what if there was a dumb guy
and the dumb guy was really, really profoundly dumb
what if he was so dumb he spent all day every day all his life pooping himself and playing with his poop
what if he spent so long pooping himself and playing with the poop that he pooped
so very very long pooping himself and then playing with the poop that he accumulated that magic malcolm gladwell 10,000 hours, and then still way even more hours than that, under his belt, of self pooping experience
and in the course of playing with his own poop the dumb guy learned to make intricate and baroquely ornamental poop sculptures from the poop
like some kind of a poop savant
and sometimes the dumb guy tries to show the poop sculptures to people because they're so beautiful and ornate
but everyone runs away. because no matter how exquisitely formed all of the poop is it is just too disgustingly smelly
but one day someone with with a little curiosity and a strong stomach strays a tad closer to the dumb guy than most do
and that someone is perceptive and sensitive enough to notice that there may just be something special here about these poop sculptures, that the dumb guy may well have something to give, if only his poop didn't stink so bad
so the someone takes a deep breath, puts a clothes peg on their nose, and says Yes i would love to look at your poop sculptures tell me all about them
and the dumb guy is overjoyed beyond words. he is swept away with ecstasy at his undreamt fortune. a non-dumb person who doesn't play with their own poop wants to talk to him and be his friend and be interested in the poop sculpting together
the someone, in their turn, is graduallly captivated and charmed at the dumb poop guy's endless passion and enthusiasm and willingness to share it. they even think things to themselves "i wish i loved anything as much as this dumb guy loves playing with his own poop"
but the peg stays on their nose, of course
the someone also knows the pain the dumb pooping guy feels from his isolation. the someone thinks it isn't fair. the someone wants to fix it. the someone wants to help.
so the someone goes to the art supply store (they cannot take their dumb friend there, obviously) and at their own expense they purchase a smorgasbord of workable material: polymer clay, beeswax, silicone resin, salt dough and more, in all the colors of the rainbow
and with extremely tactful and diplomatic grace, they carefully broach the possibility of the dumb guy exploring different mediums to display his sculpture skills in
specifically, odorless ones
well, the dumb guy is intrigued. he is a bit confuzzled about why exactly anyone would want to make sculptures out of anything aside from one's own poop; but the someone is his best friend now, and if it makes the someone happy for some reason he's right on board
the dumb guy launches himself into his new task with gusto. it's heavy going at first, and there are some false starts; the consistency of the odorless clay is not quite the same as that of his poop, and he can't quite make it do the same things. compared with his poop sculptures, the new pieces are honestly quite mediocre.
but the someone tells him they're wonderful and he should be proud of them. over and over. and even in his profound regardation he can tell something is changing with them. he doesn't know why, but the more time he spends on making the bland and indifferent clay sculptures, and the less time he spends masterpieces out of poop, the happier they seem and the more time they want to spend together
one day, the someone even takes the peg off of their nose. by now, the dumb guy barely smells of poop at all
they come up with a suggestion: it's time to open the doors and introduce the world to the newly clean guy, whom in the absence of any poop stink it is questionable to even call dumb anymore. an grand exhibition, open to one and all, of the plain old guy's normal-smelling masterpieces in various plastic media
it's a little scary but it's exciting too. the guy is so grateful to the someone for helping him and putting the time in when no one else would. that long standing ache in his heart is almost gone. privately, he has absolutely no idea why the someone thinks his new stuff is so incredible; but he still wants to show his friend, and the world in general, gratitude and beauty by making the best pieces he ever can
so while the someone is busy with all the invitations and arrangements, the guy plans a suite of last minute adjustments and reornamentations so his gallery will be as stunning as it can possibly be
and he gets down to it
yes he gets down to it
on the day of the grand exhibition, a crowd has formed outside the grand hall. there is an anticipatory hubbub in the air. the someone proudly cuts the ribbon and throws open the doors
and their noses are powerfully assaulted by a tidal wave of stench. the stench of pure poop.
all of the mediocre and uninspired clay sculptures have been transformed into rancidly putrid masterpieces, by the addition of intricated and delicately sculpted layers of the dumb guy's poop. poop is his best medium, and the public deserves better than mere clay
in the middle of it all is he, squatposed, smeared even more deeply with poop and being more gross and dumb than he ever was before
in that moment the someone's heart breaks and shatters into one krillion seventy eight kajillion brillion tiny little bits. and with no words, no words at all, not even the cries of horror and disgust emanating from the rest of the crowd, they leave and run far far away and never come near the dumb guy ever again
and the dumb guy doesn't understand. he has no idea what he did wrong. no matter how much he thinks, it just doesn't occur to him that poop smells bad and people don't like it
because he is too dumb
grieving the loss of this deep friendship is an extremely painful and lonely process for him but he manages to make it and bounce back, by the sole means of - you guessed it - pooping and playing with his poop and making even more wonderfully accomplished poop sculptures
after all, the only possible reason everyone ran away from the exhibition must be that his poop sculpting skills weren't up to par. that's gotta be it. gotta spend more time poopsculpting. poopsculpting, poop grinding for the rest of his life. one day he'll make it. one day it'll all go right. just gotta keep pooping.
so yeah what if all of that happened

On Saturday, my party went to Elturel to open the Companion (they had the adamantine rods), then went down to visit Zariel, who was trying to fight off the combined forces of Baphomet, Yeenoghu, and Kostchitche, who were out to kill her and had a plan.
The party had a flying infernal war machine, so they met Zariel in the air above the battle. She demanded the sword, the shield, and their immortal souls to break the contract. They balked at their souls and failed to redeem her. Battle was joined when a Marilith teleported next to Zariel and tried to grapple her (and failed). Poor Lulu.
The demons plan was to teleport to Zariel and grapple her, causing her to fall. Ideally to burn all of her legendary actions to teleport away, then they would dog pile her. Baphomet, Yeenoghu, and Kostchitchie all have STR of 29+, so they had a decent chance to grapple, and a couple of Mariliths and Balors would help. A couple of barbarians (one enlarged) got into the grapple fest too (I let the enlarged one toss the other barbarian. Plus the Twilight cleric had summoned a unicorn who could teleport the barbarians to Zariel's location, once. Plenty of ranged attacks from the Sorcerer, Shadar Kai Rogue archer, Warlock and the Twilight cleric (who had the sword of Zariel before she destroyed it, so had wings), who also cast some support spells and had her channel divinity running, giving people temp hit points.
The demons and the party typically got 2-3 successful grapples each round, but she teleported out of them (after falling). Still, the damage was piling up; a Narzugon flew past and healed her 100 hit points. Meanwhile, the Sorcerer used animate objects to get one half of the dimensional shackles (they had to put them into the adventure for a reason, right? Anyone else have their party use them to prevent Zariel's teleportation?) on her, but failed to shackle her other hand. . .well...stump. She was about to flee (not a very satisfying outcome) when she got grappled for the forth time in the round, they got the other half of the shackle on her, and she got dogpiled. They ended up giving her well over 700 points of damage in 6 rounds. One of the barbarians finished her, decapitating her with his axe. The party fled before the Demon Lords and their armies turned on them.
I gave the demon lords the ability to teleport once per turn; some demons have it, so it seemed reasonable. I gave Zariel the fly-by ability (which she used to kill Kostchitchie). She attacked the rogue twice (he crit on a bow attack and inflicted a ton of damage, pissing her off), but his gift of the shadow queen meant he had resistance, plus uncanny dodge meant he only took 82 points of damage instead of 328, which would have been enough to kill him more than two times over.
Meanwhile, Tiamat broke the chains, and a group of the party's allies (including Sylvira and Traxigor, Reya, and some high level characters who they had ties to in my home-brewed bits) plane shifted in and did a screening action, blowing through the demonic and infernal armies behind the action around Zariel and the party (the Twilight cleric did a sending to tell them when they were about to confront Zariel). A Tsunami is a great thing against an army when a wish is used to cast it. As are earthquakes, reverse gravity, etc. Plus they had a Marut and metallic dragons!
Lulu's a basket case, but there might be time for healing.
It took 9 months and about 18 sessions, averaging 4.5 hours each.

I have TONS of random and general questions about the air force. i’m only 16 and don’t plan on joining until i’m around 21-22. So should i stick to asking a bunch of general and some-what stupid questions here? or should i contact a recruiter to ask these things?
I’m not sure if they are meant for that, because most post i see here, are of people with recruiters who are already in the process of enlisting and more-so need them for negotiating jobs, pay, and questions about what’s required for them to move forward. I don’t want to waste their time asking questions just for me to be years away from joining, but i don’t want to just post a wall of questions that might have simple answers here.

First, a caveat: ER is one of my top two favorite dramas of all time, and I only recently really caught up with it (I came on in the original airing of the later seasons). I agree with what most people say about this episode: that it's one of the best-written and best-directed episodes, up there with "Love's Labor Lost", "Rampage," etc.
The performances are top-notch, everyone genuinely feels like a family in a way I really haven't seen any other workplace show measure up to.
But...
As someone with schizophrenia in my family, I found the depiction and treatment of the illness pretty piss poor. I know that ableism and ignorance was par for the course on TV and movies for the entirety of the 20th and early 21st centuries, but this show prided itself on being smarter than everyone else when it came to portraying health care. I feel like this was one of those trying to have its cake (accuracy) and eat it too (entertainment). The fact is that folks with mental illness (including that of schizophrenia) are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than perpretrators of it. The problem with stories like this is not that these things never happen (of course they do); it's that in the absence of a diverse potrayal of mental illness on TV, the rarer the depiction, the more impactful it is. The same goes for, say trans characters. When you only get one, sensitivity matters more. The episode with the trans kid was at least less offensive than this, because Pratt attempted to advocate for her (ironically, the scene at the diner in this episode had a bizarrely transphobic joke about a drag queen, but I digress). But to me, shows lose their potential for impact when they reduce a minority to a stereotype and then don't offer any correction in the form of even *one* other character from that group that isn't.
That said, I loved Sally Field's portrayal of Maggie, and she was written with wonderfully intricate nuance. It's just that, well, not all mental illnesses are the same, and folks with schizophrenia in particular always seem to get the shaft on these shows, and Paul isn't even formally diagnosed by psych. Instead he's "armchair" diagnosed by Kovac.
Would love to know people's thoughts on this.

With the plastic Mechanicum announcement, I've been seeing a lot of confusion in the community as to why 30k Mechanicum is so (supposedly) incompatibly different from 40k Adeptus Mechanicus, as a military force. I thought I'd clear up the history at play here, which is ultimately rooted in changes that were roughly as fundamental as the shift from Legions to Chapters for Space Marines.
In the era of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, the Mechanicum empire was a separate protectorate of the Human Imperium, with Mars as its capital world and holiest site. It was, strictly speaking, an ally of the Imperium, rather than being directly part of it.
The Mechanicum's principal military forces comprise three separate bodies, in this period, known collectively as the Triad-magna. These are the Legiones Skitarii, the Collegia Titanica, and the Taghmata Omnissiah.

• The Collegia Titanica is a collective term for the many separate bodies of Titan-capable forces (known generally as Titan Orders or Titan Legions) throughout the galaxy. The seeds for these groups were sent out into the stars as part of Explorator fleets during the great Martian exodus in the Age of Strife, and grew along with their associated forge worlds. Knight Houses are wholly distinct from Titan Orders in nature, origin, and legal status, but are also often sworn to them or directly to the Mechanicum.
• The Legiones Skitarii are the standing armies of Mars, cyborg janissaries stationed throughout the galaxy, but created and commanded exclusively by the Red Planet. They are the enforcers of its will, and the core of its military advantage over any other forge world. They haven't been detailed beyond that in any 30k gamebooks yet.
• The Taghmata Omnissiah is the focus of the actual Mechanicum faction in WHH. They are a version of the Byzantine tagma/thema system; a temporary gathering of provincial forces, in response to a specific call to arms. The forge worlds call a muster, and the Taghmata forms from robot garrisons, itinerant destroyer-priests, local tech-thall militia, and so on. The Taghmata Omnissiah is not a standing professional army, in the vein of the Solar Auxilia or Legiones Astartes; it is a jumble of whatever is available or owed, from whoever is willing or obliged, led by whoever has the biggest hat.

So what happened?
By the end of the Horus Heresy, and particularly the Titandeath events, the Collegia Titanica has been absolutely wrecked. Its constituent Titan Orders simply don't have the numbers to represent a coherent force in their own right, and lack the resources they would need to truly rebuild. Titans shift away from being massed superheavy armies and toward being precious supporting assets deployed with great care, even as singular units accompanied by Knights rather than fellow Titans.
We don't have details on the Legiones Skitarii yet, but given the Fabricator-General of Mars turned traitor, the Red Planet was lost, and a Martian Parliament-in-Exile was set up on Terra, it seems inevitable that the Skitarii cohorts throughout the galaxy would have split down whatever lines made the most sense to each of them.
However, after the Heresy, the Mechanicum is no longer a separate empire even in name. Following compromises made by the aforementioned Parliament-in-Exile, it is now the Adeptus Mechanicus, a subset of the Imperium's own structure and systems (albeit a powerful and privileged one). It is understandable that it would not be afforded the right to rebuild its unified galaxy-scale standing army, something even the Imperium is avoiding, due to a fear of resurgent warlordism. Moreover, Mars itself has lost a great deal of pre-eminence within the Machine Cult, both as a result of turning traitor, and as a consequence of its own material and materiel losses compared to some of the other influential forge worlds.
Long before the 41st Millennium, the Legiones Skitarii have been reformed as regional forces, supplanting any existing local regiments of so-called "Tech Guard". They are now created and maintained by individual forge worlds as garrisons and footsoldiers. This likely required heavy adaption and alteration to the core Skitarii technologies and doctrines, both to suit their new role and the loss of a centralised supply chain for complex cybrid technologies... and because Mars would be more content to lock its most propietary toys away in a vault forever than it would be to let all the other kids play with (and reverse-engineer) them.
With the other two thirds of the Triad-magna effectively defunct, the Taghmata Omnissiah also ceases to be a relevant system. Many of the independent resources that once supplemented the Taghmata are much-diminished or outright defunct. The Ordo Reductor has lost many of its greatest engines and political advocates, the Explorator fleets have gone from regular Great Crusade assets to extraordinary undertakings, and the Legio Cybernetica has suffered mass destruction and reputational damage. The new, more conservative Adeptus Mechanicus leadership will proceed to excommunicate all of the more advanced automata designs, forcing it to decommission or mothball much of what remains, revisiting older variants like the Kastelan.
On a local level, the mass raising of Tech-thrall militia is censured, and falls out of practice in favour of the newly-available Skitarii garrisons, while military servitor technology such as Kataphrons gains renewed focus due to the reduced access to automata.
The overall feudal model of the Taghmata effectively becomes the entire military system of the Adeptus Mechanicus, which is far more regional, fragmented, and reactive than the Mechanicum, and lacks the undeniable rights (or centralised authority) of post-Treaty Mars. However, the actual resources available to assemble such a force are very, very different.
In some ways, these components are less powerful, thanks to a decline in resources and technology, as well as the Imperium's reduced tolerance for free-roaming independent military bodies. In other ways, they are far more efficient, because they are now a combination of deliberate, formal garrisons... rather than just being a mishmash of whatever shiny toys and spare chaff any given Tech-priest conclave could pull out of their pockets.

(See update at the end) Some context before I (32m) get into the situation as I feel it's important to how I reacted. I have been in two situations, one as a 6-year-old and at 28, that involved women and unwanted touching and beyond in both occasions I have been powerless as a child or incapacitated as an adult like unable to control my bowels or bladder kind of incapacitated. Both my wife and my guest are aware of my past. I'm trying to keep this broad stroke so as not to violate any rules, but again I think this context is important.
So on to the current situation. We currently have a (26f) friend who is living out of a tent, and we often invite her over so she can do laundry, shower, and other hygiene tasks. In this instance, I decided to hop onto my computer and play some games while she did her stuff and hung out with the wife while I chatted back and forth with them a bit. As she wrapped up her visit, she approached me from behind and hit me with a hairbrush not hard just to get my attention. It for sure startled me, and I did snap at her telling her to stop. I looked up at her from my chair, and she does it again, and I tell her to stop again while making direct eye contact with her, which she doesn't doing it once more and then demanding I hug her, which I refuse to do, telling her very clearly "fuck no, I don't want to touch you," and I follow that up with if you keep going like this I'm going to kick you out. She gives me a kinda laugh and says whatever, I'm leaving anyway and then touches me again.
I get to my feet now both extremely panicky feeling and angry we have a bit of a scuffle not a fight, and I end up shouting at her to leave and not come back. I felt entirely violated in my own home during all this, but both her and my wife insist it was just a game and she did not mean it despite me telling her no repeatedly and both my wife and the guest hearing it. I'm for sure not saying my behavior was great, and I've been seeking long-term treatment to help with my issues both mainly being PTSD related to my time as an Army MP and the events mentioned in my personal life. Despite that, I 100% should not have acted in anger like I did.
So am I wrong for feeling the way I do? Or is the wife and the guest right and it was just a game and she didn't mean it.
EDIT: to be 100% upfront it escalated and I reacted (badly) physicality was involved but as also pointed out I was near panicked and overwhelmed due to my past.
EDIT 2: EDIT: Gonna try and respond to a few more posts then I've gotta have a break. I do thank everyone that took the time to write out comments or interact with me.
Edit 3?: My husband gave me access to this account, and I told him I wrote down my perspective. When I asked if I should add it, he said "it's up to you." So here it is.
Our friend approached my husband, who was playing an online cooperative action game on his computer, at his desk. I was sitting on the couch about 8 feet behind them, waiting for my friend to be ready for me to drive her home. She was wearing a long night shirt with a loose v-neck. She stood at his left side peripheral for about 2 seconds before she tapped the back of her hairbrush firmly against the side of his left shoulder. I immediately was not comfortable with this, as I don't tend to engage in horseplay unless someone else has repeatedly demonstrated to me that it's a method of expression that they like and want. I do enjoy my husband's frequent physicality with me, including picking me up or tickling me. My friend and husband have engaged in horseplay on many occasions before, tickling, poking at one another's stomach, and playfully throwing soft objects. This often included my friend's fiance, who usually only reciprocated with my friend. I will frequently smack my husband on the butt, but only when I am sure he is in a mood to be okay with it.
My husband said, "Hey, I'm busy," and didn't turn to her at first. She hit him again with the brush in the same spot, and my husband said "stop" in a normal voice, and my friend responded, saying "give me a hug (which we almost always all do at the end of visits). I don't remember if she hit him again, because he said (and I'm going to paraphrase, because at this point I began to get alarmed, and was only listening to the tone of his voice, and less to his words, unfortunately) that if she didn't stop, he'd make her leave. She said lightly that it didn't matter anyway; she was leaving. At this point, I realized by her teasing tone that she didn't understand how upset he was getting, which I did understand, through years of experience with his tone of voice and what it means. He didn't raise his voice, and I could hear that he was attempting to remain casual as he said something else, ending with "my dude" but that she had really pushed him past the point of anger and I didn't think she realized it. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he said "I don't want to fucking touch you now" and he stood up, and grabbed her by the neck of her shirt, pulling her foreward, and then put both hands around her throat, and I saw his hands tense, as he leaned down into her face and told her to leave the house and never come back. He pushed her backwards and she started to cry, and put her head down, hurrying to get pick up her things. My husband sat back down at his desk and didn't say anything else until I told him I was going to take the friend home and I'd be back, and he said "sure." The friend cried during the ride home, and her voice was harsh, but I wasn't sure if it was stress or physical. She did have marks on her throat, but those faded over the next few hours. She asked me repeatedly why he got so upset, and if anything was different, and I did point out to her that he said "stop," and she said that she thought it was part of the play. When I returned home, my husband did not seem upset, and seemed more relaxed than before, although he seemed nervous about my response to the situation. He said that he didn't remember putting his hands around her throat when I told him that he did.
My thoughts about this are that: 1) horseplaying with people with trauma, which all three of us have, to various degrees and in various forms, is potentially dangerous, and I'm frequently uncomfortable when it happens, although I often don't say anything, as I'm usually the odd one out when it comes to initiating social teasing, although I often enjoy receiving it.
2.) Our friend should have stopped at the word stop. I don't know why she didn't, but I don't think it was out of malice, because she genuinely did not seem to see how she was provoking him.
3.) Her actions were inappropriate, in my opinion, but his were potentially life-threatening and the fact that he didn't remember what he did was alarming. I am concerned that this will happen again, and he will have charges pressed in a situation where he is the first physical aggressor. This would be even worse if he inadvertently harms someone, and the escalation of force combined with memory issues in this latest case makes me worry that it might happen.
4.) I possibly could have prevented this from happening by being quicker stopping her or by getting between them, but I know from experience that once he has a grip on someone, I'm not strong enough to break it, and he ignores my presence or physically shakes me off if I try. He ignores my words entirely at these times. I expected her to see that he was upset before he snapped, because it seemed obvious to me, but she didn't, and I have no idea why. She's had lots of trauma of her own (as have I, including SA) in the past (and, like me, has worked in jobs that revolve around dealing with people dealing with trauma).

*United States of America 🇺🇸
United States Armed Forces SMR Grade AZ+ Ground Force Rank 4th Navy Rank 3rd Air Force Rank 1st
Land Force
Tanks 2,799x (6,121) AFVs 15,544x (11,556) Vehicles 185,941x (114,300) Artillery Guns 8,445x (2,432) Rocket Artillery 2,125x (990) Air Defense Systems 1,423x (1,911) Anti Aircraft Guns 43x (480) Specialist Vehicles 6,998x (1,094) Engineering Vehicles 3,436x Electronic Warfare Systems 4,093x (564) Drones 357x Handheld Launchers 2,215,000x (325,000)
Land Force details
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gdak1cMd-NRaBlrBWY7TbbgfHKi54Dl4T0AMwA-ub5E/edit?usp=drivesdk
Navy
Aircraft Carriers 24x (8) Amphibious Ships 202x (8) Battleships (9) Battlecruisers (1) Cruisers 3x (3) Destroyers 99x (1) Frigates 44x (23) Corvettes 26x (3) Fast Attack Craft 76x (4) Mine Ships 8x Electronic Warfare Ships 11x Conventional Submarines (34) Nuclear Submarines 72x (31) Support Ships 4,421x
Navy details
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1prbzvKQ1KDhC0YCJ_P1_5hNIWoOAE4HkFCPx-wHM8jM/edit?usp=drivesdk
Air Force
Fighters 4,019 (1,348) Special Type Aircraft 1,909 (874) Bombers 134 (206) Logistical Aircraft 7,151 (1,133) Attack Helicopters 1,432 (386) Drones 1,639 (170) Small Drones 31,440
Air Force Details
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LWfekcZKfs_p3bCnxMyNW_BBzWl8BjEmchCuaOhIHOM/edit?usp=drivesdk
Combat Manpower
Total Combat Ready 1,832,000 Active Service 2,835,501 Deployed 171,736 Reserve 799,500 Police Officers 708,001
Economic Capital
Gross Domestic Product
GDP Nominal £26,854,000,000,000 GDP PPP $26,854,000,000,000 GDP Per Capita Nominal $80,034 GDP Per Capita PPP $80,034 GDP Growth up 2.1% CPI Inflation 3%
Credit and Debt
Credit Rating AA+ A AA+ A Negative Current Account -$985,250,000,000 Gross External Debt $27,000,000,000,000 Government Debt $30,568,951,000,000 Foreign Investment $8,084,000,000,000 Market Cap $46,200,000,000,000
Spending and Trade
Military Exports $129,315,902,129 Gold Reserves 8,133t $528,157,020,000 Defence Spending $886,300,000,000 Foreign Reserves $217,300,000,000 Tax Revenue $8,580,000,000,000 Tax Expense $9,820,000,000,000 Deficit -$1,240,000,000,000
Logistics
Domestic Geography
Landmass 9,826,675km² Roadways 6,586,610km Railways 293,564km High Speed Railway 935km Waterways 41,009km
Statistics
Total Population 340,332,281 Labour Force 161,200,000 Cargo Aircraft 5,791 Civilian Ships ~5,500 Civilian Cars ~290,800,000 Civilian Trucks ~168,600,000 Civilian Busses ~939,200 Civilian Trains 28,674 Civilian Aircraft 204,405 Construction Workers 10,755,099 Aircraft Technicians 312,890 Engineers 931,640 Shipyard Builders 105,652 Scientists ~9,000,000 Mechanics 768,917 Landing Craft 130 Logistics Vessels 2,123 10.8m Brls. 6.4m tn Patrol Vessels 1,807 Military Trucks 153,420 Military Logistical Aircraft 7,151
Domestic Hubs
Minor Ports 360 Major Ports 35 Airports 10,211 Helipads 6,104 Bus Depots 10,314 Train Stations 39,568 Police Stations 3,110 Auto shops 286,016 Gas Stations 127,588 Warehouses ~21,000 Small Dry Docks 188 Large Dry Docks 24 Military Bases 178 Air & Space Force Bases 77 Naval Bases 27 Radar Installations 455
Overseas Hubs
Military Bases 520 Naval Bases 8 Air & Space Force Bases 30 Total Satellites 238

• Military Satellites 170
• Space Force Satellites 30
• GPS Global Navigation Satellites 38

Production Capabilities
Global Production
Shipbuilding 0.21% Aircraft Manufacturing 38.3% manufacturing 16.82% Steel Production 10.1% Aluminium Production 1% Semiconductor Production 6.31% Wheat Production 8.4% Shipping 3.4% Total Services 18.7% Timber Exports 8% Automobile Production 20.1% Oil Production 17.7% Liquid Natural Gas Production 23.8% Coal Production 6%
Military Production
Large Shipyards 22 Small Shipyards 120 Tank Factories 1 Armoured Unit Producers 43 Equipment Producers 98 Munitions Producers 3 Small Arms Producers 591 Ammunition Producers 376 Aircraft Producers 1,408
Estimates per year capacity
Tanks ~100-200 Armoured Vehicles ~150-200 Vehicles 2-3m Shells ~400-900k Bullets ~300-600m Small Arms ~10-16m Fighters ~60-160 4.5 & 5th Gen Planes 200-400 Rotorcraft ~40-200 Fleet Carriers 0.05-0.2 Escort Carriers 0.2-0.4 Large Ships ~0.1-0.3 Small Ships ~2-10 Large Submarines 0.1-0.3 Small Submarines 0.3-0.8
Industry
Major Shipyards 22 Minor Shipyards 120 Automotive Plants 55 Manufacturing Factories 628,334 Aircraft Producers 1,408
Natural Resources
Production
Oil 18,000,000 bbl Liquid Natural Gas 967,144,362,000 Cu.m Coal 495,130,000 mt
Consumption
Oil 20,555,000 bbl -2,555,000 deficit Liquid Natural Gas 857,542,658,000 Cu.m +109,601,704,000 deficit Coal 441,968,000 mt +53,162,000 deficit
Reserves
Oil reserves 50,000,000,000bbl Natural gas reserves 13,178,780,000,000Cu.m Coal reserves 228,662,000,000mt
Energy
Nuclear Power Stations 54 Power Stations 12,538 Power Output 4,230tw/h
Facilities
Offshore Oil Rigs 626 Total Oil Wells 916,934 Oil Refineries 129 LNG Refineries 170 Coal Mines 991
Military Technology
Aircraft
• 5th Gen Fighters • 3rd Gen AEWAC Aircraft • 4th Gen CAS Aircraft • 4th Gen Helicopters • 5th Gen Transports • Ariel Refueling Tankers • ASW planes • Reconnaissance Aircraft • C2 Aircraft • Specialist Planes • Stealth Unmanned Ariel Vehicles • 3rd Gen Electronic Warfare Aircraft • 2nd Gen Stealth Bombers • 3rd Gen Strategic Bombers • 3rd Gen Supersonic Bombers • 4th Gen Helicopter Gunships • 3rd Gen ASW Helicopters
Weapons Systems
• ERBVRAAMs • 4th Gen ATGMs • 4th Gen Missles • 3rd Gen Manpads • 2nd Gen Manpats • 3rd Gen ICBMs • Anti ICBM Systems • ASW Rockets • MIRV Warheads • CIWS • Multi Packed VLS Cells with Guided Missles • Direct Energy Weapons • Homing Mines • Active Sonar & Wake Seeking Torpedoes • Loitering Munition Drones • Anti Radiation Missles
Various Military Technology
• 3rd Gen Reactive Armour • 3rd Gen thermal imagers • Programmable Ammunition • Caseless Ammunition • Global Navigation System • ECM systems • AESA Radars • Hard & Soft Kill APS • Stealth Technology
Vehicles • 5th Gen IFVs • 3.5 Gen Tanks • 4th Generation Radar Systems • 3rd Gen Counter Battery Systems • 4th Gen SAM Launchers • 2nd Gen GMLRS • 1st Gen MLRS • 3rd Gen Tank Destroyers • 3rd Gen Cruise Missile Launchers • 5th Gen Towed Artillery • 4th Gen SPAGs • 4th Gen AA Guns • 3rd Gen SPAAGs • C4 Vehicles • 3rd Gen EW Vehicles
Naval Vessels
• Stealth Ships • Nuclear Powered Ships • Fleet Carriers • MCV Ships • Amphibious Command Ships • Guided Missle Submarines • Fast Combat Support Ships • Tracking Ships

.

YOU CAN VIEW VOUCHES FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE PURCHASED FROM ME IN THE PAST HERE! : VOUCH THREAD

ALL PRICES INCLUDING SHIPPING, ADD $5 IF YOU'RE NOT IN THE EAST COAST EVERYTHING IS DEADSTOCK

if an Imgur album is missing or you want more pics, just ask and I'll get them for you/add it to the post

If it's not listed, I don't have it and I likely won't be getting more stuff

SIZE 9

Name	Imgur Album	Price
Nike Dunk Low University Red	https://imgur.com/a/xIReVtH	$75

SIZE 9.5

Name	Imgur Album	Price
Zebra Yeezy 350 (Budget Batch)	https://imgur.com/a/t8Qn5c5	$29
Nike SB Dunk Unnamed Colorway	https://imgur.com/a/ERrD0u5	$29

SIZE 10

Name	Imgur Album	Price
Nike Dunk Low Panda		$75
Nike Dunk Low Fossil Rose		$75
Nike Dunk Low USC		$75
Nike Dunk SB Los Angeles Dodgers		$75
New Balance 574 Legacy 'Marblehead'	https://flic.kp/2pGNTqq	$80

SIZE 10.5

Name	Imgur Album	Price
Jordan 1 Obsidian	https://imgur.com/a/VzhEcaq	$90
Nike LD Waffle Sacai Black Nylon	https://imgur.com/a/CUPmOlx	$80
Nike Dunk Low Panda		$65
Nike Dunk Low Arizona State		$75
Nike Dunk Low Midnight Navy	https://imgur.com/a/p8jumt7	$75
Nike Dunk Low Coast		$75

SIZE 11

Name	IMGUR ALBUM	Price (INCLUDES SHIPPING)
Nike Dunk Michigan State Green	https://imgur.com/a/reC1iWt	$75
Nike Dunk Panda	https://imgur.com/a/AHN0L33	$65
Nike Dunk Kentucky	https://imgur.com/a/ZjhjkM3	$75
Nike Dunk Grey Fog	https://imgur.com/a/ROyVMot	$75
Nike Dunk Georgetown	https://imgur.com/a/6aT7VX9	$75
Nike Dunk Low Smoke Grey		$85
Nike Dunk Sail Light Bone		$75
NBA x Dunk Low EMB '75th Anniversary - Nets	https://imgur.com/a/7x3LeF0	$75
Nike Dunk Low Year Of The Rabbit YOTR		$90
Nike Dunk High Doraemon		$65
Nike Dunk High Maize Yellow		$70
Nike Dunk High Spartan Green		$70
Nike Dunk SB Laser Orange	https://imgur.com/a/AqtPNVz	$70
Jordan 1 Mocha		$100
Jordan 1 High Hyper Royal	https://imgur.com/a/yZOdnq9	$100
Jordan 3 Cardinal Red	https://flic.kp/2pGNsZa	$100
Jordan 4 Georgetown PE	https://imgur.com/a/etsmTEQ	$105
Jordan 4 Black Cat	https://imgur.com/a/EDU3ly7	$90
Jordan 4 Fire Red	https://imgur.com/a/OdwCv4t	$115
Jordan 4 White Cement	https://imgur.com/a/6HVr6O7	$105
Jordan 4 Lightning	https://imgur.com/a/wRxVgXu	$105
Jordan 4 White Oreo		$105
Jordan 4 Craft	https://imgur.com/a/EQuTZsx	$90
Jordan 11 Cool Grey	https://imgur.com/a/uMFyHtn	$105
Jordan 11 Low Legend Blue (Missing one of the laces, replacement box)	https://flic.kp/2pGLLRP	$75
Yeezy Bone V2	https://imgur.com/a/nS4B3nq	$75
Yeezy Zebra	https://imgur.com/a/b96rPZX	$75
Static Black V2 (budget batch)	https://imgur.com/a/saidwL4	$39
Nike Air Max 90 Black/White		$70
MSCHF x INRI x Air Max 97 'Jesus	https://imgur.com/a/Rk7Pooi	$85
New Balance M99ONV1 "MADE IN USA"	https://flic.kp/2pGNX6m	$75
Nike Foamposite Pro UNC Carolina Blue 2003	https://imgur.com/a/diPckxg	$125
Nike Air Foamposite One X Comme Des Garcons Cdg White Summit	https://imgur.com/a/vFzWh6u	$85
Adidas Campus 80 x South Park Towelie (rep box)	https://imgur.com/a/tcMj8vu	$80

SIZE 11.5

Name	Imgur Album	Price
Jordan 11 Gym Red	https://imgur.com/a/a1NxmHF	$110

SIZE 12

Name	Imgur Album	Price
Nike Dunk Low Panda	https://imgur.com/a/LIeBtm2
Nike Dunk Low Michigan Green		$75
Nike Dunk Low Gym Red		$75

Paypal invoice only

Hi I’m a freshly graduated (high school and vocational school) trans girl and I want to join the Air Force. My plan has been that I would go through BMT and tech school, get a job, then medically transition. I’ve been speaking with a recruiter, taken the picat, filled out the background check forms, and I’m taking the asvab this week. But it occured to me that with my current job and newfound independence I can both afford and access hrt through informed consent clinics. And from what I understand, if I did start on HRT then I would have to be stable on the hormones for 18 months prior to being eligible for service. So I could either go with my original plan or take something like a gap year while starting my transition. At first I was considering it because I desperately want to start hrt, but also if I take the gap year I can be with my parents and they can help me with things like taxes and insurance and stuff like that, which is an added bonus. So is my new idea misinformed or is it’s good alternative to my original plan. And if it is and I go through with it what do I tell my recruiter?

Thinking about joining the Air Force, don't know what job I want.

We've seen many, many, many, jedi black blaster bolts in almost piece of popular star wars media but in the comics we've also seen Obi-Wan block slugs from a slugthower, splashing molten metal on himself for doing so.
Is this because the slugthrowers were packed with little slugpowder (gunpowder) to pack a punch? I feel like it wouldn't matter because of a jedi's force speed ability but I'm still curious what shoots faster. Cause we can see blaster bolts streak across the air and we can sew tracer rounds do the same in real life.

When you make an initial deposit of $100 you will receive the chance to draw 2 free stocks worth up to $3600 total.
https://www.tradeup.com/activity/market/welcome?utm_campaign=20230103074304&adcode=20230103074304&utm_medium=more_share&skin=1&edition=Full_Marsco&shareID=736f31c82c822790975969e6c1158e9c&Page=Open&templateId=usreferral&platform=android&feature=Popup&account_display=standard&original_module=my_profile_activity&actionID=598b9e09f3d1b14787c2b32bc25b5fdd&invite=XVHNK8&lang=en_US&utm_source=invite#/

(See update at the end) Some context before I (32m) get into the situation as I feel it's important to how I reacted. I have been in two situations, one as a 6-year-old and at 28, that involved women and unwanted touching and beyond in both occasions I have been powerless as a child or incapacitated as an adult like unable to control my bowels or bladder kind of incapacitated. Both my wife and my guest are aware of my past. I'm trying to keep this broad stroke so as not to violate any rules, but again I think this context is important.
So on to the current situation. We currently have a (26f) friend who is living out of a tent, and we often invite her over so she can do laundry, shower, and other hygiene tasks. In this instance, I decided to hop onto my computer and play some games while she did her stuff and hung out with the wife while I chatted back and forth with them a bit. As she wrapped up her visit, she approached me from behind and hit me with a hairbrush not hard just to get my attention. It for sure startled me, and I did snap at her telling her to stop. I looked up at her from my chair, and she does it again, and I tell her to stop again while making direct eye contact with her, which she doesn't doing it once more and then demanding I hug her, which I refuse to do, telling her very clearly "fuck no, I don't want to touch you," and I follow that up with if you keep going like this I'm going to kick you out. She gives me a kinda laugh and says whatever, I'm leaving anyway and then touches me again.
I get to my feet now both extremely panicky feeling and angry we have a bit of a scuffle not a fight, and I end up shouting at her to leave and not come back. I felt entirely violated in my own home during all this, but both her and my wife insist it was just a game and she did not mean it despite me telling her no repeatedly and both my wife and the guest hearing it. I'm for sure not saying my behavior was great, and I've been seeking long-term treatment to help with my issues both mainly being PTSD related to my time as an Army MP and the events mentioned in my personal life. Despite that, I 100% should not have acted in anger like I did.
So am I wrong for feeling the way I do? Or is the wife and the guest right and it was just a game and she didn't mean it.
EDIT: to be 100% upfront it escalated and I reacted (badly) physicality was involved but as also pointed out I was near panicked and overwhelmed due to my past.
EDIT 2: EDIT: Gonna try and respond to a few more posts then I've gotta have a break. I do thank everyone that took the time to write out comments or interact with me.
Edit 3?: My husband gave me access to this account, and I told him I wrote down my perspective. When I asked if I should add it, he said "it's up to you." So here it is.
Our friend approached my husband, who was playing an online cooperative action game on his computer, at his desk. I was sitting on the couch about 8 feet behind them, waiting for my friend to be ready for me to drive her home. She was wearing a long night shirt with a loose v-neck. She stood at his left side peripheral for about 2 seconds before she tapped the back of her hairbrush firmly against the side of his left shoulder. I immediately was not comfortable with this, as I don't tend to engage in horseplay unless someone else has repeatedly demonstrated to me that it's a method of expression that they like and want. I do enjoy my husband's frequent physicality with me, including picking me up or tickling me. My friend and husband have engaged in horseplay on many occasions before, tickling, poking at one another's stomach, and playfully throwing soft objects. This often included my friend's fiance, who usually only reciprocated with my friend. I will frequently smack my husband on the butt, but only when I am sure he is in a mood to be okay with it.
My husband said, "Hey, I'm busy," and didn't turn to her at first. She hit him again with the brush in the same spot, and my husband said "stop" in a normal voice, and my friend responded, saying "give me a hug (which we almost always all do at the end of visits). I don't remember if she hit him again, because he said (and I'm going to paraphrase, because at this point I began to get alarmed, and was only listening to the tone of his voice, and less to his words, unfortunately) that if she didn't stop, he'd make her leave. She said lightly that it didn't matter anyway; she was leaving. At this point, I realized by her teasing tone that she didn't understand how upset he was getting, which I did understand, through years of experience with his tone of voice and what it means. He didn't raise his voice, and I could hear that he was attempting to remain casual as he said something else, ending with "my dude" but that she had really pushed him past the point of anger and I didn't think she realized it. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he said "I don't want to fucking touch you now" and he stood up, and grabbed her by the neck of her shirt, pulling her foreward, and then put both hands around her throat, and I saw his hands tense, as he leaned down into her face and told her to leave the house and never come back. He pushed her backwards and she started to cry, and put her head down, hurrying to get pick up her things. My husband sat back down at his desk and didn't say anything else until I told him I was going to take the friend home and I'd be back, and he said "sure." The friend cried during the ride home, and her voice was harsh, but I wasn't sure if it was stress or physical. She did have marks on her throat, but those faded over the next few hours. She asked me repeatedly why he got so upset, and if anything was different, and I did point out to her that he said "stop," and she said that she thought it was part of the play. When I returned home, my husband did not seem upset, and seemed more relaxed than before, although he seemed nervous about my response to the situation. He said that he didn't remember putting his hands around her throat when I told him that he did.
My thoughts about this are that: 1) horseplaying with people with trauma, which all three of us have, to various degrees and in various forms, is potentially dangerous, and I'm frequently uncomfortable when it happens, although I often don't say anything, as I'm usually the odd one out when it comes to initiating social teasing, although I often enjoy receiving it.
2.) Our friend should have stopped at the word stop. I don't know why she didn't, but I don't think it was out of malice, because she genuinely did not seem to see how she was provoking him.
3.) Her actions were inappropriate, in my opinion, but his were potentially life-threatening and the fact that he didn't remember what he did was alarming. I am concerned that this will happen again, and he will have charges pressed in a situation where he is the first physical aggressor. This would be even worse if he inadvertently harms someone, and the escalation of force combined with memory issues in this latest case makes me worry that it might happen.
4.) I possibly could have prevented this from happening by being quicker stopping her or by getting between them, but I know from experience that once he has a grip on someone, I'm not strong enough to break it, and he ignores my presence or physically shakes me off if I try. He ignores my words entirely at these times. I expected her to see that he was upset before he snapped, because it seemed obvious to me, but she didn't, and I have no idea why. She's had lots of trauma of her own (as have I, including SA) in the past (and, like me, has worked in jobs that revolve around dealing with people dealing with trauma).

I need help letting this go because things seemed like they were off to a great start with him and I have a hard time finding good dates in my city. Long story short - I (25F) was on a 3rd date with a guy (28M) and I was drunk and we kissed for the first time that night and I invited him up to my place because I wanted to kiss him more. I wasn't thinking about sex cuz I was dumb and drunk (I even had to throw up after we got to my place), so I had to stop us in the middle of doing stuff to say no to sex and I explained to him my boundaries (I wait till I'm in a relationship to have sex and I'd need him to get an STD test for oral sex).
After this, we talked about other normal stuff in between. We also tried making out here and there in between and at some point, he made what sounded like a passive aggressive comment about blue balls. This bothered me so I made a couple comments about his intentions with me that came off quite rude. I tried saving the situation before he left by asking him to sit down to talk (he was all like "What do you need from me?" but sat back down). I tried explaining myself and my boundaries (I told him I haven't had the best dating experiences in the past but didn't go in more detail). He said that this wasn't a productive conversation and left. I could tell how annoyed he was by his face when he headed out.
The next day, I sent him a lighthearted message that I was feeling better about things and still had fun before the night ended weirdly, and he sent a text back right after and shut things down with me. I still feel like we would have been talking if I hadn't invited him up to my place. I know I should have been better about communicating my boundaries more in advance (and I will from now on!) but I don't like that he made me feel so awful over this. I understand sexual frustration but it was our first time doing stuff and I still tried fixing things. All we would have needed was a simple convo about it to clear the air but I guess he didn't want to. Like was he really THAT upset that he couldn't get any from a drunk person??

I've been friends with this guy named Thomas for four years at this point. We originally met because I was friends with his girlfriend, but eventually, I drifted apart from his girlfriend but stayed friends with Thomas. We've always been pretty casual friends, not too close. But this past 6 months, we've gotten a lot closer because we have so many similarities and found that we have a lot more in common than I first realized. Even though he had a long-time girlfriend, I unfortunately developed feelings for him. However, it's important to note, that I never ever pursued him during this time, and even tried to distance myself from him when I realized my feelings. My feelings eventually faded, and I was able to really appreciate our friendship.
Around this period, I met Zach. He is BEST friends with Thomas from childhood, like, they are so close, and tell each other EVERYTHING (which you'll see...I'll realize). We had already met each other briefly a couple of years before at a party, but we began talking and getting to know each other. He made it very clear up front that he was interested in being more than friends. I thought he was pretty cute, respectful, and very direct with his feelings and communication (something I had never experienced with a guy before). He asked me out and we went on a first date, and it honestly went a lot better than I expected to--one of the best first dates I've been on. Zach made it clear afterwards that he really was interested in pursuing something more serious.
However, at the same time, I was going through a really rough period mentally. I was having many anxiety attacks and insomnia, and I quickly realized that adding Zach into the picture--no matter how sweet he was--made it worse. As much as I was interested in him, I realized it was best to cut things off and not lead him on. I clearly communicated this to him and let him know, and he was actually incredibly supportive and understanding. This is my only regret though: after a couple of weeks of texting back and forth AFTER this, I did ghost him....I really regret it, but in the moment I thought it was the best to not lead him on.
Fast forward a couple of months. My feelings for Thomas come back. I try to distance myself. He makes it impossible. The cycle repeats. Until one day, I find out he broke up with his long term girl friend, with the explanation of he basically lost feelings for her.
Then, things change between us. At least I feel like they do. We spend a lot more time together, and he seeks me out more. However, this could just be because he's in a period where he's trying to reach out socially after his relationship. I don't know if that makes sense lol.
Now knowing he's single, my feelings for him come back with a FORCE. I am crushing so hard, but at the same time trying not to push things because he's just out of a relationship and I don't want to ruin our friendship. But at the same time, I'm down bad. Stuttering, giggling...literally so into him I can't think straight when he smiles at me.
Just when I'm the midst of this humungous crush...Zach comes back into the picture. Thomas brings him a formal event, and I physically don't know what to do seeing them both dressed up, both looking fine....in the same room. I kind of avoid them the entire night, because I so afraid I'm going to act awkward. But, the entire night, I get a vibe that they're trying to get my attention; my friends made the same remarks also, so I swear I wasn't being delusional. I heard from someone else too, that Thomas probably brought Zach to try to get us together again. But, this is entirely just a theory from a friend, so.
I wave at them briefly once, but for the rest of the time we don't talk. Then, at the end of the night, I'm exhausted, and I have completely lost all of belongings somehow. I am visibly distressed, and both of them ended up helping me, but mostly Thomas. He was really worried for me, and stayed with me to make sure I was okay, and really helped cheer me up and make me feel better. Zach was there too, but he seemed more nervous to talk to me, so I mostly talked to Thomas.
Since then, I am so completely confused. Since seeing Zach, my feelings were a bit scrambled, but I can't deny that I definitely have stronger feelings for Thomas. I don't know how in the world to proceed with my life, so ANY advice or thoughts would be welcome !!!!! HELP!!!!!!!

Do you know what sucks about this post? I don't want to write it! Bertrand is my second favorite character in TRR. First is Olivia. And looking back, it's amazing how little he accomplishes.
He really doesn't help much beyond being the romance. Maxwell does a lot more of the work. Bertrand mostly provides the ticket if that makes sense.
Bertrand had little, if anything, to do that helped with the Anton situation. Or the Auvernal situation. Or the Via Imperil mess. He does have some value with Barthelemy however.
He only gets together with Savannah because of the MC. He cannot manage his own love life.
He couldn't even get Savannah's saddle on her own! He needed the MC for that too!
Oh and apparently he's always in the wrong with Savannah. She doesn't make mistakes. Only Bertrand.
The Walker family makes fun of him for being a bad farmer. I guess Savannah agrees since she doesn't defend him.
He's made a complete mockery in Maxwell's movie. This actually hurts him, but nobody seems to really care.
Because he's not a part of the mc's harem, he's not a member of the Royal Council. OK, jokes aside, why wasn't he or Olivia invited?
Bertrand never manages to fund his house. It takes Maxwell writing a profitable novel to fund the house.
He doesn't manage funds either. He does that so poorly that he gives all control to Barthelemy.
When Bertrand pretends to side with Barthelemy. Everyone just shrugs and goes: "Ok, Bertrand is evil now." No hyperbole. Just imagine if Olivia or the LIs did the same thing. It would make just as much sense.
Okay, I know what PB was going for. They wanted someone hard working and traditional. Someone who believes in honor, dignity and loyalty. The problem is that they didn't want the LIs making too many mistakes so I think Bertrand got more than his fair share.
And because he tries to conduct himself in a dignified manner, it makes him an easy target for jokes.
I honestly think they made two big mistakes: not letting him have direct victories and making the MC too involved with his love life.
The only victories Bertrand has are when he fools everyone into thinking he works with Barthelemy and when he stands up to a cowboy at a wedding. And the second one just felt forced.
And yeah, because the MC more or less handles Bertrand's romance, it makes it look like he and Savannah will get divorced the moment the MC steps away.
Like I said initially, Bertrand is my second favorite character in TRR. This list doesn't change that. It also doesn't change I wish that PB didn't keep screwing him over.

Hello! I’m starting to prepare my save the dates for a destination wedding. I want to politely request that if people already know they can’t make it, they let us know but not sure how to phrase this and how best to collect those responses (website, email, etc). How has anybody else done this?
Also, I read you usually don’t address STDs with “& guest” but part of me wants to make sure people know they can have a +1 for making plans prior to our formal invites that we plan on sending ~4 months out. Any thoughts or opinions on this too?
Thank you!!

Background: My(18F) ex-friend (19F) is engaged to her partner (22M) and they’ve been dating for 18 months. During school we were very close. After graduating a year ago, she stopped talking to our group and moved across the country to be with him.
A month ago, my best friend, (18M) reached out to her to see if she was okay because he was upset that she had unfollowed him and removed him as a follower, and she claimed to have just been busy while also saying some unkind things about me. Over the last couple of weeks, my best friend and my ex-friend have been texting occasionally, even though I've told him multiple times that I don't know if it’s a good idea because I don't trust her anymore given her history of going MIA, talking badly about us, having intense emotional outbursts and treating our friends badly over the last 5 years.
Today I learned that my ex-friend and her partner are getting married in the fall. Our friends find this strange given the short amount of time, as well as the age gap. My ex-friend invited my best friend, and only my best friend, to their wedding, and he plans to go across the country to attend.
I told him I’m not really comfortable with this as she has never tried to clear the air with me and according to even my best friend, seemed to only resume contact with him out of guilt. He thinks that I'm being unfair to her efforts to “repair” their friendship. I think that it's unfair of him to choose someone who consistently cuts contact with us and has been a pretty shitty friend for the past few years to the both of us over me. AITA?

Hi everyone !
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First of all, some information about the script :
I don't mind monetization, but I'd like to be credited.
If certain elements written in the script cause problems during recording, I'm fine with minor adjustments (rephrasing sentences, adding reactions), as long as they preserve the original meaning of the script. All actions involving sound additions (noises, music, etc.) are not obligatory, but they can contribute to immersion in the story. The important thing is that the listener understands what's going on.
Also : English is not my first language, so don't hesitate to let me know if the script contains any errors, either in the writing or in the construction of the story.
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Context :
You're a witch respected throughout the kingdom. It may seem surprising, but you help the royal family with your powers and healing potions. To thank you, the king has decided to invite you to a ball. Perhaps it was more the idea of his son, the Prince, who seems interested in you. Your Familiar, on the other hand, has no intention of letting the heir to the throne get too close to you. Let's hope the party goes off without a hitch.
Additional info :

• The familiar's name is Ciaran and the prince’s name is Alaric (but you can change them if you want)
• Here's [PART 1]
• For this series, there are two versions of [PART 2] : [PART 2 MM4A Version] and this one wich is [PART 2 M4A Version]
• For this script, I'm referring to the Listener as a witch, but of course if you're using the M4A and M4M tags, you can use the terms mage (neutral) and wizard. Same for pronouns.

Estimated audio length : 1400 spoken word, 10 to 15min
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Listener and Familiar arrive at the outer gate of the castle, on their way to the ball]
Speaker : Ugh, I really hate this costume. I feel too covered up, like I'm confined.
Speaker : How do humans stand this ? I feel ridiculous.
(...)

Speaker : You find me elegant like this ?
Speaker : Well, maybe this outfit isn't so bad after all...
(…)

Speaker (embarrassed) : You, too, look really charming in that attire...
[They walk]
Speaker : Well, we'd better hurry up and get inside ; the ball will start soon.
[Palace guards approach]
Speaker : Guards... Do you think they've come to welcome us ?
[The guards look aggressive]

Speaker : Well, judging by the weapons they're carrying, it seems they're not here to chat.
Speaker : Stay behind me ; it's dangerous.
[The guards seem unwilling to let them pass, swords clashing]

Speaker : Hey, hey, let's calm down ! We have invitations.
Speaker (annoyed) : Looks like you don't know who you're dealing with. This person is the most influential witch in the kingdom. I suggest you step back if you don't want to end up as toads.
(…)

Speaker (addressing Listener again) : I told you coming here was a bad idea.
Speaker : They're not exactly eager to see us join their little party.
(…)
[The guards finally let them through]

Speaker : Well, you finally agree to let us through, it’s about time.
Speaker : Come on, we should hurry before they change their minds.

[They enter the room]
Speaker : Well. I must admit this place is splendid. All these ornaments, this decoration, it must be incredibly expensive.
Speaker (bitterly) : It looks like the royal family has a penchant for extravagance. I bet half the kingdom's taxes go into these adornments.
(…)
Speaker : Well, at least they have good food. I hope the dishes taste as good as they look.
Speaker : We should head to the buffet to find out ! Comme on, follow me !
[They head towards the buffet]

Speaker : Look at all these delicacies. There, exotic fruits ! And here, pastries !
Speaker : There are even dishes I don’t recognize... They really don’t skimp on the food.
[Speaker grabs a plate and starts eating]

Speaker (taking a bite) : Mmm, delicious ! At least they know how to treat their guests.
Speaker (chewing) : Hmm… Oh, and this cake is really good !
[Speaker turns to the Listener]

Speaker (holding out a spoon to the Listener) : Here, taste this !
Speaker : Hm ? Does it bother you if I feed you ?
(…)

Speaker : Hey, it’s nothing ! You’re the one making it weird by refusing so vehemently !
Speaker : I swear this cake is delicious. Come on, say "Ahhh."
[Speaker feeds the Listener]

Speaker : There, very good. So ? What do you think ?
(…)

Speaker (content) : Hehe, I knew you’d like it ! After all, I know your tastes very well.
Speaker : Oh, you have a bit of cake on your cheek.
Speaker (amused) : You can be quite clumsy sometimes. Here, let me help you get that off.
[Speaker moves closer to the Listener, removes the bit of cake, and eats it]
Speaker (innocently) : Why are you looking at me like that ? You know you shouldn't waste food, even if it was on your face. That's why I had to eat it.
(…)

Speaker (leaning in) : Did I make you uncomfortable by doing that ?
Speaker : Not at all ? Your expression says otherwise though... You're really blushing, you know.
[Listener pushes the Speaker, fabric rustling]

Speaker : Haha, calm down ! If you keep fidgeting like that, you'll draw even more attention to us.
Speaker : Well, even without that, we can't really say we're inconspicuous.
Speaker : I mean, I'm still quite noticeable with my horns. Perhaps I should make them disappear for now.
[He makes them disappear]

Speaker (sarcastic) : There, done. Wouldn't want to scare these ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker : Yes, yes, I know, I promised to behave myself tonight. I'll keep my word, I promise.

Speaker : Speaking of promises, didn't the prince tell you he would be here tonight to discuss funding ?
Speaker : Yet I don't see him... Has that coward backed out ?
(Listener makes a remark)

Speaker : Oh, now that you mention it, I can see him.
Speaker (mocking) : Ohh, so Mr. Prince is still under his father's thumb. What a loser.
(…)

Speaker : What... What are you doing ? Do you want to go talk to him ?
Speaker : Why ? Is he incapable of mingling with the "commoners" ? Is mister too precious to make an appearance ?
(Listener gets upset)

Speaker : Tss, whatever, do as you please. I'll stay here waiting.
Speaker : But hurry, I already don't feel very comfortable here, I'd rather not be alone for too long.
(…)

Speaker (to himself, feeling a pang of jealousy) : Who does he think he is, monopolizing their attention like that ?
Speaker : And why do they want to talk to him so much ? This man is nothing special, he's bland and arrogant.
(…)

Speaker (to himself, realizing his own feelings) : Wait. Why does this situation bother me so much ?
Speaker (trying to find an excuse) : I... I know. I must be feeling this way because the atmosphere of this place is getting to me. It's overwhelming, and I'm not used to it. That's all.
[Speaker looks around]

Speaker : Anyway, the other guests seem more at ease.
Speaker : Now that I notice it, there are quite a few couples here... They must be looking forward to the dance later.
(…)

Speaker : Maybe I should offer to dance with them tonight... I would love to be able to hold them in my arms, swaying to the music... Just the two of us.
Speaker : But th-this would be purely professional, of course. To strengthen our bonds as colleagues. Ye-yeah, I should ask them.
(…)

Speaker : Well, for that to happen, they would have to hurry back first. At the moment, the prince doesn't seem to want to let them go.
[Familiar starts getting more and more frustrated]

Speaker (frustrated) : Is this prince stupid or what ? Doesn't he see that it's because of him they don't dare to leave ? He's really unbearable, clinging to them like a parasite !
Speaker (exasperated) : With his arrogant air, he must think he's above everyone just because he wears a crown and a few jewels. It's pathetic !

Speaker (getting angrier) : And all these nobles... They're here strutting around like peacocks, without caring about anything other than themselves.
Speaker (getting more and more agitated) : Ok, I've had enough of this charade. I'm going to go myself and put an end to this little masquerade so I can bring my witch/wizard/mage back here.
(Listener returns quickly to Speaker)

Speaker (suddenly calming down) : Oh, they're finally back.
Speaker (to the Listener) : Hmm... Welcome back.
(…)

Speaker : So uh... What did you talk about ?
Speaker (not convinced) : You just discussed the money needed for your research ? Are you sure ? It seemed like you talked for a long time for it to be just that.
(…)

Speaker : Alright, if you say so.
Speaker : Well, now that you're back, we can enjoy the party a bit.
[Ballroom music playing]

Speaker (trying to open up) : I... I was wondering... Well... Uh...
Speaker : You... You don't have to say yes, but would you consider dancing with me ?
(…)
Speaker : You were going to suggest the same thing ? Great, I really wanted to-
Speaker (catching himself) : I mean... uh yeah, I'm fine with dancing with you,

Speaker (moving closer to the Listener) : So... would you grant me this dance ?
Speaker (chuckles) : Well, I'm delighted.
[They step onto the dance floor]

Speaker : Now, place your hand on my shoulder. Yes, like that.
Speaker : As for me... Hm... I'll need to hold you by the waist. I hope that's alright with you.
Speaker : Perfect. Let's begin, then.
[They start to dance]

Speaker : Hey, are you embarrassed or something ? No ? Then why are you avoiding my gaze ?
Speaker : After all, I'm your dance partner right now, you shouldn't take your eyes off me
(…)

Speaker (teasingly) : Oh ? Does the idea of dancing with me make you uncomfortable ? Being in close proximity like this ?
Speaker (contentedly) : It doesn't really bother you ? Well, then stop averting your eyes and look at me.
(…)

Speaker : Hm ? Surprised that I can dance ? Well, it's something I've grown accustomed to.
Speaker : Back where I come from, we had many festivities like this. I received training to perform various dances to entertain my admirers.
(…)

Speaker : Yes, my admirers. Allow me to remind you that I hail from a rather renowned demon lineage.

Speaker (mischievously) : I had quite a following, if you must know...
Speaker (amused) : Oh, did I imagine it, or did you just furrow your brow ?
[He moves closer]

Speaker : Could it be that you're feeling a bit envious, perhaps ?
Speaker (lightly chuckling) : Hey, no need to look like that. You know you're the only one for me. I have no interest in dancing with anyone else...
(…)

Speaker (once again jealous) : Well, unfortunately, I can't say the same about you.
Speaker : Yes, you. Do you think I didn't notice the looks you and the Prince were exchanging earlier ?
(…)

Speaker (more coldly) : Oh, am I just imagining things ? Really ? Because that's not how it seemed to me.
Speaker (now more serious) : I know what I see. Don't tell me I'm wrong.
[Speaker grips the Listener more firmly]

Speaker : You can try to deny it all you want, but I can see what's going on. You can't say that the Prince is not fascinated by you.
Speaker : And don't tell me it's just politeness or protocol. I know attraction when I see it.
(…)

Speaker (more softly) : Listen, I... I don't want to argue with you. But I can't ignore this. Even if you don't feel love for the prince, he, on the other hand, seems quite taken with you.
Speaker : Plus, I'm not blind, you know. I can see that you're troubled. Don't you have something to tell me ?
(Listener explains)

Speaker (shocked) : What ?
Speaker : The prince... He asked you to come and live at the palace ?
Speaker (speaking loudly) : That bastard ! Who does he think he is ?
(The speaker almost shouts, and the dancing and music stop)

Speaker : Oops... I think I spoke too loudly.
Speaker : Everyone's looking at us now.
(The listener grabs the familiar, the fabric wrinkles)

Speaker : Hey, what are you doing ?
Speaker : You want to come out and talk ? But I...
Speaker (resigning) : Okay... I guess I've done enough anyway.

[They step out onto a balcony, surrounded by the sounds of the night]
Speaker : Look, I already know what's on your mind...
(…)

Speaker (awkwardly) : I apologize for my outburst. I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me.
Speaker : But seeing him so close to you earlier, and when you said he asks you to move to the palace... It just threw me off.
[He moves closer to Listener]

Speaker : I understand it's not my place to dictate where you go, and I'll stand by you no matter what. But... I'm afraid of losing you.
Speaker : Our connection means everything to me... You're my all word, you know.
(…)
Speaker (a bit surprised) : You… you don't intend to leave ?
Speaker : Well, it seems I worked myself up for nothing yet again... I apologize.
(…)

Speaker : You know, I truly appreciate having you around. And... I don't want you to go away from me.
[Listener kisses the Familiar's cheek]

Speaker (surprised) : Uh, what's with the sudden kiss ?
Speaker : No, no, it's fine, but what prompted it all of a sudden ?
(…)

Speaker : Me too... you are so important to me. More than I can express in words.
Speaker : And despite all the chaos, dancing with you was the highlight of the evening.
(…)

Speaker : So, should we return to the ball ?
Speaker : Well, you're right. Given the commotion I caused, we can't just go back as if nothing happened.
(…)

Speaker : And you seem tired as well. Perhaps it's best we head home.
(…)

Speaker : Come on, let's go home now
(End)
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's note : This script contains elements similar to the MM4A version, but I had to adapt some parts.

Air date/time: May 19, 2024 @ 8:00PM [EST] (FOX)
Synopsis: Bart makes a new friend.
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