Far side early plumbers

So, just chatted with my ex. We were together in a LDR for several years. He told me he’s seeing someone new and that it’s casual but also that he drove an hour to DD for her?
For context: we’ve been trying to be friends since breaking up almost a year ago. We took a good amount of time to not talk for space since breaking up. We both have since then said we miss each other in our lives. Apparently these conversations were held while she was in the picture but during our call he’d go back and forth from casual to maybe something more.
We went through a lot together, but I’m wondering if I should take some more space from him. I am sort of shocked this is coming up because I thought I was having resurfacing feelings, and before our break of speaking he wanted me to come visit him this summer. Hearing about this new girl made me feel kinda coped but also kinda mad. We live pretty far so it was bound to happen but idk.
Everytime we have talked he’s given me some kind of relationship update and asked about me while I’ve tried to differ and keep that our separate business. I have to admit though I caved tonight and decided to mirror his behavior and discuss a crush so that he is also aware of the other side of these conversations. He’s been pretty nice through most of our conversations just this feels really weird. Over the past couple of months when we’ve talked he’s said he misses me and he even said tonight that this girl doesn’t make him miss me less. He also said I am super unique and was saying I need someone who recognizes that. I get that this is really messy, but I feel like my thoughts are on a loop.

I posted a rant about vaccine-induced Long COVID a few days ago. The tone aNd sArCaStiC tYpE were neither kind nor compassionate - for which I sincerely apologize. I realized during the subsequent debate that my anger wasn’t with Long Haulers who worry the vaccine might have compounded or even caused their disability - it’s with the sociopaths who’ve weaponized the issue, to everyone’s detriment.
This subreddit is one of the few forums that seeks scientific corroboration even in the absence of irrefutable proof (vs the superstitious pseudo-scientific grifting we find pretty much everywhere else). We brainstorm mechanisms and potential treatments based on the studies we come across in the hopes that some of us might come up with ways to mitigate the damage done by SARS CoV-2. I’ve been very impressed by this collective hive-mind on more than one occasion.
Meanwhile, search Twitter or Facebook for anything COVID-related and by far the most hits you get have to do with vaccine war-crimes – no studies, no facts, just wave upon wave of speculation, misrepresentation and distrust, often from really slick-looking blogs and videos. Dig a little deeper into the allegations and you more often than not realize the authors’ motives aren’t the furthering of scientific knowledge. To put it mildly.
The problem isn’t your suspicion – it might not make physiological sense to me, but it’s what you’re going through – who am I to question that? No, the problem is that the vast majority of people pushing the vaccine-toxic! narrative (not here – out there) are politically motivated activists who were at it long before mRNA was a thing and who would use Long Haulers as a Trojan horse to take down the institutions they loathe – the very institutions we need to get us out of this mess.
They’ve made any serious conversation about the issue (let alone serious research on it) unbearably loaded.
You can’t work with bad-faith actors, and we need to work this problem (I mean Long COVID – be it vaccine-aggravated, vaccine-induced or utterly unrelated to vaccines).
Educating the medical establishment? Please, God, yes. Sowing distrust in the medical establishment? That will always worry me. Our trust in them has badly eroded - partly from within, through misguided convenience, medical dogma and outright incompetence – but partly from without, via well-funded, politically-motivated campaigns of disinformation and, often, an incomplete understanding of the inner-workings of vaccine research and, crucially, vaccine approval.
We need to fight on both fronts simultaneously. In my mind, that means looking especially hard at the evidence and pushing back against loose-association soundbites. Bad info doesn’t just attack a given vaccine, it threatens public health as a collective goal. That's the point. And I for one won't stand by while lies pass for the truth. On either side of this (or any) issue.
That being said, I agree that we need to look the vaccine’s effect on Long COVID. I’ve held off getting a booster out of fear that it might compound my condition (just as a cold might, or merely taking out the trash at this point) but also because I don’t need it, seeing as I intend to remain in an air-tight bubble at least until I get healthy again (I can afford that luxury – I know most people can’t).
Could a booster help eliminate our symptoms, as some have reported? We should look into that. Could it make them worse, as others have reported? We’d find out. If only to ease concerns that Long COVID was self-inflicted, I think it would be worth it. The lunatic fringe has made that inquiry fraught. So I’m angry alright. But not at you – at them.
Bottom line: I still think it’s a disservice to consider vaccine-induced Long COVID a fact instead of a hypothesis. Because we don’t yet know for sure, but also because of the vultures circling above us. If it were up to them, society would go without any vaccine, plunging us back into the dark ages of high infant mortality and preventable disease. And I’m still hoping a better (much better) vaccine might still bring an end to this shit-show of a pandemic.
People I trust and who are well versed in medicine find the Vaccine-induced hypothesis physiologically tenuous, but as with so many other things COVID, there is too much we don’t yet understand. Calling you out the way I did was wrong. I’m sorry for that. It won’t happen again.

I will try and keep this spoiler free, but be warned.
Act 1 has you finding the Knight Vigo because demons. The dungeon he takes you to has a strange glitch on the second level. The first level you find out the lift is broken (no surprise there)and when you go to the second level... you end up spawning on the wrong end of the dungeon which glitches the dialogue and companions. You should start on the far left side of the map, but instead it's in front of the second level lift and the locked door.
It's kind of funny actually.
Has anyone else gotten this glitch? It's not game breaking.... just strange.
My friend and I played through that dungeon together and again solo on a different character and we got the same strange glitch.

I’m currently 16 thinking of giving trt a try when I’m 18. Why ? It’s not to get big or muscular, but for fixing my depression,low energy , melancholy ,lack of motivation and its psychological benefits. It just seems ever since my teen years I’ve never been in a good mood for three days in a row. I have big dreams and goals but I just need the extra push I think trt will give me .
I’ve been following self improvement since I was like 12,13 . I downloaded self help pdfs, exercise has always been apart of life since childhood and have been doing nofap since 13.
Despite this I still feel like my sex drive/libido ,motivation,desire to socialize with anyone,energy ,happiness,has always been in the gutters.
I just constantly find myself questioning the meaning of life , why am I here? , does anything matter ?, If I was to die who would care?
I just seems that all the energy,motivation and drive I had as a kid is gone.
I have thought this out. I have seen the good and bad sides of trt . And I think the good far outweighs the bad. I already wasted so much of my teen years with these problems. I just need the extra venom to take over life in my early twenties ,the extra kick.
I don’t see the point in fighting and struggling living a life you hate ,having 0 drive and motivation to do anything , when there’s clearly a better path on the table. I’m very reluctant to try SSRI’s.
I just feel that an increase in testosterone will be the missing puzzle to finally unlock all the potential that has been wasted in my teen years.
Any input ? What should be considered?

I haven't posted on this thread yet because my dad isn't at the level as a lot of ndads mentioned here (my heart goes out to all those who have suffered from emotional or physcial abuse by their parent). My main issues with him have been that he is extremely emotionally immature and treats me like the "parent"...he uses me as a therapist, expresses little to no interest in my life (just calls to talk for hours about his interests), constantly complains about my mom to me and generally expects me to fix/do things for him.
I have managed to maintain a relationship with boundaries but have reached a breaking point since becoming pregnant.
Not once during my pregnancy has he asked how I am doing or feeling. He calls me to talk about all things he is interested in and them just concludes the call with..so that is what is going on with me. No questions about my health or well being. His birthday is early July (when my baby is due) and he wanted to plan a visit to celebrate HIS birthday. I had to remind him that I will likely be in labor at that time and therefore cannot entertain him, and he just said..."oh ok I didnt realize the baby was due then"...even though I have mentioned multiple times when I am due.
He also has been trying to drag me in the middle of his arguments with my mom. For example, he complained that she "didn't appreciate" the mothers day cards that he bought her and then told me he is depressed because of it and it's my mom's fault. He also proceeded to send me the "rejected" cards in the mail. I asked him why he sent me the cards and he didn't give me a straight forward answer, but it was clear that he was being petty and wanted me to see how much "effort" he had put into mothers day and and thought I would be on his side upon seeing the three cards he picked out for her. Instead it just made me resent him for being so passive aggressive and childish.
Today, I heard from a cousin of mine who checked in to see how I am feeling. She mentioned that my dad invited her to come visit and stay with me in the fall...so now he is treating this like a fun party where people can come crash at my house when I have an INFANT to take care of. At NO point did he ask me if this was what I wanted or if I would be OK with extended family visiting. So basically my dad is expecting me to host others so they can meet his grandson. My cousin is thankfully a practical and empathetic person and said she would be happy to fly up if that's what I wanted / needed, but that she would understand if I needed space to take care of the baby.
At this stage (I am 36 weeks), I have stopped answering calls and have been responding to his texts very selectively. I don't have the energy to be his therapist, marriage counselor, etc. while taking care of myself and prepping for the baby. Some days I feel guilty and like I am the bad guy, but his lack of care and concern for me is really stressing me out so I just decided I need to put myself first and limit communications. Wondering if anyone else can relate.

So you want to get beyond PLG and word of mouth and have a sustainable organic growth channel you can scale with.
But what channel do you choose? How long should you test before seeing impact? What KPIs do you choose? What contingencies do you consider?
I break down high-potential organic demand channels in 2023 and how I would approach them. Channel: Community Growth Play
Angle: Communities are a great long-tail play, and essentially there are two types, user communities, and topical communities. For demand gen, I think the play is topical communities, focusing on early experience and relationships. Note that affinity really matters for topical communities, so a group to help eCommerce brands with organizational hurdles going from 1-10m in revenue will outperform a more generic group.
Insights: The optimal price point based on Baremetrics is around $25-50/m for most horizontal communities (below $10/m tends to have very low CLTV). If you run an application-only, more exclusive mastermind-style group, obviously the price can be much higher. The idea would be to build thought leadership around a community directly tied to your Keystones. Running an alpha group with 10-50 members at a discount often works well. Use clear sub-channels (i.e. Growth (for Twitter users with 0-1k followers) or Sponsorships (for Twitter users with 50k+ followers) vs. sub-channels like “The Den” or “General Chat”). Dynamic events are key for engagement and retention (think workshops, member-only webinars, community pods, mentorship programs, hot-seat sessions etc) KPIs: Months 0-3, total user signups, community DAU/MAU, then Months 3+ community conversion to pipeline (leads, trials, paid)
Impact Timeline: Medium - Long
Contingencies: Need software (Mighty Networks and Circle most common) and team collaboration to promote community. Videographer or graphic designer is likely when building community assets, LPs etc.
________________________________________________________________ Channel: Podcast Guesting
Angle: Guesting on podcasts provides amplification around keystone beliefs and creates a long-tail growth channel. The key with podcast guesting is as a TOFU awareness play, saturation in a niche matters a lot. Aim for 20+ MINIMUM podcasts in your industry or core topical area (customer success, eCommerce growth, SaaS retention etc.)
Insights: First, use a platform that allows you to easily filter the relevant shows and gives you contact information. Pitch via email, not Linkedin. For each pitch break it down into a Hook, Body and Conclusion. In the hook focus on addressing an issue from at least one episode and provide a meaningful comment around it (DONT just say “I loved episode 6 you did with Guy Kawasaki”). The point of the hook is to show you actually watch the show and you did your homework before reaching out. Then in the body paragraph build authority and the “why you”. Focus here on the host's audience and what is valuable to them, don’t use the body to just copy and paste a promo for the person. In the conclusion offer up 2-3 specific topics, and why you have a unique perspective on them, to the host.
KPIs: Months 0-3, look at leading indicators (total recorded), Months 3+ (trials, paid, Lead Velocity Rate). Need direct attribution
Impact Timeline: Medium
Contingencies: Use a paid platform like ListenNotes or Sparktoro to get the host's contact information. Helps to have a tracking platform like Notion to monitor pitches. ________________________________________________________________
Channel: Micro-Product Lead Magnets
Angle: This year we launched a GIF signature creator at Bonjoro , which allowed users to create a GIF email signature. It took our team about a quarter to build the micro-product but we have gotten thousands of downloads and a great top-of-funnel with this. The idea was to replicate the Hubspot Website Grader angle and build something genuinely valuable for the market, that tangentially ties back to the product.
Insights: When launching a micro-product like this, immediately make sure you have a solid sense of the usecases. For example, telling users they can include a video GIF in their signature likely elicits a lot of “Okay…. So what? Why do I care?”. Instead, if you mention, “While prospecting, emails that have a video signature have a 28% higher reply rate. Send emails with the new signature for a day (takes 2 min to set up) and compare the results for yourself”, that has a lot more relevance. Distribution with something like this is key. What communities would share around this product? What niches is it most valuable to?
KPIs: Look at leads, opt-ins, LVR
Impact Timeline: Short* (Once launched you will quickly be able to see impact, but time to build micro-product is a notable consideration)
Contingencies: Product to build a genuinely useful widget, market coordinates on landing pages and promotional assets, marketing helps with distribution to user base. ________________________________________________________________
Channel: Starting a Podcast
Angle: Podcasts are flooded, but I still think there would be great reception for a novel idea/format, like a debate show or expert panel style with several guests with different opinions on an issue. I could imagine a lot of traction if you took a widely interesting top-of-funnel idea (that dovetails back to the product/keystones) and brought on say top industry experts with different opinions to respectfully flush out different approaches to topics.
Insights: Some software I recommend: Riverside for recording, Resonate for episode editing, Canva for the design of episode images or promo materials, and Buzzsprout for easy sharing of episodes to all the podcast channels. I think the big thing with starting a podcast is to think of it like a network building or even ABM play. Don’t look at starting a podcast as a short-term demand-gen lead generator. It might become that after it builds up for a year, but in the short term, it can help open partnerships and create valuable industry relationships. The other thing is, don’t do a generic 30-60 min episode where you and the host just nod along, agree about everything, and provide general inputs that people have heard a dozen times. The podcasts winning today provide unique perspectives and have unique formats.
KPIs: Months 0-6, look at leading indicators (downloads) and key relationships built (starting a podcast is a network play), Months 6+ look at leads/paid
Impact Timeline: Long
Contingencies: Video editor, graphic designer ________________________________________________________________
Channel: Ambassadors/Advisors
Angle: I think that influencers carry a lot of impact on buying decisions in the market today. At Bonjoro, at the start of 2023, we experimented with giving out 100 accounts to key influencers (we have only succeeded in giving out about 40) with no strings attached, just as a PLG/advocacy angle. So far it has driven us a few dozen accounts and seems promising. A partner manager told me that one of his clients has tried an advisor program where small amounts of stock are given to key influencers who then have skin in the game to co-promote and advocate for their software. There are a lot of ways this could look, but I think giving thought to how we can get more organic advocacy from players with trust within the market is a smart one.
Insight: Good partner motions are all about finding the right partners. It isn’t just who has a community of the right fit folks. It’s about who genuinely understands and loves your product. Who can talk about it organically in a way that feels less like a plug and instead reflects real excitement? Also, partners that have a steady inbound flow and can position your product as part of a package (think business incubators, membership communities etc.) work great as they have a continual inbound flow of new opps. Finally, successful partnership motions, from my experience, almost always start with giving, and then the reciprocity principle kicks in and from there you can create real momentum. So think about how you can give a thoughtful, personalized gift or do something meaningful for the partner as your outreach (driving someone's business is ALWAYS appreciated).
KPIs: Months 0-3 Partners secured for ambassadoadvisor role, Months 3+ leads/paid from influencers. Direct attribution is required.
Impact Timeline: Medium
Contingencies: Resources to allocate to support the program (financial, co-promotion, etc.) ________________________________________________________________
The above is just a short sampling of a few common channels you can test. The key with organic demand gen is finding the right leading indicators that give you a sense of whether continuing on is worthwhile.
Unlike conventional or old-school demand gen (think Facebook and Google Ads), where the results are apparent nearly immediately, investing in building an organic engine takes time. If you quit every channel if you don't see deal flow after a month, you likely should stick to PPC demand gen.

Hello! It's early in the morning, I'm preparing some breakfast while getting ready for showering. I'll have to go to work soon, but: I'd love some company now, to make this morning sweeter - but, who am I? I am 22 and graduated university a while ago. I made a tea to help me relax after a workday, would you like a Tea, too? I have coffee as well!
I enjoy travel and have been to thirteen different countries so far. Lately I mostly travel to different cities that are close by! I love taking public transport and listening to music during it - then again, I pretty much always listen to music. Exploring is another great thing and my biggest passion is probably photography (especially when combining all these things).
I read a lot and enjoy writing, too, as well as editing photos I take. I am a bit of a creative person and am also very much into self-improvement! I am learning French, cook and bake and like to cycle a lot. There are lots of other topics that interest me, like urban planning, technology, history, horror, politics and... Just a whole lot more. I also have a fable for fancy lighting and radios!
So... If any of that sounds interesting to you, why not reach out? We might have a pleasant conversation or might even become friends! We could share stories, photos that we took, just talk about our days, jobs, studies, life... I am open to many things! All I ask for is for you to not be inappropriate and to put in a little bit of effort! I am looking forward to meeting you. :)

Hello! It's early in the morning, I'm preparing some breakfast while getting ready for showering. I'll have to go to work soon, but: I'd love some company now, to make this morning sweeter - but, who am I? I am 22 and graduated university a while ago. I made a tea to help me relax after a workday, would you like a Tea, too? I have coffee as well!
I enjoy travel and have been to thirteen different countries so far. Lately I mostly travel to different cities that are close by! I love taking public transport and listening to music during it - then again, I pretty much always listen to music. Exploring is another great thing and my biggest passion is probably photography (especially when combining all these things).
I read a lot and enjoy writing, too, as well as editing photos I take. I am a bit of a creative person and am also very much into self-improvement! I am learning French, cook and bake and like to cycle a lot. There are lots of other topics that interest me, like urban planning, technology, history, horror, politics and... Just a whole lot more. I also have a fable for fancy lighting and radios!
So... If any of that sounds interesting to you, why not reach out? We might have a pleasant conversation or might even become friends! We could share stories, photos that we took, just talk about our days, jobs, studies, life... I am open to many things! All I ask for is for you to not be inappropriate and to put in a little bit of effort! I am looking forward to meeting you. :)

I (22F) and my boyfriend (22M) are working our first internships this summer. There is one other intern on my floor who is a man my age, and I told my bf I wanted to ask for his number since the other day I left a little early and left my AirPods at my desk and wished I could call someone discreetly to put it them out of view or something (I don’t have other coworkers numbers and they’re all at least a decade older than me so I think it would be more weird to ask for theirs). I said it was tricky since, even though I regularly mention my bf at work, asking the opposite sex for their phone number is generally seen as showing romantic interest.
He told me that if a female coworker asked for his number, he’d decline. I asked him if he’d do the same to a male coworker, and he said no and that he wouldn’t hesitate to share his cell with a male coworker. This made me very upset, considering we both work in male dominated industries and I have already talked with him about how I had trouble making other intern friends since most are men and they tend to flock together and naturally separated themselves from the few women at orientation. I only have two female interns I can ask to go to lunch with that are in my building (and I’ve done this once) while I know a lot of the male interns all meet in the lobby to go to lunch together at least twice a week. I know this isn’t intentional but it does feel sort of like a big networking thing that is less accessible to women.
Back to what really set me off: he said that this is what men have to do in this “me too era” because they don’t want to be accused of sexual harassment. I feel like I might be the asshole because I told him I needed him to work through his misogynistic views, which was perhaps too far considering he does have and should exercise the right not the give his personal number out to coworkers if he doesn’t feel comfortable.
It might also be worth mentioning that we are both bisexual, so I do not understand this as being some display of loyalty. So, AITA?

I just got out of my second narcissistic relationship a few weeks ago. The first one was for two years when I was in my early 20s, in a new town where I didn’t know anyone, with untreated mental illness. All things that would make one understandably vulnerable to abuse, so I had a lot of grace with that one.
But I ended up in another one that lasted about a year, I got into it about 4 years after the first one ended. I told myself I’d never let this happen to me again and yet, here I am and I feel so much more shame about it this time around because there’s no excuse and I should have known better.
Not in a victim blaming way. I didn’t ask for any of this and I know he’s the problem at the end of the day. But I feel a lot of shame and disappointment with myself for staying when I knew something was off and that it was similar to the last one. And I’m walking out of this one far more traumatized than the first one (there were a lot of insults about my body and sexuality at the end), which makes me even more upset with myself that this is more trauma to add to the pile and I feel like I did it to myself.
I’m such an intelligent and strong personality, so I just feel so dumb for falling for this again. How do you guys find a balance between not feeling guilt and shame while also taking responsibility for the reasons why you accepted this sort of behavior? I know I should go to therapy but I am extremely broke even for sliding scale right now.

Hey everyone. I setup a dual pc setup a few months ago. So far, it has been doing good with all the games I play. However, tonight was the first really intense graphics game I have tried to play.
I was under the impression that a dual pc setup would allow me to play the more intense games at higher graphics settings with a higher frame rate since the 2nd pc is the one taking care of the encoding.
Yet I was still not able to play Diablo 4 tonight past 60 fps with out the stream wanting to lag. the game didn't lag on my side, but I could tell it was lagging in the twitch preview, and some people in my chat mentioned that it was.
I did have streamlabs open on my main pc, and had it in performance mode. Nothing really helped with the lag until I capped the frames in game to 60.
Is there a setting I missed somewhere that I need to adjust, or am I under the wrong impression?

Content warning: food related abuse
I was reading a post on here earlier about parents using foods against you and it really got me thinking about how often Nmother used food against us kids (always the girls) as a punishment anytime she could while growing up. I will preface before sharing (venting) a couple of stories, my family was poor growing up. I knew we where poor because even thought there was always money for her and edad's booze, cigarettes and nmoms drugs the lack of money was one of her favorite things to complain. As such she never missed a chance to use food (or lack of it) as a punishment in one way or another.

• Liver and onions. Ngbrother LOVED it, me and sis hated it. Nmother in turn loved to get it as often as she could just so she could watch me and older sis struggle to eat it. So often in fact that ngbrother started to hate it until he too started to refuse to eat it. The thankfully final nail in the coffin to this punishment food? Someone outside the immediate household asked why she was wasting her money on buying something the majority family wouldn't eat anyway. Side note: Nmother and Edad both vocally hated liver and always had something else to eat before this point
  
• At one point in my preteens/early teens nmother decided we were so poor (aka we didn't have enough money for her or edad's bad habits) that we had to eat EXTREAMLY bean heavy dishes for almost 2 years. The problem? My body couldn't digest beans properly so I would end up either blocked up or had heavy diarrhea combined with being so horribly gassy the entire time that not only did I have chronic pain from it but I started getting ostracized from my peers for it. The worst part? Nmother knew the beans where the issue less than 6 months into this close to two year ordeal but absolutely refused to get me ANYTHING that would help me. Yet couldn't be half a**ed to put a portion aside for me without the beans or allow me to pick the beans out and give to my sibling who were more than happy to eat them. (If I did I'd get in trouble for "wasting" food) It got so bad that at one point even Edad started to ask NMother if I'd become allergic to dairy like she was as He somehow didn't know it was the beans until after we stopped eating beans as the main part of literally every dish and the issue finally went away on its own.
  

Last one for now as this got a lot longer and deeper than I thought it would

• At one point my older sis decided she wanted to try going vegetarian (preface vegetarian is NOT the same thing as vegan! One can have eggs & animal byproducts the other cannot) Nmother decided since sis wanted to be vegetarian then I also had to be too. (I am not mad at older sis for this) Time gets a little fuzzy around this point so I can't honestly remember if it was a solo month or multiple months but for at least the next month the only food the two of us were allowed to eat at home was plain bagged iceberg salad and cold bland tofu. No seasonings, no dressings, no cooking and absolutely NO other foods that came from the house. During this time she cooked as many meat based dishes as she could and made sure anything else that could possibly be eaten under a vegetarian diet was swimming in some sort of butter or animal by product then would loudly and very happily exclaim at meals "Oh, You can't have any of this! It's made with butter and your Vegan, so you can't have it." And variations of tease bragging "Too bad your Vegetarian and can only eat tofu and lettuce 😋!" Then show off how much she was enjoying her food. I honestly don't remember how or why this ended but wouldn't be surprised if it was due to someone asking why we where starting to get sick so often and had no energy because surprise a pack of plain tofu and bagged iceberg lettuce with maybe a few shreds of carrot every day for at least a month straight doesn't have anywhere near the nutritional value that two growing teenage girls needed. OR if it was due to me being so nutrient deprived that I finally snapped and ended up breaking into the fridge to quite literally eat every meat or meat like product I could find in it because surprise the prior mentioned foods don't have the nutritional need of two growing teenage girls.

Okay that's all for now, I'm off to go eat at a restaurant with my lil sis.

So I originally posted about making Meularas Oddities sell "for fun items like a bag of beans, but then decided to add a quest for her that could do something with the hetch warehouse. The following is a revision of this fleshed out with the added side quest.
As the party of adventurers steps into Meularas Oddities, the bells above the door jingle merrily, filling the air with a sense of anticipation. Shelves adorned with trinkets and odd contraptions surround them, catching their attention. Meulara, the mischievous kender shopkeeper, stands behind the counter, her eyes dancing with mischief.
Noticing the party's arrival, Meulara swiftly finishes locking away a few items in a cabinet behind her. With a mischievous grin, Meulara turns to the party and begins her sales pitch in her characteristic kender voice. "Welcome, welcome, my adventurous friends! Are you in search of a laugh, a jolly good time, or perhaps something utterly absurd? Look no further! Feast your eyes upon the wonders of Meularas Oddities!" She reaches under the counter and begins to produce small trinkets. "Ah, my curious friends, I have just the thing for you. Feast your eyes upon these marvelous little trinkets!"
One by one, Meulara offers the party a series of seemingly insignificant objects. There's a copper bell that promises to summon a crowd or a cat, a tiny wooden figurine of a dancing gnome with impressive footwork, a pocket-sized telescope that allows one to see distant objects up close, a jar filled with glowing fireflies to light up the night, and a small pouch that always seems to produce a single piece of candy when needed. (Or roll on the trinket table for this part)
After the final trinket has been presented, Meulara leans closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Now, my friends, if these aren't interesting enough for you, I have a proposition for you. A rogue wizard has just recently stolen something from my shop - a wand. I don't know much about it, but I'd wager I could've sold it for some fair steel. He's currently hiding in the abandoned Hetch warehouse not too far from here. I've tried going to the town guard, but they don't seem too interested in retrieving something that was stolen from a kender for some reason... they said it was probably already stolen, but Kender do not steal. Retrieve the wand, and I'll make you a special offer on my truly extraordinary items from my special cabinet."
Meulara's eyes sparkle with anticipation as she continues, "Be cautious, though. The warehouse has fallen into disrepair, and the rogue wizard has made it his lair. He's crafty and unpredictable."
The adventurers make their way to where the abandoned Hetch warehouse stands, shrouded in an eerie silence. The once bustling hub of activity now exudes an aura of mystery and neglect. The building is in disrepair, and it is overgrown with vines. Wooden boards creak as the party approaches, their footsteps echoing in the empty surroundings.
Entering the dimly lit warehouse, the party is greeted by stacks of forgotten crates, spiderwebs glistening in the corners, and a thick layer of dust covering the floor. The air feels heavy with anticipation.
Suddenly, a figure emerges from the darkness, his long, tattered robes swirling around him. The rogue wizard locks eyes with the party, a sly smile curling his lips. "Ah, intruders. What a perfect opportunity to test the capabilities of my new wand," he sneers, his voice filled with malicious delight.
Unbeknownst to the party, the wizard had cast an alarm spell on the door and was ready to attack with surprise.
With a flick of his hand, the rogue wizard conjures crackling lightning, directing it towards the adventurers. The bolt sizzles through the air, narrowly missing its mark but illuminating the warehouse in a brilliant flash. The rogue wizard's laughter echoes through the room as he revels in his power. He unleashes a second spell, a burst of energy intended to cripple his opponents.
To his surprise and horror, as the spell leaves the wand, it abruptly backfires. A surge of magical energy envelops the rogue wizard, causing him to convulse and stiffen. Stunned, he stands frozen and begins exclaiming, "Wow, marvelous! Simply amazing!"
In his confused state, the rogue wizard believes that something incredible has happened. He is convinced that the wand has granted him unimaginable power. He starts describing how he feels an indescribable surge of energy coursing through his veins, how his senses have become heightened to an extraordinary degree, and how he is now able to see the fabric of reality itself.
With the threat neutralized, the adventurers retrieve the wand and discover it is actually a wand of wonder. They then make their way back to Meularas Oddities. The kender shopkeeper's eyes sparkle with delight as they return, victorious.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Meulara exclaims, her voice tinged with mirth. "You've managed to reclaim the wand, and in such a spectacular fashion too! Truly remarkable. I wasn't sure if you be able to pull it off, that wizard is tricky you know. "You see, he asked me to see the wand, claiming he was interested in purchasing it. But as soon as I turned away for a moment, poof! He vanished into thin air, leaving behind this funny coin." Meulara reaches under the counter and retrieves a peculiar coin, engraved with odd symbols, and says "it's not like any currency I've ever seen so i figured he must have tried to trick me by leaving this funny trinket and stole my wand.
The party members gaze at the coin, their eyes widening with astonishment. They recognize its immense worth and the opportunities it presents.
One of the adventurers speaks up, their voice filled with awe. "Meulara, this coin is not just a funny trinket. It's made of platinum, a precious metal that is highly sought after. It holds significant value, far beyond its weight. This is a small fortune!"
Meulara's eyes widen in surprise and excitement. "Oh, my goodness! I never would have guessed. I mistook the situation entirely. That tricky wizard never intended to steal the wand from me. He left this platinum coin as payment.
The party members exchange glances, realizing the true nature of the misunderstanding, and Meulara's expression shifts to one of contemplation. She ponders for a moment before addressing the party once more.
"My friends," she begins, her voice tinged with a mix of seriousness and determination, "I believe it is only fair that we return this wand to the wizard who left behind this valuable coin. It seems he never intended to steal from me but had a different motive altogether. Let us find him and make amends."
With a renewed sense of purpose, the adventurers agree to accompany Meulara on this quest. Together, they set off to locate the elusive wizard, their footsteps resonating with determination.
After a brief search, they finally track down the rogue wizard, who stands before them with a mix of surprise and curiosity. Meulara steps forward, holding out the wand to him. "We have come to return what you left behind, dear wizard," she says, her voice filled with sincerity.
The wizard's eyes widen as he recognizes the wand. He extends a hand, motioning for them to keep it. "No, no, my friends," he says, his tone surprisingly earnest. "I have discovered the true nature of this wand. It is far too unpredictable for my tastes. It backfired on me once, and I realized that its powers are too volatile. I believe it has found more deserving owners in you."
The adventurers exchange puzzled glances, astonished by the unexpected turn of events. The wizard continues, his voice filled with a newfound wisdom. "You have proven your worth and resourcefulness by retrieving the wand. It is yours now, and I trust that you will handle its power with caution and bravery."
Meulara's eyes sparkle with a mix of gratitude and relief. "Thank you, kind wizard," she says. "We accept this gift with humility and will wield its power responsibly."
And so, the wand remains in the hands of the adventurers, a symbol of their triumph and the trust bestowed upon them by the wizard. They bid farewell to the enigmatic spellcaster, knowing that they now possess a truly extraordinary and unpredictable artifact.
Returning to Meularas Oddities, the kender shopkeeper once again gets a twinkle in her eye. "Well, well, well, my dear adventurers," she exclaims, her voice filled with mirth. "It seems the wand has found its true owners after all. Embrace its magic and continue your adventures with caution and wonder." Now as promised, for all your trouble, I'll show you my special items for sale. With a flourish, Meulara unlocks the glass case, revealing the assortment of extraordinary items. "How about a Bag of Beans, known to produce unpredictable results when planted; the Sovereign Glue, which could stick just about anything together; and the Dust of Sneezing and Choking, guaranteed to elicit laughter and pranks."
However, Meulara had more up her sleeve. She motioned toward some more special items, carefully guarded behind the glass case. "Ah, but wait, my dear adventurers! If you seek something truly extraordinary, I have a few select oddities that might catch your fancy."
She pointed to an Immovable Rod, explaining its ability to freeze in space and serve as a steadfast anchor. Nearby was a set of Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments, promising to bring life to the imaginations of artists and pranksters alike. And next to those, an Alchemy Jug awaited, ready to produce an assortment of liquids, from harmless drinks to more eccentric concoctions.
Meulara's eyes gleamed with excitement. "But wait, there's more! Behold, the Oil of Slipperiness! Perfect for evading enemies or causing hilarious slips and slides.
And so, the story continues, the adventurers armed with the unpredictable wand and an array of extraordinary oddities from Meularas Oddities, ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Chapter 1 - Stranger
When Daglan woke up that morning he didn't see anything unusual. He had awoken from a drop of water falling from the ceiling as he did many mornings. His best friend Rozere was in the kitchen with her father cooking what smelled of eggs. The sun was shining through the cracks in the curtains and holes in the walls as it always did. What felt different? Then he heard voices outside, voices that grew louder and louder. At this point Rozere and her father Koshu had heard the commotion as well and stepped outside to see what it was. Daglan hastily followed suit, after finding his tunic and boots. Lying on the ground outside was a young man, no older than 25. He lay face up in the dirt wearing only baggy purple pants and a black conical hat covering his face. His long black hair seemed to be tied at the base of his head in a long spiky ponytail, his slender muscular body was covered in dozens of battle scars, and at his waist was a black katana with its sword tied firmly inside its sheath. Almost the entire town had crowded around him, murmuring and shifting anxiously. It wasn't often people arrived in town, mostly just traders on their way to and from Inoris, and that too was a rarity. "Back now people, give this man some room! And for the love of Reza, quiet!" Barked Doc Silvis as she pushed through the crowd. She immediately knelt down and felt his neck with her fingers. She paused for a moment and gave a very annoyed sigh, slapping away his hat. "He's alive alright. This dumbass is sleeping in the street." She gave the stranger a hard slap across the face, one that would have probably knocked him out, had he been awake. The crowd watched in awe as he yawned and scratched his nose, barely affected by Silvis. "What should we do?" Someone asked. "Do you know who he is?" Asked another. As the murmurs heighted Daglan could tell Silvis was getting fired up, over the years Daglan had gotten to know Silvis quite well, with all his escapades outside the town walls. Daglan knew better than anyone that Silvis hated when a patient ignored her, and more so when she had to repeat herself. "I said quiet! Don't you lazy bums have more important things to do?! Livani! Koreso! Aren't you two on watch?! Scram the lot of you!" A wave of fear crashed down upon the crowd and everyone began to disperse. All but Daglan, as Rozere pulled on his sleeve. "Come on Daglan," she hissed, keeping an eye on Silvis like she was some wild animal, "You don't want to make her angrier." "I'll be fine," he whispered, without looking back, his eyes stuck on the sleeping man. What was this feeling? It was like the feeling he got when Silvis healed his wounds, but not as warm. Almost closer to the feeling he got when abominations were near, when he ventures past the walls, but not as malicious. Before he knew it he was kneeling next to Silvis, watching her run her hand across his body, her hands glowing faintly, his curiosity bubbling. "He isn't cursed or hypnotized, I can't feel a single thing wrong with him. I do believe this man is really just asleep, and slept through a slap in the face." Silvis sighed. After a few moments she looked at Daglan with a tired smile, then frowned. "Thanks for being quite Daglan, now since you're gonna bum around, get to work hauling this bastard back to my infirmary and don't let him out of your sight. I want to know as soon as he wakes up." Daglan looked around to ask Rozere for help but she was already gone, how long had he been watching this stranger and Silvas? He looked down at the smiling, snoring face of the stranger, scooped under his arms, and with much difficulty began dragging the older, bigger boy to the infirmary. The infirmary was quiet today, there hadn't been a major abomination attack in quite a few weeks which didn't happen often. It wasn't long before Rozere came in with a grimace on her face and her fingers on her nose. "Honestly," she said in that strange nasally voice when you hold your nose, "I hate how much time you make me spend here. Between you getting hurt and my dad making me help Silvas, I can't get away!" She plopped down next to him and sighed. "So what's with this guy? Why are you still here with him?" "Silvas asked me to watch him and tell her when he wakes up. Apparently I can't let him leave till she talks to him." He shrugged, trying more to convince himself. She eyed him suspiciously, but immediately dropped the subject. "Did you notice his sword was tied closed? I wonder what that's about?" She reached out and placed a hand on his sword, and just then the weird energy the stranger gave off changed from similar to those of the abominations , to even scarier than anything he'd ever felt from them. Rozere fell to her knees and screamed as the stranger stood over her. When had he stood up?! Daglan shot to his feet, a smile ripping across his face as excitement crackled through his body. He prepared to defend his friend, when just as quickly as the evil energy had manifested, it disappeared. In fact the feeling Daglan had been getting from the stranger had all but subsided completely. He stared at Daglan and Rozere with a confused look. When Rozere had eventually stopped screaming, Daglan held out his hand to help her up. Daglan’s mind raced with questions but could he do nothing but stare at the stranger as he stared back. “Uh, hello-” he began and just then Silvas and Koshu burst through the door with Livani and Koreso close behind. Koshu sprang in between Rozere and the stranger, towering over him. "What did you do to my daughter!" He said through gritted teeth. The stranger scratched the back of his head and opened his mouth when Rozere spoke up, "It was nothing dad, he just woke up and scared me! Look at me I'm fine, now would you stop!" But Koshu didn't flinch, not until Silvas spoke up. "Back off Koshu, Rozere is right, she's fine, and this boy is obviously no danger at the moment." He mumbled something under his breath but did as he was told. "Yeah, listen to Silvas and not me." Rozere grumbled, crossing her arms. "Now listen here young lady, you will show your aunt some resp–" Koshu began but Silvas smacked him in the back of the head. "Now isn't the time, Koshu, take her and go," she glared at the stranger, who was still smiling awkwardly and scratching the back of his head. “Everyone out, now.” "Uh, where am I? He eventually stammered. "Daglan, out." Silvas said forcefully, without taking her eyes off the stranger. As well as Daglan knew Silvas, he'd never seen her this worked up, not even about the abominations . She was so strong-willed, so much more than anyone else in town. He had heard stories about Silvas, but only bits and pieces around town, probably all made up. Still there was one he heard more than others, he had heard before she lived in Graybarrow she had fought in some kind of war. Daglan sat outside the infirmary trying to hear as much as he could. Wondering what could have gotten Silvas so worried, and if that man was even human. He could barely hear anything, mostly Silvas's mumbled questioning and the nervous laughter of the stranger. As he sat and pondered, an extremely tall, wide shouldered man sat down next to him and lit a cigarette. He had a long thick mustache that covered his upper lip but came down on the sides past his chin, and scruffy brown hair that stuck up at weird angles. "Oh, hi Mr.Lucio." Daglan said as he pretended to have not been eavesdropping. "I haven't seen you in class," he said as he blew out a cloud of smoke, "and I don't often see you hanging around here by choice." He continued to puff his cigarette as they sat in silence. "Mr.Lucio… I can feel him like the abominations and Silvas's healing. What is he?" "I'm not sure, from what I've heard he sounds human enough. What do you think?" "I don't know… I think he's human? But why can I feel him?" "There must be something similar between him, Silvas's healing, and the abominations from the mountains and forest, hmm?" "I guess so…" They continued to sit in silence until Lucio had finished his cigarette. "You can always talk to me if you need help, Daglan. You may like getting experience more, but a little book learning can go a long way." He stood up, pressing his cigarette out between his fingers and putting the butt in his pocket. "It's always good to see you, don't be a stranger." He said as he waved his hand walking away. Daglan thought about what Lucio had proposed, something similar. It didn't seem like Silvas or the stranger would be coming out soon so Daglan decided to go home and see what Rozere thought about all this. When he did get home both Rozere and Koshu were in foul moods, having most likely fought since earlier. Deciding that he'd rather not be part of that, he grabbed his bag and scurried out the front door before Kusho had time to notice. It's a short walk to the gate, the guards had patched up his last hole in the wall, but he had since come up with another, more thrilling way. Climbing up to the top of the traders hall, he'd be high enough to jump to the wall once the guards had passed. Then it was a quick jump down and a sprint out of their eyesight before he was able to relax. He walked along a path he knew quite well until he came up on a small ladder, it was built into a tree that led up to a small treehouse. His exploration headquarters as he liked to call it. The inside was small and filled with trash, and his souvenirs from his adventures sat on a roughly made table. A small Salegitti skull, a broken dagger missing its tip, and a small crystal like rock that shown with faint yellow light. Next to them were three well worn books. He picked up the book titled journal and sat on the ground, scribbling furiously with a small piece of charcoal. He then began to study the other two, older, bigger books. One titled, Abominations of Hel’s Peaks, and the other, Creatures of South Shodun. Mr Lucio was right about book learning, but he liked his own books.
Back in town Rozere was wandering around with her hands behind her head, whistling to herself. “I wonder where Daglan is?” She pondered allowed, before realizing she had stopped in front of Silvas’s office. She stared at the large building with its off-white stone, and massive steel doors. There were various cracks and dents all along the wells and doors, as well as wooden planks over the windows, Silvas called them the clinic’s battlescars, there was nowhere safer to hide in the whole town. She stared for a long time before realizing there was a man sitting in the grass, a large bottle of alcohol in one hand, and multiple empty bottles sitting neatly by his legs. His long spiky hair was a little cleaner, and the copious amounts of drool were now wiped away. His face was a bright red, and he had a cigarette hanging from his lips. He stared at her with a slight wobble, “Hey… You're that girl that touched my sword right?” He took another large gulp from his bottle. “Yeah? What of it?” She asked with defiance, her hands on her hips. He smiled a sickening smile and shot to his feet faster than Rozere could see. “Why don't you try it again? Or will you simply scream for help? Little girls shouldn’t play with monsters.” He said as he towered over her. “Go ahead.” He lifted his arm in the air so his katana was unblocked. Rozere’s knees began to shake and a lump formed in her throat but she did not look away. She was an ant, and this man was a giant. She wasn't going to back down, but he could stand faster than she could see. Surely dropping his arm even faster would be no problem right? He was right, she wanted to scream, but she stood firm. “Maybe I will!” She returned his malicious smile and reached out for his sword as fast as she could, bracing for the impact and the horrible crunch of bones as he grabbed her arm and snapped it in half. She flinched as her nerves went off, electric sensations coursing through her fingertips. It's happened! But what she felt wasn't pain, but the hard yet somehow soft grip of a katana hilt. She opened her eyes to see her hand firmly gripping his katana and a much more playful smile somehow even wider across this strange man’s face. He began to laugh loudly as she stumbled backwards and fell. He held out his hand, still giggling a little. She eyed him hard then after a moment smacked his hand away. She stood up, and began to brush herself off, glaring at him all the while. He apologized in between giggles. “My name is Noboru, you've got quite the spirit to face me down. What's your name kid?” He asked as he sat back onto the grass and took another long swig from his bottle. Rozere straightened up and looked at him with a fiery gaze. “Rozere of Grayborrow.” She said, crossing her arms. “And you dont scare me!” “What are you yelling about Rozere?” Silvas asked as she appeared behind her. “You!” she exclaimed as she saw Noboru “Where did you get all of that from!? Rozere give me a hand and throw away these bottles would you?” “She's already gone.” Noboru giggled. Silvas spun around to see that Rozere had indeed disappeared, as Noboru began to laugh louder. Rozere could hear the slap from across town as she sat against the traders hall. As she pondered just how big a lump must be on the side of Noboru's face, a ball smacked her’s. “Hey who did that!?” She demanded as she hoped to her feat, tears forming in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. “Oh, sorry Rozere! I didn't mean to! Honest!” Said the boy as he ran up and grabbed his ball off the ground before the evil Rozere could kick it away, her foot swishing in the air. The boy was a few years younger than Rozere, had shaggy blonde hair, a tunic that was two sizes too big for him and a pair of round glasses broken in several spots. “You better be sorry, pipsqueak!” she said, wiping her eyes and now running nose. “I'll have to beat you up if not!” “Come on give Vilcus a break he said sorry. What are you doing over here by yourself anyways? Daglan run away again?” Said another girl with little blonde pigtails and red cheeks, as she came up behind Vilcus. “Hi Meska and no he didn't run away again.” Rozere said, sticking her tongue out. “I just think he went for a walk is all… he'll be back… soon!” She crossed her arms and held her chin up. “Well why don't you come play with us until he gets back?” Meska asked, turning around and walking away, “We are playing dodgeball, maybe you can hit Vilcus in the face.” “Hey nuh-uh! She won't hit me!” Vilcus persisted as he followed after her. Rozere sniffled, rubbed her nose with her sleeve, and smiled. “Okay fine, but wait up!” She yelled.

As Daglan walked through the trees, he could feel the malicious energies from abominations all around him, it was making his blood boil. He remembered the stranger looking down at him and Rozere, overflowing with the most malicious intent he had ever felt. A smile began to creep across his face once more, as he could feel something close behind him. He spun around to see a creature he had only seen in books, the sight of which excited and terrified him. 

A giant humanoid creature with a long smooth snake-like torso, and grotesquely elongated arms and legs stood before him. It had a small pair of arms on its hips that bounced as if boneless, and a strange human face. Smooth indents of skin sat where the eyes should be, and it had a beak lined with razor teeth that jutted out at multiple angles. It clicked its tongue and sniffed the air then began to lick its beak with what could only be called a smile. “What should I call you big fella?” Daglan asked nervously as excitement shot through his body. This wasn't like anything he'd ever encountered in the forest, or during attacks. This creature was much more dangerous. He gritted his teeth and forced an equally disgusting smile, even though he was sure the abomination couldn't see him. He pulled out the dagger he had smithed in secret at Koshu’s forge and dropped his stance lower, lower, lower. The creator was clicking and sniffing in anticipation, no doubt it could feel Daglan’s bloodlust. Daglan took a slow step forward, then another. The creature's head tilted and it sniffed harder, then in a flash that Daglan couldn’t even see, it lashed out, slashing his shoulder apart. Adrenaline had already made its way to Daglan’s brain and he didn't even feel the warm blood soaking into his tunic or notice his limp arm flailing behind him as he attacked. He rolled under the creature’s arm and slashed at its ribs ripping its open sending its guts pouring out. It screamed in pain and whirled around, but its tall body and long arms whizzed over Daglan’s head. He rolled again, this time in between its legs, slashing at its knee, cutting down to the bone. It screamed again and fell to its knees with a gross squishy thud from one. It twitched and spazzed as it began twisting its body around in a disgusting manner. Daglan approached cautiously, but the adrenaline had worn off and he looked down at his arm. It was almost completely blue, and the little skin and bone that held his arm to his body squirted copious amounts of blood. There was a blur then he was flying through the brush stopping when he thudden into a tree. His eyes began to blur with red, then black. The last thing he heard was a familiar voice… “You are by far the most interesting of the bunch. Hey, can you hear me?”
When Deglan awoke he was looking at a ceiling he knew all too well. In a bed he had awoken in many times. But this time he couldn't move. “Silvas! What's happening?! Silvas! Rozere!” Daglan began to thrash when he heard that same voice, “Hey hey hey! You're going to hurt yourself more than you already have!” When standing over him, blocking the light with his conical hat, was the stranger. “That was a nasty creature you were tangling with out there. I heard you like to fight but I'm guessing you've never seen a lasari before? Ugly things, and not easy to kill with small weapons if you don't know how.” “I do know how.” Daglan said matter of factly, “They have two brains located behind the eye sockets.” “Oh-ho-ho,” the stranger smiled maliciously, “ but how do you stop them from reproducing after that?” Daglan went silent for a moment. “What do you mean?” “Lasari have a fun ability to reproduce from their corpse. Specifically, their heart has two eggs inside that will hatch if it ever stops beating. So to properly kill one you must burn the heart.” He laughed and presumably sat back down, out of Daglan’s eyesight. There was a slight pause and Daglan was about to speak when he heard a gasp and the stranger continued. “Anyway, you almost lost your arm. Luckily, your doctor and blacksmith were able to fix you up, those two are something else. It'll take some time for your bo-” Daglan cut him off. “What do you mean I almost lost my arm?! What did they do to me?!” He exclaimed, thrashing, memories of his broken and bleeding arm flashing through his mind. “If you don't calm down, I will calm you down.” He said forcefully. “I hate babies. I thought you were supposed to be a tough kid? Now anyways it's just me and you here, everyone else is asleep, so please. I know you've heard of the metal prosthetics of this country, Metics, I think they're called? I’ve seen people in town with them. Well your blacksmith had to help your doctor make you a new shoulder.” “So why are you being so helpful? I don't know you, and you feel the same as an abomination.” “See it's things like that!” He shot back up his face noticeably red. “You're so interesting! I don't remember how I got here…” He scratched his head for a second, “but boy have I had fun since I've shown up!” Your girlfriend Rozere-” “She's not my girlfriend, and you leave her alone!” He shouted. “Well she's fearsome! And you’re so interesting too! Definitely the best five year o-” “I’m twelve. Rozere is thirteen.” “Well twelve then. Point is, I like you and your little girly friend, so I thought I'd help out and not let you die.” Then it dawned on Daglan, there was no way a search party found him like when he normally gets in a scap and passes. He had thoroughly lost and was deep in the woods. By all accounts he should be dead. Daglan was so angry he hadn't even thought about what happened afterwards. “It was you. So what do you want from me? Are you some abomination loo-” This time the stranger cut him off. “My name is Noboru, the handyman.” “I've never heard of that species.” “Well I'm not an abomination, I'm a jack-of-all-trades, so to speak. I travel from place to place making money doing odd jobs. Anyways, you remind me an awful lot of someone I used to know. So don't go throwing your life away against such low level trash as the abominations around here.” Daglan began to feel the intimidating malice from Noboru, almost that of when Rozere had touched his sword. “I know you can feel my energy. Unlike the people of this town, save a few, I think you're gifted.” Then it was gone just as quickly as before. “What do you want, Daglan.” Daglan’s blood was fire and his eyes daggers, piercing the ceiling with determination. “I want to be remembered.” “So get out of this town and maybe one day you can fight me, and I’m not even the strongest out there. Come… show this world what you're… made of because I for one… can't wait.” Just then Daglan heard a thud followed by an endless cascade of snores from Noboru. “Would someone get me out of here!”

First time posting, long time lurker.
So it’s a positive progress post for me if not my dead bedroom. I (39HLM) was in a long time relationship with my partner - over 10 years - which slowly devolved into a dead bedroom. My partner lost interest in sex and made it very clear that she was fine if I masturbated to porn to address my “needs”. When we did have sex, my partner was not engaged - usually keeping her eyes closed with an expression that said she wanted it to be over quickly.
We were eachother’s first time (and only as far as I know) sexual partners. While at first we experimented and tried new positions and techniques, at the end my partner was only interest in PiV sex with very very limited foreplay. My partner never initiated sex, and even stopped initiating all physical contact - every kiss, hug, and touch was on me not to mention sex itself.
I tried talking with my partner at the beginning. But my partner just…wasn’t interested in sex. She didn’t feel any urge. So What do you do? You can’t make someone want you.
So I focused on me. I figured if I improved my health (both mentally and physically), if I became a whole person happy on my own, then maybe she would want me again. The ironic thing is, while I worked on both…it didn’t matter. Nothing changed.
I also focused on being a good partner. I took on more than my share of the household chores. Made specific efforts to cook, and give Her time to relax. I bought flowers just because, Treats I thought she might like, and agonized over the perfect gifts for christmas, birthdays, valentines day, and our anniversary.
Nothing changed.
So I found myself an almost 40 year old man with a partner who I almost didn’t recognize. She seemed unhappy but was unwilling to seek therapy. She took her unhappiness out on me for the slightest perceived infractions, and she put little to no effort into our relationship.
I felt alone and unloved.
So I finally made the decision to leave. It was SO hard. I felt, like a failure. Like I was not the husband and man I should be for leaving my partner. If I only tried harder, If I were A better lover, a better man, maybe things would have been different.
It has taken a while, and I’m not on the other side yet. But I am hopeful for the future and look forward to exploring my sexuality outside the confines of the relationship I was in. I’m frankly scared, but for the the first time in a long time time hopeful.
Some advice for those who are out there teetering on the edge. 1) be a good partner. Do your share of the work. However, realize that whether you do that extra load of laundry or not - if your partner doesn’t want you, it won’t matter.
2) we are programmed to treat our partners like kings / Queens. But they are human beings, just like you. Relationships are two-way and make sure you’re getting your needs met as much as you are meeting your partner’s needs
3) leaving doesn’t make you evil/a failure / a bad person. Don’t get me wrong, your partner isn’t going to be thrilled. But the reality is, you’ve only got this one life - it’s too short to be unhappy.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk! Nothing but love for the DB community!

What are the chances in the future for side-loading anything like, groups or covert, or iMessage sorting, grouping or message hiding ?
Currently on a older jailbroken iPhone thinking about updating.
I do not know much about side loading, but from what I see so far, there is nothing for side loading on anything that tweaks iMessages, is there a chance in the future there will be something ?
Or is something that changes iMessage not something that is doable.
Thanks for your time.

Welp
Listen I know 15 years is a lot for a dog but it never really hits you how old they are until it hits you, you know?
Anyways, took my dog to the annual vet visit last week and she has early stage renal failure as well as a heart murmur. Vet put her on a special diet to maintain where she's at and not get worse but it kind of hit me like a ton of bricks.
I guess I was just wondering if anyone who has gone through this with their pups has any advice? So far she's lost 1lb (which for a 10lb dog is a lot), has increased frequency with urination, and has been randomly coughing.
Also, does anyone have any advice regarding the diet? I already bought her the bag of Royal Canin Renal Support kibble but oh my goodness is it expensive. I have another dog who is on a normal diet so this just doubled my monthly kibble budget 😅
Would also appreciate any advice on how to keep her comfortable and if you have gone through this, how long does it take before they you know... The vet said it's early and it could be anywhere from months to years but I just want to mentally prepare myself so any advice is appreciated.

This is just something I wanted to get off my chest while I've been playing OT2, and isn't really a serious complaint, just a gripe about one of the game series' features.
As a quick explanation, the side quests in both games have multiple ways of completing them, whether it be using different path actions, using different items/knowledge, interacting with different people, etc. And this results in different resolutions to the side quest stories.
One example in the first game is that there's a person selling carpets, and the player can either inform the person of a way to use the material for clothing, or the player can take a carpet and give it to a different person with a cold house.
That's a minor example, but there are other side quests that have very large differences on how they can end. Sometimes, I'll find something or meet someone who could have been a different solution to a side quest I had completed, and I'm left wondering if there was a better way it could have ended. There's no easy way to retry this either, because my save file had already got so far beyond when I completed the side quest. And starting a new save file would take a very long time.
Some people may see this as a plus, but I'm usually left with a feeling of dissatisfaction whenever I come across this.

TL;DR Is there anyone out there who regrets doing IVF? Or who wonders if it was necessary in their case? My egg retrieval and PGT results far exceeded expectations and have me wondering why I'm going through this awful gauntlet.
The whole story: After 5ish months of trying with OPKs, my OBGYN did some preliminary fertility testing. She found that I wasn't having a good ovulation - maybe no dominant follicle. On our 2nd round of letrozole, I conceived and have birth to my son who is now 2.5yo.
Last April we started trying for #2. With letrozole, we got pregnant and had early miscarriages 2x out of 3 cycles. We tried letrozole one more time and had an ectopic.
The fertility clinic did the full complement of fertility and RPL tests. My doctor diagnosed me with: - DOR due to my low AMH (1.39 at age 32, 1.14 6mos later. It had been normal when I was 30.). AFC was 11. - Chromosome inversion detected by karyotyping. This was basically assumed to be the cause of my miscarriages. - A small uterine polyp.
She strongly recommended IVF. We want 3 kids total so this made sense when it seemed like my ovarian reserve was tanking and that on top of that half my eggs had abnormal chromosomes.
But look at these results: AFC: 12 Retrieved: 24 (double my resting follicles!) Mature: 20 Fertilized: 16 Blastocysts: 7 PGT-SR: All 7! SEVEN!
So I don't really have DOR (based on my stim response) and it doesn't seem like the chromosome inversion had an impact either. My doctor confirmed that she doesn't consider me to have DOR anymore either.
I'm so so grateful for these amazing results and to have 7 embryos on ice. But there's also a big part of me that wonders why we went through all this difficult journey in the first place. We haven't done a transfer yet so there still may be more things that come to light.
Anyone else have thoughts or experiences like this? Thanks so much y'all.

I'll just post what was said.
Absolutely! Let's dive into an exciting cooperative scenario, set within the universe of BattleTech.
Scenario: The Falling Star
The year is 3025. Your team is a band of mercenary MechWarriors, contracted by the government of the planet Aldebaran IV, located within the Periphery. An unknown force has taken control of an old Star League-era orbital defense satellite, named the "Falling Star", and has begun bombarding the planet's major population centers.
Your team's objective is to infiltrate the enemy's ground-based control facility for the Falling Star, neutralize the defense systems, and override the control of the satellite. The facility is located within a fortified mountainous region, and it is swarming with enemy Mechs and armored units.
Automated Enemies:

1. Patrolling Mechs: These Mechs patrol predefined paths around the facility. If a player's Mech is spotted (enters their line of sight), they break their patrol pattern and pursue the player, attacking on sight. After losing sight of a player for three consecutive turns, they return to their patrol.
   
2. Turret Defense Systems: Turrets are scattered throughout the facility. They have a fixed firing arc and will shoot any player's Mech entering their field of fire. Turrets are immobile but heavily armored, making them a substantial threat.
   
3. Reinforcements: Each turn after the alarm is triggered (either by entering a turret's line of sight or attacking a patrolling Mech), roll a dice. On a roll of 4 or higher, a new enemy Mech is deployed from the facility's hangar and starts moving toward the players' last known position.
   

Victory Conditions:
Your team is victorious if they can infiltrate the control center and override the satellite controls. This requires a player to reach a specific point within the control center and spend two uninterrupted turns overriding the system (without being attacked).
Loss Conditions
The mission fails if all player Mechs are destroyed or disabled.
Remember, cooperation is key. Players should share information about enemy movements and plan their approach strategically to avoid the alarm triggering too early. Making use of the mountainous terrain for cover, coordinating attacks, and prioritizing targets based on threat level can all contribute to a successful mission.
This should give you a high-stakes, cooperative scenario with a variety of challenges for your team to overcome. Adjust the number and strength of enemy units as needed to maintain balance and keep the game enjoyable.
He then asked to expand on the fallen star campaign. There were several options created from prompts but he chose to do that scenario. Here is the expanded information.
⭐ Falling star scenario details.. The enemy loadout and total Battle Value (BV) of your team will greatly depend on the skill level of your players, how challenging you want the game to be, and the specific Mechs you have available for play. However, I can provide you with a balanced starting point that you can then adjust to fit your needs.
Let's set up the enemy forces:

1. Patrolling Mechs:

• Locust LCT-1V: Light Mech, known for its speed and agility. It's armed with a medium laser and two machine guns. BV around 400.
  
• Hunchback HBK-4G: Medium Mech, heavily armored and armed with an AC/20 and two medium lasers. This Mech is slower but can deal significant damage. BV around 1,000.
  

1. Reinforcements:

• Centurion CN9-A: Medium Mech, balanced in speed, armor, and firepower, armed with an AC/10, two medium lasers, and an LRM-10. BV around 900.
  
• Thunderbolt TDR-5S: Heavy Mech, sturdy and well-armed with a large laser, LRM-10, SRM-2, and three medium lasers. BV around 1,300.
  

To keep the game balanced, I suggest giving your team a total Battle Value of about 4,000-4,500. This should provide enough firepower to deal with the threats while still making the scenario challenging. For example, your team could include:

1. Raven RVN-3L: Light Mech, well-equipped for scouting and evasion, and armed with an SRM-6 and two medium lasers. BV around 1,000.
   
2. Griffin GRF-1N: Medium Mech, a good all-rounder, equipped with an LRM-10 and a PPC. BV around 1,200.
   
3. Warhammer WHM-6R: Heavy Mech, packing a serious punch with two PPCs, two SRM-6s, and four medium lasers. BV around 1,700.
   

Remember, these are just guidelines. Feel free to adjust the enemy composition, your team's total BV, and the specific Mechs used to fit your group's preferences and the miniatures you have available. The goal is to have an enjoyable and challenging game, so tweak the parameters as needed to achieve that.
Turrets in BattleTech can come in various forms and can be armed with a variety of weapons. For the "Falling Star" scenario, it might be best to include two different types of turrets: Laser Turrets for direct damage, and LRM Turrets for long-range bombardment. Here are their suggested stats:

1. Laser Turret

• Armor: 30
• Structure: 10
• Weapons: 2 Medium Lasers, 1 Large Laser
• Heat Sinks: 10
• Battle Value: Approximately 150

These turrets are stationary but pose a significant threat if not taken care of. They have a good range and firepower but can't track targets that are too close.

1. LRM Turret

• Armor: 30
• Structure: 10
• Weapons: 2 LRM 10 Launchers
• Ammo: 24 rounds each
• Heat Sinks: 2
• Battle Value: Approximately 200

LRM Turrets can be a threat to even the farthest targets on the battlefield. However, they're less effective at short ranges due to the minimum effective range of LRM launchers.
Turrets can't move or evade, but they're typically heavily armored, making them hard to destroy. They have a 360-degree firing arc, but remember that weapons in BattleTech have minimum as well as maximum ranges. Players will need to consider this as they move around the battlefield.
Feel free to adjust these stats as you see fit to maintain the balance and fun of your game.
The number of turrets in the "Falling Star" scenario would depend on the balance you want to maintain and how challenging you'd like the scenario to be for the players. A mix of both Laser and LRM Turrets can keep the players on their toes and make them strategize their moves more cautiously.
For the scenario, you could consider having:

• 2-3 Laser Turrets: Positioned strategically around the facility or guarding crucial access points.
• 2-3 LRM Turrets: Spread across the map to provide a wider coverage and to dissuade players from staying too far from the facility.

Having around 4-6 turrets in total should provide a challenge without overwhelming the players, especially when combined with the patrolling Mechs. The Laser Turrets will prevent players from rushing directly into the facility, while the LRM Turrets will deter them from staying at long range and picking off enemies without any danger.
Remember, the goal is to create an engaging and challenging scenario, not to overwhelm the players to the point of frustration. If the players find the game too challenging or too easy, adjust the number of turrets or their placement as necessary.