Hi I just came across a novel, chosen by the moon novel by izabella W. Its on pay by chapter websites, I've opened and read a few chapters but I can't seem to find any free version or chapter version anywhere. Please help. If anyone has read it I'm willing to take spoilers. Here's the advert I found below of it on Facebook.
Lycanthrope species is a disgusting race. And I, Delan Riley, am nothing more than a human scum in their eyes never expected those species would turn my world upside down. Since when the lycans managed to penetrate our town, like in the early 1900's we have a hierarchy, upper class = the lycans, middle class = mated humans, and lower class = the normal humans, who were basically considered scum. I endured their torment day after day, vowing to run away from them one day, until that day came and everything changed.
Dylan POV "Humans," I scowled at the principal's words from tannoy. "The Alpha twins will be celebrating their birthday tomorrow, as such, festivities are in order." Oh great, the Alphas twin children. Adrian and Arya are the worst lycans alive. I swear just because they are the alphas kids they literally get away with everything. If their birthday is tomorrow, then the wolves are going to be worse than ever. "All students will be present to greet them, two lines will be made, with humans on the left and the lycanthrope on the right. Any mated human will be at the front of the line for their year, you will all also be in order of your school year. That is all." Chat broke out the minute the tannoy was finished. "We haven't had a school gathering since the alpha king visited three years ago, before his sons coronation." Nick was right, the last time we all gathered like that was for the king and queens visit, when he decided to let the world know that he was to renounce his title to his only child, son Josh. "That sick bestard, he wants to make sure everyone is there so those idiot twins can find their mates." Yes I was mad, my fists connected with the table in front of me once more as I thought about how disgusting the situation was. You see the twins will be turning 17, so it's very possible someone in our school could be their mate, finding a mate is sacred to a wolf, the minute they say that one word your fate is sealed. They will turn your mind, morph you into being a lover of their kind, and then you'll give in.

That won't happen to me, I'm growing old to see the world as it once was, and I'm going to choose who I'll be with. No one will take that dream away from me.

Once dinner was finished, I just wanted to sleep. I'd had a very long tiring day, I quickly sat down on a small stool my mother kept in the storage closet and removed my shirt while my brother Freddy sat at the table to do his simple homework. It wasn't long before my mother came in with a large bowl of warm salt water and some cotton, this was going to sting I just knew it. She was here to help me with the wounds caused by wolves yesterday. She slowly began to unwrap the bandage from around my torso and slowed down drastically when it came to the final layer, I felt it peel off every wound and my fists clenched in pain. "Jesus!" I heard my mom exclaim once the dressing was completely removed. The air on my back was nice though and I sighed as my arm covered my once again exposed brests. "This is more than 15!" I began to hear sniffles coming from her and sighed turning round to look at her face, only to notice tears streaming down it. "Mom I'm fine, it's alright." She shook her head. "It's not alright, I'm your mother I shouldn't let these things happen. I'm so sorry. Your father would have..." here she goes again. Every single time something happened she'd always bring up dad, it really annoyed me because no matter how much we all wish he was here, he just isn't. My father was kiled by THEIR kind, almost 5 years ago when they actually managed to take over. When the lycans managed to penetrate our town my father rose up with some people from the neighborhood, to defend our livelihood, it was futile to say the least. We lost many people and I watched as my dad was ripped apart by two fully shifted wolves, I ended up shoting him to stop his suffering before they dragged me to the courtyard, i was the person to receive the first lashing of the town when I was 12! The wolves have been pretty strict with me since that day. "Stop being stvpid!" Was I harsh? Definitely! Did she need to hear it again, absolutely. "Dad is dead, we don't know what he'd do because he never knew this life. He never knew this world." I know what he'd have done, most likely attacked the guy who held the whip and got himself kiled in the process. "The best thing you can do for me, is stop crying and help me, next time don't insist on helping if you can't handle it." She began to wash my open wounds with the warm salt water causing loud winces to leave me, I knew it was necessary to prevent infection, but my god it hurt like a betch. "Some of these are really deep Dylan!" She sniffed again and my eyes rolled in my head. "I told you, I'm fine, just wrap me back up so I can get to bed." My mom was obviously more impacted by my injuries than I was, I suppose that always the case though. When it's happening to you, you've just got to get through it but when it's happening to someone you love, you just want to take their pain away. She quickly placed a fresh bandage around my waist and chest and wrapped it tightly for compression. The bowl of water that was used was now red in color, I guess from the blood my back was dripping with. "Can you keep your head down please? At least just this week. You can't take any more lashings." I simply nodded before standing up away from the stool, I walked over to Freddie and ruffled his hair in affection. "Good night squirt." He giggled and fixed his hair slightly. "Night Dilly." I smiled walking upstairs to my little bedroom, as soon as I was inside i shut the door and flopped down on to my bed on my stomach and I took a minute to cry to myself at the pain in my back, what my mom did was important but it hurt, not that I'd ever tell her. My hand covered my mouth quickly to muffle any noise I might be making. I couldn't tell anyone, I had to be strong because more and more people were crumpling these days, and my mom would break if she knew how much I was suffering. Sleep followed me shortly after, she was right though about me needing to keep my head down for the time being, I could not take another lashing! After a long night and an even longer morning, we were all finally stood in the hallway at school waiting for the twins to arrive. "Mine!" Everyone that was stood in the hallway tensed up, as we were seniors, me and Nick were stood towards the very back of the human line. All the mated people were situated directly opposite their wolf mates in their years. We stayed silent and still as Arya walked down the hall and stopped directly in front of Nick. His eyes widened in fear, unsure of wether to look up or keep his head lowered. "Look me in the eye, mate." He glanced at me slightly as if asking what he should do. "I said, look me in the eye." He slowly moved his eye line up to look at her face. I took a glance myself to see her eyes pitch black with lust. "I... can't... I mean... erm." Before he was able to mutter anything else, two wolves from opposite, grabbed him out of the line and dragged him behind Arya. "Hey!" My head shot up before I could stop myself. My mouth also forgot its place as I jumped out of line. Everyone's head shot to me as my eyes widened in realization at what I'd done. Adrian, the other twin, walked up to me before punching me right in the stomach, I doubled over instantly. Feeling the sting in my slightly healed back. "I know you... You were publicly flogged only two days ago." God I hate this guy. "I also have it on good authority, that you openly spoke out against our rules and regulations in yesterday's class." My head shot down the line slightly to see Erin, looking a little frightened, her mate, the beta to be was looking at her, nodding his head in reassurance. "You traitor, you grassed on your own kind?" I yelled at her before feeling a fist connect with my cheek. My head whipped to the side from the force, while my class members gasped. I'm so done with this treatment, right then, I wasn't in charge of my actions. My fists curled up and my stance became a lot more defensive. My head snapped up to the alpha to be, and I looked him in the eye. "You don't know the meaning of the word disrespect." I suddenly hurled my fist towards his head, which he easily dodged, but my foot came up and kicked him instead. He stumbled backwards from the force with wide eyes. "You... you Actually hit me!" He didn't even sound annoyed, more shocked. Everyone in the hallway was watching, waiting for the alpha to do something but instead he simply stood up straight, regaining his composure. "I think everyone should get back to class." He began to walk away, following his sister when I called him back. "What about Nick?!" "Simple, He's my sisters mate. He now belongs to her." Argh, he's not an object. "He's not her property." A chuckle left his mouth, before turning his back to me again. "All humans are property." A short while later everyone made it to science class, our teacher Mrs Mathews is mated to the lycans pack doctor, she also now has a four and two year old with him. She was one of the first humans to be cohered into a false relationship. "What were you thinking young lady?" I rolled my head at her before looking at the empty seat next to mine. Nick was with that stvpid wolf girl right now. Being changed, I'm so angry it's ridiculous. "I was thinking, this guy is being a prick. Did you hear him? 'All humans are property.' It's bull shet." I looked up and the whole class looked at me like I had three heads. Talking shet about wolves is one thing, but talking about an alpha is punishable by death, attacking an alpha is an even worse offense. There was then a knock at the door and in walked Erin and her band of mated bestards. "Sorry we're late Mrs." "Erin, how are things between you and bata Monroe?" She blushed, the traitor actually blushed at the mention of his name. "He spoke to me last night about trying for a baby. We need a good strong boy to take over as beta." I scoffed looking at her as she took her seat. "You guys are actually pathetic, why can't it be a girl? Those mutts are basically Neanderthals" I voiced my opinion and saw all the shocked faces around me. Calling the lycans mutts, is the same as them calling us scum. After lesson had ended the entire school was called into the hall for assembly. This is where any human who has been found to have broken the rules were punished, usually 10 lashings were goven out or something similar. "Welcome to the school assembly, congratulations to the alpha twins for finding both your mates. Now on to the business at hand, as the 5 year anniversary of the new world is coming up, we have been informed that the alpha king will be visiting our district next week, this is very exciting news. We want you all to look your absolute best, she wolves and mated females will wear exemplary dresses made by seamstress. Male wolves and mated men will wear tailored suits. Anyone who doesn't comply will be reprimanded." The Alpha King?! No one has met him yet, he took over the throne three years ago when he turned 18. He really didn't make any appearances though, great, this month is going to be a nightmare. "As for the humans, you will be given a new uniform to wear for the visit, these are to be neatly ironed and worn to the highest standard. As for the following humans, based on your attitude this past week, you will be coming to the front and facing punishment. Tony summerset?!" Tony's head shot up as he looked around, he was in the year below but he shared my views when it came to the lycans. He slowly walked up to the front of assembly, almost instantly his top was t0rn in two and he received 10 lashings. A girl named Kara was next and she too received 10 lashings. A few more people went up slowly accepting their fate then suddenly my name was called. "Dylan Riley." Inside I was terrified but I simply shrugged my shoulders, I guess I did kind of expect this. Although I'm not sure if my back can take any more damage. "You attacked an alpha, correct!" His eyes bored into mine as I bowed my head submitting to his authority. "Technically, no." Everyone in the school gym looked on in fear, as my head moved to the front row of the wolf side. Adrian sat, with a werewolf girl in the year below, her name was Jana, I guess he found his mate. Nick and Arya were no where to be seen though. Adrian gave me a shrug as if to say he didn't tell, before smirking at my comment. "He hasn't officially taken the alpha title yet, so he's just..." i looked at the principle and noticed his eyes black and his claws out, he was in what lycans call a half shift, triggered when the subject has become angered. He turned to two security wolves and gave them a nod, Almost immediately i was forced onto my knees, my arm was slammed on a table and held in place by one wolf, while my body was held in place by the other. "Ok, I don't think this is needed, I have alpha blood, a stvpid human girl can't hurt me." My head snapped to Adrian who had stood up in front of the school to stop what was happening. "Nevertheless, humans need to know their place." With that the pressure on my arm increased as our principals hand pulled my sleeve up before a long claw punctured my skin. The searing pain shoting from the fresh wound had my eyes scrunched and my fist clenched, I bit the inside of my cheek hard instantly tasting blood, however no sound left my mouth. He continued to write, using my skin as a canvas and his claws as a marker, it went on forever, my vision blurred slightly at one point as I turned my head away. After minutes of torture, he was done and the pressure on my arm eased, instantly I snatched my arm away, hissing through my teeth at the pain. I was about to scurry off stage, when I was roughly grabbed yet again, my arm being held in the air by the principal while my feet were inches off the floor, blood dripped from the wound and the pattern he had made was on show for everyone to see. Loads of people gasped, even the wolves looked slightly horrified at what had happened. "This is what happens when a human decides to speak out. I can promise, anyone who so much as says one word about our way of life, will have the same punishment." My arm was starting to seriously ache from being held in the air for so long, and the lack of blood flow to my suspended arm was causing me pins and needles, still I refused to make a sound. I held the tears back and I bit my cheek harder causing more blood to fill my mouth. "That's enough Bradley!" Adrian growled, he was still stood up and looking at the scene in front of him. His eyes hard as he stared at the principal a low warning growl erupted from his chest which had the head teacher gulping, he quickly let go of my arm causing me to crash to the floor. A small cry left my mouth as I hit the hard floor. Immediately I scrambled away, my foot just missed the high step leading to the stage and I fell, waiting for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Two strong arms wrapped around me catching my weak body causing me to look up, my eyes widened as I noticed Adrian had caught my falling form. "This isn't part of the human punishment program!" Adrian growled causing me to tense in his grip, I pushed him away from me before fixing my uniform top. The room was deadly silent, taking in the scene in front of them, while I stole a glance at my forearm. Carved into my skin by his devastating claws were two words, words that would most definitely scar my body for life. 'Human scum' "Lessons must be learned, she received lashing merely two days ago, and clearly it had no effect on her." Another growl left Adrian's chest as he stepped on to the stage, I wasn't bothered though, you would think I'd be ashamed but I simply smiled slightly. I fixed my sleeve a little so it wouldn't rub on the fresh wound before speaking. "It doesn't matter," the whole room looked at me shocked by my attitude. "I would rather be labeled human scum, than have any resemblance to your kind. I'm proud of what I am, how many of you can say that?" After my amazing little speech, I walked right down the middle between the humans and lycans and out the door. No more compliance, I'm going to get away with as much as I can without getting into too much bother. There will come a day when the lycans power will fizzle out. When it does I'll be ready, I'll be waiting for the day we take our world back. As for the best part about my plan...

No one can stop me.

"Ouch, not so hard." I seethed as the school nurse cleaned my new wound with antiseptic. "If you had of just kept your mouth shut, this wouldn't have happened." I turned to my right looking out the window at the few clouds that were floating in the blue sky. "Like I said, I'm proud to be human, and now everyone knows what I am." I clenched my fist together as the nurse began wrapping a bandage around my forearm. It had been a good few hours since the incident in the hall, and I had been forced to come to the nurces office after I had tried to clean my wound by splashing it with water from the tap, it also refused to stop bleeding. "You are impossible. Can you please just try and stay out of trouble? For one day, that's all I ask." Our school nurse is a wolf, she's one of them. However she hates the way they treat us mere humans, she thinks we should all just live in peace with equal rights. Like that would ever happen. "All I've done is stay out of trouble, but you are just going to humiliate me anyway, so what's the actual point?" "The pack were discussing a public execution, Dylan. You need to walk on egg shells from now on, not just for you but for your family as well." No ones been publicly executed in over 4 months, I'm flattered they're considering it. They only execute people who they believe are the biggest problems to society. "Well then... I'm flattered." I chuckled, before looking at the patch job. 'Huh, not too shabby.' I quickly stood up from the human nursing station and pulled the sleeve of my shirt down covering the evidence of ever being hurt. "This is serious!" I just gave her a blank look before leaving the room. On the way out I heard her call back to me. "Please just think about it." I gave a clipped nod as I walked away wondering how I'm going to tell my mom about this. Later in the evening... "Dilly why you say that?" Freddie looked up at me with a mouth full of bread. "Don't speak with your mouthful!" My mom scolded him as a bashful blush made its way to his cheeks. "Sowwy mommy." His reply was muffled as he swallowed the last chunk of food. "I said it Freddie, because it's the truth. The wolf race are a pathetic excuse for..." my mom cut me off with an extremely stern look. "Dylan! They have ears everywhere, one more word out of you and it's your room." I scowled, my hatred for the Lycan kind growing stronger as each day passes. "What more can they do to me, lash me? Beat me? Brand me? They've ran out of options." I stated slamming my hands down, then severely regretting it as sharp pain shot though my wound. "What was that?" My head shot to regard my mothers worried expression. Her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were dull and judging as she looked at me. "Nothing, it was nothing." I quickly took my plate in my hand and began to walk to the kitchen. "I'm not really hungry, and I have homework to do!" My mom caught hold of my forearm causing me to drop my plate suddenly, I watched it slowly fall before shattering on the floor. I retracted my arm quickly and turned to Freddie. "Stay there and don't move until it's cleaned up ok sport?" He just nodded with wide eyes, I turned back to my mom and noticed her curious stare on my arm. Her grip shifted to the other side as she turned it around before pulling my sleeve up. The bandage was showing and a bit of blood was seeping though after the wound had been disturbed. "What the hel happened?" My moms eyes widened as she began to fumble with the bandage. Before she could unravel any of it I snatched my arm away. "I had an accident at school. No big." I began to gather the large pieces of the broken plate up ready to put them in the bin. "What did you do Dylan?" She looked at me with pure worry and only then did I realize what the wound must look like to someone who didn't know. "For gods sake! I didn't do it to myself! I got publicly punished at the assembly alright? It's no big deal." Her face dropped instantly and she stepped towards me, causing me to step backwards. "Mom, I'm ok. So back off will you." "What did you do? I've never known them to cut someone's arm as a punishment." Her shock and accusation was evident in her voice and I sighed heavily. "I spoke against the alphas son." I may have hit him too, but I wasn't going to divulge that part to her. "It's not one big cut, mom, it's a brand, 'human scum' carved onto my arm." "They've branded you now too?!" My eyes rolled at her hurt tone as I went to get the dustpan and brush. "You're so much like your father." A sigh left her mouth as she spoke, running a hand through her hair, while I quickly swept up the little pieces of the broken plate. "You've had a new uniform delivered. It's laid out on your bed. Dylan, Please just try and stay respectful in the future, I don't want my daughter to be completely mutilated. Although you're not far off." "Gee, Thanks." I then walked over to my little brother Freddy before blowing a kiss into his neck and hearing him giggle. "So sport, how's school going?" "It's ok." He shrugged before going back to coloring a dinosaur picture in. "Well that's good, stay out of trouble, ok little man?" Heading upstairs and into my room, my thoughts wandered to the permanent graffiti scar very slowly healing on my arm. Disgusting beasts. Think they own the world because they're faster, stronger and can shift. Pah. If you ask me they are not all that.

The second I walked into my room my mouth dropped open. On my bed was some grey pants laid out neatly, which wasn't the surprising part, no, what shocked me was the grey high neck no sleeved button down shirt, every single set of uniform had sleeves except this one. They've done this on purpose those, mutts. They want the world to see my arm and know what a disgusting creature I am. They want the world to know that I, Dylan Riley, am nothing more than 'human scum'.

During the last week, I've been horrible, in class I've been loud in voicing my views, I've insulted at least everyone to some degree, I didn't care about the consequences, and I certainly didn't think about them. I haven't seen Nick at all since he was claimed, and to make matters worse today was the royal visit. Oh yes, werewolves and mated humans alike were spending every waking minute preparing themselves to meet his royal majesty, king of the wolves. Unclaimed Humans however would rather stick pins in their eyes. "Dylan, get down now... you're going to be late." She was right, I was dawdling this morning, I really couldn't be bothered today, I gave myself one last look in the small mirror and sighed when my eyes met my newly uncovered brand. It had bad bruising around the letters, and was still extremely tender to touch, it was definitely healing now though. I made my way down the stairs and came face to face with my mother who was seeing to Freddie, she was helping my brother get his coat on when she turned to me. "You ready sport?" Freddie nodded his little head at me and smiled while I quickly slid my shoes on. "Just Remember, the alpha is bad enough, Dylan, please, please don't do anything to anger the king." My mother stopped us from walking out the door to tell me something she had been telling me continuously for the last couple of days, it was almost as if the entire human population of our district was expecting me to do something stvpid. "Try and have a good day." I rolled my eyes but nodded, even I know not to push the king, he could kil me in the hallway like it was nothing. In fact I plan on staying out of his way for the entirety of the day. "We will see you tonight mom." I stated before me and my brother began our walk to school, his little hand clutched my own tightly as we went. Usually Nick would be with us, as he lives next door, well he used to, now he's residing in the main pack house. I quickly dropped Freddie off at his school and watched him get the wolfsbane neutralizer before walking into him building giving me a small wave before he went in. With my new scar on complete show, and my figure being complimented by the skin tight shirt I was wearing, I sauntered down the street to school, I gave my name and year in and took the wolf's bane neutralizer injection with no problems at all. It was finally getting into school that the problem occurred. Walking through the halls I was met by many looks, some of pity some of disgust. You see every single non mated human in the school was wearing a long sleeved version of the uniform I was given. All the Wolves and mated couples were scattered around in fancy floor length dresses or tailored suits. As I turned the corner I noticed a couple, now this couple happened to catch my eye the most out of all of them because it consisted of Arya and Nick, eating each other's faces off. "What the hel!" Nicks head shot to me as his eyes widened. He too was dressed in a tailored suit, a navy blue tie hung on his neck to match Aryas dress. Why was this happening all the time? It's always my friends that get completely brain washed. I shook my head in disbelief before turning my back on him. I heard his fast footsteps behind me as I rounded the corner. "Dylan?!" He ran right in front of me, stopping me in my tracks, making me drop my bag off my shoulder and almost causing me to bump into him. "Let me just explain..." "Has she marked you?" I mean you could almost see it in his eyes, she had marked him, and knowing the way life goes he's probably even mated with her. "Actually... Don't even answer that." I aggressively picked my bag up off of the floor and stormed off down the hall. "Dylan, just listen to me, Erin was right, it's so hard to resist your soulmate, and Arya is actually ok once you get to know her." I just kept walking, he caught up to me walking beside me but it didn't matter, I completely ignored everything and everyone. 'I'm so not in the mood today' getting into class was good though, I said hello to Mr Foley and took my usual seat. Nick sighed then took his bag off ready to sit next to me, but I snapped before he had the chance. "Traitors and mated idiots sit on that side of the room." I didn't look him in the eye as I pointed to a seat right at the front of the classroom on the opposite side. His eyes widened as he turned his attention back to me. "You can't be serious Dylan." I gave him a blank look before grabbing my book out of my backpack, I placed it on the desk then began to write the date on the top line. "I've sat in this seat for as long as I can remember." I ignored him, his voice sounded sad and shocked. "Dylan? Wait! What is that?!" Before I could react Nick had grabbed hold of my branded arm and turned it to see the letters. "Oh my God! What happened?" I snatched my arm away from him and shrugged as I continued to write in my book before grabbing my water bottle out of my bag. "The principal happened, it was my punishment for speaking out against Adrian and Arya. I wear it with pride." He just held a complete look of disbelief. "You spoke out against them?" I shrugged, what did he think I'd do. "It's no secret that I despise this stvpid new world and the mutts that control it. You were my friend, I wasn't going to let them just take you without saying something, although that is exactly what you seem to have done. Enjoy the view from your new seat!" "Don't be like that, Dylan, I'm your best friend, I'm sorry about your arm, but..." my eyes rolled inside my head at my friends words. "Anything with the word 'but' in, isn't an apology, it's a rationalization." I took a drink of water from my bottle and kept my eyes facing forward, ignoring his every attempt to try and talk to me. "Dylan?.. Dylan?... Do you know what? Erin is right, if you push us all away you won't have any friends left." He huffed before walking over to the empty seat and sitting down, I could feel him glancing up at me every now and again but I didn't respond. "Good morning class, please settle down." He looked at me then at Nick and frowned, we've never sat apart, we were friends before the new world even began. I just shook my head telling him to forget it. "So... as you know the king will be arriving in a short while, but until then lessons will go on as normal." Its funny seeing teachers in the same uniform your wearing, mr Foley and his wife are the coolest. Human teachers and doctors only have slightly more respect than we do. Because of Mr Foley's status him and his wife have better access to food and drink, Mrs Foley is cool, sometimes she even makes sure mr Foley brings some in for me. Ya know, coz I'm their favorite student. It's not in a weird way, it's just they were friends of the family before the new wold took effect. Mr Foley and my dad were buddies from high school, so it goes without sayin really. "All the mated humans will be at the front of each years line again, after that you will all be placed in status, Nick, as your mated to Alpha Arya, you'll be at the front of your line. Dylan as you have been branded..." his voice trailed off as he looked at me. "Yeah yeah, I'll be at the back of the line behind everyone. I get it." I huffed, moving my sight towards the window once more. "I am sorry." I turned to face Mr Foley again, he looked genuinely upset and that look of pity wasn't something I wanted to see. I gave him a clipped nod then turned away again. "Anyway, on to the subject matter, 'Of Mice and Men, page 64, Nick why don't you start us off with the reading."

"Of course sir." Nick began reading the book but I switched off, today is going to be a long day. After almost an hour and a half of reading comprehension, the bell chimed signaling lunch. I shot up and out of the classroom before anyone could say anything. Today, I was avoiding drama like the plague.

I wandered the corridors straight to the lunch hall. All the people I would normally hang out with we're all mated so I grabbed my lunch quickly, and sat down at the end of the human table. Let me lay the lunch hall out for you. On one side of the room you have two long rows of tables, with simple benches that make it look like prison, on the other side of the room you have multiple round tables with fancy chairs. Yup you get it. The humans sit at the prison tables and the wolves and traitors sit on the fancy tables, they get fancy food, fancy drink and most importantly they get pudding. what I would give to have some pudding. "Dylan can we just talk?" Nick quickly took the spot next to me as he set his lunch tray down. I looked at his food which had been placed on a ceramic, circular white plate. God that looked good. I sighed knowing he was going to talk anyway. "Fine, you have two minutes." I used my fork to take a bit of pasta off his plate and shoved it into my mouth. God that was good. "After I left school, I was taken to the pack house with Arya, and I really got to know her. It took a few days for me to finally accept being with her, but ever since life has been ok, and the sax... well that's a whole other story." Eww, I didn't need that mental image in my head. "I'm glad your happy." I stated before deciding I had no appetite. His face held shock before he sighed in relief. "That means a lot Dylan, I mean you know that your opinion matters to me." I cut him off before he could say anything else. "I said I was glad your happy. I didn't say I approved of what you've done. You've basically turned into one of THEM, I can't ever forgive you for that." He looked hurt, but I couldn't care less about his feelings. He placed his hand gently on my arm and went to open his mouth when a growl sounded out. All heads whipped to where it came from, Arya was stood holding a glass of soda and a plate, she was looking right at me and Nick and I would totally be dead if looks could kil. Nick quickly retracted his hand, his whole face fell and you could see sorrow flood his irises. "You sit with me now, get away from that, that... scum!" Wow, Nick was such a lucky guy. NOT. "You heard her. Get away from me, go sit with your new friends. I'm happy for you, and I understand where your coming from, but don't come up to me again and pretend you didn't betray your own kind. Don't pretend you didn't betray me." I shoved a little bit of food into my mouth before standing up and walking out of the cafeteria, leaving my tray on the table. I was walking through the hallway to the classroom, you see I decided to spend lunch with Mr Foley in his room, when I happened to hear voices in the corridor. "Is it wise for her to actually be present when the king arrives? Surely she could be placed in the dungeons, it might actually teach her some respect?" My principal was speaking to the alpha of our district, huh, if I stayed and listened do you think they'd notice, maybe they could smell me?! "Everyone is to be present, if the Riley girl does one thing out of line she will be dealt with severely, child or not. That girl has been a blight to the district since day one, she's dangerous, if she puts one hair out of place I will personally break her into submission." Oh shet, they were talking about me specifically, and they mentioned the dungeon, that's not been used in months. Normally I would have listened in more but something about the entire situation didn't sit right with me, all of a sudden, I was on edge, and simply wasn't interested in the slightest in hearing how my misery was to be enhanced. I backed up slightly before turning around and bumping head first into one of the hottest man I had ever seen. I lost my balance immediately and fell straight on to the floor letting out a small grumble in the process. His eyebrows knitted together quickly and his breath hitched in his throat as he looked upon my fallen state and gasped. "Mate!" He whispered, his eyes fixated on mine. Now, I had seen and heard that many times to know what that means, I gasped before taking a step back. 'No, no, no, no, no. This can not be happening.' He growled slightly before stepping towards me. Oh Shet!

It’s a long story. Could I have frogged it and used the yarn for something else? Yes. But I was just so extremely frustrated with the way it was turning out, it looked messy, the pattern sucked, didn’t really like the yarn anyway, and I think to move on with my life I need to just try to forget it ever existed. Have you ever done this? I love knitting, but I have moments that make me want to just set everything on fire and never touch a knitting needle again and this is one of them.
ETA- for everyone saying I’m being wasteful, I get it okay? I feel bad. I do my best not to waste yarn. The yarn was a recycled cotton and wool blend and it broke incredibly easily. Had I frogged it, it probably would have been in many small pieces. I’m not so noble that I’m going to sit there for another hour being super upset over my project just to end up donating 10 tiny balls of crappy yarn that will probably be thrown away anyway.

I recently bought some really gorgeous sock yarn. I kind of hate making socks, but I want to give it a shot with a two at a time method. I've only ever knitted one at a time on dpns. What method will stop me from hating socks?
Bonus points if you have a really great pattern!

There are a few yarns I love and like and lust over periodically, but for whatever reason, I haven’t got around to buying them or using them. The current reason is that I am trying to use up some of what I have to make room physically in my cabinet for more yarn. I have what feels like a generous enough stash and plenty of WIPs keeping me busy.
Other reasons I’ve not bought the yarn: I meant to, but saw something else and bought that instead. I meant to, but the store didn’t have the colors or quantity I wanted. I didn’t (or don’t) have a pattern in mind. I didn’t have the money. I want to buy it on a trip (such as a dream I have of buying Norwegian yarns in Norway). Or? I just didn’t feel like it at the time and knew I could always get it later.
The yarns I keep meaning to try, in no particular order, are: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter & Loft in multiple colors (I’ve done Loft) De Rerum Natura - multiple lines Hillesvag Solje Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift Purl Soho Linen Quill Holst Titicaca Knitting for Olive pure silk
Do you have yarns you dream of, but haven’t ever tried? What’s holding you back?

Hello Knitters! I would love to get your thoughts on a button band situation I have. I'm working on the Patons Must-have Cardigan, a cabled v-neck cardigan knit in pieces from bottom up, and instead of the 2x2 ribbing for the cuffs, button band, etc I did 1x1 ribbing and used a tubular cast on for the sleeves and body.
Now, I'm nearly to the point where I'll be doing the button band/collar. The pattern has you pick up and knit along the fronts and neck (like most cardigan patterns I've seen with a band knit perpendicularly to the sweater body). The obvious answer would be to do it as written (except with the 1x1 rib) and use a tubular bind off. However, I find my tubular bind off is a lot stiffer and not so beautifully stretchy as the tubular cast on. Would it be a bad idea to knit the button band separately (like from the outside edge in toward the sweater to get the tubular cast on at the edge) and attach it? I've seen vertically knit button bands worked separately and seamed onto a sweater, but I couldn't find anything with a perpendicular band (and really why would you in most cases when you can't just pick up those stitches and knit it?).
And then to decide how to attach the button band - I could pick up stitches along the sweater and do a three needle bind off, although runs the risk of being too tight or pick up stitches and graft the button band, though not sure how grafting ribbing to picked up stitches would look or just bind it off and sew it on, which frankly, I'd rather not do after modifying most of the pattern to avoid as much seaming as possible.
Or am I over-complicating this whole thing and should just do the button band the regular way and practice my tubular bind off until it's better?
Hopefully, this is an alright place to ask this and that all made sense. I don't have any irl knitters to bounce this off of, so I really appreciate your thoughts.

Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned pro, having the right golf shoes can make a big difference in your game.
From providing traction and stability to allowing a natural swing, the shoes you wear on the course are an important piece of equipment.
As a beginner, you'll want shoes that offer maximum forgiveness and comfort to help you develop proper technique. More advanced players will likely prioritize performance features like grip, support, and waterproofing. Let's look at some top golf shoe picks for every skill level.
Here is a good List I found On
https://www.amazon.com/Golf-shoes-for-Beginner-Expert

Golf Shoes for Beginners

FootJoy Contours

One of the most recommended starter golf shoes is the FootJoy Contours. These affordable spikeless shoes have great traction from the DuraMax rubber soles. The full-grain leather uppers are waterproof to keep your feet dry. With a classic saddle design, they provide the comfort and stability beginners need.

Adidas Tour360 XT

The Adidas Tour360 XT is another excellent choice for new golfers. These shoes utilize X-Traxion lugs and X-shaped traction bands on the sole for maximum grip. The lightweight mesh and synthetic upper allows breathability. The wide fit option accommodates wider feet as well.

Golf Shoes for Intermediate Players

ECCO Biom H4

As you advance, you'll want more performance from your golf shoes. The ECCO Biom H4 is a premium spikeless shoe that doesn't sacrifice traction. The Michelin rubber outsoles provide incredible grip in any conditions. The Yak leather uppers are durable and waterproof. These shoes also have great support and flexibility for a natural swing.

G Fore Gallivanter

For style on and off the course, the G Fore Gallivanter is a trendy option. These sneaker-inspired shoes have a knit upper for breathability and lightweight cushioning. The spikeless sole still delivers plenty of traction. They come in a variety of colors to show off your personality.

Golf Shoes for Advanced/Pro Players

FootJoy Tour Alpha

When it comes to top-level performance, the FootJoy Tour Alpha is hard to beat. These cleated shoes use the TourLock cleat system for unbeatable grip and stability. The ChromoSkin leather is waterproof and durable. The VNT support provides motion control during your swing.

Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour

Nike's Air Zoom Infinity Tour shoes are packed with technology to help you play your best. The React foam midsole provides responsive cushioning. The integrated traction pattern enhances grip in any lie or stance. Water-resistant uppers and Zoom Air units ensure comfort for walking 18 holes.
No matter your skill level, having golf shoes designed for the sport can elevate your game. From beginners to pros, focus on traction, waterproofing, support, and comfort to find the right pair for you. With the proper shoes, you'll have more confidence swinging away.

Welcome to our monthly shop thread!
Do you have a small, handmade shop you want to share? A fun Instagram account where you sell your hand knit items? A facebook page that lists all of your handmade patterns? Well, this thread is where you can share your website or social media to connect with potential customers!
The form below is a suggestion. You can share as little or as much information as you want; all we ask is that you please limit yourself to only one comment. Users posting multiple comments will have *all* of their shop comments removed and may be temporarily banned.
​
**Shop Name**: [NAME]
**Site**: [Etsy, Shopify, etc.]
**Social media**: [Instagram, facebook, tiktok, etc.]
**Short Description**: I sell awesome homemade wares made from the wool from my sheep.
**Types of items you sell**: Scarves, hats, gloves
**Price range**: $10-$25
**Ships from**: USA
**International shipping?**: Yes
​
This thread will be in contest mode, so each time someone clicks this post, the comments will be in a different order. No one shop will be seen more than another.
​
Even though self-promotion isn't allowed outside of this thread, there are a few ways to incorporate your shop info. You can add it to your flair, pin it to your profile, and list it in your bio. Here are a few examples of users that incorporate their shop/social information in a variety of ways.
​
As always, if you have any questions, you can reach us here through modmail.

This was something I wanted to use in a comment here but it was too long, so I'm putting it here with the lead-in from the comment:

An essential element is the charisma of NSA's leaders. Theoretically, charisma is an event which takes place between a leader and a group. Charisma exists only as it is perceived in someone by others and cannot be artificially produced. Source

Of course, sometimes the way a person, like an SGI leader, is described to someone else can set that other person's expectations, prime their perceptions, to regard this SGI leader as someone worthy of an extra helping of respect and admiration, provided that person is susceptible to being led in that way. That's a function of the SGI indoctrination, to regard the leadership as "special", as automatically possessing superior wisdom and understanding (which is all that qualifies them to dole out "guidance" to everyone at a lower leadership level than themselves). However, when someone isn't in thrall to that kind of delusional thinking, the SGI leader often comes off poorly, as in Eddy Canfor-Dumas' book The Buddha, Geoff and Me (2005). While I was still in SGI, a friend asked me to read it, so I got ahold of a used copy and gave it a read. It left me totally WTF, honestly - I think you'll get an idea why from this section.
Eddy, the protagonist, has this on-off girlfriend who is Jewish and who strenuously objects to the concepts of "karma" and "cause and effect" because those lead to the conclusive, inescapable, irrevocable, and completely unacceptable conclusion that the Jews themselves were responsible for the death camps like Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Bergen-Belsen and the whole of the Holocaust itself! We've noted the same problem here - holding the victims accountable for their own victimization! If you're already "going there" already, it's only a tiny baby step to extend that to the Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis in WWII - and his girlfriend could see that clearly, even if poor Eddy couldn't (or wouldn't). As you can see here, this concept, that the Jews were ultimately responsible for their own victimization, that they CHOSE that, does exist within these silly weird religions that put so much faith in "karma". Eddy can't explain; he's left embarrassed and she's angry. It starts in Chapter 8 (p. 123); here's the relevant piece:

Perhaps if [SGI-UK member] Geoff talked to her like he talked to me, if he convinced her, charmed her, reassured her that this Buddhism thing I was getting interested in wasn't a load of old nonsense ⏤ well, perhaps we'd be all right after all. She wouldn't be a walk-on in the first act of my story; she'd be the girl the boy meets and loses and wins in the end. Perhaps. (p. 141)

As you can see, Eddy is counting on Geoff's "charisma" to impress his girl. But it doesn't go quite as he expects:

'So,' said Angie after a while, 'Ed says you've got a Buddhist explanation for the Holocaust.'
Geoff smiled. 'It's my explanation,' he said. 'it's not an official line or anything. It's how I've made sense of it, through Buddhism.'
'Can you make sense of it?'
'I've tried.'
'OK. Fire away.' Angie sipped her wine and smiled sweetly, but I knew that look. Inside she was coiled, ready to pounce on any statement that in any way suggested the victim was culpable.

As if that's a BAD thing! Why shouldn't people be on their guard when a stranger is clearly ready to launch into a sales pitch of some kind?

Geoff took a deep breath and launched in. 'Right. Well, first off, I want to make it clear that nothing I say should be taken in any way to justify what the Nazis did.

Uh-oh - not off to a great start, I'm afraid 😒

'That was disgusting, an atrocity, and the people who did it and supported it are totally responsible for their actions. OK?'
Angie nodded and sipped her wine, watching him closely.
'And from a Buddhist perspective they've created terrible karma for themselves in doing what they did.'
'Karma ⏤ that's the punishment they're going to suffer in the future?'
'Not punishment, exactly. It's the effects you experience as a result of causes you make, good or bad. So if you cause suffering at some point you'll suffer in return.'
'Which means all the Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust must have made the cause at some point to die like that ⏤ which I absolutely refuse to accept.'
'That sounds outrageous to you?'

WHAT?? How could it NOT??

'Totally.'
Geoff grunted. 'Ed said members of your family were killed.' He glanced at me.
'On my mother's side, yes. Her mother's parents, two brothers, cousins, uncles and aunts. My grandmother was the only one who got out, on the kindertransport. If she hadn't I wouldn't be here.'
Geoff shook his head. 'Terrible. So anything that even hints the victim is somehow responsible feels like a real insult.'
'Yes.'
He sighed. 'I know. It's very hard, even if you believe in the eternity of life, like I do. But for me the question isn't so much what causes did these people make to suffer like this, because I think that's impossible to answer⏤'
'That's convenient,' said Angie tartly.
'For me,' said Geoff, ignoring her tone, 'the important question isn't what causes people made in their past lives but what people do in this life. What makes people behave like the Nazis did to the Jews? Why did other people let it happen ⏤ or not? In Denmark, for example, the vast majority of Jews were hidden by the non-Jewish population, or helped to escape, whereas in Poland they weren't. And for me, above all, the crucial question is what can we all do to make sure it doesn't happen again?'
'Only it has, hasn't it?' I said. 'Rwanda.'
'Exactly,' said Geoff.
'Exactly what?' said Angie, still seething. But at least she hadn't walked out, which i suspect she would have done by now if it had been just the two of us.
'Well, I reckon,' said Geoff, 'everything boils down to what Buddhism calls the world of Anger. Which isn't just losing your temper. It's ego, identity, how you define yourself as separate from other people; the rest of the universe, in fact.'
Angie crossed her arms and legs and gazed at him, aggression shining from every pore.
Geoff ignored it. 'One way we do it is in opposition to other people, or groups of people, often putting "them" down to make "us" ⏤ our group ⏤ feel better or superior. You see it in football supporters, nations, religions, political groups ⏤ everywhere.'

Especially in how certain SGI members attack this SGIWhistleblowers ex-SGI members' support group, all the while bragging that they are "Bodhisattvas of the Earth", clearly superior to everyone else.

'And?' Angie's tone was harsh, impatient.
'And taken to extremes,' said Geoff, 'that attitude can be used to justify anything "our group" decides is good for us, and to ignore anything "that group" says or wants. They don't count; our needs come first.

Just like how those SGI member-attackers insist that what they're doing somehow qualifies as "right speech", even though it's the OPPOSITE of the actual definition!

'So time and again through history you see groups of people who've wiped out other groups they've classed as enemies or a threat or inferior in some way. The Mongols did it right across Asia. We Europeans did it to millions of "darkies" during the whole period of colonialism. White people wiped out or ethnically cleansed millions of indigenous people when they settled the Americas. And we're still doing it.'
'How?' Angie sounded incredulous, and even I was taken aback.
Geoff ploughed on. 'Every year,' he said, 'millions of people in developing countries die from poverty, disease, hunger, malnutrition; more people every year than died in the six years of the Second World War, including the Holocaust. In fact, some people call this the Silent Holocaust. We know about it but we let it happen ⏤ because it suits us, our lifestyles.'
Angie looked floored for a moment. 'How do we let it happen?'
'Because a lot of this death is the result of international debt and unfair trade policies skewed toward the West. We benefit, so we do little or nothing to change it.'
Angie's eyes narrowed. 'If you're saying that me buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks or wherever is the same as the Nazis shovelling men, women and children in to the gas chambers . . . well, that is such complete crap. And trying to make the link, to make them equivalent ⏤ I find that disgusting.'
Geoff didn't turn a hair. 'I'm not saying it's equivalent. I'm saying what the Nazis did isn't unique or even unusual. It's an extreme case of what human beings have done since for ever: denigrate, devalue, disregard other human beings when it suits them.'

Oooh - sick self-burn, bruh!

Angie stared at him with naked hostility, and inside I groaned. If I'd known he was going to start sounding like Red Pete I'd never have put him anywhere near her, because she was basically a Daily Mail editorial on legs.

"Red Pete" was "a bloke from college" who was always involved in causes - protests, leaflets, rallies, etc. (p. 148)

But he hadn't said any of this to me. He'd talked about history, about how Christians had felt insulted by Judaism because it denied that Jesus was the son of God; and how the Jews were often feared as alien because they were a tight-knit and self-reliant community, forced into separate development by persecution. And a lot of the time people were simply jealous of them because they were so successful in trade and business. 'Look at how Jewish businesses were destroyed by the Nazis, or stolen,' he'd said. 'That shows where a lot of anti-Semitism was coming from: greed and envy.'

But what of Dickeda's "eternal clear mirror 'guidance'" from 1990? That says that everything in one's environment is simply a reflection of one's own life?? Where did THAT go?? IF others were reacting to them with "greed and envy", then isn't it OBVIOUS that "greed and envy" are firmly entrenched in those victims' LIVES, because by definition the others were simply a reflection?? Take it up with Sensei.

But ⏤ and this was the bit that brought me up short ⏤ he'd also wondered how the Jews calling themselves the Chosen People might have affected non-Jews. 'Anyone who sets themselves up as special in some way ⏤ even if they are special ⏤ is always going to be targeted by other people',' he'd said. 'It's not nice, but it's a fact. Like, we had this rich kid at school who really thought he was a cut above us, and we all hated him, wanted to bring him down to size. So we bullied him ⏤ including me, I'm ashamed to say. And with the Nazis ⏤ well, they were the Chosen People too, weren't they? Aryans, the Master Race. And you can't have two Chosen People, so they tried to wipe out the Jews. Horrible.'

But - and hear me out here - according to THAT logic, if the Jews hadn't felt themselves to be superior Chosen People, then the Nazis wouldn't have felt compelled to exterminate them - right? So THAT argument makes it the JEWS' fault! THEY essentially created the "effect" of being exterminated through their "cause" of ego, hubris, and superiority!

I'd had to think hard about all this. It went beyond labels like 'good' and 'evil' to basic human attitudes like resentment, fear, and jealousy. It sort of made sense to me, but then I wasn't Jewish.

When YOU aren't involved, it's EASY to make it into an abstraction, something just theoretical that isn't involved with anything real and doesn't really make any difference, practically speaking.

I didn't know how it would sound to someone more closely involved ⏤ like Angie. I hoped she might just be able to consider it without getting all worked up. But somehow the conversation had taken the wrong track and come off the rails. Time to rescue the situation. I opened my mouth ⏤ but too late.
'There is no way,' Angie hit back, 'that you can equate people starving in the Third World to the Holocaust. That was genocide ⏤ one group deliberately targeting another people and trying to exterminate them. And even talking of them in the same breath is an insult to the six million Jews who were deliberately, wilfully, systematically murdered.'
'Fair point,' I said, desperate to appease her. Geoff wouldn't budge.
'If governments follow economic and trade policies that they know result in massive numbers of deaths,' he said, 'does it matter what it's called? And how different are we from people living in Germany during the Holocaust if we know our governments are doing this but turn our backs on it?'
I winced again and waited for the explosion.
Angie looked at Geoff as if he were from another planet. 'So now I'm as bad as the people who supported Hitler?'
'Look, I don't want to upset you, Angie,' Geoff said.

Notice he didn't say "No, of COURSE not!"

She snorted with derision.

Fair.

'All I'm saying is the Nazis blamed their problems on the Jews and consciously decided to get rid of them. We sacrifice other people indirectly, by building our wealth on structures and systems that cause incredible suffering in poorer parts of the world. And basically we think that's OK, or not enough of us care enough to stop it.'

Just look at the "Big Ideas" pouring out of this SGI member to justify doing DICK! Where have we seen THAT before??

Angie sighed and stared at her empty wine glass.
I leapt in. 'Another one?'
'No, thank you.' Her answer was clipped, terse. She composed herself and looked up at Geoff. 'Is this Buddhism ⏤ or communism? Because it sounds identical to the sort of crap you hear from those people who riot about the "evils of globalisation" and capitalism. Despite the fact that every society, when it gets freedom, freely chooses the free market.'
'Actually, I did used to be very left-wing,' Geoff admitted cheerfully, 'till I realised neither communism nor capitalism's got the whole story. And if you base your society on ideas that are incomplete, sooner or later you're going to hit the buffers.'
'What do you mean by "incomplete"?' Angie asked, her critical antennae still quivering furiously.
'Ideas that don't understand cause and effect properly, or don't reflect life accurately. Or exclude whole groups of people ⏤ like women, or savages, or Jews, or non-Aryans, or non-Christians, non-believers, the rich, the poor, the working class, the bourgeoisie. You name it.'
'Meaning, I suppose, every idea except Buddhism.' The contempt in her voice was so heavy I sensed the conversation might be drawing to a close.

I'm surprised Eddy didn't use the word "incredulous" anywhere here - I can only imagine that was how Angie was feeling, at this guy's effrontery and smug self-satisfaction.

But again, Geoff sailed over it. 'Well, even most Buddhist teachings are incomplete,' he said. 'Some of them say women can't become enlightened, for example.' He flashed her a warm smile, but it was far too late for that.
'How very enlightened,' Angie replied ⏤ her one joke of the evening.
'Exactly. Not the sort I practice, though.' He smiled again.
'So there is hope for me,' she said dryly. 'As long as I follow your example, hmm?'
'As far as I'm concerned,' said Geoff, 'the important thing isn't what people practise, or even what they believe ⏤ it's how they actually behave towards each other.'

Yes, if only the Nazis had been nicer to the Jews, which we're all confident they would've been if the JEWS hadn't been such offensive individuals!

Angie looked at him a moment. 'Right,' she said. She held his gaze a while longer, then gave a short sigh, grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. 'Well,' she said, getting to her feet, 'it's been very informative. Thank you for the drink.' She headed for the door.
I jumped to my feet and ran after her. 'Angie!'
She turned and looked at me.
'Come on, stay for another one.'
'No thanks,' she said, glancing daggers over my shoulder at Geoff. 'I've had a long day and I want to get home.'
'Angie . . .' I pleaded.
'OK?'
The two letters were laden with a warning that froze me dead. Helpless, I watched her push open the door and turn out of sight along the street. Out of sight and out of my life for ever? (pp. 149-156)

It's so easy for those who aren't involved in a specific situation to be glib, insensitive, and callous to the concerns of those who are involved. "Karma" is their "get-out-of-caring-free" card. The sort of pontificating and grand generalizing that Geoff was engaging in, demonstrating such privileged, entitled DETACHMENT, is deeply non-compassionate. "I don't HAVE to care because c'mon, it was all their own fault, they deserved it, everyone can see that."

I’ve been chosen to do a test knit for a sweater pattern. It’s my first adult sweater and my first test knit (except for a tiny baby beret 11 years ago).
What kind of thing should I be looking out for? As a designer, what notes would you find helpful? I’ll be making the second-largest of the very size-inclusive size options - what are common issues with patterns with a very broad size range?
Also some words of encouragement would be appreciated because I feel like I may have bitten off more than I can chew a bit 😅

Hi, I'm a newbie knitter and wanted to give a try knitting socks so I bough a 100% yarn for it...but later when finding a pattern I found out that 100% cotton is not recommended/good for socks.
I can't get a return on my yarn so I'm wondering what kind of thing could I knit with 100% cotton yarn.
**The yarn is the same thickness as most knitting socks

Species Name: Cacaonid
Sample's Name: Coconaut
Transformation Mechanism:

• Temperature Dependent: Coconaut's form changes based on the ambient temperature. In higher temperatures, he shifts into his melted form, while in lower temperatures, he solidifies into his hard form. If the temperature is moderate, Ben can consciously switch between the two forms using the Omnitrix.

Design:

• Melted Form:
  • Appearance: Coconaut's melted form resembles a humanoid, with his skin resembling melted chocolate. His body constantly drips and flows, making his outline appear slightly unstable. His eyes are bright white, standing out against the dark chocolate theme. He has a smooth, glossy surface with occasional swirls of lighter chocolate, giving him a marbled look.
  • Features: His limbs are longer and more flexible, allowing him to stretch and reshape them. He can extend his fingers into tendrils or merge them to form larger, blunt objects.
• Hard Chocolate Form:
  • Appearance: When in his hardened form, Coconaut looks like a humanoid that resembles solid, dark chocolate. His surface is matte and segmented, with visible cracks and crevices resembling the pattern of a chocolate bar. His eyes retain the bright white glow, and his body appears more blocky and angular.
  • Features: His limbs are more defined and muscular, with sharp edges. His fingers are pointed, almost blade-like, allowing for precise cutting or piercing. As he moves, the edges of his body break apart and fall onto the floor as chocolate powder.

Powers and Abilities:

• Melted Chocolate Form:
  • Aromatic Compulsion: Emits an irresistible aroma that compels opponents to taste him. Consumption of even a small amount induces a weakened state, reducing the victim's strength and agility. Larger doses can cause severe debilitation or even death. Strong-willed or immune opponents can resist this urge.
  • Sticky Body: His melting, sticky body can trap opponents or objects, making it difficult for them to move or escape. He can also use this stickiness to scale surfaces or ensnare weapons. He can reshape his body at will, allowing him to slip through small spaces, form various shapes for offensive or defensive purposes, or extend his limbs to reach distant targets. He can sling lobs of his chocolate-like body.
• Hard Chocolate Form:
  • Chocolate Shell: His body is incredibly tough and durable, capable of withstanding significant physical damage. However, he can also shatter into pieces if struck with enough force. These pieces can reassemble themselves over time.
  • Chocolate Powder Manipulation: As he moves, parts of his body break off into chocolate powder. He can manipulate this powder to create barriers, blinding clouds, or even form additional weapons or tools. The more powder he has available, the stronger and more complex his manipulations can be.

Planet and Society:

• Planet:
  • Name: Theobria
  • Environment: Theobria is a densely forested planet with towering cacao trees covering the landscape. The planet experiences extreme temperature fluctuations, with scorching hot days and frigid cold nights.
  • Day-Night Cycle: During the day, temperatures soar, causing the Cacaonids to remain in their melted forms. At night, the temperature plummets, allowing them to solidify into their hard chocolate forms.
• Society:
  • Nocturnal Lifestyle: The Cacaonids are nocturnal creatures, coming to life at night when the temperatures drop. They engage in their daily activities, such as hunting, gathering, and socializing, during the cool nighttime hours.
  • Protective Sleep: During the hot days, Cacaonids enter a state of rest in their melted forms. This state provides natural protection from predators, as their sticky, aromatic bodies can trap and deter potential threats.
  • Reproduction: Cacaonids are born from cacao-themed cocoons found in the dense forests. These cocoons hang from the cacao trees, slowly nurturing and developing the young Cacaonids until they are ready to emerge.
  • Community Structure: Cacaonid society is built around small, close-knit communities. They live in communal dwellings crafted from the materials of the forest, working together to ensure the safety and prosperity of their group.

Species Name: Cacaonid
Sample's Name: Coconaut
Transformation Mechanism:

• Temperature Dependent: Coconaut's form changes based on the ambient temperature. In higher temperatures, he shifts into his melted form, while in lower temperatures, he solidifies into his hard form. If the temperature is moderate, Ben can consciously switch between the two forms using the Omnitrix.

Design:

• Melted Form:
  • Appearance: Coconaut's melted form resembles a humanoid, with his skin resembling melted chocolate. His body constantly drips and flows, making his outline appear slightly unstable. His eyes are bright white, standing out against the dark chocolate theme. He has a smooth, glossy surface with occasional swirls of lighter chocolate, giving him a marbled look.
  • Features: His limbs are longer and more flexible, allowing him to stretch and reshape them. He can extend his fingers into tendrils or merge them to form larger, blunt objects.
• Hard Chocolate Form:
  • Appearance: When in his hardened form, Coconaut looks like a humanoid that resembles solid, dark chocolate. His surface is matte and segmented, with visible cracks and crevices resembling the pattern of a chocolate bar. His eyes retain the bright white glow, and his body appears more blocky and angular.
  • Features: His limbs are more defined and muscular, with sharp edges. His fingers are pointed, almost blade-like, allowing for precise cutting or piercing. As he moves, the edges of his body break apart and fall onto the floor as chocolate powder.

Powers and Abilities:

• Melted Chocolate Form:
  • Aromatic Compulsion: Emits an irresistible aroma that compels opponents to taste him. Consumption of even a small amount induces a weakened state, reducing the victim's strength and agility. Larger doses can cause severe debilitation or even death. Strong-willed or immune opponents can resist this urge.
  • Sticky Body: His melting, sticky body can trap opponents or objects, making it difficult for them to move or escape. He can also use this stickiness to scale surfaces or ensnare weapons. He can reshape his body at will, allowing him to slip through small spaces, form various shapes for offensive or defensive purposes, or extend his limbs to reach distant targets. He can sling lobs of his chocolate-like body.
• Hard Chocolate Form:
  • Chocolate Shell: His body is incredibly tough and durable, capable of withstanding significant physical damage. However, he can also shatter into pieces if struck with enough force. These pieces can reassemble themselves over time.
  • Chocolate Powder Manipulation: As he moves, parts of his body break off into chocolate powder. He can manipulate this powder to create barriers, blinding clouds, or even form additional weapons or tools. The more powder he has available, the stronger and more complex his manipulations can be.

Planet and Society:

• Planet:
  • Name: Theobria
  • Environment: Theobria is a densely forested planet with towering cacao trees covering the landscape. The planet experiences extreme temperature fluctuations, with scorching hot days and frigid cold nights.
  • Day-Night Cycle: During the day, temperatures soar, causing the Cacaonids to remain in their melted forms. At night, the temperature plummets, allowing them to solidify into their hard chocolate forms.
• Society:
  • Nocturnal Lifestyle: The Cacaonids are nocturnal creatures, coming to life at night when the temperatures drop. They engage in their daily activities, such as hunting, gathering, and socializing, during the cool nighttime hours.
  • Protective Sleep: During the hot days, Cacaonids enter a state of rest in their melted forms. This state provides natural protection from predators, as their sticky, aromatic bodies can trap and deter potential threats.
  • Reproduction: Cacaonids are born from cacao-themed cocoons found in the dense forests. These cocoons hang from the cacao trees, slowly nurturing and developing the young Cacaonids until they are ready to emerge.
  • Community Structure: Cacaonid society is built around small, close-knit communities. They live in communal dwellings crafted from the materials of the forest, working together to ensure the safety and prosperity of their group.

Species Name: Cacaonid
Sample's Name: Coconaut
Transformation Mechanism:

• Temperature Dependent: Coconaut's form changes based on the ambient temperature. In higher temperatures, he shifts into his melted form, while in lower temperatures, he solidifies into his hard form. If the temperature is moderate, Ben can consciously switch between the two forms using the Omnitrix.

Design:

• Melted Form:
  • Appearance: Coconaut's melted form resembles a humanoid, with his skin resembling melted chocolate. His body constantly drips and flows, making his outline appear slightly unstable. His eyes are bright white, standing out against the dark chocolate theme. He has a smooth, glossy surface with occasional swirls of lighter chocolate, giving him a marbled look.
  • Features: His limbs are longer and more flexible, allowing him to stretch and reshape them. He can extend his fingers into tendrils or merge them to form larger, blunt objects.
• Hard Chocolate Form:
  • Appearance: When in his hardened form, Coconaut looks like a humanoid that resembles solid, dark chocolate. His surface is matte and segmented, with visible cracks and crevices resembling the pattern of a chocolate bar. His eyes retain the bright white glow, and his body appears more blocky and angular.
  • Features: His limbs are more defined and muscular, with sharp edges. His fingers are pointed, almost blade-like, allowing for precise cutting or piercing. As he moves, the edges of his body break apart and fall onto the floor as chocolate powder.

Powers and Abilities:

• Melted Chocolate Form:
  • Aromatic Compulsion: Emits an irresistible aroma that compels opponents to taste him. Consumption of even a small amount induces a weakened state, reducing the victim's strength and agility. Larger doses can cause severe debilitation or even death. Strong-willed or immune opponents can resist this urge.
  • Sticky Body: His melting, sticky body can trap opponents or objects, making it difficult for them to move or escape. He can also use this stickiness to scale surfaces or ensnare weapons. He can reshape his body at will, allowing him to slip through small spaces, form various shapes for offensive or defensive purposes, or extend his limbs to reach distant targets. He can sling lobs of his chocolate-like body.
• Hard Chocolate Form:
  • Chocolate Shell: His body is incredibly tough and durable, capable of withstanding significant physical damage. However, he can also shatter into pieces if struck with enough force. These pieces can reassemble themselves over time.
  • Chocolate Powder Manipulation: As he moves, parts of his body break off into chocolate powder. He can manipulate this powder to create barriers, blinding clouds, or even form additional weapons or tools. The more powder he has available, the stronger and more complex his manipulations can be.

Planet and Society:

• Planet:
  • Name: Theobria
  • Environment: Theobria is a densely forested planet with towering cacao trees covering the landscape. The planet experiences extreme temperature fluctuations, with scorching hot days and frigid cold nights.
  • Day-Night Cycle: During the day, temperatures soar, causing the Cacaonids to remain in their melted forms. At night, the temperature plummets, allowing them to solidify into their hard chocolate forms.
• Society:
  • Nocturnal Lifestyle: The Cacaonids are nocturnal creatures, coming to life at night when the temperatures drop. They engage in their daily activities, such as hunting, gathering, and socializing, during the cool nighttime hours.
  • Protective Sleep: During the hot days, Cacaonids enter a state of rest in their melted forms. This state provides natural protection from predators, as their sticky, aromatic bodies can trap and deter potential threats.
  • Reproduction: Cacaonids are born from cacao-themed cocoons found in the dense forests. These cocoons hang from the cacao trees, slowly nurturing and developing the young Cacaonids until they are ready to emerge.
  • Community Structure: Cacaonid society is built around small, close-knit communities. They live in communal dwellings crafted from the materials of the forest, working together to ensure the safety and prosperity of their group.

If you take Football Strategy seriously this is a must read, especially for D coordinators.
As a Seahawks fan I’m sad to see Pete go but excited for the new era of MacDonald.
NYT has a new article describing his defensive philosophy with some good specifics. I’ve copied to text to avoid the paywall:
A defensive philosophical shift is happening in the NFL, and new Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is at the heart of it. The league transitioned a few years ago from the Seattle Cover 3 era into the Vic Fangio shell defense era, focused on stopping explosive plays. Like those from Pete Carroll’s coaching tree, most who branched out from Fangio’s tree mostly struggled to replicate his system. However, Fangio’s overarching philosophy of keeping a lid on top of offenses succeeded in permeating the league, and its emphasis on cutting down explosive plays is a reason scoring has trended downward in the past couple of seasons. However, not every coach wanted to sit back and just play coverage. Former Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale went against the grain and continued to blitz as much as possible. That style saw success in Baltimore, but head coach John Harbaugh eventually wanted a more balanced, flexible attack, so he replaced Martindale with his former protege Mike Macdonald in 2022. His impact was felt immediately, and last season, the Ravens ranked first in nearly every major statistical category including DVOA. The Seahawks’ hired him to be their head coach this offseason, while his defensive line coach Zach Orr was promoted to Ravens defensive coordinator, and three other assistants got coordinator jobs elsewhere (Anthony Weaver, Dolphins; Dennard Wilson, Titans; Jesse Minter, Chargers). That means five teams this season will be running the Macdonald system — so what is that system? The Sean McVay of defense Macdonald isn’t doing anything particularly unique schematically. He learned many of his blitzes and pressures from Martindale, whom he coached under from 2018-2021, except Martindale mostly used single-high safety defenses, and Macdonald calls a lot of two-deep defenses. There are some similarities to the Fangio system on early downs. The Ravens showed a lot of two-deep safeties before rotating into their coverages to disguise. Macdonald is aggressive, but he actually doesn’t bring more than four rushers much. The Ravens have ranked 22nd in blitz percentage (13.7 percent) since 2022. Macdonald pressures offenses with the illusion of multiplicity and simulated pressures (four-man rushes with one or more rushers coming from the second or third level with one or two defensive linemen dropping into coverage).
When he does blitz, offenses usually have no idea where the pressure is coming from because his defenses can present so many different looks from week to week. The Ravens were so multiple because of the unique way Macdonald teaches and structures his pressure packages. “What the Ravens have done so well is they pressure in so many ways that you can’t get a bead on them,” former NFL center A.Q. Shipley told The Athletic. “The other thing that’s great about them is you might watch them one week against Pittsburgh and it looks completely different against Cleveland, so it’s tough, too, because you’ve got to make so many in-game adjustments.” One of the reasons the Ravens could present so many different looks for offenses to deal with is how Macdonald teaches his pressure packages. Many defenses teach their fronts (where the defensive line and linebackers line up) with their blitzes. This approach makes sense because defenders have to know where to line up, what their assignments are and how to get to their assignments.
For example, on this page from the Seahawks’ 2012 defensive playbook, the staff taught this particular pressure from their “tuff” front. Tuff tells the defensive line that they’ll have four defensive linemen and two linebackers on the line with the Mike linebacker and free safety on the second level. When the defense gets the call, they know that both outside backers are rushing and every defensive lineman is running a stunt. Instead of learning pressures attached to fronts, Macdonald teaches his players pressure patterns so they know each other’s jobs and how to execute different pressures from different fronts. This approach isn’t particularly unique to Macdonald. Some coaches teach some of their pressures this way but Macdonald completely leans into it to ensure his system is as flexible and easy to learn as possible. Then he can easily mix fronts and pressures and add layers to them. The Ravens don’t deploy a ton of different fronts and pressures, but they have endless ways of changing the presentation for offenses. Essentially, he’s taking Sean McVay’s philosophy of making everything look the same until it isn’t but applying it to his pressure packages.
What’s in a name? Another important feature of Macdonald’s system is purposeful nomenclature for each pressure. Though using nomenclature seems like a simple tool, the language of football — even at the highest level — can be confusing with terminology drawn from different systems and eras that have nothing to do with each other. Macdonald has a naming system for his pressures that makes it easier for players to learn and recall. For example, the defense could have 10 ways to run a simulated pressure with one player blitzing from the strong side and the weak end dropping into coverage. Each of those pressures is siloed together. Hypothetically, those types of simulated pressures could be named after NBA teams, so if players hear an NBA team name, they know what pressure they are running. The first letter of the name could be where it’s coming from, and from there, they can figure out everyone else’s job. For example, “Suns” can tell the defense that the safety is blitzing from the strong side, while the end from the weak side is dropping. The defense can run “Suns” from multiple fronts without teaching an entirely new blitz. Also, by understanding the entire pressure pattern or call because of the name rather than just their individual jobs, they know what everyone else is doing, which makes it easier to switch positions when they want to add confusion for offenses. “He’s doing a unique job. … I’ve kind of never experienced it,” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said at minicamp during Macdonald’s first season as defensive coordinator. “He’s really having everybody understand the whole philosophy of mainly just the group of coverages, as opposed to: ‘You got this call. How do you play this call?’ He’s kind of saying, grouping these calls all together, like, ‘What is the whole idea of this call?’ So I think he’s done a really good job of kind of really helping us all be smarter, to where I know what the D-line’s doing. I also know what the linebacker is doing. I also know what the safety’s doing — because ‘The reason why I call this defense is because of this.'”

Would anyone know if there are any Russian knitting stitchionaries that have been translated into English, Spanish or French? There are so many gorgeous patterns and stitches in Russian that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Even if I just can get a translation for chart symbols, that’d be very helpful.