Before I start, I would like to thank Squilly4 for their wonderful post going over all of the necessary mechanics and for user @sirtable in the Slime Rancher Official Discord who helped me figure out the new glitch with one of their comments.

1. I have to start off by saying there really isn't a point in automating any of the expansions, and potentially not any point in automating in general. First of all, the main part of the conservatory has enough plots to have 4 simultaneous auto-farms and auto-corrals going if you don't use a plot for anything besides slimes or food. Second, the game wasn't built with automation in mind and so when you're in one part of the conservatory, none of the other automated expansions will be running like they normally would. This means you'll want to stay in the main part of the conservatory to maximize your profits. It also means you'd be losing out on a ton of plorts that normally would have been gathered for you while you were away and that your slimes will start to starve because the auto-feeders will run out like normal since the auto-farms don't function in a non-loaded area.

On a similar note, any part of the conservatory that is automated requires you to be loaded into that specific area for it to function at all meaning you basically have to AFK there to make it worthwhile. Because of all this, I may take down all of the automation entirely. It's fun to try, and I'm happy I did it, but realistically it's not worth it at all in my opinion. I feel that any efforts would be better spent trying to speed up the processes that they intended for us to go through normally. For instance, having an auto-farm would still be helpful since it would save the time that it would have taken to pick up the food and put it in the auto-feeder and having a market link and refinery link all in line with an accelerator right next to each corral might help those who don't want to keep track of the plorts in their refinery link, though that comes with the downside of only being able to shoot the plorts at regular speed instead of shooting them at market speed. It seems the more that I think about it, the less I actually want to automate things. I'm sure there are other things I haven't thought of yet that automation could help with though.

1. If you want to try automation, you'll need to know how to perform the glitch that makes this all possible. Essentially you'll want to craft or buy at least 1 small pinwheel, set it as a favorite item in one of the middle 3 slots, and then place an item or two to the right or left of it that you want to be able to place in a spot where it shouldn't normally be allowed to go. I recommend that you have the object that you want to place out so you can line it up perfectly while it's all red, then without moving you'll want to switch to the pinwheel which should turn blue, and then press RB or LB to switch back to the item you want to place while pressing X nearly simultaneously. Each item seems to have a slightly different timing that's necessary, but if you play around with it you'll get the hang of it quickly.
   
2. Simpler is always better. If you think you need to come up with some convoluted solution because things aren't moving the way you want them to, the odds are high that there's a simpler way to achieve the same effect. For instance, instead of having a cannon lead into a series of accelerators which then causes the items to bounce off of stairs and back into another accelerator just to turn an item like food back around, try just tilting the cannon up by one to get it to land in a new spot and/or having it land right on an accelerator pointed in the opposite direction. Another example would be crafting a refinery link and market link and putting them right next to your corral instead of using a bunch of accelerators to run the plorts all the way to the market link at the Eastern most edge.
   
3. You will probably run out of Deep Brine. By my estimates, it would take around 750 deep brine to make enough fans and accelerators to automate the entire conservatory.
   
4. There are some other minor downsides to automating the corrals. One thing is that you essentially can't give them toys because they tend to get in the way of the cannons too often. On a similar note, the slimes will never be able to touch the ground or remain still so it feels a little extra inhumane. Another thing is that unless you place the fans just right, the largos tend to break the air net from bouncing around like crazy. Also, I'm sure it could be a flaw in my designs, but most times that I go to a different area for a while and come back, I tend to have to perform a cleanup because of random food or plorts that managed to fall out of their assembly line somehow. I suspect that it has something to do with the way the game treats objects when they're unloaded.
   
5. Food seems to bounce differently depending on where its motion started. I noticed this when looping the food that was shot out by the cannons back to the corrals. At first I was thinking that I should send the food back to the auto-feeder which turned out to be a mistake, but because of that I noticed that the food that was returned bounced off the auto-feeder differently than the food that came from the trees. This meant that in order to get my garbage disposal to work (another mistake), I would need to very precisely position the accelerator so both sets of food would end up in the same place.
   

The reason it was a mistake to have the food go back into the auto-feeder in my opinion was because I initially had the feeding speed set to maximum, but that started to outpace the fruits and vegetables. So I turned it down to medium, but then I noticed my slimes were not all smiling the way they used to. This was because they were only catching some of the food on the first pass and then they had to wait for another medium cycle to get fed again if they missed it. Having the food cycle directly back into the corral solved this and it allowed the feeding rate to almost perfectly match the growing rate.
When I referred to the garbage disposal, I meant the system I had in place that shunted excess food into the slime sea or an incinerator after the auto-feeders filled up. First of all this turned out to be a non issue because if the food got too close to 100 you could just set the feeding speed to max until it dropped down to around 50, but this also means you would need to reroute the food that's being returned to the corral towards the auto-feeder instead so it doesn't overflow or waste food. On top of this, the system was incredibly finicky because the food was traveling at different speeds so it meant that some would go to a slightly different spot which meant I had to get creative in order to catch all or at least most of it. It took way too much time for a system that ended up never getting used.

1. When running multiple corrals into the same line, the plorts most definitely can hit each other and that will cause them to fall out of line. This means that if you have 4 auto-corrals running at the same time, you'll definitely want to separate them or add a market link and refinery link to each one.
   
2. When placing a cannon in a coral, never use a corner no matter how tempting it looks. It's perfectly fine for food because you can place fans inside of those plots with no issues, but for the corrals it makes it near impossible to line up the fans right to have everything hit the corner without them getting stuck or bouncing and hitting the air net in the same spot over and over. This is because the fans don't reach corner to corner and you can't easily place fans in the middle of the corral without adding a bunch of new spots for objects to get stuck on.
   
3. Since everything runs at cannon speed or slower, this means it should be fine to utilize cannons in line to get objects over any uneven terrain like stairs instead of relying on things bouncing off of the terrain
   
4. When placing a cannon at the edge of a corral to automate it, I would recommend that you line up the edge of the base of the cannon with the inside white edge of the corral. That seems to give me the best results but your mileage may vary.
   
5. Boom largos definitely make this process “interesting". Like normal they can cause things to go flying out of their corral, but they can also interrupt items outside of the corral that happen to get too close to one of their blasts meaning you'll most likely need to clean up their area more than others if you have any Boom largo combos.
   

I'm sure there were many more things that I wanted to share but they're not really coming to mind right now and I didn't think to start writing this until I was already mostly done. I'll try to answer any questions if anyone has any.

Previous Chapter - https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/1d7fx2m/from_the_ashes_chapter_3_the_house/
Life is strange, isn't it? You are forced to make decisions. Sometimes the best decision is to do nothing. To let it all go and continue living in ignorance.
A lot of people went down that path. Ignorance is bliss, after all.
I am not that person, for better or for worse.
And now I am in a situation that I wouldn't have even dreamed of... A nightmare. But the light at the end of this tunnel is that I might just get the answers I want. The answers I need.
Life is strange. A need for an abstract meaning for life, to continue your carnal and material one.

Opening my eyes the first thing I saw was the ceiling. Wooden, rotten... Old. The smell of moist wood, a burning fire in the room. It wasn't a housefire, I think... I hoped. I heard it crackling.
This wasn't my apartment back in Weser, that's for certain. My mind was like a blur for a few moments. Then I remembered what happened before I fell asleep... Or fell unconscious? I raised my right hand and I saw it was intact by some miracle. Functional... I tested each of my digits. It felt real, it felt like my hand.
„Was it a dream...?“ I asked no one in particular.
„No.“ A woman replied. Turning my head to the right I saw her sitting next to a fireplace, she threw a few twigs into the fire before she turned back to me. „It wasn't a dream Wyatt.“
„Where are we? Who are you? How long has it been?“ I asked, I looked back at the ceiling. My mind still processing the previous night's events.
„We are in Master Rosallyn's lodge. Where we first met. I am... I was his apprentice. It had been a few hours, it's daytime now.“ She responded, but her answers just gave me even more questions. I saw through one window that it was indeed day, early morning I would guess.
„Are you... What is your name? And... Master Rosallyn?“ I continued, still lying down on the bed and massaging my temples. My head hurt.
„Kyiela, you can call me Kye. Kellynstir was my Master, he taught me almost everything I know. To you, he was your grandfather. I heard about you before... Before he passed he told me you would arrive one day. And he asked of me to be your guide in the days to come. But you arrived so soon... I don't know if I am ready. You have already awoken, I can feel it within you. I saw it.“ She told me... Even more questions.
„I didn't know I had any living relatives... Well, I don't anymore, but my grandfather? Paternal grandfather. How old was he when he passed?“ I inquired.
„He was 130 years old I believe.“ She said.
„He was... Was he human?“ I sat up on the bed, I winced when I put pressure on my shoulder.
„You should rest still. Healing magic does wonders but I can't fix everything.“ She told me, she stood up and approached me. „He was a Halfling. A bridge between our two people, you could say.“
I thought for a few moments, it all felt surreal.
„That would mean I have essence? Since I have elven ancestry.“ I asked.
„Yes. And you've used magic to save yourself... And me, in a way. You distracted them...“ She said crossing her arms. „But how'd you know any magic at this point... Wind magic especially. Have you studied from grimoires?“ She asked me.
„I... That was magic back there?“
Did I use magic? Me... A human? No, I have elven ancestry... Does that mean my father also could use magic? What about my mother?
Kyiela... Kye stared at me. She had a cold and indifferent look to her. Reminded me of some professors back at Weser Polytechnic.
„It's hard to explain... But I simply imagined my elbow as a barrel of a gun, and my fist a bullet. And I imagined a pressurized tank of air... And it happened, it just happened. Then I...hurt someone... Is he dead?“
Kyiela cocked her head to the side, her eyes scanning for something, but more likely she was going through her memories trying to find something. Then she shook her head.
„You have to learn the proper way to wield magic, or else you are going to hurt yourself. Like you did back there. First rule, do not use your body as a weapon unless you somehow reinforce it or as a last resort... This time was understandable, but do not do it again.“ I thought she was ignoring my last question, but she continued. „And yes, he is dead alright. All of them are. If that weren't the case we wouldn't be talking peacefully now.“
I had to accept the situation I find myself in, however hard it was. I had to think rationally... Though I was still in a world of hurt with my shoulder... My hand felt strange... I must keep a cool head. I mustn't panic. Now that I have blood on my hands there is no going back. I always imagined it being hard to accept... But surprisingly despite everything I was calmer than I expected... At least for now.
„Kyiela... Kye, how can I trust you?“ I asked her.
„I risked my life to save yours. I healed your hand. If I wanted to harm you in any way I would have done it already.“
„Fair point...“ I replied.
„I'll explain the rest, and you can ask your questions later. I am sure you are hungry, and so am I. I made some soup, but I think it cooled off by now.“ She said.
„You could've eaten without me.“ I said, slowly getting up from the bed.
„I decided to wait.“ She replied, I simply chose to ignore that... I am no expert in Elven cultural norms... I forgot she was an elf. She is an elf... I'll try not to dwell on it. She did save my life after all.
She led me to the dining area in the house slash cabin. We sat down, I saw that the interior looked lived in despite it being dilapidated. The place needed some serious renovation. Some parts looked fine, structurally speaking, while others looked like they were about to collapse at any moment. At least there weren't many holes in the roof, so rain wasn't a problem I would guess... I can't tell.
I saw she grabbed her bowl and manifested a small fireball in her hand. Then she put the fireball under the bowl, slowly heating the porridge inside. After around half a minute I saw there was a little bit of steam coming out of the soup.
She grabbed a spoon and took a small sip, she nodded, happy with the temperature. Then she extended her hand toward me.
„Let me heat it up for you... Or do you like it cold?“ She asked.
„I would like it to be warm... Do you imagine a fireball when you're casting it?“ I asked. She looked at me for a moment, as if pondering should she tell me or not. She retracted her hand.
„I do, but you must concentrate to hold it for extended periods. It takes practice. Magic is the realm of imagination, though there are limits. You cannot imagine something that is not physically possible and manifest it. You can't turn lead into gold, you can't create something out of nothing.“ She told me.
„But you just did.“ I said. She looked uninterested... Maybe a bit annoyed. She sighed. „Care to explain then?“
„Fire cannot be created without fuel. You had no fuel, thus I can only imagine you made a ball of heat... Heat.“ I ruminated on that thought for a moment, then I gently grabbed the cold bowl in front of me with both of my hands.
„Heat and cold are simply the difference between the oscillation of particles within a material object. The colder something is the less the particles move... The hotter the object is then the faster the particles move... Shake if you will.“
I concentrated on the bowl.
„Don't do anything stupid.“ I heard Kyiela say.
I imagined water particles, fluid, and with smooth movement starting to shake.
I felt a slow buildup of energy in my body slowly starting to focus on both of my palms. I felt as the bowl started to get warmer and warmer. It was too slow.
I imagined the particles begin to shake even more...
Then all the contents of the bowl abruptly turned into steam. My hands quickly moved from the boiling heat and I turned my head away from the wave of steam. I was surprisngly unhurt.
I heard Kyiela stand up quickly from her seat. She looked at me wide-eyed.
„I shouldn't have shaken them that much I think...“ I said.
„Do not do that again, is that clear?!“ She raised her voice.
„I'm not making another bowl for you.“ She lowered her voice again, sat back down, and continued to eat. „Now you will wait for me to finish.“ She said, now in her familiar calm and collected tone. But the undertone of irritation was palpable.
I shouldn't play with things I don't understand... I thought to myself, then another thought popped into my head, Darren would love this. I thought back to home. I still had a place I needed to come back to... This was supposed to be a quick expedition to see what this was all about, and maybe learn something more about my family.
I did, more than I'd like to actually. But this all still felt like a dream.
I miss home. I miss Darren's rants about magic already... I miss my bed.
But as things stand now I can't go back, not anytime soon, at least. People back home will probably think I'm dead or something.
Yet that nostalgia and wish for things to go back to how they were quickly changed to present matters. Who is Kyiela exactly? She told me she was the apprentice of my late grandfather, who was a halfling... I tried not to stare at her while she ate. And it is pretty obvious my previous experimentation did not sit very well with her.
I thought about how I would strike up the conversation... Well, I had something in mind.
„Who were those mages who attacked us?“ I asked. Kye took another sip from, not looking up from the bowl she responded.
„Bandits, robbers... Their magic and technique were rudimentary. Though I was surprised one of them had the ability of levitation. I'd like to know where he learned that...“ She said, speaking her thoughts out loud in the last part I assume.
„They followed us probably...“ I said.
„Not probably, but definitely. I know that type, they find a lone wagon, they follow it like bloodhounds, and wait for the opportune moment to strike. You said yourself you and your guide found a site of a battle. Black patches in the grass, the same type of offensive magic they used last night.“ She explained.
Right then she got up from he seat. She already finished her meal.
„Now, Wyatt Rosallyn. I must ask you to follow me. I need to show you something.“ She began walking into a hallway adjacent to the dining area. I got up and followed her.
The hallway was rather dark, it had no windows. Kye raised her hand slightly and manifested a small orb that emitted a soft light, just enough to see where we were going.
We reached a heavy wooden door with a padlock. Kye reached into a pocket inside her robe and retrieved a small key. Unlocking the door I felt a familiar and distinct scent. Paper.
I saw there were stone steps leading down into the darkness.
Now I had my reservations about following a person I just met down into a dark basement... But I am fairly certain that I knew what she wanted to show me.
The Rosallyn Library.
We descended the steps, I watched my every step. Nearly tripping once or twice, the steps weren't of equal height. Kye had no issues whatsoever.
Once we arrived to the bottom I saw there was no light source inside. I assumed there would be candles or torches... But no. It also presents a fire hazard.
„Can you cast something that has a bit more light?“ I asked Kye. „I can't see anything.“
„No need.“ She said as she searched the wall with her free hand. Then I heard a flick.
Then the entire room lit up.
I saw three rows of books and scrolls. It wasn't that big to warrant being called a library... But if a single man collected this amount of books and scrolls, it is certainly impressive.
That was my first thought. My second thought emerged when I realized what I just witnessed.
I looked up at the ceiling, I saw bulbs which emitted light...
Electricity?!
„Impressive, isn't it.“ She said as the orb of light in her hand disappeared.
„It is... Where is the closest electrical station?“ I asked.
Kye looked at me with a confused expression.
„Elektrical?“ She repeated. I pointed to the light bulb on the ceiling. I knew it was not possible, not in a million years that they have access to electricity here.
„Oh, Master Rosallyn experimented with something about a decade ago. He imbued essence into a metallic sphere and connected copper with these glass bulbs. I don't know exactly how they work...“ She explained I kept staring into the light. „You're more impressed with the light, not the contents of your family's library?“ She said.
„Listen, I have seen massive libraries. This is on par with a small bookshop at most. But still, I know there is a treasure trove of information down here... But I see you don't realize the implications of that... You said a metallic sphere was imbued with essence? A decade ago?“ I said.
Essence can be used as a power source? When I come back Darren is going to be ecstatic! Nay, I'm feeling ecstatic! Back home electricity is expensive to produce and distribute... This would change everything!
„Wyatt, I can see you share the same love for the small things as your grandfather and I saw that you like to experiment... The main difference between you and him is that you are reckless.“ Kye said. I simply sighed as a reply, still thinking through the various things this can be used for.
„Anyway... I will help you study here. You have enough literature to become a competent mage, I will teach you restraint and technique. I am by no means a master... But I know the basics pretty well.“ Kye told me.
„Wait a second... Studying? Here? Well, yeah I can see why...“ I said, pausing for a second.
„Look I just need some time to take all of this in, I can't keep up honestly. The last day has been... Too much.“ Kye put her hand on my shoulder.
„I understand.“ She told me. „We'll begin as soon as you're ready. You need to adjust.“
She turned around, turning off the light in the room. Casting the light orb once again she began ascending the steps.
„Kyiela?“ I asked, remembering something.
She turned back around.
„Do you have a shovel?“

Digging a hole in the ground is a lot more exhausting than I imagined it. My body is simply not cut out for this kind of work... Not yet, at least. But I don't want to become an expert grave digger any time soon.
We rolled up Owen's body inside a cloth and put him in his shallow grave. He deserved better, I know that. But this was the best I could do.
A shallow grave and a small board with his name carved into it using the same knife he gave me... I did find it in the field, though it took some time. I never did ask for his surname, sadly. But I hope he'll find his resting place sufficient.
Once I finished filling up the grave I dropped the shovel to the ground and wiped the sweat from my brow. The sun was scorching me, and I couldn't wait to return to the shade. It was unusually hot today...
Turning around I saw Kye was rummaging through the wagon. Searching for anything of value.
It felt kind of wrong going through a dead man's things... But she had no such reservations. We decided to leave the bodies of the mages alone. They did try to kill us... And I simply didn't want to dig three more graves.
I left my bag next to the wagon and I just ran out of water in the pouch I was carrying. I had another in there. I walked back to the wagon, hearing Kye going through whatever was inside.
„Wyatt, have you found the crossbow?“ She asked me not even seeing I came close by. It's like she could feel my presence... Weird.
„I have, it's over there in the field. I'll go pick it up, I just need to quench my thirst real quick.“ I opened and rummaged through my bag, finding the other water pouch. Right next to it was the inheritance notice.
I grabbed the pouch and had a drink, then I looked at the inheritance notice...
„Kye, you know you inherited 20,000 Gelders from Kellynstir?“
„Yes, I do not need human currency. Master Rosallyn had occasional trips across the Lydas so he accumulated some money to trade there. He went over just before he died.“ She said I heard a few things being knocked over and yelped before she continued. „Before you ask... He did look human. He was a halfling.“
„I assumed... And you're alright?“ I asked her.
„I am...“
„When did Kellynstir die anyway?“
„About a week ago, if you want to ask for his grave he has none. He chose to be cremated, and I followed his wishes.“
I tried to not think about how she cremated the corpse of my grandfather... News travels quite fast despite the isolated nature of this place. I'll take note of that as well.
I looked back at the paper. „It also says here you got two horses?“
„Lynn and Phinn, yes. They are in the barn, I'll introduce you to them once we're done here.“
I nodded, putting the water pouch and paper back into the bag.
„You mentioned you did not need currency... I assume we won't be shopping for supplies.“ I heard my stomach growl... I didn't eat anything today. Well, that's my fault.
„We'll be going hunting. But not now, I have a week's worth of food stored. Game is quite abundant in these parts so we don't have to worry.“ She jumped from the wagon to the ground. I looked at Owen's rifle that was leaning on the wagon's wheel. Kyiela followed my gaze.
„We won't be using it. Too loud.“ She said.
„I'll take it anyway.“ I replied.
She stared at the rifle, then at Owen's grave in the distance.
„Were you and your guide close?“ She asked. I took a moment to reply.
„I knew the guy for a day. I did talk to him quite a bit during the trip. He was a good man... Had a daughter and two grandkids. Planned on paying for their education... His work paid quite well.“ I remembered I probably buried the 200 Gelders alongside Owen... I won't complain. I have no use for them anyway. And I didn't want to dig through his pockets.
Kyiela stared at Owen's grave for a few moments, she nodded in approval... For what exactly I couldn't surmise.
„Alright, I'll search the three mages. You rest for now.“ She said... Speaking of looting corpses...
I sat on the wagon, looking as Kyiela went through the mages one by one, pocketing anything she found.
I thought about waiting for another wagon to pass by... Maybe jumping in and escaping back to the Lydas.
I buried my face in my hands.
This life is... It's simply too different from the one I lived before. And I still looked at Kyiela as a stranger. She was an apprentice of my grandfather... Did he have more of them?
There were simply too many unknowns. She is a mystery to me... She seems cold and disconnected. But she also seems to be well disciplined, she knows what she's doing. But I'll refrain from asking anything personal just yet. If and when she wants to open up... I'll let her.
One thing that irked me was the fact that for some reason she looked familiar. But I couldn't quite place her anywhere... And I didn't want to go too far back in my memories.
„Patience... Cool head.“ I spoke out loud.
I saw as Kye was coming back from her looting. When she came near I saw she was grinning.
That's new, I thought to myself. She probably found something of value.
„Wyatt, let's head back. I'm starting to get hungry, and I still have to show you around the house. And I need to feed the horses. You'll help me with that.“
I nodded, hoping off the wagon.
„Let's get going then.“
Next Chapter - Coming Soon

Ok so, I am not diagnosed (no financial condition nor time for consistently going to a therapist) so the only people I have to discuss this are friends of mine, both neurodivergent and neurotypical.
Rituals and repetitive behaviors are heavily present on my daily life. In fact, they are constant and never stop. The foot in which I enter a room, how I walk down the stairs, where I place my objects, how balanced my movements are, which foot I use to step on each floor tile, etc. These are very summarized examples because they are not the focus of this post, but if you wish me to say more, just ask in the comments.
While these bother me, I have some comfort in knowing what they are: rituals and repetitive behaviors, and that other people also share those. However, there is another issue with my movements that I am not sure of why it happens, or if it falls under "rituals" or "repetitive behaviors".
Basically, I do things like entering a room by one door and having to leave by that same door otherwise it'll feel super uncomfortable. The problem is that it is more than entering spaces, and the most appropriate way for myself that I have found to explain is this: imagine there is a long, long string attached to myself. Everywhere I go, this string is being dragged along. I have to do everything to avoid having that string entangle in places or I'll feel uncomfortable until I forget this happened. For example: if I walk a circle around a person, the string entsngles on them, so the best thing I can do is to walk around again but the opposite way. When I enter a place/room with a lot of furniture in it, I need to attempt tracing the same path when walking in and out, otherwise the string gets entangled in some furniture. I always avoid spinning 360 degrees without spinning back to avoid entangling the string on myself, and this entire behavior persists even when I control characters in videogames, though slightly less heavy.
Up until now, I thought this was a concept created by myself to explain how I feel, but today I talked to a friend (who has diagnosed ASD) and they said they related to the string analogy, but that they have gotten rid of theirs about 1-2 years ago and that it wasn't as persistent as mine.
I wanna know... Does this fall under rituals and/or repetitive behavior? Do more people have this? Is it characteristic of some specific disordecondition? I'm not trying to self diagnose through one trait, I just genuinely could never understand this and I want to know if there's any group of people who goes through this and learn more about this.
I haven't noticed I was like this until few years ago, but I had always noticed that I tend to spin around while walking if I ever subconsciously notice I made a 360 degree spin, some people found it weird but I make sure that this behavior is masked as much as possible, so I always try to plan out my movements in a way people can't notice what I'm doing, or just do the spins and movements to untangle the string while no one is looking.

Deals in fiction

Deals in fiction are utilised in multiple ways and they often push plot forward or characters' growth.
We can have deals, which motivate characters to take an action for potential massive rewards. Characters usually are given a seemingly impossible task and they can potentially withdraw, but the reward is sweet. Multiple heist plotlines utilise it as it's an easy way to make characters go to a place they would never go.
Then we have Faust-style deals (not faustian bargains for my beloved pedantic linguists) where characters get what they want or need in the situation, while doom or potential conflict is getting closer and closer. The price can be known or unknown. It's often otherworldy and often rare, which puts emphasis on how big deal it is and increases tenstion. Characters live in bliss until they are challenged by the returning deal. From there characters either have to find a way out of it or learn how to live with it, succesfully or unsuccesfully. It can help to get out of writing corners and extend lifespam of the work.
Finally, there are minor deals that set up world building and they are basically exchanges. It's normalised and expected from the story. It sets up potential conflicts where characters have to either use the system or find a way around it. The biggest example of it is Fullmetal Alchemist. Alchemy doesn't suddenly make things appear, you are basically transforming what you have into an equal value object.

Persephone's deal

It's nicely set-up despite some initiatl issues (trial arc pomegranate being missing). We learn how the deal is the second category. It takes something from you, but it gives you power of the Underworld.
We learn about Hades' infertility and we see how it was a big sacifice. Minthe points out when she tries to hurt Hades and we see Hades dealing with it to a certain extend. It works well if we kind of gnore Thanatos' plotline and where it went. Hades tried to fix it, but nothing can change his infertility.
Furthermore, he is tied to underworld. He can only go up for a few days before he gets too exhausted. He can barely explore and interact with life. He is stuck with dead for eternity. It wasn't mentioned a lot compared to his infertility, but you can easily see it how he is mostly in Underworld.
The idea of Persephone getting a similarly harsh deal is interesting as it can push her character growth (yup, I am serious here) and be a great plot obstacle. Something to deal with in long-term, not just for one arc... If only.

Sacrifice in LO

Before I rant in detail about Persephone's deal, I want to bring focus on sacrifices made by multiple characters.
Hades can't still have biological kids in natural way and he can only have kids thanks to Persephone's ability to create/give life. They had to find a way around it and we only see fruits of their discussion in later season 3.
Six traitors risked verything when they were fighting against Kronos and they ended up being wounded for eternity. While their traumas are not in deep explored and multiple scars are barely visible (Demeter and Hestia), there are multiple visual reminders when we see Hera and Hades. Their traumas are explored a lot. Hades is still dealing with the fact that he looks like his father, while Hera is alcoholic and later haunted by Kronos himself. Demeter has briefly talked issues with her mother due to military style raising. Everybody fell into coma after Kronos came back for the first time. We see how much it cost them to fight against Kronos
Metis lost her form and ability to contact her daughters for ages to give Zeus power, so six traitors can defeat Kronos. It's barely explored, but you can see it when Demeter talks about fate of fertility goddesses and she is worried about Persephone.

So why I dislike Persephone's deal?

Going back to it, we know that Persephone's powers of creation were changed to rebirth. She now can only give life to a dead matter instead of magically poofing nature from nothing and she can decay living matter.
However, it's barely any sacrifice depending on specific. The ground is basically a dead matter and you are highly sleeping above somebody's resting place. There could be also a nice tree that has fallen 3000 years ago. So her power only requires a bit of ground near her to work. So she can't use her power in a vaccum or sky without preparation.
But she can potentially harm her enemy with decay, so no need for flower punches. She has extra powers now.
There is also a weird bit about how managed to summon living bees with no issues during the battle against Kronos and gave life to fire, which depending on definition is either living or neither living or dead.
She only needs to work around that tiny restriction which she manages to figure out in a few episodes. It barely affected her, considering that she didn't know her powers were changed for a large part of season 3.
This only leaves the disaster she caused to mortal realm due to pushing herself to heal mortal realm. It was distrssing for her as she was hated for a while and she needed love from Mr Banana and Blueberries to calm down. Maybe she is still traumatised about it and her reputation is in ruins? She is constantly working to improve her self-esteem and reputation?
Who am I kidding, Gaia fixed everything and we don't see any mention of struggle. While it could be explained by ending being happy one, there are a few counter-arguements. Apollo was still mentioned and multiple series did it. Hunger Games has Katniss reflect on everything and how much there is more ahead of her such as telling children about Hunger Games and the war.
The only bit is about how Persephone still learns her powers, but is it really sacrifice comparabled to those that I mentioned? Once she learns, she can do whatever she wants as if she was born with those powers and it's unlikely it will take ages to learn how to fully use them.
So what about her staying in mortal realm for 3 months? As far we are aware, she will not get exhausted like Hades and she can travel to different realms. Her kids probably can do, while Hades can visit her every few days or weeks depending on how long it takes him to recover. It's basically an equivalent of a business trip.
It barely feels like an obstacle that challenges Persephone in long term.

Man, I've only played two episodes and already I need to go on a rant. This hasn't happened since.. Season Five! It's almost as if this is like a..

1. Season Five Revamp So, Finn and Kat are back, and they will not shut the fuck up. It's in character for Kat, really, to be showy and petty, but I didn't need a sequel. My theory with this is that Fusebox is quite aware of how badly they fucked up S5, and they're trying to do some "redemption" thing. I don't know, and I don't really care. I'm already tired of this season immediately being about Finn and Kat.
   
2. The MC and Her Clothes So, we're gonna redo Season Five and then recycle the Season Eight MC? I mean, she was super gorgeous, don't get me wrong. I was kind of excited to see a new sprite, though. I thought about inserting my S5 girl into S9, as a redemption thing, but for some unknown, very mysterious and hard-to-figure-out reason, it feels like my S8 girl came back. Though, I'm not quite sure I want to bring my S5 MC back now anyway, I'm sure she's had enough of Kat and Finn already. I know I have. God forbid they bring back Alfie or Suresh. Don't even get me started on her clothes. I thought the bathing suits were actually quite cute, but the dress options are SO tacky. Bedsheet, Vegas Showgirl Halloween Costume, or A Rich Person's Curtains. I feel like I'm playing dress up with objects I find around the house. Am I going to roll up in a carpet next? And the shoes, oh my lord. I can't put my finger on what's so wrong with the feet, but the shoes are just so.. clunky? Even the sandals, and the open-toed shoes, They make MC's feet look massive.. and, like, square. I don't even know how you manage that. The hair options, as well, are NOT the best. The free options, especially. I'm not a fan (personally) of any of them, as someone who likes to insert myself into gameplay, with long hair and blunt bangs. Seems they focused more on short options this time.. but I know they tend to release hair along with new episodes, so I'll shut up about that for now. I think they did well with piercings, tattoos, and skin tones, though. I think they're listening- somewhat. Or they're finding new ways to push diamonds. I don't really know.
   
3. Writing and Gem Choices The writing so far seems OK. I can tell immediately that they're still using Artificial Intelligence, as someone who's familiar with the way AI bots speak. (I work in a certain field with them.) I'm pretty disappointed, I feel like if I wanted AI writing I could have hopped onto a low-quality chatbot app like Talkie or something. The only thing I can applaud is that right now, I can separate personalities. Chen and Henri seem to be almost exactly the same, but Hamish, Kat, Finn, Natasha, and Melissa all have their own personalities, which I appreciate. Though, knowing Fusebox, I bet we'll have the joy of watching the personality drain from our love interests as the season goes on. That being said, I'm disinterested in any of the men, really. I started playing for Hamish, but of course he's gotta be closed off. So, I guess I'm leaning more towards Natasha, and I'm glad I've been able to flirt with her openly unlike most seasons where I have to wait way too long to get with a girl love interest. Hooray, lesbians! The gem choices have gone down in price, both for chats and for character customization. Not a lot, but it's going somewhere. Gem options seems somewhat more worth it, I guess? I'm not really interested because I've been so put off by the Season Five thing. It's whatever, though, I guess.
   

Anyway. I know most people that see this arent gonna read the entirety of this yap, but I need to get it out there, into the universe, to float away forever.
Also, still mad about accents. Let me use my name!! Please!! 😭😭
Footnote-
I saw someone on Reddit make their own Allstars game. It was actually pretty good. I can't remember who did it, but I have the game file saved somewhere. If someone could locate who made it and put it in the responses, please? They really did do a good job, and they bring back characters like Rohan, Blake, Miles, Kobi, etc. I'll update if I can find it. I recommend it, though, if any of you want a better All Stars experience than Fusebox, Lol.

So this will be pretty long. TLDR at the bottom!
We've been broken up for almost 3 weeks now, as this happened about 3 weeks ago. My ex and I met in mid-November of 2023 through mutual friends, as we were both at the same university. We had each other's social media accounts, specifically Snapchat, and we regularly texted each other. No intentions behind the texting from either side at first, it was more or less chatting as friends. However over time, we both ended up catching feelings for one another, and it wasn't until about 2.5 weeks of knowing each other that we expressed that we liked each other. And about 4 days later I asked for her to be my girlfriend. One small issue, before we met each other, she ended up putting in a transfer request to go back home, as she wanted to transfer to her home university and be home with family. So we had about a month of being with each other before she left for home, about a 4-hour plane ride, or 4000 km, and a 3-hour time difference. However, we both agreed that we'll work through this long distance together.
Throughout our almost 6 month relationship, we had our fair share of bumps in the road, we had a pretty big fight in February, where tbh I didn't know if we would have a future together, but we let our emotions come down to earth and figured it out together, and since then, I honestly thought everything was amazing. We called often, on average about 1-2 hours a day, some days both of us were busy, and some days we called for 3+ hours. I didn't want to smother her, as I know sometimes we all need our alone time and space, and I had given that to her anytime she asked for it, but we both mutually initiated contact, besides say gift giving, the relationship was not one-sided at all. However, come April, more specifically the middle of April, something was off. We both had school and exams and she had been extra busy trying to move from her grandparents back into her parents, so I assumed it was just that we were both in a busy time of our lives, but I noticed the attention and effort on her side was lacking considerably compared to the previous months. The cute things that we used to do, sending cute Instagram reels, TikToks, and even making Pinterest boards of each other, stopped, we occasionally did it maybe once-twice a week, but we used to almost every day. Not only that but we hadn't been on the phone nearly as much as we used to.
Her birthday was in early May, and I didn't want to say anything, just in case maybe it was me going crazy and acting a little dumb and insecure, but I wanted to know if everything was alright. I should've waited but I kind of just snapped, on her birthday, I knew she would be busy, but the least I'd expect are some updates, but it's like she was even too busy for me, she said that later at night we'd be able to call, and I'd get to properly wish her happy birthday over the phone and not over text with a homemade card. However, it was getting later and later, until she said that she wouldn't be able to call tonight as her cousins were sleeping over and bunking with her. I got upset because we planned and she promised we'd get to call. I got pretty upset and asked her if everything was ok. Over the past few weeks, I've noticed the attention and effort haven't been there. She got mad at me for possibly thinking something could be up (I was right, gut feeling is always right), we talked it out and we both apologized. However, this is when I knew something was up. Her snap score had a dramatic change. For those of you who don't know, a snap score is keeping up with how many pictures or videos you send and receive to and from other people on that app. Normally, her score would only go up about 50-100 a day, most of the time when we sent pictures and videos to each other, and she occasionally sent some to her friends, as was the same with me. However, her score ended up going up by 300-400 a day, which was not normal at all, and when she would normally just send updates and pictures to me, where her snap score went up by 1 or 2, it went up by 20-40 at a time.
I know it probably sounds stupid but I knew then and there that something was up. I brought up how she's been a lot more active on Snapchat, and she initially said it was just because she's snapping people back that she hasn't snapped in a long time, I knew it was BS, so I tried to get her to tell the truth, but then she got mad at me and blocked me, and then started making up some excuses about how we're not right for each other and this won't work and blah blah blah, but then 2 days after trying to talk this out she came clean. A month into our relationship she had continued accepting compliments and allowing them to continue, she says she never complimented them back, however, she let it continue and never mentioned that she had a boyfriend. And had been talking back and forth with a guy as well. While she showed me messages, and they were all about the guy making advances and her shutting them down, she never once mentioned that she was in a relationship, or even talking to someone else. And while she cut him off eventually, it still hurts that she did that. And then, while I thought everything was going perfectly fine, after our fight in February, she said that she started to feel suffocated like she was an accessory to me and not her own person. I never intended for her to feel like that, however, she had opened up to me about how insecure she was and how she had low self-worth, so I tried to overcompensate. She thought she was feeling like this because of the fight, and she thought it was just something that would change over time, but it didn't. That was on top of the fact that she didn't know what she was feeling, but she tried to convince herself that she loved me, instead of loving me. Over time it grew to sort of this resentful feeling, that I was in her way, and so in April, when I had a gut feeling something was up, she had been emotionally detaching herself from me. The real kicker is that she wanted to speed up the process by talking to guys like she had before.
It still hurts a lot, even though I'm trying to heal, it still feels like she ripped my heart out, because she did. During the breakup process, she said she felt incredibly guilty and ashamed of herself, and she didn't want to hurt me, and how I had treated her better than anyone else could've, but she just didn't feel the same way I did. I wanted a little bit of closure, and asked if she had feelings for anyone else and if things went further than just them complimenting her, she said no, there was nothing romantic, or intimate with anyone else, and that at one point in time, she only saw a future with me in it, however she liked the attention that she got from all of them. If she physically cheated or had another romantic interest, I wouldn't have hesitated to drop her, however I feel so torn. For as much as she hurt me, I still love her. I've tried the right way of healing, working on myself, and focusing on my studies and career, as well as going out and having fun with friends, but as much as I try to ignore it, I still stupidly feel deeply towards her. I just don't know what to do, I have weekly counseling and that has helped me immensely in healing the right way, and not trying to fill the void she left, but I feel as if I'm just drifting, like I'm on cruise control, like I'm moving forward but staying still at the same time if that makes sense. I don't know what to do. We're on Day 4 of No-Contact, trying to heal, but I just wish this was all a bad dream and I could go back to when everything was perfect. Am I wrong to still feel this way? What's the right way to go about this?
TLDR: My ex-GF emotionally cheated on me, the first month together she continued talking to a few guys because of the attention, and these were guys who were interested in her romantically, although stopped it after that first month, during the last month of the relationship she emotionally detached, and she picked back up the attention from other guys. As much as I'm hurt I still feel strongly about her, what do I do?

Introduction

In today’s digital age, capturing and sharing memories through photos has become a fundamental part of our lives. Whether it's a family vacation, a birthday celebration, or a candid moment with friends, we want to preserve these memories and share them easily. This is where photo sharing apps come into play. Over the years, these apps have evolved, offering enhanced features that make sharing our precious moments more seamless than ever before.

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User-friendly Interface

A good photo sharing app should have an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface. Users of all ages should be able to upload, edit, and share photos without any hassle.

Privacy and Security Features

Privacy is paramount when sharing personal photos. Look for apps that offer robust security features like end-to-end encryption and the ability to control who sees your photos.

Storage Options

Ample storage is crucial for a photo sharing app. Whether it's unlimited storage or integration with cloud services, you should have enough space to store all your photos.

Editing and Customization Tools

Basic editing tools such as filters, cropping, and adjustments can enhance your photos before sharing them. Some apps also offer advanced customization options to make your photos stand out.

Sharing Capabilities

The ease with which you can share your photos across different platforms and with various people is essential. Whether through direct links, social media integration, or group sharing options, the app should make sharing simple.

The Best Picture Sharing Apps in 2024

Kwikpic

Overview

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Key Features

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Google Photos

Overview

Google Photos has long been a favorite for its integration with Google services and its powerful AI features.

Key Features

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Instagram

Overview

Instagram remains one of the most popular social media platforms, primarily focused on photo and video sharing.

Key Features

• Extensive filters and editing tools
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• Engagement through likes, comments, and shares
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Why It Stands Out

Instagram's wide reach and extensive editing tools make it perfect for sharing and discovering new content. It's a social hub for creatives and everyday users alike.

Flickr

Overview

Flickr is a longstanding favorite among professional photographers and hobbyists for its high-quality photo hosting.

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Why It Stands Out

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Dropbox

Overview

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Key Features

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Why It Stands Out

Dropbox's versatility in file sharing, along with its secure storage options, makes it a reliable choice for sharing photos, especially in a professional setting.

Emerging Trends in Photo Sharing Apps

Enhanced AI Features

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integral to photo sharing apps, offering features like automatic tagging, facial recognition, and intelligent search capabilities.

Improved Collaboration Tools

Newer apps are focusing on collaboration, allowing multiple users to edit and organize shared photo albums simultaneously, making group projects more efficient.

Augmented Reality Integration

Augmented Reality (AR) is starting to make its way into photo sharing apps, providing users with immersive experiences and creative ways to enhance their photos.

How to Choose the Right Photo Sharing App for You

Assessing Your Needs

Consider what you need most from a photo sharing app. Are you looking for privacy, storage, editing tools, or social features? Understanding your priorities will help narrow down your options.

Comparing Features

Make a list of the features that are most important to you and compare the top apps to see which ones meet your criteria.

Reading User Reviews

User reviews can provide valuable insights into the pros and cons of each app. Look for feedback on ease of use, reliability, and customer support.

Tips for Safe and Secure Photo Sharing

Using Strong Passwords

Ensure your accounts are protected with strong, unique passwords. This is your first line of defense against unauthorized access.

Enabling Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security, making it harder for others to access your account without your permission.

Being Mindful of Shared Content

Be cautious about what you share and with whom. Always review your privacy settings to control who can see your photos.

Conclusion

In 2024, photo sharing apps have become more advanced, offering a range of features to meet various needs. Whether you're looking for robust security, ample storage, or advanced editing tools, there's an app out there for you. By understanding what to look for and considering your personal requirements, you can find the perfect app to share your memories seamlessly.

FAQs

Which photo sharing app is best for privacy?

Kwikpic is highly regarded for its advanced privacy and security features, making it an excellent choice for users concerned about their photo privacy.

Can I share photos without losing quality?

Yes, apps like Flickr and Dropbox offer high-resolution uploads to ensure your photos maintain their quality when shared.

Are there any free photo sharing apps with unlimited storage?

Kwikpic offers unlimited storage, making it a great option for those looking for ample space without the extra cost.

How can I share photos with non-tech-savvy family members?

Google Photos and Dropbox are user-friendly options that allow you to share photos easily via links, making it simple for less tech-savvy individuals to access them.

What are the best apps for professional photographers?

Flickr and Dropbox are popular choices among professional photographers due to their high-quality uploads and robust storage and sharing features.

So...I found...whatever this is
"Western secular academia has certain philosophical presuppositions that are absolutely necessary to function otherwise no further research is possible. The same is true of Islamic traditionalism.
Before you can really do sophisticated meaningful research into any science you have to first deal with fundamental questions of metaphysics and epistemology (what is truth? How can we know it? Does objective truth exist? What are the standards of truth?)
After the epistemological work of Hegel, continental philosophy was able to soundly base its method on physical reality, ignoring the neumenon and focusing on the phenomenal sciences. Hegel allowed them to put the supernatural, Christianity, epistemology, and metaphysics to bed.
It's no surprise that after his groundbreaking work, secularism rises as the dominant ideology, giving birth to Capitalism, Democracy, and Communism. The "natural philosophies" go from being a sub-branch of philosophy to all of knowledge itself "physical sciences then, just, science."
This is discussed in the academic study of religion. A secular "scientific" approach based on anthropology and empiricism has as many presuppositions as a religious institution. Indeed, Talal Asad deconstructed the entire idea of the secular-religious dichotomy in "Formations of the Secular," demonstrating that secularism is as much a "religion" with "unprovable" assumptions about the supernatural as any other.
The reality is that the secular academy and the Muslim traditional institution seek to do two very different things with two very different methodologies. I personally find some of the conclusions of both useful and interesting. But anyone that thinks that secular universities are "objective" because they use "science" doesn't know philosophy, intellectual history, or the first thing about skepticism.
To this day there has never been a rigorous skeptical evaluation of the tools of the Western academy in humanities following the monopoly of continental & analytic philosophy. The closest is Nassim Taleb, a Lebanese Christian, in his Incerto series - which deals with philosophical skepticism and rational empiricism but primarily from the perspective of financial modelling risk (although he does deconstruct most history, historiography, anthropology, and related fields that academic Islamic studies are based on).
This is an era I would like to write something academic in in the future."
End quote
This whole thing smells bad to me, but there's just way too much jargon here for me to unpack
Can someone tell me what this person is on about and whether they're being sensible, or just blatantly disingenuous?

Thank you to Space paladin for the canvas and u/Acceptable_Egg5560 for proofreading and critique
[First]-[Prev]-[Next]
Memory transcript: Maarchal , MESEA Astronomers. Date: [Standard Farsul calendar ] September 16th, 3675
“Sigh…. Mark one launch in 3…2…1…”
The rocket shot off the pad in front of us. I was resting my head in my paw and watching the data flow in from the Lidar, recording how the rocket shot off into the atmosphere.
“Deploying flares….”
Suddenly the missile shot out dozens and dozens of distractionary weapons. The computer program sliced through all the false positives with ease, accurately mapping the trajectory of the projectile through all the tests we designed to confuse it.
I stared blankly at the screen as our creation effortlessly did its job, the hum of the computer bank below us pushed warm air out the ideas of the vehicle. I rubbed my eyes to relieve them of the eye… crumbles? Of sleep, I watched the bright light of fire behind the rocket diminish and the top open and shoot out a parachute. My eyes lazily followed the descending rocket as it tumbled onto its side on the ground. I heard Ponthyt and Fiar moan from the bottom of the floor, they were draping cloaks around their heads and were splayed out.
Slightly amused with the consequences of their bout of drinking last night I turned on the radio. “ Mark two, be ready to lau…..” I was pulled away from my current objective by something strange. The Lidar was currently tracking a projectile.
That's odd… we are in restricted air space, what could it be tracking? I sat up and studied the computer. Whatever it was it was high, very high in the atmosphere and it was traveling towards the south pole, It might be a… asteroid?
Suddenly I see its trajectory change and it starts to head right towards us!!! My mind races with possibilities as to what it could be. A spy airplane? a weather balloon? My blood runs cold with the worst possibility becoming the most likely.
“Ship of cartutus do you read?” I was pulled away from my musings from the rocket engineers on the radio. I fumble with my radio and almost drop it off the side of the vehicle.
“THERE'S A MISSILE!!! A MISSILE!!!” I screamed into the handheld device.
“What? Can you repeat that ship of cartutus?” I quickly chock down my fear and force a somewhat level headed response.
“I believe the Lidar has picked up the signature of a missile, its warhead could be nuclear. I have a sense of dread and a suspicion it's from the Crafur archipelago.” I hear a torrent of panicked voices flood out of my radio. Ponthyt and Fiar were shifting on the floor from the unwanted stimuli.
I quickly cover the speaker with my paw and respond. “I am asking you to activate the R.C. interpreter missiles, we are live testing this today on something that could be real!!!”
“...Rodger, we are activating interceptor 34, please highlight the target.”
I force my right arm to force my left to stop shaking, I then type in the command to target the projectile. In our little back and forth it had crossed several hundred miles and was closing in fast. “Interceptor program activated and target designated.”
“Rodger, launching in 3…2…1.” Suddenly another light shone across the tundra as our only hope of survival flew into the clouds. I could hear a horrible screech as whatever was heading towards us was closing in. I saw a bright flash in the clouds and debris falling naught but a few hundred meters from our current location.
I was still holding my breath as I watched the scattered pieces fall to the earth and let it out when I realized and relaxed in my chair. I was breathing heavily and rubbing my stomach, delayed panic coursed through my veins.
“Ship of cartutus, has the target been neutralized?” I forced myself to sit back up and act, I turned to the computer and pressed a button to show me the last instances of the object's trajectory. It showed the two dots closing in on each other head on, and then a swarm of debris fell straight to the ground after the collision. “Confirmed hit, target neutralized.”
“Confirmed, sending out recovery team.'' The next few moments passed by and I couldn't tell if they were minutes or hours.
I saw what appeared to be ants scouring the debris field, back and forth they paced all along it. A cargo auto came by to salvage what remained of the interceptor, I could have watched more closely with my binoculars, but I decided to simply sit and catch my breath. Suddenly I heard a buzz from my radio.
“Ship of cartutus, this seems to be an asteroid.”
Bewilderment suddenly floods me. “What? I saw it on the Lidar, it made a drastic change in direction! Asteroids can't do that? Have you checked the wreckage for any signs of radioactivity?” I was quick to respond, as were they.
“We had someone with a radiation sensor scan the debris, none of it showed any sign of it. We have found no trace of foreign metal, it's all stone.”
Confusion pushed out any lingering panic within me. “Please stand by, I am going to inspect it myself.”
“Rodger, awaiting your arrival.”
I clicked off the radio and tapped on the glass to wake up our driver. “I am going to the debris field, get out and help me down and take me there in the JPA.”
The driver, a military officer, was fast asleep and splayed out on the wide front seats. He shifted when I attempted to rouse him, lazily opened an eye and looked at me. “No, want … sleep.”
I took on an unamused expression as he closed his eyes. I have had enough of his mershit, I grabbed my water bottle and slid open the dividing window. I unscrewed the lid and unceremoniously poured out its contents all over him. He shot up and breathed heavily as the cold contents of the bottle drenched him, confusion mired his Being and he looked around for the source of his discomfort before his eyes landed upon me. His confusion was pushed out by annoyance as he stared at me.
“Good, you're awake, now help me out and drive me to the debris field.”I said with markedly less patience and with a commanding tone I perfected raising two children. He looked even more annoyed but he relented, getting out of the cab and doing as I said.
​
***
​
“So what we are seeing is some kind of stone, it's not any kind of stone found in the area so at the very least it's abnormal.” Craath said.
“Hmm, but I saw the readings on the Lidar, it was going fast, then it turned nearly going backwards with no sign of slowing down or speeding up before or after. It's like it just… I don't even know!!! Missiles can barely make that kind of reading without eviscerating themselves!!! But an asteroid definitely shouldn't be able to, it should have torn itself apart at the very least!’ I responded, holding my chin and examining the stones laid all about on the ground. They were light gray. “Please hand me one.”
Craath nodded and bent down to grab me one, he handed it to me and I examined it more thoroughly. The texture was gritty, as though made up of medium grains of minerals, but the color and gloss was perfectly uniform.
“... My pups have become obsessed with rocks, I have been learning about them alongside them. I can't for the life of me think of a rock even close to this one's description.”
I turned the stone in my paw and looked for any inconsistency, but found none. “Well, it's an asteroid Maarchal, it's not like it has to conform to our planet's standards.”
“I’m an astronomer Craath , I am familiar with asteroid samples and at the very least can tell you these are not like any other asteroids we have ever discovered. And inanimate objects don't just change course on their own at the very least.”
He shrugged. “Just because we found a lot of some kind of thing doesn't mean new versions cant be discovered. And the trajectory change could be something we haven't discovered anything of. Either way it was not a missile, but you did save our hides by destroying it. Count our blessings, you’ll get to study something with your pups, something no one else has!!!”
I grabbed the stone with both paws and applied some pressure. It cracked in half with almost no effort, I looked inside but found the same consistent appearance as the outside of the stone.
“ It could be some kind of … I don't know, particulate weapon strapped to a thruster? Meant to explode on top of us and get into our lungs?”
Craath shook his head. “No that can't be the case, we examined all the metal debris and it all belonged to the interceptor. Something like that would at the very least leave behind a thruster, as it stands I say we just clean this stuff up and head back to base for a deeper analysis.”
I spied all the workers out in this field. Most were hauling pieces of the interceptor into a big cargo auto, while others were examining the other debris. I dropped the stone in my paws and folded my arms. “ I want some kind of lab with geo analyst tools, tell the brass it's for research on an interceptor and… is that stone floating?”
I pointed to the stone I had dropped, but had failed to meet the ground. The technician looked down with a blank expression that screamed confusion, suddenly the stone floated higher between us. I saw more of the stones around us levitate off the ground, workers screamed at the display while me and Craath simply stared with blank expressions. We stayed stoick in either utter terror or curiosity, or some kind of mixture of both, I couldn't tell. The workers were running in utter fear and getting into the autos, while others were simply running as fast as they could for base.
As the stones levitated they all moved towards a central point, none of them touched but they seemed to make the rough outline of a cone. As they got closer together they moved faster and faster, swirling upon the central point. By this time some were fusing together while others were spitting apart. They all were now making the rough outline of… a person?
The shape was nothing like I had ever seen except in Farsul. The largest stones floated above all the others and I saw two eyes blink open.
We both stood there in utter silence. I saw the longest stones floating by their sides, with spaces representing points of articulation, long thin stones made up the fingers. The placement was as if they were bones, the eyes were on the flat surface of the stone that held them, they were… black… and the irises were glowing with a golden light like that of the sun. I saw the stones below the ones holding the eyes possess a smooth line that seemed to line up and continued to the stone floating beside it.
The “body” was an amorphous sloping cylinder of floating stones that were never more than a few inches close together, they were shifting all the while. Suddenly I see her? Move any arm and grab a piece of wreckage.
“Excuse me, but I seem to have been confused for a… weapon, correct? And as such I have lost my hair, do you mind if I use this to remake it?”
“...” I could not speak, this… thing was terrifying, a monolith of sentient stones that was some forty meters tall. When she spoke… I could see her “mouth” move, but the sound seemed to come from all around. I was unable to pinpoint its origin.
Suddenly, she drops the wreckage into the cargo auto.
“I’ll take your silence as a no. Could I use this instead?”
She dug her paw into the ground and lifted a large clod of earth, she was looking at me expectantly.
“Uh… sure?”
She smiles and I can see steam emanating from the soil in her paw. I see it start to glow and melt. But it did not drop from her paw, instead I see it congest into a glowing orb of liquid. I see it start to change shape, suddenly strands of the hot liquid erupt from the top. They float about and circle above her head before securing themselves onto it. I can see the strands cool into silver stands, they float around her. Reaching all the way to the ground behind her. They are constantly moving to stay out of the way of the stones of her body.
“Now that I have made myself presentable. Greeting I have received your message to the stars, I apologize for making myself known but there is no undoing that. Well I could, but I’d rather not."
Confusion swept over me. “Wh-what?”
She took on a look of worry. “Your message? Are you not Maarchal?”
“I-I am, how do you know that?”
She moves her paw towards us, the flat of it pointing directly at us. Suddenly, I see a paragraph of text displayed on the stones, as if they were displayed on screens. It was our message me, Ponthyt and Fiar had made and sent last night.
“I, uh, didn't expect it to reach anyone, we were frustrated with some bad news, they were drinking and uh… I just thought it'd be fun.”
She rescinded her appendage and looked… embarrassed?
“Oh dear, I seem to have revealed myself prematurely again.” She covered her face with her paws.
“Wh-what do you mean again?” She turns her head up and stares at us directly.
“A number of months ago I activated a surveillance drone, I grew inpatient and wanted to see what you all had done. But a Farsul was holding it at the time and he saw it blink and he smashed it in fear. His name was Fiar, so when you mentioned someone with the same name and had seen a rock blink I assumed it was the same person and I had uncovered myself. Although I seem to have been mistaken. I apologize for this mix up.” She shifts her eyes between me and Craath and smiles. “I am glad I came though. You and your husband are a joyous sight.”
We looked at each other and Craath spoke up. “Oh, we aren't married. I’m Craath, we’re work friends.”
She took on a confused look. “Oh? Then where is he?”
I pointed to the Ship of cartutus across the field. “He and Fiar are on the back of that vehicle recovering from their hangovers.”
She looked over and spied the massive vehicle. I could… feel her amusement and I and Craath howled with laughter, the feeling of laughing at something someone else found funny was… extremely unnerving.
“Oh, well could I meet them? Considering this was all one big mistake I’d love to take advantage of it. Even if I can't stay. “
“What do you mean?” Craath asked the… god.
“I have been waiting for you to reach or discover me ever since I made this world for you. I was so excited that you “found” me that I came here from the blue ice giant immediately. But in my rash approach I failed to see I was not actually discovered. And since only a handful of Farsul have seen this form I will go back after I decide too. But for now I will enjoy your people's company.”
She looks down at herself. “But first I need to take a different, more… approachable form.” I see the stones congest and all fuse together into a monolith. Some time later it begins to crack and I see a young … farsul? Climb out from the disintegrating mass of stone.
She dusts herself off and walks to us. The farsul in front of us was taller than me but more slender. Her coat was dark red and she spoke much more normally then… whatever form she had before. She looked at me and smiled, her irises were still golden, but not glowing like they had been previously. “Now, why don't we go see him?”
‘Uh… of course, right this way.” I waved to follow me as I made my way to the JPA. The driver, somehow, didn't notice all the insanity we had witnessed and was reading some book. I got in the back seat as Craath took the front. The… farsul took the seat right next to me.
I taped on the oblivious and incompetent soldier's shoulder. He didn't look up from his book and merely groaned to acknowledge my existence. “We are … done here. Take us back to the Ship of cartutus.”
He exhaled and started the engine, pulling out of the field and taking us there. On the way I decided to ask the farsul some basic questions.
“Are you a god?”
She turned her attention to me.”What? NO! Of course not! I have not even been made aware of the lords presents and I would never claim to be him!”
“Then what are you?”
She folds her paws together. “It's… difficult to say, I was once a human. But over the eons I have… changed. You see, back in the other species territory, death… became a choice. We advanced so greatly in bio engineering that biological immortality was invented and over the eons most did not want to live more than a certain amount of time. They reversed the changes and let death claim them. But… I didn't, and over time the genetic upgrades we would periodically advance ourselves with made us unrecognizable to what we evolved from.”
Craath turned back towards her. “ You said we? How many more of you are there?”
She looked down at her folded paws. “I don't know, but for every world I terraformed no more like me emerged. Almost all like me sprang up when this technology first emerged and over the uncountable generations only an astronomically few chooses to become like me.”
“You said you created our world but you are not a god?”
She shook her head. “No, I simply “created” your world by putting the pieces back together.”
Craath took on a face of suspicion. “What pieces?”
She looked down more intensely. “Sigh a long time ago, your species government made a lot of people suffer, so when a force came to destroy you they did nothing to stop it. You had no way to defend yourselves and your kind was slaughtered. Only those outside the cage of your world survived. Most still hate you, but I don't. I took what I could and came here, I made you a world for yourself where you could grow unimpeded.”
An icy cold dread flowed within me. “ We were slaughtered and they still hate us? What did we do?”
She turned to me with a solemn look. “The average Farsul? Nothing.”
We continued to make our way over the rough terrain until I decided to ask her something else.
“What's your name?”
“Talsk, the name of your homeworld. I took it as a moniker when I decided to bring your kind here.”
Craath spoke up and addressed Talsk. “You know for not a god you sure do claim to do a lot of what a god does.”
She shakes her head. “No, no, I think of myself as a gardener, planting the seeds God has given us. I am not a God or even a mother of any kind.”
She turns her head over to me. “You however are much more of a creator than I have ever been. Tell me, how far along are you?”
“Oh, I’m almost due actually, I'll probably start having contractions any day now. My two other pups are quite excited to have a little brother or sister.”
Talsk smiles warmly. “That's wonderful but… Why are you working so late into your term?”
I breathed deeply, and turned to address her. “We are being strong armed to make weapons for the military, we’ve been here for most of my pregnancy.”
Her warm smile suddenly turned icy cold. “Someone is forcing you to build weapons?”
I nodded. She turned her head out over the horizon and even though she no longer projected her emotion outward I could still feel her rage in that moment.
Craath, turned to the driver. “Seriously, you didn't see or hear anything that woman did?”
“I did, I’m just not paid enough to care.”
Craath took on a look of abject confusion and frustration at the unimpressed soldier.
We then pulled up at the Ship of cartutus and we all climbed out, I yelled for the sleepy men. “PONTHYT! FIAR!!! We have a visitor!!!”
Suddenly two heads inch over the edge and look down at us. “Oh hi honey! YAWN. Who's the young girl?”
“I’ll … explain over lunch.”
Fiar popped his head over the side enthusiastically. “Oh, is Ponthyt cooking?”
I nodded and he and Craath howled with excitement. I covered my ears while Talsk simply held a paw to her muzzle and giggled at the rambunctious pup like energy from the two seasoned scientists.
[First]-[Previous]-[Next]

Black Sheep Family
Part 56
Arc 6
We don’t abandon family.
"Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." ~ Lilo, Lilo & Stitch
(B)(S)(F)
GO!
Saturday February 25, 2079
Cassandra was huddled between Alan and Endara in the open and pleasant looking waiting room of Doctor Sheila Sindra, the family’s therapist for group sessions. Danny was either asleep or supremely focused, but his light snoring lent evidence to sleeping. Agatha was on her phone typing furiously and glaring at Danny. Anna was on Alan’s opposite side, reading a book on animals of the amazon.
Cassandra was almost bored enough to lean over to Anna to see if they could read the book together, but her nervousness prevented her. She was still slightly uncomfortable with doctors, but this place felt safe and her parents were sticking near her. Then she reached out and “knocked” at Anna’s senses. Soon she was reading the book through Anna’s eyes.
About ten minutes later the door opened and another family left. Alan stood up and let Endara guide the family in, he followed behind, taking a seat in a circle of chairs. Anna and Cassandra both took a chair opposite of him. Endara sat next to Cassandra on the opposite side. Agatha sat next to Anna and Danny was between his eldest sister and his mother. Dr. Sindra squeezed in and wheeled in on her simple office chair.
“Well, I see the Quains are growing.” Dr. Sindra smiled, “Hello, I’m Dr. Sindra and I want you to know you’re safe here. You don’t have to talk unless you want to.”
Cassandra stared at the woman and blinked, “I’m being dissolved by my own DNA. I’m not ‘safe’ anywhere.”
“We’re gonna fix that.” Alan said as he hugged his newest child.
“Yeah.” Anna nodded, “Like Bubbles said, ‘No one gets left behind.’”
Danny blinked, “Bubbles said that?”
Anna nodded, “It was at Christmas, he was talking about a family in Hawaii that his grandfather worked with. Was oddly secretive though.”
“He was talking about the concept of Ohana.” Dr. Sindra smiled, “It’s perfect for this because it’s not limited to blood relatives.”
Anna nodded and smiled proudly, “I’m not gonna let anyone take my sister.”
Endara nodded and squeezed Cassandra closer. “You’ll be fine.”
Cassandra sighed, “Doesn’t feel like it.”
Danny sighed, “Because we don’t know for sure. We’re all hopeful though. And confident. Unlike Gravitas.”
Dr. Sindra turned to Danny, “The man who took control of your school and wrecked the front.”
Alan cleared his throat. “I uh, I ruined the front to be honest. They had just won and I had arrived fashionably late.”
Danny nodded, completely serious as he addressed the question. “His apartment was empty and that's because the cops that walked in mysteriously returned before realizing they hadn’t done anything there. Uncle Stephen’s just as concerned.”
“Speaking of Stephen, he has chosen not to come to today’s session I see.” Dr. Sindra noted.
Alan nodded, “He was afraid he’d get too angry about Gravitas. He’s the one that put Cassie into this situation.”
Dr. Sindra sighed and nodded.
“He’s going to go over it with his personal psychologist.” Endara advised, “He’s also incredibly focused on ensuring the trip to Brazil goes off flawlessly.”
“I’d heard about that.” Dr. Sindra smiled, “Part of helping your daughter is it?”
Anna nodded, “We have to traverse the MOTFA.”
Agatha focused on her sister. “What?”
“Middle of the friggin’ Amazon.” Anna smiled. “I switched a word out.”
“Yeah.” Danny nodded, “Save our sister, then find Gravitas.”
Alan nodded and sighed. “We have to succeed.”
Anna stood up on her chair. “We have the world’s strongest telekinetic! We have Uncle Stephen who can turn things to glass, or whatever he wants! We have Endara who is so strong it’s not funny! We also have Bubbles who isn’t gonna stop until he gets Cassandra fixed!” Anna crossed her arms and dropped into her seat once more. “We can’t possibly lose!”
“You forgot yourself kiddo.” Alan snorted, “You and that dragon of yours.”
“We’re gonna be on bodyguard duty.” Anna nodded and smiled at Cassandra.
Cassandra smiled back, her confidence in survival rising all the more as her sister continued to rally the family.
---B)(S)(F---
Sunday February 26, 2079
The next day the family was up early at six in the morning and at the airport by eight. They didn’t have to wait through a long line as Cedric Meissner had lent his private jet to the family for the purpose of the mission. The family was grateful as neither of the Quain brothers had ever thought to buy one and did not want to have to deal with overzealous security on a more public flight. Still they did have to check bags and wait for the plane to be fueled.
It was during this time that the news flashed an important announcement, that the Central Dross police station had been robbed. Hundreds of pieces of evidence had been stolen, among them was all of the evidence from the assault on Thrush’s Academy. Danny stared at the television in rage as he clenched his fist.
On the plane he was sitting across from his father and uncle, partially to give his sisters and mother time to talk and partially to just try and cool down and be left alone. That didn’t work as Bubbles soon sat next to him and immediately picked up on Danny’s mood.
“Something wrong?” Bubbles asked in his usual stoic tone.
Alan paid close attention to his son at that moment. “Saw the news, didn’t you?”
Danny huffed and nodded. “He’s fucking laughing at us.” He hissed in anger.
“Probably.” Alan nodded, “They all think they can escape, but they can only run and delay the end. That’s the thing about villains and super villains. They think they’re better than everyone, that they deserve to have it their way. But we always prove them wrong, they always slip up because they’re always on the run and always dodging out of identities or hidey holes. Granted some of them just got some wires crossed and just need some help, but you mostly find those in the basic and gimmick criminals.”
“Yeah...” Danny shook his head. “Look I don’t want to talk about it right now, okay?”
Alan nodded, “You know where I am for the next, what eight hours?”
“Ten.” Bubbles said, “Stopping to charge.”
“Right, planes actually eat fuel cells.” Alan sighed.
Danny was silent for a moment. “Dad, have you ever met anything inhuman, like no-humanoid, I guess?”
Alan paused, “This about the whole you meeting something on the other side?”
Danny nodded.
“Once.” Alan said, “Definitely not humanoid. I was fifteen or so. I had gotten cocky with a villain called Freestyle, he was an anarchist like Blunt Force, but had powers to turn sound effects into attacks. He caught me off guard and kidnapped me, put me in a restraint collar...”
“You will note that is a common trend for your father’s early adventures.” Stephen smiled.
“At least I didn’t get taken in by the ‘Alien Princess’ scam.” Alan smirked.
Stephen paused in obvious frustration. “Continue.” He sighed.
“Well, I woke up in some larger than average piece of shit shack. Freestyle was really quiet until I tried to escape, then he cracked me in the face with what I’m pretty sure was some invisible bat bullshit. Next thing I knew he was screaming and then his body dropped to the ground without a head.”
Bubbles paid attention after that, slowly closing his tablet’s news section.
“Well the creature was big, built like a fuckin’ Clydesdale but with reptillian-ish skin. Still had a mane. Its mouth was like Salem’s but ten times worse with two large pincers on either side that had Freesstyle’s had skewered on either side.” Alan paused and noticed his family was now paying full attention to his story. He smiled and shook his head. “I was pretty sure I was dead. I locked up in fear and almost freaked out when it approached, then it bit into and tore the collar off. Then it just went away.”
Stephen stared at his brother. “You said a mountain lion surprised him.”
“Yeah because telling the news a monster saved me was going to...” Alan paused and felt around his pockets. “Damnit, where did I put it!” He felt around his jacket and pulled out a few slips of paper. “Anna, Cassie. Got these for you a while back. Kept forgetting to give them to you.”
Anna took her slip of paper and squealed in joy. Cassandra smiled as she saw hers.
“You got MantiKat’s autograph!?” Anna giggled, “How?”
“Got called to help her when she was on the lake. Episode won’t be out for a bit, got curtailed for evidence.” Alan smiled, “But she was happy and thankful. The thing she wears, less so but it was grumpy.”
“Byte’s adorable.” Cassandra smiled.
Alan stared at his daughter and shook his head. They were weird, but they were his and he would love them until the end of forever.
---B)(S)(F---
The flight was easy and gentle, which the entire family was thankful for. They got through customs with minimal issues, their passports marked Alan, Endara, and Stephen as licensed heroes from America, and that drew attention. Alan did his best to keep a rush of fans from getting to his family, but a few overzealous individuals got past him and met the very stern arms of Bubbles who turned them right around.
After fighting their way through the crowds of fans and a few newscasters that caught the Quains arriving they finally arrived at the hotel they would be staying in while in Manaus. They got into the lobby with not trouble at all and Jazz was waiting with the Black Sheep Company crew that Alan had chosen to personally assist with this emergency.
“Greetings Sir.” A man dressed for jungle traversal held out his hand as he approached Alan.
“Tanner.” Alan nodded, “We good to go tomorrow?”
Tanner “Tagalong” Mannith was a muscular man, built like a soldier, an obvious deep scar ran along his right arm with a wrap covering the majority of the old wound. He bore the darker skin and the accent of the country, but the accent was dulled from years of working around the globe. A machete was kept on the side of his legs. His face was mostly shaved, except for a rough five o’clock shadow and his eyes were intense and focused.
“We’re good sir.” Tanner nodded.
“Alan.” Alan corrected his subordinate. “No powers in this group, right?”
“Not unless you count Grant’s ability to scare wildlife after a meal.” Tanner said with a straight face.
A large and pale man stood at the rear of the lobby, doing his best to appear intimidating. He would occasionally divert his attention down the halls and help the hotel workers with heavy items or moving carts.
Alan smiled, “Good, we won’t be using our powers much, don’t want to tip too much of our hand.”
Tanner nodded, “All due respect, your wife is half-infernal. Whatever things are there, will know she’s coming.”
“Good.” Endara stood up and took off her heavier top to reveal a black tank top and her own muscular frame.
Alan stared at her like a smitten teenage boy.
“We have Miss Abarwa as the main medic.” Stephen joined the conversation. “A good choice, second in her class, good marks and a desire to make sure others survive without a death wish herself.”
Stephen watched the Middle-Eastern woman check her rifle over several times. She had her medic’s uniform off to the side and several makeshift splints hanging from her backpack. She looked more prepared than any of the others going on this mission.
“Yasmin’s got heart, but she will gun down an insurgent as soon as she sights them. Thankfully we don’t expect any here.” Tanner nodded.
“Don’t expect much talking out of Innmuth.” Jazz snorted.
Alan tilted his head. “That’s a funky name.”
“She’s got her secrets, but she’s the best cartographer and techie for jungle travel. Picked up lidar reads of the area.” Tanner nodded.
Maggie Innmuth was busy helping the Quain teens get to their rooms. She didn’t say much but was very clearly paying attention to Anna’s endless chatter about animals she and Cassandra wanted to see. She smiled and nodded mostly, her own reddish blonde hair was bound back in a bun and a radio was strapped to her left arm.
“Ollie been handling being back okay?” Alan asked as he watched for the young hero in training.
“Ollie’s been a champ.” Tanner smiled, “Somehow that seventeen year old knows more about my home than I do.”
“Ollie’s powers let him communicate with nature.” Alan explained, “And we don’t know the distance on that.”
“Alan, I’m going to see if the kids want to eat out or not.” Endara said as she tired her shirt around her waist.
“I’d advise eating in. Right now the area’s peaceful, but they got their own villains and such down here that don’t play by your family’s rules.” Tanner said with a nod. “Got a really nasty piece of work called Mandíbula, Snapjaw internationally. Kidnaps rich families and holds them hostage with bombs strapped to kids.”
Alan nodded, “Eat in it is.” He then grinned as he looked over at Stephen and Bubbles, “You guys wanna help me pick up dinner for the family?”
“He’s going to cause problems.” Bubbles sighed.
Stephen nodded, “I would love to.”
Bubbles looked at the twins and sighed, “Someone needs to make sure you don’t get too crazy.”
Tanner laughed, “My friends, be careful that’s the kind of talk that provokes men like Mandíbula.”
Alan smiled and seemed to vibrate in anticipation.
“Alan, no provoking international incidents.” Stephen smiled gently at his twin.
“That’s my job.” Jazz smiled.”I’ll come too once we get all the orders.”
Alan nodded and handed his sister a card, “Get it for all of us, and see if the hotel folks want a free meal. Least we can do for turning their lobby into a prep stage for an expedition.”
“Hotel Manager volunteered it when he heard it was to save a kid.” Tanner nodded, “But I will pass on the offer. They got a bar too, if you want anything.”
Alan shook his head, “Maybe after we save my kid, can’t afford a foggy head right now.”
Tanner nodded in understanding and walked off with Jazz.
Alan noticed Endara had left to talk to their children as well. Stephen took a moment and went to the bar with Bubbles. Alan watched the agent keep a lingering eye on him, he smiled, he knew Bubbles was concerned about the mental states of the family and Alan in particular was feeling drained by the near constant barrage their lives had been subject to as of late. He just wouldn’t give in, it wasn’t in his nature to snap under pressure. He would bend, buckle and bruise until the end, but never break. He sighed and went to follow his wife.
When he got upstairs he found his family talking with Maggie Innmuth, or rather Anna was still chattering and Cassandra and Cxaltho had joined her. Endara looked amused as she watched the two youngest carry on. Danny looked up with eyes begging for a merciful reprieve from the chatter. Agatha was asleep on a couch. Alan sat on the arm of the couch Agatha was asleep on.
“We’re gonna order out, Tanner, the expedition leader and Aunt Jazz will come around for orders. We don’t get to be picky here.” Alan explained.
“I hope it’s a local restaurant!” Anna smiled.
“Your kids are...” Maggie spoke for the first time, her voice was little more than a whisper, but it carried enough to be heard. “Well they’re energetic.”
Alan nodded. “Thanks for putting up with these two. I know they can be a bit much.”
Maggie smiled, “Good kids. Energetic, but good.” She stood up, “Gonna go find the two taking orders. I’ll report back on where we’re getting from.” She nodded and left.
---B)(S)(F---
The next morning the Quain family was up early and gathered with their expedition’s forces. Yasmine started fast and took vitals on as many people as she could. Cassandra has to explain that she would be a difficult case due to not having a traditional body structure. Maggie flat out refused and almost got into a fist fight with the medic before Alan stepped in and broke them apart.
Once the group was fully ready they piled into the two vehicles, powerful trucks, that took them down the roads a few hours. When the trucks stopped the drivers got out and helped unload the packs. Alan also grabbed a heavy rucksack and watched as Endara took the spare radio and medical equipment. Then they waited and soon Ollie Simmons walked out of the jungle. He waved and smiled.
“We’re good to go, the village is willing to have us!” Ollie shouted, “And you’ll get to see how they live. It’s really a life changing experience.”
The family and their guards approached and most looked around cautiously before entering. Once they crossed the boundary though Cassandra began to cough and convulse. Anna quickly helped her sister stand and Cxaltho coiled around Anna’s arms as he too began to cough. Then they both vomited a black sludge.
“What is that?” Yasmine asked.
“It’s her cellular structure.” Stephen said. “Broken down and tossed away. They know we’re coming.”
Alan nodded and hugged his daughter close. “Well, then they'd better start practicing their apologies.”
“Cassandra, what do we do with it?” Bubbles asked.
Cassandra wiped her mouth and Cxaltho rubbed his own against Anna’s shirt. “Glass it. I’ll have to eat a big dinner I guess.” She tried to smile, but found she couldn’t. “Just don’t leave it.”
Stephen nodded and touched the masses, turning them to solid granite.
“Still scary as shit to watch.” Tanner shuddered.
“Good.” Stephen stood and hugged his niece. “Let’s not waste any time, yes?”
“No.” Yasmin said, “Clear a spot, I want to check her. No arguments, I need something to measure against.”
“Volume.” Stephen nodded, “Trust me Cassandra?”
Cassandra smiled and nodded as she followed her uncle. She ended up basically stepping onto a special scale that Yasmin had on hand. Stephen helped her take notes and provided an estimation on the volume and mass lost from the attack. Not long after that the group began to move again, Only Endara passed off the extra medical bag to Bubbles and insisted on carrying her daughter. Cassandra did not argue, she was too tired and honestly was happy to be held close by her mother. A new and wonderful sensation she hoped would continue past this adventure. Anna walked beside them both, keeping a constant eye and ear out for danger with Hong Long coiled around her neck and also staying alert, they also tried to keep Cassandra entertained.
Ahead of the group Ollie was trailblazing with Tanner and Jazz. Well they were trailblazing, Ollie was simply walking and the plants parted for him on his approach. Jazz nodded in approval, but Tanner was clearly nervous.
“Is this magic?” Tanner asked. “I’ve been out here as a kid, saw a shaman use vines to twist a man in half.”
“Magic isn’t the right word for it.” Ollie sighed as he gently patted a series of nasty looking plant bulbs, “Magic is about ritual, formula and willpower manipulating reality. This is me asking the planet, the earth, the plants, animals even, to help.”
“Neat.” Jazz nodded, “That’s actually really cool.”
“I think Cassandra got the same powers, sort of.” Ollie said. “I just don’t know how or who managed that.”
“GOBAL, through horrifying experiments.” Jazz nodded, “Combined her DNA with well, whatever Cxaltho is and this Blood of Gaia, at least that’s Stephen’s theory. How about you?”
Ollie nodded, “Fair is fair. I won’t value another’s life over the secrecy I was sworn to, that’d be a betrayal of what I was given the powers for.” He sighed, “I was about seven, maybe eight and my dad brought my mom and I to help fight a native relocation. I was having fun with the kids of the village. Well, I was a dumb kid and separated from them. I was lost and it got dark. I fell into cenote and it had a whirlpool and I got sucked into it.”
“Damn.” Tanner, “How’d you survive?”
“Who says I did.” He laughed and shook his head with a vicious smile, “Anyway, I woke up with weird green patches on my body...” He rolled up his sleeve where markings like vines snaked across his arm, then pointed to the patches on his neck that looked like leaves. “After that I spoke to the lady who lived there. She called the place ‘The Glade’ and had its guardian escort me out.”
“Someone we should be worried about?” Tanner asked.
Ollie shook his head, “We’re not here to destroy, despoil or demean the land. We just want to save Cassandra, he’ll understand that.”
Jazz nodded, “Is this Guardian going to be easy to spot?”
Ollie gave a smaller, but still vicious grin. “If you see him first, yeah.”
Tanner continued his pace before looking over to Jazz, “Nice kid, creepy smile.”
Jazz shook her head, “I’ve seen worse.”
The group would travel for two more days. Cassandra would quickly take to walking again, but was easily winded, slowed and sometimes just unable to move. On the dawn of the second day Alan pulled out a small rectangular device from his pack, it looked almost like a phone, at least until he sat it down and plugged in the satellite phone to it. Then it grew into a door sized frame and locked itself into place. Then the space between the frame filled with what seemed like an image. Then the tall frame Vile stepped through and into the Amazon jungle. He carried with him multiple packs and rushed back for several more before he waved to the watching form of Stella Meissner and the strange doorway closed.
“Diving gear.” Tanner noted, “Was wondering about how you planned to navigate a cenote.”
“And an Icathian.” Maggie Innmuth glared at Vile, who seemed to either ignore her or not register the glare.
Vile nodded his head, “I will be taking the lead on the dive, just in case we are attacked from the front.”
“I got the rear then.” Tanner nodded and pulled out a small rebreather from a side pocket. “Always be ready for bullshit when in the Amazon.”
“Once we get to the village, we’re gonna take a day then head to the cenote.” Alan nodded, “”This one got a name Ollie?”
Ollie nodded, “The Fool’s Well.”
“I suddenly don’t like this place.” Grant said with a nervous laugh.
“Relax, I survived falling in as a kid.” Ollie smiled.
“I thought you didn’t.” Tanner frowned.
“Who can say, I was alive when I woke up.” Ollie smiled, “But we’ll be fine, the Guardian will likely be helping us.”
Cassandra was sitting with Anna when Vile approached her and kneeled down.
“Hi.” Cassandra smiled.
“I will fight to ensure your survival and failing that I will ensure you are avenged and buried properly.” Vile bowed his head.
Cassandra paused and Cxaltho’s jaw dropped. Anna just gave a deep sigh and shook her head.
“Thank you.” Cassandra nodded politely, “You still have problems talking to people, don’t you?”
Vile stiffened for a moment before slowly nodding.
“We both appreciate the thought.” Cassandra smiled, “But vengeance doesn’t help here.”
Vile nodded and stood once again, he looked at Alan and grabbed a case of diving gear.
Alan nodded, “All right, let’s pick up and go.” Alan said as he focused and levitated all of the extra diving equipment.
“What happened to low power usage?” Agatha asked.
“Required, no extra bodies to carry it.” Alan said. “And no, we aren’t summoning a fire goat in the Amazon.”
Agatha gave a huff, “It’d be so cool!”
“Not really.” Danny scoffed, “We’d be in the world’s largest tinder pile.”
“It’s all wet.” Agatha argued.
“Remind me, doesn’t Baaphomet breathe hellfire?” Alan asked.
“Right, yeah...” Agatha sighed, “Okay, point made. Should probably use the spells Professor Illidae has been teaching me.”
“We also have a potentially large dragon.” Anna suggested.
“Who glows.” Danny said, “Not great for keeping a low profile. Dad can at least make his TK invisible.”
Anna puffed her cheeks up in anger as she quickly took stride to be next to Cassandra once again.
Danny stared in confusion at his sister.
“Welcome to treachery.” Alan smiled at his son.
“Ahh...” Danny nodded, “Now I get it.”
“No you don’t.” Agatha laughed.
Danny sighed, “I really don’t.”
“Your family is weird.” Maggie snorted as she stood behind the teens.
“Thanks, it’s in the blood.” Agatha cackled wildly at her own joke.
In the distance two yellow eyes focused on the group. They were loud and noisy, but the Guardian could smell the sick one and he felt the power of another Guardian. He would watch them closely as they approached the village. Then, if he needed to, he would act.
/////
The First Story
Previous Part! //// [Next Part!]()
Arc 1 - Black Sheep Family - Arc 1, First Chapter
Arc 2 - Paradigm Shift - Arc 2, First Chapter
Arc 3 - Gravitas Rising Arc 3, First Chapter
Arc 4 - The Director’s Chair Arc 4, First Chapter
Arc 5- The School War Arc 5, First Chapter
Spotify
/////
Credit where Credit is due:
Kyton & Cassandra Quain are © u/TwistedMind596
Obsidian is © u/Ultimalice
Ixton the Blade of the Wielder is © My friend Forged of Souls who does not use reddit
Furnace is © my friend Matt who does not use reddit
Cedric Stein Meissner aka Tesseract is © my friend James, who does not use reddit.
All other characters and Dross City are © u/TheSmogMonsterZX
//// The Voice Box ////
Smoggy: Oh, I forgot where this arc started...
Perfection: Yeah and you have the dime store kothoga in it too...
Smoggy: Quiet! They might not recognize the description!
Wraith: Well now they will.
Smoggy: (grumble)
DM: Working on GSD now?
Smoggy: If I can find the energy and the will. So much stuff has been canceled for my games and I'm actively looking for a new job. Things might get wonky for a bit.
Perfection: And its June. Been a while. (Clicks on the rainbow disco light)
Smoggy: But we're always safe for anyone to be around.
Wraith: Except Nazis.
Perfection: (twangs a string of fate and smiles) Perfectly punchable Nazis.
DM: No superhero story is complete without punching at least one out.

Obvious throwaway account.
It will be long, to give the complete background. TLDR at the bottom.
I've been together with my wife for almost 10 years now. We met at the universtiry (same area) and married about half a year ago. We are both each other's first very serious relationship (she dated a bit more guys before me).
When we met, we fell in love relatively fast (a few months maybe), moved in together also quiet fast, but it was never an issue, because we really enjoyed it all the time. She had a lot of mental health issues, with a terrible family background. I've been convincing her for years, that she is far better, than what she imagines herself to be, how people treated her (we come from a country, which is very toxic). After several years, I managed to convince her, to get a psychologist, which she was extremely grateful for. She helped her resolve so many issues, realize she can trust herself, and so on. She still has some insecurities of course, but back when we met, she cried almost daily. In the past year I think it almost never happened, she developed so much.
Her only "close" relative was her mother, who was extremely toxic as well, she just never really realized it. She didn't have a real childhood, her grandparents were terrible, her only cousin got all the attention, her father had a stroke and got completely crazy, so she hasn't seen him since the age of 10. Anyways, back to her mother, I never really liked her, because she always made my wife feel bad in a way. I tried convincing her, that she can cut her out, if she wants, but she always said, family is family, she would feel terrible if she blocked her out, etc. Then after around 9 years of us being together (after our marriage), she finally did it, and I've never seen her so balanced in her life ever, after that, she almost not even needed the psychologist anymore.
Short edit: She always though I was too good for her. For years, she was regularly asking me, if I really love her, because she was so insecure about herself, that she couldn't believe in herself, that I really could choose her. Even after I proposed, she was regularly saying I can ask back for the ring. She stills thinks I'm too good for her (her words, which I always objected when she told me like this), but a few months before our marriage she "accepted" that I really do love her.
Back to us, we've been dating for a long time, went on a lot of holidays, dates, lived together almost always, and on one of our holidays I've proposed to her (after we've been together for around 7 years). I think it was the happiest day of her life. We got married last fall, small and close family (this was before she blocked her mother). Small wedding, because we are both a bit lazy, don't have a huge friend group, and we also are not party-people. I still consider it one of our happiest days, maybe a bit after the proposal.
The background for this, is we both also started working in engineering after we finished universtiry. I have a great career, steady progress, great opportunities, appriciated, etc. She was working at the same company (huge multi), but her job wasn't anywhere near as supporting, and her colleagues were also quiet toxic. (one of them had a miscarriage, and treated everyone like shit after that, calling others names, etc. My wife reported her to HR, but they did nothing). We've been planning for a long time of moving countries, to a better place. My career gave us this opportunity, and we took it. I moved here 2 months in advance. Travelled back for one week for our wedding (this is why it might not have been so happy like our proposal. Still, we spent a complete week together, preparing, enjoying each other's company, spending time together). After our wedding I flew back to work, and only a month later, we moved to the new country together. For her, there was no opportunity with the company, so she resigned. Which was also one of the best decisions in her life. She was looking for a job for more than half a year (ok, during this time she was desparate and did cry), but I supported her all the way, helped her prepare for interviews, gave her some job postings, etc. And it worked out, because in the end, she found her dream job. This was two months ago. For me it wasn't so great, bit of economic crisis in my industry, no stable job in my area, so I've been working my ass off in the last half year. This unfortunately meant sometimes 11-12 hours, which now I limited to 9, sometimes 10 maximum.
And this is when the real trouble begun. Last week she told me, that she is not sure if she loves me anymore. She told me, that I haven't paid enough attention to her (which I ahve to admit is true, we did discuss it now thoroughly). And she even met someone at her new job, for whom she has feelings, like never before. Not even like towards me on our "peak". She hasn't cheated on me, and she is trying to avoid him, but still, she doubts herself.
After long talks, crying, talks, and so on, we discussed all the mistakes I made, which were all there, I admit them. I haven't helped her enough at home, I haven't paid enough attention to her. She didn't communincate it well enough before, altough she did try, here again, it is more my fault. I've been doing everything the past week, on every area. In housework, talking more, paying more attention, being more interested in her, being better in bed (which is now since the last week has been terrible). But still, she told me, she is not sure if she feels better. She is rather a bit more frustrated, that I could have done this earlier as well (fair), but told me she still doesn't feel closer to me. She is actively trying to avoid her crush from work (which is hard, because there's like a 20-30 people working there only), also trying to enjoy it. But it's a sudden shock for her, that I've improved so much over a few days.
When we talked even more, and discussed the above summary asically, she told me, that after "I fixed her" (her words), she feels like she is now a different person even. Which is true, she is far more balanced, more happy, more onfident, found her dream job. We agreed to keep trying, not giving up right away (though we haven't said for how long). She will have a session again with her psychologist soon, she asked for an emergency one.
And now I'm not sure what to do. I fear I might have messed it up, and there's no going back. I still love her the most in the world, and she also has deep feelings for me, she does say she loves me, even though she usually adds "I think". And she doesn't want to hurt me. But I'm just so focused on the whole situation, I can't see anything ahead. Maybe I'm not even sure you can give me advice, but it's good I could write it down.
TLDR: After almost 10 years of being together, we moved to a new country, I've been working so much to have a steady future I haven't paid enough attention to my wife, who fought and conquered all her demons with me, and now she is not sure if she loves me anymore, and has feeling for someone else.

Hi all,
i've learned a lot from this forum and am in a place where I want to reach out. Il'l try to keep it somewhat succinct (lol; I am a maximalist, so relative term) but am happy to share more details as requested.
[A, if you see this, please don't read; nothing you don't already know anyway.]
tl;dr: In long-term relationship and struggling with change in quality of connection after the introduction of a new romantic relationship for the first time while cohabitating; trying to see if these feelings are normal to this kind of transition.
My wife and I (both 32F) have been together for fifteen years, married for five, cohabitated for three. We've been polyamorous for about thirteen years, all of that while we were also long-distance partners.
My wife has a girlfriend she's been seeing for about six months now (~three casually, three as girlfriends). This is the first time either of us has ever had another partner while we've lived together. I do not currently have other partners.
Unsurprisingly, navigating poly on the day to day in this way is really different from doing so while living in separate houses/states, and the inherent compartmentalization that comes with that. As my wife's relationship with her gf grows longer and deeper, I am struggling with how things feel between my wife and I.
For a bit of context, I have CPTSD and a lot of formative attachment trauma (lost both my parents as a child + some other stuff). Also, the transition of mine and my wife's relationship from monogamy to poly was pretty traumatic for me—we were very young (19) and ill-equipped, and the attempt to roll into poly from that place led to us breaking up for one year when we were 21/22. I don't hold the way it went down against anyone at this point, but that doesn't change the fact that the way that went still pops up to spook/antagonize me from time to time. Especially in transitional times such as this one.
In this new configuration, I've been fielding a lot of jealousy and insecurity on my part, and working hard with my therapist, friends, and self to process everything. I am committed to baseline self-care, like exercise, etc. I'm also pushing myself to take on new projects at work as well as pursuing personal projects, hobbies, and opportunities, though that can be hard because I've been so anxious/preoccupied the last two months especially, maybe more chronically anxious than I've ever felt. In the six months that my wife and her gf have been seeing each other, I've come a long way in terms of improving self-soothing and radical acceptance practices. But it's still challenging. I've always encountered emotional challenges with poly, but never to the current extent. In the past ten years of our relationship, while I might have been jealous at points, I rarely felt like our own connection was imperiled or like I was less emotionally in-tune with my wife than I wanted to be on a consistent basis.
The root of my current struggle now is, even though I feel and see my wife's commitment to me/our relationship, and continue to feel committed to heus myself too, I'm really struggling with the shift of her energy/focus on me, the quality of our connection and time together. It's a subjective impression, naturally, but the best way I can put it into words is that we do feel like partners but less like a couple. I seldom see the same glow/softness in her eyes she used to get when she looked at me. Physically, it often feels awkward when we try to cuddle or kiss. She is more forgetful of things we've talked about, and conversation does not flow as naturally between us as it once did. And those differences hit me harder than I wish they did.
I feel almost petty dwelling on these ephemeral things, when I know that we've both been working hard to communicate about our needs/feelings honestly and respond to each other's changing needs, boundaries, requests, and personal realities. But it feels to me like there's this "core" of how things feel that is hard to change or control regardless of the intentions and actions you may be putting into the relationship. Is that distorted/out of line? Am I being impatient in wanting things to "gel" or feel solid when in fact they're still in the process of changing?
We both know that NRE is a factor here. It's also not just about the new relationship with her gf; in the last year or so my wife has gotten a lot busier with her life in general, including a new close friendship. So her time in general is more limited than it has been for some years, and her energy/focus more diffused.
I guess some other helpful context here is that my wife does kink stuff with her gf, something that I am not currently interesting in exploring. Her kink exploration as an individual has been unfolding for the last two years or so, but this is the first time she's had that element within a romantic relationship to the extent that she would like.
I've been vocally supportive of her exploring this side of herself/sexuality all along. I understand how much it means to her and am inspired by the vitality it brings her. At the same time, I'm now finding it quite hard to sit with the fact that she has something that is intrinsic to her with her gf that we do not have in our relationship. I feel outcompeted, so to speak. I know that's not a healthy way to look at it, but that's how it feels right now.
Because of this, I asked for us to take a formal break from sex because it was beginning to feel confusing for us both, desperate on my part, and (I feared) obligatory on hers. We are still on this break with the idea that we reflect on what might be possible for us individually. Sex is an important part of a romantic relationship to me, so I miss it and the sense of emotional assurance it used to bring me a lot, but I understand completely that it cannot and should not be forced, hence the break.
Lastly, we're also reckoning with the fact that us nesting might not be working. This has always been a possibility, and when she moved in with me we both understood that we were seeing how it would go and that it might not last forever. Her new relationship is definitely adding to that feeling. She currently spends 2 nights/week (one sleepover, one long evening) with her gf plus other shorter visits as they organically work out over the week, which I don't usually know about (we have one date night/week, see each other around the house during the week, and always spend some time together, usually a combo of one on one and with mutual loved ones, over the weekend; we have separate bedrooms). Her comings and goings are hard on us both as I find it hard to consistently modulate between being separate/autonomous and then trying to reconnect, with all the underlying insecurities and uncertainties still at play, plus keeping up with the rest of life.
I definitely see, objectively, how this change could really help and be hopeful for the health and futurity of our relationship. We agree on that. In the big picture, I get it. But when I imagine how it would *feel* (that word again) to have it actually unfold, especially in the midst of everything else going on at this juncture, I am stricken/feel grief. (I should add that this part of the conversation, i.e. her moving out in the neamedium-term [?] future, is new, less than a month old. So I'm definitely still adjusting to it.)
In short, between the prospect of ending our nest, the uncertain future of our sex life, and the reduction of a sense of spark/warmth in our everyday connection, I've found myself often feeling quite anxious and preoccupied about the fate of our relationship. I read posts on here about people celebrating the love and comfort they have in both (or more) of their relationships. That doesn't feel like my experience right now. I know for a fact that the love is there between us, but comfort and ease are often hard to come by lately, for one reason or another.
And, to reiterate, I am proud of the way we've been communicating through this. We are both making efforts to build in more romance and adventure/novelty into our connection and the time we spend together. She does her best to respond to my requests for reassurance and affection; I do my best to respond to her requests for grace and levity. I am supportive of her relationship with her gf, show interest in hetheir relationship as appropriate, have been friendly and gracious to her gf the two times so far that we've met. I firmly believe we are being loving in the bell hooks, active sense of the word. At the same time, something just isn't landing for me right now. I don't often anymore feel the fuzzy, safe feeling I am used to feeling with my wife. And I know it's not just because she has another partner, period, because I almost always had that feeling as a baseline when she was with another longterm, committed partner in the past (when we were long distance).
It hurts her that I feel this way even when she's making effort and even when she feels (it seems) more connected/secure in our bond overall than I currently do. But I can't lie about how I feel.
My questions are: Are these feelings a normal part of decoupling/de-enmeshment that is just hitting me extra hard because of my mental illness/the current relational scenario (i.e. me not having other partners, NRE, etc.)? Is it just a matter of time and continuing to figure out what we both need in this transition? What do I make of the discrepancy between the loving effort I know my wife is making and the feeling I have that things are changing for the worse between us even so? How do I not feel like I'm "losing everything"—i.e., spark, sex, security—when I know that's not true and that there is still a lot of love here?
For my own part, I have had other relationships in the past. But for now, dating feels out of the question until I'm in a more stable place with what's going on in my marriage/house. However, I recently started on antidepressants and, as I said, am working hard to process and parse my emotions with my support network as well as with my partner as appropriate. So, I could see myself being ready to date some months down the road, and do want poly for myself—though not, I'll admit, as much as my partner does. I think of myself more as ambiamorous. Again, forming new connections doesn't feel nearly as important to me right now as figuring out what's going on /what to do about my relationship with my wife.
We love each other so much. I also know that love isn't all it takes to make things work. And I'm scared.
Advice and support both very welcome. Please be kind; I'm in a rough place. Thank you for reading.

I'm at a crossroads and looking for some guidance. I had a good corporate HR job that I quit a year ago due to health reasons, and I have an angel of a fiance who not only encouraged me to quit, but hasn't once asked me about the job search in the last year. He's just happy that I'm doing better and my health and mood have drastically improved. He is a relatively high earner and we're both frugal, so financially we're doing fine. I recognize that I have a unicorn situation right now, and it's been a dream to spend time with our dog, keep the house clean, and spend my time doing projects, crafts, thrifting, and cooking new recipes. He's enjoying having most of the household work taken off of his plate, so it's been a really nice situation for both of us.
I've been selectively applying for some remote jobs, because I have ADHD and some autoimmune conditions and a full time workweek outside of the house seems to cost me too many spoons. The last year has given me many things, including insight into what I'm willing to spend my energy on. I don't want to return to the life that I left, even though I miss the paycheck. It turns out it wasn't worth it. I've had 2 interviews so far, but neither turned into an offer. I do recognize that the longer I'm out of work, the worse it looks on my resume. I still am having a hard time motivating myself to really dump a ton of hours into job hunting though. I wonder if this lack of motivation is telling me that corporate HR isn't really the best path forward, even at a different company.
This feels like the time to make a career change, if I'm ever going to do it. My issue is that I have no backup plan! I see some jobs that seem interesting to me, like furniture upholstery or being a cobbler (these are the two that floated to the top of my brain.) I like the idea of finite work- the project is done, or it's not done, and the metrics are clear. The parts of my last job that I did enjoy were the structured rote tasks- the 'maintenance' type things I'd do on a regular basis. I struggled with the less clear objectives, like project management where the scope keeps changing.
My dream job is one where I can put headphones in and get lost in the details. At home, I enjoy large puzzles, cross stitch and embroidery projects, decorating cookies, or projects like drywall repair. Things where I can just focus on doing it well, and then step back to see my work. Being pulled into 4 different 30 minute meetings over the course of the morning makes it hard for me to switch tasks and I felt panicked and behind all the time. People called me all the time because I'm friendly, helpful, and too polite to ever say 'that's not really what I do and I can't help you.' I felt like a jack of all trades and master of none.
If you've made it this far, bless you. Does anyone have any suggestions for determining what type of job I might be good at and how to explore it? I like the idea of having a speciality and being good at it, but that's such a vague concept that I'm spinning my wheels a bit.

This is taken from and is copyright protected by globalsoup.net, a website that promotes flash Fiction with annual writing contests.
I am reprinting these Flash Fiction Prompts because they are outstanding ways to freewrite and offer plenty to work with for those who want to learn how to write Flash Fiction.
So check out these prompts and the article and work some of them into your journal! Post the best responses!
100 Awesome Flash Fiction Prompts - Plus Bonus Prompts!
We’ve put together 100 flash fiction prompts, each one designed for a very short story. These prompts will probably be best suited to a story of between 300-1,000 words. If you want to write a longer story using these prompts, you can easily expand these ideas to fit a story of any length.
What is flash fiction?
Flash Fiction is defined as a very short story that can be anywhere from just a couple of words to about a thousand in length. The beauty (and difficulty) of writing flash fiction lies in trying to tell a complete story in so few words. Great flash fiction is succinct, emotive, thought-provoking, and impactful.
What’s the difference between flash fiction and a short story?
The only difference between flash fiction and a typical short story is the word count. However, this scarcity of words means that writing flash fiction can feel like a completely new skill. Just like the short story is a different animal to the novel or novella; flash fiction is kind of unique.
When writing flash, you’ll need to use fewer characters, a simpler plot, and you’ll have to make each word count. This is why editing is so important. You have to be brutal. Cut out everything superfluous and really make sure each and every word is performing an important function in the story. If you’re interested in writing very short fiction, why not check out drabbles? Drabbles are stories of exactly 100 words in length, and they can be a great way to practice keeping your stories very, very short.
How to plot a flash fiction story
When you sit down to write flash fiction, you must begin by choosing an appropriate plot. You cannot simply use a short story plot and tell it using fewer words. A typical flash fiction plot is like looking at one part of a story under a microscope.
For example, let’s look at prompt #21 in our list of 100 Flash Fiction Prompts:

1. Two people on a sinking ship must decide who should take the last seat in the last lifeboat. If you were writing a novel about a sinking ship, you’d probably want the actual sinking to be the climax of the story. Of course, there are infinite ways to write a novel about a sinking ship, but this would structurally be the most obvious. You’d use the first part of the novel to introduce your characters and describe the voyage leading up to the sinking and the sinking of the ship would be the dramatic climax, leaving the last part of the book as the resolution.

The golden rule of writing short stories is to begin as close to end as you can. So, to turn the same story from novel to short story, you’d probably want to begin with the ship sinking. You haven’t got time to introduce the characters before the action begins, so you’d need to feed in exposition and backstory here and there during the events.
All stories need a good climax. So, you would find the most dramatic moment in the story and build up to it. Perhaps your climax would be the two main characters having to decide who will take the remaining seat on the last lifeboat.
Finally, you need a resolution. In a longer short story you do have time to bring in some kind of satisfying resolution at the end.
But, if you’re writing flash fiction and your story is only a few hundred words, you really need to zoom in on one tiny moment in that story.
You don’t have time to tell the entire story of a sinking ship, but you can turn one moment into a story.
We’ve chosen the lifeboat situation as the key moment in this hypothetical story. Two characters must decide which one of them will take the last seat on the last lifeboat. This is an appropriate plot for flash fiction because it’s simple, high-stakes, dramatic, and thought provoking.
Not all flash fiction will have a plot quite this dramatic, but all great flash fiction will have a plot that can be expressed in just one or two sentences.
If you have a plot in mind, but it seems more suitable for a longer story, you can sometimes find several flash fiction plots hidden within it. Just look for little stories within the story, like the lifeboat moment in our hypothetical tale of the sinking ship.
This brings us to our top tip for coming up with ideas for flash fiction stories:
if you’re ever stuck for ideas, you can find little stories within the story in books, movies, and TV shows. A full length feature film might have as many as 20 little incidents in it that could easily be flash fiction.
Don’t directly write a story based on the film, though. Just carefully pick out those little moments, write down what’s happening as a one or two sentence plot, and then use it to inspire your own, completely original flash fiction story.
One of our 100 Flash Fiction Prompts was actually taken from the movie Pulp Fiction!
How to write very short flash fiction
There are several reasons writers might start writing flash fiction. Of course, it could be that they just love and enjoy the form, but sometimes they’ll be a more strategic and practical reason at play.
Perhaps they want to practise the process of writing stories within the confines of a certain word limit. Maybe they are trying to develop a daily writing routine and they don’t have a lot of free time. It could be that they’re trying to break a habit of not finishing writing projects, or perhaps they are entering a flash fiction competition.
Whatever the reason, very often when we sit down to write flash, we must work under an imposed or self-imposed word restraint. We’ve set ourselves (or been set) the task of keeping the story under a particular number of words.
So, how do you plot a flash fiction story when you have to keep your story very, very short.
We’re not going to discuss stories of 100 words or fewer here. Technically, those stories are still flash, however, we prefer to categorise 100 word stories as drabbles and anything under 100 words as micro fiction.
But what if you have to keep your flash fiction story under, let’s say, 300 words? How do you write a flash fiction story that short?
The answer is: get your microscope out again. Remember earlier when we said writing flash fiction is like looking at part of a story under a microscope? If you have to write very short flash fiction, you’ll need to zoom in even further.
Let’s look at a couple of examples from our 100 Flash Fiction Prompts:

1. During a match, a young boxer must decide whether to throw the fight.

If you had 1,000 words to devote to the story, you could have time to tell the story of the entire fight. With only 300 words, it might be better to zoom in on the very moment when the boxer must choose whether or not to go down.
In a longer flash fiction story you might have time to go into detail about why he’s in this situation and why he’s so conflicted. In a 300 word story, you might only devote one or two sentences to his gambling debt and the large sum of money waiting for him if he goes down in the third round, as instructed.

1. A family must decide what to take and what to leave behind as a wildfire approaches their home.

If you had 1,000 words to devote to this story, you might be able to write about the whole process of choosing what to take and what to leave behind. You might be able to mention many different choices and have the whole family participate in the story. You’d be able to go into some details about certain choices and the stories behind individual objects or mementos, as well as the implications of choosing certain things over others.
With only 300 words, it would be advisable to zoom in on one member of the family and to focus on one profound and important choice.
How to write a flash fiction story
Now you have your mini plot, you still need to make sure your flash fiction feels like a complete story. It should still have a beginning, middle, and an end.
Just like a short story, you may need to bring in a little exposition here and there to give texture, context, backstory, and to bring some depth to the characters. But, unlike a short story, you won’t necessarily need to end with a full, detailed resolution. It’s quite common for a flash fiction story to end with a quick twist or plenty of ambiguity.
Flash Fiction is much more about eliciting emotions and provoking thought, than setting up and resolving a complex story.
100 Awesome Flash Fiction Prompts
A young ballet dancer chooses not to tell the other dancers in her troop about a loose paving stone outside their dance studio.
Two sisters realise they’ve both been on a perfect first date … with the same man.
On the car journey home, two parents realise they’ve left their child’s favourite teddy on a park bench several hours away.
A writer suffering from writers’ block looks for inspiration in a strange place.
Set 200 years in the future, a young man realises he’s too emotionally dependent on his robot assistant.
A young woman discovers she’s taken the wrong suitcase home from the airport. The contents of the case make her question her own life choices.
A murderer realises he has only 10 minutes to dispose of a body.
A child decides to walk home by themselves after their parent forgets to pick them up from school … again.
Your protagonist manages to talk the grim reaper out of collecting their soul.
Your protagonist suddenly realises they’ve been living in a simulation.
A young couple has chosen to spend the night in a haunted house to fix their marriage. Your story starts just as things get very weird.
Your protagonist finds a letter they wrote to themselves when they were a teenager.
Your protagonist must decide whether or not to drink from a fountain that erases all painful memories from the mind.
Your protagonist comes across a street called ‘Memory Lane’. They quickly realise the name is eerily apt.
A bride finds out something startling about her future husband an hour before the wedding.
Your protagonist finds an advertisement for a company that promises everlasting youth.
A youngest sibling shows up at a family reunion they weren’t actually invited to.
Your protagonist finds a piece of paper with a spell on it. If they say the words out loud they aren't sure if something terrible or wonderful will happen.
Your protagonist is watching a jazz band play when they realise they know the drummer from somewhere — but where? It takes a whole song for them to figure it out.
Your protagonist must meet their ex for lunch to tell them they’re now engaged. It’s been just a few weeks since they split up.
Two people on a sinking ship must decide who should take the last seat in the last lifeboat.
During a match, a young boxer must decide whether to throw the fight.
Your protagonist must pack their belongings before moving to a new colony on mars.
A pilot realises they have lost control of their aircraft.
Your protagonist doesn’t want to attend their 100th birthday party — and for good reason!
Your protagonist gets stuck in a lift with their ex … 5 minutes after breaking up with them.
A child says goodbye to the fairies in his garden before moving to a new home.
Your protagonist saves someone’s life … and then wishes they hadn’t.
Your protagonist arrives at a blind date. They’ve been set up with someone they actually know a little too well.
Set in a dystopian future in which public displays of affection are banned, your protagonist faces an agonising choice.
An agoraphobic must face their fear in order to save something important.
Your protagonist must make her partner fall out of love with them. Both their lives depend on it.
Your protagonist is hiking with her small children, they come face to face with a grizzly bear and her cubs.
Cinderella and Prince Charming realise they got married too quickly.
A message written in graffiti on a bathroom wall has serious implications for your protagonist.
Your protagonist finds a bag, looks inside, and realises the owner might just be their soulmate.
Your protagonist has been seeing the same stranger everywhere they go for months. They finally decide to confront them.
A couple realise their relationship is over during the trip of a lifetime. They’ve been saving up for the trip for years.
A public debate sees two previously married people letting their private grievances come into their arguments.
Your protagonist plans their escape from a retirement home.
A couple realise their fundamental beliefs are at odds with each other.
An artist develops an obsession with drawing a next-door neighbour.
Your protagonist finds themselves trapped in a cabin with a group of hikers during a heavy snowfall.
An ice skater must face going back on the ice after a dangerous fall.
A couple must decide their plan for New Year’ Eve. They both have secret reasons for their choice.
A family must decide what to take and what to leave behind as a wildfire approaches their home.
Your protagonist is waiting for someone important at the airport. They begin to think that person isn’t going to show up … and then they realise why.
Your protagonist must find their way through a maze. What they find in the middle of the maze is the last thing they were expecting.
An actor waiting in the wings has forgotten his first line.
Your protagonist is wrongly identified as a hero. Do they come clean?
Your protagonist realises their past is catching up with them.
Your protagonist overhears something that has serious implications for them while trying on clothes in a changing room.
Your protagonist is in a costume shop trying to decide what to dress up as for Halloween.
Your protagonist realises they’ve slipped into an alternate dimension.
A surgeon must make an impossible choice on the operating table.
A pregnant journalist interviews the mother of a missing child.
Your protagonist must ask his girlfriend’s father for his blessing, only to discover the father knows his deepest secret.
Your protagonist sees something on social media that will change their life forever.
Two work colleagues realise they’ve been dreaming the same dreams for weeks.
A reluctant daughter comes to terms with having to carry on the family business.
Your protagonist realises she must go on the run.
Two bank robbers disagree on their plan to rob a bank. This leads to a disastrous consequence.
A strange case of deja vous leaves your protagonist convinced of supernatural interference.
A sceptic begins to question their beliefs during a psychic reading.
Your protagonist uncovers a scandal at their workplace.
A hapless cook tries to recreate her late father’s favourite recipes in an effort to feel connected to him.
Your protagonist has a premonition that makes them certain they can’t visit their mother-in-law for Christmas. Now he must convince his husband.
A young backpacker discovers something unexpected in a cave.
An impulsive character and an indecisive character are brought together by chance. They must make an important choice.
Two characters cleaning up after a party discover an object that sheds light on something strange that happened earlier.
Two strangers are trapped together during a blackout.
Your protagonist must take a leap of faith in order to save something important to them.
Your protagonist discovers a huge part of their life has been a lie.
Your protagonist has set up an elaborate way to propose. Inexplicably, everything goes wrong.
Your protagonist must buy a dress for her mother’s funeral.
Your protagonist goes back to her favourite city in the world, only to find it has completely changed.
While stargazing, your protagonist realises the stars are forming secret messages in the sky.
Your protagonist hears a news story on the radio that will mean the world changes forever. However, she seems to be the only person who heard it.
Your protagonist is crossing a frozen lake. They see something under the ice that definitely shouldn’t be there.
A workaholic must come to terms with retirement.
An Olympic athlete must decide whether or not to report their teammate for doping.
A young mother feels isolated from her childless friends.
Your protagonist is about to realise their greatest ambition. Will it be everything they were hoping for?
Onboard a spaceship, a couple prepare to go into stasis for hundreds of years.
Your protagonist has an obsession with thinking about the past.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, your protagonist meets an unlikely love interest.
Your protagonist visits a place from their childhood and realises their memories of that time might not be accurate at all.
A small child has decided to run away from home. Her parents watch on with amusement as she decides what to put in her backpack.
On a whim, a bus driver decides to radically change his route, much to the chagrin of his passengers.
Dystopian. A couple in love are only allowed to spend time with each other one day a year.
A shapeshifter begins to realise their powers are fading. They must decide what form will be the last one they take before they cannot change again.
The devil visits your protagonist with an offer on her soul.
Your protagonist suddenly has the ability to read minds. There’s only one place they want to go now!
Your very wealthy protagonist has designed a simple test to see who will inherit her estate.
An archaeologist discovers something that will change how we see the history of the world. It could be dangerous. Does he keep it to himself?
Your protagonist must clear out their late mother’s house. She discovers an incredible family secret.
Your protagonist is meeting his brother. They haven’t seen each other for 20 years.
Your protagonist develops the ability to see the world literally through someone else’s eyes.
Your protagonist starts to believe their partner might be a spy.
Your protagonist discovers a hidden camera in their living room.
Looking for a flash fiction competition? Check out our ‘Big List of International Writing Competitions!’ Looking for inspiration? Why not check out our list of the 20 Greatest Short Story Writers of All Time! Just received another short story rejection? Here’s our post about ‘How to Deal With Story Rejections’ Bonus Prompts! Two characters waiting by the side of the road realise they are both meeting the same person.
A woman loses her young niece in a busy shopping mall.
Three strangers must solve a riddle in order to gain entry to a secret club.
A poor woman must borrow ingredients from her neighbours to bake her husband a birthday cake.
A waiter finally finds out why an old man has been coming to the restaurant where he works every day at exactly the same time.
Two work colleagues must decide which of them is to take the blame for a terrible mistake at work.
Your disgruntled protagonist goes to confront the couple next door about the strange noises they’ve been hearing at night.
A family dinner party sees three characters make three very surprising announcements.
Two women argue over who should get to buy the last dress available in a store. How do they decide who should get it?
A young couple find out they knew (and disliked) each other vehemently as children.
Love writing stories? Register now for our free 7 Day Story Writing Challenges. Write a short story in a week, get extensive feedback on your entry, and compete for a prize of £500 in each round of the challenge. Register today!
Mastered the art of flash fiction? Now you can try submitting your stories to literary magazines! We’ve compiled a list of the best literary magazines that don’t charge a reading fee! Check out our Big List of No-Fee Literary Magazines.

Guinness World Records has been expanded by a space expert in order to showcase some incredible statistics found throughout the rest of the cosmos. In a new video this week, British scientist and BBC TV broadcaster Brian Cox says, "If there was a Guinness World Records 'Universe' book, the records would be remarkable." Cox quickly moves through an extensive list of exciting space-based records, starting with "the most enormous compact object," a supermassive black hole, a picture of which was taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope three years ago. The so-called M87 galaxy, which is six billion times more massive than the sun and is located 55 million light-years from Earth.In addition to numerous records, Cox unveils the universe's fastest object as well as its biggest structure and smallest object. The scientist identified Glass-z13 as the farthest distant verified galaxy when asked. "The light's journey from it to the telescope took around 13.4 billion years. We are examining the galaxy as it might have been 200 million or 300 million years after the Big Bang. Glass-z13 has a distance from Earth of little over 33 billion light-years due to the expansion of the universe. The James Webb Space Telescope, the largest telescope of its sort ever constructed, made the discovery of the far-off galaxy. The Webb telescope has been conducting research into deep space and sending stunning images back to Earth since its deployment earlier this year. As Cox points out, recordings of the universe are subject to perpetual change as astronomers and scientists make new discoveries all the time using more potent tools like the Webb telescope.
What reionized the Universe, and when?
When did the transparency of the universe begin? It's a strange but crucial question. The Universe was once opaque, but over time it changed to transparency and is still transparent now. It is literally the reason we can see far-off objects in the sky, and in a more existential sense, that instant of cosmic transparency had an impact on the behaviour of galaxies, the formation of stars, and other things. Answering the question is something that many astronomers want to do because it has significant ramifications for the objects we want to study and because we are here because of it. Astronomers from several countries may have discovered the solution to the puzzle: 12.7 billion years ago, roughly 1.1 billion years after the Big Bang. The fact that this is a few hundred million years later than previous calculations has some intriguing ramifications. Our entire Universe was in a hot, dense condition and all of its matter was ionised immediately after the Big Bang, like minutes after it: Any hydrogen or helium nuclei were free of any electron bonds. When an electron attempted to move, a photon, a particle of light, would strike it and cause it to fall. At the time, all of the light was incredibly high-energy and more than capable of maintaining the ionisation of the environment. As matter is so dense, if you were in this miasma, which in a sense you were since everything in the Universe was, it would appear absolutely opaque to you. An ionisation timeline Gas was cold and neutral in the early Universe (on the left), but as time goes on (on the right), radiation from stars and active black holes rips electrons off hydrogen atoms, illuminating the gas. An ionisation timeline Gas was cold and neutral in the early Universe (on the left), but as time goes on (on the right), radiation from stars and active black holes rips electrons off hydrogen atoms, illuminating the gas. The time interval is roughly one billion years from left to right. Thesan Collaboration, in picture Astonishingly, as the Universe cooled and expanded over the next 400,000 years, the average photon eventually ran out of energy to ionise hydrogen. For the first time, protons and electrons united and remained together to form neutral hydrogen. Recombination is the term used to describe the joining of an electron and a proton, hence this event is referred to as recombination even though it was the first time most atoms had united. Continuing the story Neutral hydrogen is highly good at absorbing visible light, the wavelengths of light humans can see, therefore the universe was still opaque even though the density of the Universe was reducing as it expanded. This period is known as the Dark Ages. That situation would last for a very, very long period until new objects formed that could emit ultraviolet light. When they were created, they ionised the hydrogen in space once more, but this time was different since the Universe had a lower density, allowing photons to go farther without being absorbed. Space became transparent all of a sudden and remained so. We can see a great distance even today because the majority of gas is ionised, or officially called a plasma. Reionization refers to this point in the universe's history. However, when did that occur? A pleasant approach to learn more exists. A blazar, or galaxy containing a supermassive black hole spewing energy, as depicted by an artist. Credit: Science Communication Lab and DESY A blazar, or galaxy containing a supermassive black hole spewing energy, as depicted by an artist. Credit: Science Communication Lab and DESY Image: Science Communication Lab at DESY Huge black holes evolved in the centres of galaxies as they initially emerged from the darkness. These black holes would collect matter as it fell into them, building up in a disc that would become extremely hot and emit high-energy ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays. These galaxies are what astronomers refer to as quasars, and we can view them from a very, very long way. When these quasars' light reaches us, it battles the Universe's expansion, which causes their wavelengths to lengthen—a process known as redshifting. In other words, the redshift reveals the quasar's distance, which in turn reveals how long after the Big Bang we observe it. Due to the fact that light can only move at a certain speed, objects that are further away are redshifted more and appear to us in the past.Because of the quasar's immense strength, even if we observe it before reionization, it will have already ionised the hydrogen immediately around it, allowing light to escape. The light from the quasar will be absorbed if there is a cloud of hydrogen between us and the quasar that is sufficiently removed from it to remain neutral. The redshift of the wavelength gap we detect in the quasar's light indicates how far away the cloud is from us and, more significantly, how far back in time we saw it. Very far distant clouds are neutral and unionised. However, following reionization, we suddenly stop noticing them because they are unable to take in the quasar's light.. So in theory, all we need to do is isolate the light from a collection of distant quasars using really good spectra. Numerous wavelengths will exhibit significant absorption, which will disappear at a sufficiently low redshift. Reionization took place then. This is really difficult to do in real life. You need really brilliant quasars, and even then, they are faint because they are so far away. Additionally, you need very good spectra, which calls for a large telescope and prolonged exposures. Numerous additional factors must also be taken into consideration, such as how the universe was structured back then. However, the astronomy team actually did this. They used archived observations of 42 additional extremely bright quasars from two other observatories in addition to 25 very distant very bright quasars from the XQR-30 survey. They discover that the Universe first became transparent roughly 1.1 billion years after the Big Bang by closely examining the 67 quasar spectra. Illustration of the first stars in the universe illuminating the gas clouds where they originated. Photo: NAOJ Illustration of the first stars in the universe illuminating the gas clouds where they originated. Photo: NAOJ And that's really fascinating! What precisely ionised the universe is unknown. There was enough time for supermassive, extremely hot, luminous stars to form as well, and they could have also blasted out UV light, enough to contribute. It might have been these very quasars. Was it thus stars, quasars, or a combination of both? The timing may be able to focus this. Reionization was previously estimated to have occurred 200 million years earlier, but if the new estimate is accurate, there is plenty of room for many more of these first-generation stars to form and contribute. So, if you'll excuse the pun, it might have been both stars and quasars working together. Around this time, galaxies were developing, and if these stars were incredibly powerful, they could blow gas straight out of the galaxies, altering the evolution of those galaxies. In order to comprehend when these stars existed and what they might have done to their surrounding environments, we need to know when reionization took place. I'll remind you that you reside in a galaxy and on a planet revolving around a star whose lineages may be traced back to this period. Reionization—what it was, when it happened, and how it affected the universe—thus plays a role in our existence. It's clear why we want to know the answer. And it might be here at last. Naturally, more observations are preferable. We may also be able to determine the duration of reionization if we have more exact estimates of this number from models of cosmic structure. 1,000,000 years? 10, fifty, or one hundred? It's almost certain that larger telescopes with better cameras will be used to answer that question. We are among the first species to comprehend precisely how the universe came into being and what occurred to it after that. You can quote me on that, but the Universe took 13.8 billion years to get here, and I think it was worth the wait.

Exploring the Efficiency of Java's Compound Assignment Operators

Java, a robust and widely-used programming language, offers a variety of operators to perform arithmetic and assignment operations efficiently. Among these, the compound assignment operators like +=, -=, *=, and /= stand out for their ability to simplify code readability and maintainability. These operators are more than just syntactic sugar; they embody the language's commitment to type safety while providing a shortcut for updating the value of variables. By merging an arithmetic operation with an assignment, they reduce the need for repetitive code and minimize potential errors.
However, a curious aspect of these operators is their ability to perform implicit casting, a feature not readily apparent to many developers. This implicit type conversion facilitates smoother code execution and reduces the need for explicit casting, particularly when dealing with numeric types of varying sizes. Understanding why Java's design allows for this implicit casting with compound assignment operators unveils deeper insights into the language's type system and its efforts to balance performance with user convenience.

Operator	Description
+=	Adds right operand to the left operand and assigns the result to the left operand.
-=	Subtracts right operand from the left operand and assigns the result to the left operand.
*=	Multiplies right operand with the left operand and assigns the result to the left operand.
/=	Divides left operand by the right operand and assigns the result to the left operand.

Insights into Java's Compound Assignment Operators

Java's compound assignment operators, such as +=, -=, *=, and /=, are not just convenient shorthand for performing arithmetic operations and assignments simultaneously; they also play a significant role in enhancing the readability and efficiency of the code. These operators inherently include an implicit cast, which allows for a smoother integration of different numeric types without the need for explicit casting by the developer. For instance, when performing an operation between a byte and an int using a compound assignment operator, Java automatically handles the type conversion, simplifying the code and reducing potential errors. This feature demonstrates Java's design philosophy, which aims to strike a balance between type safety and operational convenience, making it easier for developers to manage data type conversions in their applications.
The rationale behind the implicit casting feature of compound assignment operators lies in Java's strong type system, which is designed to prevent unintended type conversions that could lead to data loss or runtime errors. By incorporating implicit casting, Java ensures that operations involving different numeric types are handled as intuitively as possible, while still adhering to the language's strict type-checking rules. This design choice reflects a broader commitment to providing a language that is both powerful and user-friendly, allowing developers to focus on the logic of their applications rather than the intricacies of type conversions. Understanding these operators and their behavior is crucial for Java developers, as it not only aids in writing cleaner code but also in leveraging the language's features to their full potential.

Demystifying Java's Implicit Casting in Compound Assignments

Java Programming Insight

int a = 5; double b = 10.0; a += b; // Implicit casting from double to int System.out.println(a); // Outputs 15 

Enhancing Code Conciseness with Compound Operators

Java Code Simplification

int x = 10; x -= 5; // Equivalent to x = x - 5 System.out.println(x); // Outputs 5 

Optimizing Variable Updates in Java

Streamlining Java Arithmetic

int count = 100; count *= 2; // Doubles the value of count System.out.println(count); // Outputs 200 

Efficient Division and Assignment in Java

Java Efficiency in Action

int total = 50; total /= 5; // Divides total by 5 System.out.println(total); // Outputs 10 

Delving Deeper into Java's Compound Assignment Operators

Java's compound assignment operators are a cornerstone feature for developers, aiming to streamline code execution and enhance clarity. These operators, including +=, -=, *=, and /=, intuitively combine arithmetic operations with assignment, thereby minimizing code verbosity and the potential for typographical errors. Their capability to perform implicit casting stands out, as it elegantly addresses Java's stringent type system without requiring explicit casts from developers. This implicit conversion facilitates smoother code development, especially when dealing with operations across different numeric types, such as combining integers with floating-point numbers, ensuring that Java remains both powerful and accessible to programmers.
Moreover, the design philosophy behind these operators reflects Java's commitment to type safety and operational efficiency. By automating type conversions within compound assignments, Java safeguards against common pitfalls associated with type mismatching, such as data loss or unexpected behavior, enhancing the overall robustness of the code. This feature underscores Java's balance between ease of use and rigorous type checking, allowing developers to focus more on logic and functionality rather than on the nuances of type compatibility. Understanding the intricacies of compound assignment operators and their implicit casting capabilities is invaluable for developers looking to leverage Java's full potential, ensuring that applications are not only efficient but also maintainable and error-free.

Common Questions on Java's Compound Assignment Operators

1. Question: What are compound assignment operators in Java?
2. Answer: Compound assignment operators in Java are special operators that combine arithmetic operations with assignment. They include +=, -=, *=, and /= among others.
3. Question: Why don't Java's compound assignment operators require explicit casting?
4. Answer: Java's compound assignment operators automatically handle type conversion, performing implicit casting when necessary, to streamline code and reduce the need for manual type conversions.
5. Question: Can compound assignment operators be used with all data types?
6. Answer: Compound assignment operators are primarily used with numeric data types, though they can also be applied to strings and other objects in certain contexts.
7. Question: How do compound assignment operators improve code readability?
8. Answer: By combining an arithmetic operation with an assignment in a single line, these operators reduce code verbosity and make the intention behind the code clearer.
9. Question: Are there any potential pitfalls when using compound assignment operators?
10. Answer: While compound assignment operators are generally safe, developers should be mindful of implicit casting, as it might lead to unexpected results when dealing with different numeric types.

Key Takeaways on Java's Compound Assignment Operators

The exploration of Java's compound assignment operators reveals a nuanced aspect of the language that blends efficiency with convenience. By allowing implicit casting, Java enables a seamless interaction between different numeric types, fostering a coding environment where developers can focus more on implementing logic rather than on managing type conversions. This design choice not only underscores Java's commitment to type safety but also its intention to simplify the developer's workload. The utility of these operators extends beyond syntax; they represent Java's philosophy of balancing performance with ease of use, making Java a preferred language for developers aiming for clean and efficient code. As such, understanding and utilizing these operators is pivotal for anyone looking to master Java programming, offering a glimpse into the thoughtful considerations behind the language's architecture.
https://www.tempmail.us.com/en/java/understanding-java-s-compound-assignment-operators-without-casting

Introduction
Obviously, I really enjoy the game to have written this much about it and I am so grateful to the team that designed this game and manages the community to give us such an incredibly fun game. It’s for that reason that I have listed a bunch of issues/problems/suggestions down below. It has no doubt been very tumultuous for the team that has continued to support this game given the closure of NWI and the general fuckery that is Embracer Group. Many people obviously want “more” in the game. Unfortunately, given the size of the player base, I completely understand why Saber probably cannot or simply will not invest more resources into a game that is probably not generating much revenue anymore. Regardless, this game probably has a few more good years left in it. With some tweaks, I can definitely see the game persisting for a long while. Aside from improvement on the online experience and servers, I do think some relatively smaller fixes to map design, points cost, and redzone rules could greatly improve the enjoyability of this game for new/newer players without the need to create many new assets.
I am mostly concerned with PVP and specifically the push game mode because I consider that game mode to be the most suited to most maps. I think tweaking the existing maps for Frontline or other modes would be too much work. On the other hand, the specific needs of each mode vis a vis maps means that push players don’t get to enjoy many maps, like Ministry. Still, I do think with some tweaking of maps and rules for Push, these matches can be made much more enjoyable for many players and encourage a bit more retention in the future.
Anyways, thank you for reading and I look forward to reading your responses, either positive or negative. I also hope that this post does not come off too negative towards the game. I love this game so much and have had so much fun over the years playing it. Many thanks again to all the devs and community managers.
Map Fixes for Push
Bad Redzones: There are quite a few issues currently with many of the maps in the game. One such issue is poorly designed/drawn redzones. The obvious example of the top of my head is the non-redzone behind Echo on push insurgents' gap as marked below:
https://imgur.com/a/FdbPEKc
For maps like prison it can feel like one side or the other has to push through the red zone to get any kind of flanks. This is especially true for prison push insurgents objective D. Prison is my favorite map by far, but its redzones are a hot mess. Honestly, I think it needs some exterior areas added to open it up a bit more and make it viable for Push.
Too Difficult Push Objectives for Insurgents: Of particular note here is objective D for push insurgents on Gap and Outskirts.
On Gap push insurgents D, the effective distance between the spawn and the objective is quite long, making each death quite a lengthy process. Moreover, the attackers have to get through three lines of defense: the main street in front of the hotel with tons of camping cover; the interior of the hotel with tons of corners to camp and hide behind and extremely easy to camp entrances such as the left broken hole; and finally the multi-level point itself which defenders can access very quickly, get height advantage on the attackers and pick them off, or simply hide in bush until others spawn. Not only does the design of this point make this otherwise enjoyable map a slog I try to avoid at all costs, it effectively punishes the team for doing well. To make matters worse, insurgents have access to effectively no fire support to clear out the first line of defense. Ideally, the explosive drone would help clear the interior, but it just won’t go. I cannot fathom why that decision was made. This could be improved via several relatively minor fixes A) moving the insurgents spawn up so that recovery from deaths/losses is easier and not as much ground is lost and/or moving security spawn farther from the point B) removing much of the cover on the first street up to the point so that it is easier for insurgents to smoke and push into the building C) adding impediments to security to get on the second floor or behind the western concierge desk at the point so that they have to go to the front to go upstairs or give more sight cover to attackers while on the bottom floor.
On Outskirts push insurgents D, this one is similarly difficult to Gap. The primary issue here is that the red zones and the covered entry point for security on the point makes it very difficult for insurgents to cut off the enemy security wave. Moreover, the backside of the point is open for easy access for security and there is little cover for insurgents to use to cut off the pushing wave. To make matters worse, the point is open on three sides, so it is easy for security to go around the north side of the point and simply pick off the insurgents trying to hold the back side. For insurgents, the approach is a buggy, uphill struggle through a bunch of rubble. When they get to the other side, security has tons of easy options to hide and defend from usually the only one to three insurgents from the entire wave that don’t die getting there. A single really aggressive defender on a so-so team can hold off an entire highly experienced stack by lobbing 40 mm grenades on the back side or just bobbing and weaving through cover on the backside of the point. The easiest solution in my opinion is to move the security spawn back farther away from D and give the insurgents a bit more space to control on the east side of D. Another option would be to add a bit more cover on the north side of the rubble at D so insurgents can hide from snipers in the large field and have a better chance of taking the point. I am unsure if adding more cover on the east side or blocking off some paths from the east that security uses is appropriate. It may tip the scales a bit too far in favor of insurgents. As with Gap, the point is not to make the objective “easy.” Rather, it is to make it possible for a wider range of players. Since both sides get to attack and defend, I think this a reasonable fix that would improve the enjoyment of the map all around.
Much of this issue has to do with the lackluster capabilities of insurgent fire support on offense. Many of the options that insurgents have access to are largely useless such as explosive drones and bomber drones, even if the former can come in clutch on a low wave attack on the final point. Other times, the map and objective is designed in such a way that the insurgents have no other options. Ideally,l these support calls would be fully revamped so that insurgents have many offensive capabilities. Obviously, I do not think that is a reasonable expectation at this point as it would require a lot of more dev hours. A simple “fix” would be to effectively buff chems by making gas masks cost two points. However, that would probably be too radical of a change and would require revamping of the entire points system. Nonetheless, for some maps this issue can be pretty well resolved by adding and/or removing cover and relocating spawns.
Obviously, there are issues with other maps. C for push insurgents on Crossing and A for push insurgents on Precinct both come to mind. As with all of these, adding or removing bits of cover would make these points and the maps and general feel less like banging your head against a concrete wall for more players.
Backcapping and General Redzone issues: The ability for players to go through the redzone with little consequence and “pre-capture” objectives before the other team has time to react can turn what could have been relatively even matches into steam rolls. The big concern I have is that it feels inherently unfair, especially for new players. If I had to put up with a couple rounds of high levels just ripping through us on defense when I started I probably would have quit. This includes the admittedly hilarious “camping on the final cache with a molly or C4 etc.” trick. While it can be a good way of guaranteeing victory when two teams are very evenly matched and attackers are low on waves. Regardless, it is brutal and unfun when it is used against players that are a bit more inexperienced.
Poorly Protected Spawns: Finally, there are quite a few spawns in this game where the opposing team can simply sit and watch the spawn then kill many of the attackers such as push security A from the octagon or push insurgents B/C from the bridge. Nothing discourages a newer player from coming back than a level 5000 with a M3 Maw waiting for your spawn protection to wear off. This includes spawning and getting instantly killed by cleric on points like push security A on Crossing. Adding more cover at spawn could help some of these problems. However, it is likely too deeply tied into the game’s mechanics to truly fix.
This extends to another issue that is less prevalent but still frustrating. Nothing is more frustrating to spawn at wave zero on offense only to get mowed down by someone waiting in the redzone. Instead of the redzone instantly disappearing, it would be nice if it took an additional thirty seconds to a minute after wave zero is reached. Another option would be to add a redzone death timer for all players at all times but make it countdown from thirty seconds. Obviously, this will be most frustrating for new players who may not understand that the terms of the match have dramatically shifted now that their team is about to run out of waves.
In general, redzone fixes would reduce several of these issues and make the game less frustrating for newer players and a little bit more fair for teams with different levels of overall experience.
Point Tweaks and Weapon Classes
Most of these tweaks involve what I would consider minor changes in the categorization of weapons or the points needed to select certain upgrades or items.

1. Pistol Specific Ammo Carrier: Pistols are, for the most part, substantially underpowered in Sandstorm. The primary source for this, in my opinion, is the lack of ammo you can get for a pistol. 3 magazines on a light carrier and 4 on a heavy is not enough in my opinion. I do not think these carriers should give more than what they do now. Rather, I think that the specific pistol ammo carrier option needs to be available across the board for 1 or 2 points. One issue I see with the game is how frustrating and difficult it can be for a long range build to get on the point and hold it effectively. Going on the point and blitzing through people with a SVD with 7x scope inside a point or quickly running out of ammo for my sidearm. Including the pistol ammo carrier would allow the player to use some weapons that are largely useless in CQB (i.e. 50 cal sniper rifle) and still hold/push the point. Moreover, there are times when it is fun just to get rid of everything else and only use the pistol. I am not sure why this option isn’t available by default.
   
2. Bolt Action Rifle Point Costs: Currently, there is no real reason to pick a bolt action rifle over semi-automatic, especially given the paucity of sidearm ammo the player spawns with. The greased bolt upgrade does help with this quite a bit. However, a Mosin or M24 with a greased bolt costs 3 points, still substantially less viable than either standard 4 point semi-automatic sniper for the simple fact that you cannot quickly take follow-up shots when you miss. Personally, I think that the total cost of a bolt action with a greased bolt should be 1 or 2 points total instead of 3. In other words, either the bolt action rifles should be 0 points or the greased bolt upgrade should be 1 point. In combination with the extension of a pistol ammo carrier option, this would give users of the bolt action rifles many more options to take and/or hold points aggressively.
   
3. M1 Garand Grenade Launcher: I get that this is kind of a meme weapon. Nonetheless, in its current state it is in every way inferior to the options demolitions have. It is not only weaker, it takes longer to load, and it takes longer to switch between the grenade option and standard rifle. I am honestly confused why it is in the game AT ALL, but if it is gonna be in the game make 2 points. It still would not be overpowered and at least it would be a bit more usable.
   
4. Welrod: In the same vein as the M1 grenade launcher, the Welrod is an even more useless meme option. Even making it semi viable with the armor piercing rounds costs a whopping 3 points! With that upgrade, it’s still a hot piece of garbage. I’d like to see the cost of the Welrod with the armor piercing rounds be zero. I get it, it’s a meme. It’d still be a meme, just slightly more fun to use. Also, the running animation for the gun is still completely scuffed when it has a grip attached. I actually kind of hope that it doesn’t get fixed.
   
5. SKS as an Advisor Weapon: Currently, the SKS is a two-point weapon for advisors. My understanding is that advisors are supposed to have access to “superior” equipment that other classes don’t get, so why the heck is the SKS included as part of their class? It is the battle rifle that was somewhat obsolete when it was released. Honestly, it should be considered a rifleman weapon. I also think it is too expensive. It is exponentially less viable than the AKM for most tasks and even with upgrades cannot approach the long-range viability of a sniper rifle mainly because of the insane lack of weapon sway for sniper rifles. Even the M16A2 is a better long-range weapon in this game than the SKS. I think making it cost 1 point is a pretty ideal buff for this gun. Another thing I’d like to see is the inclusion of the top-loading original variant for 0 points. However, I realize that involves creating a bunch of new animations etc.
   
6. More Advisor Weapons: My main argument here would be that advisors should have access to basically every other rifleman weapon available or at least a select few (MDR, VHS, QBZ, QTS, M4A1, Famas etc.), but with a greater selection of attachments. Obviously, allowing anyone to have an extended mag Famas might be too broken. Still, I think advisors having some of the other weapons available to riflemen with the option to attach a suppressor would be nice.
   
7. Point Cost for Mass and Masterkey: These attachments/weapons have very little stopping power right now, which I think is the right move. However, for how weak and difficult to use they are, they are extremely expensive. 4 points for a Masterkey with no real ability to aim that is basically less useful than a 1 point pistol? Ideally, these attachments would be really really good for blowing the hinges off doors, but that is actually still quite a niche use case. Lowering their cost across the board by one point would be a good choice in my opinion. I do not think they should be buffed either in terms of damage or access to flechette to better balance with the breacher class.
   

More Cross-class Guns: Make the Galil and SKS available for rifleman classes.
QOL Improvements

1. Stuttering and Server Stability: This is, quite frankly, the biggest problem with the game for me currently. There are quite a few issues that make the game very difficult to play or less enjoyable. The worst of which for me is the recurring stuttering that happens when waves spawn in. Sometimes this stutter is quite minor. Other times the game is effectively bricked for .5 to 1.5 seconds. Frames will quickly drop from 144 to 70 and it is very difficult to deal with. It is not a lot of time, but when you are in a firefight or pushing around a corner it is an eternity. I have not been able to figure out exactly why this happens to me more than anyone else I know. I am almost certain it is a server-side issue and it seems to get worse the longer I play. The only “fix” I know is to restart the game. Hopefully it will be addressed someday. In general, this game performs surprisingly poorly given its low graphical intensity.
   
2. Lobby Issues: 1) not being able to join a friend’s game (no option shows up) after an internet connection gets interrupted or someone has to leave a match; 2) not being able to hear in game voice chat until completing a full restart of the game; 3) people in the game harassing, TKing, using racial slurs and then simply leaving and returning before being kicked or rejoining on their friends.
   
3. Repeated Team Switching: When playing solo it can be incredibly frustrating to be switched from a team doing well to the other team (especially when you have been playing well). It feels a bit like the game is punishing the player. There have been matches when I have been switched three or even four times. By that point, I usually just leave. For someone who doesn’t already really like the game, this issue alone likely causes many to quit.
   
4. Equipment Switching: it can be really difficult to switch between pieces of equipment in a loadout. Oftentimes, I will use the scroll wheel to try to switch to my gun but then somehow “pull out” my underbarrel attachment. Other times, I press the number for the item and it won’t switch.
   
5. Picking Up Objects: objects like grenades and guns on the ground can be super super difficult to pick up. Either I won’t get the option to pick it up or I will pick up the wrong item. Nowadays, I usually just avoid picking them up because half the time it gets me killed while I am fiddling with the UI.
   
6. Team Damage from Chems: I don’t know if this one can be fixed. Sometimes an insurgent commander will take team damage and even die because a teammate simply will not put on a gas mask. I can imagine, however, that this would be a difficult issue to address.
   

Conclusion/TLDR
The most problematic points are usually for insurgents on attack because of their relatively weaker support arsenal. Switching up the maps could make many of these points easier. I’ve gone into depth on two such points, but there are quite a few in the game right now. Improving the capabilities of the insurgent fire support would be the best option (either improving the damage, fixing the bugged call ins, or making it easier to direct where calls go), but this is probably not possible at this point. As such, switching up some of the maps is probably the most prudent approach. There are also a bunch of points changes that I think would improve some classes and make them more aggressive and more fun to play without giving any real “advantage.” Finally, there are a host of minor QOL issues that if fixed would greatly improve the experience. The biggest one I have is frequent stuttering when waves spawn. There are numerous other problems though, most of which are quite minor in my opinion. Many thanks for reading.

Alright, now don't take my title all that seriously since I primarily wanted to get the most attention I could from this sub, that's it. WARNING: LONG DISCUSSION POST
So as we can all check out if we make use of Reddit's search function, we will be able to re-read thousands of absolutely rabid comments written inside any Ohms-related post circa 2020-2021 (back when the album was still rather fresh, hence recency bias was pretty much inevitable then). I get there's far more users now than, say, 2016, but I can't help but sense the reception of Ohms was nothing but a massive and collective overreaction. Think about it, if four years ago if you dared criticize a single track off the album in the most good-willed and constructive manner, you'd get demolished by blind downvotes.
On the other hand, its predecessor, Gore, was met with strong to mixed criticism by the fans (and I said fans, not critics) to the point of circlejerk. The main complaints, both at the time and nowadays, were poor audio quality and a lack of focus in songwriting due to Stephen Carpenter unapologetically bashing the album on behalf the rest of band members through multiple interviews pre-release. The former point of contempt is 100% reasonable since the album does indeed sound pretty wacky, especially in comparison to the absolute audio marvel Koi no Yokan was: fizzy and thin guitar tones, a weird choice of bass gear (6 string bass) that didn't complement well the already comically crowded frequency spectrum of the album's sound, badly recorded drums, some questionable choice of vocal effects (mainly excess of delay), overcompression and lack of dynamics in both mixing and mastering stage that left the record sounding flat and lifeless...all that it's true. However, regarding the actual music, y'all gotta admit Gore definitely had tons of fresh ideas to distinguish itself from the rest of their back catalogue:
1. Silky-smooth transitions between songs: like in Pittura Infamante > Xenon
2. Beautiful soft synths and keyboards subtly arranged and melded with both guitars: like in Rubicon
3. Genuinely interesting and witty song structures: like in (L)MIRL
4. Some of the most exotic and vivid lyrics Chino's ever written: like in Acid Hologram
5. Some of the most intricate drumming Abe's ever laid down on a studio work (despite being fucked over by the producers): like in Geometric Headdress
But unfortunately, since the most vocal part of our fanbase couldn't shut up their close-minded ass for one single second about Gore not being "heavy" enough, we saw the band making a clear attempt at overcorrecting their course in order to appease both Steph and the fans, and that's when we got _Ohms. In more than one way, Ohms is a clear response to Gore's reception: they decided to go back to their good ol' friend Terry Date to produce their first album since 2002 (Self Titled), Chino approached the songwriting in a much "jammier" way along with Steph and Abe while mostly leaving Sergio out of the equation, it's a far more guitar-oriented album than Gore or KNY, it has an overall much more edgy, screamy and in-your-face aura, the lyrical themes are darker and mostly hopeless. It almost sounds like they wanted to continue just where they left it with TD like if he was never gone.
The similes with Self Titled don't end up just there, we must remember that album marked a mostly lukewarm and disappointing reception at release by coming on the heels of what's considered their magnum opus: White Pony. Why? Well, just like Ohms, Self Titled marked a clear regression from the much more melodic, sophisticated and experimental nature of its predecessor in turn for a more traditional, locked-in and guitar-heavy album. The lyrical imagery wasn't there either, since Chino started writing more depressive and less imaginative lyrics based on his upcoming divorce with her former wife at the time. See a pattern? Ohms suffers from the same creative problems Self Titled had at release by virtue of being a much safer effort. If we could describe Self Titled as being some sort of middle ground between Around the Fur and White Pony, Ohms is more so a middle ground between Self Titled and Gore.
First off, let's talk about the production value, which is probably one of the most poorly discussed aspects about the album. Ohms is objectively (by virtue of dynamic range measurements) the loudest Deftones has ever been on a studio release. Yes, even louder than Gore, of all things, and I've got proof:

foobar2000 1.6.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1

Analyzed: Deftones / Ohms

DR Peak RMS Duration Track

DR4 0.00 dB -5.57 dB 5:17 01-Genesis DR5 0.00 dB -6.73 dB 3:28 02-Ceremony DR4 0.00 dB -5.02 dB 4:30 03-Urantia DR5 0.00 dB -6.16 dB 4:50 04-Error DR5 0.00 dB -6.51 dB 5:27 05-The Spell Of Mathematics DR5 0.00 dB -7.97 dB 5:26 06-Pompeji DR5 0.00 dB -6.70 dB 4:37 07-This Link Is Dead DR5 0.00 dB -5.29 dB 3:35 08-Radiant City DR5 0.00 dB -6.63 dB 4:59 09-Headless DR5 0.00 dB -5.54 dB 4:10 10-Ohms
Number of tracks: 10 Official DR value: DR5
Samplerate: 44100 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 16 Bitrate: 1030 kbps

Codec: FLAC

Number of tracks: 10 Official DR value: DR5
Now compared with Gore:

foobar2000 1.6.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1

Analyzed: Deftones / Gore

DR Peak RMS Duration Track

DR6 0.00 dB -7.41 dB 3:38 01-Prayers/Triangles DR5 0.00 dB -5.94 dB 4:06 02-Acid Hologram DR5 0.00 dB -6.22 dB 4:27 03-Doomed User DR4 0.00 dB -4.94 dB 3:29 04-Geometric Headdress DR7 0.00 dB -9.71 dB 5:21 05-Hearts/Wires DR6 0.00 dB -7.34 dB 4:04 06-Pittura Infamante DR5 0.00 dB -6.38 dB 3:17 07-Xenon DR4 0.00 dB -6.48 dB 5:02 08-(L)MIRL DR5 0.00 dB -6.76 dB 4:59 09-Gore DR6 0.00 dB -8.54 dB 4:53 10-Phantom Bride

DR6 0.00 dB -6.79 dB 4:58 11-Rubicon

Number of tracks: 11 Official DR value: DR5
Samplerate: 44100 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 16 Bitrate: 1104 kbps

Codec: FLAC

The numbers won't ever lie to you. Audiophiles have always known that if something measures bad, it sounds bad, period. Ohms is just as if not even more overcompressed and slammed than Gore. No wonder all the fast transients are totally lost and Abe's drums can't barely pop put of the mix on a decent headphones/speakers setup. No wonder most verses sound just as stupidly loud as the choruses. No wonder some parts of the album audibly clip and distort, because you can hear the compressor dilate the volume and squeeze until the its last drop of blood just to obtain that hyper-commercial radio sound. No doubt, Terry Date did an absolutely fantastic job on the band's previous efforts like Around the Fur and White Pony, but that doesn't excuse him from doing a bad job later on in his career. The mix is also quite wonky. Just like in Gore, the guitars are way too loud in the mix to the point of further obscuring the bass and drums. Also, what's the point of a ninth string if one: you're only using it for one song on the album (The Spell of Mathematics) and two: it sounds so undefined and mushy you can't even decipher the notes he's playing with it? And why...WHY the hell does Chino use the overdrive "drive-thru box effect" on like 90% of his vocals in the album? It makes his already strained and weak vocal performance sound so grating on this and it sounds super tacky.
But what about the actual music? In Ohms all intricacy is lost. From the very basic and predictable verse-chorus song structures that mutilate all possible tension/release factor that makes music exciting, the laughably lazy two-note riffage being played by Steph all over the album (which makes me wonder if that's what being involved means), the awkward and generic-sounding retro synths, the absolute lack of decent vocal hooks, the painfully straightforward and occasionally cringe lyrics...is this really a return to form?
To close up this insufferable post, I'll paste a comment someone made in this sub over three years ago. I related to it a lot and sums it all up quite well. You can find it here: https://www.reddit.com/deftones/comments/mtg4os/comment/gv8pcqf/
"Gore is an underrated masterpiece in their discography. If flat-earth anti-vaxxer Steph had instead touted it in those pre-release interviews as an album that was a different kind of heavy, but one that was a blast to make and was going to sound great live, all the people who hate it would instead be swallowing its nuts today..
The songs are weird, original, experimental and change course multiple times over the course of their run times. Stop listening to it on your iPhone speaker or your iPad and actually listen with a good pair of headphones, and the album is heavy as fuck, even in its softer moments. They were killing it from SNW to Gore, then started listening to all the whiners in their fanbase who couldn't jive with their originality, so they made a safe, polished album called Ohms that sounds like Gore leftovers and Diamond Eyes b-sides..
After a five-year wait and a four-album run like SNW/DE/KNY/Gore, that's embarrassing. We've all seen how much of a dumbass Steph can be in interviews with the stuff he says, so why should his misguided assessment of Gore be taken any more seriously? Dude said he had to embrace his inner serial killer for a couple of those songs..like that's some kind of BAD thing..??
It is hilarious how the best stuff on Ohms -- Pompeji, Headless, Error -- would sound right at home on Gore. Or how TLID is a sad attempt to recapture the anger of tracks like CMND/CTRL, Elite or WGTB. Or how Genesis is basically Hexagram Lite. Ohms...more like Boredohms. The originality of the albums that came before it is absent. The album is produced so shiny it's virtually unbearable to listen to. Ohms is what happen when you let the flat-earther anti-vaxxer stoner in the group have his way and just graft some boilerplate riffs we've heard on albums like Adrenaline and WP over Deftones songs that sound like previous Deftones songs.
There is nothing on Ohms that sounds anywhere close to as original and as left-field as the first time you heard Geometric Headdress, LMIRL, Acid Hologram, Hearts/Wires or Phantom Bride. Nothing. Just stuff that would have sounded great on Gore as context for the best stuff on Gore.
In 2020, that's not anywhere close to good enough for what this band had accomplished on record from 2006-2016. I don't care who wants to lame downvote me or "cancel" me for any of this either; go right ahead. Ohms is boring. Gore is fucking AWESOME. One day they'll see.."

1. That’s the number of games I have played in Enlisted. At 2790, I’ve officially finished all nation tech-trees and unlocked every non-premium unit, vehicle and squad in the game. I never expected to play this game that much but it scratches a very particular itch for me. I figured I should write something about it, maybe share some insight to help other players..

Logistics of how I play:
I always have “premium” running and 90% of the time I finish in the top three slots on my team. My win rate average is around 73%. I run BR2, BR3 and BR5 armies but like most, generally bounce between BR2 and BR5. I also run the Elite BattlePass. (You buy it once, as long as you complete it, you get enough gold to buy the next one. It’s $10 USD.) Enlisted usually has a Black Friday sale (November) and I buy an annual pass for about 30 USD. I play on XSX and have been playing since the beta. So generally I spend about 30-40 dollars a year on Enlisted. When I get a battle pass or daily XP boost, I always use it and generally push it towards things I don’t like. (Get through it faster.) I don’t own any premium squads but have a bunch of event stuff.
How I level up squads:
My general strategy for leveling up squads. I go straight down the SQUAD/BLUE Tree getting only the XP boosts. (Basically go right down the middle and don't add anything.) Then I go straight down the SOLDIERED tree and do the same thing. Once I have all the XP boosts, I go back to the Blue and fill out the squad. I always do the WEAPON/YELLOW tree last. There are some exceptions to that but that’s generally my plan.
Also, I generally don’t level up guys I know are going to be removed from the squads.I also don’t spend any real time leveling intermediate weapons and units. I just push through until I get to a weapon/soldier worth upgrading.(There is some argument against that, just my own preference.) For soldiers I focus on health recovery, stamina, reload speed and rank to 5 stars. Weapons that are going to be used long-term get upgraded to 5 stars.
Army Roster Breakdown:
Each nation is a little different but generally here’s what I run. (This doesn’t include extra slots)
2x Assault Squads
LMG Squad
Flame (BR3+) Arty if BRII
Tank
Fighter Plane
Transport
*All squads have AT and Engineers in them.
*In USA BR5 I run 2x LMG and 1x Assault
I don’t run Snipers or Infantry squads. Sometimes I’ll add a sniper into my Arty squad but that’s about it. I also may have a medic in a squad for extra SMG but don’t use them as a unit. Don’t generally use dedicated engineers or AT units either since every squad has one.
For gear, Dynamite, TNT are the standard for me but have a mix. I don’t run any kind of mines. (I forget to put them down.). I don’t run the double-weapon kit and generally go with lower pistols and ammo bags. (I think that’s cheaper actually.)
Uniform Customizations: Even I don’t have enough tokens to customize every single army. It’s sort of a joke. With that said, my Italians and Germans are fully customized. Everyone else has bits and pieces. Customization is the end game.
What BR Ratings do I play:
I bounce around and depends on the nation.
USA/Allies: I have a fully geared British BR2 that I play a lot. BR5 is fun but I prefer the Tunisia British maps. 60% is BR2. (This is largely due to a couple of maps in BR5 I don’t like.)
RUSSIA: BR5 is great. This was the last army I leveled so there may be some recency bias but
BR2 Moscow maps are solid.
JAPAN: T4/5: I only play the high tier in this one. The Japanese really struggle with the early BR(s) but they’ve gotten a bit better through some weapon ads.
GERMANY: I have an all ITALIAN BR2 army that I really like. It’s great to see those blue uniforms! I play 50% BR2, BR5. (I also have a BR3 I occasionally play.) My BR5 army is fully customized.
I think the end state I’d like to see is BR1-2, BR3-4, BR5. There is some great stuff in BR3 and BR4 that gets lost in the shuffle.
Faction Balance:
Each army has its own strengths and weaknesses. I think the key here is to play to the strengths (At any BR). Having played through every nation and unlocking every unit, they’re not wildly different. Although some nations clearly have the advantage in certain categories.
USA/Allies:
Good: LMG, Planes, Rifles
Okay: Tanks (Pershing can one shot a Tiger2, btw.), SMG.. Thompson struggles compared to others
USA Final thoughts: Great Normandy and Pacific Maps. You can build a UK army in BR2! The M1 Carbine is one of the most underrated weapons in the game. The Slow-Auto function on that BAR is great. I fear nothing in a P51-D (BRIII). Great fully functional army can hang with anyone.
RUSSIA:
Good: I think they have an amazing final weapon set. SMGs across all tiers are elite.
Okay: Tanks are decent but early on a little underpowered compared to the Germans. With that said they are 100% functional and can usually hang. Planes, Rifles are both functional. At the high tier an IS2 (1944) can pen a Tiger2 with one shot.
Russia Final Thoughts: Solid across the board. I would argue they are the most balanced in the game. Planes, Tanks, and the RD-44 which is the best LMG in the game, imo. Best SMGs in the game also. PPSH and the AS-44 are AAA.
GERMANY:
Good: Rifles, SMG, Tanks, Rifles (G43, FG42)
Okay: Planes, LMG
Germany Final Thoughts: Like Russia these guys are really solid across the board. Pretty much everything is okay or better. I would describe them as balanced with AAA weapons hidden throughout the BR(s). BTW, the VG1-5 is way underrated. It’s great. It’s like a semi-auto STG.. Also if they ever offer the G43 Kursk Cartridge rifle in the store, get it immediately.
JAPAN: This is my lowest win rate across all armies.They are the most difficult army to play.
Good: SMG(s) You can run that 50 round MP28 all the way through to the Tokyo Arsenal (BR4). SAMURAI SWORDS need I say more?
Okay: Rifles are decent. Type-Hei is functional but the Garand and carbine are better.
Bad: Worst Tanks in the game. They are trash. Planes start bad but eventually even out.
Japan Final Thoughts: This is the toughest nation to consistently win with. Early weapons are not great. Late T4/5 start to catch up and they become solid. Except for tanks.
Random Gameplay Thoughts:
At the end of the game, the #1 stat I look at is the Attack/zone defense kill count. Get into the zone and lock your AI guys down to a spot. Then use whoever you are playing to surge back and forth. Smoke is big, especially on big open Grey-zone friendly maps. Also, for the love of god, please stop calling bombers. They are a waste of time, 95% of the time. Use your artillery. Smoke or bomb grey-zone tanks. (Don’t Arty-smoke your own team.) As a general rule, If you look at the map, there is a red arrow. This is where the enemy is coming from. Put your arty between that and the objective. Volume with Arty is often more important than how precise it is.
Build Rally points around 50-70 meters from target. Once spawned, leave the RP as soon as possible so you don’t lock it. If you are calling for a RP and don’t have engineers in every squad, that’s your next move.. Speaking of engineering, razor-wire is great! With that said, always be sure not to block your team's entry points especially when playing defense.
All basic stuff. If you have any gameplay questions or want me to share anything I’ll do my best to answer. The most grindiest game ever but I love it. I’d like to see Vietnam or maybe France. I think the game needs new armies and fronts. Maybe a new war.