Building the ‘One Piece’ Live-Action TV Series: How Netflix Earned Eiichiro Oda’s Blessing to Turn a Manga Treasure Into Streaming Gold
The breakout popularity of “Stranger Things” and “Wednesday” was a boon for Netflix execs, but also a lesson — both forced a scramble to line up marketing and licensing deals after launch. If the streamer’s upcoming fantasy-adventure series “One Piece” similarly turns into a phenom — as the early hype indicates — this time they’ll be ready.
Of all the titles promoted out of Netflix’s June 17 Tudum fan event, “One Piece” — the live-action TV series adaptation of the bestselling manga — was the most talked about, outpacing everything else featured at the São Paulo affair four to one, according to Netflix. “One Piece” lead actor Iñaki Godoy has seen his Instagram following spike from 28,000 to 450,000 ahead of the show’s Aug. 31 premiere.
“I think we were all stunned, truly stunned,” Netflix head of U.S. and Canada scripted series Peter Friedlander told Variety. “We knew that there was a big fan base, but to watch those actors step out onstage, you could barely hear anything. They could barely get words out, and it was really an emotional experience just watching the actors.”
Based on Eiichiro Oda’s long-running manga and anime of the same name, “One Piece” has a built-in fan base eager to see mystically stretchy, aspiring pirate king Monkey D. Luffy (newcomer Godoy) and the Straw Hat Pirates — Nami (Emily Rudd), Sanji (Taz Skylar), Zoro (Mackenyu) and Usopp (Jacob Romero) — set sail on their ship, the Going Merry, this week on Netflix. The crew is in search of the world’s greatest treasure, the elusive “one piece,” with the marines on their heels each wave of the way.
“It’s heartening to see the early reaction just to what we’ve shown,” Friedlander said. “With the teaser and trailer we’ve put out, we were trying to show the fans we’re loving on this IP, we are loving on this show and we hope you see that. I feel very hopeful and confident going into this.”
As the launch approaches, Netflix’s marketing and PR teams have begun steering this ship, stoking fan interest with 10 events worldwide — including in Los Angeles, Paris, Jakarta and Tokyo — before its premiere. And the consumer products division is at the ready with a Zara “One Piece” clothing line set to debut later in September, after the show launches. On deck is even more merch at such outlets as Hot Topic, Bandai, Hot Toys, Mexico’s Liverpool and the U.K.’s HMV.
This kind of prep is unprecedented for a first-season show — and it signals Netflix’s faith in “One Piece’s” future. That’s in spite of its last attempt at adapting popular Japanese IP into a live-action series, the John Cho-led “Cowboy Bebop.” Years in the making, the sci-fi space Western was a flop, and was canceled less than a month after its November 2021 release.
“What we learned is the fans are expecting you to be true to the source material,” says executive producer Marty Adelstein, whose Tomorrow Studios produced “Cowboy Bebop” for Netflix before embarking on “One Piece.” “As we read the comments, it was always, ‘Well, they didn’t do this character the same as this and that.’ … It really taught us a lot of what we needed to do with this one.”
The backlash to “Cowboy Bebop” also served as a warning that an adaptation of the equally beloved “One Piece” would face just as many potential critics. But with Oda and “One Piece” manga publisher Shueisha producing the project, Tomorrow Studios and Netflix had the best team possible to keep the series true to its source material.
“It became everyone’s goal to make sure that when you looked at the show, you thought this was a live-action version of the manga that just felt like another feather in the legacy of Oda,” says Becky Clements, the president of Tomorrow Studios, which landed the rights to develop “One Piece” into a live-action series in partnership with Oda and publisher Shueisha in 2017. “That people just get to see it in another genre, but still have the same reaction and feelings toward the narrative.”
Netflix picked up the series in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. It soon developed a “nakama” — a bonded team, as Luffy and his Straw Hats are described in “One Piece” — of U.S., Japanese and Korean Netflix executives devoted to the adaptation, according to Friedlander.
“We hadn’t done something like that before,” Friedlander says. “The logistics of that — late-night calls, early morning calls, emails — it just changes the recipe of how you would help support a show, and I think that really was a special element, a little bit of the secret sauce, because we wanted to have different perspectives on the fandom.”
“One Piece” co-showrunner Steven Maeda, who developed the series alongside Matt Owens, says the show, which was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, and is Netflix’s largest-ever production in Africa, had “a healthy, healthy, healthy budget” and the stamp of approval from Oda throughout the entire process.
On Aug. 18, Netflix Japan’s YouTube account shared two videos that included quotes from “One Piece” production notes given by Oda to Netflix execs, in order to show fans just how involved Oda was and what he personally signed off on.
Oda’s note to Netflix:
To Netflix:
We need to consider the worst-case scenario.
I can’t say something is good when it isn’t.
This is very good, but we can do even better.
The fans trust me. So I can’t lie to them.
We actually found our real-life Luffy. I’m shocked.
I’m touched by the love of ONE PIECE sprinkled through out every frame.
From Eiichiro Oda
Netflix’s response to Oda:
To Eiichiro Oda:
A 1:1 re-enactment is impossible.
Live-action adaptation isn’t about replication. It’s expression.
We’re not at all satisfied yet, either.
We want to rewrite the history of live-action adaptations.
We have two goals. To not betray the fans. And to have the show be loved by those who don’t yet know ONE PIECE.
From Netflix
“Let’s make something great.”
With the utmost respect for Oda and his work top of mind for Owens and Maeda, Maeda says it was “tremendously challenging to make any kind of changes to such a beloved property.” But some changes still needed to be made.
“When Oda-san was writing the manga, there was no sense of an eight-episode television season — he writes in his own timetable, and his own structure for how he sees the storyline of the characters,” Maeda says. “That said, he did give me a very lovely section of the first 100 chapters of the ‘One Piece’ manga — and I won’t give any spoilers yet, but [the live-action ‘One Piece’] tries to craft the 100 chapters into eight episodes of television that have to have their own rise and fall and story arc.”
With early hype strong but post-launch viewership unavailable until the Netflix Top 10 comes out next Tuesday, Friedlander “truly” hopes “One Piece” is a “successful show that can continue, because I do believe that Oda-san has crafted an ongoing run of stories and adventures and characters that I would love to see realized through ‘One Piece’ live-action.” And though Friedlander can’t make any premature promises about “One Piece” Season 2–and knows Netflix viewers have concerns about early-on cancellations, including “Cowboy Bebop” — he points to the streamer’s recent track record for renewing genre shows that meet fans’ expectations.
“You can’t get it right every time,” Friedlander said. “You hope that with creative passion and storytellers that you do. And that’s what I’m here for, is to support the storytellers and how they interpret and adapt and experience an IP. And I think we’ve had a pretty impressive run when you think about just within the last year with ‘The Sandman’ and ‘Wednesday.’ And I do think we are able to adapt some of these IP into something that’s extraordinary and unexpected, and still truly honor what it is.”
As for Owens and Maeda’s plans for a Season 2, Maeda says they are “definitely taking it one step at a time,” simply because of the decades of “One Piece” material Oda-san has given them to work with that lead to “so many possibilities and endless permutations.”
Right now, the focus is just on launching that “One Piece” Season 1 ship out into the East Blue Sea.
“Along with Oda-san’s oversight and cooperation and partnership, I think that we came up with the very best version of this show that we can,” Maeda says. “I can’t complain that money wasn’t spent, I can’t complain that our hands were tied — we were able to make the show we wanted to make.”
This story has been expanded from the version printed in the Aug. 23 issue of Variety. The quotes from co-showrunner Steven Maeda were obtained during an interview organized by contacting Maeda’s publicist, not through Netflix, in accordance with WGA strike rules.

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The "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025," bill S.4443 from the Senate, has advanced unanimously out of committee and the full text is available on CONGRESS.GOV.
The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 contains topics directly referencing UAP disclosure in the following sections:

• TITLE X—UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA
• Sec. 1001. Comptroller General of the United States review of All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.
• Sec. 1002. Sunset of requirements relating to audits of unidentified anomalous phenomena historical record report.
• Sec. 1003. Funding limitations relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena.

​
There are three big ticket items related to UAP disclosure in this legislation:

1. The proposed legislation demands an audit of AARO. "A review of the implementation by the Office of the duties and requirements of the Office under section 1683 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 U.S.C. 3373), such as the process for operational unidentified anomalous phenomena reporting and coordination with the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, and other departments and agencies of the Federal Government and non-Government entities."
2. It cuts off funding to SAPs, CAPs, and any other type of restricted access program that is not reporting properly to congress. "None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended in support of any activity involving unidentified anomalous phenomena protected under any form of special access or restricted access limitation unless the Director of National Intelligence has provided the details of the activity to the appropriate committees of Congress and congressional leadership."
3. It cuts off funding to IRADs, which came up in the Grusch hearing, unless they report to Congress. "Limitation Regarding Independent Research And Development.—Independent research and development funding relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena shall not be allowable as indirect expenses for purposes of contracts covered by such instruction, unless such material and information is made available to the appropriate congressional committees and leadership."

​

SEC. 1001. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES REVIEW OF ALL-DOMAIN ANOMALY RESOLUTION OFFICE.
(a) Definitions.—In this section, the terms “congressional defense committees”, “congressional leadership”, and “unidentified anomalous phenomena” have the meanings given such terms in section 1683(n) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 U.S.C. 3373(n)).
(b) Review Required.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a review of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (in this section referred to as the “Office”).
(c) Elements.—The review conducted pursuant to subsection (b) shall include the following:
(1) A review of the implementation by the Office of the duties and requirements of the Office under section 1683 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 U.S.C. 3373), such as the process for operational unidentified anomalous phenomena reporting and coordination with the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, and other departments and agencies of the Federal Government and non-Government entities.
(2) A review of such other matters relating to the activities of the Office that pertain to unidentified anomalous phenomena as the Comptroller General considers appropriate.
(d) Report.—Following the review required by subsection (b), in a timeframe mutually agreed upon by the congressional intelligence committees, the congressional defense committees, congressional leadership, and the Comptroller General, the Comptroller General shall submit to such committees and congressional leadership a report on the findings of the Comptroller General with respect to the review conducted under subsection (b).

and then...

SEC. 1002. SUNSET OF REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO AUDITS OF UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA HISTORICAL RECORD REPORT.
Section 6001 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (50 U.S.C. 3373 note) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting “until April 1, 2025” after “quarterly basis”; and
(2) in subsection (c), by inserting “until June 30, 2025” after “semiannually thereafter”.

as well as...

SEC. 1003. FUNDING LIMITATIONS RELATING TO UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA.
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.—The term “appropriate committees of Congress” means—
(A) the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(2) CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP.—The term “congressional leadership” means—
(A) the majority leader of the Senate;
(B) the minority leader of the Senate;
(C) the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
(D) the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
(3) UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA.—The term “unidentified anomalous phenomena” has the meaning given such term in section 1683(n) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 U.S.C. 3373(n)).
(b) Limitations.—None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended in support of any activity involving unidentified anomalous phenomena protected under any form of special access or restricted access limitation unless the Director of National Intelligence has provided the details of the activity to the appropriate committees of Congress and congressional leadership, including for any activities described in a report released by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office in fiscal year 2024.
(c) Limitation Regarding Independent Research And Development.—Independent research and development funding relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena shall not be allowable as indirect expenses for purposes of contracts covered by such instruction, unless such material and information is made available to the appropriate congressional committees and leadership.

Notably I was under the impression the "gang of 8" was supposed to be read into all of these programs, however, this act is calling out congressional leadership by the following definition: the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the House of Representatives. This seems like it would make it a "gang of 4" who would be read into these programs. Odd.
​
There's also an entire section on improving protections for whistleblowers, which may or may not be related to UAP disclosure:
TITLE VIII—WHISTLEBLOWERS

• Sec. 801. Improvements regarding urgent concerns submitted to Inspectors General of the intelligence community.
• Sec. 802. Prohibition against disclosure of whistleblower identity as act of reprisal.
• Sec. 803. Protection for individuals making authorized disclosures to Inspectors General of elements of the intelligence community.
• Sec. 804. Clarification of authority of certain Inspectors General to receive protected disclosures.
• Sec. 805. Whistleblower protections relating to psychiatric testing or examination.
• Sec. 806. Establishing process parity for adverse security clearance and access determinations.
• Sec. 807. Elimination of cap on compensatory damages for retaliatory revocation of security clearances and access determinations.

Full text of the legislation is available on congress.gov at link here.

So my aunt has Schizophrenia. There is some backstory Ill throw in but you can probably skip it and go to the bottom on how I can help
She has been taking care of my grandfather for a while, but has recently started hiding his medicine/saying family members are trying to slip him fake prescriptions. There has been issues in the past, and she has burned most of her bridges with the family through past episodes (I am the last connection she has to the family).
She thought her brother was trying to kill her, so she pressed charges. They hate each other ever since then. It's been terrible, but now she thinks the rest of the family is trying to kick her out of my grandfather's house (which has some truth)
She has been committed into a mental hospital and believes she is no longer sick, and her other brother forced her to be committed to take her out of the picture. She was forcibly committed once before, but convinced the hospital she wasn't schizophrenic and was released and immediately tried to kill herself. She sued the mental hospital and got black listed from their services
I am now taking care of my 98 year old grandfather. He calls her atleast twice a day to see how she is doing. She has been sounding better, though I can tell she is hiding it. My uncle stayed the night (the one she has a restraining order against) and she found out. She showed all the paranoid thoughts she was hiding.
Anyways, she recently started trying to convince me that her brothers are trying to kill my grandfather through secret phramacy poisons to make her look guilty. . She also found out one of the brothers was going to try to pocket most of my grandfather's money by having his name added to my grandfather's bank account and telling everyone there is much less in his account then actuality.
So there are 3 major issues. One thing she is right about (family wanting to kick her out). One thing she has good reason to believe. And one thing that is a fake thought.
-main question-
I have no idea how to respond to her, gut reaction says not to feed her delusions, but if I don't she will likely want to sever ties with me also. I have been very fortunate because she hasn't asked me to pick a side and has allowed me to remain neutral (she would vent to me every once in a while but I wouldn't offer an opinion). While on the phone with her, I disagreed with some of the points she was trying to make and she hung up on me, but I fear she is going to start pushing me to take a side.

I've got a question about B2B sales: How do you build recurring customers through email marketing? I've been dabbling in cold emailing for about 7 months now. While we've had decent sales, we're struggling to convert those into repeat clients.
We're careful with our marketing budget, so we try to use it wisely. We source our leads from WarpLeads since we're able to get unlimited export leads and verify them using Millionverifier. Then, we rely on Instantly for sending our emails.
I'm curious, do personalized emails make a big difference for you, or is it more about what you're selling? Appreciate any insights!

I’ve finally finished the Heartstriker Series and it wins “The Most Anime Award” for Dragon Fiction.
It’s got it all.
Giant Swords, building toppling punches, ancient doomsday gods, mid-battle monologues, mentors suffering from alcohol abuse, sealed magical forms, and fights like this….
(Show a scene of someone being punched through a mountain in DBZ or something. This is a Youtube script I might eventually get around to.)
It’s set in a near future Earth after a meteor has released the magic that has been dormant within the Earth for centuries.
This allows mythical creatures to either reawaken, or like dragons who have been trapped human forms to conserve their magic, to reclaim the skies and true forms.
Enter Julius, a young dragon of the Heartstriker clan has just been ejected from his home mountain by his mother for being a useless son. Instead of being obsessed with the acquisition of more power for him and his mother… I mean his clan. Julius tries to avoid his bloodthirsty family and hides in his room playing video games. Worst of all, he says please and thank you instead of demanding obedience from his inferiors.
Worse than the eviction, his mother has also sealed his dragon form until he does something to redeem himself. Making sure he can’t cause her trouble while exploring the Detroit Free Zone (or DFZ) where dragons are absolutely forbidden to enter by the spirit overlord. He’s hired by one of his many elder brothers to track down a runaway from another dragon clan and drag her back home to strengthen their inter-clan relationship. Both mistaking his sealed form as a curse and Julius as financially well off instead of someone with tens of dollars to his name. Marci, a young mage, offers to help him, but instead accepts his offer to help him track down the hiding dragoness.
Yes, I know how we feel about dragons in human bodies, and yes, I’m afraid to say Julius doesn’t regain his dragon form as fast as we would like. But we do get some natural dragons in the meantime...occasionally.
But the dragon lore is pretty neat.
Like that dragoness Julius is supposed to find, she the youngest daughter of the Three Sisters Clan. A clan made up entirely dragonesses formed purely from the magic of three ancient dragon sisters who weren’t into the whole biological reproduction thing.
They are now sleeping deep under the ice because they are so massive and powerful that the lack of magic sent them into a coma. But their daughters, mainly the youngest, who is missing and eldest, who is looking for her, are a bit more into males and less into the racial purity thing than their comatose parents.
So the missing dragoness is running off to be with her human mage boyfriend (Yes, someone actually wrote that story some of you keep asking for but as a backstory for a minor character) and the older dragoness is into Julius’s brother, the one that hired him, but their clans are supposed to hate each other because the Seer of the Three Sister’s Clan really hates Julius’s eldest brother, Bob, who is the Seer of the Heartstriker Clan.
Seers are dragons who can see the most likely futures and try to manipulate events to get the future they want and there are only three Seers at any time. When a Seer dies, the next dragon to hatch replaces that Seer. And the more Seers manipulating the future, the harder it becomes to see where the future is headed because it will take sudden unexpected turns as they fight over it.
So the Three Sisters Seer really wants to kill Bob so she can have full control of the board for decades until the next Seer is old enough to be competent. There’s also the fact that Bob married a pigeon instead of her. She’s probably pretty upset about that. Okay, she’s actually mad she couldn’t seduce Bob into being her toy, but the pigeon probably didn’t help. Oh, and Julius's mother is a evil bitch that everyone hates. Also doesn't help.
And that’s all I really want to spoil. There’s nothing here that isn’t in the first few chapters of the first book. Can’t even mention my favorite dragon who shows up in book 2. But like so many animes, the story starts off simple but the stakes skyrocket with each book and our nobody dragon and wandering mage duo attract more attention from the magical world.

Some of you may remember my post from several months ago about my friend Mandi. I'm struggling to understand if Mandi is just unnecessarily blunt or if there may be something else causing it.
Mandi and I met in 2019 and instantly bonded over our love of fanfiction and musicals. We are both disabled, though Mandi has a host of other conditions that I don't including Reactive Attachment Disorder and epilepsy. She also claims that her brother is autistic [but, I have a cousin with ASD, and if Mandi's brother has autism, he is super high functioning.] For a while I believed Mandi may be as well but now I'm not so sure. Mandi has a tendency to be super self-focused and not really want to talk about anyone else except a pair of friends she has who I am not 100% certain are real because the stories she tells me about them are too farfetched to be believed. One, Nick, is also friends with me on Facebook [though I think he might be a fake or a catfish].
Recently, I got into the Netflix series Bridgerton, an effort to be closer to Mandi as she claims she and Nick read the books when they were in high school (we have very little in common otherwise--we both write, but she seems extremely naive and sheltered. She's not into watching TV and rarely leaves her house anymore). She's a little under 2 years younger than me; she and Nick went to school in CA and she graduated in 2010.
Upon finishing S1 of Bridgerton on my own I hoped to be able to discuss it with her. I quickly learned we have very differing opinions on what constitutes good media. She immediately began putting down the Netflix series and claimed "You [OP], only like the story because Shonda Rhimes was involved, they made the duke Black and you're obsessed with Black men for some reason." (For context, I am white and have always tended to be attracted to people of color. Mandi is mixed--half white, half Afro-Latin. She also has a deep disdain for American Black men and Latin men influenced by where she lives in California and the interactions she's had with men of color in her area, as well as her own dad.)
I do openly admit that I attempted to listen to the first book, but don't care much for Ms. Quinn's style, and although there are some problematic things, I prefer the Netflix series. But I like it for the visuals and how the characters were translated to the screen. Mandi on the other hand, dislikes the series because "They changed so much from the books", but she watches it for the intimate scenes and because Nick, who is openly gay, likes to gush with her about how hot the men on the show are, so I don't get why she seems to be on a high horse.
Then, recently, I used a TikTok filter to do a photo manipulation of what I would look like in Bridgerton. The filter darkened my skin to a slight tan--nowhere near enough to make me resemble a woman of color-- and made my dark blonde hair a blackish-brown. It was still obvious the final product was meant to be a white woman illuminated by firelight casting shadows on her skin and making parts of her appear darker. When I shared it on my social media, Mandi quickly commented, "No offense [Nickname], you're beautiful, but this looks more like me than you."
Mandi has always told me that if I have a problem with her I should address it, but this isn't the first time she's said something that comes across as either unkind or an out and out lie and I don't know how to broach the subject, or if it's worth it. When confronted, Mandi seems to take things in extremes and think the only fix is for her to "go away".
WWYD?

While this is still fresh in my mind, I would like to share my story - to help myself and any others that may find themselves in a similar situation as me. It's also so that I have a record of this experience.
(Using a new account on the off chance that any of my friends find this.)
My husband (31 years old) and I (30 years old) started to try for a baby around the middle of last year. We had known from the start that it would not be super easy for us to get pregnant as I have PCOS and his sperm quality is not great. We tried naturally until the end of last year when we started seeing a reproductive assistance specialist, who recommended we try IUI first before deciding if IVF is necessary.
The first two cycles were unsuccessful, despite two mature follicles in the second cycle. Both cycles lasted a bit more than a month.
After the second cycle, I did a hysterosalpingogram (fallopian tube scan), which involved conducting a procedure whereby the radiologist would inject a special dye into your uterus that would pass through your fallopian tubes while they took scans to determine how fast the dye is passing through your fallopian tubes. We found that my left fallopian tube was partially blocked.
For the third cycle, the specialist used a different set of medicine to encourage egg production. By my count, this phase itself lasted a month (i.e., significantly longer than the pervious two cycles). As more eggs were producing in my left ovary, the specialist wanted to see if more eggs would produce in my right ovary before inducing ovulation. At the end, there were five mature follicles - 3 on the left and 2 on the right.
It should be noted that during this time, the specialist had told us that it is possible that the hysterosalpingogram may have temporarily unblocked my left fallopian tube so the mature follicles in my left ovary may not be completely useless. So maybe it was the specialist's lack of foresight that led to this entire situation.
Anyway, so with five mature follicles, we proceeded with IUI and went through the waiting game of two weeks post-IUI.
The weekend before I was meant to do a pregnancy test, I started developing OHSS symptoms - severe bloating and nausea which resulted in vomiting. Due to a number of reasons, despite these symptoms, I did not see the specialist until the next Tuesday - four days after I realised that my symptoms were worsening. Those four days were spent at home, throwing up every meal and stuck mostly in bed.
On that Tuesday that I saw the specialist, I did a urine pregnancy test which showed a very thick, very red test line. Unfortunately our joy was shortlived as that same day, I was hospitalised for OHSS. I was in the hospital for 13 days.
Whilst in the hospital, I had to do fluid tapping and my legs were so swollen that they were unrecognisable to me. For some reason the hospital would not take my HCG levels for the longest time so I was in a state of limbo with regard to the pregnancy. On day 6, I was finally told that my HCG levels were at ~3,500 and a transvaginal ultrasound was done which showed two gestational sacs. No additional ultrasounds were done by the hospital.
On day 10 of my hospitalisation (which would be week 5 + 2 days), I was temporarily released to see the specialist where both transvaginal and abdominal ultrasounds were done. This showed us four gestational sacs but no heartbeats yet. That day was the first time the specialist mentioned the possibility of needing to do fetal reduction if more than two heartbeats develop.
After I was released from hospital, we went for further checkups with the specialist which basically showed:
• Week 6 + 2 days - six gestational sacs, three heartbeats • Week 7 + 2 days - six gestational sacs, six heartbeats • Week 8 + 2 days - 10 gestational sacs, eight heartbeats
Between week 7 and week 8, we knew we had to do fetal reduction to reduce to twins. The risk to me and the babies was too high. I cannot carry eight babies to term. Both my husband and I knew that.
Due to the high numbers of heartbeats, the specialist recommended that we do fetal reduction asap - between weeks 8 to 10. If we wait until week 10-12 (at which point some of the heartbeats might stop developing and we may have an idea of whether any of them have genetic abnormalities), we run the risk of the tissues of the dead fetuses causing an infection, increasing the risk of miscarriage of the remaining twins.
So we scheduled the procedure for week 8 + 5 days. That was yesterday.
I don't think I was prepared at all for the procedure despite how much I scoured the Internet and Reddit for similar stories - simply because there were none that I could find. I couldn't find any stories of people reducing from eight heartbeats to two at week 8-10. This is also one of the reasons why I decided to share.
The procedure itself took an hour and a half. It was not painless despite local anesthesia, maybe because it wore off as the procedure went on - I'm not sure. Due to the positions of the sacs, the specialist had to inject from two different locations. He reduced three fetuses for each injection. For each injection, by the time he was working on the third fetus, I would start feeling pain that felt like really bad period cramps. The last fetus was especially bad because it felt like he had to dig deeper.
Emotionally, it was the hardest experience I had ever went through in my life. My husband was in the treatment room with me and held my hand the whole time. Although I kept my eyes shut and although I kept my emotions under control at first, I could hear my husband starting to cry when the first few fetuses were reduced. At some point between reducing fetus 2 and 3, the nurses had to adjust my bed higher which jolted me out of my "frozen" state. I almost opened my eyes at that point but my husband warned me, "Don't look," and the waterworks broke which did not stop until the end of the procedure.
Between the two injections, I looked briefly and saw which I think is one of the remaining twins with a heartbeat so strong that I could see it on the screen. I couldn't look any longer and just kept my eyes closed the rest of the way. I can only say that I am glad my husband was there and comforted me.
Although part way through the procedure, it seemed that only five fetuses needed to be reduced, at the end, six were reduced. The procedure ended successfully.
Afterwards, my husband told me that I wouldn't have been able to bear it if I had looked. Seeing the procedure made him feel remourse and guilt. He described it as the needle invading each embryo's space, and because the specialist had to "hook" the needle onto each embryo, it looked like they were running away from the needle. He hadn't expected himself to be so emotional. Prior to the procedure, I had told him to keep watch to make sure everything is done correctly and because I felt that we shouldn't ignore what's happening - but hearing him cry made me realise the emotional strain that the situation was having on him, which weighed me down too. At the end of the day, I can only appreciate him staying strong for me.
The good news is, at our most recent ultrasound scan, which was yesterday night around six hours after the procedure, our twins were still shown going strong.
According to the specialist, there is a higher risk of miscarriage due to the procedure for two weeks, so it is now a waiting game for us. At this stage, we know that whatever happens is out of our control. But from all the ultrasounds we have done, the twins have always looked strong to me. I believe in them.
As my husband and I don't plan to share this story with any of our friends, nor do we want to go into details with our family, this post is really the only way for me to really reflect on what has happened. I also hope that, given our situation seems to be on the rarer side, this post gives insight to anyone that is going through the same thing.
Stay strong, everyone. ❤️

Pat Fusty

• Playstyle: Pat is a close range hero with incredible stalling capabilities as well as an ability to greatly increase the damage of nearby towers. He works excellently with tack shooters, druids, ninjas, and any other close range towers that fire many projectiles. The more high-projectile towers that are packed close to him, the better, which makes super monkey fan club and above a go-to choice for heavy bursts of damage. He works best on maps with tight chokepoints, where his stalling capabilities can keep bloons in ideal positions.

Fusty the Snowman

• Alternate Mechanics: Similar to BTDB2. Focuses on freezing bloons, passively allowing all towers to hit frozen bloons, and buffing nearby ice monkeys.
• Playstyle: Fusty the Snowman retains a similar playstyle to Pat Fusty, but with a higher focus on stalling than buffing. What he loses in damage capability, he makes up for in control, locking down chokepoints and giving any monkey the opportunity to pop frozen bloons.

Kaiju Pat

• Alternate Mechanics: Deals more damage, stun / slap chance lowered. Level 3 ability replaced with a large stomp that stuns nearby bloons (much like the T-rex), level 10 ability replaced with a temporary stream of fire breathing.
• Playstyle: Kaiju Pat is a raw-damage oriented variant that allows him more use in strategies where stalling is not as important or towers cannot be packed tightly together, such as when using heli pilots. His stomp and breathe fire abilities make him adept at dealing with groups of bloons by himself, but don’t have the same synergies as Rallying Roar nor the incredible ZOMG popping of Big Squeeze.

Adora

• Playstyle: Adora is another expensive, DPS oriented hero like that of Churchill. Unlike Churchill however, she is far more versatile due to her long range bolts that can seek out bloons even behind cover. Adora gains power by sacrificing expensive towers for xp and temporary buffs to herself and all Sun Avatars and above. She does well on maps with lots of obstacles, abnormal angles, and/or multiple lanes.

Joan of Arc Adora (Idea from u/I_am_person_being)

• Alternate Mechanics: “Essentially reverse Adora. Blood sacrifice, instead of sacrificing towers in exchange for xp, resets Adora's level in exchange for massive buffs to other towers based on the amount of xp given up.”
• Playstyle: Joan of Arc Adora is a high risk, high reward hero that sacrifices her own power for the power of others. Careful use of her abilities can carry the defense through difficult rounds, allowing more time to farm or save up money for expensive upgrades.

Voidora (Idea inspired by u/WillMAW1)

• Alternate Mechanics: Teleports into the place of towers she sacrifices, but doesn’t gain any other buffs herself. Sacrifices buff Dark Knights and above rather than Sun Avatars and above.
• Playstyle: Voidora is all about moving around the battlefield and buffing Dark Knights, giving her special synergies on maps with alternating lanes or maps that move. She can also keep up with boss bloons and BADs with her mobility, making her an excellent choice when mobility is required. However, her lack of self-buffs and her buffs to Dark Knights over Sun Avatars limits her damage potential compared to normal Adora.

Admiral Brickell

• Playstyle: Admiral Brickell is the quintessential water hero, being exclusively placable in water and giving massive buffs to water towers near her. She generally serves best as a backline defense, allowing her mines to build up in order to defend against rushes.

Dread Pirate Brickell (Idea inspired by u/WillMAW1)

• Alternate Mechanics: Focuses on monkey pirates income / cooldown buffs and merchantman generation. Her level 10 ability pulls in moabs like a Monkey Pirate.
• Playstyle: Where Admiral Brickell buffs raw damage output from water towers, Dread Pirate Brickell buffs the abilities / income of her fellow buccaneers. Though she can help pull in lots of moabs and generate lots of money, she will need a bit more support against regular bloons.

Lifeguard Brickell (Idea inspired by u/WillMAW1)

• Alternate Mechanics: Can be placed on land and allows water towers to be placed on land too (with a little visual of an orange inflatable pool beneath them). Doesn’t make mines, but does regenerate lives lost over time.
• Playstyle: Lifeguard Brickell allows water towers in non-water maps, allowing for monkey subs and monkey buccaneers to be placed in ideal positions. This allows players to take advantage of the track geometry without requiring portable lakes. Her ability to regenerate lives also makes her a valuable asset in maps where a difficult early game causes lots of bloons to leak.

Ettiene

• Playstyle: Ettienes controls drones that fly around a large radius and can shoot over obstacles. Later on he grants all monkeys permanent camo detection and eventually he gains a high-damage combat drone with global range. He excels on similar maps as Adora, but takes on a more supportive role than her. His ability to grant all monkeys camo detection allows for a spread out defense, which is especially useful on maps with simultaneous lanes or maps where space is limited.

ETn (Idea inspired by u/WillMAW1)

• Alternate Mechanics: ETn’s ufo drones shoot lasers that can pop frozen bloons & eventually lead bloons at the cost of purple popping. His level 3 ability is replaced with the ability to beam up and reposition towers. His level 10 ability is replaced with an continuous orbital laser that follows the mouse / touch and lasts for several seconds (mimicking the exact effects of the Bloonsday Device from BTD5).
• Playstyle: ETn takes on an even more supportive role, being able to reposition towers on the fly at the cost of damage. This is useful in similar situations as Voidora, making him strong on maps with alternating lanes and maps with moving platforms. His level 10 ability is much more controlled, losing the ability to target several lanes at once but dealing huge damage in a select area, increasing his power in alternating lanes while decreasing his power in simultaneous ones.

Book Wyrm Ettiene (Idea inspired by u/WillMAW1)

• Alternate Mechanics: Lead damage & flaming DoT. Grants global purple popping instead of global camo popping.
• Playstyle: Book Wyrm Ettiene is more damage focused than his predecessors, gaining lead popping right off the bat and allowing all towers to pop purple bloons. He synergizes well with wizards, upgraded super monkeys, and other towers that can easily gain camo detection but not pop purples. Book Wyrm Ettiene doesn’t do as well with a spread out defense and instead works well on maps with lots of obstacles for wizards, super monkeys, and himself to shoot through.

Sauda

• Playstyle: Sauda is a close range DPS hero, focusing on damaging large groups of bloons, including camo, as well as gaining extra damage to frozen / slowed / and stunned bloons. She works best at a chokepoint supported by stalling towers such as an Ice Monkey.

Viking Sauda

• Alternate Mechanics: Deals more damage the lower the player’s health is, similar to Heart of Vengeance. Level 3 ability replaced with Bloon Ride: jumps on top of the strongest bloon and stabs it repeatedly until it is popped.
• Playstyle: Viking Sauda is a higher risk, higher reward version of Sauda, haining benefits the lower the player's health and even leaving her position temporarily to pop a moab. She works well with Heart of Vengeance druids as well as towers that can clean up bloons while she’s busy taking down moabs.

Jiangshi Sauda

• Alternate Mechanics: Lower damage, but gains power based on a personal graveyard, similar to a necromancer. Her level 10 ability consumes her graveyard and summons zombie bloons based on the amount consumed.
• Playstyle: Jiangshi Sauda works best when the entire defense is concentrated to attack bloons in her radius. This allows her to even more effectively hold off chokepoints, but makes her weak if she is not actively the center of the battlefield.

Psi

• Playstyle: Psi shoots global psychic blasts that instantly destroy bloons, even through walls. This makes Psi very similar to a Sniper Monkey, being at their best when supported by high-pierce cleanup towers. Psi’s range and versatility make them a great choice for maps with simultaneous lanes or maps where space is limited.

Psimbals

• Alternate Mechanics: Focuses on abilities rather than direct firepower. The abilities get more and more complex, adding additional effects as instruments pile onto the one-monkey-band.
• Playstyle: Psimbals takes on a very similar role to Psi, but with a few key differences. Being Ability focused, Psimbals can handle themselves far better against big rushes of bloons or large bloons that Psi can’t affect such as BADs or bosses. This comes at the cost of overall firepower, and a stronger passive defense will need to be built up to clear the normal rounds.

Geraldo

• Playstyle: Geraldo’s shop adds a multitude of options for pretty much any scenario. Smart players can use the shop items to pass difficult rounds and selectively buff the defense wherever needed, whenever needed. Geraldo’s placement mostly doesn’t matter, making him very valuable on multi-lane maps or maps with limited space.

Gentlemonkey Gadgeteer

• Alternate Mechanics: All Engineers and Tack Shooter are considered subtowers of the Gentlemonkey Gadgeteer, and gain the same buffs as he does. Shop items revolve around buffing Tack Shooters / Engineer monkeys. Shooty Turret replaced with Tacky Turret (mini Tack Shooter).
• Playstyle: The Gentlemonkey Gadgeteer adds a different kind of versatility to Geraldo, focusing on buffs to Engineers and Tack Shooters. This makes him better on tracks with lots of bends or centralized locations than his standard counterpart.

I (18F) have lived across the country from my relatives my entire life. My parents are born and raised from where my relatives are from, but I’m not. This year my mom was really missing my grandpa and our relatives,so she bought my sister and I plane tickets to go with her. My dad did not decide to go with us because he had just gone back to visit since his mom very recently passed away and he wanted to save money.
Every single time we’ve gone back to visit our relatives, I get very emotional and upset when we have to leave because I get very attached and I miss them a whole lot. The last time we had visited was 5 years ago, and a lot has changed from then.
For some reason I was extremely emotional and distraught today as soon as my grandpa picked us up from the airport and instantly had to struggle not to break down into tears. Usually I’m not instantly this sad but I think since I’m much older now I’m more upset about the fact that I know we’re going to leave soon, and I know I’m going to be upset about it.
My grandpa also lives alone since his wife passed away when I was a baby. It hurts me because it’s so sad to think about, and I know it makes her sad too because I have to watch her try not to cry at the airport. My grandpa is also very old, and I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to see him again after this trip.
I’m not really looking for advice like “just be happy that you’re there and “don’t think about the fact that you have to leave” or “remember this won’t be the last time you see them” I’m looking for something else. I literally can’t stop crying.

1. After my grandpa picked us up and we sat at the counter talking, I had to wipe tears away every 4 seconds.
2. When we were eating dinner multiple tears fell onto my pizza.
3. When I went to the bathroom I sat down and cried super quietly for 10 minutes.
4. When my relatives came over to hang out and talk later in the evening, the tears slightly ceased and I didn’t have to struggle to not cry anymore, but I was still sad.
5. When we said bye to my relatives and told them we’d make plans for the next week, I almost started bawling regardless of the fact that I knew I was going to see them likely the next day.

I’m literally lying in bed next to my sister while tears roll down my face silently. I so obviously look like I’m crying so I acted like my allergies were really bad and even took some of my allergy medicine for it.
I really don’t want to have to restrain myself from crying the whole trip because I’ll ruin it for myself but I’m so incredibly upset. My grandpa keeps being really nostalgic and talking about how much we’ve grown and changed and it’s making me so sad. Literally how do I stop crying ☹️

Hey guys, saw trading212 released their cash ISA, which is great especially as it is FSCS protected. However, from reading a bit into it I wanted to check whether as investors in both S&S and cash ISA we have an £85K protection on each product?
I am making this judgement based on the learning that the S&S ISA is held with interactive brokers and the Cash ISA is held with JP Morgan, Natwest and Barclays.
Any thoughts would be good!

I am NOT OOP, OOP is u/Ordinary-Coffee-2353
Originally posted to TwoHotTakes
Previous BoRU
[New Update] - AITA for yelling at my SIL at my wedding and telling her no one cares that she is pregnant
NEW UPDATE MARKED WITH ----
Trigger Warnings: manipulation, gaslighting, enabling, obsessive behavior
RECAP
Original Post: February 20, 2024
Sorry everyone, my story was duplicated in my previous post, hopefully it was fixed
TLDR: I yelled at my SIL at my wedding that no one cares that she is pregnant after she repeatedly trued to take the attention off of my husband and I.
My husband (30 m) and I (26f) got married during covid. We couldn’t have a big ceremony because of restrictions, and unfortunately my family couldn’t be present as they live in a different country. With restrictions finally lifted, we decided to have a more traditional ceremony in my home country with my family. My husband’s family came, his parents, some friends, cousins and his sister (32 f, we’ll call her Sara) and her husband (28 m, we’ll call him Matt).
Sara and Matt live on the other side of the US than the rest of the family. They had their wedding a couple of months back in their home state, and ever since then when we have a conversation, even without our wedding coming up, Sara would say that she and Matt are planning to get pregnant on the trip for my husband and I’s wedding. No big deal, I just made sure to tell her that she needs to ovulate for that to happen, but other than that I could not care less. What started to get annoying, is when we were talking about all the activities/ excursions people wanted to do so could go ahead and book it, Sara would always say “Make sure there’s is enough time for Matt and I at the hotel so we can get busy making our baby.” Again, kind of gross, a little annoying, but whatever, they are grown ups.
About a week before we all leave to go to my home country, Sara and Matt arrive in our home state to spend time with family as they rarely see them. My husband and I, his parents, and my husband’s brother and sister in law are sitting chatting, when Sara blurts out she is pregnant. We all get really excited, congratulate them and saying how happy we are. We start asking some questions, and Sarah says she is 2 weeks pregnant. Everyone kind of loses a little bit of excitement and say wow, that’s really early, we suggest to wait before telling other people, just as a lot can happen. People usually dont even know they are pregnant until at least 6 weeks, and even then they are encouraged to wait until after the first trimester to tell people. My BIL and SIL were very happy and excited for them, but cautioned them even more as they have experienced multiple miscarriages before having their first child.
Matt replied by saying they are only telling the people closest to them, eg his parents, her parents and her siblings, no one else since it is so early. Well the next day, Sara had called her great uncle and his wife over for drinks and decided to tell them too, called her one aunt and uncle and told them, and by the end of the day basically the entire extended family knew, as well as some of her mom’s friends which stopped by the house and Sara told. With each person Sara told Matt got more agitated, as they had agreed to only tell a select few people. Matt finally gave up and asked her why she doesn’t just post it on Facebook as it will be quicker, to which she replied, she wants to, but she think it will be frowned upon.
My husband came to me and said it feels like she is trying to draw the attention away from us and our wedding, as she is known to do anything and everything to have the spotlight on her. I said to not worry about it, as when we are in my home country, she isn’t going to know many people so she wont say anything.
He agreed, but went to his parents and told them what he was feeling, and asked if they could politely suggest that she keep it to herself when we left for the trip. They agreed that it was valid for him to feel that way, as they know she hates it if the focus is not on her.
Anyway, we leave for the wedding and I see my mom for the 2nd time in 5 years. Obviously it was a very emotional reunion, but we wiped off our tears quickly and sat down for a meal with my husband’s family. After I introduced her to everyone, the waiter take our order and the first thing Sara says to my mom is, your daughter probably already told you, but I won’t be drinking this trip. My mom says that its no problem, you dont have to drink to have fun, and that Sara will still have fun, even if she chooses not to drink. Sara interrupts my mom to tell her its not by choice that she is not drinking, but that she is pregnant. (Keep in mind this is 10 minutes after she met my mom) my mom says congratulations and keeps on with another conversation. Sara intterupts my mom again and tells her how she is 2 weeks pregnant and just so excited. My mom ( who is in medicine) then tells Sara the same thing we did, that she should probably wait until she is in her second trimester to tell people, and Sara completely ignores her.
The same thing happens with my aunt, cousins, uncles, sister and grandparents, all of whom she had never met before.
My husband yet again speaks to his parents and ask them to please tell her to keep it private because it feels as though she is purposefully trying to take the attention away from our wedding. They say they will talk to her. Matt actually comes up to us and apologizes, by saying he agrees that it has gotten out of hand and that the number of people that know is way more than the number they agreed upon.
Fast forward, we are sitting eating while we wait for one of our excursions. A family that I lived with for 3 when I first moved to my husband’s country flew out for the wedding and met up with us for lunch. They have never met my SIL. The wife and I are talking about the wedding and all the arrangements, while my SIL sits across from us and listens to the conversation. My husband orders some shots for everyone at the table, when his mom says she doesn’t want one so he tells the server minus 1. My SIL hears him ordering the shots and goes off yelling across the table. “ I can’t drink alcohol!! You know I cant drink a shot! Why would you order me one?!” Everyone kind of stops and looks at her for a sec, before my husband says its not a problem as Matt said he wants 2. Everyone then continues their conversation including the wife and I. My SIL interrupts me and continues to make a big fuss over how my husband ordered her alcohol when he knows she’s not drinking. The wife then says its ok because Matt said he’ll drink it so its not going to waste. My SIL then says again how annoying it is that my husband ordered her a shot and I say to not worry about because I’ll just drink it if Matt doesn’t want it. She keeps doing this till I finally tell the wife, she’s not drinking because she is pregnant. The wife says congratulations and ask how far she is and then also tells her to be careful of telling too many people.
This situation happens about 3 more times in the week leading up to the wedding. Now this is why I might be the AH. The last time it happened she was telling my HS friends at the wedding how sick she has been, but no one asked why she was sick, they were just empathetic and saying they hope she feels better. They came over to me to talk to me and she followed again complaining about how sick she has been and kind of pushing them to ask why she has been feeling so sick, when I finally said, “ Sara, are you fucking kidding me?! No one gives a shit that you are pregnant, they don’t even know you.” Sara ran off crying and my MIL heard me say that and told my FIL who screamed at my husband saying how we hurt Sara’s feelings and how she is just excited.
My husband doesn’t think I did anything wrong, and my HS friends think I was fine too, because they know the backstory. My mom and some of my husband’s family think I was the Asshole.
So AITA for telling my SIL that no one cares that she is pregnant.
Relevant Comments
ACanWontAttitude: 2 weeks pregnant doesn't exist. If she's used the clear blue test that says 2 weeks, it actually means she's 4 weeks.

Your weeks of pregnancy are dated from the first day of your last period. This means that in the first 2 weeks or so, you are not actually pregnant – your body is preparing for ovulation (releasing an egg from one of your ovaries) as usual.
OOP: She said she knows when she got pregnant, it was their anniversary from when they started dating, and then she took a pregnancy test and it came back positive 2 weeks after their anniversary. She could also apparently ’feel when the implant of the egg happened’

ConsitutionalHistory: Here's the real problem...her husband, her parents, or even your husband should have told her off long before this reached your breaking point. You did nothing wrong...but apparently nearly everyone else was more than happy to play the role of enabler to the little princess.
Prestigious-Algae886: NTA. Sarah sounds insufferable. Is she the golden child?

OOP: Yes, never finished college after asking her dad to pay for 4 different colleges and degrees, and then still got a graduation present when she moved away to work on a ranch. She also gets a allowance for money every month from her father

 
Update: February 29, 2024
Update to my previous post on my profile.
My hisband and i finally had our honeymoon and we were unreachable during our holiday because we were out of the country. Our whole family knew this before we left and we told them the only way to reach us in emergency was to call the hotel. We knew Sara was going in for her appointment while we were away and we told her we would call her as soon as we got back home.
My husband and I was out one day for the whole day from the hotel doing activities, and when we got back we found a note on our room to say we have to go to reception. Once we got to reception, the person told us we had 7 missed calls from family and gave us a number to call. We didn’t know who called or what about, but we thought it was an emergency. We called the number and it was Matt. He was very confused and asked why we were calling him on our honeymoon and asked if we were ok? We said that the hotel said tihs number called 7 times and asked him if everything was ok, matt said everything was fine but Sara wanted to talk to us.
Matt called Sara over and she asked us how we were having fun etc, but we just wanted to know what was going on because we were so worried. Sara said she went to the doctor and got some news, we asked her if everything was ok, because she kept not saying anything and we could hear her and Matt whisper to each other. We heard Matt say to her “did you seriously call the hotel 7 times to tell them this? It could have waited.” Sara finally gets back on the phone and said that the doctor said she was going to have twins!! We said congratulations and asked if there was anything else? We thought it was an emergency. She said no she just wanted to share the news because she is so excited and scared and she couldn’t hold it in. She said she also called my mom, and told her (thay are friends on social media) .
My husband and I both just said we were very happy for them but really didn’t want to be bothered again if it was not an emergency. Sara said we were being very rude and she just wanted to share the good news. We hung up because we had to get ready for dinner.
When we got back into the US, my inlaws picked us up from the airport and were asking us if we spoke to Sara. We said yes she said she was having twins and we were very excited for them. My FIL then said Sara told them we were extremely rude to her and Matt and we were dismissive and hung up the phone. We told them what really happened and they said that is not what Sara has told the whole family.
We are now back in our house and haven’t spoken to Sara or Matt but matt texted us both but the text only cane through later where he said he was so sorry that they bothered us on our vacation and he felt horrible. We just texted back and said all good, and that we were very excited for both of them.
All i can say about this whole situation is that i am very happy that we live on the other side of the country from Sara.
Additional Information from OOP
I spoke to my MIL today and like everyone said, Sara didn’t calculate her time right. She is actually about 8-9 weeks pregnant according to my MIL. Sara is also having twins that were 2 eggs and 2 sperms (not sure the medical name) and each has their own sack.
Relevant Comments
bobbleheadjoe:_ Did your brother go with her to the doctor? Did he see the ultrasound?
For some reason women who fake pregnancies often claim they’re having twins. Now that isn’t a super likely scenario, but this woman sounds pathologically desperate for attention.
I probably have watched too many Dr Phil episodes on women who fake pregnancies, but I’d reverse image search any ultrasound pictures she sends/posts.

OOP: I think Matt went with yes, when we got back to the US she sent us a picture of the ultrasound, im not a doctor or in the medical field at all but it looked like two babies to me.

 

----NEW UPDATE----

FINAL UPDATE: AITA for yelling at my SIL at my wedding and telling her no one cares that she is pregnant.: May 29, 2024 (3 months later)
Hi everyone, sorry for the long wait on the update, I have been really busy with my work.
Sara is still pregnant, due at the end of August, with 2 babies, one boy and one girl.
My husband (Sara's brother) and I have started to try and have a family of our own, no success yet, but we are not worried, it only 2 months. When we we're in my country, we were buying artwork and small furnitures from my country to put in the nursery of our future baby to have my culture too. Sara and her husband bought some things too for their house and because she was pregnant for the baby.
My mom was on the town with Sara one day when we did a trip they didnt want to do and bought some things for us, and told Sara its for the nursery for our future baby. When Sara heard what our idea for our nursery was with my culture, she decided she wanted her nursery to be like that, and bought almost everything we bought. We dint say anything because we thought she was just buying for her house and for friends, souvenirs etc.
Some time passed after everyting happened at the wedding and the honeymoon, and Sara called me to see if I can go to a store where we live and look at some baby things for her, because they dont have that store. I said yes and spend almost 2 hours with her on the videocall showing her things, taking pictures, and saying we can get it and mail to her if she needs anything, so we were on good terms.
then a week ago she posted on ig her nursery in progress and it was exactly what I said I wanted. The theme isnt something very common, but its my culture. Think like dragons for China, or Geisha for Japan. Very big part of the culture, but not usually a baby theme. I saw it and got mad, showed it to my husband and he was mad too, but said lets just give it a few days, and then talk about it again, and then we can decide what to do. I said ok.
Sara calls us a couple of days later to tell us the names she decided for her babies, and the boy name is very sweet, a mixture of a family name on Matt and Sara's family. The girl name is where the problem is. Her first name is very pretty, we love it, but her middle name is my husband's name that we said we wanted to use if we had a son. its not a girl/boy name like Taylor, its a boy name like Johnathan (not the rael name).
My husband said thats his name and she knew we wanted to use it. she said its also their uncle's name, and thats who its after. My husband kept saying but its his first name, and its boys name and we are still going to use the name if we have a son. This is where Sara loses her mind. she gets so mad and starts yelling that cousins cannot have the same name and she chose it first, and my husband just says ITS MY NAME. Finally Sara just hangs up after she said she thought my husband would be happy that she is nameing the baby the same name as him.
Again we give it a couple of days and then I had a talk with my husband and said I am still very upset about the theme and it feels like Sara always gets what she wants, no matter what other people think, feel or are affected. I told him its like the camels back broke from all the straw, over the last years. I told him I was going to call Sara and tell her how i feel and just talk about it. he said ok, but told me to wait one more day so I am not very angry when I call. I called my mom and told her what i told my husband, and she was furious. She pointed out that Sara also showed me and my husband things she thought would look good in our nursery with the theme we said we wanted, so she knew exactly what we wanted to do. I took a couple of hours to get my brain ready and called Sara to talk to her about it.
When I was talking to Sara, I made sure to tell her that the nursery wasn't the main issue, that it was just the last thing I could take. I told her it feels like everything is always about her, and how she wants it and screw everybody else. I said its almost 4 years of that, and the nursery was the last straw. I made it a point to talk to her nicely, not raise my voice and use kind words. SHE WENT OFF. She said a nursery theme isnt something you can own, and that I actually copied her. I told her its my culture so i dont know how that works. She called me such bad names and cursed me out, and i told her if she doesnt stop, i was going to hang up. She kept saying nasty things, and i told her again, and she kept going, so I hung up after i told her to lose my number and not contact me ever again. I havent had any other contact from her, and my husband either. It feels like a weight of my shoulders. I wish her the best but she cannot be a part of my life if she is acting like this. i also removed her from all socials.
So that’s that, Sara and me are done. my husband is low contact, only if she calls/ messages him, which is never. Her parents are shocked at me, but i said im done. Her mom asked if I am going to tell Sara when I get pregnant, and I said no, she is welcome to tell her, and my husband can tell her if she wants, but I am not speaking to Sara again. Sara had her shower, and I sent 2 outfits for the babies, because I brought them before the phone call, and she texted in a group chat to say thank you and I just liked the message. I told my husband that if I am home, Sara is not welcome in my house.
Thats probably the last update from me. I don’t think anything else will happen now that I am no contact. if anything, I will just comment on this post. I am not super active on reddit, so I am sorry if I don’t reply. Thank you all for the support and messages. you made me realise that I am not the crazy one. you are the best!!
Relevant Comments
EvasiveFriend: No one thinks it's weird or unusual for a non pregnant woman to make a nursery when another family member is pregnant?! What an unhealthy competition!

OOP: I go back to my country very few times. Since moving away, only 2 times in 5 years. My husband and I planned in getting stuff for our nursery when we visited, because we knew we wanted to have a baby soon, and we didn’t know when we are going back. Its very expensive to mail things, almost $$150 for a shoebox, so we got some things we could fit in our suitcases. A lot of the stuff you cannt find in Usa, so thats why we bought it there.

ObsoleteReference: I would make it very clear to parents in law you plan to use your husbands name for a boy no matter what. Don’t worry about it being confusing, unless Sara chills out considerably, you’re not going to want to deal with her pitting he her kids against anything that could distract from her being center stage.
 

DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP

Eleventh Moon, 25 AC
The Narrow Sea
The storm ahead howled, the lurch of the ships on the water sending the green-footed sailors skittering across the wet boards of the ship. Rain plastered to his forehead, Orys swiped it away with a furrow to his brow.
It had come swiftly before they had a chance to change course. Before they had time to prepare. He watched as a tarp flung out of a crewman’s hands and off the side, as the shouting began.
The fleet moved slowly, a mass of ships sailing together for one common goal. His hat was ripped off of his head in the wind, and he lunged for it—but it was gone in an instant. The darkening clouds grew ever more opaque until the sun vanished behind them entirely.
In a flash, the mast of a nearby fleet was struck with a bolt of lightning, the fire spreading across the ship. He could hear their screams even over the roar of thunder and crash of the waves against the hull. Gripping onto the wheel, they were thrown to the side from the force.
Several ships began to careen into each other as the waves tossed them helplessly like a child tossing their toys away. There was a loud crack as a hull cracked and the screams of the sailors filled the air.
It seemed the ancient enemies, the Drowned God and Storm God were in a fierce battle tonight. As the winds picked up, it sent the fleet into a vortex, the sails ripping askew and wood and hull and sailors were crushed beneath each other. The Hand, the Lord of Storm’s End could not stop the storm today. There were no towering walls behind, only ships scattered across the board of the sea and to the whims of forces far beyond them.
Orys ordered the captain with a hoarse to pull them out, to fight against the current as it pushed them further and further east. Splinters of a broken ship pierced into him like darts. His children—where had they gone? His son was on a neighbouring ship. He ran to the side, shouting his name. Why had he ever agreed to sail separately? His voice was lost to the howling storm surrounding them.
A gust of wind hit him straight on and he fell back onto the deck. With bleary eyes, he watched as another of the fleet careened into each other, destroying them both in the process.
King’s Landing was so close—how could he stop now? He had to be there. For his brother, his King.
But the storm had other plans. Saltwater splashed across his face, making him cough and choke. As his vision went dark, he could only hear the howling wind and the crack of another bolt of lightning.

It’s a sin to cause suffering and it’s against the 10 commandments to kill. Our individual impact effects our ecosystem. Devil worshiping ritualistic sacrifices have become our social norm and something so called climate activists continue to do so today proudly while looking down in disgust and hatred towards people on a plant based diet.
Did you know that for every animal abusing devil worshiper who has power in xr means 1000s of vegans won’t be able to make the cut to join the rebellion as they don’t deserve the right to be apart of a movement that’s at the stage of a seriously heightened superiority complex, where the devil worshipers keep pushing away anybody who hopes for the best and believes in the power of people because these devil worshipers are only here as they believe xr will fail and they are and continue to do everything possible to ensure xr doesn’t succeed or at leasts they’re trying to make it look like they were the only individuals with a heightened intelligence during this time, when in fact millions of folk wanna join and save the world and be epic, but nooo devil worshipers control this movement and are here to ensure the four horsemen of the apocalypse have a jolly good old time in earths darkest hour.
If you did managed to get payment for your early action with xr plz hmu and tell me how ya managed to squeeze the dough promised out as I been set up screwed over and left 4 dead. So or better yet just get Scotland an indoor skate park in Dundee and I won’t even give a fuck about dying for this devil worshiping ran cause but most likely won’t get it because u devil worshipers aren’t here to make things better your specifically going out your way to make things worse. Like cmon to fuck what kind of protest stops protesting? Imagine there was a protest to stop the fall of an area, the fall is caused by the people’s action yet some people don’t commit these destructive actions and don’t won’t it to continue so they start a protest movement to stop it, then a bunch of people who say they want it to stop too join, however these same people who say they want it to end are actually making it worse. Imagine if a free Palestine protest got ran by racist jews or Black Lives Matter ran by the head of the kkk. U understand wot I mean? It’s like all religion, started of great pure intentions then the corrupt devil worshipers in power get controlled by their ego and manipulate the religion into something sinister. This is what’s happened, pure intentions started this movement, now satanic devil worshipers are ruining and burning it down while the world burns due to the fact that some folk just wanna watch the world burn and others wanna make sure it never stops and if anyone who try’s to stop it burning get thrown into to fire to die.

I’m trying to manage my hypertension to make it full term in my swing pregnancy. I was manipulated by an abuser and as a result, I established a no contact order for protection. Unbeknownst to me, he has a lengthy record for abusing women. Has no regard for law enforcement continuing to call me blocked leaving voicemails, beeping outside my apartment, and threatening to attack me.
I should be out in bed rest but I desperately fear for my safety and I’m trying to move before I give birth. I have no support system because I’m the “strong one” which sucks. He’s attempted to destroy my life after I elected leaving our short term relationship. He ruined my vehicle to prevent me from working, threatened to assault my mother and toddler (product of a previous long term relationship).
My tolerance is low for abuse, disrespect, and I refuse to create an environment where my children witness their mother be degraded. He has a proven record of not acknowledging NCO’s and has declared to inflict pain on me when he is released from prison. Unbeknown to me, he physically assaulted another woman, is accused of SA, and is completely unstable. I do not want to be a beggar but literally ANYTHING helps!
I was denied victim compensation because I managed to prevent him from causing physical harm— if he did and I had medical records only then would they assist with financial services to safeguard us. Prior to my high risk pregnancy I was working multiple jobs- now I feel vulnerable with my elderly mother, toddler, and myself being pregnant we cannot fight off this man. He has trained Jui Jitsu and placed me in a submission in December 2023 when I ended the relationship. I reported to the incident to police with witnessing having took ten minutes to get out of it.
Needless to say the courts will only allow me to place a temporary NCO til November then, I have to go to Family court to request protection for my son which he has wished death on and threatened to kidnap. This is embarrassing to me because I worked so hard to protect myself after enduring years of trauma since childhood! Now, as a mother and caregiver to my own mother this ordeal has been a nightmare.
I feel like a fool asking for assistance but when it comes to my family I have no ego and I cannot wear my shame as a veil any longer. I cannot afford to cry or panic because my hypertension places me at high risk for preeclampsia.
All donations are welcome: I’m even grateful for prayers.
Most importantly thank you for just letting me vent. I’m not seeking any advice because staying or returning was never an option. I found out I was pregnant after leaving the relationship and STILL I refuse to return. I am strong willed, I’ve always worked, and graduated college also! I just never thought I’d experience a real life Tasmanian devil— now I have to repair the rear end of my car so it’s drivable because he hit it, work as much as possible to purchase my sons essentials, and if we can defy the odds going to a full term pregnancy versus delivering at 34 weeks as the physicians project— I possibly won’t need donations and can work to achieve my goals.
Above all else, if you believe in a higher power please keep my family— especially my innocent baby and I in your prayers. I don’t want to be shamed, I just feel hypervigilant after being harassed by his friend who demanded I drop the order via threatening text messages since last week.
FYI, ladies I learned to check into people a little deeper than public records from this experience. I am posting anonymous contact information due to safety concerns.
I can be reached via email at: beeches.gallium.0c@icloud.com.
Thanks in advance 🙏🏼❤️

So here I am just sitting around alone with my thoughts, and I started thinking about my soul. Was my soul created eons ago and then during conception it was injected into my body?
Or, was it when my body was forming, the soul was created the instant conception happened?
Then I’m wondering, did god sculpt it and then inject in my body? But if he personally did it, does that mean with there being 385,000 people born per day, that’s 4.45 per second. So every ~0.23 seconds, god is having to create a soul and injecting it into a human.
However, that’s how many are born, who knows how many humans enter conception per day and don’t make it to birth. Assuming the data is correct, worldwide there are 44 miscarriages per minute, meaning 63,340 per day. So that puts us at a minimum of 385,000+63,340 = 448,360/day or 5.19 per second.
This gets me thinking. Let’s suppose my soul was created eons ago because that’s a lot of work on gods part having to create a soul every 0.19 seconds (assuming 5.19/second). If my soul was around and I don’t remember anything about it, does that mean when I die I won’t have any recollection of that experience? Or, will my soul have no recollection of my existence as a human?
Now let’s suppose my soul has no recollection of my human form and I end up in a sucky existence. Is it fair that it was a result of how I acted as a human? What if my human life was a result of what my soul did before my life? (That’s assuming it wasn’t created at conception and has been around for a long time). Or, was it created but was kind of, dormant and inactive since creation and was just kind locked away until I was born?
Anyway, I don’t know where I’m going with this - but it was kind of fun thought process I had earlier today. Feel free to rip it apart or try to answer some of the questions 😆

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So this is my first post here after commenting a lot. Just have to preface this by saying keep up the good work and keep fighting the good fight. This sub rocks. Stay mad, delusional swifties. Anyway......
I stopped listening to The Toilet Paper Department shortly after it released but I did go back to revisit some of the songs for laugh value and this particular song, The Bolter stood out to me. First things first, this song is straight ass. "By all accounts she almost drowned in frigid water" what the fuck does that even mean lmao. Sounds like an AP Lit student trying to sound poetic and meet the word count. Literally if anyone else were to release this garbage fire of a song, people would dismiss it as dogshit and that artist wouldn't have a career after it.
Even more interesting is the subject matter of the song. The song explicitly talks about her getting into these relationships (by choice mind you-nobody forced her) and these men having bad intentions (allegedly) and she ending the relationship by luring them in, making it look like she's into them, and dumping them and running away. ????. I just feel like this just describes how toxic she is in a relationship. She's not even giving it her all, but using dudes as nice placeholders and monkey branching onto the next one. It's straight narcissism.
If the Swifties had an IQ higher than 1, they'd realize that Travis is basically the dudes she calls out in the song and he's very likely to be the next getaway car she uses up next for fun.
"Hearts are hers for the breakin" (sure, Taylor).
"He was a cad, wanted her bad"
"She likes the way it tastes, taming a bear, making him care"
"Watching him jump then pulling him under And at first blush, this is fate When it's all roses, portrait poses Central Park Lake in tiny rowboats What a charming Saturday That's when she sees the littlest leaks Down in the floorboards And she just knows She must bolt"
This feels like psychopathic behavior to me. And didn't she take Bigfoot on a boat recently? She's going to do the same to him and these dumbass swifties don't realize it. I just feel like she doesn't care about anyone but herself so she's incapable of love or genuine feelings. Which is why I'm confused as to why she spent a whole album crying over a dude ghosting her when she does the same to other men. Bitch, you're the most toxic one of them all!!! This is probably the Karma she needed. Thank God Joe ran from that trainwreck.
"All her fucking lives flashed before her eyes" Stop. Just, stop. Every time she tries to cuss, it sounds like a 15 year old girl learning curse words for the first time. Hell, Olivia Rodrigo is younger and curse words roll off her tongue better.
Oh, and let's not forget the line "her best mates laughed". She gets out of two British relationships and thinks she can own the lingo now??? Cringe.
So why does Taylor keep getting away with this shit?
**Sorry for the post being so long. Once again, STAY MAD SWIFTIES.