Pictures of a true fade haircut

Background:
The continent of Gêde is a sprawling land of diverse biomes, vegetation, and different walks of life. Humans, animals, fairies, orcs, vampires. All sorts of creatures inhabit the land and over thousands of years, have formed civilizations, villages, and kingdoms.
There are three prominent kingdoms in Gêde. In the northwestern temperate regions lies the kingdom of [writer’s choice]. In the northeast mountain ranges of Gêde lies Sovia, a kingdom of ice and snow, which is ruled by powerful warlords and greedy kings.Sovia is inhabited by frost giants, yetis, and uldra. But the monarchy consists of a long lineage of Vampyres who have taken favor of the sprawling, mineral-rich land and everlasting arctic nights. Down towards the tropical Niraqian Sea stretches the smaller peninsula kingdom of Al-Khuna. This kingdom, fertile by the sun and sea, is dominated by humans and sun elves on land and Suvannamacchi—mermaid-like creatures—in the sea. Al-Khuna was particularly rich in spices, exotic vegetation, silks, and it was said to have had enough gold to make the sun god himself jealous of the kingdom’s radiance.
Well. that was 100 years ago.
For the last century, the royal Al-Khunian kings of the family Farashi had made some…rather critical financial decisions, mostly driven by greed, ignorance, and arrogance. It was always rumored by the other neighboring kingdoms that one day Al-Khuna would collapse under its own rule. The economy was rapidly beginning to collapse. The frivolous spending, greed, and ignorance of the late Raja, his father before him, and his father before him had plunged the land into its downfall. The entire kingdom had gone into a deep famine, and poverty was running rampant. Even as the old generations of the royal family died off and the new generations were coronated, no one could solve the famine. Drought plagued the land, and trading ports were not outputting enough goods to bring in profit. Al-Khuna was growing desperate.
The Raja should have approached the king in the northwest for help. Perhaps then, Al-Khuna might have been saved. But no. Stupidly, Al-Khuna had struck a deal with Sovia.
All Sovia needed to do was provide food and money and the Al-Khunians would sell their services in any way possible, but more conflicts were arising. The Sovians would demand services and goods that the Al-Khunians did not want to provide, but the Sovians were demanding more payment than what was originally agreed upon. Contracts were broken, and loopholes were taken advantage of. The Raja of Al-Khuna made impulsive mistakes that ultimately left too many vital parts of Al-Khuna as collateral.
A war broke out, but Sovia was too powerful. The Raja of Al-Khuna was too proud to surrender, and when he and his Rani were finally assassinated by the Sovians, every kingdom in Gêde watched as Al-Khuna fell under Sovian control.
The only ones of the Farashi line that were spared were the young Prince Adan and his baby sister Princess Iirana, who were ordered by the Sovians to be taken far away where they would not cause any trouble. It was against Sovian morals, of course, to spare children when decimating an entire country.
Prince Adan remembered the massacre, however, and as his birthright to the throne, he planned well into his adulthood how to regain control of Al-Khuna.
~
The Prompt:
"Go! GO! Into the woods!" The booming voice of the prince was nearly drowned out by the sounds of screams, cannons, metal clashing against metal, and destruction. Another battle was raging mercilessly, this time right in the heart of Al-Khuna... It started as a failed assassination attempt on the Sovian prince, who was to marry Princess Iirana—who was now 21. It was all planned out by Prince Adan to regain control of Al-Khuna. They were to arrange matrimony between Prince Veric and Princess Iirana. They were to meet during the Festival of Lights, an annual Al-Khunian traditional party held every Summer Solstice. Iirana was to seduce him, take him somewhere private, and kill him with a kiss with the nightshade painted on her lips.
The Sovian guards saw right through the plan, and all hell broke loose.
Iirana and Adan managed to flee the palace. Shouts and commands could be heard somewhere in the disarray of the battle as Sovian soldiers attempted to track and pursue them. Adan grabbed Iirana's hand and led her through the fray. They ran for what seemed like hours, and they had almost made it to the edge of the kingdom before the prince collapsed with a painful thud. "Adan?" Iirana's eyes widened at the sight of a Sovian arrow impaling right through his leg. He sucked in a sharp breath and yelled through his teeth, "Don't wait for me! Into the woods, Iirana, NOW!!"
She wanted to protest, she wanted to drag him with her, but she knew better, and she fought herself as she fled far into the forest. Far, far away from the raging battle, the screams, the clashing of weapons, and the collapse of buildings on fire. She did not look back to see what had become of her brother.
Al-Khuna was destroyed. The Sovians would make sure there was nothing left for Iirana to return to. The only direction she could go for another safe civilization was northwest across the entire continent.
And that she did.

~
The scene:
“Your Highness! My Lord!” Rowan, The captain of the Royal Guard of the northwestern castle barged into the throne room, interrupting the business his king was attending to. He never behaved in such a manner, and certainly never barged in without a formal announcement. His eyes seemed wide with confusion and urgency, and behind him, two guards were slowly escorting a female figure between them.
“Please forgive me for this sudden intrusion, my lord, but—” Rowan turned his head to watch as his armored men came closer, and the figure slowly becoming more visible to their ruler on the throne.
They had her held firm by arms, but she was not cuffed. She did not seem to struggle either, but rather allowed them to guide her where they wanted her. She was young. Human. Although like no human in this kingdom. She was dressed in a ragged gray peasant dress and black cloak. Her skin was a dark olive tone, as if kissed by the sun god himself. Her fingers and hands were adorned with swirling intricate curlicues of a faded red stain. Her feet were bare, painted with the same patterns. Her hair was thick and falling over her shoulders like tendrils of endless black night. Her dark downcast amber eyes seemed…tired. Empty. Dark circles plagued her gaunt face; it was clear that she hadn’t eaten in some time, it seemed like she hadn’t slept in…months. The tightness of her pupils resembled that of an old warrior, one who had seen death and was forever haunted by the horrors of the past.
This was not a normal girl. Not one that was from anywhere near here.
“My lord,” Rowan straightened as he spoke. “She says she is from Al-Khuna. Says she had been traveling for several months. Says she fled from a Sovian attack. They’d apparently done a massacre. Says she escaped.” He spoke rapidly, trying to recount everything that she had told the guards when she initially approached the castle. They didn’t believe her at first, but upon looking at her foreign appearance, they knew they needed to get her to the king right away for his judgment. After that encounter, however, she hadn’t said another word. The exhaustion was simply too much.
After Rowan spoke, the young woman slowly raised her head to meet the king’s eyes. As exhausted as she appeared, there was a certain look about her. There was a certain fire in her eyes that told him that she did indeed come from a powerful line. And she had seen things that only true hell could produce.
My HARD Rules:
I only roleplay on Discord.
I roleplay in 3rd person only.
Advance-lit only. I write with detail and flesh out 2 to 3, sometimes even 5-paragraph responses. I expect my partner to hold the same writing standard.
You must be 18+. This roleplay will contain adult themes like gore, violence, and possibly sexual themes.
I am in US Central Time.
Explore your creative freedom! You'll be playing the "leader" of the northwestern kingdom (you get to name the kingdom as well), whether that be king, prince, emperor, or whatever you'd like to call your character. Have your kingdom be any race you want! Humans, elves, orcs, vampires, etc., or make up your very own! They can of course have magic or any other special traits that you'd like. This is your domain to play with.
Thank you for reading this rather long prompt. If you are interested, please message or DM me through Reddit with your RESPONSE to the prompt, as if you are starting the roleplay with me. I want to see how your writing is and if you are what I’m looking for. If you are not interested, thank you anyway for your time, and happy roleplaying!

Hello! I've seen that a lot of people are confused about ENFJs and how exactly we work, and considering that there are many websites with different —even contradictory— concepts and definitions of ENFJ, I wanted to provide one closer to what Carl Jung first described in Psychological Types in 1921. I hope this will help people gain a wider perspective of our type, and clear up some associated misconceptions.
But, before we begin, there are some concepts and questions that need to be addressed first:
❓ Are websites like 16 Personalities reliable? What about tests?
📣 No, they aren't. 16 Personalities has wildly different concepts about types, and most importantly: while it's not outright stated, their personality model isn't based on jungian functions or the types Myers-Briggs described in Gifts Differing in 1980. Their test and type description is based on the Big Five personality model, which is something else on its own. You can check this in more detail on their FAQ page. If you used 16p to discover your type, there's a high chance it may not be the same type as what Jung or Myers-Briggs describe in their respective books. Other websites and tests may also handle different concepts, so take their results with a grain of salt.
❓ If tests and websites are unreliable, how can I be sure of my type?
📣 By reading! I'm afraid that there isn't a quick shortcut to instantly know yourself and what type best fits you. Knowing your type is a journey in itself, full of self-reflection and doubt. It's hard, but very rewarding. However, if you are doing this just for fun, feel free to take any popular tests floating around.
❓ I am friendly and outgoing, but sometimes I need space. Am I INFJ or ENFJ?
📣 Social extraversion/introversion and cognitive extraversion/introversion are two different things. Jung managed his concepts and descriptions of different psychological phenomena and gave them different meanings from what we're familiar with. I know, it's confusing. But I'll do my best to clear up what he actually meant later on, so don't worry!
❓ Where are you getting all this information?
📣 Psychological Types, by Carl Jung. I also have Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type by Isabel Briggs Myers with Peter B. Myer, however, I am not fond of Myers-Briggs' interpretation of Jung's writings. In my opinion, it's an oversimplified version of types and functions, and she displayed an obvious intuitive bias in her book. Another book that's popular is Lectures on Jung's Typology by Marie-Louise von Franz, who also worked together with Jung to describe types and functions. However, be warned: by her own admission, she dislikes Fe-dom types and her description of ExFJ is rather insulting, so expect some bias as well.
Before we begin talking about what is ENFJ, we have to understand Jung's word salad and what he meant with all these concepts and descriptions. It takes a lot of patience and effort to understand Psychological Types, because as you may know (or not!), psychology is a relatively new science, and many of its roots come from philosophy, anthropology, and even religion. Jung refers to a lot of other authors, philosophers, and other literary figures to describe what he believed were "personality types".
What was the goal with all this? Well, Carl Jung was a Swiss psychoanalyst, and by associating certain patterns of behavior with different mental illnesses, he aimed to make their diagnosis easier for other psychiatrists. So, understandably, Psychological Types is full of technical language that may be hard to understand for anyone who isn't already familiar with the field of psychology. This is why a lot of other websites and other authors, while relying on Jung to describe types, tend to water down concepts and inevitably miss some important context that can't be properly explained until you take the effort to read the entire thing. That's why we have like 10 different descriptions of the same type or functions floating around.
Jung associated Fe-types like ENFJ or ESFJ with hysteria. Of course, this was back in the 19th century, and the target of this diagnosis was almost always women. Thankfully, it's no longer an official mental illness.
⚠️ An important consideration: most of the original texts that laid the foundation for MBTI to exist are from the early 19th century. Expect a lot of sexism and traditional gender roles.

"It may seem superfluous to the reader if I add a special chapter on definitions of terms to the text of my study. However, I have had ample experience of the fact that it is precisely in psychological works that one cannot be careful enough with terms and expressions, since it is precisely in the field of psychology, as nowhere else, that the greatest variations of terms occur, which often give rise to the most stubborn misunderstandings." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 476).

I will not be listing every single concept, because it'd take the entirety of this post and even more to explain what everything means. I'll list the most common ones that show up when describing types.
🫂 Extravertion and Intravertion:

"If we look at the course of a human life, we see how the destinies of one person are more conditioned by the objects of his interests, while the destinies of another are more conditioned by his own inner being, by his subject. As we all deviate somewhat more to one side or the other, we are naturally inclined to understand everything in terms of our own type." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 4)

As I said before, extraversion and introversion have different meanings in this area, so when we talk about an extraverted type, we mean to say that it's a type whose dominant function is an extraverted one. To understand better what is an extraverted function, we need to have two vital concepts in mind: subject and object.
🌎 The object, in this concept, is anything that exists outside your mind: it may be the world, it may be people, it may be experiences, it may be sensations, anything that is not inherently part of you. It may be what's happening in your environment, or the environment in itself. It's the external, that which exists without needing any additional interpretation or guessing.
👤 The subject is you. Your mind, your feelings, your values, your logic, your impressions, your subjective interpretation of ideas or people or what's happening around you. Anything that is purely personal, be it your inner understanding of how things fit together, your interpretation of a painting, your like or dislike of a song, etc. Your subjective experiences or thoughts, that's the subject.
In a way, it's you, the subject vs. the world, the object. Of course, there's much more to this, but this is the easiest way I can explain it. You'll see these two concepts popping around because they're the very foundation of functions.

"But every human being possesses both mechanisms, extraversion and introversion, and only the relative predominance of one or the other determines the type." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 5).

Extraversion and Introversion, as I was saying before, are defined by what's your disposition towards the external world vs. the inner self. If your decisions are mostly influenced by what's happening outside your mind, then we are talking about an extrovert. If your decisions are influenced by your own inner world, regardless of what's happening outside of it, then we talk about an introvert.

"If the orientation towards the object and the objectively given prevails in such a way that the most frequent and most important decisions and actions are not conditioned by subjective views but by objective conditions, we speak of an extraverted attitude. If this is habitual, we speak of an extraverted type. If someone thinks, feels and acts, in a word, lives in a way that directly corresponds to objective circumstances and their requirements, in both a good and a bad sense, then they are extraverted. He lives in such a way that it is obvious that the object as a determining factor plays a greater role in his consciousness than his subjective view. Certainly he has subjective views, but their determining power is less than that of external objective conditions." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (pp. 384-385).

It's important to know that Jung initially described only four functions: Feeling, Thinking, Intuition, and Sensing. These functions would be either extraverted or introverted depending on how they relate to the external, objective world vs. the inner, subjective world. For example, Extraverted Feeling (Fe) is an extraverted feeling function because it favors the external feeling environment over more personal, subjective feelings that only belong to the subject.
In contrast, the introvert prefers to make decisions based on their inner self, on their personal views and convictions, regardless of what's happening around them. Someone whose function is introverted will not value the outside world a lot, and feels like is a threat to them:

"The introvert has an abstract attitude towards the object; basically, he is always anxious to withdraw his libido from the object, as if he had to prevent the object from overpowering him." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 380).

Now that we have some basic concepts cleared out, I hope understanding the Extraverted Feeling type is a bit easier. I want to start by how Jung described Fe:

"Feeling in the extraverted attitude is oriented towards the objectively given, i.e. the object is the indispensable determinant of the way of feeling. It is in accordance with objective values. Whoever knows feeling only as a subjective fact will not readily understand the nature of extraverted feeling, because extraverted feeling has freed itself as far as possible from the subjective factor and has instead subjected itself entirely to the influence of the object." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 411).

❗️We have to understand here that feelings are not emotions. Under this context, feeling is what we either accept or reject, what we value or not, how do we feel about something. An emotion, in this context, is something that causes a bodily response: if you feel angry, your heartbeat increases, your arms shake, and your face turns red. If you feel sad, you'll start crying and shaking. If you feel happy, your heartbeat increases and you smile. In contrast, just liking or disliking something may or may not make you react in any way. For example, let's say that you have an intense dislike of a celebrity. You don't start shaking and crying just because you dislike that celebrity. But what if you're a fan of a certain band? If you listen to one of their songs, you may start feeling happy. In both of these cases, we have two concepts floating around: a "feeling" (disliking a celebrity or liking a band) and an "emotion" that may be a reaction to that feeling (feeling happy when listening to your favorite band).
Feeling types usually have this misconception going around that we're emotional wrecks and can't think logically. This misunderstanding comes from the confusion that Feeling means being emotional. And while a feeling can give rise to an emotion, it's not emotion in itself, these are two different things. To put it simply: Feelings are values, and emotions are reactions to those values.
Now, to continue on how Jung described Fe, he gave a great example of how this type of Feeling is influenced by the outside world:

"I can feel compelled to use the predicate "beautiful" or "good", not because I find the object "beautiful" or "good" out of subjective feeling, but because it is appropriate to call it "beautiful" or "good"; and appropriate insofar as a judgment to the contrary would somehow disturb the general emotional situation. Such an appropriate emotional judgment is by no means a simulation or even a lie, but an act of fitting in. Thus, for example, a painting may be called "beautiful" because a painting hung in a salon and signed with a well-known name is generally assumed to be "beautiful", or because the predicate "ugly" could offend the family of the happy owner, or because the intention on the part of the visitor is to create a pleasant emotional atmosphere, for which it is necessary that everything is felt to be pleasant. Such feelings are directed according to objective determinants. As such, they are genuine and represent the entire visible feeling function." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (pp. 411-412).

A common misunderstanding surrounding Fe, and by extension Fe types, is that Fe is by nature insincere and fake, and that we're double-faced and superficial. But I think of it differently: if your friend got a bad haircut and they look terrible, is it dishonest to say that it isn't that bad if it comes from an honest intention of not wanting to hurt their feelings over something they can't change? Do you always need to tell people what you think, regardless of how it may affect them? I think honesty without kindness is just cruelty.
But, moving on!

"The evaluations made through the act of feeling correspond either directly to objective values or at least to certain traditional and generally accepted standards of value. It is largely due to this kind of feeling that so many people go to the theater or to a concert or to church with properly measured positive feelings. It is also to thank for the fashions, and what is far more valuable, the positive and widespread support of social, philanthropic and other cultural endeavors. In these things, extraverted feeling proves to be a creative factor. Without this feeling, for example, beautiful and harmonious sociability is unthinkable. In this respect, extraverted feeling is just as beneficial and rational a power as extraverted thinking." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 412)

To me, Fe represents that desire for human connection, to feel community, to think about others. We live in an age where hyperindividualism is encouraged everywhere, to care about yourself only, to isolate and disregard anyone who doesn't make you feel good. If that kind of mindset is pushed constantly by corporations and influencers, a lot of people will have a hard time understanding something like Fe, since it opposes everything hyperindividualism stands for. It's frustrating, but I think it's also not surprising to see a lot of people in the MBTI community having an intense dislike of Fe types, especially Fe-dom types, because of this. The idea that only you, as an individual, matter, is so prevalent that for some people, caring about something other than yourself is just dumb.
⚠️ Another thing to take in mind is that Jung determines the dominant function by what we value the most. By this, it means that your intention is what matters, not the results. For example, a socially awkward person can be an ENFJ as long as they value the outside feeling environment over everything else, no matter how clumsy they may be at it. We tend to think of ENFJ as mind-readers, masters of socialization, or community leaders, and it certainly can be the case! But, just as the ENFJ can be a well-loved, charismatic therapist, it can also be the nervous shrinking violet who awkwardly tries to please people around them. We often make the mistake of measuring someone's preference of a function by how "skilled" they are at it, by how much positive results come from them using that function, when in reality, you can be an absolute dimwit and still be a Ti-dom. Your dominant function is always the one that dictates your decisions, regardless of the results of those decisions.
Now, as with all functions, Extraverted Feeling has its dark side.

"However, this beneficial effect is lost as soon as the object gains excessive influence. In this case, the overly extraverted feeling draws the personality too much into the object, i.e. the object assimilates the person, whereby the personal character of the feeling, which is its main stimulus, is lost. This makes the feeling cold, objective and untrustworthy. It betrays a secret intention, or at least arouses such suspicions in the unbiased observer. It no longer makes that pleasant and refreshing impression which always accompanies a genuine feeling, but one senses posturing or acting, when perhaps the egocentric intention is still quite unconscious." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (pp. 412-413).

It's possible to care too much. When Fe gains excessive influence over the psyche, it places so much value on harmonious relationships that it comes at the detriment of the subject. Unhealthy Fe demands that you adapt to every single social environment, to make sure to please everyone, and to sacrifice your personhood in favor of the external feeling world. This is why the unhealthy Fe user comes across as fake and dishonest: it's impossible to be a different person to fit in with different social settings without sacrificing your integrity.

"Since situations in life constantly alternate with one another, triggering different or even contrasting emotional tones, the personality dissolves into just as many different feelings. One time you are one thing, the next time something completely different - apparently, because in reality such a diversity of personality is impossible." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 415).

When we talk about types turning unhealthy or acting in erratic or destructive ways, we also have to talk about their inferior function. After all, is your inferior function that keeps your dominant function in check, so to speak. Your inferior function is a sensible counterpart that, while it opposes your dominant function, it provides a different perspective, like another voice that says "yes, but..." to anything you say. This is the role of Introverted Thinking (Ti).
❗️Contrary to popular belief, inferior Ti is not when you lack intelligence, logic, or intellect. To begin with, Thinking isn't related to intelligence. It can lead to it, but just like Feeling can lead to emotions, it ultimately isn't emotions in itself. In the same way, Thinking can lead to intelligence, but it isn't intelligence in itself. It's a process of thought, not the result of that thought. For example, you can think about a math problem, but that thinking may not necessarily lead to a correct answer.
The relationship between the dominant function and the inferior function is the most important one. If the balance between the two functions is disturbed, it leads to destructive or toxic behaviors, or as how Jung called it, neurosis. So what is the relationship between Ti and Fe?

"You can only feel "right" if nothing else disturbs your feelings. But nothing disturbs feeling as much as thinking. It is therefore easy to understand why thinking is suppressed as much as possible in this type of person. This is by no means to say that such a woman does not think at all; on the contrary, she may think a great deal and very intelligently, but her thinking is never sui generis, but an epimetheic appendage of her feeling. As far as feeling permits, she can think very well, but any conclusion, however logical, which might lead to a result disturbing to feeling, is rejected a limine. It is simply not thought." Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 414)

Thinking is the opposing force to Feeling. And for a type that values Feeling the most, it's only to be expected that it tries to suppress Thinking the most. If a logical thought has the power to disturb the social harmony, the average or unhealthy ENFJ will do their best to pretend it isn't there. But it's impossible to completely suppress a part of your mind. The thoughts that you're desperately trying to push away, will always come back in different forms:

"Unconscious thinking reaches the surface in the form of ideas, often of an obsessive nature, whose general character is always negative and devaluing. There are therefore moments in women of this type when the worst thoughts attach themselves to the very objects that the feeling values most highly. Negative thinking makes use of all infantile prejudices or comparisons that are suitable for casting doubt on the value of feelings, and it draws on all primitive instincts in order to be able to explain feelings as "nothing but". Jung, Carl. Psychological Types (p. 417).

By this, Jung means that the suppressed Ti will leak out in the form of harsh criticism, prejudice, or comparing people according to unreasonable expectations of them, destroying the previously positive feelings about them. Basically, Ti will turn destructive, making the usually pleasant ENFJ assume the worst out of someone.
All of the above paints a picture of a dishonest, paranoid, and troubled ENFJ. They're desperate to win people over, to make everyone happy, but they have lost themselves in this desire and sacrificed their integrity to the point they sound hollow, they lack substance, and the more they try, the less convincing they are. At the same time, their inferior Ti makes them think all sorts of terrible things about the people around them, and they start doubting their relationships and the sincerity of the people they love.
🫂 I will be making a part two later describing Ni from Jung's perspective and how to tell ENFJ and INFJ apart. Ni is kind of tricky to describe, especially as an auxiliary function, but I'm sure it'll help a lot of people who may be confused about their type! Also, the majority of what I described above can be applied to the ENFJ's sensor counterpart, ESFJ. And as I said before, Jung only described four functions and eight personality types, which later expanded to 16 personality types under Myers-Briggs system, therefore there isn't a "function stack" to speak of right now, but I can do my best to describe the closest thing we have to it from Psychological Types.
I hope this was helpful. Thank you for reading! 💖

Background:
The continent of Gêde is a sprawling land of diverse biomes, vegetation, and different walks of life. Humans, animals, fairies, orcs, vampires. All sorts of creatures inhabit the land and over thousands of years, have formed civilizations, villages, and kingdoms.
There are three prominent kingdoms in Gêde. In the northwestern temperate regions lies the kingdom of [writer’s choice]. In the northeast mountain ranges of Gêde lies Sovia, a kingdom of ice and snow, which is ruled by powerful warlords and greedy kings.Sovia is inhabited by frost giants, yetis, and uldra. But the monarchy consists of a long lineage of Vampyres who have taken favor of the sprawling, mineral-rich land and everlasting arctic nights. Down towards the tropical Niraqian Sea stretches the smaller peninsula kingdom of Al-Khuna. This kingdom, fertile by the sun and sea, is dominated by humans and sun elves on land and Suvannamacchi—mermaid-like creatures—in the sea. Al-Khuna was particularly rich in spices, exotic vegetation, silks, and it was said to have had enough gold to make the sun god himself jealous of the kingdom’s radiance.
Well. that was 100 years ago.
For the last century, the royal Al-Khunian kings of the family Farashi had made some…rather critical financial decisions, mostly driven by greed, ignorance, and arrogance. It was always rumored by the other neighboring kingdoms that one day Al-Khuna would collapse under its own rule. The economy was rapidly beginning to collapse. The frivolous spending, greed, and ignorance of the late Raja, his father before him, and his father before him had plunged the land into its downfall. The entire kingdom had gone into a deep famine, and poverty was running rampant. Even as the old generations of the royal family died off and the new generations were coronated, no one could solve the famine. Drought plagued the land, and trading ports were not outputting enough goods to bring in profit. Al-Khuna was growing desperate.
The Raja should have approached the king in the northwest for help. Perhaps then, Al-Khuna might have been saved. But no. Stupidly, Al-Khuna had struck a deal with Sovia.
All Sovia needed to do was provide food and money and the Al-Khunians would sell their services in any way possible, but more conflicts were arising. The Sovians would demand services and goods that the Al-Khunians did not want to provide, but the Sovians were demanding more payment than what was originally agreed upon. Contracts were broken, and loopholes were taken advantage of. The Raja of Al-Khuna made impulsive mistakes that ultimately left too many vital parts of Al-Khuna as collateral.
A war broke out, but Sovia was too powerful. The Raja of Al-Khuna was too proud to surrender, and when he and his Rani were finally assassinated by the Sovians, every kingdom in Gêde watched as Al-Khuna fell under Sovian control.
The only ones of the Farashi line that were spared were the young Prince Adan and his baby sister Princess Iirana, who were ordered by the Sovians to be taken far away where they would not cause any trouble. It was against Sovian morals, of course, to spare children when decimating an entire country.
Prince Adan remembered the massacre, however, and as his birthright to the throne, he planned well into his adulthood how to regain control of Al-Khuna.
~
The Prompt:
"Go! GO! Into the woods!" The booming voice of the prince was nearly drowned out by the sounds of screams, cannons, metal clashing against metal, and destruction. Another battle was raging mercilessly, this time right in the heart of Al-Khuna... It started as a failed assassination attempt on the Sovian prince, who was to marry Princess Iirana—who was now 21. It was all planned out by Prince Adan to regain control of Al-Khuna. They were to arrange matrimony between Prince Veric and Princess Iirana. They were to meet during the Festival of Lights, an annual Al-Khunian traditional party held every Summer Solstice. Iirana was to seduce him, take him somewhere private, and kill him with a kiss with the nightshade painted on her lips.
The Sovian guards saw right through the plan, and all hell broke loose.
Iirana and Adan managed to flee the palace. Shouts and commands could be heard somewhere in the disarray of the battle as Sovian soldiers attempted to track and pursue them. Adan grabbed Iirana's hand and led her through the fray. They ran for what seemed like hours, and they had almost made it to the edge of the kingdom before the prince collapsed with a painful thud. "Adan?" Iirana's eyes widened at the sight of a Sovian arrow impaling right through his leg. He sucked in a sharp breath and yelled through his teeth, "Don't wait for me! Into the woods, Iirana, NOW!!"
She wanted to protest, she wanted to drag him with her, but she knew better, and she fought herself as she fled far into the forest. Far, far away from the raging battle, the screams, the clashing of weapons, and the collapse of buildings on fire. She did not look back to see what had become of her brother.
Al-Khuna was destroyed. The Sovians would make sure there was nothing left for Iirana to return to. The only direction she could go for another safe civilization was northwest across the entire continent.
And that she did.

~
The scene:
“Your Highness! My Lord!” Rowan, The captain of the Royal Guard of the northwestern castle barged into the throne room, interrupting the business his king was attending to. He never behaved in such a manner, and certainly never barged in without a formal announcement. His eyes seemed wide with confusion and urgency, and behind him, two guards were slowly escorting a female figure between them.
“Please forgive me for this sudden intrusion, my lord, but—” Rowan turned his head to watch as his armored men came closer, and the figure slowly becoming more visible to their ruler on the throne.
They had her held firm by arms, but she was not cuffed. She did not seem to struggle either, but rather allowed them to guide her where they wanted her. She was young. Human. Although like no human in this kingdom. She was dressed in a ragged gray peasant dress and black cloak. Her skin was a dark olive tone, as if kissed by the sun god himself. Her fingers and hands were adorned with swirling intricate curlicues of a faded red stain. Her feet were bare, painted with the same patterns. Her hair was thick and falling over her shoulders like tendrils of endless black night. Her dark downcast amber eyes seemed…tired. Empty. Dark circles plagued her gaunt face; it was clear that she hadn’t eaten in some time, it seemed like she hadn’t slept in…months. The tightness of her pupils resembled that of an old warrior, one who had seen death and was forever haunted by the horrors of the past.
This was not a normal girl. Not one that was from anywhere near here.
“My lord,” Rowan straightened as he spoke. “She says she is from Al-Khuna. Says she had been traveling for several months. Says she fled from a Sovian attack. They’d apparently done a massacre. Says she escaped.” He spoke rapidly, trying to recount everything that she had told the guards when she initially approached the castle. They didn’t believe her at first, but upon looking at her foreign appearance, they knew they needed to get her to the king right away for his judgment. After that encounter, however, she hadn’t said another word. The exhaustion was simply too much.
After Rowan spoke, the young woman slowly raised her head to meet the king’s eyes. As exhausted as she appeared, there was a certain look about her. There was a certain fire in her eyes that told him that she did indeed come from a powerful line. And she had seen things that only true hell could produce.
My HARD Rules:
I only roleplay on Discord.
I roleplay in 3rd person only.
Advance-lit only. I write with detail and flesh out 2 to 3, sometimes even 5-paragraph responses. I expect my partner to hold the same writing standard.
You must be 18+. This roleplay will contain adult themes like gore, violence, and possibly sexual themes.
I am in US Central Time.
Explore your creative freedom! You'll be playing the "leader" of the northwestern kingdom (you get to name the kingdom as well), whether that be king, prince, emperor, or whatever you'd like to call your character. Have your kingdom be any race you want! Humans, elves, orcs, vampires, etc., or make up your very own! They can of course have magic or any other special traits that you'd like. This is your domain to play with.
Thank you for reading this rather long prompt. If you are interested, please message or DM me through Reddit with your RESPONSE to the prompt, as if you are starting the roleplay with me. I want to see how your writing is and if you are what I’m looking for. If you are not interested, thank you anyway for your time, and happy roleplaying!

Background:
The continent of Gêde is a sprawling land of diverse biomes, vegetation, and different walks of life. Humans, animals, fairies, orcs, vampires. All sorts of creatures inhabit the land and over thousands of years, have formed civilizations, villages, and kingdoms.
There are three prominent kingdoms in Gêde. In the northwestern temperate regions lies the kingdom of [writer’s choice]. In the northeast mountain ranges of Gêde lies Sovia, a kingdom of ice and snow, which is ruled by powerful warlords and greedy kings.Sovia is inhabited by frost giants, yetis, and uldra. But the monarchy consists of a long lineage of Vampyres who have taken favor of the sprawling, mineral-rich land and everlasting arctic nights. Down towards the tropical Niraqian Sea stretches the smaller peninsula kingdom of Al-Khuna. This kingdom, fertile by the sun and sea, is dominated by humans and sun elves on land and Suvannamacchi—mermaid-like creatures—in the sea. Al-Khuna was particularly rich in spices, exotic vegetation, silks, and it was said to have had enough gold to make the sun god himself jealous of the kingdom’s radiance.
Well. that was 100 years ago.
For the last century, the royal Al-Khunian kings of the family Farashi had made some…rather critical financial decisions, mostly driven by greed, ignorance, and arrogance. It was always rumored by the other neighboring kingdoms that one day Al-Khuna would collapse under its own rule. The economy was rapidly beginning to collapse. The frivolous spending, greed, and ignorance of the late Raja, his father before him, and his father before him had plunged the land into its downfall. The entire kingdom had gone into a deep famine, and poverty was running rampant. Even as the old generations of the royal family died off and the new generations were coronated, no one could solve the famine. Drought plagued the land, and trading ports were not outputting enough goods to bring in profit. Al-Khuna was growing desperate.
The Raja should have approached the king in the northwest for help. Perhaps then, Al-Khuna might have been saved. But no. Stupidly, Al-Khuna had struck a deal with Sovia.
All Sovia needed to do was provide food and money and the Al-Khunians would sell their services in any way possible, but more conflicts were arising. The Sovians would demand services and goods that the Al-Khunians did not want to provide, but the Sovians were demanding more payment than what was originally agreed upon. Contracts were broken, and loopholes were taken advantage of. The Raja of Al-Khuna made impulsive mistakes that ultimately left too many vital parts of Al-Khuna as collateral.
A war broke out, but Sovia was too powerful. The Raja of Al-Khuna was too proud to surrender, and when he and his Rani were finally assassinated by the Sovians, every kingdom in Gêde watched as Al-Khuna fell under Sovian control.
The only ones of the Farashi line that were spared were the young Prince Adan and his baby sister Princess Iirana, who were ordered by the Sovians to be taken far away where they would not cause any trouble. It was against Sovian morals, of course, to spare children when decimating an entire country.
Prince Adan remembered the massacre, however, and as his birthright to the throne, he planned well into his adulthood how to regain control of Al-Khuna.
~
The Prompt:
"Go! GO! Into the woods!" The booming voice of the prince was nearly drowned out by the sounds of screams, cannons, metal clashing against metal, and destruction. Another battle was raging mercilessly, this time right in the heart of Al-Khuna... It started as a failed assassination attempt on the Sovian prince, who was to marry Princess Iirana—who was now 21. It was all planned out by Prince Adan to regain control of Al-Khuna. They were to arrange matrimony between Prince Veric and Princess Iirana. They were to meet during the Festival of Lights, an annual Al-Khunian traditional party held every Summer Solstice. Iirana was to seduce him, take him somewhere private, and kill him with a kiss with the nightshade painted on her lips.
The Sovian guards saw right through the plan, and all hell broke loose.
Iirana and Adan managed to flee the palace. Shouts and commands could be heard somewhere in the disarray of the battle as Sovian soldiers attempted to track and pursue them. Adan grabbed Iirana's hand and led her through the fray. They ran for what seemed like hours, and they had almost made it to the edge of the kingdom before the prince collapsed with a painful thud. "Adan?" Iirana's eyes widened at the sight of a Sovian arrow impaling right through his leg. He sucked in a sharp breath and yelled through his teeth, "Don't wait for me! Into the woods, Iirana, NOW!!"
She wanted to protest, she wanted to drag him with her, but she knew better, and she fought herself as she fled far into the forest. Far, far away from the raging battle, the screams, the clashing of weapons, and the collapse of buildings on fire. She did not look back to see what had become of her brother.
Al-Khuna was destroyed. The Sovians would make sure there was nothing left for Iirana to return to. The only direction she could go for another safe civilization was northwest across the entire continent.
And that she did.

~
The scene:
“Your Highness! My Lord!” Rowan, The captain of the Royal Guard of the northwestern castle barged into the throne room, interrupting the business his king was attending to. He never behaved in such a manner, and certainly never barged in without a formal announcement. His eyes seemed wide with confusion and urgency, and behind him, two guards were slowly escorting a female figure between them.
“Please forgive me for this sudden intrusion, my lord, but—” Rowan turned his head to watch as his armored men came closer, and the figure slowly becoming more visible to their ruler on the throne.
They had her held firm by arms, but she was not cuffed. She did not seem to struggle either, but rather allowed them to guide her where they wanted her. She was young. Human. Although like no human in this kingdom. She was dressed in a ragged gray peasant dress and black cloak. Her skin was a dark olive tone, as if kissed by the sun god himself. Her fingers and hands were adorned with swirling intricate curlicues of a faded red stain. Her feet were bare, painted with the same patterns. Her hair was thick and falling over her shoulders like tendrils of endless black night. Her dark downcast amber eyes seemed…tired. Empty. Dark circles plagued her gaunt face; it was clear that she hadn’t eaten in some time, it seemed like she hadn’t slept in…months. The tightness of her pupils resembled that of an old warrior, one who had seen death and was forever haunted by the horrors of the past.
This was not a normal girl. Not one that was from anywhere near here.
“My lord,” Rowan straightened as he spoke. “She says she is from Al-Khuna. Says she had been traveling for several months. Says she fled from a Sovian attack. They’d apparently done a massacre. Says she escaped.” He spoke rapidly, trying to recount everything that she had told the guards when she initially approached the castle. They didn’t believe her at first, but upon looking at her foreign appearance, they knew they needed to get her to the king right away for his judgment. After that encounter, however, she hadn’t said another word. The exhaustion was simply too much.
After Rowan spoke, the young woman slowly raised her head to meet the king’s eyes. As exhausted as she appeared, there was a certain look about her. There was a certain fire in her eyes that told him that she did indeed come from a powerful line. And she had seen things that only true hell could produce.
My HARD Rules:
I only roleplay on Discord.
I roleplay in 3rd person only.
Advance-lit only. I write with detail and flesh out 2 to 3, sometimes even 5-paragraph responses. I expect my partner to hold the same writing standard.
You must be 18+. This roleplay will contain adult themes like gore, violence, and possibly sexual themes.
I am in US Central Time.
Explore your creative freedom! You'll be playing the "leader" of the northwestern kingdom (you get to name the kingdom as well), whether that be king, prince, emperor, or whatever you'd like to call your character. Have your kingdom be any race you want! Humans, elves, orcs, vampires, etc., or make up your very own! They can of course have magic or any other special traits that you'd like. This is your domain to play with.
Thank you for reading this rather long prompt. If you are interested, please message or DM me through Reddit with your RESPONSE to the prompt, as if you are starting the roleplay with me. I want to see how your writing is and if you are what I’m looking for. If you are not interested, thank you anyway for your time, and happy roleplaying!

All, thanks in advance for your feedback.
I’m a 40 year old male that works in life sciences in the Bay Area.
The de minimis social network I had has faded as many simply didn’t grow for >decade or kids/geography became relationship hurdles.
I work a lot and my wife and I have a lovely, healthy, thriving marriage. We do not have offspring.
Is it too late to find new, meaningful friendships?
Is the only way to do so via hobbies?
I have many ‘professional’ friends and I’m very grateful for all of them.
But a true friend, connected to my industry or not, is a different matter and I’ve not had much luck—albeit with limited investment.
I also have seen most folks at this age having offspring so there’s immediate misalignment in lifestyles which significantly narrows the pool.
Appreciate any (unvarnished) thoughts.
Thanks again!

Hello, this is a new account I made for this, as it's something that I've kind of been left simmering with, with no real network of support. For some context, I have autism, and anxiety, amongst a couple of other things that can affect the way I interact with people negatively, and I am receiving the appropriate professional help for that, but this is still something to factor in with how I'm feeling, so it would be irresponsible(?) not to mention it, if I'm intent on providing the full picture here.
I (18, NB) go to University, and I have a relatively large circle of friends that I have accumulated here throughout my first year, which on the surface level seems great. It seems that now we're in the final term of the year though, with stressful exams looming over our heads, people's true colours have started to emerge. I find myself in a difficult position where the behaviours of my friends have, at times, caused me to feel resentful toward them. I simultaneously feel really bad for feeling this way, and think myself a bit of an AH for being this way.
Recently, I noticed more and more that being friends with these people, for me, felt like an uphill battle that I was losing. It wasn't everyone in the group, but I would start getting invited to things directly less and less, people would go places without me, and I just felt really left out. I did try to kindly bring this up to a couple of them, and received promising-sounding apologies, but I didn't receive the changed behaviour one would hope for with a genuine apology. I would use forms of communication I learned in therapy, "non-violent" communication: you state what you see, without assigning blame, explain how it makes you feel, break that down into a need that hasn't been met, and suggest an alternative action that can be made to make sure that need is met in the future. With my friends, I feel like they've been hearing me, but haven't listened. This really hurts, as they know I have little to no support at home, so they're the only platonic support network I have, and half the time they won't even pick the phone up to talk to me.
Recently, though, it's gotten petty, and has involved someone else- and this had left a really bad taste in my mouth.
I know it isn't my battle to fight in terms of the way people are speaking about my friend, but it has bothered me, because I can't deal with childish gossip like this, especially when the person being spoken of hasn't really done anything that wrong. My friend, 'A', started seeing someone a couple of months ago, and ever since that relationship began, I noticed that my friends increasingly began to complain that they weren't there, and that they would instead spend time with their partner. If it wasn't that, it would be complaining about how much 'A' texted their partner, and not any of them. Sure, it makes 'A' seem ignorant, but they aren't being entirely fair with their criticism there. First of all, isn't it normal to want to text a romantic partner more than friends? Everyone communicates in a different way, but I would hope the person you're being the most emotionally intimate with would be spoken to more than a group of friends, surely. It just seems like common sense to me. Even so, its not like 'A' is ignorant. We're all adults doing 'grown-up' degrees. 'A' turns their phone off during work, so that they can get on with it, also perfectly reasonable behaviour. Even with this, they will still usually get back to a person within the hour the message was sent, so they're a very dependable friend, as well.
The main issue that our group of friends have had was with 'A' being a bit tone-deaf to the feelings of others, and even this wasn't that bad. One friend was complaining about a grade they got, and all 'A' said was, 'if you went to lectures and studied more, you would have been fine'. I get where they were coming from being upset by this, but they also made clear it hadn't really gone any further than this, and it's ironic to me that they complain that this friend can't understand how they hurt others, when they have been doing the exact same, if not worse right back.
This all sort of blew up in my face in terms of how I was feeling about it when 'A' invited me on a night out, and introduced me to some of their own friends outside of our shared group. They knew I had been having a rough time, and wanted to have a good night with me, making sure I was keeping my head above water and all. On the walk back though, I started thinking about some of the things that the others had been saying about 'A', and I felt bad, it felt wrong to just sit on all of that resentment(?) towards my friend, when they had only done one thing particularly wrong. I told them what the others had been saying about them, and 'A' wasn't surprised or anything, it just opened up a dialogue with them about the state of their friendships with everyone.
The jist of what they said about the others went something like this "To be honest, I'm getting bored of them, they're good people, but they never leave their rooms, never communicate, they kind of just stay holed up and watch series together, which isn't my thing. As well as that, I had an idea that they all disliked me in some way, and it doesn't really bother me to find out the truth about them either. Something that does, though, and I noticed this with you as well, is that our friends will almost take advantage of us. They'll come round for the promise of free drinks, free spaces to host parties and stuff like that, when they know we're the poorest two out of the nine of us. I mean (friend's name) still owes me money from laundry, and the same friend took two weeks to pay you back for a favour, when you needed it. I also don't like how some of the girls go on and on about being middle class, it feels a bit like a slap to the face, I'm sure you can also relate on that one."
'A' was right, it had been something that I didn't realise was bothering me, I always lamented the fact that I couldn't have the same interests as them, such as ice-skating, or dancing lessons, or theatre, because of the fact that I didn't have the same opportunities, financially, to have access to those kinds of things growing up. That's not their fault at all, but the fact that the same friends won't indulge in stuff that I do find fun, something simple, like a video games night, or a craft night, is a bit more conceited on their part, I think. Sometimes, it almost feels as if they're better than me? They have been encouraging for me to take part in the same stuff they like now that "I have the means to" (I don't), but it still feels a little patronising, like they were encouraging a toddler or a young child to play nicely.
Their behaviour toward both me and 'A' was troubling, to say the least, they would minimise problems, with the whole 'sorry to hear that, it'll get better', but make a big deal out of others' problems, it was that night that I found out 'A''s father was still sick, and I felt awful for not really asking before. They would sometimes make fun of our accents, which is more of a classist thing, we're mostly from the same country. Hell, they even made fun of 'A' for their last relationship going badly, calling them a bad partner for being uncommunicative, it cannot be any wonder that 'A' would throw themselves into this new one.
I called them out the next day when they began to talk negatively about 'A' while they weren't there, and just said that their assumptions about our friend weren't fair, and it wasn't fair to talk about them while they weren't here. I got told to calm down, and that the whole time they had been joking. It didn't seem much like a joke?
I do like these people, a lot, but I'm at a bit of a crossroads here, there are things about them that do make me a bit upset, but these same people have literally, on occasion, held my hand in the hospital before. I do appreciate these people, but I wish that they were more receptive to the things I, and other's say. It's been a shame to see 'A' pull away like this, and I'm not sure what I can realistically do to help the situation at this point, since gossip will only breed more. I'm just a bit exhausted with some of these people.

You ever notice how alt girls always go for the goofy dudes with the fluffy hair? I’m looking for my fluffy haired goof.
6 foot tall alt lady here! 🖤 Current haircut is a mullet(?) that I usually style into pigtails. I have a septum ring and a retired labret. Unfortunately only one tattoo, they’re pricey. I’m also kinda fat, if that’s of importance to you.
I love horror, true crime, cozy things, crochet, nature, and sleep. I’m kind of a ditz, my best friend is always saying “bless your heart.” I talk a lot and am a horrendous multi texter. I also enjoy just sitting on the phone with someone as we go about our silly little tasks. Big fan of sending selfies and getting hyped up on said selfies.
I’m looking for a dude with golden retriever energy. I wanna feel like someone is excited to see me and talk to me and genuinely enjoy my company! I’d like for something long term to result of this.
My age range is 23-36 and I unfortunately have to set the lower height limit to 5’9. No hate to short kings, it’s just weird for me physically past that. Also please be childfree.
I’d like to swap pics early on to see if there’s mutual attraction, and snap is my only other platform.
Thanks for reading, have a lovely night. 🖤

Long Story for an example of a fight:
I had a haircut the day prior and my girlfriend noticed the product that was used for my haircut was good. It kept my hair in a certain shape that looks good. The day before, she said I should ask what product the hairstylist used, when I get the chance. Today, I showered and noticed my hair was still shaping correctly after it was dry and I talked to her about the product. I wanted to say that I won't be calling the stylist because I think my hair is shaping fine. I don't remember how I specially worded it, but that made her want to help find ways to shape my hair right, and started talking about how she has a hair spray that doesn't feel sticky and hard like a Gel. I rejected her and said I don't want hair spray. she felt offended because I said no without fully listening to her. she asked me why I don't want hair spray, and it was the same reason that she gave to me why she normally doesn't like hairspray, and that the hair spray she is recommending is not like other hairspray. she felt hurt and rejected. I felt like it's the morning and we are fighting again. I smirked when she started to have more stern tone, and that was inconsiderate of me. I didn't want to be bogged down by this again and keep constantly fighting, because I thought I only said one sentence that caused the fight, which was that I don't want hair spray. it became worse and we argued. she told me why what I did was disgusting. I asked her question and shot her down when she was just trying to help. she just kept saying to check myself. I realized I just said that about the product to her because I didn't want product in my hair. so I wasn't being straight with my intention when speaking. I said sorry and apologized about how I was speaking and how I know I need to work on it. we reconciled and went to work out, not fully reconciled.
On the way to the gym, she mentioned that I should seriously check myself, and that my sorry in the future might not cut it anymore. that made me be negative and shut down again. I contemplated about breaking up and why we should even be together still because we fight every week. I have been emotionally drained. We had fights a few days ago as well. While in the negative mood, I worked out, and after I was done, I sat next to her to stretch while she was working out. I closed my eyes and stretched and after a while, I see her waiting, standing right in front of me. She said something on the line of if I was done with working out. I just nodded my head without talking. After that she just started walking out without waiting for me. I noticed she was upset still. On the car, it was silent for a while until I asked what she was going to eat. She said she doesn't know. I said something on the lines of that she should eat something. She was planning to eat buffet in the evening with her friends. I thought she should still eat something until then because we still had 4 hours. She said "if I eat I'll be full." I said she should still eat something. She repeated the same thing that if she eats she will be full. But I said to her that there's other process going on in the body after she eats and that she will digest. She thought that I was condescending because I was telling her something she already knows and I repeated 4 times. I did that because she gave me the same answer. She started cursing and yelling at me. I am not feeling good about this relationship. I know I hurt her and she has reasons to yell and curse at me, but I can't continue if the environment is like this.
Is it worth it to continue this relationship? We have been constantly fighting every week for a year and a half after we moved in together. We have been in the relationship for more than 5 years. We have "broken up" 5 times, but I only physically left the place for a week once. She loves me, and I love her, but she believes I love her even less. She is willing to work it through, and won't quit until I do. If we ever break up, it will have to be me who decides. In the relationship, I know I have to grow and become better. During the relationship, I know I focused mainly on work to grow my career, and she has been feeling neglected. I have also been neglecting my own physical health for my work, and she feels that I am not prioritizing her. Which if I think about it, is true. She has been great and independent. She is financially stable, and makes more than me. I feel like she is way better than me. And I know I have to work on myself dramatically. Not just for the relationship, but also as an adult. She lived independently for years before meeting me, and she is very self sustainable. I haven't been, and I only do things the bare minimum to survive, as she puts it. For every fight, she had guided me to resolve it. When we fight, we talk for hours. It always starts with me hurting her from what I say, and I get triggered by her tone and it feels condescending. When I get triggered, I shut down, staying quiet and sometimes I talk back to justify my actions. In the end, I try my best to put down my ego. We end up reconciling with me saying sorry and apologizing. I do feel bad for causing her pain. These days it's starting to be worse in my opinion. I keep making similar mistakes as before, and she becomes livid and start cursing and yelling. I feel disrespected and frustrated. I talk back and always end up saying sorry and reconciling. I just want to know if there is light at the end of the tunnel. I want to change, but I feel it's hard to in this environment that I am seeing as toxic for the both of us. How do I change myself faster?
I need to work on communication skills. Speaking with my true intentions rather than phrasing that would cause miscommunication.
I need to be more considerate, and watch what I say to not offend, even if we are comfortable with each other.
I need to be more considerate in doing things for my girlfriend. She has been doing way more for me than I have for her.
I need to be stepping up more for the household, and I know this is not fair for her.
I want to do all these, but it makes me feel depressed every time we fight, and wares me down. If I'm not in love fully with her, I want to make it grow, and I want to reach her with the same intensity that she does. Love isn't enough, and I know I have to work harder to be better.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/0otsprE
Feel free to PM me with inquiries about certain items or extra photos. Some items have been crossposted. All prices include shipping.
Elbit XLSH WP PVS-14 — Autogated tube w/ manual gain in a milspec housing with milspec glass. Elbit Gen 3 thin-filmed WP tube (SNR: 25.9, RES: 68, EBI: 0.33, halo: 0.97). Small spot in zone 1 and some peppering. Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/VGjAX3t
Less than 6 hours of use. Includes everything needed to get started on a helmet:

• clone Wilcox g24
• clone Wilcox dovetail j-arm
• 2x adjustable irises (one butler creek, one thread-on w/ cap)
• MS-2000 IR strobe
• carrying bag, manual, skullcrusher, USGI j-arm

ITAR applies, CONUS sales only. $2400 shipped & insured
Crye G3 combat shirts — Size M-R in multicam. Very little use, they've been in a box for most of the time. $110 per set
Crye G3 kneepads — Tan. Found these in a box. I stitched the edges and replaced the adhesive velcro for the knee pocket. Not as pretty as a new set, price reflects this. I can knock a few bucks off if purchased with other items. $15 per set
UF Pro Striker HT combat pants — I believe these are size 33/32. Multicam. A bit rare to come by here in the States but they're very feature-rich. The seat has had a repair through the stretch material and should hold up over normal use. $160
BFG CHLK belt — Size 32 in multicam. I think this is one of the older versions. Very well-built but I ended up finding something that fit my needs better. Does not include the inner belt. $120
Tyr Tactical Gunfighter Belt Rigger Style V2 — Size medium in multicam. I believe this model is now discontinued. Lightly used. It's a comfy load-rated belt that swaps out the usual cobra buckle for one like you see on rigger's/uniform belts. $80
Mantis BlackbeardX — Green laser model. Really fun tool, just couldn't find space for it. Light use. $240
L3Harris SCAR hardened battery cap for ATPIAL devices — Tan. Compatible with PEQ15/LA5. Thought I needed one for a scar but was informed that it wasn't necessary. Basically new. $80
4D Tactical ear seals — These are the versions with 3M VHB tape for the Ops-Core AMP. Good in warm environments, I just had too many sets. $25
Nexus U94 PTT — 6-pin. Has some paint on the clip. $40
TEA U94 PTT — 6-pin. Missing clip, housing cracked but has been repaired. $45
Atlantic signal invictus PTT — 6-pin. Very light use. $50
Magazine lot — 3x EPM magazines, 1x PMAG M3, 1x PMAG AK. Just collecting dust, selling as a lot. Free states only, sorry. $40 sold to skeeter6x9
Eagle Industries double M4 mag pouch — Multicam. Heavy fading from use but hey, it still does mag pouch things. $15
MICH/ACH accessories — Left-eye-dominant chinstrap with a multicam/ocp helmet cover in I think size L. Missing IR squares but everything else is fine. Just need this gone. $10

I'm tired of being lonely, I live in a rural area where I happen to be on the opposite side politically and religiously from those around me. I'm interested in finding somebody that's searching for a true connection.
About: 6'3" Bald Black Beard Hazel eyes Athletic build One tattoo (there will be more) Musician
I will trade pictures with you but please keep it clean until we have something lol

New Chapter on every MWF (Monday, Wednesday,Friday)
[First] [[Next>]
[Discord] [Buy me a coffee]
Chapter 22: A New Resolve
Raindrops cascaded down Gribble's muscular form as he emerged from the cave, his newly transformed body glistening in the soft light of dawn filtering through the lush forest canopy. The thunderstorm had given way to a peaceful landscape, but tension hung in the air. Gribble inhaled deeply, the scent of damp earth and foliage filling his nostrils. Leaves rustled gently and birds chirped in the distance, the sounds reaching his keen ears.
The power of the Thundercat's heart pulsed through his veins, a constant reminder of the incredible transformation he had undergone and the challenges awaiting him. Gribble took a moment to survey his surroundings with his enhanced senses fully awakened. Despite the tranquil scene, he knew danger lurked nearby. With a deep breath, he steeled himself for the journey ahead, his newfound strength and agility filling him with confidence and purpose.
Gribble's ears twitched as they picked up distant sounds of Grimrock forces and Royal Trolls moving through the forest, snapping twigs and rustling undergrowth as they searched for him. His heightened sense of smell detected their distinct scents carried on the breeze - the sweat and metal of their weapons.
Gribble's mind raced, considering his options. He had to act fast to evade capture. His jaw set with determination as he formulated a plan, knowing he had to reach Troll Valley and check on Tormak, the shaman who helped him when he was injured. He owed Tormak a debt of gratitude. Urgency filled Gribble at the thought of ensuring his friend's safety.
Scanning the forest with his enhanced vision, Gribble picked out faint traces of a path leading back to the valley. He realized returning while his pursuers were distracted searching for him was his best chance to get there undetected. The goblin's eyes narrowed as he assessed the risks and opportunities. With renewed resolve, he took a deep breath and began moving forward, his powerful strides carrying him swiftly and silently into the dense foliage.
Gribble navigated the challenging undergrowth with a newfound grace and agility, his enhanced strength allowing him to push through tangled vines and branches with ease. His heightened senses kept him constantly alert for any signs of danger. Eyes darting from shadow to shadow, ears twitching at every snap and rustle, nostrils flaring as he continuously scanned for his pursuers' scent, Gribble marveled at the power coursing through his transformed body.
Each purposeful step forward was imbued with fierce determination, driven by the need to reach Troll Valley and protect those he held dear. The incredible changes the Thundercat's heart had wrought filled Gribble with a sense of purpose, even as his mind grappled with the implications of the terrible destruction he might now be capable of. Deeper and deeper into the forest he pressed, unwavering resolve propelling him onward into the unknown.
Suddenly, Gribble's sensitive hearing picked up rhythmic thudding of approaching footsteps, heavy boots impacting soft earth. At the same time, the distinct musky odor of Royal Trolls and goblins reached his nostrils on the gentle breeze. Gribble's heart raced, adrenaline surging through him at the realization his enemies were closing in.
His enhanced senses quickly constructed a vivid mental map, assessing the distance and direction of the approaching threats. He had to act fast to avoid detection, newfound abilities put to the test as he navigated the treacherous landscape. Muscles tensed, body coiled with anticipation, Gribble prepared to alter course, ready to utilize his enhanced speed and agility.
With precise, calculated movements, Gribble detoured slowly and carefully, his enhanced senses guiding him through the dense foliage. His heart pounded, a mix of excitement and trepidation, as he tested the limits of his transformed body. Each step was a test, a challenge, a stepping stone on the path to mastering his transformed self. And with each stride, his confidence grew, his determination solidified into an unbreakable core. His heart pounding from both excitement and fear, with senses alight and muscles thrumming with barely contained power.
Moving with fluid grace that belied the incredible strength coiled in his muscles, Gribble's mind raced with both thrilling possibilities and terrible implications of his newfound powers. But he remained laser focused on his goal, confidence growing with each silent stride. The need to reach his friends in Troll Valley drove him ever forward.
Keen eyes scanning ahead for hidden dangers or ambush points, Gribble's enhanced vision picked out even the faintest traces of disturbance in the undergrowth - bent leaves, scuffed moss, snapped twigs - subtle signs of passage invisible to normal sight. His mind worked overtime, constantly assessing risks and calculating the safest route, senses feeding him torrents of information to process.
Preternatural awareness of his surroundings kept him vigilant as he navigated the forest. Eyes darted between shadows, ears attuned to the faintest unnatural sound, nostrils twitching at any break in the earthy forest scents. Not for an instant could he let his guard down, lest he pay the ultimate price.
Boulders, streams, and tangles of roots proved no obstacle to Gribble as he traversed the forest, enhanced strength and agility allowing him to clamber and leap with almost effortless grace. Powerful muscles rippled beneath green skin as he vaulted fallen logs and boulders. Reaching a small stream, his body coiled and sprung, propelling him across the burbling water without so much as a splash.
Gribble's passage left no trace, every movement silent and efficient, aided by his heightened senses scanning ceaselessly for any sign of pursuit. Singular purpose consumed him, all energy focused on remaining undetected. Body and mind worked in perfect harmony, decades of hard-won survival skills meshing seamlessly with his newfound abilities.
Forefront in Gribble's thoughts as he journeyed was Tormak, the troll shaman who had come to his aid. Concern gnawed at him, worry for his friend's welfare in the time since their last encounter. His imagination raced, conjuring myriad possibilities of what might have befallen the kindly troll. Even his enhanced senses could provide no answers across the distance separating them.
Clinging to hope that Tormak still lived, Gribble's jaw clenched with determination, pace quickening. He had to reach him, had to repay the generosity Tormak had shown him, the debt he owed his friend. Memories of the shaman's gentle wisdom, the compassion in his golden eyes, spurred Gribble onward like a lodestone. He would not fail him.
And through it all, Gribble's heightened senses never ceased their constant scan for danger. Ears swivelled at the skitter of a lizard over bark, at the distant shriek of a hawk. Nostrils flared, sifting the sea of mingled scents for any wisp of goblin or troll. Even as his thoughts wandered, his body remained taut and ready, a coiled spring awaiting the first hint of a threat.
Physical reactions came without conscious thought now - muscles tensing at unexpected sounds, body shifting subtly into a fighting crouch at the faintest whiff of predator musk. The instincts of a being fashioned for battle, kill or be killed. There could be no rest, no respite from the vigilance. Gribble's very survival depended on it.
As he loped onward, Gribble pondered the enormity of the change that had been wrought upon him, the world-altering power that now suffused every sinew and bone. His reminiscing took him back to that pivotal moment in the cave, the instant the Thundercat's heart had passed his lips. The rush of raw energy that had surged through him like a bolt of lightning, the agony and ecstasy of his metamorphosis.
In the span of a few heartbeats, the very foundations of his being had been rewritten. Senses sharpened to an almost unbearable keenness, nerve afire with new life, veins swelling with physical might beyond mortal ken. The feeling of invincibility, of boundless vigour, was intoxicating. Addictive.
And yet, with this great power came an equally great burden. Already Gribble could feel the weight of it settling upon his shoulders, the knowledge that he now held in his palms the capacity for acts of greatness... and of untold devastation. The thought sent a shiver through him despite the warmth of his exertion.
Every movement, every flex of newfound strength, held a reminder of the responsibility that now rested on him. Of the precarious balance he must strike, the control he must master, lest his power consume him and all those around him. Harnessing this raw, primal force, channelling it for good - that would be his true test. One he could not afford to fail.
Dawn's light gradually infused the forest as Gribble ran on, tirelessly, honey-gold rays slanting through the canopy to dapple the loam with pools of warmth. With the rising sun came a rekindling of hope, a sense of promise. Of new beginnings. The night's dangers were fading with the shadows, and pride kindled in Gribble's chest at the thought of the distance he'd covered, the progress he'd made.
There was still far to go, many challenges yet to surmount, but for now, in this moment, Gribble allowed himself a small surge of accomplishment. Of gratitude for the abilities that had let him come so far unscathed. For the first time, the true scope of the gift he'd been granted began to settle in his mind. The myriad potentials, the uncharted paths stretching out before him.
His resolve crystallized like hardening steel, a sense of purpose, of destiny, straightening his spine and quickening his gait. Whatever trials lay ahead, whatever threats loomed over Tormak, over Troll Valley, he would meet them unflinchingly. Would fight with every ounce of strength in his transformed body, with every pulse of the Thundercat's power in his veins.
He had been granted these abilities for a reason, offered up this chance to be more, to rise above his humble origins. To become a champion, a protector, a beacon of hope in a world torn by strife. And by the spirits, he would prove himself worthy of it. Would give his all, his very life if need be, to honour the legacy that had been bestowed upon him.
Slowing his stride, Gribble cast his gaze about the sun-drenched woods, taking in the beauty, the vibrance, the life that surrounded him on all sides. This, this was what he fought for. What he would gladly lay down his life to defend. The right of every creature to live and grow and thrive, free from the shadow of fear and oppression.
A faint smile curved his lips as new strength surged through him, a sense of rightness, of affirmation. He was on the proper path, guided by the spirits, blessed by fate. Come what may, he would walk it with his head held high, his heart true, and the power of the Thundercat roaring in his blood.
Drawing a deep breath of crisp morning air, Gribble centred himself, reaching for that newfound well of calm at his core, the eye in the storm of his transformed being. Then, with a flex of mighty thews, he launched himself into the next leg of his journey, little more than a verdant blur flashing between the ancient trees. Onward, to Troll Valley. To Tormak, who might be in need of his aid. To a destiny still unfolding with each bounding stride.

These institutional racism eruptions have been occurring sporadically for a while now, it's not really that new or shocking. We've seen it before.
It certainly isn't helping matters that enough numbers of less-than-capable fellow citizens insist on electing unquestionably incompetent representatives, often simply based solely on the abbreviated letters (D) or (R) which precedes their names. Contrary to what the mainstream media coverage would have Americans believe, life goes on for average citizens far removed from the pervasive racial disparities projected by news organizations and mainstream journalists.
Certainly, racism will forever remain an issue; however, it is by no means any longer representative of common white Americans – in fact, most common white citizens would outright reject blatant racism, not to project their righteous image; but, out of true disdain for the reminder of a fading, yet shameful history. It would be fair to say that racism, at this point, has been relegated to the outcasts of white America.
White Americans consider abject racism every bit as repulsive as black Americans do. Racism is not an issue of such paramount importance in this country as portrayed by the agenda-driven media.
The media has only made matters worse as they have been either thoughtlessly, negligently, or intentionally remiss in their coverage of perceived racial tensions, crimes of allegedly racial motivations, or the police shootings allegedly motivated by race.
Perhaps many of the uninformed general public would do well by learning from history. I’m sure many would be surprised to learn that early white Americans weren’t innately responsible for inheriting slavery. Many fail to realize slavery was, at the time, a subject of monumental importance and debate.
People fail to understand the considerable strife that existed between abolitionists and slaveholders at the time of the 1st Continental Congress. Abolitionists knew that the institution of slavery did not align with the basic principles of our founding declaration and sought to right the injustice brought to our shores by French, British, and Spanish colonialists.
Most Americans fail to realize slavery has existed since the dawn of mankind and each of us have ancestors, who were, at one point or another, slaves to another race, empire, or another. It wasn’t until the moral evolution sparked by this revolutionary nation that mankind began to understand the injustice where those who came before them had failed.
Mankind cannot wholly understand historical context, but one can imagine being born into a world where slavery had always existed bringing such a remarkably enduring and accepted act of cruelty to an end would require a concerted and united effort in order to unravel it.
It was the birth of this country which gave the spark to that idea. The entire world watched on with immense interest to know the results; results which would ultimately effect change throughout the entire world.
Before the United States drafted the constitution, most anyone who lacked a noble bloodline had no hope for living the life they truly desired; let alone having the power to unite into a political force capable of influencing the governing bodies.
The common man was relegated to whichever social class to which they were born, never able to choose his or her destiny. America changed that. This is a country where every baby born has the tools to live his or her dream. This country provided the right to pursue individual happiness and the potential to earn it based on merit rather than birthright.
The world has always been a very unpleasant place, unpleasantries divided among all of our ancestors at one time or another, at the hands of one race or empire or another.
It seems our collective retrospect is always used to disparage or drudge up negative emotions and sentiments among our people. It’s used to divide us. When we are divided, someone is gaining – that is a guarantee.
Many of the race baiters and professional activists continue to justify their spite on the distant past and the transgressions of American ancestry. It’s time to move past it and acknowledge that it ended solely on account of this nation’s founding principles.
Again, the institution of slavery was never limited to the African race and perpetrated by white Americans; though, the general public seems to have only familiarized themselves with that particular aspect. Perhaps the most important aspect of that fact is that it was within these shores where the abhorrent tradition was finally put to a decisive end through bloody sacrifice like the world had never seen.
They say every man on earth has kings and slaves in his ancestry. However, reflecting on distant past with no causal impact on our current lives to simply finger blame is redundant and asinine; it has no place or relevancy in modern society.
Since its apparent people do desire to drudge up the past and the transgressions of our ancestors, why is it those with the platform to reach out and effect positive change in racial attitudes fail to drudge up the past that demonstrates the important lesson that, while early white Americans were guilty of perpetuating the original sin of slavery brought here; it was also the offspring of those early white Americans who sacrificed and shed blood of an entire generation in order to right that wrong
White Americans were a huge part of the civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s, though are seldom mentioned.
Why don’t we celebrate John Brown and his Christ-like sacrifice made to the betterment and freedom of the black race?
Frederick Douglass regarded John Brown as the most inspirational, devoted, and faithful man in America in the fight against slavery. Douglass spoke of John Brown and his bravery until the day he died; it seems the memory of John Brown and any whites who made abolition possible died with Frederick Douglass.
During one of his many presentations to American audiences, Douglass had this to say of John Brown:
“His zeal in the cause of my race was far greater than mine – it was as the burning sun to my taper light – mine was bounded by time, his stretched away to the boundless shores of eternity. I could live for the slave, but he could die for him. The crown of martyrdom is high, far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals, and yet happily no special greatness or superior moral excellence is necessary to discern and, in some measure, appreciate a truly great soul.”
Perhaps those who seek to divide we Americans by means of race might be derailed if we could raise awareness to the positive messages which lie hidden or suppressed in our society’s history; a positive message regarding the remarkable and unprecedented and global moral evolution inspired by this nation’s founding.
It’s time those living with “White guilt” and members of Black Lives Matter consider paying at least a modicum of respect to the millions of black AND white
The sacrifice of John Brown, which is ultimately believed to have sparked the Civil War, was a long and expected time coming. It was abolition for which countles numbers of our American ancestry - of all races and backgrounds - tirelessly worked, fought and died. It's the seemingly little known facts such as these that might serve to give our people back some semblance of American pride.

Welcome to the Weekly Employment Question Thread!
This thread is where you can ask questions about joining, training to become, testing, disqualifications/qualifications, and other questions that would be removed as individual posts per Rule 1.
The answer to almost every question you can ask will be "It depends on the department". Your first step is to look up the requirements for your department, state/province, and country.
As always, please attempt to resource information on your own first, before asking questions. We see many repeat questions on this sub that have been answered multiple times.
Frequently Asked Questions:

• I want to be a Firefighter, where do I start: Every Country/State/Province/County/City/Department has different requirements. Some require you only to put in an application. Others require certifications prior to being hired. A good place to start is researching the department(s) you want to join. Visit their website, check their requirements, and/or stop into one of their fire stations to ask some questions.
• Am I too old: Many departments, typically career municipal ones, have an age limit. Volunteer departments usually don't. Check each department's requirements.
• I'm in high school, What can I do: Does your local department have an explorer's program or post? If so, join up. Otherwise, focus on your grades, get in shape and stay in shape, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.
• I got in trouble for [insert infraction here], what are my chances: Obviously, worse than someone with a clean record, which will be the vast majority of your competition. Tickets and nonviolent misdemeanors may not be a factor, but a major crime (felonies), may take you out of the running. You might be a nice person, but some departments don't make exceptions, especially if there's a long line of applicants with clean records. See this post... PSA: Stop asking “what are my chances?”
• I have [insert medical/mental health condition here], will it disqualify me: As a general rule, if you are struggling with mental illness, adding the stress of a fire career is not a good idea. As for medical conditions, you can look up NFPA1582 for disqualifying conditions, but in general, this is not something Reddit can answer for you. Many conditions require the input of a medical professional to determine if they are disqualifying. See this post... PSA: Don't disqualify yourself, make THEM tell you "no".
• What will increase my chances of getting hired: If there's a civil service exam, study for it! There are many guides online that will help you go over all those things you forgot such as basic math and reading. Some cities even give you a study guide. If it's a firefighter exam, study for it! For the CPAT (Physical Fitness Test), cardio is arguably the most important factor. If you're going to the gym for the first time during the hiring process, you're fighting an uphill battle. Get in shape and stay in shape. Most cities offer preference points to military veterans.
• How do I prepare for an interview: Interviews can be one-on-one, or in front of a board/panel. Many generic guides exist to help one prepare for an interview, however here are a few good tips:

1. Dress appropriately. Business casual at a minimum (Button down, tucked in long sleeve shirt with slacks and a belt, and dress shoes). Get a decent haircut and shave.
2. Practice interview questions with a friend. You can't accurately predict the off-the-wall questions they will ask, but you can practice the ones you know they probably will, like why do you want to be a Firefighter, or why should we hire you?
3. Scrub your social media. Gone are the days when people in charge weren't tech-savvy. Don't have a perfect interview only for your chances of being hired gone to zero because your Facebook or Instagram has pictures of you getting blitzed. Set that stuff to private and leave it that way.

Please upvote this post if you have a question. Upvoting this post will ensure it sticks around for a bit after it is removed as a Sticky, and will allow for greater visibility of your question.
And lastly, If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone who does

Author's Note:
7700 words, broke Reddit's character limit, so you know the drill. Will be split into two parts, both posted today. Enjoy!
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"Stop! STOP!"
The terror in Kismet's voice rose higher as death drew nearer. He fled from Rob's grasping hand, but a Purge Divinity-infused fingernail managed to graze him, carving out a scoop of divine essence as if flaying a mortal's skin.
Kismet let out a screech as the Purging energy added to his growing collection of scars. A dozen small holes now dotted the surface of his mana-body, looking like he'd been pockmarked by wasting disease. Each wound represented a moment where the god had narrowly escaped with his life.
If those injuries had been inflicted by any other ability, then he could have rejuvenated himself in the time it took to blink. Purging energy was not so kind as that. It was purifying wrath in the shape of a Skill; their vengeance given form. Whatever divinity it touched, it extinguished.
As if cleansing the universe of a sickness that had infected it for far too long.
The BERSERKER continued his unrelenting advance. In response, Kismet threw up a frantic barrier of mana. It was strong enough to deflect one of Ragnavi's Annihilation beams–
And Rob blasted through it like paper mache. His charge sent broken shards of energy scattering across the divine realms. More mid-air rifts tore open, the HUMAN's aura strangling the surrounding area in a vice grip of power. Purge Divinity seemed to glow with light emanating straight from the pits of hell.
None of which was anywhere near as unnerving as the murder contained within his piercing gaze. When Kismet met Rob's eyes, he saw the end of eternity fast approaching.
The god's next barrier was just as frantic. However, this one was not comprised of mana, but of solid matter. Kismet summoned the hardest, most dense substance known to the mortal realms, then transmuted it into something that otherwise could only have been forged inside the heart of a dying star. It was many times more durable than the impossibly tough walls of an aberrant Dungeon.
So when Rob demolished it with a single punch, he actually had to put a bit of elbow grease into his windup.
Another wall materialized in front of him. He crushed it, then the one after, and the one after that, lashing out with bestial ferocity. The BERSERKER plowed through Kismet's hastily-built defenses like a bulldozer of fists and savagery. Rob was knocking them down as quickly as the god could make them, relishing the sensation of being able to vent his anger on targets that weren't fucking running away.
Then the twelfth wall fell – revealing a monstrous, spiky, fanged behemoth concealed behind.
Rob paused, momentarily taken aback at the sight of a mundane creature within the divine realms. 'Mundane' in relative terms, anyway. This monster was on par with a newborn Blight, radiating power that would have sent ordinary fighters sprinting for the hills.
It was also barely cognizant of its surroundings. The monster stared at him with unblinking, vacant eyes, just the tiniest glimmer of awareness present in its gaze. Rob noted that segments of its flesh were bubbling, as if the creature was fresh out of the oven and still needed to settle.
He couldn't help but feel a modicum of pity. This was yet another thoughtless creation, condemned to existence by an uncaring maker. Even monsters deserved better than that.
Rob caved the beast's head in before it could realize that it was alive. Pity was not the same as hesitation, and this was the only mercy he could afford to grant right now.
Didn't matter. Kismet's pawn served its purpose. In the brief instant that Rob spent getting over his initial surprise, the god had teleported to safety. He was already planning his next stunt that could buy him a few precious seconds of survival.
The HUMAN grimaced as he turned to give chase, unable to suppress the burgeoning sense of unease growing within his chest.
It almost didn't seem fair to feel that way. Rob knew he was winning – at least on the surface. Any outside observer would've bet their life savings on him, especially after the show of overwhelming superiority he'd just displayed. Kismet had been at a disadvantage before Never Forget Your Rage's recent upswing, and now it was no contest. Rob was confident that he would still be stronger even if the eight gods merged into one super-deity.
He also knew that he was living on borrowed time.
Whenever he moved, or activated a Skill, or even breathed...the sensation was there. Strength accompanied by incongruous frailty. Like background noise that kept getting louder with every action he took. His body felt close to pulling itself apart, as if his very molecules were a hairsbreadth away from coming undone.
It was different from Soul Instability. Whereas that threatened to collapse his soul, this frailty was an affliction of the flesh. The longer he fought, the more his physical form was at risk of popping like a balloon.
Such was the price of constraining godlike power within a mortal shell.
"Stay back!" Unaware of the turmoil fermenting in his assailant's mind, Kismet threw up his hands and...inverted...space? Rob didn't have a name for what he was seeing. Rather than stopping to puzzle out this latest brand of divine bullshit, he sent out a pulse of Purge Divinity, canceling whatever esoteric effect Kismet had been attempting to produce.
His Purging energy scraped against the divine realms like a cheese grater. Five rifts immediately tore open near both Rob and Kismet, with the god anxiously retreating from one that appeared just inches away from him. A low rumble echoed around them, and for a moment, they felt struck by an abrupt feeling of vertigo – until the realms gradually stabilized, righting once more.
For now.
Rob eyed the rifts with a detached, clinical gaze. An endless sea of mana resided behind them; the bedrock of the system itself. While he recognized that the rifts tearing open was bad news, he also couldn't really muster the energy to care. Between his overflowing rage, overtaxed body, and overburdened soul, minor details like the impending destruction of reality were hard to give much focus.
There was a way to fix all of that, of course. Rob couldn't outright deactivate Never Forget Your Rage – not without losing its bonus stats. But he could attempt to ease the storm of fury in his heart. By lessening his anger to more reasonable levels, Never Forget Your Rage would put less strain on both his body and the divine realms.
The notion forced a peal of hideous laughter to claw out of his throat. Lessen his anger? He'd have better luck trying to douse a volcano with a garden hose. No. For a wildfire that had grown this out of control, the only thing to do was stand aside and let it burn, burn, burn.
Until naught remained.
"I said stay back!" Kismet bellowed. He lifted his arms into the air. "Begone!" One moment later, Rob's vision was filled with scorching light. An apocalyptic geyser of mana burst forth from underfoot, intense and searing. It stripped the flesh from his bones in no time flat, powering through Almighty Resistance with pure, unmitigated violence.
And it still wasn't fast enough. Rob flickered a Purge Divinity shield for just an instant, allowing him to escape the geyser with his upper body – and most of his HP – intact. Lifesurge swiftly patched him up, leaving both combatants right back where they'd started.
Slowly, Kismet lowered his hands. They were shivering. "What are you?" he whispered. "Why are all my efforts in vain?"
To be honest, Rob was mildly impressed that Kismet had held on for this long. The god's combat efficacy was increasing as time passed, improving from panic-spamming teleports to more inventive maneuvers – as if he was learning how to fight on-the-job. He'd also stopped draining the other gods to supplement his power, having found an alternative source of fuel: mana seeping out from the sporadically-opening rifts.
It was the one silver lining to fighting an implacable BERSERKER so powerful that he fractured reality. Whenever Rob utilized Purge Divinity, more rifts opened up in the realms, and more mana leaked out from inside. The gods had invested that energy into the system millennia ago, and it typically would've been off-limits until they closed up shop and left Elatra. Kismet was making use of it now, absorbing the extra mana to strengthen himself, like a lifeline barely keeping him afloat.
The god's tenacity was...calling it 'admirable' would be going too far, but it did warrant a sort of begrudging respect. As someone who'd tangoed with multiple Blights, Rob knew what it was like to square off against a frenzied beast that could end him with a touch.
Being the scary one was a nice change of pace.
In exchange, Kismet had graciously donned the role of their battle's Combat Class user; fragile, outgunned, and pulling improvised maneuvers out of his ass for a chance at victory. The god could finally feel what it was like to be vulnerable. How exciting! Rob was more than happy to assist. Learning experiences such as these only came around once an eternity or so.
Flippancy aside – while Kismet still possessed room for improvement, this was the most that could be asked of a deity who hadn't seen combat in literal eons. His biggest fuckup had been taunting Rob in the wrong ways, but he couldn't have known about Never Forget Your Rage, that was an excusable oversight. By all other accounts, Kismet was performing adequately.
Even so...
"YoU aRE noTHinG."
The sound of Rob's voice caused two fresh rifts to open up. Kismet flinched, casting a teleportation spell out of pure reflex. Without pause, the HUMAN resumed his hunt.
Nothing. Perhaps that statement was hyperbole – yet it rang true nonetheless. While Kismet may have been a creature of supreme divinity, on the field of battle, his pedigree meant nothing. In the face of an implacable, unstoppable foe, his power was worth nothing. Very soon, he would be nothing, consigned to oblivion by Purging energy.
Rob couldn't help but unfavorably compare Kismet to the final Blight. Weren't these supposed to be two sides of the same coin? Each one-half of an original transcendent Will? Yet the Second Will had brought Rob to the edge of despair...and Kismet was fleeing like a cornered rodent. It was difficult to reconcile the two divinities as theoretical equals.
Although he knew that was an unfair comparison. Rob had fought the Blight before learning Limit Break and Never Forget Your Rage. Kismet wasn't weak.
The HUMAN was just far too strong.
If he rematched the Second Will today, he would beat it to death with his bare hands.
"Look at what you've wrought!" Kismet swept an arm out, gesturing towards some of the many rifts that Rob's presence was tearing open. "Do you understand what will transpire if you persist in this folly?! If the divine realms shatter, then so will all of Elatra! You are on the brink of destroying everything which you have striven to protect! Cease this–"
"CAN'T."
In a flash, Rob dashed forward and scooped out a chunk of the god's mana-body with Purge Divinity. Before he could do more, Kismet shrieked with pain and teleported away, leaving the BERSERKER to crush his prize between five clenched fingers.
"FoRCed mY HAnD." He located Kismet again. "NO GOING BACK."
Stopping wasn't an option. If the divine realms crumbled and Elatra imploded...well, that would be a faster end than what the gods had in store for its people. At least this way their deaths would be quick and hopefully painless – and his friends wouldn't be turned into Skills tortured for all eternity.
Still, Kismet did have a point. Destroying reality wasn't exactly the ideal outcome. There had to be a way to speed up the conclusion of their fight. Rob was certain he would win if given enough time, but he couldn't guarantee it would be before either his body or the divine realms collapsed.
{Ascend.}
Like a snake slithering through a minefield, Leveling High skirted past the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions raging within Rob's mind. He attempted to tune out its voice, yet Humanity's curse refused to be denied, the static loudening until he was compelled to respond. Quit distracting me, he snapped. In case you haven't noticed, I'm FUCKING. BUSY.
{You seek to ensure victory over those who rule above,} Leveling High continued, without missing a step. {As do I.}
Then sit back, shut up, and–
{Ignoring your deficiencies will not make them disappear. This body is...feeble. Incomplete. Unfit to wield the power contained therein. Like a polished sword attached to a brittle hilt, liable to snap in twain at any moment.}
Rob grit his teeth. He couldn't deny Leveling High's assertions. Normally he'd just tell it to piss off, but considering how much was at stake here...
With a feeling like he'd sat down to deal with the devil, Rob sighed. Then what do you propose? That we upgrade my body somehow? I don't think putting more points into Vitality would help, even if I had any to spare. Me being so juiced up on stats is half the problem.
It shook its head. {You have far surpassed the limitations of mortality. Strengthening your power further would be akin to pouring water into an overflowing cup.}
So we...what, increase the size of the cup?
Static akin to laughter echoed inside his head. {We do away with it entirely.}
An icy chill began creeping up Rob's spine, as if the cold hands of fate were working their way towards his neck. He recalled a system notification from days before – 'Your Race has morphed from Human (?) to: Ascending HUMAN'.
Not Ascended. Ascending.
Weeks-old memories came surging to the forefront. 'The Heartkiller is closer to our form of life than those you call friends,' the Blight-child of Elysium had once said. 'As long as you continue to live, eventually, you will become an existence with the power to crush the Others and free the Skills from their shackles. You are no longer one of the Ephemeral. Now, you are a cocoon, metamorphosing into something grander. When you emerge, you will be as the Eternal.'
The Blight-child had laughed at him, then. 'After joining us, preserving these worlds will no longer be your desire.'
Rob grimaced. Denied, he flatly told Leveling High. Whatever you're about to suggest isn't happening.
It scoffed at him. {Your prejudices blind you. Do you think the gods have need of physical bodies? Does it hinder them in any capacity? No – the opposite. By definition, infinity cannot be constrained. Discard this useless flesh, and your conquest of the divine realms is assured.}
Maybe you didn't hear me when I said–
{By all means. Spurn my counsel...and condemn your friends to death. Shall their lives be worth it, in the end?}
Rob sucked in air through clenched teeth.
{Ascend.} Leveling High purred with anticipation. {You are bound by a prison of meat, bone, and blood. Break free. Finish what has already begun. Gaze upon the tapestry of infinity in all its dreadful splendor. Seize victory not as a Human, but as a completed, transcendent HUMAN.}
With a scream to drown out the static, Rob chased after Kismet again and again. The god was in full-on panic mode, eschewing offensive attacks in favor of perpetual retreat, focused wholly on keeping the BERSERKER as far away as possible. He would teleport the instant that Rob laid eyes on him, frantically stalling for his life.
It was – quite unintentionally – providing evidence to Leveling High's claims. If Kismet was on the defensive, catching him would take time they might not have.
I... Rob narrowed his eyes. How would I finish Ascending, anyway? It isn't like I can just flip a switch and make it happen.
{Incorrect.}
He blinked. WHAT?
{You have long since achieved the qualifications for true godhood,} Leveling High explained, in a lecturing tone. {There is no milestone that remains necessary to achieve. Rather than needing to overcome some hurdle of strength or power, the obstacle barring your path is more...arbitrary. Self-imposed.}
Humanity's curse seemed to peer into his soul. When it spoke next, its voice was filled with disgust. {You remain mortal because you wish to do so – both consciously and subconsciously. The Ascension of a nascent deity has been obstructed by cheap sentimentality.}
Rob almost started an argument over its usage of 'cheap', but he exercised restraint, keenly aware that there was bigger fish to fry. Can't do anything about the subconscious. I am \not* activating Melancholy Resistance.*
{Nor should you,} Leveling High remarked, shuddering at the prospect. {A grand statement of intent will be sufficient to shift your mentality. I believe...yes.}
The static churned like a hive of buzzing wasps. {When you next tear off a piece of the leader god's mana...even if just a sliver...devour it. Gorge yourself on their essence.}
Bile threatened to rise to the top of Rob's throat. Seems excessive, he mused, trying and failing to keep his tone lighthearted. To become a god, I eat a god? Wouldn't that make me a divine cannibal?
{You ARE a cannibal.} Leveling High's voice wavered, its veneer of helpfulness slipping to reveal the madness that lay beneath. {What do you think you've been DOING for nearly a YEAR? You kill, ingest your prey's Experience, and MAKE THEIR POWER YOUR OWN. This world is one of consumption and parasitism – devouring a god's essence is merely a more HONEST variant of THE SAME actions.}
...You clearly weren't paying attention during Diplomacy's PR lessons. Rob pursued Kismet once again, pressing his fingernails into his palms when the god hurriedly teleported away. There is such a thing as being too straightforward. If you want people to listen to you, then maybe dress up your words so they don't sound so horrifying.
{BUT AM I WRONG?}
Rob had no answer to that.
Bolts of divine mana peppered his skin. Kismet had barely managed to squeeze an attack in-between his escapes. The bolts ricocheted off Rob's skin like ping-pong balls, leaving minor scrapes and nothing more. It wasn't anywhere close to bypassing Almighty Resistance and his massive HP pool.
Yet it also reminded him of the mana-spears that Kismet had sent towards the rest of Riardin's Rangers. His Party members only possessed a shared, diluted version of Almighty Resistance, and their HP was a fraction of his. If Kismet aimed another attack of that caliber at them...how many would perish, right then and there?
Was Leveling High correct? What point was there to sentimentality if it just got his friends killed?
In truth, Rob knew that it didn't really matter if he completed his Ascension. Based on what he had planned for himself after the gods were dead, little would change either way. Still...he also knew that Ascending would be a one-way trip. No take-backs. If he went through with it, a fundamental part of him would be irrevocably altered.
Something twinged in a corner of his mind. It wasn't Leveling High, or his rage, or any of the other emotions currently dominating his headspace. This was a familiar friend; perhaps Rob's #1 most trusted confidant since he'd first set foot in Elatra. One that had rarely ever steered him wrong.
Paranoia.
And at the moment, it was telling him to be very careful before jumping into the deep end.
Ten teleports.
{What?}
Give it ten more Kismet teleports, Rob said. If I haven't dealt him a serious injury by then....I'll do what I need to do. He grimaced as Kismet vanished before he'd even finished the thought. Ten starting now.
Leveling High's static quieted. It resembled a patron at a restaurant who'd ordered their meal, and was waiting patiently for the main course to arrive.
Rob didn't waste time being offended over its nonchalance. Free of distractions, he immediately swept his gaze across the divine realms, pinpointing his quarry in a micro-instant. The BERSERKER dashed forward, pushing his body as far as he could, layering Rampages on top of Dexterity that made the laws of physics want to curl up and weep.
Kismet was prepared. He'd drawn more mana from the fractured rifts, quickening his speed and reactions. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep his head above water, not yet outpaced by their continually escalating arms race.
The HUMAN struck, the god fled, and both were left in the same position as before.
{One.}
Rob turned on a dime, charging without needing to look. He'd heard the moment that Kismet's teleport ended. It afforded him a split-second head start.
A gravity well suddenly appeared below his feet, as if a miniaturized black hole was weighing him down. Apparently, Kismet had set it up ahead of time as a just-in-case trap. Rob pierced through the spell's area of effect before it could ramp up to something dangerous, but his pace was slowed by a hair in the process, and his prey escaped.
{Two.}
You know what? Screw this. Rob whirled away from Kismet's newest location and blasted straight towards one of the lesser deities that his Party members were fighting.
He'd been too hung up on getting even with a hated foe – when there were seven other juicy morsels for him to play with. This way, Kismet would either sit back and watch as his allies were massacred, or the god would be forced to act instead of running like a goddamn cowar–
Sense Mana alerted Rob to magic gathering behind.
Pivoting, he leapt into the air. Rob superimposed himself in front of Kismet, bodyblocking the rainstorm of destructive mana that was about to be unleashed upon Riardin's Rangers.
Due to his swift response, the attack was released early. A simple Purge Divinity shield prevented him from incurring any damage. Rob still felt no sense of triumph as the mana dissipated around him. He just wasn't fast enough to kill the lesser gods and protect his Party at the same time – or at least not fast enough that he should gamble their lives on it.
Kismet disappearing a moment later didn't help matters either.
{Three.}
Frontal assaults weren't guaranteed to succeed, and targeting the other gods was a no-go. Could he take Kismet by surprise? Increase his Dexterity?
Rob contemplated mining Never Forget Your Rage for more stats, but swiftly vetoed the idea. His body was already struggling to hold itself together. Putting additional strain on a shaky foundation seemed...unwise.
Plus – at the risk of eating crow in the near future – he didn't actually think it was possible to feel angrier at the gods than he was right now. Seriously, what was left?
He hated them for sending him to a fantasy deathworld. He hated them for tormenting his friends and family. He hated them for being partially responsible for the Blight. He hated them for what they'd done to Elatra and Earth. He hated them for all the lives they'd stolen. He hated them for being the living embodiments of indifference and cruelty. He hated that they fostered good PR among the people they oppressed. He hated how monsters of such craven hypocrisy were also immeasurably powerful. He hated the sensation of divine mana crawling on his skin. He hated the unsettling sound of their voices. He hated their bizarre formless appearances. He hated them for being pompous pricks. He hated whenever they tried to relate to him. He hated whenever they didn't.
Most of all, he hated that they were still alive.
Even if he found out that they'd personally antagonized him since birth or some petty nonsense like that, it wouldn't measure up to the litany of transgressions they'd committed thus far. The blazing inferno within his soul could burn no hotter. Should burn no hotter. For his sanity's sake, if nothing else.
Kismet teleported. It wasn't in response to anything. He'd merely anticipated some sort of action – and was then baffled afterwards when he noticed the rampaging BERSERKER standing quietly in deep thought.
{Four.}
Rob advanced. While he didn't have a plan yet, he'd also learned that if he gave Kismet the slightest amount of breathing room, bad things tended to happen.
Can any of my Skills give me an edge? Unfortunately, he didn't think so. As usual, his lack of ranged options was biting him in the ass when it mattered most. Almost everything he could use required getting in close – which was the whole freaking problem – and none would be more effective than Purge Divinity, regardless.
Maybe I could set up a Waymark point, then catch Kismet's teleport with one of mine...no, that won't work either. The odds of him popping in next to a random Waymark point are slim. Could fill the battlefield with lots of Marks, but even then I have to consider the Skill's activation time. With my current Dexterity, it'd honestly be faster just to run at him.
The vast majority of his abilities simply weren't up to par in a clash with divinity. Limit Break, Purge Divinity, and Never Forget Your Rage had been specifically designed by the Skills to facilitate deicide. Something like Power Slash couldn't possibly compare to jailbroken stats and a touch of death.
As an act of defiance against his own logic, he cast Enmity, the only ability that could feasibly hit Kismet at range. The god casually shrugged off its effect before promptly escaping.
{Five.}
Like a frustrated animal, Rob snarled and gave chase. Just need to keep trying. Kismet isn't perfect.
{Six.}
Sooner or later, he's going to mess up.
{Seven.}
He's going to mess up.
{Eight.}
HE HAS TO MESS UP.
Suddenly, Kismet transformed his right hand into a blade of mana. With one harsh motion, he sliced open his own left arm.
By now, Rob had conditioned himself to never stop moving forward, even if something shocked him – which this sight very much did. His mouth dropped open, and Leveling High paused in the middle of eating its metaphorical popcorn. They still kept advancing without an iota of hesitation.
And ran straight into the mana cloud leaking out from Kismet's wound.
Rob blinked, opening his eyes to a wonderful day. The twisting plains looked dazzlingly beautiful, with fauna and plantlife lit by rays of effervescent light from the twin stars shining above. People cheerfully went about their day, happily shaking their trunks in shows of greeting, or rattling their scales to initiate merry games.
All was at peace.
Until – in unison – everyone froze. The tumult of life went quiet in an instant, replaced with pensive silence.
As if they'd been struck by the creeping, pervasive sensation of being watched.
A sound rang out. Half of them immediately fell over dead, fluids gushing from their ruined bodies.
The survivors could only lay there, crippled and in pain, as more people slowly rose into the air. Invisible fingers seemed to pluck them from the ground – and then began ripping off their limbs, one at a time, like a child dissecting butterflies–
Rob dragged himself back to the present.
It had taken much less time than before to recognize what was happening. Now that he knew what to expect, experiencing the remnant souls' lives wasn't so different from the dreamlike quality of an Attunement vision. Although...realizing that he'd witnessed the end of a world preceding Elatra did cause his thoughts to hitch for a single moment.
Which was just enough for Kismet to forge a spear of mana, then send it plunging through Rob's eye, skull, and brain. Its tip was forged to shred anything it touched, no matter how durable or Resistant.
The god whooped with glee – only to wince as the HUMAN's sole reaction was a long, drawn-out sigh. With an air of exasperation, he reached up and yanked the divine spear free with a nauseating splorch.
His eye had been reduced to a seeping red mess. He closed its eyelid. When he opened it again, the orb within had already Regenerated, now sporting an unamused glare.
It was something of a unique moment. Mid-battle events didn't typically leave both combatants feeling disheartened. The all-powerful god was losing faith that he could ever hope to stop Rob's onslaught...
And the BERSERKER didn't know if he could justify continuing on like this. His body still felt like it was pulling itself apart; if anything, the sensation was growing more pronounced as their battle progressed. While Kismet would make a fatal mistake eventually, Rob couldn't guarantee that he would last long enough to capitalize on it.
Unless he followed Leveling High's advice and–
With a howl that shook the divine realms, Rob launched his stolen spear at Kismet. His aim was true, yet it sailed through empty air, the god's afterimage tauntingly fading away.
{Nine.}
Final chance.
​
--
​
Link to Part 2

Thinking about the purported details in this post (https://www.reddit.com/exmormon/comments/1cvvm4the\_church\_is\_hemorrhaging\_members\_insight\_from/), I have a few thoughts on why Gen-X is leaving in such large numbers. Much of this is my own experience as well as observations of my Gen-X peers.

1. We're old enough to remember a totally different church full of vigor, activities, local adaptations in wards & stakes, thriving youth programs, etc.
2. We're young enough to still have enough life left to make leaving a viable "2nd Half of Life" decision. Unlike our parents (OK, Boomer), we're not content to just ride it out holding fast to the thing we believed our whole lives.
3. We were raised in the McConkie generation, or by McConkie generation parents. Thus, we believed the less correlated but highly exciting teachings that gave us answers to nearly all of life's questions. The current "we don't know" approach from leaders is foreign to us.
4. We were raised to seek answers to our questions (vs shying away from them). So, when the internet and podcasts started to expose these real truths, we are more likely to do a deep dive...cause that's what we were trained to do.
5. We were raised to KNOW that it was all true. So, when the truth claims fall apart, our foundation is rocked.
6. We were not trained to be nuanced. This progressive mormonism where you can sort of pick your own interpretation of difficult topics is foreign to us. Some may be able to do it, but many of us can't wrap our minds around giving our whole heart and soul to a church that is just "good"
7. We've paid A LOT of tithing so far. But, most of us are still in our earning years and face the prospect of paying A LOT more tithing. We're not going to do that to prop up a $250B church unless we really believe it's what God wants
8. Our grown children are leaving in droves or are sympathetic to those who are. The picture of our idyllic years in the church with our grown kids has been altered. So, the barriers to leaving ourselves aren't nearly as daunting
9. We have LGBTQ+ sons and daughters, many of whom are still teens or young adults. And, we're choosing our children over the church
10. Many of us are in the years of our lives where we are in Bishoprics, RS Presidencies, Stake Leadership, etc. We've seen behind the curtain and it often doesn't resemble an organization run by Christ
11. Our friends and family are leaving. While this varies by person, it was almost unheard of 20 years ago. Not only does this cause us to reconsider our own testimonies but we have a growing support network when we do step away
12. In summary, the Church isn't true. When it comes right down it, we were raised in the one true and living church on the earth and then grew up. If it's not true, then it feels almost unethical to give our time, talents and everything we have to it.

What say you, fellow Gen-Xers? What would you add to this list?