Hi All,
Over the past few days I have been looking for an external monitor for my MacBook Pro M1 which only has 2 usbc ports and seem to be overwhelmed with the options. My budget is fairly limited and I have increased it a bit but I will mostly be using my MacBook for day to day work, writing, spread sheets web browsing. I dont really game but I may do so once in a blue moon. I will be using it in clamshell mode. My local selections for USB-C are also very limited. the selection of LG monitors is very limited. I also have no idea what kind of resolution I should be looking for and if I need a 24 or 27 inch monitor as they seem very similar in the showrooms. I am probably ok with 24.
Does anyone have any feedback on any of the below.
BenQ
BL2785TC
https://www.benq.eu/en-cee/monitobusiness/bl2785tc.html
GW2785TC
https://www.benq.eu/en-cee/monitohome/gw2785tc.html
BBL2790QT 27" QHD Monitor with USB-C 65W
https://www.benq.eu/en-cee/monitobusiness/bl2790qt.html
GW2790QT
https://www.benq.eu/en-cee/monitohome/gw2790qt.html
(I was leaning toward the GW2785TC however have read its mic and speakers are awful.)
Samsung:
27"ViewFinity S80UA (USB-C) UHD 4K
27" ViewFinity QHD Monitor with USB type-C and LAN port (LS27A600UUUXEN) ( Also available in 24”)
I was initally drawn to the Samsung however have read some reviews about noise coming from the USB-C and even burning the port on Macbooks etc.
Any feedback or pointing in the right direction would be appreciated.
Thank you all.

Hi !
I'm not an english speaker so sorry if i messed up my words !
I want to go to the point and say, i'm a mess. I think i'm an alcoholic (drinking every liquer imaginable just to put me to sleep every night) and i was diagnosed with depresion at age 16 and well ... i'm not doing better haha. In the other hand, i have the perfect family, i'm a social butterfly so i have really good friends, an happy life etc ... i have a double degree in laws in my country and i'm prepary the bar exam to become a lawyer. And that i s why i don't understand why i'm like this. why do i keep killing me with liquor ? why do i keep having pulsions about ending it all ? why do my doctor said that everything is fine yet i'm just going in a rabbit hole ? i don't know ... i think i have to heard some people on the internet just tell their point of view on this, i guess ? i just don't want to feel like this, i want to be happy and normal haha i just don't know if i can continue on this path haha
Sorry for the long message and every point of view will be appreciated ! Thanks so much in advance !

Hi, I had a very good career in engeeinning taking home a decent amount before I was fired and my life turned quite poorly, to a point where I ended up in rehab and homeless shelter since last year. I'm looking for a part time job now but seem to knocked away by everyone, managed to get a few 1 or 2 day manual jobs over the last few months but nothing stable and on £360 a month I struggle to get out of bed and face the reality. The good thing is I have good experience, social House and been sober now, however, would going back to full time professional job if I had an opportunity be a right decision? How would you view someone with 1 year gap who relocated 400 miles away without job secured last year?

Is there really a difference between the original MM+ buttons and the SakuraRetroModding ones? Or is it just a subjective feeling? I'm thinking of buying another D-pad and buttons, so does it make sense from a user point of view or just a cosmetic issue?

S1E3: The Ticket Master! Slice of life episode that centers on the first rift between the new group of friends. Twilight Sparkle has an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala and each of the Mane Six wants to attend. Applejack wishes to drum up business for the farm. Rainbow Dash wants to meet her Wonderbolt heroes. Rarity yearns to find her true love. Fluttershy craves to view the private garden full of fauna and flora. Pinkie Pie hopes to attend as it’s the biggest party in Equestria. All the discord and bickering stresses Twilight out and she can’t determine which friend to take with her.
Rewatchability: 2/10 rank. You can absorb everything in this episode upon the first playthrough There’s no stand out moments that cause a reason to rewatch it past the initial viewing. Also, Rarity’s demeanor irks me in this one. She acts like a total snob to Twilight and it’s a total contrarian to her earlier behavior the past two episodes. Really didn’t like that! Also, it’s odd Twilight asks Spike if he’s been to the gala. Twilight hatched Spike. She should literally know.
Humor: 3/10 rank. There’s not many moments. I did enjoy the Yakety Sax parody when the denizens of Ponyville chase Twilight and Spike and clamor for the extra ticket. That was refreshing. Also, the repeated disgust Spike makes about the Gala. Calling it “girly gala gunk” and “frilly frou-frou nonsense”. Though, the ending when he parades giddily from receiving a ticket to the event was humorous too. Oh, and who could forget “And then I said oatmeal? Are you crazy?” Classic quote of this tremendous show.
Songs: 2/10 rank. Like the previous episode, there’s not many. Only two are included and both were random whimsical ditties from Pinkie Pie. Her “Fantasy Song” when she imagines herself at the Gala is quirky and cute. The effervescent party pony does make some adorable expressions during the song. Both are short quick melodies that fill the time to this episode. Not much to say.
Plotline Enjoyment: 4/10 rank. Granted, it was nice to see an episode that showed disharmony in the Mane Six. This episode did a great job of showcasing their first rift. An extra ticket to an event that all wanted to attend is a very believable real world allegory that friends could quarrel over. However, it was surprising to see the length of the contretemps. Rainbow Dash and Applejack clashed. Rarity acted spoiled and stuck up. Plus, the other five ponies tried earning brownie points to Twilight by doing favors. The friendship lesson Twilight learned at the end about blessings was sweet though.
Would I recommend this episode: No.
Overall: 3/10 rank. A grade of D+ It’s not a terrible episode, per se, but it leaves a lot to be desired and is slightly fillerish. I’d have preferred if there was an immediate follow up episode, similar to the previous two-parter. Twilight should’ve admonished her friends’ behavior a bit. I would’ve liked to see who she ultimately chose to go with her in the end. The Ticket Master does an okay job with its presentation, but the conclusion did feel a tad rushed.
Question: Which pony had the best reason to attend the gala and deserved the extra ticket?
In conclusion, The Ticket Master is an early episode in the series that doesn’t really warrant a viewing. This episode isn’t bad, but falls below an average rank in my opinion. It has some nice moments like the Yakety Sax parody and Spike’s behavior, but those aren’t enough to save it, cementing this episode as one of the bottom of the barrel in my season one rankings. Three episodes down, and two-hundred and eighteen to go.

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game ~~about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude~~ heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

Hotsprings add to your maximum health
Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

1 Lévy Hierarchy

The Lévy hierarchy is a hierarchy of formulae. For each natural number n, Σ_n, Π_n and Δ_n form classes of formulae. The lowest rank of the Lévy hierarchy is Σ_0 = Π_0 = Δ_0, i.e. recursive. A formula φ is said to be recursive iff φ is equivalent to a formula that can be built from the atomic sentence "x ∈ y" using logical connectives and bounded quantifiers. A quantifier refers to either ∃, the existential quantifier, or ∀, the universal quantifier. A quantifier is "bounded" if its domain is a set: i.e. it's of the form ∃x ∈ y[φ] (≡ ∃x[x ∈ y ∧ φ], "there exists an x in y so that φ is true") or ∀x ∈ y[φ] (≡ ∀x[x ∈ y → y], "for all x in y, φ is true"). An unbounded quantifier quantifies over the whole universe, e.g. ∃x[φ] means "for all x, φ is true". An example of a recursive formula is "a is transitive", which can be written as "∀x ∈ a∀y ∈ x[y ∈ a]". The rest of the ranks of the Lévy hierarchy are defined as follows:

A formula φ is Σ_n+1 iff φ is equivalent to ∃x₀,...,xₖ[ψ] for some Π_n formula ψ
A formula φ is Π_n+1 iff φ is equivalent to ∀x₀,...,xₖ[ψ] for some Σ_n formula ψ
A formula φ is Δ_n iff φ is both Σ_n and Π_n

A Π_n formula is thus a formula with n alternations of quantifiers starting with a universal quantifier, same for Σ_n but starting with an existential quantifier. So an example of a Π_2 formula is: "∀x∃y[x ∈ y]".
Note that all Π_n and Σ_n-formulae φ are both Π_n+1 and Σ_n+1.
Lévy hierarchy - Wikipedia
For a transitive set M and a formula φ, M ⊧ φ is true iff φ is true within M: when bounding all unbounded quantifiers in φ to M, the resulting formula is true. For example, ω ⊧ ∀x∃y[x ∈ y] as ∀x ∈ ω∃y ∈ ω[x ∈ y]. I'll refer to these transitive sets as "models". Note that, because all quantifiers in M ⊧ φ are bounded, the formula "M ⊧ φ" is always recursive regardless of the complexity of φ.
Model theory - Wikipedia
An important notion in the Lévy hierarchy is absoluteness: a formula φ is said to be absolute iff the truth of φ does not change between models. For models M and N so that the parameters in φ are members of both M and N, M ⊧ φ iff N ⊧ φ. A formula φ is said to be upwards absolute iff the truth of φ "climbs upwards". For models M and N so that M ⊂ N and the parameters in φ are members of both M and N, if M ⊧ φ then N ⊧ φ: if φ is true in a small model M, then it must be true in every larger model N ⊃ M. A formula φ is said to be downwards absolute iff the truth of φ "climbs downwards". For models M and N so that M ⊃ N and the parameters in φ are members of both M and N, if M ⊧ φ then N ⊧ φ: is φ is true in a large model M, then it must be true in every smaller model N ⊂ M (as long as that smaller model still has the parameters of φ).
[Lemma 1.1] (1) All recursive formulae are absolute. (2) All Σ_1 formulae are upwards absolute. (3) All Π_1 formulae are downwards absolute.
A proof of this lemma is left as an exercise for the reader.
Absoluteness (logic) - Wikipedia)

2 Constructible Hierarchy

Gödel's constructible hierarchy is a cumulative hierarchy like the von Neumann hierarchy. The constructible hierarchy is defined as follows:

L_0 = ø is the empty set
L_α+1 = {{x ∈ L_α L_α ⊧ φx} φ a formula} is the set of definable subsets of L_α
L_α = ∪{L_β β < α} for limit α, is the union of all previous ranks

Note that L_α+1 only has all definable subsets of L_α, and not all subsets of L_α. Since finite sets are always definable, the constructible hierarchy corresponds with the von Neumann hierarchy in the interval [0, ω]. From this point, they start to diverge, and L_α is always a subset of V_α. For example, L_ω+1 does not contain a set of Gödel numbers of all and only formulae that are true in L_ω, but V_ω+1 does. To get an idea of how the constructible hierarchy works, you can try to prove the following lemma:
[Lemma 2.1] For infinite α, the cardinality of L_α is equal to the cardinality α (i.e. there is a bijection between L_α and α).
As opposed to the von Neumann hierarchy, which always has the cardinality of V_ω+α equal to ℶ_α.
Constructible universe - Wikipedia

3 Recursive Analogues

[Definition 3.1] C_Ω(a,b) is the closure of b ∪ {0} under addition, x ↦ Ωω^x and ψ with arguments restricted to < a. ψ_Ω(a) is the least b for which C(a,b) ∩ Ω = b.
Usually, Ω here is chosen to be the least uncountable, ω₁. This is because ω₁ has a certain property: it is regular, i.e. for all f: ω₁ → ω₁, there is some a < ω₁ so that for all x < a, f(x) < a. This means that "for all a, ψ_ω₁(a) is strictly smaller than ω₁" is easy to prove.
However, Ω can also be chosen to be a much smaller ordinal, i.e. the Church Kleene ordinal, CK. This ordinal is recursively regular, i.e. for all recursive f: L_CK → L_CK, there is some a < CK so that for all x ∈ L_ a, f(x) ∈ L_a. "for all a, ψ_CK(a) is strictly smaller than CK" is still true, but a bit more difficult to prove.
The Church Kleene ordinal is a recursive analogue to the least uncountable: they behave roughly the same, but CK is much smaller than ω₁.
Recursive analogues are useful as they can be proven to exist in ZFC, while their non-recursive analogues cannot. For example, a recursively inaccessible (recursively regular limit of recursively regulars) can be proven to exist in ZFC, while an inaccessible cardinal (regular strong limit cardinal) cannot.
In this post, I'll be focusing on recursive analogues.

4 Reflecting Ordinals

[Definition 4.1] Let a be an ordinal, let Φ be a set of formulae and let A be a class of ordinals. a is said to be Φ-reflecting on A iff for all φ ∈ Φ, if L_a ⊧ φ, then there is some b < a so that b ∈ A and L_b ⊧ φ (i.e. φ "reflects" to some member of A) (it should be understood that the parameters of φ must be in L_b). Φ may be omitted if it's the set of all formulae. A may be omitted if it's the class of all ordinals.
For example, for Π_2-reflecting a, if L_a ⊧ ∀x∃y[x ∈ y] then there must be some b < a so that L_b ⊧ ∀x∃y[x ∈ y].
If a is Π_0-reflecting, then a must be a limit ordinal: let x < a be some ordinal. Then, the Π_0-sentence "¬x ∈ x" must reflect to some b < a. So a b for which x < b < a is found, meaning that a is a limit ordinal.
Using downwards absoluteness, the following lemma can be proven:
[Lemma 4.2] For ordinal a and class of ordinals A, all of the following are equivalent:

a is Π_0-reflecting on A
a is Π_1-reflecting on A
a is a limit of A

A proof of this lemma is left as an exercise for the reader.
A "witness" of a formula ∃x[φx] is an x for which φx is true. Using the notion of a witness, the following lemma can be proven:
[Lemma 4.3] For ordinal a and class of ordinals A, a is Σ_n+1-reflecting on A iff a is Π_n-reflecting on A
One might see that a formula ∀x∃y[φ] is true if there is a function f mapping x to y so that φ always holds for these x and y. Using this, the following can be proven:
[Lemma 4.4] An ordinal a is Π_2 reflecting iff a is recursively regular, i.e. for all recursive f: L_a → L_a, there is some b < a so that for all x ∈ L_b, f(x) ∈ L_b.
A Π_n-class is a class of ordinals A for which there exists a Π_n-formula φ so that φ defines A: for all a, a ∈ A iff L_a ⊧ φ. A Π^1_0-class is a class of ordinals A that is Π_n for some n.
For positive natural n, and Π^1_0-class A, the sentence "the universe is Π_n-reflecting on A" is Π_n+1. The class of ordinals that are Π_n-reflecting on A is thus a Π_n+1-class. It's left as an exercise to the reader to figure out why it is Π_n+1, and why this wouldn't always work when n = 0 or when A isn't a Π^1_0-class.
To give an example, the class of limits of recursively regulars (Π_1 on Π_2, see lemma 4.2 and 4.4) is a Π_2-class: the class of Π_2-reflecting ordinals is Π_3, thus Π^1_0, thus the class of Π_1-reflecting ordinals on Π_2-reflecting ordinals is Π_2.
Using this (the general case, not the example above), the following lemma can be proven:
[Lemma 4.5] Let a be an ordinal, let n be a positive natural, let A be a Π^1_0-class and let B be a Π_n+1-class. Suppose a is Π_n+1-reflecting on A and a is a member of B. Let C be the class of ordinals that are Π_n-reflecting on the intersection of A and B. a ∈ C and C is a Π_n+1-class.
This lemma is a bit more difficult to prove than the previous ones, but should still be doable.
For example, when a is Π_2-reflecting and Π_1-reflecting on the class of Π_2-reflecting ordinals (Π_2 and Π_1 on Π_2), it can be concluded that a is Π_1-reflecting on the class of ordinals that are Π_1-reflecting on the class of Π_2-reflecting ordinals (Π_1 on Π_1 on Π_2). So a is Π_2 and Π_1 on Π_1 on Π_2, so it is Π_1 on Π_1 on Π_1 on Π_2, etc. This is an analogue to how inaccessible cardinals are limits of regular cardinals, limits of limits of regular cardinals, limits of limits of limits of regular cardinals, etc.
Let n be a positive natural and let f: Ord → P(Ord) be a recursive function mapping ordinals to Π_n-classes. To be precise, f is characterized by a Π_n formula φ so that b ∈ f(a) iff L_b contains all parameters in φ, a < b and L_b ⊧ φ(a). The class of ordinals {b ∀a < b[b ∈ f(a)]}, which can be viewed as a "diagonal intersection" of f, is Π_n as well: it is characterized by the Π_n formula ∀a[φ(a)]. If the range of f is restricted to some ordinal x, then we can simply take the intersection ∪{f(a) a < x} (restricted to ordinals b > x) which'd be a Π_n-class.
For example, f(a) for a < ω can be defined as the class of ordinals that are a-ply Π_1-reflecting (a-ply means that reflection is iterated a times), each of these classes are Π_2, so the resulting intersection (ω-ply Π_1-reflecting ordinals, i.e. ordinals of the form ω^ω) is a Π_2-class as well.
To give another example, f(a) can be defined as the class of ordinals that are Π_1-ref on a-ply (Π_2-ref and Π_1-ref on ...), i.e. limits of recursively a-inaccessibles. Each of these classes are Π_2, so the diagonal intersection {b ∀a < b[b ∈ f(a)]}, which is the class of recursively pseudo hyper-inaccessibles, is Π_2 as well.
To get an idea of the size of Π_2-reflecting ordinals, one can use the idea of diagonal intersections to prove the following:
[Lemma 4.6] If a is Π_2-reflecting then a is an epsilon number (i.e. a-ply Π_1-reflecting).
In fact, a then is a ζ-number, strongly critical (a Γ-number), and much much more.
In the following chapters, we'll build stronger and stronger OCFs, eventually reaching the PTO of KP + Π^1_0-reflection.

5 Recursively Inaccessible OCF

Let I denote the least recursively inaccessible (Π_2-ref limit of Π_2-refs). Let ε(I) denote the least epsilon after I. Let R denote the set of recursively regulars at most I. a and b always denote ordinals < ε(I), κ always denotes a member of R.
[Definition 5.1] H maps pairs of ordinals < ε(I) to sets of ordinals < ε(I). ψ maps pairs of ordinals ∈ R × ε(I) to ordinals < I. H_a(b) and ψ_κ(a) are defined by induction on a. H_a(b) is the closure of b ∪ {0} under addition, x ↦ x⁺ (where x⁺ is the least recursively regular above x), x ↦ Iω^x and ψ with the second argument restricted to < a. ψ_κ(a) is defined iff κ ∈ H_κ(a). ψ_κ(a) is the least b for which κ ∈ H_b(a) and H_b(a) ∪ κ = b.
For example, ψ_I(0) = ω_ω^CK is the least limit of admissible ordinals (admissible = recursively regular or ω).
[Lemma 5.2] For ordinals κ, λ ∈ R and a, b < ε(I) so that κ, a ∈ H_a(κ) and λ, b ∈ H_b(λ), ψ_κ(a) < ψ_λ(b) iff (1) for κ ≠ I and λ ≠ I: κ < λ or [κ = λ and a < b], (2) for κ ≠ I and λ = I: κ ≤ ψ_λ(b), (3) for κ = I and λ ≠ I: ψ_κ(a) < λ, (4) for κ = I and λ = I: a < b.
[Lemma 5.3] For ordinals x ∈ R ∪ {0} and a < ε(I) for which x⁺ ∈ H_a(x⁺), x < ψ_x(a) < x⁺. For a < ε(I), ψ_I(a) < I.
These lemmas can be proven using the lemmas in chapter 4.

6 Recursively Mahlo OCF

Let M denote the least recursively Mahlo (Π_2-ref on Π_2-ref). Let ε(M) denote the least epsilon after M. Let R denote the set of recursively regulars below. a and b always denote ordinals < ε(M), κ always denotes a member of R.
We now have two "degrees": Π_2-reflection, and Π_2-reflection on Π_2-reflection. Each of these degrees requires its own set of OCFs. For the simple Π_2-reflecting ordinals, I'll define a collapsing function ψ_κ similar to the one in chapter 5. For Π_2-ref on Π_2-ref, I'll define a collapsing function χ_M collapsing ordinals > M to Π_2-reflecting ordinals < M. Generally, if κ is Π_2-reflecting on a Π^1_0 class X, then a collapsing function ψ^X_κ can be defined collapsing ordinals > κ to ordinals ∈ X ∩ κ (in X and below κ).
[Definition 6.1] H maps pairs of ordinals < ε(M) to sets of ordinals < ε(M). ψ maps pairs of ordinals ∈ R × ε(M) to ordinals < M. χ_M maps ordinals < ε(M) to ordinals ∈ R. H_a(b), ψ_κ(a) and χ_M(a) are defined by induction on a. H_a(b) is the closure of b ∪ {0} under addition, x ↦ Mω^x, ψ with the second argument restricted to < a and χ with arguments restricted to < a. ψ_κ(a) is defined iff κ ∈ H_a(κ). ψ_κ(a) is the least b for which κ ∈ H_a(b) and H_a(b) ∩ κ = b. χ_M(a) is the least κ for which H_a(κ) ∩ M = κ.
For example, χ_M(M^2) is the least recursively 2-inaccessible: Π_2-ref and limits of rec inacs.
[Lemma 6.2] For ordinals a, κ so that κ ∈ H_a(κ), ψ_κ(a) < κ. χ_M(a) < M.

7 Recursively Weakly Compact OCF

Let K be the least Π_3 reflecting ordinal (recursively weakly compact). Let ε(K) denote the least epsilon after K. For Π^1_0-class X, let Π_2[X] denote the set of ordinals that are Π_2-reflecting on X. a, b, d, κ always denote ordinals < ε(K).
Now, we have a myriad of degrees: Π_2-reflecting, Π_2-ref on Π_2-refs, hyper-Π_2-refs (using diagonal intersections), (1 @ ω)-Π_2-ref (I'm not going to explain what that means). We thus need more OCFs that can handle these degrees. I thus introduce a new argument, d, called the degree: ψ^d_κ(a), where κ is Π_2-reflecting on ordinals with degree d, collapses to ordinals with degree d. Here, degree d roughly refers to d-ply Π_2-reflecting ordinals (for small d, for large d, it also refers to hyper-Π_2-ref, etc, through the use of collapsing). To know what degree what ordinal is, we'll define a thinning hierarchy M^d. A thinning hierarchy is a hierarchy of sets of ordinals that, well, thins: for a > b, M^a ⊆ M^b. M^0 would be the set of all ordinals < ε(K), M^1 is the set of recursively regulars < ε(K), etc.
[Definition 7.1] H maps pairs of ordinals < ε(K) to sets of ordinals < ε(K). M maps ordinals < ε(K) to sets of ordinals < ε(K). ψ maps triplets of ordinals < ε(K) to ordinals < ε(K). H_a(b), M^a and ψ^d_κ(a) are defined by induction on a. H_a(b) is the closure of b ∪ {0}, x ↦ Kω^x and ψ with the third argument restricted to < a. M^d is the set of b < ε(M) so that, for all d₀ ∈ H_d(b) ∩ d, b ∈ Π_2[M^d₀]. ψ^d_κ(a) is defined iff d ≤ a, κ ∈ H_a(κ) and κ ∈ Π_2[M^d]. ψ^d_κ(a) is the least b so that κ ∈ H_a(b), b ∈ M^d and H_a(b) ∩ κ = b.
For example, ψ^{K^ω}_K(K^ω) is the least (1 @ ω)-Π_2-reflecting ordinal.
[Lemma 7.2] For ordinals d, a, κ so that d ≤ a and κ ∈ H_a(κ), ψ^d_κ(a) < κ.

8 Reflecting OCF

To extend the OCF in chapter 7 to full reflection, more complicated degrees are needed. Traditionally, these degrees were complicated structures involving tuples of ordinals and other degrees. However, one can see that an exponential structure arises from these degrees, and just use base Ξ Cantor normal form as degrees.
Let Ξ denote the least reflecting ordinal. For natural n ≥ 2 and Π^1_0-class X, let Π_n[X] denote the class of ordinals that are Π_n-reflecting on X. Let ε(Ξ) denote the least epsilon number after Ξ. a, b, κ always denote ordinals ≤ Ξ, d always denotes an ordinal < ε(Ξ), n always denotes a natural number ≥ 2. I'll write d =nf d₀ + Ξ^d₁ × d₂ if d = d₀ + Ξ^d₁ × d₂, d₀ is a multiple of Ξ^{d₁+1} (d₀ = 0 is allowed) and d₂ < Ξ.
[Definition 8.1] H maps pairs of ordinals < Ξ to sets of ordinals < ε(Ξ). M maps pairs consisting of an ordinal < ε(Ξ) and a natural ≥ 2 to sets of ordinals < Ξ. ψ maps triplets of ordinals d,a,κ to ordinals < Ξ. H_a(b), M^d_n and ψ^d_κ(a) are defined by induction on a (in the case of M^d_n, a is the largest base Ξ CNF component of d). H_a(b) is the closure of b ∪ {0} under addition, x ↦ Ξω^x and ψ with the third argument restricted to < a. For d = 0, M^d_n is the set of all ordinals < Ξ, otherwise for d =nf d₀ + Ξ^d₁ × d₂, M^d_n is the set of ordinals b < ε(Ξ) for which b ∈ M^d_{n+1}(a) and for all d₂' ∈ H_d₂(b) ∩ d₂, b ∈ Π_n[M^{d₀ + Ξ^d₁ × d₂'}_n]. ψ^d_κ(a) is defined iff the largest base Ξ CNF component of d is at most a and d,κ ∈ H_a(κ) and κ ∈ Π_2[M^d_2]. ψ^d_κ(a) is the least b for which d,κ ∈ H_a(b), b ∈ M^d_2 and H_a(b) ∩ κ = b.
For example, ψ^{Ξ2}_Ξ(0) is the least Π_3-reflecting ordinal that is Π_2-reflecting on the set of Π_3-reflecting ordinals.
I'm tired. Bye!
.(˙˘˙)‘/’

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game ~~about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude~~ heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

Hotsprings add to your maximum health
Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game ~~about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude~~ heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

Hotsprings add to your maximum health
Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

Hi all,
I'm writing a textbook on behalf of a community. It is contract work. I had written it using second-person perspective (e.g., you, your), but have been advised to chance it to a first-person perspective (we, our).
There are some circumstances where I am having difficulty making that change. See the sentence below. Can someone please advise me on how to make the change from second-person to first-person in this example?
The next time you are heading west towards Lake ______ along Highway _____ , see if you can spot the location where one of these ridges exists!
In this situation, simply changing from "you" to "we" doesn't feel correct to me. Or is this an example where it would be considered correct to leave it in second-person despite everything else being in first-person?

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game ~~about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude~~ heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

Hotsprings add to your maximum health
Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

I don't believe it is true that its all his fault but the common sentiment due to the types of dating advice you see is that people believe you have more control in who likes you romantically than you actually do.
I believe you can control how many people like you as a friend but do to the innate existsence of compare and contrast, and competition in dating I don't think you control who likes you to the degree that not having a woman interested is always your fault.
Beyond objective physical standards you are always competing with other men in a womans head, men that they don't even know exist sometimes especially when it comes down to attraction at first sight. You compete with guys in your social circle for whom they deem as datable and not datable to deny this would be to deny in a friendgroup there's guys the women would say yes to and no to in terms of dating. You compete with the good parts of her ex, which is almost always looks, sex, how exciting or interesting your life is/how charismatic you are and financial status. You compete with attractive men on tiktok or instagram if she views any or has enterained any in her dms, it just raises her standard for looks of her ideal man. This is partially the reason men prefer less of a body count with thier partner, less of an enviornment for tangible comparrison along side the MadonnaWH-complex.
On the more involved portion like already dating or progressing a relationship at different pace than previous. When men raise issue with being treated different from an ex date, lover etc or the timeline of events of how the relationship is going is skewed more so in the past date/lovers favor in terms of proof of passion. Women are always extremely eager to point out the mans lack in comparrison and have it be ok due to supoosed deeper feelings. "So what if she slept with him earlier than you or can acknowledge he's more handsome, she cares more about you and what you think so she is taking her time" the acknowledgement of the differences still proves the reason on why things not progressing the same pace is an overall issue; he is not up to par with the past lover interms of looks, sex appeal and possibly attitude.

Hi everybody. (sorry for the long post but I want to tell you the full story and hear your opinion).
I spend the last months to travel around the world and at one point I was in Colombia where I met this amazing and beautiful girl.
I was with some friends in a special bar where you can learn the language and we talked a lot that evening and we exchanged phonenumbers. The next days we had a little talk by texting but because she doesn't love to text it wasn't much.
Next week I spend a week in her city so we could meet up almost every day. We really had an amazing time and everything felt so good. We spend many hours togheter and we were never short of things to talk about. We talked about everything and we agreed on a lot of things.
Because I had to leave the country I had to say goodbye to her. Nothing really special happened and we only kissed goodbye. At that moment I thought I would never see her again.
But I couldn't stop thinking about her and we called a lot and I decided to ask her if she would like it if I came back to her. Offcourse she didn't expact that question so she asked for some time to think about it. After 2 weeks she agreed for me to come back.
I went back to her and everything was so amazing from the first second. We were constantly holding hands or my arm was around her and it was really nice to be with her. We talked about how it also is a bit scary we are gonna travel togheter because we never went dating. But we were both willing to take the gamble that we could be done with eachother after 1 or 2 days.
The travel was amazing. So many things to talk about, constantly touching eachother and laughing a lot. Every oppertunity she had, she gave me a kiss or huged me. We also had s*x at one point and the day after it felt better than ever before. At one point a little girl asked us where we knew eachother from and she told her she was my girlfriend. When we were in a restaurant she told me she wanted to go to a bar one day to see how we can flirt and tease eachtother while dancing.
On day 3 we were in a restaurant where she received a message from a client she wanted to cancel an order of 500 dollar. She owns her own company so that is a lot of money for her. After that message things changed. She went more distance and didn't really touched me anymore and didn't say a lot. She told me she felt weird and couldn't really say why but she didn't think it had something to do with me.
Next morning we went to her house and she was talking with somebody about the cancelation and she told me that was the main reason she felt bad and weird yesterday because she could still feel it.
We spend the day togheter and talked about things we wanted to do in future and we had a normal conversation. Nothing special I would say that day.
Day after we had a conversation about long distance relationship and she told me she couldn't do it. She thought she was ready but she felt she was not. She can't handle the feeling of missing somebody. In the past she had already long distance relationship and can't handle it. Her brain wants to run away and the other part didn't know what to do. I gave her my point of view how we can make this happen and it won't be forever long distance but she really didn't wanted it. Touching somebody and intimacy are really important for her.
Next day we had to say goodbye and she told me she doesn't know if we would see eachother again and she needs some time for herself to talk with her brother and best friend. So now is has been 6 days and we don't talk anymore.
I live in europe so I can't go there every week.
What do you think about this story and what should I do?

Hi everyone, I am just looking for others who have experienced this as I feel really alone in my own community of friends. I am 27 and I have one 4 year old son. When we conceived I got pregnant right away with zero problems. When I was pregnant I had a lot of trouble with antenatal depression, severe weight gain of 110 lbs, mood swings (those were probably normal), etc. We had a traumatic birth which was handled quickly and I'm very grateful to my midwives for their care of my son who's a healthy and happy kid. I noticed around 6 months I was dealing with severe post partum anxiety and depression. I was afraid to talk to my doctors about it and let it go so far that I started having paranoid delusions until I snapped and called her on the emergency line cause I thought I needed to go to jail/would hurt my son/his life would be ruined if I didn't commit suic*de. We got all that taken care of, she supported me immensely and talked me through what I was going through and made me feel normal again. I am a good mom and my sons my best friend and I was very lucky to have her as my doctor. 1 year post partum I was losing all libido. Like none. This is not normal for me and never has been the case. I have been on 200 mg of lamictal and 50 of pristiq for years and still was able to have sexual desire, maybe not as much as pre medicine but still enough to feel content. Over the next 3 years she and I tried so many things to try and counteract this but even when altering my meds there was no significant change other than mental struggles. I have a therapist who is also amazing and these 2 women together have seriously improved my quality of life more than words can credit them for. We have come to the conclusion that this isn't a mental health related sexual problem. Although over time it has become one in the sense that my view of myself has plummeted and I feel like less of a woman. This isn't something my medication can be messed around with to fix. So it was suggested that I go see a gyno to talk about my options for sexual health. I was excited to do this because I thought that it would be the thing to cure all my issues. Unfortunately I have never had a lot of luck with gynos. I've felt dismissed so many times I stopped going to them until I was pregnant. I looked for help from friends to find a good one and went with someone suggested to me. He gave me the run around about how it's normal for women to not want to have sex after having a child, even if it's literally not ever. Men and women are different. Have you tried therapy? Is this trauma related or some deep rooted problem I haven't uncovered. Questions that frustrated the hell out of me. They did a blood panel which was the only thing I think was helpful in the entire visit and discovered that my AMH levels were "really low for a 27 year old" and after a physical exam he told me I have atrophy. Now this makes a lot of sense to me because I have struggled a lot in the last few years feeling like sex became different and I couldn't put my finger on why. I came in with one problem and left with two. He told me he didn't know enough about this to help me and referred me to a woman who he considered sooo knowledgeable. I went to her and talked about everything. When it came to libido she told me that I should try watching porn or reading smut and if I ever used lube before. If I had known that over the last 8 months waiting to see two different doctors that I was given suggestions I could have googled I would have never bothered. I was furious and I told her that I don't personally do these things and that doesn't help my underlying problem which is some kind of physical limitation. When I asked her why I'm having the atrophy and low AMH I got a bunch of I don't knows. I talked to her about hormonal imbalance and she told me that she wanted to have me come back in 6 months to redo the same testing before considering any of that. I told her that for the last 3 years I have had virtually no energy, I could sleep all day if my life style allowed it. I have constant problems with memory, focus, being in the moment of a conversation. I have wondered if I was dealing with some sort of brain damage the last 3 years because it's gotten SO bad. I have had night sweats frequently to the point that you can actually see my body imprint of old sweat stains in my matress. I went to a PCP 2 years ago to talk about concerns I had about my hormones and excessive hairless and she assured me I'm just still going through PP even though my son is two and I trusted that and moved on. So this is really an ongoing issue. Everywhere I turn I feel like I'm circling the drain, I feel so misunderstood and alone. I cry so much about this it feels like I'm not myself and I don't know how to get back there. None of my friends have experienced this. My mom had all this happen at 57 years old when she went into peri menopause. I feel like my body is out of wack and I have had to do all my own digging. I feel like its pointless to yest my hormones because it's so fluctuating, but I wonder if testosterone could help me with the energy, libido, focus. Maybe estrogen would. I'm so at a loss I feel like I'm walking alone in the dark and reaching out in every direction for a solution. I don't know if there's a certain doctor I should be looking for. I have another appointment with a different gyno a month from now that was suggested to me by a nurse and I'm driving an hour to see her because I am so desperate. Can someone please give me some sort of confirmation that I am not crazy or jumping to conclusions because I feel like I have munchausens when doctors talk to me the way they do. I just feel so alone.

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Gods were now fighting over Markus. On the matter of whether he should feel flattered or terrified, ‘terrified’ was looking to be the stronger adjective.
As many as six different voices had piped up in the last few moments expressing some level of interest over hiring Markus following his defeat of the monster. All of these voices emanated from high-class looking box seats, and all of them carried that same affectation of power and status that one might expect of a deity.
Naturally, the crowd had fallen to silence. Who wanted to interrupt an argument between gods?
It wasn’t long before the already nonplussed Markus was flanked by Drathok, who’d spawned into existence beside him in a flash of purple lightning. The creature took one look at his dead monster, another, much longer look at Markus, then waved his hand up at the gods.
“Sacred ones! Sacred ones… I trust you all enjoyed the performance?”
“I do not wish to converse with an imp baron,” the first god spoke, a touch of ire in his voice. He was the one who’d first propositioned Markus following his fight, and the tallest of all standing to address him now. Despite their distance, Markus could make out his features well, as if he were so defined that the limits of perception need not apply to his visage. “But I will indulge you if only to speed this up. Where did you acquire this one from? Where?”
“An exotic planet in the far reaches, my lord, one heralded to produce only the mightiest warriors with the highest inherent potentials…” Drathok smiled, that same wide smile from before. “Tell me, has your holiness ever heard of the planet Earth?”
“Earth…” the god grumbled, rubbing his fingers against his chin. “No. Can’t say that I have. Sounds rather exotic…”
Markus watched the whole exchange with incredulity, still reeling with exhaustion from the fight, barely staying aloft. He worried that if he fainted now, he’d end up having an important decision be made for him, and somehow, something was keeping him going even in spite of how hard and desperately he’d fought. He had no clue what.
Still, Drathok was lying through his teeth! He’d never even heard of Earth until Markus had told him about it, and he’d pulled Markus here by total accident!
To think that he’d still try and find a way to profiteer from this situation… or maybe he was just trying to cover his own hide. Markus found it difficult to tell. Was there a chance that Markus’ unexpected victory might provoke a god’s anger?
“Question,” another voice piped up, this one female. “You say this human hails from a warrior planet, one so exotic none of us would know of it. Then why is it that your announcer insisted he was a simple, weak primitive impossibly staked to lose his life?”
“A ploy to drive both tension and excitement, your emanence! An outcome so unexpected was only meant to surprise all of you most esteemed patrons with a bout beyond your expectations!”
“Beyond my expectations…” the goddess growled ferociously, the stands trembling around her. “I’ve lost good money betting on this fight! The otherworlder was meant to be eviscerated!”
“And you will be reimbursed in full! An unfortunate cost to provide you with this most glorious turn of events, I do hope you were entertained regardless!”
“I ought to gut you where you stand, but I do suppose lying is in the nature of hellspawn.” The goddess tutted. “I will pardon this deception, but only because the fight was extraordinary. A level one human besting a D grade monster? Almost unheard of.”
“Which is why I should be the one to claim him!” another god roared. “I was the first to take note of this human’s prowess, you all should’ve caught on sooner!”
“Esteemed patrons, sacred ones…” Drathok smiled at each of them in turn, giving a small bow. “I must make you aware, this one is contracted to fight for me for the foreseeable future. To terminate said contract—”
“To buy out his service?” The tallest god sneered. “Please. I care little about your petty soul contract. Name your price. It’s a pittance to me.”
“Do I get a choice in any of this?”
Markus had said it quietly and between coughs, but that was only because his throat was so coarse. He was so frustrated with the way that he was being bargained over that he wanted to scream at them all.
“We will settle this matter later. I’m tired of gawking onlookers,” the tallest god said. “See my new champion is properly cleaned up before I visit him.”
“He’s not your champion, he’s mine!” another god blurted.
“Of course, sacred ones. Any and all of you may visit the dungeons at my leisure, you need only ask. Thank you once more for your most esteemed patronage, and please enjoy the rest of today’s performances!”
With that, Drathok and Markus both were whisked away in a flash of lightning.
Before he blinked out of the arena, he noticed that the body of the bulleater he’d slain had seemed to almost be melting away around the chest area, as if its heart had been absorbed from its body.
When they arrived back in the summoning room, Drathok’s face was split by a massive grin.
“Wonderful, boy. Simply wonderful.” He levitated a far chair over to himself and proceeded to sit, as Markus stood before him, still wracked by pain. “You passed every test I put before you with ease. Truly, you are an impressive specimen.”
“Impressive?” Markus gulped, his throat dry. “You… you mean you expected me to kill that fuck ugly thing?”
“I estimated the chance to be around five percent,” Drathok admitted, eyes glinting red. “To say I expected it might be an overstatement.”
He folded one leg over the other, looking truly at ease. “When I saw your inborn trait, I became curious about your potential, so I started zapping you with just enough magic that you might make use of it, assuming your ability had any potency to it. Seems you drank quite greedily from my mana pool, and look what it ended up leading to!” He laughed. “You’ve done well. Well enough that you won’t be stuck rotting away down here for very long. Isn’t that just splendid?”
“You bastard…” If Markus understood the situation well enough, then it was simple. Drathok had known he might be able to absorb mana from attacks from the start, and that was the precise reason he’d cast his magic on him. Not for intimidation, not for torture, but to give Markus a weapon he could use, should he have the instinct for it.
Only, it was hardly something he should be grateful for, as he’d only done it so Markus could showcase his abilities in front of a bunch of gods, who’d now want to buy him instead.
Presumably, whatever Markus could do with Mana Manipulation was worth more than the cost of replacing that monster he’d slain would be. Good for him. Great for Drathok.
Markus wasn’t gonna take this sitting down. He hadn’t fought for his life just to be sold again. He raised his hand, ready to expel the last of his excess mana despite the screaming warnings of his body, but before he could do more than bring a small pulse of power to his palm, Drathok raised a finger and held Markus completely still in doing so, locking his joints and disrupting the flow of his mana.
“Come, now. Do you really think you have a hope of winning?”
The power difference between the two was so vast that it was indescribable, even after Markus’ victory. Drathok had proven so with that single display of power. Markus struggled and thrashed in place against Drathok’s invisible hold. Any head-on confrontation was likely to be impossible.
Markus began sweating, his body aching immensely. “Fuck you. When I get out of here, I’m gonna find you and make you wish you’d never summoned me. Mark my words.”
“You can talk about your daydreams all you like. It won’t change your fate.” Drathok grinned wider, probably mentally spending the fat purse of coins he’d receive for this even as they spoke. “You want my advice? Sign yourself over to Ciphelos. He’s more lenient than the others.” Drathok began to cackle as he spoke. “After a few decades of service, he might even let you go free!”
With that, Drathok snapped his fingers, and a small, red creature appeared in a puff of smoke. “What’s up, boss?”
“Show this one to his cell. He’s performed exceptionally, so give him a rag to wash himself with. Perhaps some cheese?“
“Got it, boss,” the imp answered, before swishing its tail twice. Immediately, an ethereal chain appeared from nowhere, wrapping itself around Markus’ ankle and clamping shut, as all the while the chain affixed itself to the imp’s right hip.
Markus couldn’t even begin to tug against it. It kept his foot completely in place. When the imp moved, he moved.
As he was pulled away, he turned back only to find Drathok waving, shit-eating grin everpresent on his stupid fucking face.
“Rest well, champion! Your new life awaits!”
Markus hadn’t taken more than two unassisted steps within his cell before he collapsed to the floor. The moment that the shackles had been taken off of him and his forced march through the torchlit corridors beneath the arena had ended, his body had taken its toll on him in full force.
[Mana Poisoning II in effect. Overcharging your body’s mana past 250% of its capacity causes extreme fatigue and a consistent drain in both vitality and strength. Reducing your body’s mana below 100% of its capacity will counteract this.]
[Dealing with Mana Poisoning for long periods leads to Mana Toxicosis, a condition that will render you incapable of casting magic without inflicting heavy damage upon yourself, and in advanced stages can simply kill you.]
[Overcharge (F Grade) in effect: all physical stats have been temporarily raised by 30. Magical affinity and resilience increased. Growth heightened by 50%.]
That didn’t sound good. No wonder he was laying here in such a miserable heap of exhaustion. His whole body felt utterly incapable of moving, to the point that once the promised wet rag and food were passed into his cell, Markus couldn’t even find the energy to get up and use them, no matter how he might want to.
He supposed the temporary boost in stats had probably been necessary to carry out the fight, but if feeling like this after was the cost…
Markus decided to look around at his system more. He’d been simply thinking things and getting answers from it up until now, which seemed fairly intuitive, but he wanted a way to view everything pertinent.
He imagined himself looking at a menu, and something akin to that appeared before him. There was a list of notifications spread out, as well as means to look at various advancement trees that he had yet to realise even existed.
One thing was for sure, between draining that creature and killing it, he’d been showered with levels. There were so many notifications here…
He counted, and there were seven level ups. He’d shot up from level 1 to 8 in a single fight.
44 unspent skill points. That sounded like a lot, but he had no basis for what was high or low right now. Markus opened his stat sheet, trying to determine what he might spend them on. Part of him wanted to wait until he could amass more information, but he was on a time crunch here. He wanted to be rid of this affliction plaguing him, and he was hardly about to ask whatever god came to buy him for pointers on the most meta build for escaping them.
No, he needed to figure it out himself. Head hazy, Markus summoned his status screen, staring at it for the very first time:
[Name: Markus Brown] [Class: Otherworlder (Earth) (Tier: Novice 8)] [Health: 253/340] [Mana: 832/430]
[Strength: 48 (+30)] [Agility: 42 (+30)] [Arcana: 6] [Constitution: 49 (+30)] [Spirit: 17] [???: 0]
Didn’t take a very long look for him to realise where most of his unspent points would be going. He’d deal with the other notifications and passives demanding his attention later. For now, too much mana was the problem, and a hefty dose of Spirit seemed to be the solution.
//
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A/N: Hey! Thanks for reading! Bit of system experimentation and build theorising coming up early next chapter, then straight back to the action! Hope you're enjoying the story so far, it's been a blast to write for all of you!
If you wanna support me and this story, or if you just can't wait for the next chapter, the next six chapters of this story are available right now on my Patreon!

Hi, all,
I have a BS in philosophy and an MS in war and conflict studies and am looking to pursue a PhD.
The challenge I’m facing is that I have an intuitive idea of what I want to do but I have not yet been able to pin it down precisely enough to turn it into a proposal. I’m a bit scattered and need your help finding a way to synthesize my thoughts.
Here’s what I have some clarity on so far:

The idea is to pursue a PhD in philosophy, I’ve found a program that is quite diverse and would welcome an interdisciplinary approach (which mine would have to be).
It would be related to peacebuilding but not specifically what I did for my master’s project which focused on a particular conflict.
I’m interested in exploring what conditions would define a modern matriarchal society (I’m yet to find a coherent answer) and how that could serve as a restorative response to the ways in which patriarchal structures have led to our current global crises.
I recently read Turning Point by Fritjof Capra and have been immensely inspired by his perspective, as I share his views, and would also like to incorporate an aspect of that into my PhD. Namely, a systems theory approach to social change.

How would you go about bringing all of this together into a coherent whole? Or maybe it’s too wide and I need to narrow it down more and just focus on one thing? I’m neurodivergent and sometimes find it hard to pull in all of the pieces, but once I do I’m better able to organize it and clarify it in my mind.
I got my master's degree in 2009 and because I’ve been out of school for so long I also feel a bit out of the loop on what it is they’d want for a proposal exactly. The research I’ve done online on what is needed to submit a PhD proposal seems to be greatly varied. The school I have my eye on gives a general idea but nothing specific, and I don’t want to contact them until I have a more coherent idea of what I want to do.
Your constructive feedback, ideas, and kindness are greatly appreciated.

For context our son just turned 12 months, and my wife returns to work tomorrow after a year off of work.
We are very fortunate as I work for a blue chip and make 6 figures but often that means working away or 50-60 hour weeks, and so we have agreed that rather than her return full time and put our son in nursery, she would only work 2 days per week and help raise our son 5 days per week.
I get really fucked off when my wife scoffs at me after she tries to assign me a job to do via a disingenuous question - for example this afternoon, I asked if our son was due a nap and she replied “yes, do you want to walk him around the block?”, I am pretty tired after catering at his birthday party yesterday, so I said “do you want to take him?”
An argument ensued re how I don’t do enough to help her with our son, with my main point being that she is our sons “primary” care give and;
A) you’ve not worked for 12 months B) you aren’t returning to work full time C) we now pay her parents to clean our house (affordable due to my work)
For context, I like to cook, so I cook all our dinners. As I say, cleaning is taken care of by somebody else… I’ve always helped with our son, whether it’s changing nappies or feeding time etc. admittedly she does much more than me (particularly whilst she was breast feeding), but she quipped my view on us parenting is like something from the “dark ages”…
Am I the asshole here? Feels like a cake and eat it situation…

Exion has a second response to my posts rebutting him. I’ll address that now. My my previous posts see https://www.reddit.com/Quraniyoon/s/uNMhn0XUpS. For his post I’m responding to see https://www.reddit.com/Quraniyoon/s/uUdbqbc7qs.
Once again Exion doesn’t link my post that he is responding to within his post. He should so everyone can see my full post that he’s responding to, not just the parts he quotes.

But it doesn’t. Not even close. The chapter is about a prophet/messenger of God who brought a Holy Covenant.

At I point out in part 4 of my rebuttals while there are parts of the chapter that mention the holy covenant in the context that’s best understood as the covenant with Israel, which Exion acknowledges as a holy covenant. Also no where in the chapter does it indicate any of the individuals mentions are the ones bringing the holy covenant, and it especially doesn’t say the king on verses 3-4 is the one that brings it. Exion has inserted this meaning into the chapter but his analysis of every verse in the chapter doesn’t cover any verse which says this.

I found it here: biblehub - Pulpit's commentary. Literally a direct copy and paste. Not sure how he missed it.

I missed it because Exion didn’t previously cite this source and this source isn’t a translation of the LXX. Rather it’s a commentary which on some occasions includes a translation of a verse in the LXX. It not something that shows up when looking for the original Greek and corresponding English translations. I’m not sure how he expected anyone to find that when he didn’t cite the source. I also still stand by that translation as being wrong. I linked to the original Greek to show it does have the phrase “in Persia”.

Regarding the "The prophecy describes a sequence of events" thing he pointed out, I had already revised each verse from part 1 in part 2, and it now makes perfect sense. He should read part 2.

I did read part 2 and responded to it. It still has 3 problems. First it’s an admission the original was wrong and not just by a minor mistake. If we look at just all the cases where he admits to being wrong there are enough cases that no one should trust him as a reliable source of information. The more of these cases he admits to the more reason everyone has to doubt him. Second as I noted in my original rebuttals the switch involves a case where he changed his claim about the historical facts based on his interpretation of the prophecy showing he is willing to misrepresent the historical facts to fit his interpretation. Third it doesn’t solve the problem of the sequence of events. Daniel 11:3 begins with a vav-relative, which I explain in my previous posts. This indicates temporal succession so if the kings in verse 2 are the first Caliphs the king in verse 3 must be someone who arose to power after those Caliphs. That rules out it being Mohammed who came before those Caliphs. However, his revision still claims verse 3 is about Mohammed so his revision still doesn’t fix his wrong sequence of events.

"This 'rising' could either be in support of Persia or in opposition to it. Remarkably, this aligns perfectly with the historical narrative of Islam, and here's why:..."

The point is to show an inconsistency with his interpretation of that Hebrew phrase with other similar cases in the very same chapter.
Also Exion doesn’t address the verb tense issue I brought up. The verb tense is the active particle. This indicates either a continuing or imminent future action. Islam was about 1200 years after the prophecy which is too long to be considered continuing or imminent future. In my part 4 I note a point where Exion accepts a translation where the temporal succession from the vav-relative is explicit in the English translations showing an inconsistency in Exion’s interpretation.

The Holy Covenant was brought by the mighty king, of course.

Too bad nothing in the verse cited says the king of verse 4 brought the holy covenant mentioned and the context of the verse indicates it’s the convent with the Jews. Again in my part 4 I address this in more detail.

However, he completely missed this point and is portraying the Bible as if it prophesies random historical secular events and secular kings, like a history book, rather than a Holy Book foretelling the era of a prophet and a king, much like King David.

In Daniel 2 there is a prophecy of a statue which from head to toe have 4 different mental. These are explicitly stated to refer to 4 kingdoms that would be in power one after the other before God destroys them all and establishes his kingdom. The first is explicitly stated to be Babylon at the time of king Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel 5 there is a prophecy where it explicitly states the kingdom of Babylon will be given over to the Medes and Persians. In Daniel 7 there is a parallel prophecy where the 4 kingdoms are represented by 4 beasts. In Daniel 8 there is a prophecy about a Ram and Goat where it explicitly states the Ram is the Medes and Persians while the goat is Greece. Daniel 9 has a prophecy about a period of 490 years starting from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem which occurred during the kingdom of Persia. That’s 5 prophecies about the secular kingdoms of that general time period. Is it that surprising Daniel 11 would also be about the kingdoms of that same time period?
Furthermore Daniel 9 also mentions the abomination of desolation that is mentioned in Daniel 11. This links the prophecies together. It doesn’t make sense to break that link and have Daniel 11 randomly jump to a prophecy about early Islam.
Daniel also isn’t the only prophet to make prophecies about other nations. Check out Isaiah 11-24. Those chapters cover a lot of prophecies about secular nations.

He claims that secular scholars date Daniel to just after these events and believe the book is recording history while pretending to present prophecy. What a silly assertion. Don’t you think people would generally reject such false "prophecy" and declare them deviant liars, especially if they depicted events that had recently happened and everyone knew about? Both you and these secular scholars need to rethink your position because it is very unlikely (almost impossible to be true) and rather ridiculous, if I'm being very frank.

I never said the dating given by the scholars is right. The point was to show that even scholars biased against genuine prophecy recognize this very closely matches the events involving those secular kings. To show I’m not making this up here is The Oxford Bible Commentary, https://imgur.com/a/75vxAEJ.

The chapter is about a prophet who brought a Holy Covenant from God

Again where in the chapter does it say the holy covenant is a future covenant that will be brought about by the king in verses 3-4? It doesn’t say that, Exion is just inserting that interpretation onto the chapter.

Your interpretation that it is saying "as soon as he has risen" adds a temporal nuance that is contextually based rather than explicitly stated in the preposition and verb form. My translation aims for a more direct rendering of "when he stood" or "as he stood," which also respects the grammatical structure without adding interpretative elements not present in the original text.

Two issues here. First “as soon as” and “when” are synonymous. Both indicate that the subsequent fall occurs at the time the king will stand. Second the phrasing here is misleading. It gives the impression that his translation always included a temporal aspect coming from the preposition. However, this is what he originally said ‘The Hebrew doesn’t say “as soon as he has risen,” but only “There stood”‘. His original translation stripped the temporal part from the preposition. He’s changed his translation to add that temporal part. This is another example of where he either explicitly or implicitly acknowledges he was originally wrong. Again just looking at those examples there are enough to show we shouldn’t trust him.

No, it can't, because this is about a Holy Covenant.

Again where does it say that? Sure there are some references to the holy covenant but none state it’s the focus of the chapter or that it’s a new covenant brought by the king in verses 3-4. Rather the references to the holy covenant are about the events that happened between the Jews and those secular kings, like when the temple was invaded, the daily sacrifice stopped, and idol to Zeus set up, and unclean sacrifices made on the alter. Exion acknowledges the covenant with the Jews as a holy covenant in his 3rd part of Daniel 11 but never gives any reason to think the holy covenant in Daniel 11 is not the covenant of the Jews. I on the other hand have given reasons to think it is the covenant of Jews.

Neither Alexander the Great nor anyone else you mention (or anyone related to Alexander) anything to do with a Holy Covenant.

Ya they do like in the events about the temple I just mentioned.

What makes you think that the mighty king came after the 4 kings? The 3rd verse only said:

In the Hebrew it’s the vav-relative indicating temporal succession.

Are you claiming that this must be in chronological order just because the four kings were mentioned before the mighty king? If so, this is the first time I've heard such a claim. Please provide your proof for this supposed Biblical rule; I'd like to read it :). You won't provide any because none exist. But claiming that it does gives you something to "expose," so I understand your motive. However, in the real world, you're just making statements that aren't true.

That’s not my reason. Again it’s because verse 3 starts with a vav-relative indicating temporal succession.

The posterity refers to the Rashidun Caliphs, while "to others besides those" refers to Mu'awiyah and those who followed him. Do you know what "posterity" even means? Posterity literally means future followers or descendants. Lol. The mighty king is the one with the followers, which is why he is the one who brought the Holy Covenant from God, not the four other kings. Had you known what posterity means, you would never have written this in the first place, but we will look past this mistake. Now you know a new word and won't repeat this mistake again. Let's move on.

I know what posterity means. When Alexander the Great died his kingdom was divided into 4 and given to 4 of his generals none of which were his descendants, i.e. they weren’t of his posterity.

Regarding "The king of the south is prophet Muhammad" I had revisited this verse in part 2.

Another case to add to the list where Exion acknowledges he is wrong. Again throwing everything else away and just focusing on those cases it’s evident he is not a reliable source of information.

I don't know if you know this, but stem and branch are synonymous words, they essentially mean the same thing. And lowest part, bottom could also mean stem. Dictionaries define both words similarly:

Exion gives 3 different sources. Let’s examine each more carefully. First he links the strongs source, http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H5342&t=WLC. That link shows the strong meaning as a shoot/branch. Here is the same source for the second word, H8328 - šereš - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (wlc). It says root/bottom/deep/heel.
Second he mentions the Klein Dictionary. There is an online version here where you can search words, https://www.sefaria.org/Klein_Dictionary,_%D7%A0%D6%B4%D7%A6%D6%B0%D7%A8%D6%B8%D7%94.1. The first word has sprout/shoot, while the second has root/source,origin/bottom,lowest part/root,stem.
Third he mentions Jastrow Dictionary. An online version with word search is here, https://www.sefaria.org/Jastrow,_%D7%A9%D6%B9%D7%81%D7%A8%D6%B6%D7%A9%D7%81.1. The first word has sprout/offshoot and second word has root.
Each of these dictionaries agrees with what I found in the BDB. The first word is referring to the upper exposed part of the tree, i.e. the sprouts/branches, while the second word refers to the bottom of the tree, i.e. the root. He tries to bold a part of the last dictionary to emphasize the second word has an analogous meaning to the first. Let’s look at it carefully.

, v. שָׁרָר) [chain, knot,] root. — Pl. שֳׁרָשִׁים, שֳׁרָשִׁין; constr. שָׁרְשֵׁי, שׁוֹרְשֵׁי. B. Bath. V, 4 העולה … ומן הש׳ וכ׳ that which shoots forth out of the trunk, or out of the roots, belongs to the landowner (v. גֶּזַע), expl. ib. 82ᵃ כל שאינו … זהו מן הש׳ that which does not see the light of day (when it shoots forth) is out of the roots’. Y. Ab. Zar. III, 43ᵃ top; Y. Taan. I, 64ᵇ ש׳ חטה the roots of wheat; ש׳ תאנה of fig-trees. Tosef. Shebi. VII, 17; ‘Uktsin I, 4, v. קוֹלָס. Ab. III, 17 וְשֳׁרָשָׁיו מרובין whose roots are many; a. fr.

Notice what appears immediately before the bolded part, it’s a Hebrew sentence. The bolded part is not the definition. The definition is given at the beginning and just says root. It then gives an example of a Hebrew sentence with that word. The bolded part is a translation of that previous Hebrew sentence not the definition of the word. This is another case of Exion misrepresenting his sources. That bolded part actually supports my point since it shows the root is the part where the rest shoots out of it, i.e. the root is the bottom part.

Either way, let's pretend you're right (even though you're not) it still doesn't matter because a branch out of her roots did sprout, which came to be a sect called Khawarij.

It does matter since he spends effort trying to show this is actual Aisha by name. The fact that it’s not casts doubt on his reliability of translating Hebrew and undercuts an important part of his argument for saying this is about Aisha.

Revised in part 2 already.

Which is one more mistake to add to the list of ones he’s acknowledged. Again just counting the ones he’s acknowledged we can’t trust him as a source of information.

This is just your faulty conclusion and presumption. I speculated that they might have lied about 'Aishah being his wife. However, I'm not satisfied with speculations, so I revised the entire post of part 1, and it turned out to be even more accurate.

It was more than speculation. He went on in the comments to try and defend his claim about Aisha being the daughter of Mohammed and even said “I didn't deny her existence, I denied her role in the life of our prophet, based on Daniel 11. It wouldn't say "daughter" if she wasn't his daughter. I mean, I trust the Books of God more than history books that are based on Sunni Hadiths... the same Hadiths that say that our prophet married a 6 year old child.” https://www.reddit.com/Quraniyoon/s/Ig6OsvEQy8. It’s pretty clear his only basis for his view of the historical facts what what he thought the prophecy said. He only changed his view of the historical facts after his interpretation of the prophecy changed. He’s not establishing historical facts and showing they fit the prophecy, he’s forming an opinion on the prophecy and forcing the historical facts to fit it.
If we can trust the historical sources for the other historical claims he makes then we should be able to trust it for the case of Aisha being Mohammed’s wife. If we can’t trust it for the latter then we shouldn’t trust it for the former. Unless independent reason can be given to trust them for one over the other he’s cherry picking his history to fit the prophecy.
u/TheQuranicMumin I said in my last post ‘you said “If he fails/refuses to do this, we will remove his posts for misinformation.” Can we agree already this counts as a failure to respond and consider his posts misinformation or do I really need to continue addressing his posts/responses?’ After going through his second response I’ll ask this again. Do I need to keep going through these or do you agree his posts are misinformation?

First. Previous.
‘Ri woke up in the hotel room to the sound and smell of cooking meat, as well as what she knew to be pancakes. Opening her eyes, she looked ‘down’ to see Kyle cooking on the small grill he packed with him in his subspace shadow, one of his near-silent air purifiers directly overhead, as he was using wood to cook with; the smell of fire-grilled meat was making her ravenous, and it was with a happy stretch that she sat up, Kyle turning to smile at her.
“Morning, beautiful,” he said as she smiled back, “Figured I’d make you breakfast-in-bed; we got dragon steak and eggs - chicken eggs - and I just got done with a bunch of dragon bacon. Pancakes were done a few minutes ago, and I’ve been letting the butter melt in; syrup’s over…” he looked around, spotting a metal container that looked somewhat like a drink pitcher. He set all of this down on a large tray, which he carried over to her, setting it down on the bed lengthwise between the two of them. He went back to the table he’d been working at to retrieve plates, flatware, and two glasses, floating a pitcher of what turned out to be gor’ahm juice, a sweet - yet slightly tart - berry that grew on verem’jiose, and also cost quite a bit, as it was difficult to get enough berries to mass produce, so it wasn’t ‘readily available’ outside of her homeworld.
All-in-all it was a rather enjoyable breakfast - whether or not he had any ‘professional’ training, Kyle sure did know how to cook. After they were done eating - and Kyle had moved their dishes over to the kitchenette their room came with - they took a shower, taking their time in the hot water, just enjoying each other’s presence. When they were done, they dressed in the robes that came with the room - they had gone with black all around - and went to sit together in the main room, putting on some soothing music as they sat together, tails and arms wrapped around each other. After a while of them just sitting there, Kyle stirred slightly.
“I, uh… I got a surprise for you.” He sounded a bit nervous as he said it, but she put that to the side; surely he was just hoping she’d like whatever it was. He smiled slightly, and said,
“Close your eyes.”
Doing as he asked, she shut her eyes, knowing full well that whatever he was ‘retrieving’ was in his subspace shadow, but she went along with the act. When he gave her the okay, she opened her eyes, and it seemed like her stomach dropped out from under her heart, and into oblivion; there in his hands was a thin, perfectly square - but not ‘cubed’ - black box. She looked up at him, unable to say anything, as he opened the lid, and she let out an involuntary gasp; it was difficult for her mind to process what she was seeing, as it appeared to be a round piece of the void cut out to look like a tiara. Or, at least it looked like the shape of one, seeing as she couldn’t really make out any details, though there obviously were details carved into it, as the little sparkles of what she knew to be black hole diamonds - she had seen the pendant Kyle had retrieved from the pirates - seemed to appear and disappear, depending on what angle she looked at it from. The big 8-point star in the middle - reminiscent of the shape their pupils took when observing peoples’ life-blood, and Gift - was always visible however, no matter the angle it was viewed from.
“I had to have Kay’Eighty sketch out the basic outline of where to cut to fit you,” he said, drawing her out of her stupor, “And I had the lead sehr’chtahb fit the diamonds on it, as part of the payment for bringing back the pendant, along with the diamonds themselves, of course. The actual tiara is made from the bone of the first dragon I killed, and I used the kath’loo’s Gift to turn the bone so black that it absorbs all light. I had to turn the bone behind the diamonds silver, because there’s only so much that refraction can do.” They both gave a little chuckle at that; finally, he pointed to the inside of the tiara.
“And here I put a strip of crysthril all the way around it,” she knew that he’d gotten the Gift from one of the sehr’chtahb before they’d left the planet, “Which you normally wouldn’t need, seeing as you’ve got a literal ton in your subspace; but this is different. While we can’t transfer our Gifts to anyone else, we can transfer them into the crysthril, and it stays enchanted with the Gift, no matter how much of it you use. It’s basically limited by your own power, and how much of each Gift was put into the crysthril. Right now, this has all the Gifts that I have right now, and I can always add more in later, when I get ‘em… So, will you wear it?”
The last part was said with a palpable level of nervousness, and she was unable to say anything at that moment. After a few seconds, she finally was able to nod her head yes, tears leaking down her face. Kyle’s face lit up in a wide grin, and she saw his eyes shimmer with unshed tears as he reached forward to grasp the tiara, showing her how to disconnect it at the sides. She leaned her head forward as he reached up to put it on for her, it fitting snugly not just around her head, but perfectly resting around her horns, so as not to be squeezing them, nor to be loose, and wobbly.
She reached forward, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss, too happy to actually say anything; they sat there for a while, basking in their shared love, until she started getting a bit antsy. Kyle obviously noticed this, as he laughed, and said,
“Go look; I know you’re just dying to see it.”
After a smile, and a quick kiss, she ran into the bathroom, looking into the mirror, marveling at the dazzling headpiece that was now her’s. She sat there for a good few minutes, turning her head this way and that, admiring the craftsmanship Kyle had so lovingly put into it. It honestly looked like something a professional jeweler would be proud to call their own work, and she reveled in that fact as well. This was a testament to his love for her, and it was done through Kyle’s own handiwork; and where it wasn’t, it was small enough to excuse away, especially with having had the diamonds placed as payment for his actual work.
Eventually she was able to tear her eyes from the beautiful piece, and she returned to Kyle’s side, both of them grinning like children. After a few minutes of making out, and cuddling, Kyle insisted that they get dressed.
“I know you wanna show that off, and we can go look around the shops, see if there’s anything that we want. Then we can grab lunch somewhere, and later we can have dinner with your parents and ‘Lana. Tomorrow I’m gonna go back to the ship and get some brisket started up; Kohr’Sahr and the others’re gonna be here in a couple days, and I wanna have a party when we give them the news.”
“Do they know?” she asked.
“About me proposing? No,” he replied, “About everything else? I gave ‘em a brief rundown, but I didn’t go into too much detail. The suun’mahs representative got in touch with me yesterday: the broadcast is gonna come out later today, and anything that they need cleared up after that, I’m happy to be the one to tell ‘em… You’re sure you’re okay with them posting your general location to the public? I don’t want you to have to deal with any ‘fanclubs’ from back home.”
She smiled warmly at him, running her fingers through his hair.
“They’ll know that I’m taken, and that they have no chance; anyone who tries anything after that, no one will blame us for… teaching them a lesson. Besides, they already know not to bother me if they see me abroad; the secrecy was just an added measure.”
He bowed his head concedingly, as he got up, pulling her to her feet with him.
“Come on,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth, “Let’s get dressed.”
She got dressed in a simple black pleated skirt that came about ⅔ down her thigh, along with a teal button-up shirt. Kyle was wearing his black and red pants, with a silk purple shirt; he had decided to forgo his boots. Kyle applied a simple light layer of purple eye shadow, and simple black liner, with a reverse of that on his lips, having purple liner and black filler. She went with the same pattern, except she used a luscious red in place of her natural purple. Once they were ready, they were about to head out when she thought of something; she held out her hands, and pulled a certain large, flat box from her subspace shadow. Smiling, Kyle opened it, and gently removed the necklace he’d bought her the last time they were on this station. After he’d secured it in place, she dismissed the box, and they left the room arm-in-arm.
The payoff was near-automatic, as it only took as long as getting into the elevator before they encountered another person; this one turned out to be none other than the Captain, as the station leader had put the entire crew up in the station’s best hotels, save for a decent amount of the security, all of whom had gotten to leave the ship last time they were on this station. As soon as the doors opened, they saw her standing next to what appeared to be a golden drahk’mihn, with horns that protruded from his forehead, sweeping back over the top of his head, only to slightly curl upwards just as they reached the back of his head. He wore light blue shorts, and a matching vest, while the Captain wore her customary jacket; her eyes widened when she saw the two, going straight to the tiara on her head.
"By the Gods, man; do you do anything normal?"
"Define 'normal'," Kyle countered, which brought about a round of laughter.
“Were y’all gettin’ off?” Kyle asked, hooking his thumb over his shoulder; the Captain cleared her throat,
“Well, that’s really none of your business,” she replied, to more laughter, “But we can take another ride, either way.” She had barely taken her eyes off the tiara the entire time, much to ‘Ri’s delight. As Kyle pushed the button for the lobby, Golden asked how Kyle had made it, to which he obliged, occupying the time it took them to reach the ground floor; the Captain couldn’t keep her eyes off the headpiece the whole time, at which ‘Ri couldn’t help but smile with pride.
After they reached their floor, they bid the other two farewell, at which point the Captain seemed to remember herself, and gave a hasty - yet obviously sincere - congratulations to the two, which Golden echoed. After thanking the two, they disembarked the elevator, ‘Ri acutely aware that the Captain was still staring at the tiara, even without looking back at her.
The rest of the day passed in a similar manner, with the general crowd around them either going silent, or - less common, but still frequent enough to be noticeable - lightly gasping; all eyes were on her, which made her smile and cling to Kyle’s arm all the more. It was funny: she had never really cared about ‘tradition’, and had always simply wanted someone who saw her as her. Sure, there were several ‘high-born’ men who’d hunted dangerous beasts - even to a drahk’mihn - to turn into tiaras, all of them trying to ‘win her hand’. But none of that had ever mattered, no matter what they’d hunted, or whether they’d used their Gift, or not; none of them even knew who she was, so their efforts meant nothing, but whatever standing they could achieve by marrying ‘the girl who stopped the war’.
But here was Kyle, a man from another species entirely who saw her as a person, in a way that no non-insectoid ever had in her entire life. A man who’d had no problem whatsoever showing his anger at her - very much deserved, she had to admit; that was a rather rude wake-up call - before he really even knew her, not afraid to call her out on any toxic behavior she might display. And who had taken the fruit of his labors to produce a symbol of his commitment to her, fully embodying the true symbolism of the traditional way, not by simply trying to impress her by buying her affection, as the others had. And for the first time since she was a little girl, she felt a distinct pride in that tradition, and all the more love towards Kyle for it.
They didn’t really have any place in particular that they had in mind to visit, simply walking around, enjoying each other’s company, and the reactions of the various passersby. Among the obviously astonished expressions, there were quite a few jealous ones on a few of the women they passed by, which brought her no end of satisfaction; not that she had anything in particular against any of those women, it just felt good to have something that others wanted so badly. And though she doubted that many of them actually wanted her man - whom she still valued more than the headpiece he’d given her - what they wanted was a product of his work, and so either way - whether they knew it or not - it was him that they wanted; too bad for all of them that she’d gotten her claws in him first, and she was never letting him go of him again.
She had made sure of that, seeing as he could now issue orders to the Captain, and change protocol on a whim; she had also gotten him to give her authorization to take a shuttle planetside if she deemed it necessary, though he’d made her promise to exercise that authority only in cases of an actual emergency, and not for a small ‘threat’ that he could obviously handle. They had come to the agreement that the wild cats from Cheshire’s homeworld were the cutoff point: anything much bigger than those were enough to warrant her presence on the planet. She didn’t really like even that, but she had to agree that at that point it was almost insulting to his own abilities, especially since he had plenty of Gifts to help him out, including her own.
At one point, they were passing by a furniture shop when they spotted her parents and ‘Lana going in; it was her sister who noticed them, calling out,
“‘Ri, Kyle; hi!”
They both smiled and called back in greeting, waving as her parents turned around, their faces immediately breaking out in smiles as they saw the two of them; the looks on their faces - coupled with not a bit of surprise - told her that he’d already shown them the tiara, not that she minded. If he was going to show anyone before her - aside from those who helped him create it in the first place - she could accept her parents being the ones, and ‘Lana by extension.
They spent around an hour walking around the shop - Kyle having to encourage them to pick out the more ‘luxury’ goods - as her parents picked out a new mattress for their bed, along with a few comfortable chairs. They all went their separate ways, her and Kyle promising to meet up later for dinner together. As they had just come back from eating themselves, they went to do more shopping - Kyle reminding them not to worry about the price of anything - while she and Kyle went to go find somewhere to eat.
They decided on a unique shop setup, wherein there was an herbivore side, and a carnivore side; both were technically their own shops - separated by a wall, and everything - though there was no problem with an herbivore sitting with carnivore friends to go nextdoor to get a plate made, and bring it over, or vice versa. They decided on sitting in the carnivore section, and Kyle would go over to the herbivore side to get a bit of roughage for the both of them. After they had taken their seat - the keen’yhong waitress staring in awe at her tiara - Kyle excused himself to the shop next door; after he’d left her line of sight, she immediately got up and hurried to the restroom, eager to get another look at herself in the mirror.

Vohr’Sin - a light blue drahk’mihn with horns that curved back, down and around, so that the tips pointed forward, just under his ears - was having a bit of trouble, as the restaurant was currently too full to seat them.
“There’s nothing you can do for the drahk’mihn ambassador to the humans’ system?” he asked jokingly, “She should be on her way any minute.”
“Sorry, sir,” the black gah’rahtoe replied to him, his face showing genuine regret, “It’s the lunch rush, right now. You’re welcome to wait for someone to finish up, if you like.”
“No,” he responded, “She had to skip breakfast this morning to attend a virtual meeting, so I doubt she’ll be up to waiting… Well, thanks anyway.” As he turned to find somewhere else to eat, he nearly walked right into another person; it took him a moment to realize who it was.
“My apologies,” he said, “I should have been paying more attention to where I was going… Forgive me for bothering you, but aren’t you Ambassador Redding?”
The human was easily recognizable, the ‘scars’ across his face and the horns - which the Empress herself had expressed to his wife were not to be commented upon - that were in a very unique shape. Personally, he wasn’t too comfortable with the human getting a pass at imitating their race - especially Kah’Ri’s horns, of all people - but if the service that he’d provided to their race by coming up with the idea of how to find the slavers was enough for Empress Ella’Ven to excuse it, he had to accept it, as well. The man was carrying a tray with a few plates of vegetables on them, including two baked tass’guds.
“I am,” the human replied with a smile, “Sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation: if you like, you can come sit with me and my fiance; we’re out celebrating our engagement.”
“Oh,” he began sheepishly, “I really wouldn’t want to intrude…” but the human waved him off.
“I’m sure it’ll be no problem; you know how women like to show off their jewelry. It’s just us, so I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, I can answer any questions your wife may have about humans, and any social customs she might need to be aware of. Well, any that I know of, anyway.” He finished with a slight chuckle, and Vohr’Sin was torn between not wanting to intrude, but also not wanting to insult the Ambassador by refusing; it was at this time that his wife Vir’Ell walked up.
“I see you’ve met the human Ambassador, love.” He turned to see the yellow-tinted woman that he’d pledged his life to, wearing a light purple tube-top, and matching shorts. Her slender horns swept backward, ending halfway down the back of her head, pointing down.
“I’m Vir’Ell,” she said, directing her attention to the human after exchanging a kiss with Vohr’Sin, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“And you, as well,” he replied, “I was just telling your husband that y’all can join me an’ my fiance, if you like. We just got engaged this morning, and I’m sure she’d just love the chance to show off. Of course, I don’t wish to interrupt your own time, if you’d rather eat alone, but it seems that we took the last free table, here.”
“That sounds lovely,” she replied easily, lightly squeezing his tail with her own, “I look forward to meeting your betrothed.”
The human - Kyle, as he asked them to call him - led them inside, and over to an empty table, where they all took their seats.
“I’m sure she went to freshen up,” he said as they all sat down,
“So,” he continued as they all settled down, “I hear you’re on your way to Sol?”
“We are,” Vir’Ell replied brightly, “Several factors have come together to convince the Empress to send an envoy to your system; the two biggest factors being - of course - your own contribution to freeing those enslaved, but also from the fact that even through the outcasts of your society, it is entirely obvious that humans had nothing to do with the enslavement of our people. There are obviously other reasons - ones that she wishes to keep close to her wings - but she has decided that humans will be the first race to whom she will reach out a hand of open friendship. Obviously, this will have to be taken slowly, but we’re hopeful that this could open new avenues of trade and friendship that we’ve been so sorely missing all these years.”
“Well,” Kyle began, “I hope we can come together as peoples, especially since our introduction to the wider galaxy came about in quite similar circumstances.”
“Yes,” Vohr’Sin replied seriously, joining the conversation, “That is something that we - as separate races - can relate to, you more so than others, I’m sure. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to endure the mahn’ewe’s captivity, and I commend you on your mental fortitude to be able to make it through all of that relatively unscarred. I won’t claim to know how you’ve dealt with it since your escape, but the fact that you came out of it without any noticeable xenophobia is exemplary.”
“Yeah, well,” Kyle began a bit darkly, looking off to the side a bit as his mind wandered those detestable halls, “I’m kinda used to misfortune, and holding it against those who brought it on, specifically. As a matter of fact, the mahn’ewe look human enough that it doesn’t even translate the same when looking from even the drahk’mihn to them. And everyone else just looks like ‘humanoid animals’, or ‘insects’, so it’s less of a comparison to the mahn’ewe, and more so towards our own myths and legends. And I guess I can’t really complain about my lot in life, ‘cause if I hadn’t been abducted, it’s likely I never would’ve met my future wife… Who seems to finally be done admiring herself in the mirror.” This last part he raised his voice slightly, obviously addressing someone over Vir’Ell’s shoulder, who was on Vohr’Sin’s right side. Before they could turn to look, a surprisingly familiar voice rang out, the smile audible in her voice.
“Can’t you go anywhere without ingratiating yourself with whatever drahk’mihn may be in the vicinity?” Looking around at the woman who had just walked past them to sit next to Kyle, his heart seemed to stop in surprise, both at who was talking, as well as the tiara she was wearing; and looking at her now, he fully understood why the Empress had directed them to ignore Kyle's choice in horns. Kah’Ri Mih’Rell wrapped her tail around Kyle’s waist - even as he wrapped his around her - and even hooked her right wing on his right shoulder, a wide grin on her face. On her head was what appeared to be the void itself, elegantly wrapped around her head, twined gracefully over her horns so as to appear as if the void really had inserted itself onto her head.
“‘Ri,” Kyle began, obviously enjoying their reaction just as much as Kah’Ri was, “I’d like you to meet Vohr’Sin, and his wife Vir’Ell; they’re heading to Sol, as she’s been appointed the Ambassador to humanity.”
“Oh,” she replied, obviously surprised, “I honestly didn’t expect that, though I suppose Ella would have ample reason to reach out to humans, of all peoples.” Obviously it was common knowledge that the Empress had taken Kah’Ri in when she’d lost her own parents, but somehow it had never occurred to him to imagine anyone being ‘close’ enough to her to call her by a nickname.
“I’m sorry,” Vir’Ell cut in, “But that tiara is absolutely stunning.” Mixed in with the pleasure at such an extravagant praise, there was an obvious strain of pride in their faces as they both grinned, Kah’Ri leaning closer to Kyle.
“Thank you,” she replied, “He made it according to tradition.”
“You made that?!” he couldn’t help but exclaim, causing them to smile even wider, “From what? I recognize the black hole diamonds, but the material that the rest of it is made of…”
Kah’Ri gave Kyle a knowing look, and - still smiling - said,
“Show them.”
Kyle gave her a conceding nod of his head, and fiddled with the small monitor that was strapped to his wrist. Soon enough, a small hologram appeared on the table between them, depicting Kyle in a strange white tree, looking down at a - comparatively - giant red reptile of some kind. There was a seemingly one-sided conversation where he was obviously speaking with the razum’yilahn that was partially wrapped around his neck, the rest of their body disappearing beneath his shirt. They were still able to catch the gist of what they were saying, mainly that he couldn’t kill that creature until they were sure it wasn’t sapient, which would require them going into its mind.
What followed was an epic battle between man and beast, his uplifted canine companion joining the fight once it was clear that it was indeed a fight. And though it fended off any attacks the canine - Cheshire - threw its way, it seemed intent on finishing the one that had invaded its mind. It eventually had Kyle pinned on his back, both claws - and most of its weight - braced on the staff of the spear he wielded, while Cheshire continued to draw its attention. One such attempt resulted in the reptile shifting its mass, causing one of its paws to slip off the staff, producing what would obviously eventually become the tattoo across his face, though his eyes were destroyed beyond repair in the process.
He managed to catch the claw back on the staff again - obviously using the razum’yilahn’s eyes to operate - soon after which a shuttle appeared, its door open, and what looked like an automated weapon hanging out the side. It fired once, catching the reptile in its backside, and doing little more than making the beast angrier. As it hissed at the shuttle, the weapon fired again, and caught it in the throat, opening up a shallow cut, which Kyle wasted no time in exploiting. Bracing the staff between the arches in his boots, he reached down and drew another knife from his boot, and quickly used it to open the cut wider, rolling out from under the monster to avoid the spray of blood. As the hologram cut out, Kyle began speaking.
“I used the skull plate to grind out the tiara itself, though I had to use nanobots to carve out the clasp to hold the two pieces around her horns. The diamonds were a reward for returning a pendant to the ory’lagus who run the black hole mining company, and the sehr’chtahb who originally crafted the first black hole diamond shaped and set ‘em for me, and I used the Gift I took from the Kath’Loo who was holding her father to change the bone so that it absorbs all light; I also had to turn the bone behind the diamond - and every flake of diamond dust - to silver, to have some light reflect back.”
Vohr’Sin was quite taken aback by everything that had gone into making that tiara, and he was beginning to see possibly a bit of what Kah’Ri must have seen in him in the first place. He was only just realizing that Kyle hadn’t seemed phased to have seen a drahk’mihn; which now it was obvious as to why, but it should have been something that he noticed when they first met. Perhaps it was the horns, and his eyes, of course; another thing the Empress had instructed them to ignore. He was also acutely aware of how… desirable that course of events made him.
“Goddess, man,” he said, putting an exaggeratedly jealous arm around Vir’Ell’s waist, “Save some for the rest of us.” That got a good laugh out of the table, shortly after which their waitress showed up to take their orders. Luckily, they all knew what they wanted, and they were soon talking back and forth, sharing anecdotes from their home world, and asking questions about his. They learned a few things that weren’t easily discernible by simple study of their culture through text, or even video. Kah’Ri stayed quiet, mostly, letting them do all the talking about Verem’Jiose; probably since she had been - intentionally - absent from there for so long, it wasn’t like she would have any idea of more recent news, or trends.
All-in-all, it was an enjoyable lunch, with the time slipping by as they ate and talked the meal away. Towards the end of the meal, the women excused themselves to the restroom, and while they were gone, he took the chance to ask Kyle about the possibility of being allowed to hunt one of those lizards himself, as Kyle had informed them that he owned that planet.
“Well,” he began after a bit of thought, “If you do hunt one, you’ll firstly have to do it without your Gift,” that took him by surprise, but Kyle didn’t stop there, “You also have to fight without any kind of ‘modern’ weapon. Which is mostly just saying that you can’t use guns, though nanoblades are not only acceptable, but also needed. And I’ll even make sure that you’re supplied with some mithril to use, as well. And just so you know: not only will you have a guide with you at all times to make sure you stick to the rules I set out, but they can see if you use your Gift.”
He flexed his eyes for a moment, having already explained how they worked - as far as he knew, anyway - to them earlier, when they revealed that that was why Kah’Ri’s eyes were red, instead of purple.
“I understand,” he replied seriously, “I wouldn’t want to disrespect your world.” Kyle nodded once, saying,
“Well then, I think we can work something out. If y’all’re gonna be here for a couple days, I might be able to get in touch with someone who can set up a way to get you there ‘n back.”
“That would be most appreciated.” As Kyle nodded his acceptance of his thanks, an idea came to his mind.
“You know,” he started in a conspirator's tone, “Before we left home, I managed to get my claws on a crate of krav’ashah wine; it’s a ‘luxury’ berry on Verem’Jiose, as it’s hard to farm, and doesn’t produce a very high yield, even when done correctly; aged twenty years. I would be willing to gift a couple bottles to the two of you, in celebration of your engagement.”
Kyle smiled knowingly, and replied with,
“Well, that would also be much appreciated; I’d definitely owe you a lot… You know, the ory’lagus gave me a lot of extra diamonds, not just enough for ‘Ri to make my circlet. Once you get the piece you wanna make for Vir’Ell, I can shape and set a decent-sized one for you.”
“I think we have an understanding,” he said, smiling.
“As do I,” Kyle replied, a smile of his own on his face.
Their other halves came back shortly after that, and after they all said their goodbyes - he had insisted on paying for the meal - he made his way back to the ship with Vir’Ell, already planning the shape of the new tiara he would be carving for her. And while the one he had bought her would always be special to him - a simple golden band, with a blue diamond in the center of her forehead - he wanted to make this one even better; perhaps he could find a way to incorporate her old one…
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Hello, my name is Philip Hayes. I've been studying karate since I was 5 years old, learning Shotokan Karate from my father in Ireland. In 2020, I moved to Okinawa and began studying Uechi-Ryū. I don't consider myself a great master by any means; in fact, I often think of myself as quite the opposite. But that's beside the point of my post.
I want to know what's going on in the bigger picture of karate. I've noticed significant changes in karate, even on the mainland, since 2015. I hear the term Shin-karate (new-karate) being used. To be honest, from what I've seen—from sport (point style) to full contact under many different rule sets—I like what I see. However, I also see a lot of disunity, which really annoys me. Unlike Muay Thai, which seems far more united in response to changes happening in combat sports, karate appears fragmented.
My post is asking for your view: what's going on in karate and the bigger picture? I'm trying to gain a better understanding of the changes that have been happening since the 1990s.
Thank you for any insights you can provide.

Point of view printable worksheets elementary

Super Teacher Worksheets' Subreddit

1 Lévy Hierarchy

2 Constructible Hierarchy

3 Recursive Analogues

4 Reflecting Ordinals

5 Recursively Inaccessible OCF

6 Recursively Mahlo OCF

7 Recursively Weakly Compact OCF

8 Reflecting OCF