the next few weeks! If you have any questions, comments or concerns about any of this, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Welcome to the Daily Discussion Thread

This thread is for casual conversation, anything that doesn't warrant it's own thread (repeated topics, surveys, polls etc) and off-topic content. It will only be lightly moderated - basically just don't abuse each other and you're good to go. It's a place for the community to connect and interact a little more freely, so play nice and respect your fellow community members.
If you have a newsworthy article or sub-relevant content please post it directly to the sub as a New Post.

Announcements

• New AMAs - Several New AMAs have been scheduled - check them out below
• Moderator Changes Part Duex - Welcome to IamSando who has agreed to trial with the Moderator team to see if he's crazy enough to join the ranks
• Sub Discussion at MetaAusPol - Want to talk about the sub, new ideas, rules or direction? Head over to MetaAusPol

Upcoming AMAs

A big thanks to Bennelong who is reaching out far and wide to bring some new AMAs to the sub. Please note that our AMAs will be heavily moderated to ensure rules are adhered to. We have MPs graciously putting their hands up for questions and don't need people unduly emboldened by anonymity to start breaking rules.
For a view of how MPs have voted on various issues please use They Vote For You. Please note that your research should not end there as many MPs vote along party lines whilst personally advocating internally for another position, but it can be a useful starting point.

• 15/3 (Wednesday) @ 2pm AEDT - Senator Jordon Steele-John (Australian Greens)
• 22/3 (Wednesday) @ 6pm AEDT - James Mullan (Willoughby), Edmund McGrath (Lane Cove), Heather Armstrong (North Sydney) (NSW Greens)
• 5/4 (Wednesday) @ 6pm AEDT - Senator Fatima Payman (Australian Labor Party)
• 13/4 (Thursday) @ 6pm AEST - Senator Tammy Tyrrell (Jacqui Lambie Network)

Completed AMAs

• Senator Malcolm Roberts (Pauline Hanson's One Nation) - AMA Link 23/2
• Owen Miller (Fusion Party) - AMA Link 7/3

Podcast

• ‘Talking AusPol’ Reddit Talk / Podcast - listen on your favourite major streaming platform

Oh my you guys, I'm in the back of the struggle bus on a bumpy f'n road. Here's my story and symptoms. It's long like most of yours, so if you want, just skip down to the symptom bullets.
Can anyone relate to any of this? Do these symptoms sound like die off/herx or reactions to the quad antibiotic therapy that's building up in my system? Was there anything you did or are doing that helped you get through the therapy? I'm on day 3 and am feeling like absolute rubbish. My prescribing doctor warned me of nothing. WTAF?
September 2022: I was working with a naturopath and because of my symptoms (digestive issues, fatigue, anxiety, infertility), she ran all kinds of tests. One was the GI Map stool test by Diagnostic Solutions. I tested positive for H Pylori, at a level of 4.92e3. Is this super high?!
Another test also showed food sensitivities to dairy, eggs and gluten, which I immediately eliminated from my diet.
Perhaps naively, I opted to try to treat the H Pylori naturally and at the guidance of my naturopath took a month's round of Biocidin® Capsules - Potent Broad Spectrum by Biocidin Botanicals. I experienced some die off/herx symptoms initially, but nothing like what's happening now on the quad antibiotic therapy.
After the Biocidin, I was supposed to start taking MegaSporeBiotic by Microbiome Labs. But the timing didn't work because I was moving across country. Things were much too crazy to try to manage any symptoms.
DecembeJanuary 2023: During the move, I developed what I later learned was the skin rash Pityriasis Rosea. The theory was that it was triggered by a viral infection of some kind which my body may have fought off without me even realizing it. Or maybe it was the H Pylori? Due to the rash, my naturopath recommended I wait to start the MegaSporeBiotic until after it was gone and my system had calmed down.
March 2023: Fast forward to last week. I started noticing a new sharp piercing pain when swallowing liquids. The pain was always on my left side underneath my rib cage (below chest, above belly button). I initially just thought it was what I was drinking (kombucha, sparkling water), but when I started experiencing it with anything I drank even plain water, I took notice. A couple days later, I started having pretty bad abdominal pain, particularly when eating dinner. I told my husband, something doesn't seem right.
I waited to see if things would improve, but they did not. By Friday, my stomach felt sore, like how it feels after food poisoning. I went to urgent care/the ER. They ran blood tests, urine tests, covid and flu tests - everything was fine. I mentioned that I had tested positive for H Pylori in fall, but never took antibiotics for it. I felt like a total dumbass. They diagnosed me with likely an ulcer and put me on the quad antibiotic therapy. They referred me to a GI doctor, but I need to wait for them to call me to schedule a visit, which may take a week. That night, the abdominal cramps were so bad I was crying at dinner. I was given zero instructions on how to take the medication, just 4x a day or 2x a day. Were you given a quad therapy med schedule? I've read that some of these meds should be spaced out from each other?
On Saturday I started the 14 day therapy of Bismuth Subsalicylate, Clarithromycin, MetroNidazole, and Pantoprazole. By Day 2 of treatment, I started having "symptoms", which have been increasing. Last night was pure hell. This morning, my husband found me crying, because I literally feel like I'm being poisoned. We called the GI doctor I was referred to, but they said to call the ER prescribing doctor. Thanks f***ers. From what I'm reading on here of your stories, this may just be par for the treatment course. Are these die off/herx symptoms or normal affects of the medications I need to ride out? For those that had these, how long did you have them while on treatment before you felt improvement (ie like you weren't dying)?

• Headache
• Brain fog
• Weak, unsteady
• Disgusting diarrhea
• Nausea
• Chest pain, pressure
• Racing heart and mind (like I'm on speed - this is the most worrisome for me)
• Insomnia (I fell asleep multiple times last night, but just kept waking up after I fell asleep) Has anyone had a doctor say you could take melatonin, Calm, Tylenol PM, anything OTC to help with the insomnia during quad treatment? Sleep is super important for managing my anxiety, I need to find something.
• Emotional (crying, anxious, feeling like my body cannot handle 14 days of this)
• Heavy limbs (like I'm wearing weights)
• Gas/Burping after eating/drinking
• Terrible taste in mouth, mostly at night
• Abdominal cramping (that woke me up in the middle of the night. I was actually dreaming I was having period bleeding/cramps, but I wasn't).
• Fatigue
• Hunger, after just eating fairly recently
• Alternating between feeling okay, and feeling absolutely awful without being able to predict how I will feel 5 min later.

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FML you guys. This is brutal, and it's feeling so difficult to function. Can anyone relate or offer suggestions? How the f did you/are you getting through the days/your work/home responsibilities?
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For those of you struggling, I have done a few things that have maybe helped that you could try.

• Reading (Currently reading The Universe Has Your Back.) https://gabbybernstein.com/universe
• Meditation
• Calm app sleep stories
• Kefir (non-dairy)
• Probiotic
• Aloe Vera Juice (2 oz in AM and PM)
• Chamomile Ginger or Licorice tea with honey
• Cabbage, chicken bone broth soup
• Thinking about what I'm looking forward to after this is over.

So this guy I met October of 2021 at work. We were just acquaintances at first but he kept talking to me and trying to make conversation at work which I didn’t like much. All he talked about was movies, asking me if I’ve watched them and 99% I didn’t watch the movies he asked about. The only reason I started talking to him as a friend was because he would always pity himself and made me feel sad for him. So we became kind of friends and started talking on ig. Fast forward to summer 2022, I went on vacation and he wouldn’t stop messaging me. Idk why but he thought it was a good idea to confess his feelings to me and told me he had feelings for me which I didn’t take serious obviously. I was so annoyed by his messaging and the way he would tell me why I’m not messaging back that I told him to stop messaging me I’m on vacation I don’t want to go on ig that much. When I came back he was all normal and we were just talking normally. And then I made the mistake of giving him a ride home. Then he kept asking if I can take him hope at night shifts which I felt bad and said why not. Almost everyday he would tell me how much of a good best friend I am and how much he appreciates me and how I’m his only friend. He would say this on Text and in person which seems like he’s the perfect friend but to me, I never even wanted to be “best friends” with him.
I just don’t feel that our friendship is the same after he told me he liked me and he had the audacity to say it again to my face when I was taking him home. So I just want to cut ties with him bc I don’t work with him anymore but idk how. I don’t feel bad because I feel like he kind of forced me into the friendship. So what should I do?
TLDR: a work friend confessed his feelings for me when I was in vacation and when I came back he kept pushing me to be his friend even though it felt weird . What should I do?

I had a heard a lot about this album and i already knew about Sunny Khan Durrani from La Haasil (which i consider a top 10 level dhh song) and Taaray. So while working on my practical file, i played all 3 of his albums in order. Now i didn't really fw Khabbarnaama apart from a couple of tracks and couple of parts here and there. Aetizaaz was a major step up and i really liked it but what blew me away was The Butterfly Effect which made me want to write about it coz apart from a comment or two on the best albums posts, no one was really talking about it.
The cover art shows a butterfly, obviously referencing the butterfly effect the album's theme is based on. The monochrome look matches with the dark tones of the album, similar to his previous album Aetizaaz. In the background, i ain't sure if that's a flower or broken glass. I used to think it's glass but ab lagraha hai it might be a flower.
The intro track, Distant Storms, talks about the butterfly effect, perhaps to fill in those who don't know what it is. The production and his voice sets a dark tone which continues in the rest of the album. The storm and thunder in the background really makes the listener feel like they are in for a dark ride. Really good intro.
Chup Raho 's hook is pretty catchy and the first verse talking about the old generation and figures of authority looking down and trying to dominate the youth is pretty solid. But what absolutely blew me the fuck away was the second part about the teacher blackmailing the girl. I had to stop whatever i was doing because i was absolutely stunned. The loud rough voice of the verse followed by the almost polite tone towards the chorus sent shivers down my spine. This song was the one which made me think that this might really be an actual GOATed album.
Kalakaar aur Dunya is easily one of the best storytelling songs in dhh. The song talks about (from what i understood that is, coz most of the albums in dhh don't have their lyrics released) Sunny and another guy in his class who shared a similar work in school (related to singing or poetry ig?) and though the other guy was better in studying and stuff, skd won some sort of award which the other guy felt that he deserved. After a fight between the two, a few months later, the guy scored less (i am not sure if i heard it right) leading to his parents's divorce and him committing suicide. The song talks about how the world is always against an artist and the pressure they face. Recently, my friend's friend's cousin comitted suicide because of his father's death and the pressure from MBBS. I think i heard this album the next day after that incident, which made me feel the end of the story much more intensely. A great track, arguably on par with storytelling tracks like Balli aur mein though i would still put the latter above.
Mandir Masjid talks about the animosity between the two religions and countries. I feel that the song gives a strong message about how in this obsession to protect our own religion, people from both the sides have forgotten that the other side is still human. Strip away a person's religion and country, and we are not so different really, and that's one of the parts i really liked about the song. I have seen firsthand extremists from both sides and the rising sentiments against each other. The rich and powerful people throw us against eachother while they profit on the blood of the middle class and poor. The song touches on all these topics in an excellent way. Though the end gets a bit repetitive but it's not that major of an issue, perhaps a nitpick. A wonderful song which if people actually listen to, it might lead to a brighter future for this country.
Koi Gila Nahi is a track i have listened to many times before i actually listened to the album. This song has the most replay value from all the songs in this album. SKD talks about how others around him are running for fame and money, sacrificing their art. He talks about the pressures on him and the struggles he goes through inside his own head. I love the production on this song. Though the other songs might have a better message or lyrics than this, it's still the one i listen to the most.
Pas E Parda means behind the curtains. The song talks about the backstage of the industry, how artists have power over their fans and how despite having thousands of fans, an artist still feels alone when he needs support. The hook is sung by Mooroo, feels somber and deep (i ain't talking about lyrically deep, or the voice. I am bad at explaining stuff but it feels deep, perhaps it's the production), i like it. It's a good song, but perhaps my least favorite excluding the intro and outro. I do feel that it's gonna grow on me, especially the hook which i already like a lot.
The outro, Anjaam starts with a line by Sunny, where he says that the butterfly has already flapped it's wings, now the storm is inevitable. Maybe he's referencing to his album, but i didnt really get what he's referring to so if someone else did, they can share it. The rest of the song is just beats. The production of this song and album as a whole is excellent, Sunny is a real good producer for sure. This song is mesmerizing af.
The Butterfly Effect is easily one of the best albums in dhh out there. The melancholic tone from start to finish, something he continues on from Aetizaaz, is beautiful. The stories in these songs send chills down the listeners. Sunny Khan Durrani is easily one of the best poets in the game. I am looking forward to his next album. The intro track just dropped today which I'm gonna listen to after writing this review.
The album is underrated af and deserves a lot more views. If even a couple of people check it out after reading this post I'd be glad.
The Butterfly Effect - Spotify

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u/SpacePaladin15 's universe.
First fanart Whoo!!!
[Sad Estala eating Mangos] by AsciiSquid on the discord (Reddit profile SlimyRage )
​
Memory transcription subject: Estala, Ex-Krakotl to Venlil Extermination training leader.
Date [standardised human time]: January 3rd, 2137
“So what is Earth like?”
Joseph and I lay on our backs, staring up at the clear blue sky above and enjoying such a beautiful day. As I lay nestled in his arm I felt safe, I felt like all the issues in the world didn’t matter right now. Back at home there would be self loathing, hatred, nightmares. But here, right now, they are gone.
“In what way?”
Joseph took a few moments to push a particularly pushy blue flowerbird out of the way as he responded, the avian had been chirping angrily at the audacity of the human who was not currently dispensing food. Based on what Joseph had told me, flowerbirds had actually started to become a problem around the refuge camp. The birds had quickly learned that if you annoyed the “predators” enough, they generally dispensed tasty seeds.
“In any way? It is hot, cold. Marshy, dry? What’s life on Earth like?” I asked.
The nightmares had been getting worse. The self hatred of being a potential predator was nothing compared with the loathing caused by knowing the effect of the choices I had made. Sometimes it was the families of victims I had failed screaming at me, asking why I didn’t save their loved ones. Others I was in Kalsim’s fleet, destroying Earth while Joseph begged for me to stop. All of them left me shaking as I awoke each paw.
“The answer to that is Yes. Based on what I’ve seen, Earth has one of the most varied environments as the Federation tends to homogenise everything. Snow covered vistas, sprawling forests, vast desserts, massive oceans. It’s actually what I was studying, a degree in Ecology [???].”
My translator failed to give meaning to the last word, giving up halfway through an explanation of colonising a new planet to live on. I decided not to ask, as from my experience such questions caused more painful revelations: I had enough of those to deal with as it is.
“This also means the wildlife varies wildly. Each biome has its own specialised species and adaptations to fit into the environment in exciting ways. Species will literally travel thousands miles in order to follow warm weather around the world. Entire forms of life only found and adapted to one single island or section of the world.”
I didn’t get why Joseph seemed to care about my wellbeing. I most definitely didn’t deserve it. I had met him under false pretences, and even now the camera was still recording. I just couldn’t… stop it. Three times I’d attempted to remove the device, being physically unable to do so each time. It was the last desperate connection I had to a world where I wasn’t a monster. A small part of me that wanted so badly to be right, to make everything I did be ok.
Not that it ever would be.
“Human culture and lifestyle are similar. There are over two hundred countries, all of them have their own cultures and way of life. Vast cities that spread up to the sky, small hamlets in the middle of nature. The answer to ‘What is Earth like’ is basically ‘Yes’.”
I had at least found the strength to disable the dead man’s switch. I remembered rushing back as fast I could after falling asleep in the humans calming embrace, only barely triggering the reset in time. I didn’t have to worry about accidentally releasing a video to the world. Now I only had to worry about Joseph finding out about my original intentions.
“What about where you lived, what was that like?” I asked, purposefully pushing my thoughts away, to just enjoy the calm for now. Joseph had suggested meeting here twice as often, every three paws instead of the seven we previously had an unspoken agreement for, an idea I very greatly appreciated. The human had also suggested meeting outside of this clearing, something I wasn’t ready for.
“Well I come from a country called England. It’s an Island, lots of rolling hilly countryside, fields, forests, farmland. Very green. Rather mild as weather on Earth goes, although it does rain a lot. I was studying in London, which is… was. Was a city of old and new, of modern skyscrapers reaching to the sky next to small buildings of wood made half a century ago. Family lives far further north than that though, in the countryside. I’ve got pictures if you want to see.”
Joseph took a moment to fish out his holopad, navigating through the menus before showing me pictures of his life before Venlil prime. Of buildings shining with bright lights, of picturesque countryside that looked like they could come from the Gojid cradle. I felt a bitter sadness that a lot of the places I was being shown didn’t exist anymore because of the federation.
Because of people like you.
Eventually the pictures stopped on an image of a large rolling countryside providing the backdrop to four humans. One of them was clearly a younger Joseph. Not that long ago seeing such an image would have initiated a fear response, of worry from seeing so many forward facing eyes. But now… now I just felt numb to the entire thing.
“Is that your family?” I asked, guessing the answer already.
“Yea. That’s Me, Mom, Dad and my older sister Vanessa. Vanessa would love you, always been into birds, parrots especially. There’s a parrot sanctuary nearby that we’d visit every open day, so meeting someone like you would blow her mind.”
I focused on the last figure, who seemed to be covered in strange braces and holding into what looks like some form of crutch. Clearly an injury of some kind from living on the more dangerous Earth.
“Was this Vanessa injured by a wild predator before this picture? A bear perhaps?”
This caused Joseph to giggle slightly before responding.
“No. England is rather safe, it’s not like bear attacks are a regular risk. No Vanny has a long term condition. Myotonic dystrophy. Basically her muscles aren’t strong enough so need some extra help.” Joseph’s tone seemed to darken as he spoke, sadness replacing the excitement of before “It’s why they stayed on Earth. Stronger gravity here, probably not a good mix. I only came because mom convinced me not to give up the opportunity on their behalf.”
I could see the emotions etched into his face: worry, guilt, fear. These sparked my own similar feelings, knowing that in my own small way I had contributed to why the human who was careful with me was in such a state. I didn’t want to ask the next question, but I knew I had to anyway.
“Have you had any news?”
“I should get some soon. With London and Glasgow getting hit, federation forces running around and just the general clusterfuck that is earth, checking on a shelter that’s out in the countryside hasn’t been a high priority. The things are designed to hold people for years, so anyone who got to a shelter has just been bunkering down while everyone else gets control of the chaos.”
Joseph gave a sigh, before perking back up again in almost a forced motion.
“Anyway, enough about that. What’s Nishtal like?”
Bad memories. Pain. Loneliness. Filled with genocidal assholes who would hurt this human for nothing more than just existing. Still I gathered it wasn’t the answer that Joseph was looking for.
“Warmer than here, a lot warmer. Lower gravity as well which makes flying wonderful, soaring for miles on updrafts. Mostly marsh land apart from near the equator, which is this network of hilly rocky canyons”
Nishtal had become a hot topic on the human FederationColdCases site, after Joseph had uploaded the details of my fathers now presumed murder. It being the only exterminator case from Nishtal had caused a lot of interest in solving the case, although most humans had hit a dead end simply due to the lack of access to information on Nishtal: Communications with Venlil prime had been cut months ago.
“While a few groups live in the marshes and hillsides, most of us live in the giant sky cities that line the sky. Massive chunks of rock suspended through antigravity, atop which giant cities of glass and vines lie.”
I did miss it, at least a little bit. I liked Venlil prime, I liked the Venlil, but there was something about the way the sun hit the horizon just right each morning that created a sight just like no other.
“Sounds awesome!” Joseph's enthusiasm dripped from every word. “I know right now it’s not a possibility, but I’d love to visit, I’d love to just see everything the universe has to offer.”
Did Nishtal even still exist? In between the self-destruction of the federation and the Arxur attacks, was there even a Nishtal to go back to? I decided to ignore that question and just think of a potentially happier future.
“Only if I get to visit earth at some point!”
Joseph gave me a scratch on the neck, still grinning from ear to ear in a weirdly adorable way. It was strange considering a predator slightly adorable, but it was hard not to get sucked into his general enthusiasm for life.
“It’s a deal! Once all this stupidity has died down, you show me Nishtal and I’ll show you Earth!”
Against all odds I didn’t have to lie about my next statement, I said it with all the truth and honesty I could muster.
“I’d like that a lot.”
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So, there seems to be several distinct but still correct ways to read prophecies. If we assume that the majority of theories are at least partially correct.
Could the three heads be interpreted as three faucets of government that must be ‘appeased’ in order to rule well?
There’s the merchants, they bring in the most in taxes and have the best financial heads and experience.
There’s the army, (Which several times in Roman history was part of a coup) who protects the people.
And the third is where I waffle.
Instinctively I want to say it’s Religion (which I would call the faith if that weren’t already a specific in canon term), because religion can take in and deal with a lot of the peoples problems. Way back in our own history monastery’s were giving medical care to the sick, housing to travellers and homeless….
But I also feel the third head would be the people themselves, not religion. Religion was shown by Jaeheary’s I to be an effective way to communicate with the masses, so it sort of works either way.
And even if I felt confident that I had reconciled religion and The People as the third head of the political dragon…. There’s got to be a ton of options I haven’t considered.
So, if we assume that the dragon in our metaphor represents political power. Riding the dragon implies the position of king. And the king must appease all three heads of the dragon to avoid being thrown off and eaten…. What parts of rule would the three heads represent?

Hello, i know the laws in California are different and we are required to be payed the state’s minimum wage ( $15) unlike other states where its just over $2 for servers. At my work, my checks reflect the $15/hour, but also are pretty big because my credit card tips aren’t taxed out of my paycheck. (also i get all tips at the end of each shift so its not like my paychecks r big from credit card tips). My question is, is the same for all of u other california servers where ur paychecks arent taxed based on credit card tips, or is my boss just doing something wrong lmao. we r a mom & pop business so not corporate, so it may be different 🤷🏽‍♀️