Hello!
Thanks to all you lovely folks for hyping up the Ridgeline, I decided to pull the trigger. I got myself a 2017 RTL and cannot wait to start driving it. One of the main reasons for my purchase was to have an easy-to-set-up camping rig for summer adventures. I'd like to get a hardshell rooftop tent and high mountain racks that go over the bed. Does anyone have a similar setup or advice for good racks to mount on? Are there things I should consider with the way I set this up (height that's best for fuel economy, etc?)
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Thanks in advance!

Join the Discord Server! https://discord.gg/fnq5TQ8fnA
What is the Super Server? Well, it’s a server where you have the freedom to do anything; From Destruction, to making the most beautiful building in the world, The Super Server has it! We are releasing June 5th, and we will have some plugins to help moderation! We hope to see you join!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose and why?

The religious law which allows men to commit bigamy & polygyny should be banned from the world. The men who committing bigamy & polygyny is actually making "collection of women" through marriage and treating women as mere an "object".
Why would not ban polygyny in "shariat" law ?

Hi I'm a newbie to this world I've readed and seem videos but I'm still confused. Been playing for 4 months and its amazing and now I'm thinking to upgrade my g29. I know it wont improve my racing skills but the feeling of driving.
So I have multiple questions.
First of all I play in VR so thats why I want the best inmmersion.
From now I just play GT7 but in the future I'm planning to join iRacing
I readed that RMA in Fanatec it's not good and the CSL DD bases had issues but I don't know if it is still a thing.
It's that bad the GT7 wheel included in the DD pro.bundle for PS5?
Is there any alternative I could look having in mind I will play in PS5? Thanks in advance and sorry for surely repeating something that may be is answered.

D&D Movie! Here are options for downloading or watching Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves streaming the full movie online for free on 123movies & Reddit, including where to watch the anticipated Adventure movie at home. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 2023 available to stream? Is watching Dungeons & Dragons 2023 on Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found an authentic streaming option/service.
🎬Watch Now ➡Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Online Free
🎬Watch Now ➡Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Online Free
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IT SEEMS DUNGEONS & Dragons is practically everywhere these days, with the popular tabletop role-playing game garnering a buzzy film adaptation in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which hits theaters March 31, 2023.
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Helmed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (who had previously directed Game Night), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves features a must-see, all-star cast including Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant. This new high-fantasy adventure sees a charming bard and a party of unlikely adventurers embarking on an epic quest to retrieve a long-lost artifact that could destroy the world in the wrong hands. But their adventure goes dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people — and, of course, a dragon or two.
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So you want to gather up your party and watch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves? Good news: the film might be coming to streaming sooner than you might think. Read on to see where you can watch Dungeons & Dragons 2023, and how to get started playing D&D yourself.
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieve Release Date
Despite the success of several streaming services choosing to release their films online same-day, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will be released exclusively in theaters. Paramount has not yet announced a streaming release date for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, so as of now, the only way to watch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is in theaters, when it’s released on Friday March 31, 2023.
Can You Stream Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Online?
After Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves initial cinematic release, we might see the film come to Paramount+ about one and a half to two months after March 31, so we could see it online as early as mid-May (since many Paramount films start streaming 46-60 days after their theatrical release). Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is currently not available on Netflix, HBO Max or Hulu, but Pararmount+ is expected to be the streaming home of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves online.
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When Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves does become available for streaming, you’re going to need a Paramount+ subscription. Pricing for Paramount+ plans include Limited Commercials for $4.99/month or Commercial Free for $9.99/month. Currently enrolled in university? Students can also get 25% off your subscription if you provide an “edu” email address (one of many streaming discounts for students online). Check out the latest Paramount+ deals here.
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Sign up for Paramount+ and log in with your subscription to stream Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves when it drops on the service from your phone, laptop, tablet or connected TV. In the meantime, Paramount+ is also the home for ViacomCBS’s massive existing library of content.
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Not sure about committing to a full subscription? You can always stream Paramount+ for free with a 7-day free trial. Sign-up now or register for the free streaming deal with Paramount+ here. Then, you’ll be all set to stream the Dungeons & Dragons when it comes to Paramount+.
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As of now, the only way to watch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is to head to a theater when it releases on Friday, Mar. 31. You can find a local showing on Fandango. Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for it to become available to rent or buy on digital platforms like Vudu, Amazon, Apple and YouTube, or become available to stream on Peacock. Read on for more information.
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Following its release in theaters, the film will be available to stream on Peacock. Expect the movie to hit the streamer 45 days after its theatrical run, which should be sometime in December.
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Will Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Streaming On HBO Max?
No, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will not be on HBO Max since it’s not a Warner Bros. movie. While the company previously released its movies on HBO Max and in theaters on the same day, they have since stopped and have implemented a 45-day window between the theatrical release and streaming release.
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Will Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Available On Peacock?
While a streaming release date has not yet been announced for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, we can estimate when it could head to Paramount based on another Universal Pictures movie.
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Violent Night, which hit theaters on Dec. 2, became available to stream on Peacock on Jan. 20 — a little over 45 days after its theatrical release. If Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves follows the same pattern, it could make its way to the platform by mid-May. However, other movies like Nope took more than 100 days, so it’s best to take this estimate with a grain of salt.
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Will Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves be on Netflix?
Unfortunately, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves isn’t available to stream on Netflix. The Adventure isn’t included in the lineup of Netflix movies, which includes a vast number of rom-coms featuring some of our favorite actors and actresses.
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If you want to watch Julia Roberts movies on Netflix, check out Ben Is Back, August: Osage County, Steel Magnolias, and Runaway Bride. Roberts always appeared in Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve with her Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves co-star George Clooney, and both movies are currently streaming on Netflix as of October 2023.
Casts of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) is bursting with talented artists like Chris Pine as Edgin, Michelle Rodriguez as Holga, and Regé-Jean Page as Xenk. Also, you'll see Justice Smith (Simon), Sophia Lillis (Doric), Hugh Grant (Forge), Jason Wong (Dralas), Sophia Eleni (Valxina Tabaxi), Bryan Larkin (Chancellor Norixius), Kenneth Collard (Din Caldwell), Appy Pratt (Ishira) and a lot more artists are featured in this upcoming fantasy action-adventure film.

Welcome to Serial Sunday!

To those brand new to the feature and those returning from last week, welcome! Do you have a self-established universe you’ve been writing or planning to write in? Do you have an idea for a world that’s been itching to get out? This is the perfect place to explore that. Each week, I post a theme to inspire you, along with a related image and song. You have 500 - 850 words to write your installment. You can jump in at any time; writing for previous weeks’ is not necessary in order to join. After you’ve posted, come back and provide feedback for at least 2 other writers on the thread. Please be sure to read the entire post for a full list of rules.

This Week’s Theme is Vindication!

Image Song
New! Bonus Word List (each included word is worth 5 pts): - unreasonable - remonstrance - suspicious - pardon
This week we’re going to explore the theme of ‘vindication’. Guilt is often decided by the community (like the media) before they have all the facts, based on gossip, hearsay, assumptions, and sometimes based on the views of those who are loudest or the boldest. So what happens when an innocent person’s name is dragged through the mud? When the truth finally comes out, what happens? Can the people in the community change the way they’ve viewed the now-vindicated party? Or is this person’s reputation permanently tarnished?
How would this affect them? What kind of emotional scars would this leave? Can relationships be repaired, or is it too late? What happens when the truly guilty parties are revealed, and it’s a complete shock to everyone? Maybe a crime committed by those closest to them. How could that tear a community apart?
These are just a few things to get you started. Remember, the theme should be present within the story in some way, but its interpretation is completely up to you. The bonus word list is not required. Please remember to follow all sub and post rules.
Don’t forget to sign up for Saturday Campfire here! We start at 1pm EST and provide live feedback!

Theme Schedule:

• May 28 - Vindication (this week)
• June 4 - War
• June 11 - Zealous

You can vote on themes using the weekly nomination form!
Previous Themes Serial Index

Rules & How to Participate

Please read and follow all the rules listed below. This feature has requirements for participation!

• Submit a story inspired by the weekly theme, set in your self-established universe. Use wordcounter.net to check your wordcount. Stories should be posted as a top-level comment below. If you’re continuing an in-progress serial (not on Serial Sunday), please include links to your previous installments.
  
• Your chapter must be submitted by Saturday at 9:00am EST. Late entries will be disqualified.
  
• Begin your post with the name of your serial between triangle brackets (e.g. ). This will allow our serial bot to recognize your serial and add each chapter to the SerSun catalog. Do not include anything in the brackets you don’t want in your title. (Please note: You must use this same title every week.)
  
• Do not pre-write your serial. You’re welcome to do outlining and planning for your serial, but chapters should not be pre-written. All submissions should be written for this post, specifically.
  
• Only one active serial per author at a time. This does not apply to serials written outside of Serial Sunday.
  
• All Serial Sunday authors must leave feedback on at least one story on the thread each week. The feedback should be actionable and include something the author has done well. When you include something the author should improve on, provide an example! You have until Saturday at 11:59pm EST to post your feedback. (Submitting late is not an exception to this rule.) Those who go above and beyond (more than 2 actionable crits) will be rewarded with “Crit Credits” that can be used on our crit sub, WPCritique.
  
• Missing your feedback requirement two or more consecutive weeks will disqualify you from rankings and Campfire readings the following week. If it becomes a habit, you may be asked to move your serial to the sub instead.
  
• Serials must abide by subreddit content rules. You can view a full list of rules here. If you’re ever unsure if your story would cross the line, please modmail and ask!
  

 

Weekly Campfires & Voting:

• On Saturdays at 1pm EST, I host a Serial Sunday Campfire in our Discord’s Voice Lounge. Join us to read your story aloud, hear others, and exchange feedback. We have a great time! You can even come to just listen, if that’s more your speed. Grab the “Serial Sunday” role on the Discord to get notified before it starts. You can sign up here
  
• Nominations for your favorite stories can be submitted with this form. The form is open on Saturdays from 12:30pm to 11:59pm EST. You do not have to participate to make nominations!
  
• Authors who complete their Serial Sunday serials with at least 12 installments, can host a SerialWorm in our Discord’s Voice Lounge, where you read aloud your finished and edited serials. Celebrate your accomplishment! Authors are eligible for this only if they have followed the weekly feedback requirement (and all other post rules). Visit us on the Discord for more information.  
  

Ranking System

We have a new point system! Here is the point breakdown:

TASK	POINTS	ADDITIONAL NOTES
Use of weekly theme	75 pts	Theme should be present, but the interpretation is up to you!
New! Including the bonus words	5 pts each (20 pts total)	This is a bonus challenge, and not required!
Actionable Feedback	up to 15 pts each (6 crit max)*	This includes thread and campfire critiques. (You can always provide more crit, but the points are capped at 90.)
Nominations your story receives	10 - 60 pts	1st place - 60, 2nd place - 50, 3rd place - 40, 4th place - 30, 5th place - 20 / Regular Nominations - 10
Voting for others	15 pts	You can now vote for up to 10 stories each week!

You are still required to leave at least 1 actionable feedback comment on the thread every week that you submit. This should be more than one or two vague sentences, and should include at least one thing the author has done well. *Please remember that interacting with a story is not the same as providing feedback.** Low-effort crits will not receive credit.
Users who provide more than 2 in-depth, actionable critiques will be awarded Crit Credits that can be used on WPCritique.
Looking for more on what actionable feedback is? Check out this guide on critiquing or these previous crits from Serial Sunday: Crit Crit Crit
 

Rankings for Unveil

There have been some slight changes and additions to the point system/requirements! Check out the Ranking System section for specifics.

• First place - u/fhangrin
• Second place - u/AGuyLikeThat
• Third place - u/MeganBessel
• Fourth place - u/Lothli
• Fifth place - u/PolarisStorm
• Honorable Mention - u/poiyurt ###Crit Stars
• u/fhangrin
• u/AGuyLikeThat
• u/MeganBessel
• u/Lothli
• u/Carrieka23
• u/ZachTheLitchKing

Subreddit News

• Join our Discord to chat with other authors and readers! We hold several weekly Campfires, monthly World-Building interviews and several other fun events!
• Try your hand at micro-fic on Micro Monday
• Check out the brand new Fun Trope Friday over on WritingPrompts!
• You can now post serials to Shortstories, outside of Serial Sunday. Check out this post to learn more!
• Looking for critiques and feedback for your story? Check out WPCritique!  

Hey, Reddit
Dave here, a psychologist and therapist passionate about studying human nature and delving into the works of Freud, Jung, and other influential thinkers.
I'm on a quest to find extraordinary individuals who are intellectually stimulating, authentic, and unafraid to challenge societal norms. If you're ready for deep conversations and forging meaningful connections, join me on this adventure!
About Me:
-A psychologist and therapist with a fascination for unraveling the mysteries of human nature.
-Inspired by the works of Freud, Jung, and other influential thinkers.
-Seeking new perspectives and pushing boundaries to understand the complexities of the human mind.
-Rejecting small talk and superficial connections in favor of authentic engagement.
Who I'm Looking For:
-Curious souls with a passion for exploring different philosophies and ideas.
-Radiate positive energy and possess an insatiable thirst for knowledge and personal growth.
-Captivating storytellers who challenge conventional thinking.
-Unapologetically authentic and ready for a journey of self-discovery.
What We'll Do:
-Engage in deep conversations that explore the depths of our minds.
-Dive into philosophy, psychology, and other intriguing subjects.
-Create a universe of shared interests and support each other's personal growth.
-Challenge and inspire one another to become the best versions of ourselves.
If you're ready to break free from the mundane and embark on this exhilarating journey, leave a comment or send me a message. But be warned: this experience is not for the faint-hearted. Only the boldest, most extraordinary souls need apply.
Stay extraordinary,
Dave
P.S. If you're easily offended or prefer to stay in your comfort zone, this post might not be for you. Let's keep it real and make the world a more intellectually stimulating place together!

I’m new to multiplayer, and my last trophies are tied to these notes below
Demons Souls plans: -Get a friend, get 3 multiplayer achievements. -Raise character tendency to pure white for monumental ring (ally ring, say yes to both questions)
-Rescue Lord Rydell for dull rats ring (Prison of Hope 2F West Key from the top of the first tower in 3-2, requires Pure White World Tendency) at the Prison of Hope 3 - 1. * You'll find the Key used to unlock the cell at the top of the first tower of Upper Latria 3 - 2, requires Pure White World Tendency.
-pure white world tendency spawns makoto magic sword in trap room, deliver to satsuki (do not carry weapon) say yes to having sword and hand it to satsuki for achievement
-move depraved chasm up to pure white tendency and grab istarelle for a trophy.
-THEN SWITCH TO BLACK CHARACTER TENDENCY
-pure black character tendency spawns mephistoles into the nexus where you can assassinate npcs. Doing so nets a foe ring.

"No one has ever asked me to come back, but I would be willing to."
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18 years ago, Natalie Portman ended her participation in the 'Star Wars' saga with the premiere of 'Revenge of the Sith'. The actress gave life to Padmé Amidala in the three films directed by George Lucas.
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Portman recently responded to comments from fans in a GQ video raising the possibility of bringing her back to the "Star Wars" universe, which has continued to expand since her departure nearly two decades ago. To this, Ella Portman would reply, "I have no information on this. No one has ever asked me to come back, but I would be willing to."
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As any fan of the saga will know, Portman's character died giving birth to Luke and Leia (two of the main protagonists of the films), in 'Revenge of the Sith'. However, the 'Star Wars' saga has managed in the past to bring back other deceased characters. (Like, for example, the villain of 'The Phantom Menace', Darth Maul, who appeared again in 'Solo').
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This is not the first time that the offer has come into the hands of Portman. In the summer of 2022, the director of one of her Marvel movies, 'Thor: Love and Thunder', Taika Waititi, offered her something similar. In the same GQ video, the actress joked that Waititi had offered to cast her in the 'Star Wars' movie she is developing. What the filmmaker did not seem to remember is that the interpreter had already participated (in a more than relevant way) in the saga.
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She says that she forgot. She asked me if she wanted to be in a 'Star Wars' movie and I said, 'I've been,'" Portman commented. "I thought she was joking. She is so joking that she thought she was laughing at me. But later, she said in an interview that she had died of shame."
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Regarding Waititi's future film for the franchise, the filmmaker recently shared with Total Film that he is not interested in making a movie with existing characters and stories. Nor in visiting the origin of plots already seen. The director wants to "create new characters" and "expand the world of 'Star Wars'" with his film.
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"Look, I think the 'Star Wars' universe needs to be expanded," Waititi commented. "I don't think it's going to do me any good to make a movie where everyone is like, 'Great, there's the plans for the Millennium Falcon, there's Chewbacca's grandma.' All of that stands on its own, and it's great. I'd like to do something new, create some new characters and just expand the Universe, otherwise it would seem like a very small story."
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In the writing process for her film, she is joined by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay for the Sam Mendes film 1917.

08/01/2022 - 05/27/2023
Total reviewed: 458
Watched on: Hulu
IMDb
Synopsis: A young man loses his mother in an accident and resorts to morbid methods to cure his loneliness,
A film about a guy who, after the death of his mother, decides to dig up a new family to help him through the trauma of his loss. This movie could have been a lot better than it was. It has great practical effects as well as a creepy little CGI dog. The actors all do great jobs. The sets and atmosphere are very involving and look fantastic. The biggest problem is the story. A young man with social anxiety must make a friend or the workers assigned to his case will send him back to the asylum. On top of this strange premise which seems highly unlikely, it's mundane, a little boring and in the end, didn't really make sense. It seems like a tale where the events are all in the protagonist's head but that doesn't jive because everyone in town interacts with the zombies. Yet in the end, this is exactly what the film seems to be saying is the case. Beyond the meandering story, the humor rarely worked for me. The film ellicited a few chuckles, but for being billed as a comedy, this meager offering hardly meets the minimum requirements. All said, I'd give this one a pass.
4.5/10

I can’t understate just how much nascar coverage on fox sucks. Say what you will about NBC coverage, but watching the Indy 500 reminds me just how good they are at presenting nascar as an actual sport. I feel like Fox’s coverage could be almost likened to pro wrestling. Stupid comic book style animations, constantly cutting away to something unrelated or describe a function of a car that’s already been covered several times, and just stuff like that. Last night I was rewatching some of the 1999 coke 600 and I can’t say enough about how great the coverage quality was on TBS. Great commentators like Ken Squire, bro had an amazing ability to make it seem like something monumental was happening on track even if the race was unremarkable. And for that matter, Squire also had such a great ability to present the drivers in a serious manner, like these really were some of the greatest, most skilled auto racers in the world. He didn’t need goofy interviews pre race, he was able to cover the drivers like sportsmen. Also the camera angles, there was a point where Steve Park spun and they got shots of his spotter and how disappointed he was and it just added so much emotion to the broadcast. But anyhow thanks to anybody that actually read my rambling, I’m not tryna sound like some old timer complaining these are just things I’ve noticed as a fan of nascar for literally my entire life. I honestly believe more people would be invested in watching if the tv presentation did our sport justice.

Trigger warning: if you like the movies, you may not want to read this post.
Seriously fuck. the. movies. I was 11 when the first one came out, and it was the first time in my life I noticed what bad acting looked like. People kept telling me oh no watch The Lady In Black! Daniel is amazing in that!
No the fuck he isn't. There were parts in that movie where I wasn't even sure what was supposed to be happening because Daniel staring blankly into space while spooky music plays doesn't really tell me much. My husband teased me at first, thinking I was exaggerating, but during the whole movie he ended up just groaning about how fucking bad this guy is.
And no, Emma Watson shrilly overexaggerating every line with her eyebrows perpetually raised is not good acting. At first I wasn't sure if she knew how humans actually talk to each other, then I saw an interview where she does talk normally and make normal facial expressions, she just doesn't do it on camera because she's a terrible actress.
"oh but she was good as Belle!" yeah because fantasy roles are all she knows. Saying Emma Watson is a good actress due to her performance as Belle is like saying Jennifer Aniston is actually a great actress because she did a good job playing the main character's love interest in a comedy. But at least Jennifer Aniston can take roles that aren't already tied to a major IP and still be successful. What prominent character has Emma Watson played that didn't already have a guaranteed audience? Not to mention she can't sing to save her life and it would have been really nice if Disney had just dubbed a better singer over her instead of the auto tuned shitshow we ended up with. Or they could have just cast an actress based off talent instead of family friendly name recognition, which is all Emma Watson is and ever will be.
Rupert Grint I'll forgive because he at least had the decency to go sell ice cream after the films instead of pretending he got cast based on acting chops and not because he won a lookalike contest. If only Emma and Daniel had that level of decency.
As for the direction of the film, they completely pulverized Ron; in the books he's so funny, always cracking jokes and making good comebacks, Harry and Hermione are constantly having to hold him back to prevent him from slugging Malfoy's bitch ass, he's insensitive but still caring in his own doofas way, and most importantly, he doesn't fucking blubber and whine every five minutes. I can literally count on one hand how many times Ron cries in the books, in the movies he's blubbing every five seconds and it makes me want to smack him.
I also really dislike how they portrayed Snape. How do you know whether or not a HP fan has read the books? Ask them if they think Snape is a good person. And I don't fault Alan Rickman for this because he was just following what was in the script, but the movies made him way too likeable.
You're not supposed to like Snape. The dude is a gigantic, flaming asshole. He literally tries to kill Neville's pet toad for his own personal amusement (and thats just one instance where he mercilessly bullies that poir kid), he calls a 13yo student an "insufferable know-it-all" and makes her cry for answering a question he asked (then punishes Ron for calling him out on his bullshit, but good thing the movies changed it to Ron going hEs rIgHt yOu kNoW just another way they ruined one of the best characters in the books), he hurls a slur at his best friend who was defending him against a bully, then he becomes a sad creepy old man obsessing over a married woman who wants nothing to do with him.
What makes Snape such a great character is that he's a portrayal of how loving someone can make even the worst person choose to do something good, even if it's out of character for them. Snape was a POS, but his saving grace was his capacity to love someone, even if the feelings were straight up unhealthy, and that ultimately is what saved the wizarding world. That's why he's such a well-written character, not because he's broody or mysterious like the films portrayed. There's nothing mysterious or broody about Snape. He's just a dick. That's why the twist with Lily was so damn good, and the movies completely watered that down.
And last but but least- WHERE IS PEEVES??? Professor Binns? Winky? Oh but good thing they invested their CGI budget into giving us some dumbass Jamaican head screeching on the Knight Bus and making the Death Eaters fly around in glittery stupid clouds that no one asked for, thanks a bunch Warner Bros. I get that it probably would have cost more to add the ghosts, but considering Harry's scar looks like it was done with a Sharpie and they clearly found their casting director behind a dumpster, I think they could have made the funds work.
Idk about the rest of you, but I am really looking forward to seeing HBO's adaptation. They did a good job with Game of Thrones (until the end ofc), so hopefully we'll finally see a decent adaptation of one of best fantasy serieses ever written.
Rant over. I feel better now.

A special thank you to the amazing u/SpacePaladin15 for this fun world.
A thank you u/ImaginationSea3679 y u/Acceptable_Egg5560 for helping me with plot stuff.
Sunday Time! Two chapters in one today!
[Prologue][Previous][Next]
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Memory Transcription Subject: Extermination Officer Tova
Date [standardized human time]: August 24rd, 2136, Late first claw
“Dad!?”
My shout was barely loud enough to go over the noise of blaring klaxons. I skipped alongside my father, his paws clasped around mine as he tried to pull me down the hall.
“Not much farther, Tova. Your mother’s waiting for us at the brid-” A panicking venlil stormed right through the hallway, sprinting right between my father and I, sending all three of us sprawling out onto the ground! The rude man didn’t even stop to help us back up, running a stampede right back through the swarming venlil!
“RUN! RUN! THEY’RE COMING! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! I DON’T WANNA DIE!!”
Of course, he wasn’t the only one shouting; a mother crying for her pups, venlil screaming in panic, and the cries of pain: Many venlil having been trampled in the mad dash in random directions! The general fear was merely feeding into a grander self-fueling cycle of panic!
“My arm hurts,” I whine, watching my father spring up from his fallen position. He is barely able to move before the entire ship’s hull lurches to one side, sending most venlil careening into one of the walls, but thankfully for me, the impact wasn’t hard enough to break any of my bones. My father wasn’t so lucky, clutching one of his legs with a tight grasp, and letting out a pained whimper. “Splesh…” He groaned out, grabbing tight for a brief second before correcting himself. “Gah, sorry, shouldn’t have said that in front of you.” He chuckles aloud despite the pain and does well to maintain a cool and collected gaze.
I didn’t really care if my father had said a naughty word. I was more worried about the crooked state of his leg. It was bent at an old angle, and one part that was normally straight, his upper thigh, was actually bent as well.
It looks awful!
I crawled my way over to him as quickly as I can, wrapping my two paws around his wrists. “C’mon, we need to hurry! Please get up!” I tried to tug my father up onto his paws, but due to my smaller size, I wasn’t able to be of much assistance. “Come on, Dad!”
I try again to lift my father up but to no avail. The middle-aged venlil merely hobbles one step before collapsing back onto the ground. The other venlil all begin to stand up and swarm past us. I am thankful that they don’t manage to accidentally trample us beneath their paws.
“Come on, Father! It isn’t that much farther, just about fifteen more tails or so, and we’ll be safe with Mom!” My voice breaks as it raises in pitch, crying out in anguish and desperation! I give one last firm tug to my dad’s wrists, but instead of pulling the man upwards. He gives me a small shove, sending me falling down onto my hindquarters.
The sound of more screaming venlil fills the corridor as the taint makes itself known. A brief exchange of plasma fire is heard beyond the wall, but other than that, I could only discern the fact that the arxur have boarded.
“Go! Your mother can take care of you. She’s a good woman. Just go!”
I turn tail and make a mad dash with the rest of the venlil toward the bridge’s doors, stopping to look over my shoulder upon reaching the giant mechanical doorway, peering through the now-closed window.
Arxur by this point have begun to make themselves known, coming around the corner with speed! They don’t waste any time, jumping upon downed and injured venlil, and chomping down upon limbs and arms.
Their screams fill the hallway and leak into the bridge…
My father, despite his injury, reaches for a knife he likes to carry on himself, and readies the blade, waiting for the first Arxur to approach. He doesn’t have to wait long, for one is already barreling down onto him. Its massive jaws opening wide!
“Tova!? Tova! Tova!”
And within a moment, I am jolted from my nightmarish slumber by Quilix’s paws shaking my chest. He had a tight grip on my short wool, grabbing on firmly. I could feel his grip ease up the second he noticed an eye looking back up at him. “Y-you were screaming, so I… I figured I’d… I’d check up on you.”
The small and white venlil looked like he was on the brink of crying: Tears were coating the undersides of his eyes, which appeared to be puffy and orange. I was so enthralled with my nightmare - I haven’t had nightmares in years: Not one since I have been around Quilix, that I hadn’t remembered the past two paws very well, but when I did, I placed a paw against Quilix and gave the male a weak shove, pushing him off of me with ease. “Don’t touch me, I still have not forgotten what you have done.” I take a moment to adjust my messy wool. Quilix does the same, taking a moment to adjust the scraggly mess it had become within a mere two paws.
He still appeared to be taking care of himself, at least. I couldn’t say the same for myself. Normally, I’d take a shower after grueling work claws because I often got some grease or oil in my fur, but the past two paws had left me feeling ragged.
He nods to my words. “You should take a shower, my beautiful-” - “Don’t tell me what to do.”
The sharp, bluntness within my tone cuts down whatever Quilix was going to say. He lowered his head and tail before sheepishly walking out of the room. A part of me wanted to feel bad about seeing my mate like that, but I struggled to find that empathetic bone within me. It just wasn’t easy to take his words with any meaning after having that whole fiasco dropped on my head!
The insincere guile of hiding everything from me! Then he feels bad when I learn about it!?
It actually takes some effort on my part to not slam the door when I walk into the bathroom. I waste no time turning on the water to its hottest setting and slide back over the mirror. I stare at my reflection, loathing the mess that I appear to be; split ends, unregulated wool, drooping eyes, grease stains, and oil stains that have gone uncleaned. I felt like an idiot for not taking that one shower when Arwen was still sleeping.
Why does Arwen want Quilix and I to get back together so quickly? Is this a human thing?
I briefly pause, remembering something.
I mean, it isn’t like I could break up with Quilix. My mother would kill me, and I am fairly positive Quilix’s parents would do the same.
I should have just gone with Pasala to have my mind fixed. I spehing hate this. I thought my nightmares were over with… I’m not deserving of this second chance with Arwen.
I briefly rub my tearing eyes with my paws, wiping away the dampness that had built up underneath my two eyes. I take a moment to adjust myself, scratching a few itches and doing a bit more rubbing, and then finally hop into the hot water.
My muscles and mind relax under the pouring stream for a few minutes, letting it clear my mind and thoughts away like that of a morning’s rain. Then I go through the routine of shampooing, conditioning, and cleaning out all the nooks and crannies between my paws, ears, tail, and so forth.
Eventually, I turn off the shower and finish up with the rest of my cycle; drying, brushing my teeth and brushing my wool until it’s smoothed down. Finally, I walk out and head down to our living room. I may have not eaten over the past few claws, and I can feel myself grow famished.
When I enter the living room, I take note of the fact that Quilix is reading on his tablet. Something I seldom see the small male do. Normally, he does all of his reading and writing for his books on his main computer, which he has stored away in his office, so this was quite new to me.
His expression quickly shifts the second he sees me: ears perk up highly and his tail wags against the couch, but the expression is fleeting, falling not even a moment later, for he quickly notices my sour gaze landing right back on him.
Regardless of my disappointment, I still couldn’t keep my curiosity at bay. “What are you reading?”
My belated curiosity was enough for the male to perk right back up with a hopeful ear flick. “Well, Arwen and Trivi sent us instructions on what we should say when we go to acquire our visas to Earth, and what not to say to the humans. We’d probably get in trouble, but I’d be worried more about Arwen.”
“Just forward it to my tablet and I will read it later. I’m hungry.”
“You don’t want to read it with me?” His hopeful tone tugged at my heartstrings.
“No, I said I am hungry!” And like that, he was crushed right back down.
A part of me actually did want to read it with him. He was still my mate after the fact, but that was a very small part of me. I was still upset, angry, livid, even! I was also very, very hungry.
With another annoyed tail flick, I moved my way to the kitchen and fixed myself a snack, eating it at the dining room table. Quilix continued to look at me, holding out that I would join him on the couch, but once again, I would dip back to my room to retrieve my tablet, opening up the message from Arwen and Trivi.

Hello Quilix and Tova,
There’s been a small change of plans, but I won’t tell you the little details. What I do want to tell you is what you should and shouldn’t mention to the UN visa agent that came to Venlil Prime. Firstly, don’t mention the ranch, for obvious reasons…
If I were you, I’d talk about your passions, and claim that I mentioned one of them. I do recall hearing something about you liking swords, right?

I do like swords… How does Arwen know that?

Well, you could talk about some old medieval museums: St. Fagans is a good one to talk about. I’ve actually been there, but only because my father was a bit of a history buff. Hah! They have some swords on display and a really, really old sword. It’s about 1.45 Tails [870 millimeters] if I remember correctly. I figured you’d like to see it.

Wait, aren’t we supposed to be treated like cattle? Was that the change of plans? Oh… Yeah, forgot about needing to sneak through.

For Quilix, there are plenty of art museums, more so than medieval-based Museums, so I am pretty sure we can find something for him as well. Anyways, I will see you later. I assume the twenty-eighth? That will be roughly four paws from now. I do suggest you get your visas, it might be a day, or not…

I finally close my tablet, having finished the message. I sat there for a couple of minutes to process what I have been told. My mind wandering back and forth in trying to decipher if Arwen changed her mind, was toying with us, or was purely trying to sneak us back to Earth under a more wholesome-sounding guise.
I only knew her for about half a paw, and within that half-paw, it was mostly filled with that massage and poem reading, so really, I didn’t even know her at all, and she still wanted to go through with this!?
Either she really wants clothes made from our wool or actually is extremely serious about forgiveness. I think… I think I am leaning toward the latter. Could also be humiliation… Wait, didn’t she agree to Quilix’s original plan…
OH BY THE SPElSHING STARS!
I calmed down rather quickly at the small realization. Arwen was probably angry and just suggested that on a moment’s notice. She probably wasn’t thinking straight and said something somewhat stupid. That’s all.
That’s what I told myself.
I hopped up from my bed, leaving my tablet behind, and walked back into the living room. Quilix was still sitting on the couch, but staring blankly at the wall. “Not going to draw or write?”
Quilix had a way of getting everyone to feel bad for him, and it wasn’t even purposeful to my knowledge. He was just so small and helpless, so when his mood shot down the drain, it was like looking at an unhappy child. His tail was limp and he had a general malaise over his posture: body laying flat across the couch with the tablet screen down on his chest. “Don’t feel like it.”
Even his tone was lower and slower than its normal high and fast pitch.
Ugh… I don’t want to deal with him.
Despite my inner thoughts, I remember what Arwen asked of us. I really didn’t want to put up with my mate, but it was probably the right thing to do.
Or at least I hope it is the right thing to do.
Memory Transcription Subject: Extermination Officer Tova
Date [standardized human time]: August 24rd, 2136, Early second claw
It wasn’t a long drive down to the UN’s little building, but it really was an awkward one. Quilix and I sat in relative silence, unsure of how to start any conversation. It made me wonder how humans dealt with mate infidelity.
Do they force the pair to stay together, or do they just split up?
I knew that splitting up wasn’t really even an option. We had both of our parents’ blessings. My mother would be displeased if we split up, and she’d probably be angry if I did: Our vyalkit was made from not just my and Quilix’s wool, but also our parents, and their parents, and then their parent’s parents! My side was almost touching sixty-three generations, and Quilix was thirty-two. To break apart would be to desecrate multiple generations of honor-bound loyalty! How could Quilix do such a thing!?
It was nearly impossible to keep myself from crying in the car, keeping myself calm with cool and steady breaths, but with every thought that came roaring through. I worried that I would burst like an over-pressured levee.
Am I, not enough?
Does he not trust me?
How would he have acted if I had done the same?
Those thoughts rattled around in my mind due to my inability to distract myself.
Quilix was unusually quieter than normal, and for a moment I caught myself hoping he’d hum a melodic tune, but no sound came from him, causing the car ride to be unnaturally quiet.
No poems read.
No songs sang.
No conversations pulled.
This car ride practically resembled our horribly damaged relationship; empty, degraded, and silent. Though to be fair, Quilix had tried a couple of times to bridge the gap, and I just wasn’t receptive. I thought about speaking several times to alleviate us of this awkwardness, but every time I tried to speak, I remembered what I did to Arwen, or what Quilix had done to me, and with a pain in my chest. I remain quiet. Thankfully, the drive comes to an end.
“Ah, welcome to the UN embassy. You must be Tova and Quilix, right?” A human with remarkably dark skin of brown coloration greeted us at the door. He didn’t have any hair on his head like any of the humans I have seen but sported hair along his jawline. A mask covered the rest of his face.
Quilix and I both nodded.
“My name is Davian Karslon, it is a pleasure to meet you. I will have you know that I got your message. Now, if you would accompany me inside.” He gestured for us to come inside.
Quilix and I followed the big, human down a few hallways before inevitably entering a small office. He beckoned us to sit down, seating himself behind a wooden desk that looked like it was just placed down within the last day.
It probably was.
“I’m a bit shocked that we already have venlil applying for a visa, and you two in particular.” The male clasped his hands in front of his stomach, leaning back in his chair.
I wasn’t expecting an interrogation! I was expecting them to be like “Oh? A venlil wants to go to Earth!? We must be making good impressions!” Speh, what did Arwen want us to say?
“Arwen suggested we can learn more about humans if we come visit her at her home. She mentioned lots of things regarding museums, and as you know, I am a poet, an artist, and a writer. Now, I am no fool, for I know you humans didn’t show us all you had done within the last few millennia. You avoid things like meat eating for our sake, and showed us the book Frankenstein, which while simple, still had a good sense of morals: Don’t judge someone based on their appearance. I wish to learn more, and I can’t do that here. I’ve already read most if not all of the books you have given us that weren’t pups’ books.” Quilix came to my rescue, for I was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown, but him speaking allowed my thoughts to coalesce.
“Marvelous, it seems someone here loves literature to quite the great degree!” Even with the mask on, I could feel the human’s gaze shift onto me. I do my best not to flinch under the hidden, but binocular gaze.
“I uh… Arwen- Well, you see the federation isn’t really fond of things I like, and Arwen told me that there are things on Earth that I can’t find on Venlil Prime, The Cradle, or Nishtal…”
“And those things are?”
I take a deep breath. “Swords.”
“Swords?” Davian repeated. “Elucidate me.”
“I’m pretty sure you see a lack of swords, right? Well, that’s because we stopped making them because they were predatory, so now they pretty much don’t exist. However, I now own my great, great, great…” I waved a paw for emphasis, “Grandfather’s sword. The only other people that know are Quilix, Pasala, and my mother, but that’s because they like me, and a couple fellow exterminators. I… want to look at more swords and donate mine, because, unlike my father. I don’t know how to take care of it. I have instructions to take care of it, and I can read it, but I don’t want to risk damaging something of such importance to me. The most I have done is clean the blade.”
“I see, and how old is this sword? What’s it made out of? How big is it?”
I take a moment to think, counting back over the number of generations the sword has been within my family. “It was pre-federation contact and for about thirty generations, so roughly eight-hundred years?” “EIGHT-HUNDRED YEARS!?”
The man’s booming voice caused Quilix and I to recoil back in shock. Thankfully, nothing happens.
“What the hell is that thing made out of!?”
“I don’t know!”
Thankfully, that answer seems to appease the man. He relaxes right back into his chair as if he had never shouted. “Sorry, that’s such a long time for a blade.”
All I can do is shrug in agreement. “Anyways, it’s about just more than one tail [twenty-four inches] in length, so I have it stored in a chest at home. Used to have it in my office, but I didn’t want anyone seeing it after a while.”
Davian clicked his tongue against the inside of his cheek a few times, thinking up his response. “That’s all wonderful to hear. I’m quite surprised.”
Yes!
“But,”
No!
“I heard from one of your fellow Exterminators that you two had a bit of an altercation. Any reason why that was filed?”
Speh! Speh! Speh! I don’t know how to respond to that!
“Well, you see, Arwen arrived early two paws ago, and well, Tova walked in on Arwen and I snuggling on the couch, and mistook that as flirtation. The miscommunication has since been cleared up.”
If it weren’t for Quilix’s ears and tail giving him away like the fibber he was. I would have been caught off guard by such a lie! He never was a good liar. Actually, he was still a poor liar.
“I see,” the human nodded to Quilix’s answer. “Well, it was pleasant to meet you two. I will go check with my agent and see if I can get your stuff sorted. Again, it was pleasant to meet you two.”
Wait, that worked?
Well, with that out of the way. That just left introducing the idea to our parents… Scorch it, I just hope they don’t kill us.
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[Prologue][Previous][Next]
Heavily inspired by the likes of…
Pack Bonding
Foundations of Humanity
Mixed Signals (NSFW)
And I snuck in some lingo from Nature of Humanity
Don't Look A Human In The Eye
I highly suggest you check them out!!

How I relate (or don't relate) to all types

1. I tend to find corrections for things, and when I feel triggered by something, I may find ways on how to improve things. It's almost a natural tendency. I see a typo, I correct it in my head. I see that the menu in a restaurant is poorly designed, I propose ideas for improvement. I really fear being a bad person so I have to approach sensitive situations in a proper manner, or I may regret it after many years, as I tend to remember every bad experience, and I often end up regretting because I'm not careful enough. Much of my anger is internalized and while I don't appear critical from outside, I'm very self-critical, mainly because I see myself as rather flawed and everyone else is better than me. If I make a mistake, depending on the mistake, I may calmly fix it in one go, try to get over it by myself, or feel like a horrible person because of what I have done in the outer world. At my worst, I tend to see myself as flawed, defective, dysfunctional, and possibly mentally ill. At my best, I become more joyful, productive, and independent. I relate to the SP variant of 1 the most. I am not much of a hard worker, as I play hard, but I have some OCD-like tendencies such as checking to ensure everything is OK, and ruminating to find solutions because if I don't fret, I may easily forget and the problems will eventually find me harshly. That's why I'm so insecure because of my forgetfulness of important stuff. Writing down my worries has started helping me but I'm doing such a disgrace to myself because I really appear outwardly anxious, and everyone will be repulsed by that trait alone even if I have 50 desirable traits. I really need to practice self-compassion.
2. This isn't one of the types I consider myself, but I may really appear like a type 2 from an outside observer. I really care about being well-liked, and I would hate to be the one who is globally disliked. I am not really proactive when it comes to helping others but when there's an help request, I may reluctantly take the opportunity to help the other person because it's the good thing to do. Not helping may cause conflict and as a result, feeling defective and anxious. I am almost never seen as manipulative or possesive though so 2 (and 8) are not the types which I regularly consider. Relationships are important but it wasn't my main focus throughout my life as I was more directed towards curiosity and intellectual interests rather than people and relationships, and I pride myself on my individualism.
3. One of my biggest fears is being seen my others as a loser, and seeing myself as a worthless loser as well. I'm not really proactive and single-minded when it comes to being goal-oriented but I have my moments when I was more goal-oriented and accomplishing instead of just drifting, I feel happier and more productive. I care about external image but I may be forgetful about actually maintaining it, prefering to spontaneously adapt it instead. I may care a lot about social status, so I end up forgetting what is actually good for me, and whether or not I should actually pursue such popularity or success. I may be blinded by the prestige and fame as a result, and I end up feeling ashamed and dissatisfied with my own position even if I am just as accomplished, the grass is always greener on the other side. I care a lot about self-improvement and being the best version of myself, and I do the same thing for others. At my worst, I can really envy others and see everyone as high-class entrepreneur while myself as a village idiot who is completely defeated in life. Considering my ideal self, I become more competitive with myself and less with others, and I highly appreciate others' successes. I haven’t really considered myself as showy, and I can sometimes be too humble, but I can be rather showy when I’m trying to “prove” something or when I want ot appear cooler.
4. I am preoccupied with my identity and my flaws almost every day, to the point that I considered depression but it’s not the case. I have alwasy felt like I was less capable than others, so I felt different from others. Maybe because of my shorter height (which is just average actually) and I romanticise being tall so much that I have considered height surgery. I really envy others who seem to have an easier life because of their height, personality, status, location, or successes. I have even envied others who are not inhaling tobacco smoke as if second-hand smoking makes you inferior to others, mainly because of health risks. When I see heart disease statistics, I may envy others who don't need to worry about heart disease as much as I do because of unchangeable correlations, but I noticed that it's just hypochondria. I don't try to make others suffer but I really make myself suffer. I am utterly obsessed with enneagram/MBTI because I want to relate my identity in a bite-sized form and I also want to improve myself, and have fun relating to memes but I just can't seem to find my own type because I fit into basically everything, or nothing. I don't emphasize melancholy purposefully, but I really see myself as a melancholic old soul even if others disagree with my perception entirely. I think I relate to 6 more than 4 but SP 4 is still possible.
5. Throughout my life, I struggled with feeling less capable and more inept than others even if proven otherwise, mainly physical abilities, so I enjoyed PE classes more when I can be free to do whatever I want instead of playing a team sport. I really enjoy calisthenics and swimming as forms of exercise to improve myself, my health, my self-image, and to fight my negative emotions. I wasn't very talkative because I simply didn't find the right place for conversation during middle school. I was also bullied so that's why I felt weak and insignificant, which it added up to my low self-esteem. I have seeked information and saw it as more important than my physical needs, and I remember reading a science magazine and getting off the table ot read more and when my mouth is empty, I eat again. My interests may have been impractical but also very interesting. I became more talkative, social, and expressive over time but I'm still prizing individuality and independence. I really liked my alone time, sometimes more than socializing, so I may sometimes feel superior to others who don't really like alone time at all. I guess I have gathered information because 1- it's interesting, fun, and I love trying new things, and 2- I felt the need to feel more capable, if I can't be physically capable, then I'll invest in my brain instead. (which is actually fading and nowadays, I really value physical activity and sports, though it's still brain over brawn but more like having both)
6. I have felt like I'm a rather weak person because of my height, getting bullied, and many other factors. I was always safety-conscious but I'm combating this tendency by seeking new risks. I definitely wasn't the person who had done too many dangerous things but I have to admit that I have done them more than I initially thought. I tend to appear outwardly anxious but I hide my anxiety as much as possible to appear more desirable and approachable, but it just makes me more anxious until I actually appear outwardly anxious. I have always tried to find new ways to handle anxiety, such as writing my worries down, embracing worry instead of trying to fight against it, doing something I fear to feel confident, and many others. I have loads of fear of punishment, and while I may see myself as a diligent rule-follower, this is not always the case, in fact, I was quite rebellious at many times, especially if it didn't involve people. I was pretty conflict-avoidant though with people to not get into trouble but I was relatively unconcerned with seeking support from others unless I'm really anxious about something and even then, I primarily rely on myself first, then I turn into outer sources such as the Internet and then, I resort to other people around me. At my worst, I can easily be worry-driven and unable to see anything beyond it. At my best, I feel more relaxed, optimistic, joyful, and willing to try ot everything. I may avoid doing certain stuff because sudden worry can ruin the enjoyment of the moment. I am also rather indecisive and wanting to try out everything but at the same time, needing to choose the best option because it feels like we'll never come to the same place again. I also tend to be in extremes pretty often even though I would like to be more moderate in things.
7. I have to admit that I can be rather pleasure-seeking at times, and forget the essentials because of that. My grades used to suffer because of that but I relied on my ability to get things done fast last-minute to keep myself up. I put a lot of emphasis on positivity but I can end up being too negative myself, and feel lke being negative is wrong. I have a reputaton for being great at hard things but with easy and menial stuff, I may mess it up. I have had my rebellious moments mainly to discover something new with insatiable curiosity, such as drop-testing my items, mixing various bathing stuff, trying out private servers, and fascinating space simulators. However, while I'm considered as adventurous and curious, I'm not considered optimistic and always upbeat, which is far more important for being a 7. At my best, I am up for anything, and my ideal is to just have fun instead of being concerned about winning/losing. Basically, I work hard and play hard. At my worst, I criticize myself for not being careful or responsible enough. During my whole life, I pursued my interests and while I cared a lot about doing what I should first, I just end up instinctively do what I want first. Satisfaction and contentment is important, and I fear being deprived and trapped in pain, such as prison or death. While I'm not aggressive in a conventional sense, I may quietly do "stuff" to get what I want in order to avoid conflict but then, I may feel guilty if I feel like I don't deserve it.
8. This isn't one of the types I regularly consider. I'm way more likely to be an SX 6. But I absolutely hate doing things just because someone else told me to do it out of nowhere. It's such a disgrace for me, and it makes me feel inferior. Other than that, I can't really relate to 8's, maybe SO 8 is possible but nothing else. Oh, and I can be rather intense but not directly aggressive, and I don't express anger outwardly either.
9. I can be pretty conflict-avoidant because I don't want to feel defective, a bad person, or just ruin the enjoyment and peace. I am considered as adaptable, and I see myself in many types at once. I am more overly peaceful than overly violent, and I care a lot about likeability. I just hate hurting others and it makes me feel evil when I hurt them purposefully. When I hurt others accidentally, it may cause self-criticism about my ability to get along with others, and consider myself as mean or rude or selfish. But I don't relate to many of the 9 traits. For example, I'm more likely to maginfy some problems, and minimize others instead of being consistently minimizing. Which I can be positive, I can also be rather reactive and have a loud voice on accident. I sometimes feel lazy about starting because of my pleasure-seeking attitudes. I also relate to the stress arrow of the 9, as my mind starts racing out of nowhere. As for the 3 arrow, at my best, I become more productive and finally able to take action. I'm also pretty interested in things which are disturbing but I don't really talk about them to my friends unless it's already the topic, and even then, I may shift it into something more pleasant and joyful instead. I only really talk about my deepest negative reactions and fears with my family whereas with my friends, I prefer keeping things pleasant as much as possible, and hide any flaw to the point that I can be rather internally anxious about it.

Hi guys, I spent the past year trying to figure out how to create guides that introduce people to various elements of their psyche on psychedelics - thanks for your feedback on various elements of it and different versions over the past while.
​
I'm happy to share my first guide with you today for free. It's an audio guide on the topic of 'existing with yourself' - designed to help people take the first step towards self-love - simply letting yourself be as you are.
​
It's designed to be listened to on a low dose of LSD. I've also included a series of meditations for before and after and general guidance. Below I'm answering a few questions that you may have.
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Any questions/upvotes/feedback would be hugely appreciated :)
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"What actually is it?"
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The guide for the trip itself consists of 100 minutes of guidance to help you find your inner core and, from this safe position, observe the workings of your mind.
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For before your trip, I've included a meditation to help prepare your mind. For afterwards, there are a number of meditations to help you integrate the experience, and guidance on additional things you can do.
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"What does existing with yourself mean?"
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Well, it means spending a whole day just being with yourself. No agenda, no judgment, not even a desire to change anything. To float through all the emotions and feelings that make you, you - but just observing them, not absorbing them up, until you find your innermost self, your core.
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This practice can do a couple of things:
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• It builds a base of trust with the parts of yourself that are hurting. By simply observing these parts without rushing to change or judge them, it becomes easier to see them for what they truly are and deal with the underlying issues when the time is right.

​

• It gets you up close and personal with your deepest self. When life gets tough and confusing, we often lose touch with what's right or wrong, what's real or not. In those times, you can learn to get back to your core and just feel your essence, and things start to become clearer. Your inner self is both a sanctuary that's always there for you and your own personal compass.

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"Why a low dose?"
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Often, when we investigate our minds, we come across defense mechanisms and patterns of thinking that prevent us from going to certain places.
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Many people try to blast through these defense mechanisms with a high-dose of psychedelics - to melt their mind to the point that they disappear - but an insight garnered in another world is often difficult to bring back into our world and your usual mind - notwithstanding the risks of doing this in the first place.
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I thought that, with extremely thoughtful guidance on different topics, people could have trips on a lower-dose that could potentially lead to transformative insights that are much easier to reintegrate into their lives.
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"Who's it for?"
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It is for anyone who wants to explore and expand their minds and hearts with the help of psychedelics and gentle guidance.
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It is for those, who understand that there are no quick solutions for any big quests in life and that all big quests start with a first step - such as simply spending a day to be with your inner self.
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"Why's it free?"
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I have been making guides about all kinds of topics for myself and my husband to help us on our psychedelic explorations for a few years now and it changed my life significantly for the better.
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I feel like others can really benefit from it just as much from this kind of directed approach and want to make it accessible to as many as possible. While I'd ultimately love to someday make money from this, all of my guides will have a free version that you can download.
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"Where can I get the guide?"
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You can find a link to it here: https://steel-helmet-8f0.notion.site/Odyssey-Guide-Self-Love-1-Into-the-Inner-Self-7387830c8bb840939e087b166ce2af87
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"How can I help?"
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(okay, maybe you didn't ask this)
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If you decide to do this Odyssey, I would love to hear your feedback and the story of your adventure! You can find my email address also on the page above.
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If you know anyone who you think could benefit from this, I'd really appreciate it if you could share it with them also.

So basically, first up I wanna say I have seen every single theatrically released movie, and most of the animated ones, so I do feel like I get enough of a grasp of the characters that I don’t wanna start with stuff like year one
In comics I’m looking to find stuff that’s missing from the movies, so far I’ve read Tom Taylor’s Nightwing, Grant Morrison’s B&R and All Star Superman, plus the long halloween and Mark Waid’s B/S world’s finest
Some of my favorite characters are obviously batman and superman, and all of their extended cast, I love the titans and the doom patrol, and I am also very much open to meeting new characters that I haven’t met from the movies and shows if they’re really good, and finally from what I’ve seen I do prefer it if they’re relatively more recent ones, like at least from this last decade. Thanks in advance :)

https://www.ft.com/content/11cb394d-a13e-4826-b580-823b9367fedb
TL;DR: Paragon is a company making basically the same spyware as Pegasus, but are only selling it to US and its allies so they don't get sued into oblivion. Ehud Barak is also on the BoD.
In the summer of 2019, as Paragon Solutions was building one the world’s most potent cyberweapons, the company made a prescient decision: before courting a single customer, best get the Americans on side.
The Israeli start-up had watched local rival NSO Group, makers of the controversial Pegasus spyware, fall foul of the Biden administration and be blacklisted in the US. So Paragon sought guidance from top American advisers, secured funding from US venture capital groups and eventually scored a marquee client that eludes its competition: the US government.
Interviews with half a dozen industry figures about the divergent paths of the two companies underline how the shadowy spyware industry is being reshaped around those friendly to American interests.
According to four of those people, the US Drug Enforcement and Administration Agency is among the top customers for Paragon’s signature product nicknamed Graphite.
The malware surreptitiously pierces the protections of modern smartphones and evades the encryption of messaging apps like Signal or WhatsApp, sometimes harvesting the data from cloud backups — much like Pegasus does.
Paragon was set up by Ehud Schneorson, the retired commander of Unit 8200, the Israeli army’s elite signals intelligence arm. According to people familiar with the company, which includes ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak on its board, has secured investment from two US-based venture capital firms, Battery Ventures and Red Dot.
Paragon, Barak, Battery Ventures and Red Dot declined to comment.
In 2019, even before work on Graphite had been completed, on advice from a retired senior Mossad official, Paragon hired DC-based WestExec Advisors, the influential advisory group staffed by ex-Obama White House officials including Michele Flournoy, Avril Haines and Antony Blinken. Ex-US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, was also consulted, people with knowledge of the advisory effort said. Shapiro declined to comment.
WestExec said it “advised Paragon on its strategic approach to the US and European markets, as well as the formulation of its industry-leading ethical commitments designed to ensure the appropriate use of its technology,” adding it was “proud of our contributions in these critical areas.”
After the election of Democratic president Joe Biden in 2021, Blinken was appointed secretary of state, while Haines is now director of national intelligence. Both had departed WestExec by the time of the Paragon contract, the lobbying firm said. Flournoy — once considered in the running to lead the defence department — remains an influential US voice on foreign affairs.
American approval, even if indirect, has been at the heart of Paragon’s strategy. The company sought a list of allied nations that the US wouldn’t object to seeing deploy Graphite. People with knowledge of the matter suggested 35 countries are on that list, though the exact nations involved could not be determined. Most were in the EU and some in Asia, the people said.
“Everything they did was with the strategy that at the end of the day, the US should see them as the good guys,” said one person familiar with the decisions.
That contrasts with NSO’s recent troubles. By 2019, assisted by the regional diplomacy of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, NSO was a $1bn company selling its wares to Saudi Arabia, Mexico and dozens of other countries.
By the time the Biden administration came into office, NSO’s lucrative customers were proving to be its Achilles heel, as many of those regimes continued to deploy the multimillion-dollar weapon against journalists, dissidents and opposition leaders.
As evidence of abuse spread, such as the targeting of US diplomats in Uganda in 2021, NSO has found itself in the crosshairs both of the American government and the world’s largest tech companies. Apple and WhatsApp owner Meta are suing it.
“There is a growing sense that this particular type of malware is so invasive, so surreptitious that its proliferation poses both a human rights risk and a counter-intelligence risk to the US,” said Stephen Feldstein, who has studied the spread of spyware such as Pegasus and Graphite for the Carnegie Endowment.
For nearly a decade, the only restraint on some of the biggest spyware manufacturers was Israeli export controls, which regulate malware like Pegasus as weapons. Feldstein said that Israeli officials “make decisions on geopolitical solutions, not on human rights abuses.”
Paragon’s founders, however, were more sensitive to the increasingly dim view the US was taking of the proliferation of cyberweapons.
After NSO’s malware was tracked to the phones of associates of murdered Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Paragon declined Israeli government requests to replace Pegasus with Graphite in the Saudi armoury, according to two people familiar with the issue.
Paragon’s decision to eschew a valuable Saudi contract eventually paid off. Two other Israeli firms, Quadream and Candiru, which sold similar hacking capabilities to the Saudi government, were outed by Microsoft and rights group Citizen Lab after their malware was used on journalists and dissidents. Candiru was blacklisted alongside NSO in Nov 2021. Quadream recently shut down operations, the Israeli paper Calcalist reported.
The US has stepped in further to reshape the spyware market to favour those who sell cyberweapons to the US and its allies, while curbing those who chase lucrative contracts with authoritarian regimes.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order in March barring any US agency from purchasing spyware that “poses risks to national security or has been misused by foreign actors to enable human rights abuses around the world.”
The wording of the executive order is seen by experts as targeting NSO, while carving out a space for companies like Paragon to continue selling similar spyware, but only to the closest of US allies. The American expectation — still unproven — is that friendly nations are less likely to abuse such a weapon on civil society, or to spy on US government officials deployed abroad.
“It’s really making the case that the US believes that many of these kinds of tools are unlawful,” said David Kaye, who as the UN’s Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression spent years trying to hold the NSO Group accountable for its customers’ abuse of its spyware. “And if the proliferation of these tools is a national security problem, then that really changes the conversation from it being a human rights problem.”
NSO said it “does not believe that its placement on the [US Commerce Department blacklist] has ever been warranted,” adding: “ironically, other cyber intelligence companies who are not subject to the list sell to countries without any regulatory structure and that NSO refuses to make sales [to].”
However, the DEA’s purchase of Graphite, reportedly only for use by its partners in Mexico to help fight drug cartels, has begun to draw scrutiny. The DEA said it uses: “every lawful investigative tool available to pursue the foreign-based cartels and individuals operating around the world responsible for the drug poisoning deaths of 107,735 Americans last year.”
Congressman Adam Schiff, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, wrote to the DEA in December asking for more details on the purchase. Mexico is among the worst abusers of NSO’s Pegasus which it bought nearly a decade ago.
Schiff wrote: “such use [of spyware] could have potential implications for US national security, as well as run contrary to efforts to deter the broad proliferation of powerful surveillance capabilities to autocratic regimes and others who may misuse them.”

I'm going on vacation in June, and will be passing through a couple red states with anti-abortion, anti-trans, low minimum wage, just generally rough states. I have a rough script prepared for talking points including queer issues mostly, a little pro union stuff. I have a soapbox to stand on. Things are bad and getting worse and nobody listens to anybody online. I want to confront people. Not aggressively, but in a regular free-speech in public sort of way. Hyde's Park in the UK is an example of what I'm doing, but on a street corner. This is not a request for any legal advice, I've got the legal side covered.
I am/present as a very socially privileged individual and strongly believe that I have the security to express ideas that POC or an indicative transgender person would be at significantly higher risk of being attacked for doing so.
Is this a bad idea? Am I going to get shot for advocating for, "groomers rights" or, "Chinese socialism" or something wacky? I'll be in a busy area with a lot of witnesses. The nazis are doing public events, so should we. But here below is my main ultimate question:
Will the personal risk I undertake by doing this, balance out the social value of combatting extreme right wing ideas in public, and giving proud vocal support to every queer person who will be walking by me?
I am wholly unconcerned with looking stupid, but I want to make sure that what I do is productive to maybe change a few minds or even inspire a fellow queer person to follow my lead after I am gone.
Harvey Milk encouraged everyone queer person in America to come out, because only by forcing the world to acknowledge our existence will we ever claim full equality under the law. It's important to be in-your-face when protesting these things, so I believe.
Thank you for your time and your valuable inputs.