I’m not sure why I’m writing this or even choosing to share this with millions of people on the internet, especially since I’m unable to be this honest with the closest people in my life that deserve to know about my addiction. I am a severe cocaine addict and have been since I was 17. I grew up in a middle class family, and always lived in the best part of town, and went to the best schools. My father has a mental illness in which one too many episodes caused my mother to make the decision to divorce him, and because of this he moved to a different state right before I started high school. While there’s many things in my life that have led me here, I want to make it clear that this isn’t me blaming those events or circumstances and using them as a scapegoat, but I can no longer deny that this addiction stems from losing my father at such a crucial part of my life, my manhood. On the other end, my fathers mental illness renders him incapable of working, so after the divorce my mother worked 3 jobs in order to make up for lost income and no child support on his end. This meant that I never spent a great deal of time with her throughout high school, and due to this I had very minimal supervision. I would stay out late on school nights with other friends who lacked a fundamental home life and family dynamic. Those friends became other friends and soon enough I was partying with 18 and 19 year olds as a 15/16 year old. By 17, I had done nearly every drug imaginable, but the one I always came back to was cocaine. Even though I came from and lived in a good situation financially, hanging out with this crowd that seemed to accept me so much more than my bougie classmates meant hanging out with a lot of drug dealers and their friends from the other side of town. Right before my 18th birthday, I came across the opportunity to start selling coke, as a friend at the time’s father had the idea for me to start selling to my friends after I met him at a house party, in which he would front me an amount each week and I would pay him back what I owed. I didn’t need the money, but I still did it because even 2-3 months into my use I was thrilled at the idea of being able to do great amounts of coke for virtually free; all I had to do was pay my difference. This one decision to start selling changed my life, and soon enough I was doing close to an 8 ball of cocaine every day. I would go take finals in high school off 3 days of no sleep. But no one around me seemed to notice me crumbling. I eventually got sober with the help of a girlfriend at the time for about a year, and then one simple, random day I relapsed at a party. I started doing it more and more often as I felt I had full control. Things stayed this way, only using once every two weeks, or maybe one day of the weekend, and then I met this girl. She loved cocaine just as much as me, and loved paying for it a lot less. I had just landed a great paying job, but still lived check to check with how much I was spending on both of our habits. She slowed down, and I continued to spiral. I started using alone, and pretty soon I stopped feeling guilty for it, or feeling any way at all about it. Cocaine subconsciously became a part of my daily life and for months I didn’t even realize it. 3 overdoses, a seizure and plenty of mini strokes later, I’m still stuck. Still doing it nearly every day, and I have friends that have given up on trying to help. As a 20 year old on high blood pressure meds and at constant risk of hypertension attacks I realize I need to change my life. The biggest issue is my family has no clue and my mother’s heart would be broken. After everything she’s done for me, I can’t have my mistakes in life become her grief and disappointment. It would fuck the relationship beyond end. I guess I’m just wondering where to go from here? Rehab isn’t an option with my job because I can’t afford to lose it and I can’t afford any other care or detox. I fear any one of these next times using might be my last, but I still can’t find it within myself to truly want to change or make an effort.

Alright. We've all gone there or at least thought about it before.
Making the Anti-Party.
But the question is how? Sure you can sit there and make a party consisting of classes specifically designed to counter each party character. But, that's kinda lame; and it can make the players feel like the DM has it out for them.
The vast majority of player parties tend to fall into the whole found-family trope. They work together, live together. Can barely function in society. Kinda hate each other and are mean to each other, but less so than the rest of society. Most parties are very It's Always Sunny In The Forgotten Realms.
So I've used a type of party that aggravates these players, more than any characters designed to take them down. And yet, they often go out of the way to interact with them.
I propose an alternative. The wholesome anti-party.
Another party that is a part of the guild that genuinely loves each other and are fulfilled as individuals. This party can be made of anything. The same classes as the party, their opposites, all clerics, it doesn't matter.
The point is that this anti-party's members are nice people.
When competing against the players they will still provide buffs to the players. If asked for help they freely offer it. The party walking around town will see them building soup kitchens and orphanages, helping little old lizard ladies across the street, getting tabaxis out of trees, going on dates in adorable cafes. Everything they do is supportive and genuinely trying to make the world a better place.
Every single party I've done this to hates them with a burning passion. BBEGs get less hate.
One of the best introductions I've ever had to introduce these anti-parties is doing the good ol' Guild Teamwork Workshop session. Having the guild (or whoever the party works for) send them on a daytrip to learn to work better as a team then having a competing team made from this anti-party (as a side note having the workshop run by a super supportive and peppy character called something like Billy Buddy your Fungeon Master also helps drive home the absolute disdain for the workshop). It makes the party feel both a need to beat them and destroy them. And the best part is that if they do beat the anti-party, the anti-party loves it because the party worked as a team to do so.

As you may know or not, some player gets a higher OVR (that you won't see in-game) if they are played in a different position, according to eFOOTBALLHUB. An example would be WC Modric who is a 94 DMF, but if you play him at CMF or AMF then his in-game rating will be 99. In this post, I will analyze POTW and POTM players who get +5 or more if played in a different position. I will analyze 8 players. I will rate every players by tiers. Those tiers will be S+, S, A, B, C, D.

I know the title can be a bit misleading, but the goal of this analysis is to show if these players who get a higher rating in-game if played in a different position are really OP or even worth it.

Make sure to read every analysis to fully understand

SCALVINI : 88 CMF ➡ 95 CB Tier = C

Scalvini is a terrible choice either at CMF or CB. I would even that he is quite unusable. The problem with this card is that wherever who want to play him, either at CMF or CB, it's a lose-lose situation. If you play him at CMF, then bad news for you because he is a terrible passer (79 low pass and 78 lofted pass), his stamina is below average (78 stamina) and he has no passing skills like OTP or Through passing. If you play him at CB, then bad news for you because his defensive engagement is so low that you shouldn't even look at him (78 defensive engagement), his other defensive stats are below average, his heading stat is bad (77 heading) and he has only one defensive skill ( Aerial Superiority). It gets even worst : he has standard form and only two skills, Aerial Superiority which is kinda useless for him because he is already really tall (1,94cm) and LRS. On the other hand, there are three good things about him : He is very tall, he has 86 physical contact and his speed is ok.
Conclusion : Don't get impress by that +7 ovr, he is garbage.
​

MESSI DLF : 96 CF ➡ 101 SS Tier = s+

Wow just wow, easily his best card of Efootball 2023 Mobile. Huge buff compared to his base card. His stamina has always been a huge deal for some players, but this card has 77 stamina while his base card has 70 stamina so you see here a major buff. The Messi card with the best stamina with auto-build is Big Time Messi (80 stamina). His dribbling, finishing, OA and balance stats are S+ tier class. This card has the best passing stats among Messi card. His kicking power is decent. Moreover, he's slow for a winger but fast for a CF, SS or AMF. Luckily, he can play multiple position (AMF, SS, RW, CF). He's short, which doesn't suit very well for a CF but his height is okay for an AMF or SS and perfect for a winger. Also, he has DT, LRS, FTS, OTP, Through Passing, Pinpoint Crossing and many more which suits very well for the positions he can play.
Conclusion : If you got him then congratulation you have one of the best cards in the game. IMO, the best DLF in the game is Cruyff and this Messi Potw is second.
​

Modric : 94 DMF ➡ 99 CMF/AMF Tier = S+

For many, he is the best card in the game, and I understand why they say that. His stats are exceptional. He has 90+ low pass, lofted pass, ball control, tight possession, dribbling and balance which makes him a passing god and a dribbling god. He has insane curl stat : 89 curl. His OA is 83 which S+ tier for a DMF and CMF but A tier for an AMF. His defensive stats are more than average for DMF, decent for a CMF but way above the average for a AMF. His speed is average. He isn't the strongest physically, actually he is quite weak. He has decent finishing and kicking stats. His stamina is a bit low for DMF and CMF but perfect for an AMF. He can play DMF, CMF and AMF which make him versatile. He is too short for DMF, imo, as he will lose a lot of aerial battle (They're important in the game right now), but for CMF and AMF his height is okay. He has unwavering form. He has all the skills needed for a CMF or AMF.
Conclusion : Don't use him as a DMF as he's missing a lot of defensive skills and you are good to go.
​

GUNDOGAN : 94 DMF ➡ 99 CMF Tier = S

This card is actually very very similar to WC Modric. As they are very similar, I'm going to compare him to Modric. He is faster than Modric. Stamina : Gundogan 87 > Modric 86. Passing : Modric 90 low pass and lofted pass < Gundogan = 93 low pass and 90 lofted pass. Balance : Modric 90 > 78 Gundogan. Gundogan has standard form while Modric has Unwavering form. He cannot play AMF while Modric can. They have similar kicking power stat. They are both weak physically and average defensively. Gundogan has excellent finishing stat for a DMF : 85. Also, he has FTS. Like Modric, he has every skill needed for a CFM or AMF. Modric only has one defensive skills : Interception. Gundogan has zero defensive skills which makes him unusable at DMF imo.
Conclusion : Very similar to WC Modric but standard form and no defensive skills.
​

Wirtz : 94 CF ➡ 99 RWF Tier = S

Nice playstyle. A bit too short for CF but luckily he can play RWF and AMF. He has standard form. He is extremely fast : 86 speed and 90 acceleration. His OA is quite low for a CF but quite above average for a RWF and AMF. His passing stats are far better than 99% of DLF : 90 low pass and 82 lofted pass. He has the third best passing stats for a DLF in the game after Messi DLF and Gibbs-White DLF. His dribbling stats are excellent. His balance is decent. His stamina is average. His finishing is just awful. He lacks a crucial skill : FTS.
Conclusion : Standard form, no FTS, awful finishing, excellent dribbling, passing and balance stats.
​

Eze : 93 CMF ➡ 98 LWF Tier = S

This card is excellent but lacks a few things. He is really fast : 85 speed and 90 acceleration. His kicking power is good : 84. Physically, he's weak. His balance is really good : 90. His stamina is a bit low for a CMF, but he can also play AMF, LM and LWF which are positions that don't require high stamina stat. His defensive stats are trash, so think twice before using him as CMF. His OA is decent : 82. His dribbling stats are amazing. His passing stats aren't that great for a CMF or AMF, but if you plan using him as a Lm or LWF then his passing sudenly becomes a bit OP. His finishing is good : 81. His curl stat is bad : 79. He is a Hole Player which is one of the best playstyle in the game right now. He is a bit short for a CMF which can lead to many aerial battles lost. He has unwavering form. He can perform the special double touch aka roll over or ball over. The worst thing about this card is that he doesn't have OTP and Through Passing which are two key skills for a midfielder.
Conclusion : No OTP and Through Passing, Unwavering form, can perform the special double touch, he has FTS and Pinpoint Crossing and he is fast.
​

Raphael Guerreiro : 91 LB ➡ 96 LMF Tier = A

He is a Full-back finisher which means that one he will leave open space behind him often times and two he'll be very offensive. He is perfect for cross spamming which is pretty much dead now : 90 lofted pass, 87 curl and 82 kicking power. He is a bit slow for a left back which will be harder for him to catch fast winger like Big Time Coman however as a LMF his pace is just fine. Stamina is really important for a LB but he only has 84 stamina which isn't the biggest deal, but I'll recommend using players with 90+ stamina. He is quite weak defensively and physically. His passing and dribbling stats are really good for a LB and a LMF. His OA is decent. His balance is S tier. He doesn't have 90+ in any team playstyle. He is missing every defensive skills except acrobatic clear while being a LB which doesn't really make sense.
Conclusion : He can't defend, His pace and stamina are concerning, he has OTP and Through Passing, he has unwavering form. He doesn't have 90+ in any team playstyle.
​

Dilrosun : 88 CMF ➡ 93 LWF Tier = B

He has roaming flank which doesn't activate at CMF. He is short. He is really fast. He has no stamina for a CMF, but for an LWF it's fine. His dribbling isn't the best neither the worst. He, simply, can't pass. Decent OA, nice finishing stats. Good kicking power and balance. Standard form. No OTP.
Conclusion : No OTP, standard form, Super sub, really fast, no stamina, can't pass, good dribbling, decent OA and can permorm the special doube touch.
​

Conclusion : Efhub may give a higher rating to certain player like WC Modric 94 if played at another position however it won't guarantee a good result necessarily for multiple reason like a lack of skills, the height, the stats oand the form of the player.

* Soon, I will make a post about POTW/POTM players who have in-game an higher ovr if played at another position. In this post, I was analyzing players who have +5 ovr if played at a different position, according to Efhub. Next time, I will analyze players who have +4 played at a different position ,according to Efhub (like Potw Kimmich).

Hi, I'm Storm, a few months ago I dropped out of college and started cycling towards Scandinavia with my tent and sleeping bag. Having the time of my life but missing connections with people.
I'm writing this from a library in Hamburg while recharging my phone and legs. Tomorrow I'll be on my way to the Danish border. I will also be passing through the cities: Copenhagen, Malmö, Helsingborg, Halmstad, Gothenburg, Oslo, and the entirety of Northern Sweden/Norway, and probably Finland too (so Helsinki as well).
I'm looking for friends. I'm single so a relationship is possible, but let's be friends first (I'm straight FYI). If you just wanna chat that's cool with me as well, although I don't always have time/energy/mobile data coverage.
For some legitimacy, here are pictures of my trip so far:
https://imgur.com/a/oUzrios
I also have a very small Instagram page which you can find on my Reddit profile.
Some more info about me:
I love nature and animals, cooking and eating, weight lifting, bushcraft & survival, cycling, hiking, minimalism, reading, photography, travel (duh!), a little gaming, smoking weed with friends & listening to music. I love TV shows as well, like The Sopranos, The Wire, 24, Lost, Deadwood, Justified, Breaking Bad, Fargo. Also a little anime if it's not over the top (love Death Note & Naruto. Dragon ball is practically my youth in a nutshell).
I was raised by open-minded hippie parents listening to Bob Marley and 2Pac. Introverted person who dislikes large parties & nightlife. I don't mind your stance in politics, religion, or your ethnicity.
Send me a chat, I won't ghost you. 🤞

Since Osiris was too occupied to study Vex during Lightfall Campaign, I decided to investigate their behaviour on Neomuna. Here is something I assume to be important regarding Vex.
Mission: Under siege

Nimbus - "Looks like all the commotion made the Vex crawl out of their pesky little hidey holes around the city." Osiris - "That's the least of our concerns right now. Push forward, Guardian." Here, we are notified of the Vex presence by Nimbus. We can deduce that Vex was present on Neomuna before the invasion and also had a reaction against the invasion. In the very next area after this exchange, we see Vex fighting against the Shadow Legion in the ZEPHYR CONCOURSE, why? Is there any "object of interest" for Vex at that location? Perhaps, the environmental storytelling. On the other hand, we have Osiris "The Vex Guy" telling us to ignore Vex. Interesting... 

Mission: Breakneck

Ghost - "Rohan, I think we're still fuzzy here. What exactly is the CloudArk?" Rohan - "It's our city's network. our infrastructure, our people, our defences... everything depends on it." Nimbus - "And what we're doing now is stopping the Vex from siphoning energy from the CloudArk's reactor." Ghost - "Just so we're clear-if the CloudArk is lost, what does that mean for Neomuni?" Nimbus - "All our citizens have uploaded their consciousness into the CloudArk. No CloudArk means lights out for everyone in Neomuna" Ghost - "Hold on... these Vex are short-circuiting voluntarily." Rohan - "We haven't observed this kind of behaviour before. Hope you're taking note, Nimbus." (most likely a 4th wall break) Nimbus - "Of the headless robot dance? Yeah, I've seen it before. It's gotta be a way for them to create a gateway to the CloudArk. Or... express themselves... emotionally? I dunno; who can say, honestly?"  Ghost - "It's escaping! Wait... why did it leave?" Nimbus - "Weird. Something's off. Keep going, but... keep an eye out."  Ghost - "And that does it. How's it looking, Rohan?" Rohan - "Hmm. Something's still siphoning Power. Look around for any remaining Vex influence."  Ghost - "Something feels off here. That was a little too easy." This mission is a major entry for our investigation. We are given a rough idea of what CloudArk is, which is the focus of Vex. According to Nimbus, Vex is siphoning power from CloudArk. But we have known Vex for a long time to know that they don't need to rely on power from non-Vex objects to run operations. Which begs the question, if not power, then what? Information? We can also conclude that Vex has no intention of destroying CloudArk. Which is also interesting... Nimbus also says that All the citizens have uploaded their consciousness into CloudArk. Does that mean during this mission Vex was also connected to the consciousness of the citizens of Neomuna? That may explain their Voluntarily Short-circuiting. Is Vex trying to study or understand Neomuni? They are called 'Consumed Goblin'. Consumed by CloudArk? After Rohan's 4th wall break, Nimbus assumes Vex are trying to create a gateway to the CloudArk, or expressing themselves emotionally. Again this suggests they are trying to connect by either CloudArk or emotionally. Boss's Name is CALIXTE(Most Beautiful), SYSTEM WARD FINALITY(Final protector of the system?) Again suggesting that Vex are not here to destroy. But are protecting the System. Which system? CloudArk? This may be big if it is true. The boss also runs away which was given importance by Ghost. After defeating the said boss, Ghost describes it to be a little too easy. Running and being east to defeat suggests that the boss is not a combat frame, but still a warden. Then warden of what? another non-combat place where the word Warden is used is for Childcare. Did we just defeat a Beautiful Vex Childcare Warden? Shit!! 

I would have continued this but a lot of theories are being generated in my mind which may influence my upcoming investigations. so I must take a break and let it sink in.
Theories like Vex are defending CloudArk and the people of Neomuna along with it. It may open a path to a possible alliance with Vex in future.
​
Edit: I messed up the structure. feel free to correct me.

Hi all,
I'm probably long overdue for coming here. I'm a guy in my mid 30s, about 5'9. As I recall some stranger once saying when I was a teen, I've never lost my baby fat. I weighed about 200lbs throughout all my 20s. I always felt healthy though. I've always been active in one way or another. As a teen, I was a really good golfer, and spent my entire summers on the golf course. I had two kids in my early 20s... continued playing golf but much less frequently... but did a lot of camping (inc. hiking, canoeing, etc) during the summer with my fiance and our kids.
Around 2016, my fiance developed some mental health issues and developed a drug addiction. The next few years were difficult as I parented our kids solo 99% of the time and was trying to help her recover as best I could. Sadly, in late 2019, she took her life.
Prior to her death, I was already hurting. I was busting my ass to continue providing our kids the best life I could, but after the day was over, I began turning to my vices (alcohol and coke) for comfort. When she passed, I deliberately (and successfully) went sober for a few months because I knew how easy it would be for me to develop a serious problem trying to cope.
Since her passing, I've obviously done a lot of thinking. Whether right or wrong, I have no interest in pursuing any other relationships, as I consider her my soulmate. Neither of us believed in an afterlife, but I am very comfortable with death, because in one way or another, I believe it will be the closest I ever am to her again. I'm not suicidal whatsoever, but at the same time, I developed little interest in taking care of my health. All that matters to me is that I live long enough to see our children reach adulthood (our youngest is now 13) so that I don't leave them parentless as children.
I do love our kids. I think I'm more involved in their lives than most parents. I'm not simply giving up on life and waiting to die. I want to be the best parent I can. That's my only purpose though, and once they are able to make it on their own, I'll be at peace with my life and look forward to joining my fiance, even if it's just as ashes.
Ya, I know, I should probably talk to someone about these thoughts. Maybe I will, but right now I still believe them. Maybe I'm even coming around on that, because I'm expressing a concern about my health here...
Not crazy long after her passing, covid began, which surely didn't help my coping, and restricted my outdoor activities. Further, both my kids are now in their early teens and have little interest in doing things with their dad, other than having me drive them around.
I don't even want to step on the scales today, but I'm confident that I'm weighing in around 300 lbs. That's 100lbs that I've put on in 3-4 years.
I knew I was gaining weight, and I didn't care. I didn't have anyone to impress, and I only feel the need to live another 5 years or so for the sake of my youngest.
When it comes to meals, I'm not particularly health conscious, but I also don't think that I eat much worse than the average person. I enjoy cooking, and always have fresh options for me to cook up for either just me, or me and the kids. However, there's many nights when I feel like all I'm doing is driving them from one place to another, and I'll happily stop for the convenience of pizza instead of making a meal at home. (FWIW, my kids are both healthy weights)
HOWEVERRRRRRR, over the last little while, I feel that my lack of care for myself is catching up with me... Yes, I should probably go see my doctor, but I don't want to. I know there's a million things wrong with me, and I don't want to hear it. Again, my goal isn't necessarily to be in good health. However, I want to be capable of doing most things people in their 30s are capable of doing...
These days, I find that I need the temperature in the house significantly cooler than what my kids would like. When I do any physical activities, even simple ones, I get light headed very quickly. I run out of breathe very quickly from even the most simple cardio.
Even though I've said I don't care about my health, I definitely find my limitations ridiculous/embarrassing today and I try to hide them whenever possible. But some things are hard to hide. Just a few years back, I could hike for 10 hours in one day and be alright. Now, I feel I'd probably need to take a break if there was an uphill portion in the first 10 minutes of my hike.
I would like to start taking some baby steps to improve my condition. I would like to go for a one hour walk every day, but I'm honestly not sure if I could even handle that, as pathetic as it sounds. This got me thinking that maybe I need to lose some weight through dieting first. But as I said, I don't necessarily believe that my diet is a problem. But, my drinking could be. And this is what leads to my question...
When my fiance and I were together, I would usually pour myself a drink at night to help me relax and be able to sleep. Maybe 2oz of whiskey mixed with a little coca cola. Ya, we'd have friends over on weekends or go to parties where we'd drink more, but during the week, I did enjoy having one glass of whiskey before bed.
Over the last few years, I definitely drink too much. That being said, I typically view drinking/drug use as a problem when someone is doing it when they have other responsibilities on the go. My kids are getting older, so they aren't always asleep early on, but I never drink before they are both at home for the night. If it's a school night, I make sure that they have any homework done, etc. I don't even consider drinking anything until I'm at a point where I can basically sign out as a parent for the night.
I pour my drinks hard. Probably 5-6oz of liquor and a similar amount of coke in each. I drink them pretty quick over a couple hours until I pass out.
Based on my estimates, I probably drink 20oz of liquor (usually Captain Morgan Spiced Rum) and 20oz of pop (Coca Cola) on average a night. That's 1,500 calories.
Here's what gets me...
Supposedly, weight loss/gain is all about calories in and calories out. My understanding is that 3,500 calories = 1 lb (of fat).
I've probably been drinking 1,500 calories of rum+coke on average each night for over 3 years. 1,500cal per night = 547,500 cal each year. Assuming 3,500 calories = 1 lb, that's 156lb/year I should be gaining from my drinking.
As I said, I've put on about 100lbs in the last 3 years. That's significant, but it's far, far less than the 156lbs/year implied by my calculations...
Can someone tell me (truthfully) if after X drinks, my body stops absorbing the calories I'm drinking, and just pisses them straight out? If that's not the case, then how is it that I haven't put on 450lbs over the last 3 years because of my drinking?
I ask this specifically because I am looking for ways to lose some weight, and with exercise seeming so damn difficult right now, if I'm able to lose some weight through my dieting, I'd rather do that first. I definitely feel capable of going a month without drinking (not suggesting I can give up drinking entirely), but I would like to set realistic expectations.
If weight loss is all about calories-in and calories-out, then presumably, if I go a month without drinking (at 1,500 cal/day), I should lose about 13lbs in a month, without changing anything else. That seems INSANELY easy to me, and I can't help but feel this number is overstated. Or that my body is going to miss these calories and I'll be tempted to eat more food than I usually would.
Any thoughts or insight are appreciated. Sorry for using a burner. Just not 100% sure if I'm ready to commit to serious changes yet!

​

Today, we received heartbreaking news of a train mishap in Jajpur, Odisha, where as many as six railway workers lost their lives. It is reported that they sought shelter from a thunderstorm under some wagons of a stationary goods train, only for those very wagons to inadvertently roll over them.
In times like these, it's crucial to address accountability. Many are rightfully questioning the responsibility of u/AshwiniVaishnaw, the concerned authority in charge. These workers were under his jurisdiction, and it is essential that their tragic deaths are thoroughly investigated and the responsible parties held accountable.
Let us come together as a community to express our condolences and support to the families affected by this devastating incident. Additionally, we must urge for a transparent inquiry into the circumstances leading to this mishap and demand appropriate actions to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.

Having my soon to be 23rd birthday on June is both a blessing and curse. It's like a half way point for a New Year's resolution. I should've graduated from college this year by now. I should've had a job, my own place, a friend group, a significant other, and most important of all happy memories. Instead I just watch my youth wasting away right before my eyes becoming cynical. Doesn't help seeing everyone happy graduating with their happy memories while I quietly suffer alone. I can't keep gaslighting myself that there will be a next time. I made the same mistake in high school and even elementary school.
I had so many dreams when I was young. So much hope for the future. I grew up on old movies/shows like The Beach, Trainspotting, Clone High and etc. thinking how cool it would to grow up. I hoped I would be able to run away from my toxic family and start over. I hoped I would be able to travel the world, party away my sorrows, meet likeminded people, make love, break hearts and be heart broken. But as I got older reality hit me like a truck. I was always the outcast, outsider, loner, weird or quiet kid. I was never bullied, but I always felt invisible, forgotten or lost by people. I tried so hard to make friends, but something always went wrong. They aren't compatible, we move away, we drift apart, or they just don't care. I remember one instant I believe in 6th grade (2013?) people started getting smartphones and social media. I didn't get a smartphone until a couple of years later. I noticed very quickly how people started to become cliquey and form their own friend groups through snapchat and other social media while I was left behind. I witnessed some of these groups lasting till the end of high school and beyond into college. I don't know what's to blame. Am I just broken?
I remembered junior year of high school I tried to become more social, but it was way too late to form any connections and no one bothered to stay in contact even though I was friendly acquaintances with almost all my classmates. I thought it was funny at the time my senior superlative was something along the line most likely to never come back.
Once in college in the Fall of 2019 I tried even more harder to be more social and I finally thought it paid off when I found a group of new freshmen students like me. I even thought I was finally going to be able to live my life like in my dreams. But then the lockdowns started, my grades started flunking, I lost my scholarships, there was family drama/deaths/illnesses, I had a resurgence of PTSD and my "friends" all just ghosted me like I never existed. I hit rock bottom for almost 2 years, but somehow manage to claw myself out of that hole. Now I am wondering what's the point? I am not suicidal, but I am tired of hoping and living out of spite.
I have this cliché thought of being born in the wrong generation and romanticizing the past. I wish I could go back in time to the late 90s to start over before the inflation, wars, and social media. Maybe it would've been easier to find people to hang out with and make memories with especially when raving was a thing before it died out getting commercialized/outlawed and people weren't glued to their phones. It sure as hell would've been easier to find a place to live on my own and travel around the world instead of being trapped with my dysfunctional family in Ohio
Only thing that gives me hope now are some old EDM music. Makes me feel at peace. Words can't describe the bittersweet melancholy or blissful euphoria I feel dreaming of a future that never was. Closest I will ever get to finding paradise. A moment in life where I can be happy.
TDLR: Trainspotting 2 scene that made me tear up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsfVJMWL0E
Some Music: Angelo Badalamenti & Orbital - Beached https://youtu.be/Op2G_FTy6TY
Desiderio - Starlight (Ferry Corsten Remix) (2000) https://youtu.be/T5o1N5OtQlU?t=136
Accadia - Blind Visions (Accadia Club Mix) (2002) https://youtu.be/IfxC0m-W1jU?t=138

The morning after our victory, I led a small team of Paladins, Clerics, and Artificers, with Rogues outside of sight alongside us.
Well, it was more accurate to say that we took one of the military vehicles and carefully drove it over to the next city. The Artificers didn't strip entire cars bare on the street, they had to get it into a garage somehow.
This excursion was primarily exploratory, to see what we were dealing with at the end of our effective territory.
The blockade was a nice touch. We slowed to a stop, we got out, and we approached. When they raised their guns, I held my hand up, and we stopped.
"This is a formal request for a ceasefire." I stated, projecting my voice with the amplifier. "We will continue to approach, opening fire will signal to us that you do not value your lives."
We continued approaching, the guns still trained on us.
The person who came out to speak with us was more forced out, he clearly didn't want to be the one to talk to us.
"Am I to assume you speak with authority?" I asked. He looked at the other soldiers, he didn't have a clue. "Then I'll make this concise and brief. You will dismantle this blockade, you will retreat, and you will not prevent us from making contact with the neighboring city. Any attempts to prevent us from passing will result in your immediate capture, any attempts to harm us will result in your immediate death."
The standoff was tense, after a few moments, I began to count down. "Five."
I could see sweat beading down their faces.
"Four."
Eyes wide, terrified.
"Three."
They broke first, backing away, guns still trained on us.
"If your intention is to retreat, such that you can face us with a larger force, allow me to make one thing clear." I blasted their blockade apart, some of them screamed. "Your bullets are useless against us."
They ran, we cleared the blockade away, and we repeated this two more times.
Seeing the city after so long felt... overwhelming. I had completely forgotten how big it was. It was almost enough to not notice the checkpoint, and the fifty of so Humans who stood on the other side, guns pointed at us.
"I will allow one of you to shoot me." I said, walking toward them. "A freebie, use your highest caliber, try and hurt me."
The bullet that struck me ricocheted into a tree, The silence that fell was just as deafening as the report from the gun, they stared at me in utter shock, and then they all ran
Several Human civilians looked at the fleeing soldiers, then looked at us as we stepped out from our territory and into theirs.
"Oh, shit. That video was real." I heard someone say. "Look at that sick fuckin' armor." Another spoke. "Are they going to attack us?"
"Halt." I commanded, my troop stopped, the tension in the air was palpable.
"My name is Ruuk Stingtail." I spoke. "For the time being, I come in peace, and invite anyone who is curious to ask questions.After all, it has been a solid year and a half since we had any contact with anyone other than enemies and ourselves."
There was still tension, of course, but eventually someone did approach, cautiously, of course. "Yo, uh, can I touch you? You know, to make sure you're actually real and not some sort of weird animatronic?"
I reached my hand out and he touched it. "Whoa." He pulled his hand back.
Several Humans had pulled out their phones, they were already recording us. I quickly appraised the people around us, looking for anything we could exploit for our own uses. I noticed someone with their arm in a sling, it wasn't in a cast, but it was wrapped up.
"You there." I said, pointing at him. He pointed at himself. "Yes, come here."
He approached cautiously. "What happened to your arm?" I asked.
"I, uh, I tore a muscle." He said. "Doctor said I can't do much with it until it heals."
"Ruka." I said, looking at the Paladin of Bahamut. He walked closer. "Show us your injury, if you would."He did, there was the ugliest bruise I'd ever seen.
"Do you consent to having your injury healed?" I asked.
"What?" He asked, blinking.
"I'm offering to have your injury healed." I reiterated.
"Yeah, sure?"
Ruka gently laid his hands on the Human's arm. "O, holy Bahamut, heal this grievous wound and grant wholeness and wellness to his man, zyak qe coi."
The Paladin's hands radiated holy light, the bruise rapidly faded, and the Human stared at it, utterly awestruck. "Holy shit." He gasped. "I mean-"
"It is not taken as blasphemy." Ruka stated, holding his hand up.
"We are here-" I spoke, looking at everyone, "-to prove our existence beyond a single video. Circumstances demand that what we do isn't simply charity, but the means by which we can survive. For this, I am sorry, I recognize that in this way, I am using you." I paused, dredging up and wiping away tears. "Our people depend on this."
If we were to have any form of peace, any form of justification for war, we needed to be sympathetic. By taking prisoners, we made ourselves targets to any would-be vigilantes looking to serve their country.
By being up front about our intentions, we showed a quiet desperation, efforts made to foster peace, even though I had bared the fangs of war.
More Humans gathered, those who were sick or in pain, we provided healing. I told our story, of how we one day woke up like this, the struggles of finding ourselves in a situation where nothing was made for us, how when we were quarantined, we were forced to fend for ourselves. How when the mine collapsed, we worked together to save the trapped miners. How when we were blockaded so they could force us to die en masse, how we were blessed with miracles.
How, when we fully understood what our intended fate was, the people heard the wisdom of my Emperor and elevated me to the position of Imperator, and how I used my authority to direct our people to our first victory.
"I shall admit, taking those soldiers' lives brought us satisfaction." I said. "They had oppressed us, tried to eradicate us, we gave them every opportunity to choose peace, to choose life. I just can't understand how they couldn't see us as people who desperately wished for love and compassion."
I laid it on thick, and the Humans ate it up.
Before long, we had expended our spells, and I said, "We will try to return, presuming the military doesn't try to carpet bomb us into oblivion, our prisoners of war be damned. I pray your leaders see reason."
We returned to our commandeered vehicle, closing the checkpoint so nobody could get in, and we returned to the city.
We did this each day we could, speaking words of hope for peace, determination to protect ourselves as needed. As always, we provided healing to those who needed it, some people even came, desperate for relief from something incurable, to which we did the best we could. Throughout this, I spoke of things to come, a thriving city, as much a part of the world as anywhere else, a place where we could share the wonders of magic.
I was asked, "Why do you close the gate when you leave?"
I simply answered, "If you entered, they would force you to remain, even though we know anyone who remains Human under the Divine Gate remains Human." It was an embellishment, but it was more poetic and exotic.
Throughout all of this, the military watched us like a hawk, waiting for us to slip up and cause some damage.
Days turned to weeks turned into a month, and we had solidified our existence to the world. We turned the checkpoint into our border, our Rangers found that we were completely sealed in on all sides by fencing.
I declared it the territory of the Empire.
"All of the land that the U.S. government sealed off belongs to the Empire." I spoke. "By locking it behind fence and gate, they have declared it our border, and we shall agree to that sentiment."
It was such a tiny parcel of land, compared to the rest of the continent, but it could comfortably fit ten offshoot villages, each which could connect us to other cities.
Construction of the new border wall began shortly after, the fencing uprooted piece by piece, replaced by solid stone proudly displaying the anachronism our lives had become, and even though there had been no agreement to peace, the U.S. government was powerless to stop us.
The moment I had claimed the land, the moment it was known to be claimed, my Emperor had claimed it in turn. By the end of the week, we had a new border wall built, one that was staffed with Rangers, Druids, Fighters, and Artificers. One that was connected by tramways, simplifying travel.
And throughout this all, Darastrixthurhi was transformed from a lifeless rock, to a city teeming with plantlife.
My Emperor held me in his arms as we laid on our bed. Sharing a bed together had always been a highlight of his being with me, his willingness to hold me, to touch me, made it all better, made it all right.
"Our enemy stalls for time, while we win the hearts of their people." He mused. "I can hear them praying to me, wishing for strength, for power, and I pull on them, make their hearts yearn. Tomorrow, invite them to visit, to witness the splendors of our nation, to feast with us in the name of peace."
"As you wish, my Emperor." I spoke.
"Ruuk, I permit you to call me your love."
"As you wish, slaitov." I replied. "Shall there be a day when we show our subjects?"
"I shall announce it during our feast." He replied.
My heart thundered, it was so sudden, yet... "Thank you, slaitov."
"Soon to be husband, Imperator mine." He replied.
When I announced the feast, the Humans who wished to join us were ecstatic. I even extended the invitation to the military personnel. "Come as civilians, if you would." I said.
The preparations that went into the feast went underway, we had a good hunt and our efforts to preserve our food was going excellently. When the Humans arrived, they marveled at the tramways, the architecture of our housing, our magical wonders. Some even saluted me, though they said they simply wanted to give me the respect I deserved.
I ensured they had the grand tour of the town, but when we neared the wall into the Fortress City, I spoke solemnly, "Any further, and you risk your Humanity." I looked at them all. "I would interpret any such entry as a desire to join our Empire, and will expect a pledge of loyalty."
The look of longing in their eyes showed me that my warning was largely going to be ignored. Hell, a handful of Humans walked right in, transforming almost immediately.
"It reacts to a want to become a Kobold." I said. "Anyone who doesn't want to might have a better time of it."
While our new citizens were given some proper clothing, I led the rest of the Humans around.
"Why didn't you stop them?" One of the Humans, a female soldier, spoke.
"Why should I?" I asked. "I very clearly stated what would happen, they made the choice."
I showed them around the Artificery, magic items and what technology we were able to make was proudly on display. I noticed one of them palm a device and walked over to them, holding my hand out. "Do not think we are not paying attention." I said. There was a tense moment before she put it in my hand. "Besides, this is just a little hand fan." I flicked a switch, two paper and wood blades extended and began to spin. "You taking this would have left one of our prisoners without any form of air conditioning."
I put it back, they tried to hide the anger at my casual mention of prisoners.
"Are they being treated well?" The soldier asked.
"Yes." I said. "Due to the lack of wireless signal, we allow them their phones so they have something to occupy their time when we're not putting them out in the yard for exercise or giving them their ration."
"You're forcing them to eat rations?" She asked.
"We all eat rations." I replied. "Feasts like this are for when we have a surplus that we can't guarantee to keep." I smirked. "That being said, as we are smaller, we need less to eat than the average Human."
I didn't pretend any of that was meant to be reassuring. "The prisoners will be joining us for the feast." I said. The incredulous looks I got elicited a chuckle from me. "If you think I'm being bold or flippant, we have them fitted with enchanted collars that will choke them if they attempt to flee. They are cursed, you see, and can only be removed with magic."
"That's fucked up." Another soldier stated.
"Inhumane, actually." I corrected. "But it's the only thing we have available that won't accidentally kill them. The worst that will happen is they'll pass out, a passive regeneration effect will keep them alive."
"Have you... tested these collars?" A third soldier asked.
"We have a small group of Sorcerers in the Warren who tried to summon a Demon for power." I said. "They have tested the collars every now and again, usually by fucking around and finding out." We approached the area where the feast was being held, food was already being set up, the prisoners were already seated, their eyes widened when they saw their fellow soldiers.
"You won't get away with this." The female soldier growled.
"Funny, that's what we said when we were locked in here." I replied. "They are fed, given water, are clothed, and are provided shelter. That's far more than we were ever given."
I directed them to their table, and soon, everyone was sat, except for my Council, and my Emperor. They arrived shortly after every one was seated, each took their seats. I sat beside my Emperor's seat.
I noted that same female soldier was attempting to film us surreptitiously.
"Today, we are gathered to welcome our Human guests, those who have seen us as people, rather than monsters." My Emperor spoke. "The establishment of my Empire was always a dream, to bring back a glory lost to time, to honor the thousands who died during the first Dragon Rage, to honor those who were murdered by my long-standing enemy." He looked around. "It had always been me desire to hunt down every last one of his children, to eradicate them, it was my Imperator who entreated me to choose compromise."
He paused, taking up a cup. "These Humans are here because my Imperator has likewise chosen compromise, to cast aside the hatred that has grown in his heart, for the sake of our peace and prosperity. Enough lives have been lost, let the first year of our Empire not be drenched in blood, that in peace and prosperity, our greatness is acknowledged, whether grudgingly, or emphatically. To my Imperator, without whom this victory would have never been manifest."
Every Kobold raised their cups, including our new citizens.
"And to our guests, who have agreed to come here in peace. May their wisdom be echoed by their leaders."
The cups were raised again.
"Now enough talk, let us feast!"
The Human frowned, putting their phone away. It was clear she didn't get what she wanted from that. After everyone polished off their plates, the people began dancing as our musicians displayed their newly awakened Bard Class- it seemed not simply playing or doing well at the arts was enough, one needed confidence and a desire to entertain.
Our guests were allowed to mingle and enjoy themselves, though the prisoners were kept under guard, any Soldiers who wished to speak to them would have to live with the fact that they would be listened in on, and considering the guards could use the spell Comprehend Languages, well, they wouldn't be able to hide beneath a foreign language.
"So, you're the leader of this little group." I regarded the Human who approached me, that same soldier who seemed bound and determined to catch us with our pants down.
"Yes." I said. "Your attempt at catching us with your recording won't work, you know." She betrayed surprise. "One, any idiot would know not to say anything incriminating at a party their enemies are invited to. Two, anyone stupid enough to do so wouldn't even make it as far as we did."
"Indeed." She said. "What was this about compromise?"
"Exactly as it sounds." I replied. "My God, Kurtulmak, has nurtured a well-earned hatred of Gnomes, considering their God committed near genocide against us. Imprisoned against his will, for the crime of wanting justice... When the victors write the history books, they will do everything in their power to make those who are suffering injustice out to be the bad guys."
"And what will your history books say?" She asked.
"That depends on your leaders' answer, Miss..?"
"Martel." She said. "Corporal Martel."
I had completely put it out of my mind, after all, we got our vengeance on the soldiers who tried to have us massacred by a God.
"So." I said. "The one who set Garl Glittergold against us shows her face." I remarked. Her eyes widened. "Why were you, of all people, not present that day, when we marched on your encampment?"
"I was called away on duty-" She started.
"Bullshit." I said. "You fled, didn't you? You ran from your fellow soldiers like the coward you are, you left them to die."
Arcane energy crackled across my body, and I had to hold back from blasting her apart. "Leave." I hissed. "This day of peace is not for cowards and traitors."
She backed away, clearly terrified. I couldn't hold back the anger any more, but I wasn't going to let her be a casualty yet. I aimed my spell at the metal pole, the Witch Bolt striking it. "I said LEAVE!" I roared. "IF YOU EVER DARE TO RETURN HERE, I WILL END YOUR MISERABLE, PATHETIC, COWARDLY LIFE!"
She fled, I did not care that several eyes were on me, if there was one thing I hated more than Humans, it was self-serving cowards like her.
I felt my God's touch on my shoulder, his presence soothed the rage, granted me the clarity of mind I needed to function. I cast my gaze toward the rest of the soldiers, who looked like they were mice caught in a trap. I approached them.
"You may leave, if you wish." I stated. "My anger at her is not anger at you."
"What the fuck did Tiana do, that pissed you off so much?" One of the soldiers asked.
"That woman was the one who called down a God to kill us." I stated. "The fact that she is present at all means she abandoned her post and left her fellow soldiers to die." My lip curled into a snarl. "The only thing I hate worse than anything, is a coward and a traitor, and that woman, Tiana Martel, is both."
I sensed a jolt of shock from my Emperor, I looked at him.
"Ruuk." He said. "Say that name again."
"Tiana Martel." I replied.
My Emperor about faced and roared, "Paladins of Bahamut, after that woman! Move!"
The Paladins gave chase, our Emperor did not order them around, out of respect for his pact with Bahamut.
"My Emperor, do you really want to risk any peace we could gain, chasing after one woman?" I asked.
"Ruuk." He said. "What are the chances that a single woman who can call down a God, who has knowledge of us that can be exploited, is suddenly not present when we finally make a counter attack? By our pact, your eyes are my eyes, and she has tried to cause problems the entire time she has been here."
He paused. "Tiana Mahtel, that's how she pronounced it, yes?"
I blinked.
"Wait, that woman is Tiamat?" I asked.
As if in answer, there was a roar, and in the distance, a dragon reared up, one bearing five heads of different colors.
​
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Is the potion/item cap this game is finally implementing.
In the turn based games you could stockpile a seemingly infinite quantity of items because they were already naturally balanced out by the turn based nature of the games where you could only use an item once per turn so no point in healing up a party member if it's just going to die the next turn right? And no point reviving one ally if the next attack could heal your whole party.
This did not translate well to action based gameplay in FF15 where you can just constantly heal whenever you want. If you get hit, just warp away heal up and come back. You don't sacrifice a turn do use said items which could have been important for something else like a stat buff or attack or limit break. You can just heal endlessly with no committment to it, making the game a breeze as a reuslt.
The same issue also extended to Forspoken which was built on the same engine and took some cues from FF15s gameplay system.
In FF16, there is finally a hard limit cap of about 3-6 potions rather than being able to carry like 50 so you have to ration them properly.

Hello! I'm looking for some people to play games and hang out with. Now I play an assortment of games but ill get to that in a minute.First I would prefer if you were around my age 16-19 and he timezone/region can be whatever because my sleep schedule is wack when I don't work. I'm also looking for people who are willing to message each other. I also would prefer if you had a mic because it makes communicating a lot easier.
Now on about myself, I enjoy lots of anime and have seen enough to where I can have long conversations (a little too much lol). I've seen A LOT of it so I would be down to watch or even rewatch some. I like a lot of genres of games such as Fps, survival, space,rogue-like, automation etc. I'm a night owl when I don't work so ill be on almost the whole day. I also can have a dark sense of humour at times and don't mind if you have one as well.
Here are just a few that I have been playing or would possibly want to play
Stardew Valley
Valorant
Terraria/Modded
Valheim
Risk of Rain 2
Apex legends
Starbound
Guilty Gear Strive
league
Lost Ark (basically at the beginning)
and possibly Maplestory (idk looked interesting)
and many other parties or games of the genre that I mentioned. (also your skill level in gaming doesn't really matter to me, as long as you can have a good time while playing)
I'm also down to just be on a call and talk while we play different games or if you want to vent about your day.
That's about it for this post! Just be around my age and timezone and it should be good.
message me your discord and an intro about yourself (age, name, likes, whatever you want).
also don't be shocked if it takes me a while to respond sometimes, I get swamped with work quite often!

First Prev Next Royal Road Patreon
u/KieveKRS providing the Trash certification of quality! (with help from u/coldfireknight cuz this one needed it.)
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Nalah affixed the massive shield to her back, the rectangular form large enough for him to fit behind while only needing to crouch slightly. It was mostly ironwood, but the sides and front were metal-plated, so it still weighed a considerable amount. Despite that, the thing’s bulk hardly seemed to be noticed by the blonde-furred female, likely due to the constant construction work she involved herself in. It paired oddly with the long pike she insisted on using, but he couldn’t deny that poking at things while hiding behind a mobile wall sounded like a good idea.
Jax was wearing his new armour, the bulky chest-piece a mirror of his blond-furred pack mate’s. Though he forwent the protection a buckler or likewise would offer, he doubled up on gear. Gauntlets, vambraces, pauldrons, and anything else he could wear to compliment the massive axe he had taken a liking to.
Where Nalah was fitted to look like an apocalypse survivor—her protections limited to her torso, forearms, and shield—the black-furred male resembled a giant, if underfunded, paladin. All he needed now was some religious imagery and a penchant for exalting the qualities of their god. Joseph almost nudged the guy to suggest it for kicks.
On second thought, he decided that Jax absolutely did not need a reason to start yelling about the Human-turned-religious-figure, because there was no way in hell he wouldn’t. There was no telling what he would choose to say, and the Grand Hunter was perfectly happy never knowing.
Having been with the male as long as he had, it would probably involve ‘taming’ females or something else that would leave him groaning for weeks, if not just contemplating another high-dive from the cliff.
Joseph fixed his own equipment, the ‘Wraith armour’ worn over his own thin iron breastplate. He wasn’t thrilled to wear the extra weight, but it beat being mauled by the thing they were heading out to kill. The trips so far had been tolerable, fog and overcast skies keeping the temperature in check, but he didn’t want to go out in this on a hotter day as Summer really kicked back in. He was sweaty enough without baking inside all this crap.
He adjusted the wolf-skull mask, the rest of the hunting party having gotten over the worst of the unease it gave them. Though they’d needed to rotate people out for the sake of fairness, this would be their eighth consecutive scouting. Using the information that Raine and Faye provided, they narrowed down a likely stomping grounds for the creature and were systematically clearing sectors. It might have been discouraging to keep looking after so long, but the occasional marking on trees and the odd moss-wolf corpse tipped them off that they were getting close. There was still another week’s worth of searching left if today wasn’t the day, but somehow he doubted they wouldn’t need that long.
All in all, they numbered six; larger parties were attempted, but their efforts at stealth quickly became pointless between so many trudging through the forest and stopping for breaks. There was a bit of a scare where one of Mi’low’s pack went missing, but the guy had just stopped to relieve himself. Since the discovery was made by someone else knocking him over in the process by mistake, they decided that keeping the number smaller made communication easier. And lowered the amount of grumbling about needing a bath.
Jax, Nalah, two security members, one of the hunters, and him. Sure, grabbing Tel or the Wraiths would have been a bit more useful for cohesion, but they were all busy with things, and he didn’t want to grind everything in the settlement to a halt for nothing if the search turned up empty again. They were more suited to taking out their fellow Lilhun than some monster in the woods, as much as he disliked the thought.
Scarlet was spending a lot of time with Violet and the new Atmo, Faye was spending much of her recovery with the moss-wolves and moss-pup, and Tel was in the process of helping Harrow shore up the few security members that were slated to become snipers. Kaslin was still learning chemistry with Toril, and Raine was helping whoever needed a hand, so that marked off all of his usual accompaniment. He could have taken more of his direct pack, but they all had important things to take care of as well.
Sahari was managing the pack and putting people where people needed to be put, Pan was working with Idee and Heralt to make a line of armour for the whole pack, and Mi’low was...well, Mi’low. He was pretty sure she was unofficially the master of the hunter’s lodge and spent most of her time keeping track of what came in and out of it, while also making sure that everyone got their fair share. It needed to be done with the settlement growing as much as it had, and it kept Mi’low busy enough to stymie the flow of complaints, so he wasn’t about to complain.
They double checked that they had everything that was needed; food, water, arrows, bolts, and some bags to store anything that the snares had caught on the way back. Four ranged and two melee weapons meant that they would be mostly using Jax and Nalah to soak hits if it came down to it, the others peppering it with projectiles. Given that Harrow was insistent on the bear-thing being resistant to anything they could use at a distance, they also carried spare weapons for the ranged users, just in case. Nodding, Joseph gestured to the group finishing up their preparations for the day’s trip.
“A moment, sir?” Scarlet called to him as she approached the gate, the Wraith flanked by Rose and Cobalt. The two Atmo were decked-out in their own armour, which appeared to be almost entirely metal, save for the palm lining the inside for comfort. Each of their six legs were adorned with broad shields, their bases capped off with a flat storage carriage. They looked like someone had a little too much fun testing how much the insects could effortlessly carry and had ended up with sapient hexapedal tanks.
“Only if you explain why those two would look more at home if they had cannons installed on their backs,” he quipped, an expression somewhere between surprised, amused, and plain dumbfounded plastered on his face. The blackish red-furred female smirked for a split-second before resuming her usual servile presentation.
“The young mistress had extended her request for these two to accompany you.”
Joseph tilted his head incredulously. “Violet told you to send them?”
Scarlet nodded, gesturing to the outfitted Atmo. “They have been under her tutelage for some time now, and wish to be of assistance.”
The Grand Hunter snapped his mouth closed when he was about to ask why his daughter would teach them anything that might be useful for fighting a deadly beast. Of course she did; It was one of the first things he did for her. It would have been weirder for her not to pass on what she knew after all the hours she spent either seeing him coach the others, or being coached herself. With the time she had under her belt, she was the local Atmo Close Quarters Combat specialist, and no one else understood how the modified boxing she learned worked with their bodies like she did.
He wore a hesitant expression, shifting his weight to his other leg. “Well, they’ve certainly geared up.”
“It is a product our smith is rather proud of,” the Wraith affirmed confidently.
He exhaled slowly. “Seems a bit much.”
She seemed to be expecting the remark, barely pausing to register what he said before responding. “Your kit wishes you safe, yet understands you would not allow her to accompany you. These two wish to be of assistance.”
To punctuate her point, the two nodded in agreement, walking forward and slinging some of the backpacks onto their carriages. It seemed ‘no’ wasn’t something they were going to accept after Violet had said her piece. He sighed, conceding that they wouldn’t slow the party down with everyone carrying so much weight in equipment, regardless of the bags. They took breaks frequently enough to accommodate the Atmo, so that wouldn’t hinder anything either.
“Fine,” he relented with a wave of his hand. “We’ll take them. Not like they’d hurt anyway. But–” He put a warning into his tone. “–they’re not playing the hero and getting themselves killed. This isn’t going to work if they think any of us dying is still a net positive, got it?”
The two Atmo mimed their understanding, Scarlet replying with a victorious smile. Joseph couldn’t help but bemusedly roll his eyes. The female had taken rather well to baby-sitting, and that seems to have extended to humouring the young Queen’s schemes now. It wasn’t an unwelcome addition to their little sojourn. At least they could haul back any larger game without it tacking hours onto the return trip.
He thanked Scarlet for her trouble before dismissing her, confirming with the group that everything was accounted for, and set off before it grew too late. He wasn’t looking to get caught out in the woods during the night. The Lilhuns might be fine, but he was pretty well blind unless the moon felt generous.
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Jax watched the two Atmo quietly follow on the sides of the group, their heavily armoured forms posing no issues with their naturally soundless movements in the forest. In the den, they would make moderate clacks and clicks as their chitinous legs contacted the ground, but the soft dirt and foliage stifled all but the smallest report of their travel. With Scarlet supervising alongside Violet, he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the former Blade had influenced their movement with the goal in mind, though he had never paid much attention to how they walked before to compare.
He had to admit, having them carry the additional equipment was exceedingly useful. He had proposed having the group use the newly acquired platforms on their more arachnid-like abdomen to rest in shifts, but Joseph was quick to insist that the insects were of lesser stamina than even Lilhuns. The phrasing seemed like a comparative insult, but Jax had more than enough experience with the Human to know that he had simply spoken his mind. To him, everyone had sub-par stamina. Training had gone some way to remedy the discrepancy, but the Grand Hunter could still continue for longer than even the most well-conditioned of them.
The black-furred male rolled his shoulders, feeling the heft of his axe shift with the movement. It was an impressive size, the weight well-balanced and its edge sharp. He had once laid it to the ground out of curiosity and confirmed that it was about as tall as Pan from head to haft, though only if she stood to her full height. Regardless of its size, it was still lighter than the armour he chose to don.
Having only really worn leathers or a few sets of ironwood protections, the encumbering prominence of the iron equipment took getting used to. It wasn’t entirely restrictive, but did put a damper on any chances he had of sprinting from danger. That was fine, he supposed, since he was wearing it against a beast he had no experience with. It could very well outrun him regardless, and he would rather have the defences in either case.
Nalah seemed to be doing fine, the large barrier she kept on her back swaying slightly as she walked. She was unhindered by it, her movements barely affected by the bulk, which was reassuring. Joseph, however, seemed to be panting more than usual, the rolling cloud coverage easing as the sun progressively warmed the environment. The fog from earlier meant that it was rather humid, and that seemed to bore no well wishes for the male encased in dark leathers and thick plates. He had even flipped down his hood, the sweat beading on his skin adding a sheen to his visage.
“I liked this better when the sun didn’t exist,” the Human lamented quietly, just loud enough for Jax to hear. The black-furred male chuckled.
“It would be rather dark.”
Joseph glared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes. “I just don’t rank ‘heavily armoured hike through the woods’ high up on my list of things I want to do regularly.”
“I believe that list would be occupied by your mates, no?” he ribbed playfully, a smirk arising when the Grand Hunter shunted his eyes closed in a grimace.
“I hate you.”
“I can see your smile underneath your displeasure, Joseph,” Jax quipped, nudging the male with his elbow, then giving an apologetic smile when his friend almost fell. Joseph sighed, waving Cobalt over and fetching a water-skin from the luggage that the insect was ferrying without breaking stride—though he needed to be careful not to get stepped on.
The Atmo always amused Jax. Be it their passive demeanour hidden by their towering stature, or his interactions with the den-kit, they never failed to be curious people. Having the two that accompanied Volta with them was an unexpected development, but he couldn’t claim to disapprove. If they had been imparted the methods of combat that Violet had cultivated, then there was little worry of them being harmed by naught but perhaps their current target. At least not until there was a better reference of its strength than the single encounter the first-years had so long ago.
At the time, it had smashed pillars and pierced flesh effortlessly, claws proving to be little more than tempting ministrations of tender touch to the thick hide. Jax only had some of the pack’s recount to base the experience off of, but was content to take their word for it. He was, ashamedly, preoccupied taking care of baser needs when the event transpired, so he was woefully unprepared for the eventual encounter. Still, he was afforded the best the settlement had to offer so that he might serve his duty of protecting the Grand Hunter. Harrow would never forgive him if only he returned.
His thoughts were disturbed by Joseph calling for a rest, Jax’s legs thankful for the break from supporting the unusual weight for so long. The Human dispensed rations and water for the pack, the Atmo waiting until everyone else was supplied before accepting their portion. They rested on their base directly, instead of curling their legs beneath them like Jax had become accustomed. Perhaps the armour impeded such, or they wished to remain mobile in the event such was required. Regardless, they blocked what little breeze there was, forcing the Grand Hunter to walk beyond them to enjoy it in the shade. It was short-lived however, as Rose quickly repositioned to stay between the pack and whatever lay beyond their protections.
It was a futile effort, it seemed, because it repeated again twice before Joseph groaned loudly and threw himself atop the carriage to lay back, his legs dangling at the knee. He seemed perfectly content with the unorthodox arrangement, snorting his amusement along with a muttered comment about a ‘taxi.’
The entertaining sight was marred by a distant yelp, snapping the group to attention. Jax and Joseph traded looks, subtle nods and gestures given to move out while remaining quiet. Ignoring his earlier complaints, the Grand Hunter flicked his hood up and donned the mask, drawing his crossbow and readying a bolt. The hunter of the pack mimicked the preparation, the two security members loosely nocking their arrows while Rose, Cobalt, Jax, and Nalah took point.
They proceeded quietly for far longer than the proximity of the noise would have suggested, but marks and gashes upon the trees implied a moving conflict. Thoughts of it being a lost cause quickly became moot as a closer growl and bark shattered the careful silence they had been maintaining.
Motioning for the pack to stop, Joseph waved Jax forward, Nalah approaching the other side. Using the large shield as additional cover, they peered around a particularly thick tree. Locked in combat were two moss-wolves, both attacking a truly massive grey creature.
Twice the Human’s height, half that in width. Four pillars as legs—the muscular trunks sinewy and defined—supported the disturbing hunched figure, the wide base tapering slightly into a thick and extended torso. A singular eye-stalk replaced the head, the ocular organ atop it pitch black and free of any indication of its focus. Four arms with deadly claws parried and sliced the two yellow beasts as they attempted to drive off the predator, a sickeningly large maw gaping to catch any attempts at a lunge. The mouth of the creature almost occupied the entirety of the available surface area upon its front, the jagged bone tools of manduction undulating with the promise of sustenance.
Joseph pulled them back, cursing under his breath as he tried to fight off the tension. From Nalah’s worried expression, it seemed his caution was rather potent, the other members of the group smelling his reaction as well.
“So, what’s the plan, Jax?” the Human whispered, his grip on the crossbow alternating with his fingers stretching across the trigger lest his fidgeting cause a misfire.
“I thought that, with your record, you would wish to tame it for the settlement,” Jax replied while thinking through a plan of action. He was glad that his friend trusted him, but he wished he had known the true scale of the beast prior. Joseph grit his teeth, turning to glance past the tree again with sarcasm pouring out of his response.
“Can’t quite see Winnie-the-woodchipper there playing great with kids.”
“You say that after adopting an Atmo as kit, Grand Hunter,” he returned, nodding to himself when a plan formed. The Human smiled, the banter easing the tension somewhat. “Rose, Cobalt, you two are the most well defended of us. Circle around and drive the beast this way. You should be capable of such without noise, yes?”
The two insects nodded, emptying their luggage behind a tree so as not to lose any of it before disappearing into the trees. The slight glimmer of their iron armour was the only indication of their position through the dense forest. Jax hoped that the beast was not particularly curious about the dimly pulsing glare, nor finished with its current altercation in time to impede the pair.
Satisfied with their progress, he motioned for the two security members to scale a tree and gain a superior vantage point. Their weapons would be able to maintain a more rapid pace of sustained fire at longer ranges. Joseph and the hunter were instructed to hide behind trees nearby, though the Human would need to remain grounded as his lack of claws made scaling the large flora difficult with his equipment.
Finally, Nalah and he positioned themselves much closer, in order to flank the creature as it fled the Atmo and occupy it long enough for the others to bleed it out, if not outright dispose of it.
With the forms of the Atmo peeking through the brush opposite them, Jax raised his axe to signal the start.
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Joseph felt the hammering in his chest, his heart preparing him to fight for his life against the walking abomination that easily outclassed the only other predator that he had experience with. Sure, the moss-wolves were easy to take down once you had equipment and a plan, but that thing screamed danger.
He watched Jax and Nalah set up behind thick trees, their goal being for Jax to hopefully disable a leg or two with the war-axe while Nalah occupied it with the shield. As the two strongest members of his little family, he trusted both to do their job.
As a clusterfuck of animal and torture device, he had no faith in the creature playing along.
Swallowing his hesitation, he adjusted his grip on the crossbow again, mentally tallying his shots and cursing himself for not researching explosives. Sure, Toril didn’t want to be involved in that kind of weapon, but at the moment, the tailless white-furred male could suck it up and make one anyway. Joseph would give his left nut to see how quickly the chemist would make weapons of mass destruction just to annihilate whatever that thing called home.
Jax raised his axe, glinting the sunlight of it towards the Atmo. Receiving the start signal, the two clicked and loosed a deafening screech, the Human’s ears ringing even from this distance.
The beast seemed unperturbed by the noise, though the lack of visible ears may have had something to do with the lacklustre effect. Regardless, it did notice the two armour-clad insects charging at it, and smartly decided to extradite itself from the area. The moss-wolves, however, didn’t quite get the memo, mistaking the advancing assistance as yet another foe to defend themselves from.
He had to say, Violet taught the two well. They flashed their blades out in the same flicker jab that he had shown his daughter, and with an unceremonious squelch, the two bisected canines landed in four pieces, a vibrant green ichor now staining the weapon-like appendages of the Atmo. Undeterred by their first act of violence—as far as he was aware, anyway—they continued herding the beast.
It wasn’t as fast as they might have feared, its quadrupedal gait hindered by its proportions, but it was still quick enough to be damn intimidating. Its arms acted as a counter balance, constantly adjusting this way and that just to keep it stable. That thing was clearly never meant for sprinting, all its mobility being given to the overactive maw that pulsated with the exertion.
He readied his crossbow, the shaking in his hands not ruining his aim against such a large target. He eyeballed the distance between the creature and the ambush point, forcibly moving his finger off the trigger so that he didn’t fire early.
Closer. Come on. Almost.
Now.
Jax wound up like a particularly enthusiastic lumberjack, putting his full body into the rotation. The massive axe swung like a horizontal pendulum striking home with all the finality of a clock tolling midnight. It bit into the front leg of the beast, only sinking a few inches before momentum nearly wretched the weapon from the black-furred male. Luckily, the force and timing was enough to trip it, the creature crashing to the forest floor with a deafening roar of pain.
They could hurt it. That made him feel better.
His relief evaporated as the beast swiftly recovered, hauling itself from the ground faster than he thought possible, but his archers took it for an unspoken signal. Arrows and bolts peppered its thick hide, to no effect—it shrugged off the projectiles like they were nothing more than pine needles, none sinking far enough to gain notable purchase.
Jax hefted his axe for another strike, careful not to over-commit this time. Nalah prodded the beast wherever she could with her pike, the melee weapon sliced and skewered just past the surface of the hide, though not enough to do more than marr. It was, however, enough to gain the attention of the target, the creature swinging two of its four arms to rake across the shield that the blond-furred female held. The iron plating across the front let out an unearthly shriek as claws ripped and crumpled the metal.
Well, fuck.
Nalah was quick to react, treating the shield less as an immovable barrier and more like a slight distance buffer, dodging in and out of range to steal jabs with the polearm. The security members nocked another volley, picking different targets than before. An arrow bounced harmlessly off the black orb of an eye, another finding purchase in what passed for gums in its mouth.
The hint was received; aim for the mouth. Thankfully, that was a large target. Less thankfully, it realized that flashing its teeth was detrimental to its health, slamming the maw closed.
Jax managed another swing, this time into one of the rear legs. It wasn’t as effective as the first strike, but it did warrant a sweeping double back-fist from the creature, scoring Jax’s armour with shallow claw marks as he jumped backwards. Joseph let out a breath as he fired his second shot, only just narrowly missing the sliver of a gap between razor teeth that the enraged attack afforded. It couldn’t keep its mouth shut forever, each frenzied swipe pulling its form enough for glimpses of softer flesh within to appear. The hunter dropped from their tree, darting across to reposition for a wider angle to capitalize on. The creature noticed, lunging forward to eviscerate the easier target.
Joseph blinked as two armoured figures jumped in front of the Lilhun, raising their blades in a tight guard to block the four arms grabbing for a quick meal. The beast recoiled with a thunderous screech, two of its appendages sporting deep gashes that fountained blood, while the others managed to impact above the edged outside of the blades. Rose and Cobalt pressed forward, buying time and space for the hunter to collect themselves and scale up another perch. Taking advantage of its pain, two new arrows ripped through the air, smacking into exposed inner flesh. Two new protrusions joined the first in the mouth, one landing next to the existing projectile, while the other cleared the gateway of serration, driving deeply inside of it.
More flicker jabs and extended straights pushed and cut the beast as it tried to gain distance from the two that wounded it, every retaliatory strike earning it another gash in its grey hide.. Unencumbered by the constant barrage, Nalah thrust into its legs more vigorously, her body leaning into each attack to gain every inch of penetration she could into the muscle and thick hide.
Jax used the chance to score another chopping blow, doubling down on a previous wound to a back leg—striking bone this time, based on the unholy wail the beast uttered. Joseph raised his crossbow to land another shot into its mouth, but the beast flailed wildly to fend off the ambush.
Rose managed to block, Jax lunged backwards, Nalah deflected most of it with what remained of her shield, but Cobalt was caught by a strike, taking the hit to its torso. The Atmo flew backwards, rolling when it landed, the carriage and assorted armoured plates trailing behind it. Rose shifted instantly, covering the direction that their companion had been sent while Jax and Nalah focused on pulling the beast away from the downed combatant.
Joseph’s eyes flicked to the Atmo, waging an internal battle on whether helping the insect would be better or worse for the situation as a whole. He didn’t want to lighten up their assault if it would just mean more injuries, but Cobalt could be in dire need for a patch job. It was hard to tell from where he was.
Cursing, he bolted from his spot, firing off one last round into the gaping maw before clipping the crossbow onto his armour and sliding on his knees in front of Cobalt, healroot hastily retrieved from his pocket.
He paused, sighing in relief when none of the armour bore more than deep gashes, the carapace underneath unblemished by the attack. Cobalt clicked lightly, dazed, but otherwise seeming unhurt. Unlearned in the physiology relevant, he ushered the Atmo to remain out of the fight for fear of concussion or something similar. They could look at the insect back at the base to be sure later.
“Joseph!”
His head spun around at both Jax and Nalah screaming his name, a massive clawed hand sweeping at him—the monster's approach unnoticed while he focused on Cobalt. Lacking a better option, he lunged forward towards the underside of the beast to dodge the swipe, crashing to his shoulder on the dirt below.
The creature raised a leg above Joseph, pounding the earth scant inches from his head as he rolled sideways. Ignoring the kicked up dirt, he brought his fist to the underside of the beast, flicking the release on his bracer.
Blood spouted from the newly formed wound, the blade breaking at the mechanism as the massive animal lurched in pain, Joseph rolling out of the way of another attempted trampling. He scrambled to his feet, feeling the wind of another strike narrowly missing him.
Yeah, that would probably kill him.
Luckily, the injuries renewed the desire to flee in the monstrosity, the group of attackers proving too dangerous to continue challenging. It stumbled away from them, sparing Cobalt from its panicked trudging. Jax and Nalah started to run towards him, worry evident in their eyes, but he barked for them to finish it, redirecting the two to keep the pressure going. He didn’t want to mention the pain in the arm from where the bracer hitched. It didn’t feel broken, and thus was irrelevant.
Pressure applied, the grey beast picked a random direction free of opponents to escape, ignorant of the waiting security. When it was too close for them to shoot into its mouth at a decent angle, they slung the bows over their shoulders and drew the swords they had been afforded, patiently waiting with the blades turned down.
It passed below them, the two Lilhuns dropping from the branches to put their full weight into the plunging blades. Both landed on the large target, one sword sinking deep into a shoulder, while the other managed to pierce one of its hip joints. The beast spun haphazardly to dislodge the ‘new’ threats, both security members kicking off and finding new trees to set up in.
Whatever damage was actually done, it had lost the use of an arm, and its gait shifted awkwardly as the blade lodged in its hip worked more harm with each shambling step.. Emboldened, Jax picked up the pace, struggling to position himself with the amount of metal he wore. Ducking another swipe of its claws, he saw his chance and swung, pivoting with his axe as a counter weight. For the third time, his axe blade found the wound in its leg, adding a sickening crunch as the bone snapped from the impact.
The creature swung wildly, forced to favour its two remaining good legs, and the only other leg that could still support at least some of its weight. It was unstable now, the hunched figure swaying while unmoving. Unable to run, it decided to go down with as many of them as it could.
Rose caught up with the attack, drawing attention from the comparatively squishy Nalah as the blond-furred female deflected a wayward swing with her shield. The once iron-plated ironwood now sporting little more than jagged scraps of metal atop its silver wooden structure, a series of deep gouges marring the surface. Two lunging thrusts with the pike bit flesh, drawing new blood from the beast.
Joseph loaded his crossbow, getting off two bolts, but not managing to keep it steady enough to hit anything of use, his arm faltering under the weight of the weapon. Cursing, he decided to flank the beast and try his luck with the other bracer. If nothing else, the force in which the blade deployed was enough to pierce the thick hide, and the others were doing a good job of distracting it.
The red armoured Atmo let loose a series of directed swings, the fifth severing an arm in motion, the flying appendage forcing Nalah to raise her shield to block the unorthodox projectile. The female was sent sprawling from the weight of the impact, but the beast was too busy voicing its agony to take advantage of it. Jax worked another two chops into the broad legs, but neither managed to incapacitate it any more, and the prolonged exertion was slowing his reflexes.
As if cued into his waning energy, the beast flung Jax with another strike, the hunter of the group sinking a bolt deep into the cavernous flesh of its mouth to prevent an attempt at following up.
Joseph roared, desperate to finish it off before the creature could do the same to his downed pack. He sprinted at the monster's back and slid underneath it with as much speed as he could muster. Throwing his fist into the passing undercarriage, he let the deployed blade leave a long gash in its wake.
The grey monster lost its ability to stand, torn tendons, blood loss, and inflicted injuries taking their toll. The Grand Hunter kicked off his knees to fling himself out of the way of the collapsing figure, grimacing as the remaining bracer proved unable to support the abuse he had put it through. He looked back at the beast, the flailing body failing to right itself as teeth did little more than gouge dirt, its back exposed. Rose approached, raising their blades together and plunging it through the body over and over until it stopped moving.
Exhausted, the Atmo dropped where it was, breathing heavily. Joseph’s instinct to yell their victory was delayed as he hurried over to Jax and Nalah to confirm he didn't need to bring back bad news. Nalah seemed fine, if a bit sore from hitting the dirt and rolling, while Jax just asked to lay down when he heard that everything was over. Cobalt came over to the group, the armour that had come off collected atop the carriage it had managed to loosely affix to its base.
It was light, a chuckle originating from the Human as he slumped to the ground against a tree, but soon the entire group was roaring with laughter as victory settled in their minds. The two security members helped the hunter begin disassembling the beast, their contribution to the fight leaving them with more energy than the rest. They hadn’t been slacking off, that much was certain. The number of arrows jammed into the maw of the thing would have guaranteed a few extra seconds of survival and chances to escape if one of them had been forcibly tossed into there, and it had caused enough pause for the rest of them to get in a few hits up close.
Joseph rested across from Jax and Nalah, letting his heart rate slow from the rapid pace it had been pinned to since the start of the conflict. His arm continued its protests, but from the amount of movement he still had, he guessed that he had just strained the elbow. A few days taking it easy should straighten that right up.
Once the active members were about half way through processing the creature for hide and meat, Cobalt approached him, a mimed request for assistance putting their armour back on being redirected to Nalah since he doubted he could lift the damn pieces without hurting himself at the moment. She obliged, getting the blue Atmo back in full attire, though it took a while.
Rose stood first, stopping over to allow the hunter to place collected bits and pieces onto the carriage before securing it with whatever they could make due. A security member gathered the moss-wolf corpses for a similar treatment. Waste not, want not, he supposed.
Rose ended up carrying most of their spoils. When he was about to ask why, he, Jax, and Nalah were dragged to Cobalt and hefted onto the carriage. A series of confused questions revealed that the rest wanted to head back before it started getting dark, and it was pretty obvious who was the most exhausted of them. Lacking the will or energy to argue it, he flopped back on the Atmo as the trees passed them by, Nalah resting her legs across him as her head sat on Jax’s lap. The black-furred male didn’t so much as smirk, so it was clear he had pushed himself too far to quip about the arrangement as he laid down.
“The next time you wish to exhaust me this much, Joseph,” the Head of Security started after a long while of silence, tiredness in his voice, “I would prefer it to involve my mate and a bed.”
The Human snorted, closing his eyes and enjoying the lack of walking as the surprisingly stable Atmo carried the three of them. “Fuck off, Jax.”
“Of course, Grand Hunter.”
Next
A/N: Patreon is fixed!... aka new one cuz problems with the last. Check it out to support the story, get AI character art every now and then, or even preview sections of chapters as i write them! (aka, before kieve gets to fix them :D)

Hey guys, I’m looking for any tips or tricks to beating this boss. I have about 30 hours in this game and about 15 of them have just been this one chapter. The fight alone is annoying as fuck but rerunning through the same 4 areas for two hours before the boss everytime I lose is starting to get super boring. Every strategy I’ve looked up is apparently for a different version of this fight so none of them work. I really like this game for the most part, but I don’t have the patience to get my party wiped in 5 minutes after spending so much time trying to get to the boss. Even using the flame thing that Uber buffs your party seems marginal at best. What am I supposed to do for this complete fuck fest of a boss fight?

The Situation
In the streets of the Mahama Refugee Camp the over 60,000 refugees live a life devoid of independence– their meals provided by the Rwandan government and UNHCR workers– their homes temporary structures rapidly built to meet increasing demand– in Rwanda nearly half of all refugees are children and while systems are in place to provide an education for many that is an impossibility as they try to scrounge more money to fill in the lack of adequate funding for food as the UNHCR fights for more support and distributes daily allotments in rations to the most in-need.
And where there is need and there is money– then there is corruption, the MIDIMAR officials act under an unspoken policy of don’t look too closely as M23 recruitment sites, unofficially condoned, use this and other refugee camps to bolster the fight in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With funds provided by Rwanda siphoned through refugee assistance programmes using small business fronts receiving government assistance for the poor and the destitute the M23 provide a method to support their families and to regain their lost power.
For Rwanda’s part the education system in the camps includes deep dives into the history of their new country focusing on the genocide that was so fundamental in the country and those responsible especially the FDLR rebel group and the nations who have assisted and supported them.
But growing their number raises another question, how to equip them without raising Rwandan complicitness and bringing down the international hammer wielded so liberally by the developed world?
A Plan
A large cache of older weapons, primarily small arms and ammunition will be left within a border military installation at Kinogo along the North-West border with the Congo and within striking distance of M23.
Problematic RDF soldiers will be identified and assigned to guard duty on the 16th of June– when the M23 will be given the instruction on when to attack. A majority of the base will be engaging in nearby training routines leaving a skeleton crew behind allowing the M23 to secure the provisions with minimal fighting, but there will be some casualties.
An arrested Hutu supporter will former ties to FDLR will have been convinced to make the claim to be a member of the rebel group captured during the raid– in return for soft treatment and various perks, this will tie the attack and the deaths therein to FDLR forces following which the government will accuse the recent escalations of behavior by the DRC in the Kivu region for reenergizing the FDLR leading to interior strikes into Rwanda and the persecution of unprotected minorities across the border.
‘Evidence’ will be found linking Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza leader of the unofficial opposition party the the DALFA-Umurinzi with local Hutu extremists tied to FDLR activity– she and a handful of supporters will be arrested as violent terrorists and face the court systems.
Result
On June 16th a rebel group attacked the Kinogo Border Post in Rwanda killing five RDF soldiers and obtaining a large surplus of small arms and ammunition. The RDF managed to capture one of the rebels claiming to be a member of the FDLR a Rwandan rebel group operating out of the DRC looking to restore Hutu Supremacy after escaping the country following the Rwandan genocide.
Rwanda strongly condemns the actions of these rebels for violating their safety and security but admits that the problem is not purely the work of their neighbors and turns inward investigating links between the FDLR and prominent opposition leader Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza who had formerly been arrested in Rwanda for genocide denial and inciting violence and was serving her 15 year sentence outside of the prison after the first 8 years were spent mostly in solitary confinement.
Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza and a handful of other members of her party have been arrested with the government announcing financial links between her and the FDLR.
Furthermore President Kagame calls for the people of Rwanda to stand firm against this aggression, promising that they will increase the militarization of the border to protect against coming attacks and that he intends to support those across the border who are facing the violence of the FDLR and those who support it such at the Congo’s ruling party.
Rwanda will do the following

• Rwanda will continue to grow her forces along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo recalling the majority of its peacekeeping forces in Africa primarily to staff the North Kivu border but also along the southern border with the Congo. Increasing the border presence to roughly 15,000 troops.
• Rwanda will begin using the RZipper drone delivery system to provide aid through food and medical supplies directly into the Congo along the contested Kivu region.
• Rwanda will appeal to her allies in Beijing as current equipment standards for the RDF are below an international standard at the scale of potential operations. The primary goal will be obtaining more modern small arms and ammunition.

My gf (20F) and I (21M) met through a friend of mine (20F) who I had been living with for just under a year, rather not use names so I’ll just call my friend Rachel. I saw a post Rachel made of the two of them having a few drinks, and I thought she looked cute and so we started talking and pretty much hit it off straight away. We met up and shortly after I asked her out and we started dating, even though we didn’t know each other long it just felt right and I felt connected to her. My gf had told me she had trust issues because she had been cheated on in the past. At the time I didn’t have an issue with it as I believed myself to be trustworthy and that I would gain her trust throughout our relationship. I moved out and started living with some other friends of mine, with my gf not living too far away, so we would see each other often. Our relationship was one built on good communication as I thought it’d be best to be able to be comfortable to talk about any issues so we could work together through any problems. Other than a few arguments here and there we had a very close and connected relationship. A few months down the line and It was at this point where I didn’t feel like my gf trusted me still. It hurt to have her so distrusting of me when I had never done anything untrustworthy, it felt like all the distrust from her previous relationship was being held against me for no reason. In my head relationships are built on trust and it didn’t feel like we had that. I brought it up that I had issues with her, saying I felt like she didn’t trust me and that it really hurt and I couldn’t keep going if things would continue like this. We were both very upset and we spoke it through and decided to use time apart to think about things until we saw each other next. When we next saw each other my gf was like a whole different person, saying she had taken into account things I had said and was ready to make things work. At the time I was very unsure,because it had only been 2 weeks and I didn’t think it was enough time for her to have made enough of a change. The only way I can describe it now is it felt like she had checked out of the relationship and was on auto pilot. We met up a few times and kept speaking things through. Now this is where my friends come into the story. A friend of mine (21M), we’ll call Craig, was going in and out of a relationship with Rachel over the past few months and since there last breakup, he had spoken about realising his mistakes and wanting to try again with Rachel. Being friends with both of them, I had heard from Rachel about how upset she was and how she needed time to move past it before she could think about speaking to him again. Using an experience I had previously, I gave some advice to Craig, using this experience as the framework. My gf was also friends with Craig and Rachel and so I told her about it and we went through it, but she started picking apart the experience I mentioned expressing that I should never get into a relationship if I feel this way and that she never would have dated me if she knew this. This comment was one of the things that made me think my gf had basically given up on the relationship, but still really caring about her I thought maybe we could still make things work. It wasn’t until later that week before going out for my birthday when playing most likely to with friends, she said I was most likely to cheat out of everyone there. This really hurt me as it basically said that she thought I would cheat on her. With everything we were going through at the time, this was the final straw for me as I couldn’t do a relationship without trust. The next day I went over to my gfs to break up with her, but a little after I started to speak she asked “so are u breaking up with me?” And she told me to leave and bring all her stuff back, that being the end of it. I didn’t speak with either Rachel or Craig about this, and it didn’t come up until a party a few weeks later. At my housemates party, my now ex was invited as she was friends with my housemate, however she wasn’t initially going to come until I reached out to her to let her know I had no problems with her being there. I didn’t want her to be left out because of me, so we spoke about it and she said she would come but just wasn’t sure if I would be uncomfortable with it. Rachel and my ex were some of the first to arrive and immediately her demeanour was very different from her messages. She was giving me dirty looks and was obviously not very comfortable. Rachel said to me whilst we was sitting together that “she didn’t agree with what I did but didn’t want to bring that up now and hoped we’d have a good night.” This immediately rang alarm bells as it made no sense. She was obviously referring to my ex but all I did was break up with her and wasn’t even able to explain why to my ex. Rachel had never spoken to me about it but I had known that she had been there over the past few weeks to comfort my ex, so I was wondering what had been said about it. Later that night my ex, Rachel and myself got into an argument and I left the house to cool off. Rachel repeatedly showed a care for my ex’s emotional state but never for mine, which really hurt and showed that she had clearly picked sides. The next day I went to Rachel’s to speak about the previous night and we managed to squash our disagreement. However after this night Rachel would continue to distance herself more and more from me over the coming months. After 3 months had past I reached out to ask if Rachel had been distant from me for a reason and we got into another argument. At this time Rachel and Craig were once again dating but they didn’t tell me about it until I found out and asked them. Rachel and I pretty much stopped talking after our last argument as I felt like she had been distant and she tried to shift the blame to me. After this Craig also stopped interacting with me and seemed to be avoiding me. Rachel and Craig have now both removed me from most of their private socials and we never speak anymore and I lost two of my close friends all because I broke up with my gf. My ex is now still friends with Rachel and Craig and is always with them and I haven’t spoken to them in months. A small part of me wishes I could know what happened and why everything happened the way it did, but at the same time my friends and family keep telling me that there isn’t any point wasting your energy on them. I am trying to come to terms with it but in half a year I’ve lost 3 very close people in my life, and the more I think about the situation the more it upsets me. Either way I’m no longer in the same classes as Craig and none of my friends speak with my ex or Rachel anymore so I’m having to slowly move on and just forget about them.

She was one of my favorite units, and I have never seen anyone use her, EVER, except for me. So why did they feel the need to make her worse?
Before, her S2 cleansed when she gained the needed fighting spirit at the START of her turn. Meaning debuffs like stun, or silence or sleep, would be cleansed at the START of the turn. So she could still take her turn. PLUS it would also give her an attack buff, PLUS it gave 15 fighting spirit.
Now her S2 does none of those things, and just grants 60 fighting spirit and the enhanced dual attack at the start of battle. So when AoL goes first and silences her, she wont be able to use her S3 anymore when her turn comes.
So now its her S3 that cleanses, but only when you can activate it. So if she is stunned, sleep, silenced, you cant cast the S3 and just skips her turn.
She starts off with more fighting spirit and the enhanced dual attack buff, but her S3 skill was available always for her first turn anyway, so that change is pointless. PLUS in order to capitalize on her dual attack buff you have to basic attack with a hero. In what match are you going to be basic attacking on your first turn? Never. So it wont come up. I guarantee all three of your other heroes will be using S2 or S3 on the first turn. And then 4 turns will have gone by so she will get the enhanced dual attack ANYWAY, before anyone uses an S1. Making that change pointless too.
But because they gave her less ways of gaining fighting spirit in the battle, she now will use her S3 LESS times in a battle if it last more then 2 rounds.
She is just significantly and objectively worse now. I dont get why she needed to be nerfed so hard, especially removing the cleansing at the start of her turn, and the attack buff and earning less fighting spirit.
Edit: And I dont think giving her 5% more CR on her S1, and her S3 penetrating defense instead of HP lost damage is enough to make up for these drastic nerfs.

/NintendoSwitch's Daily Question Thread

The purpose of this thread is to more accurately connect users seeking help with users who want to provide that help. Our regular "Helpful Users" certainly have earned their flairs!

Before asking your question...

• Check out the wiki pages listed below. - (If you're interested in becoming a wiki contributor, message the moderators.)
• Perform a quick Google search. - Sometimes it is actually quicker to search for something than to wait for someone else to answer.
• Search the subreddit. - Many questions have been asked before! reddit's search functions a bit differently than Google.

Helpful Links

Wiki Resources

• Frequently Asked Questions - Our FAQ has answers to many questions about the console system and controllers.
• Lost & Found Guide - Did you lose your Switch, or are you someone who found a Switch? Info on how to get it back!
• Tech Support Guide - Info on how you should react in case you discover a technical issue on your Switch.
• Error Code Lookup - Nintendo's Error Lookup System.
• Digital vs Physical Games - Listing the pros and cons of both formats to help you decide what will work best for you.
• Game Share Guide - Info on how you can share your digital games across multiple Nintendo Switch consoles, including playing on both consoles at the same time.
• Other Switch Related Subreddits

Wiki Accessory Information

• Accessories - Starter information about controllers, chargers, cables, screen protectors, cases, headsets, LAN adapters, and more.
• MicroSD cards - Some more in-depth information about MicroSD cards including what size you should get and which brands are recommended.
• Carrying Cases - An expanded list of common carrying cases available for the Switch.

Helpful Reddit Posts

• The /NintendoSwitch Best of 2017, Best of 2018, Best of 2019, Best of 2020, and Best of 2021 Award Winner Recaps - A good place to start when you're looking for a game recommendation.
• The Switch is not USB-C compliant and overdraws some USB-PD power supplies by 300% - Why you shouldn't use just any USB cable, should research portable power banks, and avoid using third-party docks or wall chargers.
• Choosing Your Nintendo Switch Charger: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding the Options - What sort of wattage you should look for in a battery bank or wall charger to get the best charging speeds.

Third Party Links

• Benson Approved USB Type-C Cables
• Benson Approved USB Type-A Cables

Reminders

• We have a #switch-help channel in our Discord server.
• Instructions and links to information about homebrew and hacking are against our rules and should take place in their relevant subreddits.
• Please be patient. Not all questions get immediate answers. If you have an urgent question about something that's gone wrong, consider other resources like Nintendo's error code lookup or help documents on the Switch.
• Make sure to follow Rule #1 of this subreddit: Remember the human, and be polite when you ask or answer questions.

For the 4th time in as many months, I was texting my husband all day - getting no replies.
Today though, our toddler son was pretty sick, and I was exhausted, frustrated, and REALLY in need of some help - hoping desperately that he could come home early if possible. In between HOURS of changing and bathing our kid and doing many bedding changes & load after load of laundry - I barely eaked out a dozen desperate texts about my desperate situation- and yet he never replied to any of them
I thought "geeze, if he's not even answering these messages, he really has to be buried in issues at work or today he's working in someplace like a bank vault where he's not allowed to have his phone".
As the hours passed without any reply - I began to worry that HE was okay.
When he finally DID text me at 830pm just to say he was on his way home- I was pretty aggravated that it was the first id heard from him...
And then at 9pm when he finally called me while I was in the middle of wrangling the upset baby (which id JUST explained to him via text)... the first words out of his mouth were - "you could have AT LEAST answered my text".
You can only imagine MY anger since not only had I replied to him immediately HE had not answered a single one of MY messages all damn day! The nerve!
It was during this call that we realized that he wasn't actually getting ANY of my texts. So instead of being pissed at HIM.... Now I'm looking at YOU, T-Mobile.
Wanna know why?
Because thisis the FOURTH DAMN TIME T-Mobile has shut off my ability to send texts.
They give no warning - and absolutely ZERO notice - they just shut off your text messaging ability and yet on my phone- it would appear as if they are sending and being recieved perfectly fine.
This is UNACCEPTABLE. Its downright DANGEROUS - People text 911 and in many other desperate and dangerous situations to get help. Many deaf people rely ENTIRELY on texting because they can't MAKE regular phone calls.
SEVERAL times during these "shut downs", I have lost opportunities to make money - I've upset and angered friends - and I've lost the trust of people I was buying or selling things from - resulting in those deals falling apart all because SUDDENLY I've dropped off the face of the earth and didn't answer thier messages for days on end... All while I WAS answering them back and they were ignoring me.... because they WEREN'T GETTING MY TEXTS.
It isn't until I've physically stood beside the person and we compared phone screens - that I was able to PROVE I had been answering them.
This has caused COUNTLESS problems with the club I run, the classes I teach, my kids and thier friends- and my own friends and family.
It's cost me money, caused me HOURS and sometimes DAYS of anger and frustration - all because T-Mobile has decided that I SEND TOO MANY TEXTS or that I text my friends in ways they don't like.
I DEMANDED answers the first time this happened.
I was told they "don't know the number of texts you can send before they shut down your messages". I was told they couldn't find out and no one really knew. I was told that once a customer get accused of "spamming" by thier magical algorithms; they just shut you off and don't say a damn word.
I was told that including a link in my text messages (like when i sent a link to my fellow club members about a discounted Lego set!)
OR when I announced to a few dozen friends that my classes were starting back up - that it must have been "too many texts" and triggered the "rate limit" and that they couldn't take the block off for 72 hours.
On tonight's complaint call - with a woman from India who proceeded to read a script - over and over telling me HOW MUCH SHE CARES that i couldn't text my husband about my sick baby - and HOW IMPORTANT IT IS that my messages go through when i text my club members.... I told her to STOP with the script and the "empathy" and just get me an answer on EXACTLY how many texts I can send before they shut down my phone.
I sent just 42 text messages to individuals yesterday - all people that i know personally - and in doing so - I manually changed up EVERY SINGLE TEXT so that the content of the messages were personalized, contained each person's name and did NOT include the same wording over and over. It took two and a half hours for something i could have sent in two minutes.
I only sent links to an event on my Google calendar to those club members who hadn't yet RSVP'd.
The only other texts I sent all day were to my own family members .... And I sent ONE group text to the 46 people in my club - broken down into three groups, so three of the same message went out within a minute. I have no idea if ANY of those texts went through.
I was told that TMobile had ONCE AGAIN flagged me as sending spam and had shut off my ability to text for 72+ hours.
For the FOURTH DAMN TIME, I was told that it could take upwards of 24-72 hours to reinstate my text messaging..I was also, LAUGHABLY, told to contact my club members, friends- and family - and asked to have them all download a special third party app to message me. Like "whatsap" or something.
When I asked the INCREDIBLY annoying tech support woman how i was supposed to send ANY MESSAGE to all of those people- after all - isn't that EXACTLY what they had banned me from texting for doing?! Plus, without the ability to send texts- am I supposed to call my hundreds of phone contacts and explain the situation over and over and over to each one, asking them to please install a special messages app JUST TO TALK TO ME?
Finally tonight, the tech told me "unlimited messaging is limited to 300 messages per day, and any more than that will shut down your service by triggering a spam block." Even if you text the same person over and over with different messages- if you're talking to them THAT MUCH, T-Mobile calls it SPAM AND DISABLES YOUR TEXT MESSAGING SERVICE.
So you've heard it here folks - we pay for "unlimited data and text messaging" and T-Mobile's explanation of "unlimited" is;

• no more than 300 total texts.
• no photos or links can be sent to groups or multiple individuals
• you must personally and individually text everyone you know, even if you need to send the exact same message to multiple people like "Thanksgiving dinner is at 3pm at Grandma's this year"- that's enough to trigger them SHUTTING YOU DOWN.

And - even if you FOLLOW all of those things (like i did yesterday)- they might STILL flag your account, shut off your texts, and NEVER TELL YOU- So you'll never know until you find out from someone in person - that no one is actually getting any of your messages!
I had Verizon and then Sprint for over 14 years. Some days, id send out over a thousand texts, about the Christmas charity that i run - letting people know we were starting up our collection for the year. NEVER EVER- Not even once - did they EVER restrict my texts.
I've only had TMobile since they bought out Sprint (after SWEARING id never ever go back to them, when they destroyed the Sidekick phones & lost ALL of my company's contacts and data back in 2010!)- and it's been nothing but PURE HELL and CONSTANT ISSUES ever since.
I hate you, TMobile. More than I've ever hated any company in existence.

NSFW Advanced literate group role play, though I care more about effort put in. This world I have built is a 18+ bloodbath of anything you could ever want, and character creation is only limited to the requirements of one of the three known intelligent life forms. Here are some other things about it, if this interests you at all let me know and we can start up a side role play to test your skills and ability to adapt.
Look up. You may not see it, but somewhere up there is the planet I am about to describe to you so listen closely. Long ago, when Styea was nothing more than an empty rock of teal-green waters and dusty gray-teal skies filled with red ashes, this land was blessed with two simultaneous one celled organisms. The first one, now known as Delatope, was low in the cold, dark waters of the poles while the other, known as Milatope, burned between the twin peak volcanoes. These two seeds of life grew into beautiful trees of complex creatures, both completely different from one another, the only thing they share in common is the land they call home. Thousands of years later, life has developed two intelligent races, one from each tree. The Milatope tree created the Madus race, they are strong and believe in the power that comes with strength of the body. They can fight back anything thrown their way. On the other hand, the Delatope tree created the Tillia, a race of schemers who are smart and can easily trick the hard headed Madus.. The two races refused to get along, and for better or for worse, the two started a seemingly never ending war. As the war continued on, thousands were lost on both sides but the end was nowhere in sight. The Tillia have the mind to make complex traps, and the Madus have the strength to burst through them. Amongst the bloodshed, some from both sides decided that the battle was pointless and soon decided to leave the battlefield.. Soon after was the birth of the third form of intelligence. Gorix. When the word spread, no one knew what to do with this information and the Tillia took the hesitation to their advantage, quickly fleeing to their ice caps to build thick walls to hide behind. Seeing the fight has ended, the few Madus retreated into the hidden corners of the world. Fast forward a few hundred years and the Gorix now spans more of the planet than the other two pure bloods combined. The Gorix like to call this an age of exploration and expansion, but the pure blooded races are still on the edge of their seats, itching for war. NOW! Walking down the bustling streets of the cities, it’s easy to note the lack of government, but the life energy is strong! This world is complex, dangerous and the explorations that await you may be never ending~! Not all good can last forever though, soon bringing a new form of fighting to everyone's mind. Born in Laopok as a Madus mutt, Magdalena is widely known to be a warrior with few losses, even throughout her childhood the rumors do her good, striking fear into the hearts of the people that hear her name. As an adult She married a Tillia leaning Gorix named Theodore and built a wall around her castle known as the Crinudel. From here she ruled over her people, ever expanding her rain of fear. She had only one child and of course raised him to be the warrior she is, but he was always an oddball. Born in the same, bigger city of Lokeah, the neighboring cities saw him much more than his birth land. As a child he wished only to explore, and not to fight, though he definitely was good at it. Sometime around here the world started becoming obsessed with the Crinudel, waiting for the next news with impatience. Then, at her son’s 15’th, the gates were opened for a party, showing off her son’s golden implants over his horns. This is when the world found out both Madalena’s son’s name as well as Theodor’s son. Keegan and his half brother Ezra. Keegan showed the impression of being strong and kind with a lot of presence while the other seemed quite meek, his gray skin allowing him to fall into his brother’s fiery shadow. As far as the country knows, suddenly Magdalena banished Keegan for unknown reasons, a suspected lover has been rumored, as well as a relatives death being placed on his head, but no rumors were ever proven. It’s been around five years now where no one has heard from Keegan, and his family has gone quiet.