Dearest gentle player,
It is with much delight that this Game Master welcomes you into the dazzling and glamourous ton of the Adamant Empire.
In this world of socialities, schemers and sycophants, you will be assuming the role of debutantes, bright and accomplished Gems, who are either just now being introduced to society or who are returning to it after being away for a very long time, with the intent of securing respectable matches for themselves.
Armed only with your wits, wiles and charms, you must charm suitors and navigate the rigid society of the Empire while avoiding scandal and ruin. Gods forbid you end up being dragged through the mud in the mysterious Lady Quartz's society papers!
What will you strive for, gentle player? Will you search for that perfect one, throwing caution to the wind in the pursuit of true love? Will you prove to be the most sparkling of Gems, earning yourself the favour of her Grace, the Queen Consort Ciyradyl, and the title of the Diamond of the season? Will you aim to rise as high through the ranks as possible? After all, why be content with being a Mrs. when you can be a Duchess? Or will you strive to forge a different path for yourself, forsaking what your family and society has set out for you? Something in between?
Whatever your goal is, be weary, dear player. For in this world, secrets are a dangerous currency and scandals can destroy entire families. Be an example of fine society or embrace infamy, tis your choice. Just know that the ton is always watching, judging in hushed whispers and giggles.
So, follow my lead and dance through candlelit ballrooms as we create together a tale of thrilling character drama, love, passion, ambition and bitter rivalries, all that which makes a heart flutter with enthusiasm and dread.
And if our darling debutantes unwittingly end up entwined in a conflict much grander than they could have ever anticipated? Well... is it truly a D&D game without some heightened stakes?
Campaign Pitch
Thank you for reading through my ramblings. I will be running a bit of a niche idea for a campaign. Those who have seen the Netflix Series Bridgerton or have consumed any media inspired/related to Jane Austen probably have a fairly good idea of the kind of story I am going for.
Essentially, this game will focus a lot more on your characters, their goals, desires and tribulations while they wade through the social season. There will be a main plotline as well as many other storylines linked to NPCs and factions that the players might interact with if they so wish, but ultimately I enjoy focusing on what my players find most enjoyable.
This will be a very roleplay heavy game. Combat will occur on occassion. This is D&D still after all so I am essentially contractually obligated to allow you to bonk at least a few times, but combat will only happen when the story demands it-and the story likely won't demand it that often. I suppose you can theoretically go out to the wilderness and do a dungeon crawl and I will play along with it, but if that is what you are seeking out of your D&D experience, this is sadly not the game for you.
Besides from roleplay, there might be some degree of urban exploration within the city of the Summit, the capital of the Empire and the setting of our campaign. There will potentially be some opportunities for sleuthing too if that is an avenue the players decide to explore more.
Instead, most of the game will be focused on exploring the lives of your characters and for those around them as well as that of your larger society. You can expect a lot of talking to each other and to NPCs so I encourage you to get deep into your character's mindset, to flesh them out as a person and to allow yourself to get vulnerable while playing them. Those are the moments my current table thrives on. We have quite literally cried as result of scenes. So never hesitate to speak up, try something new out and go deep into your character's soul.
As for me, I will strive to create an immersive, breathing world. I want my NPCs to feel like real people and for you to bond with them as such. I want your environment to react to and remember your actions, what makes you who you are. For this purpose, I will work with each of the players to intergrate their characters into the Adamant Empire and to best accomodate what you want to do in and out of character.
Speaking of the world, during character creation, we will work together to create the province you are from as well as your family and their place within society (status, any connections to guilds they might have, etc). So, you will be actively involved in creating at least a few small parts of it.
Once I have gathered up all players and received their backstories, there will be a two weeks gap between that and starting the game so I can get some more GM prep done with all the factors in mind. I want to try and begin either at the end of this month or at the start of the next one, but I won't push on this too hard.
Once we have started, I want to settle on a consistent schedule so schedule compatibility and consistence is quite important for me. I do not have a specific end date in mind for this game. I believe campaigns should last as long as it takes for them to have a satisfying conclusion. That being said, my games tend to be on the longer end so keep that in mind too.
If any of that sounds like your cup of tea, feel free to fill in the form down below! Hopefully we will get to create a great story together.
Lore
There is some lore within the Adamant Empire and the continent it is a part of, Kosmos, but nothing of massive importance that you would need to know right out of the bat. It has its own history and pantheon of Gods, etc, but honestly I am more than happy to work with the players to adjust the existent lore or to add entirely new one. Never hesitate to reach out to me.
The basics of the world are these though:
The Adamant Empire is thousands of years old. It is fairly similiar to the irl British Empire in many ways. It is extremely powerful and influential and it has supposedly independent colonies that in essence function as puppet goverments all over the continent. Few can match them in power.
That was until a hundred years ago.
King Edmund Diamant was determined to conquer one of the last remaining nations that could potentially rival the Adamant Empire, the elven isles of Yara Ambar. He miscalculated gravely, however, and that led to the Empire's first true loss. Taking advantage of the distraction, multiple colonies revolted and enough banded together to form the City States of Andora. With the assistance of their infernal supporters, the revolutionaries have gained some level of independence and are now almost certainly plotting to claim more and more of the Empire's lands for themselves.
The Empire's legions, coffers and reputation took a significant blow and they were forced to sign a treaty with the elven royalty.
Prince Orion was betrothed and later wed to an elven noble woman. This was a significant event because for centuries now, since the reign of Cedric the Conqueror, it had been strictly forbidden for non-humans to be part of the Adamantian nobility. The Oldblood families, the most ancient of bloodlines within the Empire, protested against the decision, but there was little to be done.
King Orion and his consort Queen Ciyradyl have reigned together for 70 years now. During their rule, peace and prosperity has largely been maintained and the people are content. More and more non-human families have also made their into the ton, a most scandalous occurence at first, but one that the ton has grown to accept with time, albeit some races more than others.
Alas, it is uncertain how long peace will last still. With the 99 year old King growing ill in body and mind, his wife and children have primarily taken over his duties. The City States of Andora stand proud to this day, a mark of shame upon the pride of any true Adamantian. Much conversation remains over what is to be done with them. Simultanously, there are many other forces who would benefit to see the Empire crumble on its knees.
Life in the Adamant Empire is about to change. Whether that change shall be for better or worse and what role you might play in it is yet to be revealed.
There is yet another element that needs to be discussed when it comes to the lore and that is the Gems/Steels separattion.
In essence, I and my players wished to replicate the sort of narratives one might encounter in the books of Jane Austen, where for example the Bennet family must marry all their daughters or they will end up with no inheritance (gasp!), but we still wished to be able to have PCs be male or to explore queer romances and narratives.
So, we settled on the following idea:
There is a secondary label by which individuals are put into one category or the other. People either bear the Mark of the Gem or the Mark of the Steel. This system of social distinction in essence replaces the era accurate existence of sexism.
Gems and Steels can be male or female, it does not matter. Similarly, Gems and Steels can be in relationships with men or women, that also does not matter. Creating offspring is still important within society, but magic can also accomplish that so gender or sexuality is not a factor.
What matters is that Gems are not allowed to inherit property and titles and are very limited in the careers that it is appropiate for them to have. They are expected to spend their time at home, tending to the needs of the household and the family. Steels have none of these restrictions.
Your characters are all Gems, meaning they need to marry -and marry well- in order to secure the best possible future for themselves.
Idea might be slightly altered in the future, but the skeleton of it should remain the same more or less.
As you might have figured out from this, while we will be trying to keep the spirit of the era and many of its customs, we won't be going for 100% historical accuracy (if you did not figure that out from the fact that magic exists). So, if that is what you are looking for, sorry but this table probably won't perfectly match your taste.
Table Rules
Given that we will be very focused on roleplay, character creation will have some according adjustments. you can find those down here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a7JdKnUQEfsoEOufrb8hACKmDBzIGaKEzXGKtT1sD7o/edit?usp=sharing
If you require some guidance in creating the narrative elements of your character, you can use this doc as a well as a sort of guideline:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qAudZPqYzCS9lDZGp7E6ZtWQExmCvP3DQnUqFZ9u3Ww/edit?usp=sharing
Some more rulings to keep in mind:

• Social PvP is allowed, but combat must be discussed by the players and the GM beforehand.
• For inspiration, you can have up to 3 at a time.
• Drinking potions is a bonus action :)

And we might come up with more as we play.
Plot Hook
The Player Characters all have town lodgings in the same neighbourhood, Fairbrooke Square. Thus, they might know each other to some degree or they might not. That is up to the players.
Regardless, as you were all neighbours growing up, you would have grown up alongsides the at the time Viscountess Kristina Royce (Steel). The specific relationship and dynamics that you had with Kristina can be fleshed out later between you and I, but everyone knew her in some shape, way or form.
Ten years ago, Kristina's parents died, making her Countess of Stirling and shortly after she left to roam the sea as Royces tend to do. Whether you maintained contact with her afterwards is once again your decision to make.
Kristina has now returned to the Summit, shortly after breaking off her betrothal to Emil Pleasant (Gem), son of the Baron of Fairbrooke Square and another one of your neighbours. You can also decide what kind of dynamic you have with him too.
While your whole street is whispering about the impending social season and the latest hot gossip, you (the PCs) each receive an invitation to dinner from Kethryllia Royce, Doawger Countess of Stirling, grandmother of Kristina and former handmaiden to the Queen.
It is uncertain yet what she wishes to discuss with you about, but that private dinner will be the inciting incident of our game.
Player Requirements
If all this sounds good to you, then now it is time to see if you would be a good match for the table! The ideal player for us would match the criteria down down below.

• Is 18+.
• Has a decent internet connection.
• Has a laptop cause you need that for Foundry.
• Has a mic and camera and is comfortable with having the camera open for sessions (yes, this is obligatory. I understand why some might not like it, but I find roleplay flows much more smoothly when you can see the other's face so this is must. Sorry.)
• Is available every Sunday from 4 to 9 BST.
• Is LGBTQ+ friendly as I am not going to allow any kind of hate at my table.
• Loves roleplaying.

As you might have noticed, level of experience is not a concern here. Newbies and experienced players are welcome alike!
Player Application
If you match all the criteria above, wonderful! i can't wait to hear from you. Go ahead and fill the application in. It is a bit long, but I hope it will be as fun for you to fill in as it was for me to make.
I already have three amazing players and I am looking for two more to fill out the party. The form should remain open for around a week so take your time.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXCoA6pUYSWk2WzsNq0Vb1N7xj3BSB8C3DEPVOmYfPAJ3KJg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Afterword
If you have read through all my ramblings, thank you very much! Remember to include the word "bonbon" in there so that I know you did.
This is a rather new experience for me if I am sincere. I have been GMing for a few years now, but this will be a very different sort of game to what I usually run and I am also rather new to Foundry too.
I cannot promise it will be a perfect experience, but I can promise that I will always strive to make it an enjoyable one. I am always open to critique and willing to adjust things for the entertainment and safety of the group.
I have bored you enough I would say. Farewell for now, gentle player. Let us not keep the ton waiting.

Dearest gentle player,
It is with much delight that this Game Master welcomes you into the dazzling and glamourous ton of the Adamant Empire.
In this world of socialities, schemers and sycophants, you will be assuming the role of debutantes, bright and accomplished Gems, who are either just now being introduced to society or who are returning to it after being away for a very long time, with the intent of securing respectable matches for themselves.
Armed only with your wits, wiles and charms, you must charm suitors and navigate the rigid society of the Empire while avoiding scandal and ruin. Gods forbid you end up being dragged through the mud in the mysterious Lady Quartz's society papers!
What will you strive for, gentle player? Will you search for that perfect one, throwing caution to the wind in the pursuit of true love? Will you prove to be the most sparkling of Gems, earning yourself the favour of her Grace, the Queen Consort Ciyradyl, and the title of the Diamond of the season? Will you aim to rise as high through the ranks as possible? After all, why be content with being a Mrs. when you can be a Duchess? Or will you strive to forge a different path for yourself, forsaking what your family and society has set out for you? Something in between?
Whatever your goal is, be weary, dear player. For in this world, secrets are a dangerous currency and scandals can destroy entire families. Be an example of fine society or embrace infamy, tis your choice. Just know that the ton is always watching, judging in hushed whispers and giggles.
So, follow my lead and dance through candlelit ballrooms as we create together a tale of thrilling character drama, love, passion, ambition and bitter rivalries, all that which makes a heart flutter with enthusiasm and dread.
And if our darling debutantes unwittingly end up entwined in a conflict much grander than they could have ever anticipated? Well... is it truly a D&D game without some heightened stakes?
Campaign Pitch
Thank you for reading through my ramblings. I will be running a bit of a niche idea for a campaign. Those who have seen the Netflix Series Bridgerton or have consumed any media inspired/related to Jane Austen probably have a fairly good idea of the kind of story I am going for.
Essentially, this game will focus a lot more on your characters, their goals, desires and tribulations while they wade through the social season. There will be a main plotline as well as many other storylines linked to NPCs and factions that the players might interact with if they so wish, but ultimately I enjoy focusing on what my players find most enjoyable.
This will be a very roleplay heavy game. Combat will occur on occassion. This is D&D still after all so I am essentially contractually obligated to allow you to bonk at least a few times, but combat will only happen when the story demands it-and the story likely won't demand it that often. I suppose you can theoretically go out to the wilderness and do a dungeon crawl and I will play along with it, but if that is what you are seeking out of your D&D experience, this is sadly not the game for you.
Besides from roleplay, there might be some degree of urban exploration within the city of the Summit, the capital of the Empire and the setting of our campaign. There will potentially be some opportunities for sleuthing too if that is an avenue the players decide to explore more.
Instead, most of the game will be focused on exploring the lives of your characters and for those around them as well as that of your larger society. You can expect a lot of talking to each other and to NPCs so I encourage you to get deep into your character's mindset, to flesh them out as a person and to allow yourself to get vulnerable while playing them. Those are the moments my current table thrives on. We have quite literally cried as result of scenes. So never hesitate to speak up, try something new out and go deep into your character's soul.
As for me, I will strive to create an immersive, breathing world. I want my NPCs to feel like real people and for you to bond with them as such. I want your environment to react to and remember your actions, what makes you who you are. For this purpose, I will work with each of the players to intergrate their characters into the Adamant Empire and to best accomodate what you want to do in and out of character.
Speaking of the world, during character creation, we will work together to create the province you are from as well as your family and their place within society (status, any connections to guilds they might have, etc). So, you will be actively involved in creating at least a few small parts of it.
Once I have gathered up all players and received their backstories, there will be a two weeks gap between that and starting the game so I can get some more GM prep done with all the factors in mind. I want to try and begin either at the end of this month or at the start of the next one, but I won't push on this too hard.
Once we have started, I want to settle on a consistent schedule so schedule compatibility and consistence is quite important for me. I do not have a specific end date in mind for this game. I believe campaigns should last as long as it takes for them to have a satisfying conclusion. That being said, my games tend to be on the longer end so keep that in mind too.
If any of that sounds like your cup of tea, feel free to fill in the form down below! Hopefully we will get to create a great story together.
Lore
There is some lore within the Adamant Empire and the continent it is a part of, Kosmos, but nothing of massive importance that you would need to know right out of the bat. It has its own history and pantheon of Gods, etc, but honestly I am more than happy to work with the players to adjust the existent lore or to add entirely new one. Never hesitate to reach out to me.
The basics of the world are these though:
The Adamant Empire is thousands of years old. It is fairly similiar to the irl British Empire in many ways. It is extremely powerful and influential and it has supposedly independent colonies that in essence function as puppet goverments all over the continent. Few can match them in power.
That was until a hundred years ago.
King Edmund Diamant was determined to conquer one of the last remaining nations that could potentially rival the Adamant Empire, the elven isles of Yara Ambar. He miscalculated gravely, however, and that led to the Empire's first true loss. Taking advantage of the distraction, multiple colonies revolted and enough banded together to form the City States of Andora. With the assistance of their infernal supporters, the revolutionaries have gained some level of independence and are now almost certainly plotting to claim more and more of the Empire's lands for themselves.
The Empire's legions, coffers and reputation took a significant blow and they were forced to sign a treaty with the elven royalty.
Prince Orion was betrothed and later wed to an elven noble woman. This was a significant event because for centuries now, since the reign of Cedric the Conqueror, it had been strictly forbidden for non-humans to be part of the Adamantian nobility. The Oldblood families, the most ancient of bloodlines within the Empire, protested against the decision, but there was little to be done.
King Orion and his consort Queen Ciyradyl have reigned together for 70 years now. During their rule, peace and prosperity has largely been maintained and the people are content. More and more non-human families have also made their into the ton, a most scandalous occurence at first, but one that the ton has grown to accept with time, albeit some races more than others.
Alas, it is uncertain how long peace will last still. With the 99 year old King growing ill in body and mind, his wife and children have primarily taken over his duties. The City States of Andora stand proud to this day, a mark of shame upon the pride of any true Adamantian. Much conversation remains over what is to be done with them. Simultanously, there are many other forces who would benefit to see the Empire crumble on its knees.
Life in the Adamant Empire is about to change. Whether that change shall be for better or worse and what role you might play in it is yet to be revealed.
There is yet another element that needs to be discussed when it comes to the lore and that is the Gems/Steels separattion.
In essence, I and my players wished to replicate the sort of narratives one might encounter in the books of Jane Austen, where for example the Bennet family must marry all their daughters or they will end up with no inheritance (gasp!), but we still wished to be able to have PCs be male or to explore queer romances and narratives.
So, we settled on the following idea:
There is a secondary label by which individuals are put into one category or the other. People either bear the Mark of the Gem or the Mark of the Steel. This system of social distinction in essence replaces the era accurate existence of sexism.
Gems and Steels can be male or female, it does not matter. Similarly, Gems and Steels can be in relationships with men or women, that also does not matter. Creating offspring is still important within society, but magic can also accomplish that so gender or sexuality is not a factor.
What matters is that Gems are not allowed to inherit property and titles and are very limited in the careers that it is appropiate for them to have. They are expected to spend their time at home, tending to the needs of the household and the family. Steels have none of these restrictions.
Your characters are all Gems, meaning they need to marry -and marry well- in order to secure the best possible future for themselves.
Idea might be slightly altered in the future, but the skeleton of it should remain the same more or less.
As you might have figured out from this, while we will be trying to keep the spirit of the era and many of its customs, we won't be going for 100% historical accuracy (if you did not figure that out from the fact that magic exists). So, if that is what you are looking for, sorry but this table probably won't perfectly match your taste.
Table Rules
Given that we will be very focused on roleplay, character creation will have some according adjustments. you can find those down here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a7JdKnUQEfsoEOufrb8hACKmDBzIGaKEzXGKtT1sD7o/edit?usp=sharing
If you require some guidance in creating the narrative elements of your character, you can use this doc as a well as a sort of guideline:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qAudZPqYzCS9lDZGp7E6ZtWQExmCvP3DQnUqFZ9u3Ww/edit?usp=sharing
Some more rulings to keep in mind:

• Social PvP is allowed, but combat must be discussed by the players and the GM beforehand.
• For inspiration, you can have up to 3 at a time.
• Drinking potions is a bonus action :)

And we might come up with more as we play.
Plot Hook
The Player Characters all have town lodgings in the same neighbourhood, Fairbrooke Square. Thus, they might know each other to some degree or they might not. That is up to the players.
Regardless, as you were all neighbours growing up, you would have grown up alongsides the at the time Viscountess Kristina Royce (Steel). The specific relationship and dynamics that you had with Kristina can be fleshed out later between you and I, but everyone knew her in some shape, way or form.
Ten years ago, Kristina's parents died, making her Countess of Stirling and shortly after she left to roam the sea as Royces tend to do. Whether you maintained contact with her afterwards is once again your decision to make.
Kristina has now returned to the Summit, shortly after breaking off her betrothal to Emil Pleasant (Gem), son of the Baron of Fairbrooke Square and another one of your neighbours. You can also decide what kind of dynamic you have with him too.
While your whole street is whispering about the impending social season and the latest hot gossip, you (the PCs) each receive an invitation to dinner from Kethryllia Royce, Doawger Countess of Stirling, grandmother of Kristina and former handmaiden to the Queen.
It is uncertain yet what she wishes to discuss with you about, but that private dinner will be the inciting incident of our game.
Player Requirements
If all this sounds good to you, then now it is time to see if you would be a good match for the table! The ideal player for us would match the criteria down down below.

• Is 18+.
• Has a decent internet connection.
• Has a laptop cause you need that for Foundry.
• Has a mic and camera and is comfortable with having the camera open for sessions (yes, this is obligatory. I understand why some might not like it, but I find roleplay flows much more smoothly when you can see the other's face so this is must. Sorry.)
• Is available every Sunday from 4 to 9 BST.
• Is LGBTQ+ friendly as I am not going to allow any kind of hate at my table.
• Loves roleplaying.

As you might have noticed, level of experience is not a concern here. Newbies and experienced players are welcome alike!
Player Application
If you match all the criteria above, wonderful! i can't wait to hear from you. Go ahead and fill the application in. It is a bit long, but I hope it will be as fun for you to fill in as it was for me to make.
I already have three amazing players and I am looking for two more to fill out the party. The form should remain open for around a week so take your time.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXCoA6pUYSWk2WzsNq0Vb1N7xj3BSB8C3DEPVOmYfPAJ3KJg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Afterword
If you have read through all my ramblings, thank you very much! Remember to include the word "bonbon" in there so that I know you did.
This is a rather new experience for me if I am sincere. I have been GMing for a few years now, but this will be a very different sort of game to what I usually run and I am also rather new to Foundry too.
I cannot promise it will be a perfect experience, but I can promise that I will always strive to make it an enjoyable one. I am always open to critique and willing to adjust things for the entertainment and safety of the group.
I have bored you enough I would say. Farewell for now, gentle player. Let us not keep the ton waiting.

So you're looking to create a Channel 5 midday movie? Look no further. Follow these steps and you'll be well on your way to making forgettable predictable fluff not even fit for the DVD bargain-bin at the local charity shop.
First, establish your premise, there are three to choose from:

• A white upper-middle-class family's life is turned upside down when their new hot blonde nanny turns out to be a raging baby-mad lunatic operating under a false name to hide her extensive history of being sectioned.
• A couple's relationship is thrown into turmoil when the husband's new hot blonde assistant turns out to be a duplicitous home-wrecking slag with a penchant for kidnapping and owning unregistered firearms.
• Everything seems to be going perfect for the Smith family until a hot blonde unknown long lost relative appears on their doorstep, ingratiates themselves into the family within 6 minutes, and then later is revealed to be some sort of psychopathic serial killing nutcase.

(Remember, crazies are always attractive blonde women, if your antagonist is a lip-licking trainspotter in a trench coat, they won't be able to ingratiate themselves with the family)
Now establish the setting

• The family should live in an inexplicably massive suburban house located somewhere within the American mid-west. From the outside it should appear to have at least 12 bedrooms, three garages, and a front garden the size of a local playground.
• When the clearly batshit-insane new addition to the household is about to move in, have the two precocious teenagers moan about having to share their bedroom even though the house is the size of a Tesla Gigafactory.
• If your antagonist is some sort of live-in physiotherapist, nanny or nurse, the house may start out unkempt so that she can further ingratiate herself with the family by tidying the place.

Now refine your characters

• The wife can have either of two careers. Either she is an artist struggling to get her work into a local gallery, or she's a lawyer who is working overtime in a desperate attempt to "make partner at the firm". Ensure that she is overworked and inattentive to her husband so you have a catalyst for the inevitable affair.
• The husband can be an architect, doctor, or working as a marketing whiz trying to get the business of . You can at this point give him a rival colleague so your lunatic blonde has someone of little value to kill 30 minutes into the film, sort of a "warm up" murdering.
• There should be either a friend of the wife or an angsty teenage daughter who quickly notices the blonde's strange behaviour. The wife will then brush these legitimate concerns aside as "jealousy" because the antagonist has done at least one important favour for them. If it's a daughter, she will live, if it's a friend, she's gonna get bludgeoned in her car.
• If your antagonist is a baby-mad fruitcake with a tragic backstory of giving up her own daughter for adoption before she was carted off to the mental asylum, you should have one daughter approximately 6 to 10 years old with whom the antagonist can displace her homicidal maternal yearnings. This child may also be used in the last act as your antagonist's hostage.

Introduce the antagonist

• The antagonist should appear almost instantly. Solidify early on that they are clearly insane by having them glare at their target from a parked SUV. When their target (usually the husband) gets into his car and starts driving, she should follow, giving his car about 3 yards worth of distance (this makes her invisible).
• The antagonist should immediately become an indispensable cornerstone of the family by being polite, washing the dishes, and assisting whichever member of the couple is the most career-oriented during a time of career difficulty. If she is seeking to displace the wife, she may make a number of "innocent mistakes" that cause the wife to lose a big client.
• Have the antagonist rifle through the family's belongings when nobody is home. When discovered mid-way through her rifling by the daughtefriend of the wife, the antagonist will excuse try to her behaviour with either an irrelevant sob-story, rapidly changing the subject, or by saying that she was looking for the Windex in the underwear drawer.

Have the antagonist foster a division between the couple

• This is the easiest part of designing the story. Simply have your antagonist plant her bra in the husband's car, or failing that, have her ply him with wine. The husband may ask why she's changed into a sultry red dress, but this can be easily explained away by saying she spilled something on her nurse uniform.
• As the husband gets more drunk, shown by how loose his tie is, have the antagonist make clearly two-faced disingenuously supportive remarks about how the absent wife isn't prioritising their relationship. "She doesn't have time for you John", "You work hard, you deserve a woman who can make you a home cooked meal", etc.
• The simple act of preparing one dinner for a dissatisfied husband who has been living on Chinese takeaways is usually enough to drive the couple to the point of having a loud argument about how the wife is supposedly ruining their relationship, not the complete stranger living in their spare-room, at which point the antagonist should be listening from the stairwell or front-door, probably smirking.

Now that the wife is suspicious, have her find out the antagonist's backstory

• This usually involves the wife rifling through the antagonist's suitcase/purse. She will find some innocuous business card, keyring, or the antagonist's drivers license with a different surname. This leads the wife to drive over to the next state and attempt to learn more about her mysterious house-guest, usually culminating in a visit to the mental hospital.
• The wife will try to convince the apathetic receptionist at the mental hospital to release confidential patient files. The receptionist will refuse this request, however another employee or former associate of the antagonist will be listening to the conversation from around the corner.
• The other employee or former associate will chase down the wife in the car-park, and then give pointlessly cryptic details. "I can't say much, but you have to get her out of your house, she's dangerous". The employee hands her a beige folder containing a picture of the antagonist with ratty unkempt hair in prison overalls.

With the wife's suspicions now at maximum, have her call the husband

• "HONEY?! HONEY GET OUT OF THERE, IT'S EMILY, SHE'S NOT WHO SHE SAYS SHE IS, HELLO? HELLO!? JOHN!?", the call ends and she dramatically accelerates her nondescript grey saloon with the hood ornament removed.
• Wife returns home to find the husband unconscious with a serious headwound. At this point the antagonist will come out of the kitchen, gun in hand, and the wife will ask "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?". The antagonist will then say "You had it all, and I had NOTHING, you don't appreciate what you have so I'm gonna take it" *cocks gun*.
• Police sirens are approaching. The wife called them before she came in (the only intelligent move made by anyone in the entire movie). "IT'S OVER EMILY". The sirens distract the antagonist long enough for the wife to rugby tackle her.
• A struggle for the gun will ensue, the two women will roll around on the floor for a bit kicking each other, before finally a gunshot is heard, they both look down, see the blood, there's about 20 seconds where they don't know whose blood it is, and then it becomes apparent that it's the antagonist's blood.
• Despite it being merely a gut-shot with a peashooter of a handgun, she dies instantly. If she's especially crazy, she might laugh as her light goes out, or die with a Joker-like grin.

Now you can do the conclusion:

• Fast forward to 6 months later. The wife is completely unaffected by having taken a human life. Everyone is laughing at the barbecue, the husband is healed, everything is perfect.
• Husband will then introduce his new assistant at the law/architecture/marketing firm, they may joke about how they hope this one is sane.
• 5 solid minutes of credits listing way more people than necessary to create such a substandard low-budget mess.

TLDR: Oldest of 5 kids. Our mom is writing herself and her husband prescriptions for semaglutide. Mom has lost so much weight that it frightens me. I've lost trust in my mom, specifically around this example of poor judgement. I don't like seeing the woman I've looked to for guidance over the past 30 years living her life this way. I don't enjoy being around her, or even communicating with her over text anymore as it makes me feel, for lack of a better word... icky. What is a reasonable boundary in this scenario? Can I go low contact without creating intense family drama? If so, how the heck do I do that?
I want to only give facts here, trying not to make any part of it seem like a bigger or smaller deal than it is. My feelings are pretty cut and dry: I do not want to spend time with my mom unless it is a family obligation (i.g. Mother's Day, or a sibling's birthday dinner). I have no idea how to tell her this without causing significant stress among all members of my family. She will take any mention of what I'm about to tell you as a personal insult. Let's get into it.
My mom has always struggled with her self esteem, particularly around her weight. She has dieted off and on my entire life (and I imagine hers), seesawing between 150lbs (68 kilos) and 350lbs (158 kilos) over the past 25 years that I've been paying attention. My mom is a smaller woman at 5'3" (160cm).
Since I was little my mom has shared with me various tips to keep my weight down. "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," she'd tell me. "Be careful not to over indulge especially around your period." Stuff like that.
When I was 16 years old I went away to boarding school and gained some weight enjoying the meal plan there. NGL it was really good for a school cafeteria, lol. I'm 5'7" (170cm) and went from 135lb (61 kilos) to 155lbs (70 kilos) that year. When I came home for summer break my mom signed me up for weight watchers and we attended together all summer. If you're not familiar, Weight Watchers in the old days was just a group meeting where you paid a lady money to weigh you on a scale in front of all the other people who'd given her money. Then the lady would announce any fluctuations in your weight out loud for the group. Smart phones were not a thing at the time.
As an adult, my weight fluctuates between 145lbs and 155lbs. Sometimes the weight comes back off because I made a dietary change or a change in my physical habits, but usually changes like that are why my weight starts to climb in the first place, not the other way around. That is to say, my body seems to really prefer 145lbs and if I don't treat my body carelessly my weight tends to stay right about there, without effort.
Those times when I have gained and then lost the typical 10lbs or so, my mom makes a point to mention it. "You've lost weight! You look great!" The last time this happened I responded flatly with, "Oh..." hoping to make the point that I found her comment inappropriate.
This past holiday season when my siblings and I opened our traditional matching pajamas, mom made a big fuss about how sorry she was that my pajama pants were so "huge," "enormous," and "comically large." They were actually too small for me, lol.
Anyway I'll cut to the chase. Around August of last year my mom started losing weight rapidly. She had previously maintained her weight at (I'd guess) around 160/170lbs (75 kilos) for a handful of years before the weight loss really took off. I noticed around that time that she had fallen back into her habit of eating a couple of bites from her plate (which held half a serving of food in the first place) and then clearing her place setting before anyone might notice that she hadn't finished her meal. I didn't say anything.
A while later I spent about $300 taking her to high tea at a local farm for her birthday, where I ended up eating most of her meal in addition to mine. I didn't say anything.
Another while later while on a family vacation, my mom confessed to me that her husband (my adoptive father and the father of my siblings) thinks she has an eating disorder. She looked at me with half a smile, waiting for some kind of argument I suppose. "Whaaaaat? Noooo....." I just shrugged.
I am not joking when I tell you that it was that very same evening at dinner, when my dad pushed his first serving away unfinished and announced to the table "I just can't eat that much anymore," that I started to suspect something more was going on here.
Additional context for understanding: My mom is a medical professional with the ability to write prescriptions. She has often written scripts for our family as needed, so long as the medication in question is not a controlled substance. She has explained to us that this is the red line between unethical and illegal. Writing any of us a script for Xanax would be a crime, while writing an SSRI for my brother is only "frowned upon."
My brother is currently living at home, and told me a couple of months ago that my suspicions are correct; mom is writing herself scripts for semaglutide and more recently has begun writing them for my dad. My brother said he'd overheard mom talking about something called semaglutide and had googled it to try and better understand what he'd overheard. He told me that shortly after he'd overheard that conversation he'd turned a corner in the house and accidently witnessed our mom injecting our dad.
Since that revelation I've felt utterly paralyzed. Horrified, saddened, disappointed, and low key a little betrayed. I'm still working out how to talk to my therapist about this because I don't really understand my own feelings very well yet. Seeing her like this (100, maybe 110lbs (45-50 kilos)) and understanding exactly why and how this is happening is a very scary thing for me to grapple with. I am the oldest child and only daughter. Watching my mother succumb to her insecurities frightens me and angers me simultaneously. That she's got my dad into that boat with her now makes me feel a little sick.
My mom keeps texting me asking why we haven't found time to hang out lately. "Let me know if you find any time, we can go get pedicures," things like that. When I say I am at a loss for words...
I don't know what to do or where to go from here. Please help!

I’m 6 weeks in and I have gained clarity to my situation more than I thought I would at this point. The pain persist and I’m trying hard to make all the right decisions. I have been to two therapy sessions with the third next week. I’ve gained very little in the terms of healing. I’m trying very hard to fully understand the why and the how. Unfortunately the why is vague and the how still becomes debilitating to my mind.
My WW’s affair happened in February. I knew something was way off with her at the end of that month. Really dialed it in about three weeks after while she was seeing her AP with me on the same business trip. Cold blooded, I know. I shared the dinner table with the two of them, I spent hours at events with the two of them. I noticed the subtle gestures that made me uneasy that “just friends” do not make. I had know idea the extent of it but knew it was more. We took a vacation after our business trip to try and reconnect and for me to explain to her that I didn’t approve of the relationship. Fast forward a month later, I unravel it all. What I found devastated my life. Like many of you, I froze in time for the last 6 weeks trying to go about my days. Trying to figure out how to continue work, how to navigate my day to day, and just life in general.
Though I have accepted what’s happened I’m just as confused to why my wife did this today then the day I found out. What I do know, she has a lot of childhood trauma. Mom died before she was a teen, grandparents raised her and I’m really all she has left. Last year we had two miscarriages and the affair started about a month after the last one. My wife didn’t grieve, she didn’t reach out to me for help or to tell me how she felt. She’s always been guarded in that part of her life. How she confided in a guy that literally is just a willing partner with nothing going for him boggles my mind.
The biggest issues for me are that she brought this man into our lives through business. They got close and eventually it turned physical. After sleeping with him she brought him around me. Flaunted it in my face. She assumed that she could keep this relationship going and continue our marriage like nothing happened. After the fact I caught on to the AP and his snide remarks and his blatant attack on me knowing that he was banging my wife. I had a conversation with him about how disrespectful he was being on the trip and that I wasn’t going to have any of it. Especially since it was my business paying for the trip. He was a guest with a handful of other people. As you could imagine he and my wife kinda laughed in my face in a roundabout way. After telling my wife this she reassured me he was a good guy and he really respected me and considered me a good friend. How my wife could say that to my face after fucking him the week prior just makes my skin crawl. I literally die inside thinking about it.
Here now I sit, struggling with what to do. I loved my wife more than life itself. She was everything. We were in a good spot in life and in our marriage but the arguments got heavy in February for honesty no reason. After reading a lot in this sub, books, and online I found out that she was pushing me away to justify this relationship she had started with her AP. It somehow validated her mind that what she was doing was ok. Thank god I was tuned into my wife and notice when she was off. I wish I would have acted on my premonitions earlier as I was really getting uneasy in February with their relationship. I’m now stuck. I want R, because I love my wife. 16 years is a long time. But I don’t know how to forgive her. I don’t know how I can heal while seeing her face everyday. She makes me cry almost every night. I’m not a man that cries. She is doing everything right. I’m just relapsing our progress and my own daily. Just the thoughts, the mind movies, the nightmares, everything gets to me. Life has to move on right? How much time did you give yourself before you actually made a decision? If I make the decision to R it’s me taking everything in my mind and throwing it away. It’s no more reading. No more of me pain shopping on this subreddit. I know it helps so many of you but me reading all of your stories destroys my mind. I feel all of your pain. What my wife did isn’t anything compared to what some of you have went through. I need to distance myself to the constant reminder of infidelity. The pain for me is now compared to is it harder to stay or harder to let go?
No matter my choice, I want my wife to be happy and eventually get the peace she desperately deserves. Since I’ve always been the one to take care of others before myself I will make sure to at least see that part through. For me, I thought I wanted kids, now how is that possible? I’m in my late 30s my time is up too. I want to live life with someone that loves me and would never jeopardize what we’ve built, and we’ve built a lot. How does the mind move on, when the heart won’t let go?

the title of each is truncated from the online file name and the study's earliest date added for indexing purposes -- I've each study copied into my PC, links to the studies if that's challenging [DuckDuckGo works better than Google] available on request. In most instances, I've found free versions of the full studies and reports (I'd never ever pay for a copy), but maybe 10% relate to 'abstracts' that were detailed enough to be insightful. For Part 2, I've added the full title of each study/report.
200000 Long-term Exercise Using Weighted Vests in pm women M489

Long-term Exercise Using Weighted Vests Prevents Hip Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Women

We studied the effect of long-term weighted vest plus jumping exercise on hip BMD in postmenopausal women as a strategy for reducing hip fracture risk 80% of women would rather die than be institutionalized as a result of hip fracture. In an earlier study (4), we reported that 9 months of weighted vest exercise reduced fall risk in post menopausal women by improving neuromuscular measures of muscle strength and power and dynamic balance.
Eighteen postmenopausal women (age 64.1 1.6 years at baseline, 69.9 1.6 years at post-testing) who had participated in a 9-month exercise intervention volunteered for the long-term trial. Nine of the original group engaged in weighted vest plus jumping exercise three times per week for 32 weeks of the year over a period of 5 years. Nine of the original controls were active but not enrolled in the exercise program. BMD of the proximal femur was assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and after 5 years.
At follow-up, differences in BMD at all regions of the hip were higher in exercisers than controls. For exercisers, changes in BMD were 11.54% 2.37%, 20.24% 1.02%, and 20.82% 1.04% (means 1 SE) at the femoral neck, trochanter, and total hip, respectively; controls decreased at all sites (24.43% 0.93%, 23.43% 1.09%, and 3.80% 1.03%, respectively). When plotted individually for femoral neck, only three of the exercisers lost BMD, whereas all nine of the control women had decreased BMD at this site. Our data support participation in long-term exercise using weighted vests as a strategy for reducing hip fracture risk, a finding that should be confirmed in additional long-term prospective trials. Furthermore, this program is safe and practical and promotes both adherence and compliance in older women.
200000 Daidzein osteoporosis Picheritetal.2000

Daidzein Is More Efficient than Genistein in Preventing Ovariectomy-Induced Bone Loss in Rats

We investigated the ability of genistein and daidzein, two soybean isoflavones, compared with that of 17a-ethinylestradiol, in rats, to prevent bone loss in ovariectomized rats, a model for postmenopausal osteoporosis. daidzein was more efficient than genistein in preventing ovariectomy induced bone loss in rats.
200008 bone-loading-response-varies-with-strain-magnitude-and-cycle-number

Bone-loading response varies with strain magnitude and cycle number

As applied load or strain magnitude decreased, the number of cyc required for activation of formation increased. When load and number of Cycles/day (cyc) are constant, bone formation increases as frequency increases from 0 to 2 Hz (30), and, when frequency increases from 1 to 30 Hz, the strain threshold for bone maintenance decreases from 1,200 to 100 (18). Strain rate, which reflect me strain magnitude and cycle frequency, has been suggested to be one of the most important variables that determines bone response (16, 30).
When cycle number is extremely high and intense loads are applied several hundred times a day for several weeks, as occurs in military training, an almost pathological response has been measured with up to 11% bone gain in 14 wk (14). More traditional responses to exercise have been reported as a 2.2% increase in tibial BMD after 15 wk of basic training (7) or, in gymnasts, as a 2.8% increase in BMD at the spine and a 1.6% increase at the femoral neck after 8 mo of training (26) or, in men, as a 2% increase in BMD at the spine (not significant) and a 3.8% increase at the femoral neck after 16 wk of strength training (15).
Most adults are not willing or able to commit to repetitive high-intensity exercise, and forceful activities may not be safe for individuals at risk of osteoporotic fracture.
This study has shown that bone adaptation to loading is dependent on strain magnitude (rate) and the number of cyc at low frequency.
200100 Effects of Tower Climbing Exercise on Bone Mass Strength and Turnover in

Effects of Tower Climbing Exercise on Bone Mass, Strength, and Turnover in Growing Rats

Rats voluntarily climbed the 200-cm tower to drink water from the bottle set at the top of it. In 4 weeks, the trabecular bone formation rate (BFbone surface [BS]), bone volume (BV/TV), and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) of both the lumbar vertebra and tibia and the bone mineral density (BMD) of the tibia increased, while the osteoclast surface (Oc.S) decreased. The parameter values in the midfemur, such as the total cross-sectional area, the moment of inertia, the periosteal mineralizing surface (MS/BS), mineral apposition rate (MAR), BFBS, and bending load increased, while the endosteal MAR decreased. In 8 weeks, the increases in the bone mineral content (BMC), BMD of the femur and tibia, and the bending load values of the femur were significant, but the climbing exercise did not increase BMC, BMD, or the compression load of the lumbar vertebra.
The cortical bone formation induced by the climbing exercise seemed to strengthen the structure of the midfemur. The increase in trabecular bone mass of the lumbar vertebrae and tibia was caused by both increased bone formation and reduced bone resorption.
200100 Resistance training and BMD in women

Resistance training and bone mineral density in women: a metaanalysis of controlled trials

The length of the intervention ranged from 18 to 208 weeks and the frequency ranged from twice per week to daily Lumbar spine (23 studies). Small but statistically-significant ES changes in BMD were found at the lumbar spine. These changes were equivalent to a 0.19% decrease in the exercise groups and a 1.45% decrease in the control groups. Radius (10 studies). Small but statistically-significant changes in BMD were observed at the radius. These were equivalent to a 1.22% increase in BMD for the exercise groups and a 0.95% decrease in the control groups.
a change in the percentage of body fat was a significant predictor for ES changes in BMD at the femur. In addition, the initial lean-body mass was a significant predictor for ES changes in BMD at the radius. There was a statistically-significant decrease observed in the percentage of body fat (-2% plus or minus 2; 95% BCI: -3, -1), whereas there was a statistically-significant increase in lean-body mass (2 plus or minus 1 kg; 95% BCI: 1, 2).
Kelley G A, Kelley K S, Tran Z V. Resistance training and bone mineral density in women: a meta-analysis of controlled trials. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2001; 80(1): 65-77.
200101 Jumping improves hip and lumbar spine bone mass in prepubescent children

Jumping improves hip and lumbar spine bone mass in prepubescent children: a randomized controlled trial

prepubescent children between the ages of 5.9 and 9.8 years Peak ground reaction forces were calculated across 100, two-footed jumps from a 61-cm (about 24") box. jumpers had significantly greater 7-month changes at the femoral neck and lumbar spine than controls (4.5% and 3.1%, respectively). In repeated measures ANCOVA of secondary outcomes (BMD and BA), BMD at the lumbar spine was significantly greater in jumpers than in controls (2.0%) and approached statistical significance at the femoral neck (1.4%; p = 0.085). For BA, jumpers had significantly greater increases at the femoral neck area than controls (2.9%) but were not different at the spine. Our data indicate that jumping at ground reaction forces of eight times body weight is a safe, effective, and simple method of improving bone mass at the hip and spine in children
200103 home exercise programme to prevent falls 701

Effectiveness and economic evaluation of a nurse delivered home exercise programme to prevent falls. 2: Controlled trial in multiple centres

Falls were reduced by 30% in the exercise centres there was no difference in the number who had serious injuries and no difference in hospital costs resulting from falls in exercise centres compared with control centres.
200107 Recovery periods restore mechanosensitivity to dynamically loaded bone 3389

Recovery periods restore mechanosensitivity to dynamically loaded bone

more than 100 % higher relative bone formation rates in the 8 h recovery group than in the 0 and 0.5 h recovery groups. Approximately 8 h of recovery was sufficient to restore full mechanosensitivity to the cells. In the rats allowed time to recover between load cycles, 14 s of recovery resulted in significantly higher (66–190 %) relative bone formation rates compared to any of the three shorter recovery periods. Those experiments highlight two key points about bone mechanosensitivity: (i) that mechanical loading sessions need not be long to maximize bone formation, and (ii) that extending the loading session beyond a few minutes does not contribute any additional osteogenic effect.
rest periods lasting 10 s, introduced between individual loading cycles, enhanced the amount of surface actively forming new bone compared to bones that had been loaded for the same number of cycles but lacked a recovery period between cycles (back to- back cycles). Longer recovery periods resulted in higher relative bone formation rates. In tibias allowed 8 h of recovery between each of the four daily loading bouts, relative bone formation rates were 125 % greater than the rates found in animals that had received the four bouts with no recovery time between bouts (0 h group) and 102 % greater than the rates found in animals that had received the four bouts with a 0.5 h recovery time between bouts. a recovery period of approximately 8 h between bouts is sufficient to restore full mechanosensitivity to the cells.
relative mineralizing surface and relative bone formation rate were significantly (66–190 %) higher in the 14 s group than in any of the three remaining bending groups (Fig. 6A,C). No significant differences were found among the 0.5, 3.5 and 7 s groups. Thus, the results suggest the existence of a short-term recovery threshold somewhere between 7 and 14 s, beyond which bone formation is enhanced over more closely spaced cycles. we show that only 8 h of recovery is necessary to restore mechanosensitivity to adapted bone cells. load cycles spaced 14 s apart result in a greater amount of bone formed per cycle than occurs when cycles are spaced by 7 s or less.
200200 Low-Magnitude Mechanical Loading Becomes Osteogenic When Rest Is Inserted

Low-Magnitude Mechanical Loading Becomes Osteogenic When Rest Is Inserted Between Each Load Cycle

we found that insertion of a 10-s rest interval between each load cycle transformed a locomotion-like loading regime that minimally influenced osteoblast activity into a potent anabolic stimulus. 10 s of rest between each load cycle of a low-magnitude loading protocol greatly enhances the osteogenic potential of the regimen. suggesting that load induced fluid flows near osteocytes were reduced substantially (45%) beyond the first few load cycles of repetitive ( loading.( locomotion-like mechanical insertion of a 10-s rest interval between each load cycle transformed a low-magnitude minimally osteogenic loading regimen into a potent osteogenic stimulus in two distinct in vivo models of bone adaptation
200211 Walking and leisure-time activity and risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women

Walking and leisure-time activity and risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women

Walking is the most common activity among older adults, and evidence suggests that it can increase femoral bone density and reduce fracture risk. risk of hip fracture was lowered by % (% condence interval [CI], %-%; P<.) for each increase of metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours per week of activity (equivalent to h/wk of walking at an average pace). Active women with at least MET-h/wk had a % lower risk of hip fracture (relative risk [RR], .; % CI, .-.) compared with sedentary women with less than MET-h/wk. Even women with a lower risk of hip fracture due to higher body weight experienced a further reduction in risk with higher levels of activity.
200300 designing_exercise_regimens_to_increase_bone.9

Designing Exercise Regimens to Increase Bone Strength

bone mass (or areal BMD (aBMD)) is merely a surrogate measure for bone strength The load induced increase in aBMD and BMC were modest, reaching 5.4% and 6.9%, respectively. Despite these small gains in bone mineral, mechanical testing revealed a 64% increase in ultimate force (the maximum amount of force the bone could support before failing) and a 94% increase in energy to failure (the amount of energy absorbed by the bone before failure). The reason that a small amount of new bone resulted in such dramatic changes in bone strength is because the new bone formation was localized to the medial and lateral periosteal surfaces where mechanical strains (stresses) were greatest. only modest increases in total new bone formation produced a large increase in bone strength by placing bone where the biomechanical demands were greatest. assessment should include some measure of bone shape and size.
High impact exercises that produce large rates of deformation of the bone matrix best drive fluid through the lacunar canalicular network system. In addition, loading applied at higher frequency (cycles per second) more effectively stimulates osteogenesis. The required mechanical load necessary to initiate new bone formation decreases as the loading frequency increases. exercise is most effective if delivered in short bouts separated by several hours. ASSESSING EXERCISE: THE OSTEOGENIC INDEX
the weekly OI generated by 20 min of walking 5 1 d·w k is 36.8. This is calculated under the assumption that a 20-min walk generates approximately 800 loading cycles to each leg and that the peak load is 1.1 times body weight, or OI (week) 1.1 times body weight) * ln[800 cycles 1 * 5dwk1) 36.8 [3] 1 d . The OI for multiple bouts of loading depends upon the recovery time allowed between sessions. Therefore, three parameters are required to assess OI: intensity, N, and time between sessions. For mild-impact exercise, such as jumping, 1, 5 times·w k the OI varies from 50 when jumping 150 1 1. times·w k to 70 for 600 jumps·wk
The osteogenic potential of exercise can be increased further when the daily exercise is divided into two shorter sessions separated by 8 h. 1 For example, consider 120 jumps· d done in one session or broken into either two sessions of 60 jumps separated by 8 h or three sessions of 40 jumps separated by 4 h: OI (1 sessiond1) 3 (times body weight) * ln[120 cycles 1] 14.4 , [4] OI (2 sessionsd1) 3 * ln[60 1] 3 * ln[60 1] 1 e 8h /6h) 21.4 , [5] 1 OI (3 sessionsd1) 3 * ln[40 1] 3 * ln[40 1] * (1e 4h /6h) 3 * ln[40 1] 1 e 4h /6h) * (1 4h/ 6h) 19.2 [6] e 1
Consequently, breaking 120 jumps into two sessions improves the OI by almost 50%, the osteogenic 1 effectiveness of 600 jumps·wk is more than doubled if the exercise is delivered in 5 daily sessions, rather than 2 1. times·w k
Jump training improved BMC in the hip and spine when performed 3 times·wk (1). However, when the number of sessions was reduced to 2 times·wk jumping did not significantly affect BMC (2). engaging in exercise during skeletal growth is unequivocally more osteogenic than exercise during skeletal maturity those who started playing at an early age (several years before menarche) had more than two times as much differential (playing arm vs nonplaying arm) in mineral accrual than those who started playing during their adult years.
200300 Walking and Reduction of Hip Fracture Risk in Older Women AAFP

Walking and Reduction of Hip Fracture Risk in Older Women

Walking was subdivided according to pace: easy (less than 2 miles per hour [mph]), average, brisk, and very brisk (4 mph or faster); “unable to walk” was also a category. Each activity was assigned a metabolic equivalent (MET) score, with 1 MET being the energy expended during quiet sitting. The median total activity for the study participants was seven MET-hours per week, which is equivalent to the energy expended while walking at an average pace for 2.3 hours per week. Activity and body mass index (BMI) inversely and independently correlated with hip fracture risk. Women with 24 MET-hours per week had a 55 percent lower occurrence of hip fracture than those reporting three MET-hours per week. The risk of hip fracture declined by 6 percent for each MET-hour per week (dose-dependent reduction). Heavier women had a lower fracture risk in every activity category. Hormone replacement therapy conferred the greatest risk reduction in women with the lowest level of activity (less than three MET-hours per week).Very active women (24 MET-hours per week or more) received no added benefit from hormone therapy. Walking for four hours a week or more was associated with a risk reduction of 41 percent. Furthermore, the brisker the pace, the greater the risk reduction.
standing for 10 hours a week or more also was associated with a signicantly lower risk of hip fracture.
200400 physical_activity_and_bone_health.24

Physical Activity and Bone Health

Mode: weight-bearing endurance activities (tennis; stair climbing; jogging, at least intermittently during walking), activities that involve jumping (volleyball, basketball), and resistance exercise (weight lifting) Intensity: moderate to high, in terms of bone-loading forces Frequency: weight-bearing endurance activities 3–5 times per week; resistance exercise 2–3 times per week 1 Duration: 30–60 min d of a combination of weight-bearing endurance activities, activities that involve jumping, and resistance exercise that targets all major muscle groups
Because it takes 3–4 months for one remodeling cycle to complete the sequence of bone resorption, formation, and mineralization (85), a minimum of 6–8 months is required to achieve a new steady-state bone mass that is measurable. Activities that simulate resistance training in humans, including jumping up to a platform, voluntary tower climbing, and simulated “squat” exercises, have been found to have positive effects on both cortical and trabecular bone regions of the tibia and femur Peak bone mineral accrual rate has been reported to occur at puberty (2), with 26% of adult total body bone mineral accrued within a 2-yr period of this time bone appears to be most responsive to mechanical stress during Tanner stages II through IV In a 5-yr study of a small group of postmenopausal women, exercisers who wore weighted vests averaging 5 kg during jumping activity preserved hip BMD to a greater extent than control subjects (110). men who reported participation in vigorous physical activity had a 62% lower relative risk of hip fracture than men who indicated they did not participate in vigorous physical activity
200401 Risk of Mortality kwh274

The “Weekend Warrior” and Risk of Mortality

The multivariate relative risks for mortality among the sedentary, insufficiently active, weekend warriors, and regularly active men were 1.00 (referent), 0.75 (95% confidence interval CI): 0.62, 0.91), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.65, 1.11), and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.73), respectively.
200505 impact exercise on bone mineral density in elderly women with low BMD 30-month intervention

Effect of impact exercise on bone mineral density in elderly women with low BMD: a population-based randomized controlled 30-month intervention.

Participants (n=160) were randomly assigned to 30 months either of supervised and home-based impact exercise training or of no intervention. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 12 months and 30 months using blinded operators. The analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat analysis. Mean femoral neck and trochanter BMD decreased in the control group [-1.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.1% to -2.1% and -1.6%, 95% CI -0.4% to -2.7%], while no change occurred in the exercise group. Mean trochanter BMC decreased more in the control group (-7.7%, 95% CI -9.7% to -5.6% vs. -2.9%, 95% CI -5.3 to -0.9). There were six falls that resulted in fractures in the exercise group and 16 in the control group during the 30-month intervention (P=0.019). A significant bone loss occurred in both groups at the radius and calcaneum. In multivariate analysis, weight gain was associated with increased BMD and BMC at all femur sites both in the exercise group and in the pooled groups. In conclusion, impact exercise had no effect on BMD, while there was a positive effect on BMC at the trochanter. Exercise may prevent fall-related fractures in elderly women with low bone mass.
200506 low-repetition-jump-training-on-bone-mineral-density-in-young-women

Effect of low-repetition jump training on bone mineral density in young women

—The hypothesis of the present study was that low-repetition and high-impact training of 10 maximum vertical jumps/day, 3 times/wk would be effective for improving bone mineral density (BMD) in ordinary young women. low-repetition and high-impact jumps enhanced BMD at the specific bone sites in young women who had almost reached the age of peak bone mass Jo hannsen and coworkers (11) have found greater increases in total and leg bone mineral content (BMC) by relatively fewer jumps from a 45-cm-high box, 25 jumps/day, 5 times/wk, total of 125 jumps/wk in a randomized, controlled trial conducted with children (3–18 yr). Also, Snow et al. (24) reported, after 5 yr of resistance training with weighted vest and an average 51.7 jumps/day, 3 times/wk, for a total of 155 jumps/wk from a 20.3-cm-high step, improved femoral neck BMD compared with a control group in postmenopausal woman (64.1– 69.9 yr).
to bring intakes over 650 mg/day of elemental calcium, which exceeds the requirements for the recommended calcium allowances in Japanese adult women of this age At both visits for measuring jump height, subjects jumped vertically at least twice with maximum voluntary effort, and the best performance was recorded. The subjects stood at the center of the circular thin rubber mat (38 cm in diameter). The jumper attached the height measuring device to her waist. The jump height measuring device and the circular mat were attached by a rope so that the traveling distance from the standing position to the maximum height reached at waist level could be measured.
Heinonen et al. (7) reported that high-impact jump training from a height of 10–25 cm, at which the estimated GRF is 2.1–5.6 times BW, produced significant improvement in femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD in premenopausal women aged 35–45 yr. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that 10 maximum vertical jumps/day, 3 days/wk enhanced BMD at the femoral neck in young women who had almost reached the age of peak bone mass. For practical applications, low-repetition high-impact jumps are suggested to be one of the ideal training methods for enhancing and maintaining peak bone mass in young adult women.
200509 Bounceat_the_Bell_A_novel_program_of_short_bouts

"Bounce at the Bell": A novel program of short bouts of exercise improves proximal femur bone mass in early pubertal children

,3 10 counter-movement jumps 36 per day (total min/day). bone mineral content (BMC) Intervention children gained significantly more BMC at the total proximal femur (2%) and the intertrochanteric region (27%). took only a few minutes each day and enhanced bone mass at the weight bearing proximal femur in early pubertal children.
Upwards of 90% of adult bone mass is acquired by the end of adolescence,
Teachers instructed the children to perform 10 counter movement jumps (two foot take off, clutch knees, two foot landing), three times each school day (once at morning bell, once at noon bell, and once at home time bell). Ground reaction forces for a counter movement jump were five times body weight (BW) and maximum rate of force was .400 BW/s
200606 Leisure Physical Activity and the Risk of Fracture in Men pmed.0040199

Leisure Physical Activity and the Risk of Fracture in Men

Men with a sedentarylifestyle (HR 2.56, 95% confidence interval 1.55–4.24) or men who walked or bicycled only for pleasure (HR 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.10–2.36) had an increased adjusted risk of hip fracture compared with men who participated in regular sports activities for at least 3 h/wk. At the end of follow-up, 8.4% of the men with a high physical activity, 13.3% of the men with a medium physical activity, and 20.5% of the men with a low physical activity had suffered a hip fracture.
200608 Exercise maintains bone density at spine and hip. early postmenopausal women

Exercise maintains bone density at spine and hip EFOPS: A 3-year longitudinal study in early postmenopausal women

The exercise strategy emphasized low-volume high resistance strength training and high-impact aerobics. After 38 months, the following within-group changes were measured: DXA lumbar spine, EG: 0.8% n.s.; CG: )3.3% P <0.001; QCT trabecular ROI, EG: 1.1% n.s; ) CG: 7.7% P <0.001; QCT cortical ROI, EG: 5.3% P ) <0.001; CG: 2.6% P <0.001; DXA total hip: EG: )0.2% n.s; CG )1.9%, P <0.001; DXA distal forearm, ) EG: 2.8% P <0.001; CG: )3.8% P <0.001; BUA, ) EG: 0.3% n.s; CG )5.4% P <0.001; SOS, EG: 0.3% n.s; CG )1.0% P <0.001. At year 3 between-group differences relative to the exercise group were: DXA lumbar spine: 4.1% P <0.001; QCT trabecular ROI: 8.8% P <0.001; QCT cortical ROI: 7.9% P <0.001; DXA total hip: 2.1%, P <0.001; DXA distal forearm: 1.0% n.s.; BUA: 5.8% P <0.05; SOS: 1.3% P <0.001.
a long-term exercise study with low to moderate training volume, but high-resistance intensity along with high-impact aerobics and endurance for early postmen opausal women with osteopenia. Group training session supplemented with calcium and cholecalciferol to ensure a total daily intake of 1,500 mg calcium and 500 IE vitamin D. There was a long (6– 7 months) phasing-in period to adapt the participants to the more strenuous exercises.
The exercise regimen should affect bone along multiple pathways. During the initial warm-up sequence (running and games), exercise intensity was moderate [39, 40], but cycle number (>1,000 cycles) and strain frequency (2–4 Hz) were high. According to Cullen et al. [41], high cycle numbers compensate for strain magnitudes that are slightly below the adaptive threshold of bone. Furthermore, within the range of deliberate motion (<4 Hz.), Turner et al. [42] demonstrated significantly higher bone formation rates after higher strain frequencies (2 Hz) compared with lower frequencies (<0.5 Hz).
In a 12-month study. Jones et al. [30] demonstrated significant BUA increases relative to sedentary controls in their brisk walking group. Turner et al. [47] reported higher increments
of bone strength exercising 2·5 weeks with an intermittent 5-week rest period than with 15 weeks of continuous exercise.
200702 osteoporosis risk factors 1471-2474-9-28

The assessment of osteoporosis risk factors in Iranian women compared with Indian women

Pure vegetarianism: (2.2) and Red meat consumption more than 4 times per week (1.4) was shown as a risk factor in Indian and Iranian subjects respectively. Regular consumption of Soya (0.3), almond (0.5), fish (0.5), fruits (0.4) and milk tea 4 cups per day and more (0.4) appeared to be significant protective factors in India. Regular consumption of cheese (0.5), milk (0.5), chicken (0.4), egg (0.6), fruit (0.4), tea 7 cups per day and more (0.3) were found to be significant protective factors in Iran. Exercises were shown as protective factor in Iran (0.4) and India (0.4). Mean of weight and BMI were significantly lower in osteoporotic group in both countries BMI less than 26 have been shown as risk factors of osteoporosis in both countries. Regular consumption of Soya, almond fish, fruits and milk tea 4 cups per day and more appeared to be significant protective factors in India. Regular consumption of cheese, milk, chicken, egg, fruit, tea 7 cups per day and more were found to be significant protective factors in Iran. The percentage of women who were directly in sunshine exposure at least for 15 minutes per day was significantly higher among controls compared to osteoporotic groups in Iranian subjects (P < 0.01). and sunshine exposure was shown as a protective factor in Iran Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval include 0.45 (0.28–0.72) and it remained significant after age, weight and height adjustment. the consumption of almond, Soya products, were shown as protective factors in India The isoflavones in soybeans, which function both as phytoestrogens and antioxidants, may result in the inhibition of bone resorption Also important is total protein in the diet.
Low levels of serum albumin negatively affect transport of serum calcium. In this study black tea consumption more than 6 cups per day in Iran and Milk tea consumption 4 cups per day or more in India have been shown as protective factors for osteoporosis. Nutrients found in tea, such as flavonoids, may influence BMD
200706 Activity Reduces Risk of Fragility Fracture

Physical Activity Reduces the Risk of Fragility Fracture

A 2002 study of postmenopausal women by Feskanich et al. [13] found a dose response relationship: the risk of hip fracture was lowered by 6% for each increase of three metabolic equivalent hours of activity per week (equivalent to one hour per week of walking at an average speed). At the end of the follow-up, 8.4% of the men in the high physical activity group, 13.3% of the men in the medium physical activity group, and 20.5% of the men in the low physical activity group had suffered a hip fracture. the effective “dose” of exercise for reducing the risk of hip fracture was readily attained by recreational sports, heavy gardening, or other activities with similar intensity performed for at least three hours per week.
200803 exercise-induced increases in bone density FNR-52-1872

Sustainability of exercise-induced increases in bone density and skeletal structure

Recreational exercise seems to at least partially maintain exercise-induced skeletal benefits achieved during growth. Exercise during growth may be followed by long-term beneficial skeletal effects, which could possibly reduce the incidence of fractures. The duration of exercise is of less importance, as a short duration of load or a small number of repetitions are enough to achieve the maximal anabolic effect. Exercise-induced skeletal benefits in BMD achieved during growth seem to be lost with cessation of exercise, whereas exercise-induced structural benefits in the skeleton may be retained even with reduced activity level.
200803 Jumping increases bone mass during growth FNR-52-1871

Physical activity increases bone mass during growth

Conclusion: Exercise during growth seems to enhance the building of a stronger skeleton through a higher peak bone mass and a larger bone size. Table 1. The skeletal response to exercise seen in randomized and non-randomized prospective controlled exercise intervention studies in pre and peri-pubertal children and in post-pubertal girls Based on current scientific knowledge, we should recommend a physically active lifestyle and an adequate nutritional intake for growing children, as one prevention strategy to reduce the current high incidence of fractures.
200805 mobility tests for predicting falls Tiedemannetal2008

The Comparative ability of eight functional mobility tests for predicting falls in community-dwelling older people

measurements—the sit-to-stand test with one and five repetitions, the pick-up-weight test, the half-turn test, the alternate-step test (AST), the six-metre-walk test (SMWT) and stair ascent and descent tasks. Poor performances in two mobility tests, = however, increased the risk of multiple falls more than poor performance in one test alone (ORs 3.66,
Functional mobility tests Alternate-step test The alternate-step test (AST) is a modified version of the Berg stool-stepping task [17]. It involves weight shifting and provides ameasure of lateral stability. This test involved alternatively placing the entire left and right feet (shoes removed) as fast as possible onto a step that was 18 cm high and 40 cm deep. The time taken to complete eight steps, alternating between the left and right feet comprised the test measure.
An AST cut-off point of 10 s was associated with a 130% increased risk,
200810 fitness of older adults in senior activity centres after 24-week silver yoga exercises

Physical fitness of older adults in senior activity centres after 24-week silver yoga exercises

The physical fitness of older adults in both the 70-minute complete silver yoga group and the 55-minute shortened silver yoga group had significantly improved after the interventions.
200900 impact exercise on postmenopausal bone loss

A meta-analysis of impact exercise on postmenopausal bone loss: the case for mixed loading exercise programmes

There was a statistically significant improvement in bone mineral density in g per cm at the lumbar spine (WMD 0.015, 95% CI 0.005 to 0.025; 11 trials; 16 comparisons) and femoral neck (WMD 0.008, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.013; 13 trials; 19 comparisons) using impact exercise interventions compared with control. There was evidence of statistical heterogeneity for both outcomes (I =84% for lumbar spine and I =61% for femoral neck). There was also a significant improvement in hip bone mineral density using impact exercise compared with controls (WMD 0.013, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.024; four trials), but again with statistical heterogeneity (I =91%). Subgroup analyses showed that combined-impact interventions significantly improved bone mineral density at the lumbar spine (WMD 0.016, 95% CI 0.005 to 0.027; three comparisons) and femoral neck (WMD 0.005, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.010; five comparisons).
There was evidence of statistical heterogeneity for lumbar spine (I =73%), but not for femoral neck (I =0%). Low-impact interventions, which included jogging, walking, and/or stair climbing, also showed significant improvements in bone mineral density at the femoral neck (WMD 0.022, 95% CI 0.014 to 0.030, six comparisons) and lumbar spine (WMD 0.025, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.046; six comparisons). High-impact and odd-impact interventions showed no significant improvements in bone density at either site.
200906 Fall Risk Assessment Tool Tiedemannetal2010

The Development and Validation of a Brief Performance-Based Fall Risk Assessment Tool for Use in Primary Care

Each of the performance items; low contrast visual acuity, tactile sensitivity, sit to stand, alternate step, and near tandem stand ability; and measures of previous falls and medications could discriminate between prospectively categorized multiple fallers and non–multiple fallers with relative risk values ranging from 1.4 to 2.4 in the development study. The probability of future multiple falls increased from 7% with the identification of zero or one risk factor up to a probability of 49% with the identification of six or more risk factors. Clinicians who have used the assessment report that it is a practical assessment, which can be incorporated into clinical practice.
200912 Maintenance of High-Impact Activity-Induced Bone Gain by Voluntary, Unsupervised Exercises

Good Maintenance of High-Impact Activity-Induced Bone Gain by Voluntary, Unsupervised Exercises: An 8-Month Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial

the signicant BMD increases that were obtained by supervised 18-month high-impact training were eectively maintained with subsequent unsupervised regular aerobic and step classes (twice per week). The nding emphasizes the effectiveness and feasibility of self-controlled aerobic and step exercises in the primary prevention of osteoporosis among healthy premenopausal women
200912 Effect of Aging on Human Skeletal Muscle

The Effect of Aging on Human Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial and Intramyocellular Lipid Ultrastructure

intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) older adults have larger IMCL droplets, fewer mitochondria, and a lower proportion of IMCL in contact with mitochondria. These factors likely contribute to age-related reductions in mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism. Aerobic exercise training produces the opposite effect, whereby mitochondria and IMCL become closely associated and are therefore more optimally situated for oxidation ( 18 ).
201000 Exercise and Bone Macro-architecture GoingFarr2010IJBCR

Exercise and Bone Macro-architecture: Is Childhood a Window of Opportunity for Osteoporosis Prevention?

Reliance on dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and aBMD has been a problem. DXA estimates of aBMD are confounded by changes in bone size with growth and only partially reflect bone strength. Structural adaptations, such as increases in bone width, may confer lasting increases in bone strength. exercise might significantly enhance the fracture resistance of bone, but the effects may go undetected because a single slice measurement may not coincide with regions where bone is localized (the most mechanically appropriate sites). Furthermore, the dif-ficulties in interpreting metaphyseal pQCT BMD from a single slice [90] and the potential poor long-term reproducibility of pQCT measurements as a result of the inability to find the same exact location along the length of the bone over time [80] may limit the ability of pQCT to detect exercise-induced bone adaptations.
201007 The driving force in osteoporosis query lencel2011

Inflammaging: The driving force in osteoporosis?

with regard to emerging epidemiologic studies, the hypothesis is suggesting that age-related changes such as inflammatory modifications importantly account for age-related bone loss is gaining increasing interest. circulating levels of TNF -a may be the best predictor of mortality in frail, elderly populations with a high mortality rate, whereas IL-6 may be the strongest risk marker in healthy, elderly populations It is today acknowledged that adipose tissue behaves as an endocrine tissue that secretes several inflammatory mediators. In the Geelong Osteoporosis study, the fracture risk was increased 24–32% for each SD increase in CRP levels in elderly women [34]. Finally, in healthy individuals over age 70, Cauley and collaborators have shown that in addition to CRP levels, high serum levels of inflammatory markers IL-6, TNF- a, and TNF receptors, also predict a higher incidence of non-traumatic fractures [35].

This is kind of a weird one, but since we are both 30s adults with long-established ED behaviors I feel like this is the right place to ask? I know that I only have control over my behaviors and my reactions, but at the same time I want us to be able to have kind conversations about food and ED with each other.
For almost the entirety of our almost 2yr relationship, my partner and I cook and eat separately. It works well for us, there's never any comparisons, and we're both very pro-recovery. We figure it's pretty similar to when we go to restaurants and order two different things anyways. But I know both of us would really like to get to a point where we can cook for each other and eat together.
However, if I'm being honest, a large reason that I can't eat with my partner is that their eating habits make me a little squeamish? Their table behaviors include loud slurping, not using utensils, not chewing completely, things that a lot of Western customs consider "rude." It does make me a little embarrassed when we're out with others (which I can get over) but the physical bodily reaction to me being unable to eat my own food when I really want to avoid restriction is much harder to ignore. At the same time, because my partner also has an ED, I don't want to say anything that would make them upset or would be possibly harmful. That would be the worst!
Does anyone have advice as to how to approach this conversation? Is it possible to discuss things like sounds without ever mentioning the food component? Thanks so much!

I'd like to find someone who captivates me. Someone who I can talk with effortlessly. I want to meet a person who I can include in my daily tasks, and talk with throughout the day. I just want to find someone I can be open with. Platonic conversation or romance. Whatever you are looking for, don't hesitate to message me. I hope to hear from you.
I love a number of things, and hate very little. I'm fairly open to trying new things, but some of the things I enjoy are as follows. I love the outdoors. I've never been camping, but I would like to try it with someone some day. I also love to fish. I mostly fish salt water. I do occasionally fish freshwater though. I like to check out new spots around me, but I mostly fish on the beach. Do you like to fish? What are some of your favorite places to go?
I also enjoy the shooting sports. I primarily target shoot. I take part in a little bit of everything, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It would be nice to find someone who is into shooting or would like to learn/become more familiar. If you shoot, what do you like to shoot mostly? What's been your favorite gun to shoot so far?
PC games are also a enjoyable pastime for me. I have a variety of games, most of which are on Steam. I have other games on various other stores/services. I enjoy a wide variety of different kind of games, so I'm sure we can find something to play together if you game. What are some of your all time favorite games? What are you currently grinding on that you can't put down? One hobby I discovered later on in life is Magic the Gathering. I play both online on MtG Arena, and with physical cards. Magic has become something I am particularly fond of. Do you play any kind of card/table top games? What's been your favorite so far? If you play Magic, what are some of your favorite deck themes?
Music has always been a part of my life. My tastes are varied, ranging from country, death and black metal, electronic, classic rock, folk, pop punk, and more. Do you have a favorite band? What has been your favorite concert you've been to?
I'm honestly an ambivert. I enjoy doing things outside, as well as spending time indoors. I can veg out all day under the covers curled up in my bed, or I can take a trip somewhere and experience something new. I think my personality is a mix of the best of both worlds. What would the perfect day consist of for you?
As far as my personality is concerned, I would say I am fairly relaxed and laid back. I feel like I am somewhere in the middle between loud and excitable, and shy and quiet. Around people I don't know, I tend to be fairly quiet and to myself. In the company of someone who I am close with, I am more open and free. Do you open right up to people, or does it take a while to become comfortable with someone new?
All I hope for is a connection. It could be platonic, or it could blossom into romance, and commitment. I'm not putting a limit on what I am looking for.
With the prior being said, I am single. I may be interested in changing that with the right person. The idea of commitment excites me. Monogamy is appealing to me. Do you feel satisfied with your social life? What kind of connection are you looking for?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate it. I hope you can identify with something I wrote. If you do, please reach out.
P.S. Please feel free to check my post history, and check out a few pictures of my cat if you would like.

I'd like to find someone who captivates me. Someone who I can talk with effortlessly. I want to meet a person who I can include in my daily tasks, and talk with throughout the day. I just want to find someone I can be open with. Platonic conversation or romance. Whatever you are looking for, don't hesitate to message me. I hope to hear from you.
I love a number of things, and hate very little. I'm fairly open to trying new things, but some of the things I enjoy are as follows. I love the outdoors. I've never been camping, but I would like to try it with someone some day. I also love to fish. I mostly fish salt water. I do occasionally fish freshwater though. I like to check out new spots around me, but I mostly fish on the beach. Do you like to fish? What are some of your favorite places to go?
I also enjoy the shooting sports. I primarily target shoot. I take part in a little bit of everything, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It would be nice to find someone who is into shooting or would like to learn/become more familiar. If you shoot, what do you like to shoot mostly? What's been your favorite gun to shoot so far?
PC games are also a enjoyable pastime for me. I have a variety of games, most of which are on Steam. I have other games on various other stores/services. I enjoy a wide variety of different kind of games, so I'm sure we can find something to play together if you game. What are some of your all time favorite games? What are you currently grinding on that you can't put down? One hobby I discovered later on in life is Magic the Gathering. I play both online on MtG Arena, and with physical cards. Magic has become something I am particularly fond of. Do you play any kind of card/table top games? What's been your favorite so far? If you play Magic, what are some of your favorite deck themes?
Music has always been a part of my life. My tastes are varied, ranging from country, death and black metal, electronic, classic rock, folk, pop punk, and more. Do you have a favorite band? What has been your favorite concert you've been to?
I'm honestly an ambivert. I enjoy doing things outside, as well as spending time indoors. I can veg out all day under the covers curled up in my bed, or I can take a trip somewhere and experience something new. I think my personality is a mix of the best of both worlds. What would the perfect day consist of for you?
As far as my personality is concerned, I would say I am fairly relaxed and laid back. I feel like I am somewhere in the middle between loud and excitable, and shy and quiet. Around people I don't know, I tend to be fairly quiet and to myself. In the company of someone who I am close with, I am more open and free. Do you open right up to people, or does it take a while to become comfortable with someone new?
All I hope for is a connection. It could be platonic, or it could blossom into romance, and commitment. I'm not putting a limit on what I am looking for.
With the prior being said, I am single. I may be interested in changing that with the right person. The idea of commitment excites me. Monogamy is appealing to me. Do you feel satisfied with your social life? What kind of connection are you looking for?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I appreciate it. I hope you can identify with something I wrote. If you do, please reach out.
P.S. Please feel free to check my post history, and check out a few pictures of my cat if you would like.

My mom grew up in a very poor household, where she was abused regularly by her stepdad and his friends. My grandma never stopped this behavior, even when it became SA because Stepdad- (let's call him Mike) Would threatened to kill her, and almost had in several occasions.
Over all, it wasn't a good home life. When my mom became pregnant for me at age 18, My grandmother kicked her out and she lived in her car for a few months with her dog, until her college friend, (let's call her Amy) moved her in with her and her boyfriend. They took her to appointments and got her anti-stress remedies, because the pregnancy wasn't all too great.
When I was born, my grandma was there, of course, and was there during the last couple of months of the pregnancy. When I was born, Any was one of the first people to hold me, as well as my mom's then boyfriend (don't get attached to that boyfriends, he's a pedo.)
I don't know much about how, But my mom found a traitor and lived there until I was 4. During this time, she had taken a break with this boyfriend, and her childhood best friend died in a car crash, killing him. She was devastated, But at least she had one of her other closest friends. (Let's call him Leo)
Leo and my mom were very close, and he served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Until he sadly took his own like in his closet. My mom was the one to find him.
During my mom's depression, she tried to take her own life, but stopped, hearing ME cry for her from my room. She called my aunt and my grandma to come and watch me and my younger sister while she went to a mental hospital to help her. My grandmother took this as an excuse to try and take custody of me. My mom was depressed, she 'let' her BF assault me. (Not true at all. When my mom found out she cut out his eye)
My mom kept custody of me, But ever since, my grandma has tried to get custody of me. Even opting to kidnap me once. Safe to say, she's always favored me. On birthdays, it was obvious she loved me more than my sister, and even told her in her 9th birthday she was a mistake baby.
I've ALWAYS loved my sister, so I didn't talk to her for quite some time. I told her I'd be willing to keep in touch if she remained civil with my mom and my sister. She agreed, and that's how it was for a few years. Everytime my sister wanted to talk to her, she'd listen and engaged with her in conversation. Even hanging her pictures up on her house.
It was going great, up my birthday when I was sick the day after. (I'm allergic to most artificial sugars) And she came into my room. My grandma is a nurse and gave me some pain killers, and told me: "No matter what, you'll always be my girl."
For a bit of reference, Most my family didn't treat my mom the best, and I'm the spitting image of her. Most of her side of the family favored me over my sister, (who has red hair and pale skin. We're Puerto Rican) And so I was always expected to do more.
I'm an honors student, I have straight A's, I have my own job, Bought my own car, and volunteer at local rescue centers. I'm also apart of a program, and I do classes at the local college. Over all, I'm 'the perfect granddaughter'. Though, my sister has AMAZING accomplishments! She's the fastest runner in her track team, also an honor student, passed middle school with the award: 'Smartest Student' and 'Most Artistically Gifted'.
Still, I was favored. One day, we went to visit my grandma at her house. She was polite, and offered us some kittens to take home (she is the crazy cat lady. HAS 26 CATS!!) But we declined. My mom saw that she had a lot of pictures of me in her desk, and hanging up in her room. When we got home, my mom started screaming at me, Because her mom loved me more than her own daughter.
She told me she wished she'd killed herself instead of raising me, And a screaming match began. My dog, a pitbull mix (trained attack dog, trained by me) was standing guard in front of me, afraid my mom would attack me. (My mom has bipolar, it wouldn't be the first time) And I called my grandma. She took me and my dog to the local Burger King, (my favorite) and we talked.
When I got home, my mom was even more mad. Wheneved she called her mom, she never picked up, but when I do, she's racing over. (She lives an hour away and doesn't like driving.)
More yelling began and I drove off. (As I said, I have to own car.) I stayed the night at my friend's house, and when I came back the next day, My mom was already at work and left me a note.
In the note, she said she partially blamed me for her mom not Loving her, and said that maybe if she had killed herself and let my grandmother take care of me, my grandma would love her more.
I never asked for this attention or anything from my grandmother. I didn't asked to be born. I don't know why she's blaming me, but at the same time I can't help but feel a little guilty... I always tried to stick up for my mom and sister whenever my grandma came over, but now I'm wondering if my efforts weren't enough..
AITA?

About the Job

We are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Marketing Manager to join our team. The ideal candidate is not just a metrics monitor; they are a strategic thinker and hands-on executor who thrives in a startup environment. As a Marketing Manager, you will be responsible for developing and executing comprehensive marketing strategies, wearing multiple hats to drive success from concept to implementation from SEM with digital ads and retargeting, to SEO (in partnership with an agency), and creating strategies in collaboration with our B2C core business. This role requires strong organization, project management, and an ability to scale how we plan and execute our go-to-market strategy for our B2B product. You will play an instrumental role in driving strategy and daily operations and impacting the business.

Job Responsibilities

• Strategy Development: Collaborate with stakeholders to develop innovative marketing strategies aligned with organizational goals.
• Oversee the entire marketing process, from ideation to completion, demonstrating a hands-on approach to all aspects of the marketing mix in collaboration with the head of B2B.
• Drive campaigns across diverse channels, including digital, social media, content, and traditional marketing avenues.
• You’ll work from start to finish on determining the appropriate audience, budget, channels, and tactics to engage our audiences with compelling campaigns, which you will work with the broader GTM team to execute successfully.
• Establish the corresponding KPIs to measure the success of marketing efforts associated with the company's business objectives.
• Leverage data analytics to evaluate the performance of marketing initiatives and adjust strategies for optimal results.
• Collaborate with the Sales Director to develop and execute strategic marketing initiatives, focusing on supporting clients/partners and implementing efficiency improvements for scalable business growth year after year.
• Experience in end-to-end management of mass media campaigns: planning, content production and measurement of results. Coordination with stakeholders inside and outside the company throughout the entire process.
• Startup Agility: Adapt quickly to changing priorities and requirements inherent in a startup environment, demonstrating flexibility and resourcefulness.
• Effectively communicate marketing results, insights, and recommendations to internal stakeholders, including executive leadership.

Requirements

• Strong analytical thinking and action-oriented execution.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in marketing roles, with a track record of successfully leading end-to-end marketing campaigns for startups in initial to growth phase.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and draw actionable insights
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic marketing plans that drive business objectives.
• Ability to understand data-driven results and the actions needed to optimize campaigns and hit target goals. Proficiency in analyzing marketing metrics and using data insights to optimize campaigns.
• Experience in optimizing Marketing budgets of 6 figures or more.
• Experience in managing digital marketing platforms and conversion rate optimization. Knowledge of offline channels.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in startup environments
• Experience in B2B marketing, lead generation and organization of institutional events

Hello from the north of Sweden! I work as a nurse. I love being out in nature and/or my cabin, snow mobiling, hiking, working out, cooking, reading, nerding a lil bit but not too much these days. I'm quite open to new things and ideas, whether it's alone or together. I've been told once or twice that I'm cute, but I'd rather be called something else. I'm 175 cm long and around 85 kg. Curly hair, blue/green eyes.. well it's easier to send a picture, send me yours and you'll get mine. Work keeps me busy, but I've been starting to feel lonely lately. I'm looking for someone to exchange a conversation with, preferably someone not in my own line of work but that's obviously okay too. Who knows what things will lead to? Open DM/chat for any any ladies around my age but older is not a negative, lookiung forward to hear from you!

Hello everyone, GrimaIsBestWaifu here. As you might know, I am a massive fan of Book IV and its characters. Today marks around four years since I officially came around to Book IV after initially being a hater. Needless to say, as a Book IV nerd and enthusiast, I secured a copy of FEH's second art book at the first opportunity in order to further immerse myself in my passion. While it's an illustrations book first and foremost, I found the most value in the sections that went into detail about the lore, story, and characters of Books IV and V (but mostly IV, heh).
As of today, there is no official English version of this book, so non-Japanese readers are limited in how much information they can glean from it. This is a tragedy I can't abide, being heavily invested in FEH's story and wanting others to be able to appreciate it too, despite its flaws. There is also a decent chance that some information contained in this book will be changed or omitted in the official English version, so in that event I hope this might serve as an attestation to the "original" version. In this post, I intend to go over the section that expounds on Book IV's lore and characters to shed light on this knowledge. Originally, I wanted to also include the recap of the story itself, but it became too long, so I will make a separate post about that in the near future.
Disclaimer: I am not a native Japanese speaker, nor am I fluent in the language. English and Japanese are very different languages, so I will do my best to make things flow nicely in English while retaining as much of the original meaning as possible.
There is old, new, and outdated (pertaining to certain plot points that have since been elaborated upon) information included in the book. Italicized text indicates my own speech, words that do not come from the book. This post is only about Book IV, so certain unrelated/irrelevant information included in the original text (such as sections dedicated to certain game modes) will be cut.
A table of contents for convenience: 1. Characters (profiles and relationships) 2. Lore (background information, important plot points, etc.) 3. Keywords and locations

CHARACTERS

Freyr: King of Ljósálfheimr, the realm of dreams. As the god who presides over dreams, he wishes for peace for the mortals. Though he normally resides in the realm of fantasy and is always sleeping, he can still speak with others while asleep. Having an affectionate personality, he remained devoted and comforting towards his sister when she was bullied in her youth. To save the dream world, he turned human children into álfar, later regretting taking their mortal lives from them. In the end, he sacrificed his life to stop his sister's rampage. He can take on a form resembling a giant white goat.
Peony: Also known as the Sweet Dream. As a ljósálfr of Ljósálfheimr, not only can she give happy dreams to mortals, but she also has the ability to dispel the influence of nightmares. Furthermore, she possesses a keen sense of smell that can identify various kinds of dreams with which she guides the Order of Heroes. She has a pure and optimistic personality and can be slightly airheaded, and loves playing with children. As a mortal, she was the younger sister of Triandra and was abused by their non-blood related father. It's said that she was just like Sharena as a human.
Mirabilis: Also known as the Daydream. Though she is a ljósálfr of Ljósálfheimr, she lives in a misty forest near the Askran border. She can give daydreams to waking mortals by sprinkling her ljósálfr dust on them. She can also create particularly scary daydreams at twilight, when day turns to night. She enjoys sleeping and is constantly doing so, be it day or night, regardless of location. This is due to the fact that as a human, she was abandoned by her mother right after she was born.
Freyja: She is the queen of Dökkálfheimr, as the god who reigns over nightmares. She is infatuated with her brother Freyr and wishes to have all of him to herself. As a child, she possessed a gentle soul, but closed herself off to everyone besides her brother due to being mocked over a large mark on her nose. She despises the mortals that her brother cares for, thus wishing to paint over all of reality with dreams, and abducts him and steals his power to do so. Like her brother, she can transform into a giant white-furred goat in combat.
Triandra: Also known as the Nightmare. As a dökkálfr with the power to give mortals nightmares, she can call forth and use soldiers of nightmares. Her emotions rarely surface and she has a pessimistic personality, holding no hope in the future. However, she adores Freyja with all her heart as the one who saved her. She is actually Peony's older sister, and in her mortal past, she killed their non-blood related father to save her when she was on the verge of death due to his abuse.
Plumeria: Also known as the Lewd Dream. She is a dökkálfr with the power to show mortals salacious dreams that lead their hearts astray. She can make people lose their will to fight and desire to return to reality by drowning them in dreams of being loved. Besides that, she can also trap and control mortals using nightmares. Having a clean and refined personality, she deeply loathes the desires and obscene feelings that humans have. When she was a mortal, she was starved of love, being cast into a well by her beloved mother without being loved by anyone.
Kiran: Summoner affiliated with the Order of Heroes, one with the potential to overturn the rules of the world. Taking notice of this power, Freyja made them fall asleep and take on the role of "Alfonse" in their own dream. They were able to escape the dream world by realizing they were dreaming, remembering who they were, and defeating Freyja.
Sharena: Princess of Askr and Alfonse's younger sister. Innocent, bright, and friendly, she has a slightly childish personality. Though she was one of the five human girls who played together in their dreams as children, she lost her memories of the dream world as she matured.
Anna: Commander of the Order of Heroes. Traverses the dream world and dream Midgard alongside Sharena and the others. She spoke about changelings and dreams, allowing them to arrive at the truth of Kiran and the others' situations.
Alfonse: Prince of Askr and Sharena's older brother who is affiliated with the Order of Heroes. Being the first to wake up to reality, he welcomes Kiran who wakes up later.
Veronica: Princess of the Emblian empire who is hostile towards Askr. Temporarily cooperates with the Order of Heroes in an emergency to protect her country from being attacked by nightmares. She is actually a being of the dream world, so it's uncertain if the real her had the same dream.
This diagram is included:
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LORE

The World of Dreams and the Two Realms Born From Mortal Hearts The dream world was born from the hearts and emotions of dreaming mortals. As its name suggests, the dream world is a mysterious world visited by sleeping mortals where the typical common sense of the mortal world does not apply at all. It is a very unstable place where buildings do not remain stationary, and even things like terrain and the laws of physics are easily overridden. Though it is one of the Nine Realms like Midgard or Hel, many aspects make it peculiar compared to the other worlds (realms). [...] Information regarding the dream world is not found even in a realm like Askr that has many connections to other worlds. This is because when people wake up, they forget everything they did in the dream world. Pure-hearted children can vaguely recall the existence of the dream world and playing in it, but those memories fade as they grow older. Within the world of dreams exists two countries, each overseen by one of two sibling gods. The realm of good dreams born of the hearts of innocent mortals, Ljósálfheimr, is ruled by Dream-King Freyr, while the realm of nightmares seen by mortals, Dökkálfheimr, is governed by the queen of nightmares, Freyja. Both of them have two álfar as servants, who give mortals dreams, play with children, and attend to those who visit the world of dreams. In order to preserve the independence and separation of the dream and nightmare realms, mortals are unable to directly travel back and forth between them. However, since they are two sides of the same coin, the decline of one realm means the decline of the other, and thus the entire dream world. For better or worse, the dream realm and nightmare realm, along with the world of dreams, is influenced by the mortal mind.
The Crest of the Dream Realm Ljósálfheimr A coat of arms imitating the wings of the álfar who sustain the dream world, as well as the flowers that bloom across vast stretches of its land. Incidentally, there exists no crest of Dökkálfheimr.
The Dream World's Unique Attributes -A door or gate allowing passage to and from Askr does not exist. There being no gate, it is possible to enter the world of dreams by sleeping. (There are also circumstances where special conditions must be met.) There have also been cases of the Dream-King and/or queen of nightmares summoning specific mortals to the dream world. -The thoughts of the person having the dream (owner of the dream) influence the entire dream world. They can become someone they originally were not, freely summon people and change the terrain, and intentionally give rise to other such phenomena that would be unbelievable in reality. However, adults are unable to freely control their dreams, being restricted by the common sense of the real world and there being someplace in their hearts that deny the possibility of such things happening.
The Dream World That Overcame Destruction and the Children Who Cast Off Their Mortal Selves As mentioned above, the dream world is closely tied to the hearts of mortals. The dream world acts as a mirror to the hearts of dreaming humans, and if the dream world perishes, so do the dreaming hearts of mortals. That being the case, there once was a time where the dream world was on the brink of devastation. The reason behind this and when this occurred is uncertain, but because mortals gave up their dreams, the dream world was penetrated by holes of nothingness opening up one after another. It's said that the holes endlessly multiplied and spread, tearing the world of dreams asunder. In order to prevent the destruction of the dream world, Freyr and Freyja summoned human children to the dream world and had them drink flower nectar (dream nectar), sharing their power with them and reincarnating them as álfar. Then, the álfar used their dream powers to drive away the nothingness, saving both the dream and human worlds. However, once one becomes an álfr, they can never return to being a human. The álfar spent a long time in the world of dreams, where time flows differently than in the mortal realm, and lost their memories of being human. The children were sacrificed to save the dream world and human world. That is the truth behind the identities of the four álfar who now exist in the dream world. It is unclear why gods like Freyr and Freyja couldn't take measures themselves to save the dream world. However, the dream world itself was created from the hearts of mortals, and it depends so much on the human mind that its very existence relies on it. It's possible that Freyr and Freyja, conversely, cannot directly meddle with the dream world, not being mortals themselves. Freyr and Freyja are, so to speak, overseers of the dream world, and while they have immense power (authority) to do things like creating nightmare soldiers, beings other than mortals cannot influence the dream world, as it was born from mortal hearts. Furthermore, it's also stated that the ones with the most potent dream powers are innocent children filled with hopes and dreams. The decision to give dream nectar to the children, turning them into álfar and making them throw away their mortal selves, was a difficult one for Freyr. He gave Peony and the others nectar as a last resort because he thought if the children were unloved, perhaps they would be happy to become álfar. However, he believes it was "sinful" and regrets doing so. In addition, Freyja originally did not desire the extinction of mortals, and also mentions that she is motivated by the past devastation of the dream world to do what she does in the story.
Why Did the World Fall Into Danger of Destruction? Based on Freyr's words, we know there was a time where he and Freyja were children and spent time together. Furthermore, even though existing in the same time and place should have brought forth the Waking Dream, they nonetheless were together when they gave nectar to Peony and the others. From this it could be hypothesized that mortals lost their dreaming hearts long ago because the Waking Dream was happening, thereby bringing destruction to the dream world. By becoming king and queen, Freyr and Freyja unknowingly caused the Waking Dream. Then, when crisis began to approach, they realized being together was causing the Waking Dream and parted ways. But, there is no way of knowing the truth now. (Honestly, I kind of like this hypothetical more than the canon reasoning we got)
The Girl Who Didn't Become an Álfr and the "Changeling Game" Girls were summoned by Freyr and Freyja to the dream world in order to save it. They were unfortunate children who were either abandoned or abused by their parents in the real world. However, there was one among them who did not meet those conditions. She was Sharena, the princess of Askr. Though all five of them were given nectar, Sharena ended up not drinking it, growing up as a mortal and losing her memories of the dream world. This was due to a kind lie told by Peony, one of the four who became álfar. Though Sharena, Peony, and the other three played together as friends in a flower field in the world of dreams, Peony and Sharena were especially close due to their strikingly similar appearances. Eventually they began playing the "Changeling Game" wherein they would swap hairstyles and clothing, and their souls were said to have switched places upon each awakening. They eventually changed places so many times it became impossible to tell who was originally who. The girl who was Sharena at the time drank two portions of nectar and switched places right before becoming an álfr, saving the current Sharena. (For clarity's sake, I believe the sequence of events goes: Girl A drinks nectar -> switches places with Girl B-> drinks Girl B's nectar -> transforms) It is unknown why the exchanging within dreams was reflected in reality, but there's also the instance of Sharena still holding what Peony gave her in a dream even after waking up. It's possible that pure-hearted children have the power to make dreams into reality. [...] Álfar do not age, and it's possible that one's appearance changes when they become an álfr. While Peony and Sharena don't look very similar now, they have many inner similarities, like their bright and kind personalities and slightly childish natures. (The part stating that álfar don't age seems to directly contradict what has already been established, when we see young Triandra and Plumeria as álfar in the ending movie. How do they look the way they do now, if álfar don't age? Even with the rationale that time in the dream world flows differently, that doesn't explain their physical maturation. The way I personally rationalize this is that perhaps álfar only age up to a certain point before stopping, and then they're essentially frozen in that state forever. Judging by the mantra that children have the most power in dreams, their aging might pause at some point before adulthood, meaning they remain as "children" in perpetuity. That might also explain why the decision to turn the children into álfar aggrieved Freyr so much, since it basically means condemning them to never reach maturity while at the same time taking their innocence away by making them fight in the place of adults)
The One Who Defies Reason: The Battle in the Summoner Kiran's Dream The fact that everything surrounding the battle against the nightmare realm happened in the summoner Kiran's dream must be kept in mind. Presumably, the Order fell asleep for three days and nights due to Freyja's scheme and all had the same dream. The one with primacy over the dream was Kiran. Kiran is from a world separate from the Nine Realms and all other worlds the Askran gates connect to, and thus is, according to the likes of Freyr and Freyja, "a being that exists outside of the world's reason". Possessing formidable hidden powers, their dream expanded to involve others in the Order of Heroes, resulting in them all seeing the same dream. After becoming Alfonse in a dream, it's conceivable that because Kiran's image of Alfonse is that "he is someone who takes initiative", that influenced them to fight as Alfonse without even realizing it. It's also possible that the reason Alfonse (Kiran) was the only one who didn't forget about the dream realm or the álfar the first time they returned to (dream) Askr from the dream realm is because Kiran defies the world's reason. As in the example from the previous section regarding Sharena, mortals could originally go to and from the dream world by sleeping, but this time, the real world was not impacted in the aftermath of the battle in Kiran's dream Midgard. [...] However, everything that took place in this battle was all in Kiran's dream, the one who defies reason. As such, this conflict has logically inconsistent aspects, and one should bear in mind that this is impossible to confirm. This diagram is included:
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Freyja's Reckless Behaviour and Jealousy Towards Mortals Because She Desperately Desired Her Brother Most aspects of this attack on Midgard by the nightmare realm (more accurately, Freyja's meddling with the Order of Heroes), from the reason they were targeted to the changes in the álfar after the conflict ended, even now remain shrouded in mystery and are difficult to understand. The greatest mystery is Freyja's motivation and original objective in attacking and causing such strife. When she was young, she was mocked by those around her due to having a large mark on her nose. However, because her brother comforted her, she came to only open her heart to him. Thus Freyja began to have feelings for her brother Freyr that went beyond familial love, becoming infatuated with him and wanting to have all of him to herself. However, due to him always wishing for the happiness and tranquility of mortals, Freyja came to detest the mortals who received his consideration, seeing them as obstacles to her desire. In the story, Freyja used the álfar under her command to execute three tasks: to bring Freyr to her domain, the nightmare realm, to become the ruler over all dreams by making his power her own using the necklace Brísingamen, and to invade the real world by being in the same place as her brother, thereby causing the Waking Dream. [...] At first glance, it seems like Freyja did all of this on purpose. But regarding the third point, the invasion of Midgard by dreams, because it actually happened in Kiran's dream, it's unclear if the Waking Dream similarly occurred in the real world. If her main objective was to obtain the full power of the dream world and use it to invade the mortal realm, it would've been pointless to do so via the non-reality Midgard in Kiran's dream. Furthermore, in order to end the Waking Dream, Kiran and the others had to cut down Freyr to make Freyja lose the power she stole from him. However, Freyja was able to call forth nightmare soldiers in the dream Midgard with just her own power even when the Waking Dream didn't end after Freyr was eliminated. This makes it difficult to believe that her goal was to cause (a phenomenon resembling) the Waking Dream within the dream. After the conflict, Freyja fell into slumber after using too much power, so we can't speculate on her motive behind causing such a scene. However, the root cause of Freyja's actions in the story probably stems from her lust (the word used here, "愛欲", is distinct from the standard word for "love", and seems to primarily denote passion and/or sexual desire), wishing for her brother to look at her and to monopolize his affections. It's possible that, to Freyja, the Waking Dream spilling into other worlds (Kiran's dream Midgard) was merely an incidental side effect. It's unclear why Freyja chose the Order of Heroes (particularly Kiran) as targets of her meddling through dreams, or as pieces in her plot to take her brother away. But looking at Freyja's claim that a dream could continue forever by Kiran's power and hers together, it is possible she also had her sights on using Kiran's power. There's a good chance she wanted to use it to make a dream of obtaining her brother last forever, and to eternally enjoy that happiness.
Here are bullet points included on the same page: -The "Waking Dream" refers to when Dream-King Freyr and the nightmare queen Freyja exist in the same location, causing their power to overflow and influence other worlds, resulting in nightmares (soldiers of nightmares) appearing even in the real world. -Gullinkambi is a horn that grants mortals their true awakening (also consult Page 11). It also serves as something like a shield for Freyr, preventing Freyja from being able to appear before him.
The Celestial Gods and the Hidden Intentions of the Creator Alfaðör After the conflict's end, Freyja used her remaining power to revive Triandra and Plumeria and fell into a long slumber. It was at this time, when they resolved to search for a way to revive Freyja, that Líf and Thrasir, generals of the realm of death Hel who once lost in battle against the Order, appeared before them. They had become the subordinates of the War God Thórr and her liege, Alfaðör, He Who Created Everything, forging a pact under the condition that their fallen realms would be restored. Based on what Líf said to Triandra and Plumeria, it appears they also made contracts with the celestial gods. It is unknown why the gods are amassing warriors.

KEYWORDS AND LOCATIONS

Redolent Censer: A treasure passed down the Askran royal family line. The smell of the incense contained in the censer can dispel all kinds of poisons and curses when it burns. However, its smell is not as pleasant as its name suggests, and it is a bit smoky. Redolent = fragrant/sweet-smelling.
Gullinkambi: A magic horn that heralds one's true awakening. A sacred treasure in Freyr's possession, it is also a means to use his power. When one remembers who they were before falling asleep, wishes to return to their world, and sounds the horn, their awakening is at hand. Not just the one who blows it, but everyone they wish to include, will simultaneously awaken and return to reality. However, the horn will neither sound nor yield results while under the influence of powerful dark dreams (nightmares), or if not blown near the Dream Gate. Freyr gave Alfonse (actually Kiran) the horn to allow the Order to escape the dream world after they got lost in it, but this rendered him unable to resist Freyja when she abducted him to the nightmare realm.
Brísingamen: A necklace that curses people it is put on, claiming everything they have as its original owner's and placing it under their dominion. It was once destroyed, but thanks to Freyja, it was restored over a long period of time. Freyja made Freyr's power into her own by placing this necklace on him.
Flower nectar (dream nectar): Nectar imbued with Freyr and Freyja's dream powers. Children from the real world can drink it to become álfar. Upon becoming álfar, they gain power comparable to that of Heroes from other worlds, as well as the mysterious ability to grant mortals dreams. However, in exchange, they can never return to being human and will spend an eternity in the dream realm without aging. Furthermore, álfar become servants to the dream rulers that gave them their lives, and their masters can erase their entire existence whenever they see fit. The dream nectar bestowed to them by their masters also serves as the source of the álfar's power.
Soldiers of nightmares: Born from the fears in the hearts of mortals who visit the dream world, they stand in the way of the mortals lost in the dream and the álfar they are allied with. They imitate the forms of Heroes from other worlds.
Changeling: A word that comes from ancient Askran legends regarding álfar. [...] It refers to álfar that secretly replace human children and are raised in their place.
World of Steel: A world filled with steel towers, tall enough to pierce the sky, and iron carriages, seen in Kiran's daydream. According to Freyr, it's a developed civilization whose denizens have forgotten how to dream in exchange for convenience, making it a grey world where álfar are unable to live. It is Kiran's home world in which they lived before being summoned to Midgard.
Ljósálfheimr, the dream realm: A realm born from the happy dreams of mortals. Governed by Dream-King Freyr and inhabited by ljósálfar. A fantastical world filled with warm scenery like in children's dreams. An unstable location easily influenced by the human mind. A vast land covered by plains and forests, with small houses scattered about. It's possible that the realm has bounds, or that ljósálfar other than Peony and Mirabilis exist, but as it is entirely under the influence of dreaming mortals, such details are unknown.
Field of flowers: A flower field that Sharena and the formerly human álfar always played in when they were young. Nice-smelling flowers bloom all over.
Large bed(s): Bed(s) meant for sleeping in a dream. Used to enter the realm of fantasy. Big enough to accommodate three adults lying down comfortably. (In the ENG version, Sharena mentions that there are "many" of them, but the JP version doesn't make any indication of the number of beds. Due to the fact that this excerpt specifically mentions THREE adults being able to fit on it, it's possible that Alfonse, Sharena, and Anna all slept on it at the same time and that there is only one. However, the possibility that there are multiple of them remains open)
Dream Gate: A gate used to escape the dream. Unlike gates to other realms, it is a one-way exit that only exists on the dream world's side. By blowing the horn Gullinkambi in front of the gate, one can awaken from the dream world.
Realm of fantasy: A realm that exists as a dream within a dream, it is the residence of Dream-King Freyr, who gave life to the ljósálfar.
Dökkálfheimr, the nightmare realm: Also known as the "realm of dark dreams". Ruled by Freyja, queen of nightmares, and inhabited by dökkálfar, who give mortals bad dreams. While it has a perpetually gloomy and eerie atmosphere in contrast to the dream realm, it also has places where flowers like those from the flower fields (that Sharena played in as a child) of Ljósálfheimr bloom. Unlike the dream realm, which is influenced by mortal minds, it does not bend to the hearts nor wills of mortals and is entirely controlled by Freyja.
Midgard in Kiran's dream: A replica of Askr and its surrounding area in Kiran's dream. It is a world in the dream Kiran experienced after being made to sleep for three days and nights in Freyja's attempt to use them. Other than the existence of the Dream Gate, its geography and location names all remain the same as those of the real Midgard. This is why even Kiran did not realize they were still in a dream until the final stage of the conflict.
Village in the wheat country: One of Askr's border villages. Though it's normally lively, everyone there fell asleep and couldn't wake up due to the sleep sickness in Kiran's dream.
Misty forest: A forest near the border between Askr and Embla where Mirabilis lives. Always enveloped in thick mist, it seems to be a cozy place to sleep in, according to Mirabilis.
Point of twilight: A cape from which one can see the gorgeous setting sun. The location in Midgard closest to the nightmare realm. When the sunset shines (twilight/when day turns to night), one is able to cross into the nightmare realm from this location by experiencing a "particularly scary daydream" created by Mirabilis' power.
And there we have it. First, I should apologize for any inaccuracies in my translations and any confusion they may cause. This was an intensive passion project born from my love for Book IV, and I hope those who took the time to humour such a long post gained some enjoyment from it. Please do leave your thoughts and/or questions below, as I would love to engage in civil discussion about all things Book IV. Thank you for reading!

Here’s my story. A couple of months back I went on a date with this guy who I met on this app called Yubo (to mention we talked for a month or two before deciding to meet up). As the day started to approach, we planned it out as we were going to meet at the bus station and head to the mall. As the day came, he picked me up and went to this grocery store called Mayrand which looked like a bootleg of a Costco but you can buy in bulk as well individually. Throughout the shopping, he kept commenting on how this place is a place for poor people to shop and that I'm too rich and would never understand that. (I would like to mention that I’m a nurse but before that, I went through a lot of hardship in poverty, immigrating to Canada, learning a new language by myself and working hard to get where I am now). I should've taken this as a big red sign as every conversation always came to an end that I’m a rich girl but as I mentioned before, I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth but I gave it the benefit of the doubt. The next stop is where we went to the mall. Now for what I thought would be finally start to look like a first date, it turned into me becoming a babysitter as I was consistently chasing after the guy because he was walking too fast and didn't even bother looking behind to see if I was still next to him or not. Eventually, after 30 mins of him looking for me through text and 2 hours of shopping, we left the mall and suddenly he said “I need to head to Winners” which I didn't mind. As we head there he goes to the underwear and socks section and proceeds to ask which size he should take (an S or M) as well as which designs he should take. A quick reminder that it's our first date and despite talking to him a month or two before that I don't know much of the guy. This is where it started to feel super awkward and I didn't know what to say because of how shocked I was hearing that. Moving on, I noticed how dark it was outside and asked if he wouldn't mind dropping me home (10 minutes by car). At first, he agreed but then as I got out of the Winners store I wanted to go to the washroom first. I noticed his car wasn't there so I guess he decided to leave me behind. I ended up taking the bus home which took forever and got home very late. I don’t know what to say, I'm very flabbergasted :(

Hello y'all. I just wanted to share an awful experience I had being terminated at my most recent job. I truly and just venting but if anyone has any advice or kind words I would really appreciate it.
So to begin I have a bachelors in business Marketing and this past may I received a masters in business cybersecurity. Sounds impressive but it has gotten me nowhere. It has been so hard to find a job with over 300 applications since last year with just 3 interviews. That’s not the point, I just wanted to set the vibe. So last year around August my old manager ( I left this company a year before graduation to focus on grad school) reached out to me asking if I would be willing to return to my position as a digital marketer because they have not been able to find someone with my credentials. I did not want to go back because management is pretty toxic but I was desperate and my savings were non-existent. I do end up going back to work remote, keep in mind this manager is one of the best men I have ever worked for. He’s kind, great at communication, and always elevated me. Well everything was going great for a little less than a year, I was bored and didn’t feel like I was pushing myself but it was something stable in this economy which is hard to come by currently.
Two weeks ago the company announced that they were bringing on some fancy pants dude that had worked for Tesla in the past and they framed him as Jesus himself coming to save the company and make it a billion dollar company blah blah. This company is a startup that focuses on fixing existing EV chargers around the country. They have a main office here in my city but most of the management is located in another city and some remote workers. I did not think anything about this new guy tbh. So our majesty (the new manager) announced that he would fly into our city to get-to-know everyone as he was going to work with us.
He arrives here and schedules a breakfast with everyone at a hotel lobby. During this breakfast we get to know this guy. He’s an old white guy that gives car salesmen energy who loves to talk about himself and how he’s rich and pretty much explains that he’s a nepotism baby. During this breakfast he encourages everyone to talk about their kids, hobbies, and stuff. Some of my co-workers were talking about their kids and family and one even mentioned he had just purchased a house. Like really personal stuff, right? At the end he asked if anyone had a question for him and even forced us to go around the table and ask him each a question about either the company or about his personal life.
After all this is done he says he would like one on ones with us to better get to know us and he said he wanted to start with me as I was the youngest in the group, I am 25. He takes me to an office room he has set up and sits me down with HR and proceeds to tell me that he doesn’t think the office we have in this city is worth the company’s time and that he has better people in North Carolina with better skills. They hand me some papers regarding a guy that does career services such as resume building and online applications along with a cost sheet. Who’s this guy, you ask? Of course his good buddy! He then tells me I, and everyone here at my office, is being let go. When the conversation is over he asks me to leave through the back door so as to not let the other know.
I was very shocked and caught off guard especially because he had us talking about our family and aspirations and had him ask him questions so he could talk about himself and gloat about how was so praised at Tesla and blah blah. The thing that hurt me the most was that my manager was not the one to break this news to me. I sent my manager a very professional strongly worded email and then just kind of took time to process this. Now look, I’ve been in business school for the past 6 years. I know that these things happen and they’re very common, I studied all this. But what hurts is that they did it in such a disgusting manner. When this dude broke the news to me I sas a grin on his face like he was getting off on thinking that I would have a very negative reaction. I did not, of course, as I pride myself on being very kept and professional. And now I am stuck at marker 0 again. And I just feel like a loser with a very fancy expensive degree with a whole lot of experience that cannot find a job.

Hello y'all. I just wanted to share an awful experience I had being terminated at my most recent job. I truly and just venting but if anyone has any advice or kind words I would really appreciate it.
So to begin I have a bachelors in business Marketing and this past may I received a masters in business cybersecurity. Sounds impressive but it has gotten me nowhere. It has been so hard to find a job with over 300 applications since last year with just 3 interviews. That’s not the point, I just wanted to set the vibe. So last year around August my old manager ( I left this company a year before graduation to focus on grad school) reached out to me asking if I would be willing to return to my position as a digital marketer because they have not been able to find someone with my credentials. I did not want to go back because management is pretty toxic but I was desperate and my savings were non-existent. I do end up going back to work remote, keep in mind this manager is one of the best men I have ever worked for. He’s kind, great at communication, and always elevated me. Well everything was going great for a little less than a year, I was bored and didn’t feel like I was pushing myself but it was something stable in this economy which is hard to come by currently.
Two weeks ago the company announced that they were bringing on some fancy pants dude that had worked for Tesla in the past and they framed him as Jesus himself coming to save the company and make it a billion dollar company blah blah. This company is a startup that focuses on fixing existing EV chargers around the country. They have a main office here in my city but most of the management is located in another city and some remote workers. I did not think anything about this new guy tbh. So our majesty (the new manager) announced that he would fly into our city to get-to-know everyone as he was going to work with us.
He arrives here and schedules a breakfast with everyone at a hotel lobby. During this breakfast we get to know this guy. He’s an old white guy that gives car salesmen energy who loves to talk about himself and how he’s rich and pretty much explains that he’s a nepotism baby. During this breakfast he encourages everyone to talk about their kids, hobbies, and stuff. Some of my co-workers were talking about their kids and family and one even mentioned he had just purchased a house. Like really personal stuff, right? At the end he asked if anyone had a question for him and even forced us to go around the table and ask him each a question about either the company or about his personal life.
After all this is done he says he would like one on ones with us to better get to know us and he said he wanted to start with me as I was the youngest in the group, I am 25. He takes me to an office room he has set up and sits me down with HR and proceeds to tell me that he doesn’t think the office we have in this city is worth the company’s time and that he has better people in North Carolina with better skills. They hand me some papers regarding a guy that does career services such as resume building and online applications along with a cost sheet. Who’s this guy, you ask? Of course his good buddy! He then tells me I, and everyone here at my office, is being let go. When the conversation is over he asks me to leave through the back door so as to not let the other know.
I was very shocked and caught off guard especially because he had us talking about our family and aspirations and had him ask him questions so he could talk about himself and gloat about how was so praised at Tesla and blah blah. The thing that hurt me the most was that my manager was not the one to break this news to me. I sent my manager a very professional strongly worded email and then just kind of took time to process this. Now look, I’ve been in business school for the past 6 years. I know that these things happen and they’re very common, I studied all this. But what hurts is that they did it in such a disgusting manner. When this dude broke the news to me I sas a grin on his face like he was getting off on thinking that I would have a very negative reaction. I did not, of course, as I pride myself on being very kept and professional. And now I am stuck at marker 0 again. And I just feel like a loser with a very fancy expensive degree with a whole lot of experience that cannot find a job.