Call me old fashioned but I’d love something consistent, stable, and long term. My person will be playful with a big heart and sweet smile, and likes exploring new places as much as snuggling up for a night in with a good movie. You’re preferably at least my age and on the taller side, the type not to sweat the small stuff and has a frequent good laugh at yourself. Patience is a big plus as my schedule is hectic and my plate is pretty full, but I do want to make room for the right someone. I’ll be excited to hear about your hobbies and hope you’ll make enthusiasm for my artwork and crafts one of your favorite pastimes. My one demand is that you’re an animal lover!
I'm 5'8" with green eyes and freshly chopped brown hair, plus size and covered in lots of tattoos. I’m left leaning and bi. I value laughter, honesty, and directness and I'm a tough nut to crack but once I let you into my heart, you're there for good. I’m not opposed to something long distance so long as there are serious intentions to come together in person. If you've read this far and feel we could be a match, make haste to the DMs and otherwise I wish you well on your search 🖤

I’ll start by saying the build is really fun. A lot of button presses and is genuinely a good time. However, it seems to be under performing. I just crafted my Shako and got lucky on finding a Starless. They’ve made a huge difference but the build is still lacking. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m wasting my time with this build. Has anyone managed to push into the 100’s with FO?
They definitely seem to have over nerfed the build. Shame.. sorc is a very fun class but just not competitive again.

I just finished my first week of producing YouTube videos, and I feel a bit disappointed by my lack of progress. I spent a lot of time creating my videos, and I crafted what I thought were good thumbnails. But so far I've had a lackluster response.
Some of the creators I follow online state that you can consider a new channel a success if it's monetized during its first month. However, I'm far from seeing the numbers required to make that a reality.
These are my stats so far:
Days Active: 8
Videos Published: 2
Views: 2.0k
Hours Watched: 141.3
Subscribers: 46
So, I thought I'd come here to see how long it took everyone to gain a bit of traction. Clearly, I've made some pretty big mistakes based on other creator's experiences. But hopefully some others on here have had a slow start they can share with me. And I'd love to hear how people turned it around and gained more views (if anyone is comfortable sharing that information.)
I'd greatly appreciate any feedback.

Scavenger’s Reign Renewal Hope
So.
My favorite show of perhaps the last decade was cancelled by David Zas-$&@%#* and sold to Netflix. If you haven’t seen the show, it’s an incredibly beautiful, unnerving, emotionally powerful story of the survivors of a cargo ship crash on a truly alien planet. It is, undoubtedly, the most mature sci-fi I have seen in years, grappling with existentialism on the most well-realized biome of all time.
This is a tragedy. But! Like the survivors of the Demeter, all hope is not lost. We can survive the parasite of David Zas-%£#+>*, and try to let this story continue–it deserves to continue, evolve, and grow. It’s not actually cancelled-sources at Netflix according to Variety are on the fence. The debut on the 31st of May is an opportunity for us, fans of sci-fi, to remind the streaming services we are their audience and we care about new, original stories with deep character development, passionate craft, and quality.
We care about art.
So if you liked the show, if you loved the show, if you have your uncle’s Netflix password or an ex’s or a random neighbor who leaves their passcode unencoded and visible through the window, please log on and watch it again. If you haven’t seen it, please give it a shot. It’s a really, really good show. It doesn’t deserve to end like the Expanse or any of the other quality sci-fi shows ended before their time. So give it a double thumbs up or whatever Netflix uses for their metrics these days. Upvote this too!
Your Levi is counting on you.

I know take isn't new, but as I get older and take on more senior roles, I'm noticing that the subject of craft is being less respected and accommodated and it's making me nervous of the next 30 years. I've held marketing / content roles for the past ten years, but I also freelance as a photographer, designer, and cinematographer on the side. I typically job hop full-time marketing roles every few years that are fairly relaxed and allow me to support my family, young baby etc. These ‘content/marketing’ roles are without direct reports, allowing me to somewhat create strategy and the accompanying content. These roles typically pay no more than $85k AUD annually, but my freelance work brings in another $85k per year. This means that in meetings, I often don't care much about upward mobility or pleasing leadership, and no meeting is worth getting into an argument over. I go home at 5pm sharp and hug my kid and wife. Selling more donuts for a client is not high on my priority list.
I've worked in an agency when I was younger and have zero interest in that world anymore. I've also held internal government roles in which I’ve been in incredibly depressing meetings with senior leadership (the main employer for freelance work in my market), where senior marketing leaders continually downplay the significance of craft. This makes me very nervous about the future of trying to use my skills in craft to do the best job I can. These people are earning $150k-$200k+. I don't want to upset professional marketers who work in genuine marketing roles that study data, but in my local market the data seems to always get in the way of good craft. When I look at the work coming from the market, if data is to thank for their creative, then I want nothing to do with data. It doesn’t seem to make good work in my state. My market is small and the projects don’t really deal with large data sets.
My freelance work allows me to work directly with clients. For example, I’ll be engaged by a client directly to shoot photos, typically winning work around $5k-$10k per day of photography, with no agency involved. I do everything. I much prefer this setup, but as I get older, I feel I should work in a senior internal marketing role to prevent aging out. However, the data mindset is killing me. I just don’t care about data if the creative isn’t given the same effort.
If I lived in a global city, I guess I would be aiming for an Art Director role as I get older?, but those roles in my city max out at $100k, often working with government clients who don’t have the budget to what they are showing in their brief.

I know take isn't new, but as I get older and take on more senior roles, I'm noticing that the subject of craft is being less respected and accommodated and it's making me nervous of the next 30 years. I've held marketing / content roles for the past ten years, but I also freelance as a photographer, designer, and cinematographer on the side. I typically job hop full-time marketing roles every few years that are fairly relaxed and allow me to support my family, young baby etc. These ‘content/marketing’ roles are without direct reports, allowing me to somewhat create strategy and the accompanying content. These roles typically pay no more than $85k AUD annually, but my freelance work brings in another $85k per year. This means that in meetings, I often don't care much about upward mobility or pleasing leadership, and no meeting is worth getting into an argument over. I go home at 5pm sharp and hug my kid and wife. Selling more donuts for a client is not high on my priority list.
I've worked in an agency when I was younger and have zero interest in that world anymore. I've also held internal government roles in which I’ve been in incredibly depressing meetings with senior leadership (the main employer for freelance work in my market), where senior marketing leaders continually downplay the significance of craft. This makes me very nervous about the future of trying to use my skills in craft to do the best job I can. These people are earning $150k-$200k+. I don't want to upset professional marketers who work in genuine marketing roles that study data, but in my local market the data seems to always get in the way of good craft. When I look at the work coming from the market, if data is to thank for their creative, then I want nothing to do with data. It doesn’t seem to make good work in my state. My market is small and the projects don’t really deal with large data sets.
My freelance work allows me to work directly with clients. For example, I’ll be engaged by a client directly to shoot photos, typically winning work around $5k-$10k per day of photography, with no agency involved. I do everything. I much prefer this setup, but as I get older, I feel I should work in a senior internal marketing role to prevent aging out. However, the data mindset is killing me. I just don’t care about data if the creative isn’t given the same effort.
If I lived in a global city, I guess I would be aiming for an Art Director role as I get older?, but those roles in my city max out at $100k, often working with government clients who don’t have the budget to what they are showing in their brief.

So.
My favorite show of perhaps the last decade was cancelled by David Zas-$&@%#* and sold to Netflix. If you haven’t seen the show, it’s an incredibly beautiful, unnerving, emotionally powerful story of the survivors of a cargo ship crash on a truly alien planet. It is, undoubtedly, the most mature sci-fi I have seen in years, grappling with existentialism on the most well-realized biome of all time.
This cancellation is a tragedy.
But! Like the survivors of the Demeter, all hope is not lost. We, like Sam, can do our best to survive the parasite of David Zas-%£#+>*, and try to let this story continue–it deserves to continue, evolve, and grow.
It’s not actually cancelled-sources at Netflix according to Variety are on the fence. The debut on the 31st of May is an opportunity for us, fans of sci-fi, to remind the streaming services we are their audience and we care about new, original stories with deep character development, passionate craft, and quality.
We care about art.
So if you liked the show, if you loved the show, if you have your uncle’s Netflix password or an ex’s or a random neighbor who leaves their passcode unencoded and visible through the window, please log on and watch it again. If you haven’t seen it, please give it a shot. It’s a really, really good show. It doesn’t deserve to end like the Expanse or any of the other quality sci-fi shows ended before their time. So give it a double thumbs up or whatever Netflix uses for their metrics these days. Upvote this too!
Your Levi is counting on you.

Hey everyone, I know many friends that do crocheting, sowing, woodworking, and other arts and crafts. It’s mostly just for hobbies, and they aren’t selling to side hustle or run a small business. But, many of them are interested in occasionally selling some of their handmade goods. So, I was thinking of a Facebook Marketplace-esque platform but dedicated to handcrafts, with a verification system that it is handcrafted (still think about this part). It’ll be designed to be very easy to upload what you wanna sell (photo, name, price, description, done), so it’s not like a full on Etsy shop. Shipping is another thing I’m going to figure out.
But is the general idea of casually/occasionally selling handcrafted creations shared by you guys? Would you do it if there was a platform/customers that was easy enough to do so?

Common Channeling- 29 Ways Demons Enter

1. Ouija Board-Reputable spiritual leaders and experts have long warned against using Ouija Boards and their variants, as they can potentially expose individuals to malevolent forces. The idea of “safe” communication with angels through these boards is often a deceptive marketing ploy.
2. Angel Boards—While proponents may claim that Angel Boards provide a safe and spiritual way to connect with the divine, these devices can open the door to potential dangers. The use of such boards has been linked to occult practices and the summoning of entities that may not have our best interests in mind.
3. Consulting spiritual mediums—Spirit mediums claim to communicate with the dead. In a world of uncertainty, many people turn to spirit mediums for guidance, closure, and a connection to the beyond. These individuals claim to be able to communicate with the dead, see into the future, and uncover hidden truths. But are these abilities genuine or merely an elaborate illusion? However, the validity of these claims has long been a subject of skepticism and debate.
4. Consulting psychics – Delving into the realm of the occult, where demonic forces are said to hold sway, carries with it a weight of spiritual and moral consequence that should not be taken lightly. As rational beings, we must carefully examine the claims made by those who purport to possess the ability to peer into the future and question the true source of their knowledge.
5. Demon Teleaphaty – The mechanics of this demonic telepathy are not fully understood, but it is believed to operate on a metaphysical level beyond the normal bounds of the physical world. The demon’s consciousness somehow intertwines with the host’s, allowing for the seamless injection of foreign thoughts and urges. This creates an intimate, parasitic connection that the victim may be powerless to resist or expel.
6. Spells – These carefully crafted incantations are more than words – they are the fabric of enchantment, woven together to manifest desired outcomes.
7. Curses – These spoken words of harm or punishment, imbued with the power of magic, have the potential to wreak havoc on the lives of their targets
8. Fortunetelling – Whether through interpreting dreams, reading tarot cards, or analyzing astrological patterns, the art of foretelling offers a unique perspective on the unfolding of events.
9. Spirit guides – Through channeling, we can summon spirit guides that are aligned with our unique needs and highest good. These guides come in many forms – from departed loved ones to angelic beings to ascended masters – each offering a distinct perspective and specialized knowledge.
10. Satanism – Satanism is not about worshipping a literal Satan but rather an extreme form of individualism and self-worship. Satanists believe in taking responsibility for their own actions and pursuing their desires without guilt or shame.
11. Witchcraft involves harnessing the natural energies of the world around us and using them to manifest our desires. Whether casting a spell to attract abundance, performing a ritual to enhance personal growth, or simply connecting with the earth’s rhythms.
12. Automatic handwriting involves the spirit or energy of a deceased individual taking control of the subject’s hand and guiding the pen across the page to convey their thoughts and wisdom.
13. Astral Projections -This out-of-body experience allows the astral body to explore the spiritual dimensions beyond our physical world.
14. Generational Demons – These “generational demons” are dark patterns and destructive tendencies that seep into our lives through our bloodline. While it may feel like an inescapable fate, we have the power to break these cycles of darkness.
15. Spiritual Husband or Wife – plaguing unsuspecting individuals – the rise of the “spirit spouse” or “spirit husband/wife.” This demonic entity assumes the identity of a person’s spouse, infiltrating their lives and relationships with the sole purpose of spiritual and emotional destruction. Sexual demons
16. Physical sex-straight or gay

—

Negative Emotions

Negative emotions can serve as a gateway for demonic influences to take hold in our lives. It’s essential to be aware of how these toxic feelings can open the door for malevolent forces to infiltrate our existence.
Emotions like anger, fear, resentment, and jealousy can act as conduits for demons to enter and wreak havoc. Unresolved trauma, addictions, and unhealthy attachments also make us vulnerable to potential demonic possession.
We must be vigilant in addressing and overcoming these negative emotional states. Failure to do so can pave the way for dark energies to take root and cause untold damage. By cultivating positivity, self-awareness, and spiritual fortitude, we can safeguard ourselves against the insidious influence of demonic forces that seek to prey upon our weaknesses.

Understanding the Connection Between Demons and Negative Emotions

By understanding the connection between negative emotions and demonic presence, individuals can take proactive steps to safeguard their mental and spiritual well-being. Cultivating positive thoughts and emotions is crucial to creating a protective shield against these malevolent forces. Through forgiveness, mindfulness, self-reflection, and spiritual practices, we can fortify our defenses and reclaim our lives from the grip of these unwanted entities.
Anger, fear, resentment, jealousy, and other toxic feelings open the door for these malevolent forces to infiltrate our lives. Unresolved trauma, addictions, and unhealthy attachments also make us vulnerable to demonic possession.
By understanding the connection between negative emotions and demonic presence, individuals can take proactive steps to safeguard their mental and spiritual well-being. Cultivating positive thoughts and emotions is crucial to creating a protective shield against these malevolent forces. Through mindfulness, self-reflection, and spiritual practices, we can fortify our defenses and reclaim our lives from the grip of these unwanted entities.

Common types of negative emotions intensified by demons:

1. fear (all types)
2. Suicide
3. Jealousy
4. Bitterness
5. Strife
6. Depression
7. worry
8. pride
9. fatigue
10. Addictions
11. Gluttony
12. Generational bloodline Detecting these generational bloodline demons is no easy task as they remain hidden, subtly shaping one’s emotional state over time. The transfer of these demons through bloodlines perpetuates a cycle of negativity that persists until confronted and cast out. Understanding and addressing these vulnerable moments is crucial in breaking free from their grip and reclaiming emotional well-being for oneself and future generations.

Christians Can Have a Demon

Christians have a Demon because they sin. What are some other reasons Christians can have a demon?
In addition, Christians can have a demon if they invite a demon to direct communication. Christians participating in channeling activities can have demons because they have violated a very important spiritual law. This spiritual law states God does not want anyone to communicate with other spirits.
This is a common reason that all Christians have a demon because they sin and do not repent. In reality, many Christians can have demons because they do not believe in the devil or know how to protect themselves from the devil.
God does not force Christians to follow Him alone. If a Christian invites a demon to communicate, God will permit the demon’s entrance. Even if the person wants the demon to leave, the demon will stay unless it is cast out by self-deliverance (for Christians), self-exorcism, or exorcism with a deliverance team.

The first ship that arrived was pretty matter of fact about its fate. The pilot introduced himself as Eric, said he was part of the first sublight resupply attempt in modern history, then gave me and the ground control team his bad news.
“So,” he said. “Without real time telemetry, we weren’t even sure which half of your orbit you’d be in. That’s half a solar system’s worth of wiggle room. Decelerating enough to survive contact with your low orbit would take me two weeks, which, you know, it looks like we don’t have. That means that in order to get the second ship in before you lose orbital control to the Kresh, I’m gonna have to make a sacrificial flyby. Ten to the negative four torr is good enough for a lot of things, but at point-seven c it’s gonna be like sandblasting a soup cracker. Good news is that all the expensive toys are in the next ship, so this really ain’t costing you more than a ship and a pilot.”
“You knew,” I said. If they put the expensive toys in the second ship, they knew that the first was likely a sacrifice. No one smart enough to handle orbital physics would miss that.
“I did,” he said. “But someone had to go first.”
That was, of course, a lie. No one had to go first. No else had had, at least. When our connection to the FTL network was lost, we’d understand as the end of our reinforcements. Doing resupplies via sublight was just too risky. It was a testament to Earth that it had accepted the risk and continued anyway.
“Is there anything we can do for you?” I asked. This man had come here to die for us. I wasn’t sure how much I could give, but what I had was his.
“I do have a few requests,” he said. “First up, I need as much high-orbital data as you got. The whole lot.”
I began directing tightbeam resources to him immediately. It was an easy resource to exchange - it wasn’t like there was anyone else out to talk to anymore. When we lost FTL, we found ourselves very, very alone.
“Second,” he said. “Right, I know I’m gonna sound like a princess right now, but I have been stuck in this stupid tin-can for almost two-years now, and I seriously overestimated how much I like synth music. If you have anything that’s analog - I don’t care what kind of string or drum or brass you play, but I’d kill to hear something without a beep in it.”
I jumped my own queue in the tightbeam, and added a short playlist that I ripped from the local web. Human Music, it was labeled. 3 Terabytes. I prayed there was something on it that he’d like.
“And third,” he said. “Third. The uh, next pilot is pretty mad at me. Turns out this will just be one of those things left unfinished. That’s all death really is, I guess - a lot of unfinished things. Let him know that he was right: He is a better pilot than me. But tell him that wouldn’t have made a difference here. Bad luck beats skill, and this luck was shit.”
I promised, and he went silent after that. We could see what data he was analyzing, and the short answer was all of it - everything from atmospheric density to troop positions and his own ship’s blueprints. He knew he had one shot at this, and that if the price wasn’t paid here, it would be paid by whoever came next.
---
Ground control didn’t get a verbal warning that he’d entered atmosphere. Just a ping. A little here-I-am, whispered in the dark.
After that, we could keep track with visuals alone.
He hit the outskirts of the exoatmosphere in his first pass, burning bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. He caught the sparse particles like a kite, trying to shed enough speed to hit actual low orbit. Automatic telemetry updates gave us the grim news for the ship: Thermals were holding up decently, but the ablative was wearing out fast.
The entire descent brought us more than two hour’s reprieve. The Kresh hadn’t expected to see a resupply, but they knew what one meant: Get it now, get it fast, or deal with a stream of new troops. They could buy themselves ten days' time by shooting this one ship down now. That was an eternity during a siege.
The first loop lowered the speed by about a twentieth of light. The pilot responded by pulling the ship in tighter, burning trying to preserve more ablative plating by trading off with thermal. Seven fighters were close enough to fire off heat seekers. I don’t think the Kresh had ever anticipated shooting down a craft coming in that hot - the missile's decoy avoidance countermeasure actually made it steer around the thing, chasing down loose pieces of shrapnel. Cooled fragments, still hotter than an engine, should be at full blast. The simple mistakes bought it enough time to enter pre-orbit, and the fighters had to stop their pursuit. They weren’t willing to die to stop the ship.
Our man, on the other hand, was already committed to that course.
A third loop followed a fourth. Ablative coating went from 65% integrity, to 30%, to 5%. Telemetry scans were exceptionally detailed - the pilot was making the flyby count. The last message we got from him was simple:
Are you EMP shielded? he asked, not even bothering to encrypt the text stream. He didn’t have time to process more than that.
Yes, we replied. We knew what he was thinking, but it was still a shock to see it. The fusion torch flared hot, burning through the nozzle and feeding directly into the craft’s dueterium supply. The reaction went super critical, and the resulting neutron pulse set off everything in the ship with a z-count higher than iron. Three continuous seconds of EM interference screamed through the comms as the hulk burned through orbit.
The explosion itself wasn’t powerful enough to kill the Kresh ships still in high orbit, but it made enough broadband radiation to blind both sides LADAR. The man must have been a hell of a pilot - half the shrapnel went down and got burned up as it entered the standard atmosphere, traded as the cost of moving the other half past lagrange. Standard evasion would’ve made the pieces easy to dodge, but with LADAR down, all the Kresh could do was sit still and cower as the wrath of a dead man riddled them full of holes. Our best ace had managed to shoot down seven ships before this before getting shot down himself. The wreckage of the freighter took down six.
---
The second ship came in stealth. One second, we were holding attrition in high orbit, the next, something the size of a small station came ripping through the atmosphere.
It did the same trick as the former - swapping between ablative and thermal loads, coming down at a speed that the Kresh fighters didn’t even try to match. Armies could be built in years, but skills like this took decades.
Telemetry connection was established almost as an afterthought. The way the ship casually ate through ablative armoring made my eyes water, but the pilot himself seemed pretty non-plussed.
“You’re down to fifteen percent coverage. You need-
What I need,” he said, “is to see the previous ship’s telemetry. If there’s one thing you can trust, it’s that this bird is going to come down gentle.”
He cut off my chance to reply by flicking the channel off. We watched, and we wrang our hands, but sure enough he came in six minutes later with 4% of the ablative left.
I met him on the landing pad. Under normal circumstances, we’d have needed twenty-four hours for the craft to cool enough to even approach, but we’d had cryo ready just in case. Three tankers of nitrogen, and the loading area, at least, was cool enough to touch. Safety would have to take a backseat to speed here - we needed the supplies fast.
But those both would take a backseat to a promised conversation with the second pilot. He was out of the craft as soon as the air was cool enough to avoid scalding his lungs, picking through the workers to try and find who had the telemetry data.
I found him first. The drive went into his hands, but I needed to keep my promise with Eric before letting go.
“You’re better than the first pilot,” I said, and I wasn’t lying. If the previous flier had been a saint, this one was a god. “But you wouldn’t have been able to manage the landing either. There just wasn’t time.”
“Let me see,” he said, tugging on the drive. “Just let me see. I have to know I couldn’t do it either. I have to know that someone had to die.”
I let go of the drive and he stalked back into his ship. I didn’t follow. I figured I’d pushed things far enough as it was.
---
The second pilot left the ship six hours later. He looked bleary in a way that put me at ease. I’d been up the last six hours directing supplies from the ship. Everything from ground-to-orbit rails to AGI targeting systems was inside, and to say it was gamechanging would be an understatement. It was good work, but I was tired, and I didn’t want to have to pretend otherwise. Seeing the other man with bags under his eyes meant we could just be frank with each other.
“I couldn’t have managed it,” he said, half-ashamed, half-relieved.
“It just wasn’t possible,” I agreed.
We sat there a moment longer. I didn’t mind the break. This was time well spent.
“Did it hurt?” he asked finally.
“Ablative failed before heating,” I said, which was the technical way of saying no. “He overloaded the reactor before the ship actually broke up and did some kind of slingshot maneuver - hit the main body of the Kresh fleet with half a space station’s worth of shrapnel.”
“Good,” he said.
I knew the signs. The tremor in his cheek, the way his jaw clenched - it wasn’t professional, but I hugged him anyway. Let him have the dignity of choosing to weep instead of having it wrenched out of him.
It was a gift we’d all been given at some point in this war. At least now, there was the hope it could be over soon.

Hi everyone! I’m a 26F here to make new friendships online! I’m looking for someone who is a good conversationalist and around my age (25-28)!
A little about me…I live quite the simple life working with children. I find that my job is where most of the hobbies I could have outside of work fulfill me (art/crafts, drama, movement, cooking)😄 I do enjoy reading romance books and taking nature strolls through the parks and along the river. I know it comes off that I don’t have a lot of things going on to chat about or relate to, but I actually can hold a great conversation. Check my references!
But if I interest you in anyway, send me a DM with a few things about your self(background, age, location, job, interests…if you’re brave enough to send a picture of yourself, go for it!) I look forward to chatting!

I'm a young man, raised religious, and married to my best friend for a few years. I have struggled with porn/masturbation addiction on and off throughout the years (usually as a way to cope with on/off depression). I have had stints where I didn't partake, once when I was with a girlfriend I had in/post college of 3 years where we were very sexually compatible and once when I was single and recommitting my life to our higher diety.
When I met my current parter, we we're both practicing celibacy and had committed to being better in our religious practice. we were also leaders in church and had a lot in common. Our mutual interests brought us together and made us very close. I think I was very much overjoyed to find a partner who was someone I felt connected to that would fit well into my family and the life I aspired to have religiously. she was morally a good person, and a good friend, liked to have fun, and I was attracted to her. we did our best to hold to the celibacy but we ended up doing hand stuff basically ahead of marriage. Admist that we'd grow closer and i eventually proposed because we'd been talking about it and I was convinced it was something i wanted. Just around the proposal time I'd resumed using porn, with the pandemic hitting I basically had to make a lot of sacrifices to be with our families and move away from where we lived and put some of my career aspirations on pause (my main passion is art and I actively work to grow a career in that along side my 9-5, with some momentum building and success, and I take my daily practice very seriously).
We talked a lot about the art and how it could potentially interfare with my attention/love for her. I assured her that I'm not overly consumed by my dreams to the point that I wouldn't chose her over my dreams and that'd while i have to take my goals seriously I was always going to also make her a priority. I proved that through the move, and putting a lot of my work on pause for her and happily spending time with her and the family. Admittedly it was easy because the whole world was on pause. In this time period in moments when I'd be alone I'd sneak in moments of gratification with pornography - and thoughts about the partner i had in/post college would come back in my mind. That girl was one that was very different from my current partner in terms of interests - on paper we would've wanted to lead very different lives and had different interests... but the sex was so good. We constantly had sex and really enjoyed it. Even when we broke up we tried to discuss some sort of path forward and casual sex was on the table and we openly admitted how much we enjoyed each other. She was a good friend, but couldn't really be my best friend because our interests were just so far apart. I still find myself thinking about her today and I would think about her every year since i broke up with her (well before I met my current partner) and I still do...
this previous partner had broken up with me because she didn't see a path where I was intending on being with her long term marriage wise - like we'd never even discussed it after 3.5 years of being together and we both had big career decisions ahead of us that would've required a solid foundation. Long story short I stopped communicating with her after that break up as I thought it best since it hurt my pride but also woke me up that I didn't love her enough to marry her.
fast forward to my wedding day and my partner and i, after upholding our celibacy mostly, we had sex and I didn't enjoy and she didn't either. she's smaller than my previous partner, and while I do try to be gentle in my approach because i really do love having sex and pleasing my partners, it took a while and a lot of different medical aides for her to be able to enjoy sex with me. additionally, the sex just didn't feel gratifying to me the first time we had it, and while it has improved from time to time, after three years I still am left wishing we were more sexually compatible.. i don't have the same enthusiam I did with my in/post college partner.. I'd had other partners aside from this college partner but i often think back to being with the person and how good the sex was.
I know the dissatisfaction in our day-to-day isn't only on my side. She's expressed to me how she isn't getting "enough of me". My depression has only gotten worse in marriage, things that i feel have triggered it outside of the already described dillemma are having to deal with working a 9-5 I don't enjoy while trying my best to grow my art practice into a career of it's own. It takes work, dillegence, focus, and daily practice. But my partner doesn't seem to really understand what it takes. At first she'd be upset that i wasn't willing to spend time with her every day like I do my art. so i began to make sure we had tv time, went out for food, movies, i'd never miss a hangout she wanted me to accompany her to when her friends want to double date. I'd arrange hangouts. She expressed interest in finding her own art passion so I guided her through it, and tried ot show her how valuable having something for yourself to get lost in and do daily can be. She became a bit more understanding after finding her own new passion. But because my depression has gotten worse, and I'm not enjoying our intimacy time, she complains that she still feels mostly distant from me - and I always try to make changes to help. She has been trying to suggest maybe I'm striving too hard in my craft because "clearly I'm still unhappy" and suggests that there's more to life. We got a cat, I've tried to ease up, spend more time with them, clean around the house more, go on long vacations where it's just the two of us. She has always said her passion and goal is to travel more. I think it's a cool idea but I'm also considering the cost, and time, when every day counts toward my craft.. and I feel like I have to walk on eggshells if I tell her "hey i'm going to go to the cafe and work on art by myself" or "can we just have some downtime to work on art" because every day is filled with exploration and activities and it's exhausting.. We had this one event where an artist i was excited for was supposed to perform - but because we're abroad we didn't know that clubs in the area closed super late, and she wasn't feeling the event and wanted to go home, I wanted so badly to stay and just enjoy the whole night and was really bummed we had to go... I just feel this tension like I can't enjoy/explore life and my art the way I want to with her around... I always feel like I'm looking for every opportunity to escape to be free and be myself... and all I want to do just be alone.. which is why I'm writing here.
I am really unsure what to do.. we don't have kids but we talk about it a lot just to make sure it's something we want to do. I absolutely don't want to get in too deep with this.. I really do love her and if the sex was better (because it seems to be really important to my head person (my brain)) I think I'd be a bit more motivated but I'm just not happy unless I'm either fully exploring enjoying my craft and/or sexually satisfied. I feel like i'm feeding my void with more porn and it's actually making me more depressed and holding me back... but I don't feel like my partner is helping right now either.. We've had rounds of counseling, and are always trying to have sex and I make sure I please her and myself every time, she tries too, but it just hasn't been enough for me.

Thoughts after finishing Dragonball Super. Spoilers ahead, stop reading if you haven't finished the series!
Biggest letdown - the final battle between Goku and Jiren
I was hoping that during their long fight, they would have some back and forth dialogue where Jiren really questioned Goku's endless and insatiable drive for more battles and more power. I think there was a good setup before the battle royale started where a lot of other universes blamed Goku for the fact that most of them would be wiped from existence, and there was room there for Goku to be seen as the villain by everyone but his own friends. It would be a unique story angle for the pure-hearted Goku to be questioned harshly like that. Goku could have redeemed himself in everyone's eyes by the end, which would have made for an interesting character arc.
I wanted Jiren to say something like, "I fight for justice, Goku! Is what you have done truly just? Look at the countless lives that are laid at your feet for disrespecting the gods and getting all the universes caught in this ridiculous battle! All because YOU are excited to fight. Goku, your insatiable drive for battle has cost unfathomable losses, how can you justify yourself??"
Goku could have had some deep self-reflection, which could be what triggered his Autonomous Ultra Instinct. Him realizing that he needs to let go of the Saiyan battle-lust and tap into his instincts, letting go of everything. He could realize that he has gotten so powerful it tears at the fabric of reality when he fights, and that in addition to his lust for battle, he needs to find a deep internal responsibility over his own power in order to truly protect his loved ones and the multiple universes at stake.
I didn't like how they spent so much time building Jiren up only to have his character developed by a quick exposition dump with a throwaway story and a "Might Makes Right" mindset. I feel like they just threw Jiren away. Jiren could have been seen as the fighter with purer intentions if they just changed up his story. I wanted to see Jiren standing on the high ground, able to say that he had fought for power to maintain justice and order in his universe, to preserve and promote peace, and that the result was that the people of his universe were ultimately happier and safer than those in Goku's universe. That high ground of strength, power, and moral value could have been the place Goku reached for and ultimately overcame!
Favorite parts
*I loved how the battle royale was ultimately a test of virtue for all the universes. It fits in really well with the god-realm aspects of the story and facing the judgment of gods!
*I like how the format of a battle royale gave a lot of the characters their own moments to shine in battle. It came off a little gimmicky at times, but I loved seeing how hard everyone fought for each other. I think Master Roshi was one of my favorites, seeing him give his all and fight himself near to death (despite being only a human) to protect his home universe was awesome. I also loved the Saiyan interactions, Goku and Vegeta helping out the young Saiyans from the other universe was so fun, and seeing Goku getting his ass nearly handed to him by two female Saiyans was exciting.
*The intro song during the Battle Royale arc!! NGL, "I've got a strength deep in my soul that gives me courage and control," got me pumped every time. I sang along every time!
*Some of the final battle animation, especially with Goku and Frieza side by side, was absolutely sick.
*I love that Goku wasn't the one who saved the day, ultimately. I thought this series was so great for letting everyone else have moments to shine and having Android 18 be the reluctant hero was nice to see.
*I liked to see Frieza slowly come around through the series, and Golden Frieza, along with Frieza getting his own musical theme was pretty neat. He was a great baddie and it was nice to have him back. I love how in Dragonball, baddies just can't help but become Goku's friend in the end.
Less-than-favorite parts
*The tone of the entire series felt a little corny which was a struggle at times.
*Furry universe and Magical Girl universe
*The wild swings in animation quality, but then again, that's very typical for Dragonball so not expecting much there. Also I prefer the DBZ animation techniques with different line weights, a more handcrafted feel, and overall more consistent and better-looking animation.
*Some of the outro songs sounded like they belonged in a preschool class. Their tone was ... weird.

Okay, so I was born in 1999, and this story happened in either 2002 or 2003, when I was 3 or 4 years old. This was only 1 or 2 years after I was diagnosed, at the age of 2.
Music has always been one of my special talents, for as long as I can remember, ESPECIALLY Rock and Roll. Green Day was my favorite band when I was 4/5 years old (and I REALLY hated the Wiggles. I didn’t see the appeal of grown men living in a house with grown people in animal costumes singing about fruit salad).
I was always interested in classic rock/alternative/indie/punk music (I’ve always loved rock concerts and they have never really bothered me), and at the time one of my favorite bands was, as a 3/4 year old, the Ramones.
My preschool was hosting a talent show at the time and I wanted to participate. And though it wasn’t unusual for kids to get up and sing at the talent show, most of the time the songs were not wholly unexpected for kids to sing, like nursery rhymes or Disney songs.
Not me.
Of course, now that I am 25 and I was very young then, I don’t really have that good of a memory, so a lot of this story comes from my mom.
So, up I get on stage, and apparently, either one of the teachers said that I was gonna sing a song for them, or I was asked what I was gonna do, and I said that I would sing. (Again, I was only like 3 or 4 at the time, so my memory isn’t that great).
So there I am, a little 3 to 4 year old child, getting ready to sing. Some of the other parents in the audience probably were like, oh how sweet, we’re gonna hear another cute little Disney song or Nursery Rhyme or whatever hahahahaha…
And then, I start singing, quite loudly and proudly at the top of my lungs, The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” (one of my favorite songs at the time), and according to my mom and dad, I was parading around the stage like an inner punk rocker, apparently clutching the microphone tightly with my hands as if I felt like the microphone would be taken away at any moment. (Again, this is from my mom and dad, and I was only 3 or 4 at the time so I was too young to remember).
That probably shocked the teachers and parents there, that this little child knew all the words to a nearly 30 year old (at the time anyway) punk song about being so damn bored out of your mind waiting for a show that, well, you wanna be sedated and sang it at the top of their lungs in a small voice or whatever. Of course being 3 or 4 I had NO idea what the lyrics meant, but I didn’t care.
And I normally had quite a difficult time with expressive language and couldn’t exactly initiate or maintain a conversation or even talk and interact/socialize with my peers, but I memorized song lyrics and could sing them through like there was no problem.
According to my mom, though she and my dad (and perhaps the other parents as well) found this hilarious, the other teachers were not thrilled or found it funny, probably because they didn’t find it appropriate that a little girl would be singing about wanting to be sedated, but they didn’t know what to do because they had never really dealt with a situation like this before in their lives, or they just felt that cutting the act short would not be a great thing, so they just went along with it.
There was also, according to my parents, another kid (a boy) whose talent was to tell you where the train lines in NYC went and where their stops were located.
But anyway, that’s my quirky little wholesome story for you.

so my fallout 1 ran out today and its really gross how they expect you to play this game without a sub. my junk not able to sell to a vendor also ammo not able to sell to a vendor?? 300 hours worth of ammo converted did not last long btw. with or without fallout 1st the bank space is not enough why is this?? maybe a good idea would be the option to buy more bank space with caps. ive played elderscrolls on n off for 10 years when u pay for sub your bank space is increased unlimited craft bag space every single dlc 1700 crowns ect the list goes on that being said i still wont pay for a sub on that game because i dont need it. i guess what im trying to say is $20 a month for fallout 1st is insane n shed little bit more exposure on the flawed design because its so scummy what they are doing. great game but little things like that prevent a great game from being the best game ever.

Y'know what I'm saying? Just say "fuck you" to the city and leave it all behind? Just go far, far away into the woods and live happily-ever-after?
I'd love to grow my own fruits and vegetables, learn to can, raise my own livestock, have a garden roof over my head with my herbs growing in the kitchen, spend my nights drinking crafted beverages and gazing at the stars by the fire. Having my own water wheel, having deer and birds for neighbors, waking up to the sounds of the creek washing over rocks, and cooking my dinner over a wooden fire.
I could invite my family over for a nice, clean, homemade meal while my brothers and their children explore my property, gazing at the ecosystem and watching life flourish. I could have my own eggs, I could have my own cheese, I could have my own bread, I could have my own butter, and the best part? I'd know what the hell is in my food!
Oh, and I can grow my own tea! Green tea, oolong, lavender, so many. I could have some chickens, some pigs, some cows, maybe some sheep. I could grow carrots, corn, peas, broccoli, and so on. I could grow peaches, apples, blueberries, strawberries, the works! I could learn to can and provide canned goods to the homeless! I could give freshly made, piping hot garden soup from farm to table, I could feed the misfortunate homecooked meals with freshly baked rolls! I could do so much!
Oh... to have a life like that. I could finally achieve happiness. Maybe my way out is the woods.

For a start and a little background, I have had my ups and downs with Destiny as a franchise since the original launch in 2014. I was known in my friend group for quitting for months sometimes years only to come back and jump straight back into raids with a brief understanding of meta with only a few days of work to be “raid ready”. I’ve been an LFG player ever since I started raiding, so I think I am in the category of a mostly endgame player with a couple of raid seals.
My return came back with Into The Light and I really enjoyed most of what Bungie was bringing to the table and when I heard about pantheon, I thought I can replicate that day one experience without waiting for final shape. So I grab a couple of buddies I’ve been raiding with for years and we hopped into week 1.
The first week of pantheon took around 4 and a half hours due to LFG. We had a lot of leaves and a lot of people just ditching the group the moment stuff got rough, but this subreddit has heard that LFG stuff time and time again so I’m not going to harp on it. All in all, me and my friends weren’t really surprised and overall enjoyed our experience with the first week. (Besides the flame tornadoes, those things have left a permanent scar in my brain)
The second week went off without a hitch. We got a weird score bug for Explicator and missed the platinum on Atraks, but our first run was done within an hour. I did it with the same friends and about half our group was LFG randoms but were competent players, but after the score bugs we just did our individual clean up for the triumph and again, overall came out of week 2 understanding that the next 2 weeks would require some extra effort and load out preparation was necessary.
Safe to say I was right, but me and my friends couldn’t account for one thing. Players attitude towards the activity.
For context, I have understanding that this activity needs to be treated like a day 1 just without the theory crafting and figuring out mechanics. So I understood that this would require time investment, patience, and putting myself outside of my comfort zone.
I came into week 3 slightly burned out from previous weeks, but my friends were unable to join so I had to resort to pure LFGs. Gologroth and Caretaker go as per usual, as long as gaze grabbers do their job and the stunners don’t die, everything flows like normal.
Then the good old Explicator came up and shat on a whopping 12 team’s parades.
Im not a leaver for LFGs, my usual tipping point is when a team is beating their head against a wall and nothing changes. But I would not have been prepared for the absolute cacophony of elitism and blueberries that I would encounter.
Encountered several hosts that kicked a couple dozen people for not simply having their loadout ready on join. And when the person could stay, the host constantly complained about how something was wrong when things even got remotely tense or if they died they blamed another person. I even had many “elitist” hosts disband fireteams because 1 person wasn’t doing something right or not add clearing well enough. I went as far as thinking these people were getting cloned, that’s how many times I encountered it.
Blueberries, wow, this has been the worst. People who haven’t even touched the raids included, not even raid loadouts, I get that this is considered free content but cmon. This is a little much even for people who did countless sherpa runs in the past. I was essentially forcing myself through hoops so we could even get to a damage phase. Safe to say I always applied to the raid posts later on in the week that just had “Checking raid report” so I could even have a semblance of a decent team. But then it goes back to the elitist problem, see where I’m getting at?
That brings me to today with week 3 completed with lacking a plat for Rhulk. But I’ve decided that maybe this activity is more meant for people with organized raid groups and if that’s the case then I’m willing to hang up my hat with week 4. Just to avoid more time sinks with my already limited time due to work and being a student.
TL:DR Pantheon was good but the community soured the experience. Safe to say I’m letting the godslayer seal pursuit go.

First of all, I'm not quite sure if this is the best place for this post. Obviously, the subreddit for homebrew content exists, but I am not at all familiar with it and I am not sure if my sort of half-baked idea would fit there. Which is why I'm posting this here for now.
A little while ago, my DM asked me what kind of magic item I would like my character to have if I could just pick whatever I wanted. At the time I was pretty okay with where I was and I couldn't really come up with a fitting idea, but I had a thought recently that I would like some input on if possible.
We just leveled up, so I will be playing a Knowledge Cleric 15/Stars Druid 2 multiclass. We are now entering tier 4 play, have had three legendary magic items in the party for a little while now, and we just acquired our first artifact. So I guess that's the sort of power level we're potentially talking about here. I want to approach my DM with my homebrew idea and we might scale it up or down as we see fit. But for now, I would love to get some feedback on how powerful you think this ability is already by itself.
I am a sucker for versatility and one of the Knowledge Cleric Channel Divinities gives me access to proficiency in any skill or tool I might like for a short while. So I feel it's somewhat fitting to have a magic item that gives access to every Channel Divinity option there is among the various subclasses. Does that sound insane? Insane enough for high-level play? Do you think I should restrict the ability or can I pile on some other effect that might fit mechanically or flavourfully? I am really not sure how to evaluate this.
Here's my thoughts on all the different CDs that would entail:
Arcana - Arcane Abjuration: Can turn (or potentially banish) a celestial, elemental, fey, or fiend. Sounds pretty good right off the bat because fiends have been a common enemy lately and probably will be for a while longer. There might be better things to do with my action though.
Death - Touch of Death: Adds 35+ necrotic damage to a melee attack. My Lizardboy does still like to use his bite sometimes and this would actually make it pack quite a punch. No action/reaction necessary either. Pretty cool.
Forge - Artisan's Blessing: Allows some magical crafting of anything metal. Sounds fun if not particularly useful at this level.
Grave - Path to the Grave: Give one enemy vulnerability to any damage for a round as an action. Dope, I think. We have a Paladin and two Wizards in the party so that could do a lot of harm.
Knowledge - Knowledge of the Ages: I have this already and it's clearly the best one.
Life - Preserve Life: Heals 75+ HP total to any number of allies. Probably very strong and if nothing else another casting of Heal.
Light - Radiance of the Dawn: ~26 radiant damage to every enemy within 30 feet of me (Con save for half). Sounds nice, but I feel like I could be doing better things with my action. Doesn't cost a spell slot though so that's convenient.
Nature - Charm Animals and Plants: It charms animals and plants. Sure. Maybe I'll do that some time.
Order - Order's Demand: Can charm any creature within 30 feet of me for a turn. Kind of works like an upcast Command (which I have as a domain spell), but once again it doesn't take a spell slot.
Peace - Balm of Peace: Zoom around the battlefield and give minor healing to allies. Probably mostly worse than Preserve Life.
Tempest - Destructive Wave: Maximize thunder or lightning damage. I don't think so.
Trickery - Invoke Duplicity: A lot of words for not a whole lot of anything.
Twilight - Twilight Sanctuary: Well. I'm not sure I even want this one. It sounds silly. ~18+ THP for every ally every turn. Why would I ever use any of the other abilities...?
War - Guided Strike: +10 to an attack. I don't make attack roles very often, but it is a free action, so sure.
So yeah. Most of those sounds pretty great and are probably a really nice power boost just like this. There are also two more Channel Divinities that Trickery and War get access to at level 6, but I guess I don't also need those...although War God's Blessing would be very nice to have. Maybe I can trade Twilight for it. If my DM even wants to go for this at all. But like I said, I'd appreciate some general feedback first.
Just one last thing: maybe it might be fun to only have access to one instance of every CD per day. That would prevent spamming the best one all the time.
Thanks for reading, this was much longer than anticipated.