Difference between s1 and b1 beachwaver

Hi everyone, I am 23, almost 24. Since the pandemic, like many others, i have lost some friends and made other ones (through work, school. etc). I was wondering what advice you oculd give a young woman like me on how to make friends? Also, what are your tips and tricks to manage and maintain friendships in a healthy way? I find myself getting burned out when i spend too much time out with people and sad when i make no time (I switch between extremes). I have combined type ADHD if that makes any difference. Any advice would be appreciated

Hi there! My lease is ending in a few months, and considering a move elsewhere.
I’m 27M, live in NYC (Manhattan), single, working remotely and making ~$115k per year. With remote work, can live anywhere.
Current place, in NYC:

• I like the amenities of NYC; cool being able to walk anywhere and restaurants/shops nearby, and parks
• A lot of friends are nearby, either in NYC or nearby in New Jersey (and also Philly)
• No car or associated payment, saving $250-400/mo
• Paying $3,400 for a 1br, which is insane, and 50-55% of my take home pay. Too much!
• I rent an average apartment -- nice enough, but I do laundry in the basement, etc.
• 'Local taxes' for living in NYC are ~$350/mo ($4,200/yr)

I'm looking for one of two polar opposites:

• A less-expensive, large-ish walkable city in the NE (possibly elsewhere), don't need a car, able to meet other people around my age
• A bit more suburban, but want a 'Main Street' and downtown rather than suburban dystopia, should be notably less expensive than a big-city alternative, may get a car

I enjoy bouldering (indoor rock-climbing), hiking, a craft beer scene, being within walking distance of a 'downtown' with restaurants & shops (small or large). Friendly people. Prefer to not need a car (along a train line is best), but willing to get one. Being fairly close to a big airport would be ideal.
I've done a bit of research, considering Yonkers, Philly, Morristown, Asbury Park, Hackensack, Jersey City/Hoboken. Also smaller areas in NJ, northern NY along the Hudson, and parts of CT, figuring out the trade-off between 'being close to friends / family' + 'how interesting the area is' + 'cost of living in that area'.
Your suggestions may literally impact where I choose to live next.
Please let me know if you have any thoughts and suggestions. Moved around 3-4 different states in the past years, and still want to find the right fit. Thanks in advance, for any suggestions you might have.

Im a day late. Apologies. The snakes are keeping me scrambling!
So, what should you do if you encounter a snake? I believe education is your best defense. The more you understand about these animals, the better you will know how to react.
It's important to note that within any given species, there are different personalities. Yes, I said personality and they do have it! My western diamondbacks' behaviors range from completely ignoring me to rattling the moment I walk in the room and not stopping till I leave the room, and striking the glass leaving venom dripping. Their behavior is predictable, but it's not a hard-and-fast rule.
Having said that, one of the hard and fast rule for all wildlife is that they are terrified of humans. And snakes are no exception.
A snake's first defense is invisibility. They spend the majority of their time in a tight dark space where they feel that they can't be seen. In the morning and evening hours, they venture out to hunt and drink, this is when you are most likely to have a chance encounter.
Their second defense is retreat. A good rule with all wildlife is to make a lot of noise when you are out and about. If they can hear you coming, they will retreat and you won't have to see them at all. If one is coming towards you, you are most likely standing between it and it's avenue of escape. Freeze and let it pass. Sudden movement will be perceived as an attack and could result in a defensive bite. During retreat, some may rattle, others leave quietly.
It's third and final defense is to bite. Venom is metabolically expensive for the snake to produce and it doesn't want to waste it on defense. If it can't retreat, it will defend itself. It will warn you with vigorous rattling and the classic bite pose. Heed the warning. Back away very slowly, making as little movement as possible. Slide your feet on the ground rather than taking large steps. If you are within striking range you can't outrun it. Rattlesnakes can strike as far as one-third to one-half the length of their body in less than a blink of an eye, literally. So staying calm and moving very slowly is imperative.
Lastly and this is most important, there is only one thing to do if you get bitten. Stay calm and call 911 immediately. Hopefully, as you learn more about these animals, you will know how to react and handle the situation.
A note about trying to kill snakes... a large number of rattlesnake bites are caused when an inexperienced person moves in close enough to try to kill it. Keep your distance. Text Terri at 512-900-0719 or Keith at 702-374-1723 and one of us will come out at no charge and relocate the snake if it's venomous. (We don't relocate non venomous snakes as they can help keep venomous snakes at bay.)

What's the difference between these words? I know Это means "this is" are they like мой, моя and моё how one is masculine and one is feminine ect or is it something different?

Hello again! I’m coming for help here again because several of you are so knowledgeable.
When I went through my Latin track in college, my professors had me brute-force memorize all of the morphology without telling us why it does what it does. Now I am teaching beginners (middle school and high school age) and I want to explain why, but I want to be correct. I’m making a 35-video series walking through the entire Latin verb system.
I’m specifically asking for help in speaking correctly about the future markeinfix in the 3rd and 4th conjugations and the present subjunctive infix.
1) I have always referred to the a/ē future marker in the 3rd and 4th conjugations as the future infix. Is this correct?
2) Thinking about the short -i- on the end of the 3rd conjugation stem, is the future infix causing a contraction with the short -i-, becoming a/ē, or is it simply replacing it? Because the -ī- on the end of the present stem in the 4th conjugation is long, does it then remain because the length prohibits contraction, or is it something else?
3) Does the present subjunctive infix do the same thing? Is the ē contracting with the ā of the first conjugation or replacing it entirely? Why does the stem vowel ē in the 2nd conjugation stay with the subjunctive infix ā but the i in the 3rd conjugation goes away entirely? And the ī of the 4th stays?
If these questions are too complicated to answer here, please point me in the right direction to research.
I apologize if these are silly questions. I am interested in understanding how the end of the stem interacts with the infixes and suffixes and really want to speak correctly about them. I don’t want to say “it does this but I don’t know why.”
Thanks in advance!

I'm one of those trans guys who's used different labels to describe my sexuality over the course of my transition. In high school I identified as bisexual because I experienced sexual and romantic attraction to multiple genders. But all of my actual experiences with men felt off. Not terrible, something just didn't feel right. So I assumed this meant I was only attracted to women (and maybe femme non-binary people). When I came out as trans and transitioned in my early 20s, I openly identified as straight and pursued romantic/sexual relationships with women. Which was alright but kind of went nowhere.
I still definitely did experience attraction to other men and I genuinely didn't know what to make of this. So in my mid-late 20s I just tried dating/fooling around with men again and it was night and day different. Before my transition I was with straight men who where viewing me as a woman. What felt off wasn't that they were men, it was my own dysphoria getting in the way of me accurately experiencing my own sexual orientation. Once I was with queer men who viewed me as a man, everything that felt off was gone and it just felt completely natural.
All the science says sexual orientation is an inborn trait that you can't change. I do experience some attraction to women/femmes, its just pretty few and far between. I think the most accurate label I could use for myself would be a very gay leaning bisexual. But since I'm not really that interested in pursuing women/femmes (most I'm not that into and not gonna lie, I do find them a little intimidating) I just openly identify as a gay man because it's the most useful and practical label for me to use.
But to other people, it basically looks like someone who was only attracted to women transitioned and then became gay. This is where I think the myth that T changes your sexuality really comes from. When in reality T didn't make me gay, it just got rid of my dysphoria and I was finally able to accurately experience my own natural sexual orientation for the first time.
But I'm not like, a scientist or anything and I'm not really basing this on anything concrete. Just my own experience and some conversations I've had with a few other trans people who expressed it in similar terms.

So for context, this is my fastest ride yet and I honestly was thinking it would be. I just switched to GP5000s and Vitoria latex innner tubes and they did not disappoint. My usual ride is about 30-34 miles and I average between 16.5-17.3 mph average so this is definitely a win. I will keep tracking my normal rides to see if there was a difference but overall the ride was smoother and easier.

So I went to a selective school in NSW and probably had the best 6 years of my life there. When I talk to friends that didn't go to selective schools, they describe a very very different experience. I feel like there was a lot of mutual respect between teachers and students at my school. We were trusted to do a LOT of stuff that I've heard would never be allowed at other schools and there were NEVER any issues that arose from it.
I thought I'd see what it's like from the teachers' perspectives. So, teachers that have taught at both types of schools, is there really that much of a difference? If so, did it affect your capacity to teach in any way?

I did this upgrade in two stages. The first was a complete swap of the existing 6 speakers. I went with Infinity Reference all-around based on recommendations online. I got the required speaker harnesses to use the existing factory connection rather than splicing wires. Here are the speakers installed:
Front Dash: Infinity Reference REF-3032CFX 3-1/2 2-way - $45/pair renewed on Amazon
Front and Rear Doors: Infinity Reference 9633IX - 6" x 9" Three-way - $100/pair on Amazon
A couple of notes about these speakers. They’re extremely bright even when you run them on the 0db mode rather than +3db. There is a switch on the tweeter to change the mode. I first installed the dash and ran it for a couple days waiting for the door speakers to arrive. Just the dash swap made the sound so much better. However, once I installed the front doors I knew instantly it was tweeter overkill. I’ll probably end up swapping the front doors for a 6x9 component driver and let the dash handle the highs. I’ll leave the 3-ways in the rear so passengers get the full range back there.
Second note is that while they sound great and you can hear them hitting some low notes, they’re not loud below the mid-range. Now that my highs were shining I needed to fill in the lows. I settled on a Skar Audio setup to keep my budget in check. I’m not looking to win car audio competitions, just fill out the low end. Here is what I ended up with:
Skar 2019-2022 Ram 1500 (5th Gen) Crew Cab Compatible Single 12" Ported Subwoofer Enclosure - $140
Skar Audio VD-12 D4 12" 800W Max Power Dual 4 Ohm Shallow Mount Car Subwoofer - $100
Skar Audio RP-800.1D Monoblock Class D MOSFET Amplifier 800W - $130
Skar Audio 4 Gauge CCA Complete Amplifier Installation Wiring Kit, SKAR4ANL-CCA - $30
So I’m $645 into this upgrade for a complete speaker overhaul and added 12” subwoofer. I think that’s pretty good for the incredible difference in sound. The box is a perfect fit under the passenger rear seat. My only gripe is the ugly white stitching of the Skar logo on the box. I used a black Sharpie to fill it in the best I could. It’s still visible if you look, but it doesn’t draw attention to itself anymore.
I’ll probably get the bug to add a 4 channel amp for the Infinitys, but it will be really easy since I installed the ANC bypass module under the driver’s seat. The module bypasses the truck’s active noise cancellation while also providing a tap point for the input and output of all of the speakers.
A few tips:

1. Get a LOC (Line Out Converter) that also generates a remote wire signal. I first bought the PAC LOC 3.2 and I would have had to tap into the fuse box for an accessory remote wire. I returned it for 7.2.
2. The firewall has a rubber grommet with an extra port for a wire. I had to cut the nipple off the port on the engine side and still had a hell of a time pulling 4 gauge wire through with a coat hanger. Running the power wire was the hardest part of the entire install.
3. The fuse box lid in the engine next to the battery is a great place to screw down the amp fuse. I also used split loom for the power wire in the engine bay and it looks clean and professional.
4. I used Posi-tap connectors for the speaker connections between the LOC and the ANC bypass harness. I got everything connected and didn’t hear any sound so double-checked these and sure enough, had to redo them. I may have used too large a size because the pin that punctures the wire kept going to the side of the wire. I had to manually puncture the wire with the pin before screwing the Posi-tap down.

Hope all of this helps somebody else. The system absolutely slams now!

I joined this subreddit a few days before the show started, and there was a post that I found really interesting where u/TeeeeCeeee looked back at the previous Produce seasons + GP999 + Idol School and analyzed some of the most common archetypes found in Mnet survival shows, and I thought that it'll be interesting to go back to that post and try and see which Boys Planet contestants best fit the archetypes they predicted would appear.
(Note: I did not watch any of the Produce seasons nor GP999 nor Idol School so I have no idea what OP is talking about when they list their examples for each archetype but I trust that they’re right)

The Hero/Heroine: This is the protagonist of the show. In some seasons, Mnet's protagonist is a little less easy to identify, but I'll focus here on the most blatant examples. The hero/heroine is youthful and charming but there's some growing they still need to do. This weakness is typically presented in the first couple episodes, and their overcoming this weakness is usually one of the most major storylines in the season. Mnet's heroes and heroines always debut, and they get so much screen time it's difficult for them not to. They're often one of the first contestants we see, but usually not the actual first.

OP listed Somi (S1), Chaeyoung (IS), Sakura (48), Yohan (X), and Dayeon + Chaehyun (GP999) as examples.

It's a little early to know for sure who Mnet's hero will be (ep.1 will certainly make it clear) but there's a pretty good chance it will end up being Sung Hanbin, or any of the shiny boys.

I’d say that they were pretty spot on with Sung Hanbin in terms of the fact that he was the protagonist of the show from the moment that he walked into the Star Level test stage. However, I’m not sure if the show really focused on his weaknesses. We did see him struggle during Tomboy and Say My Name, but those weaknesses weren’t present in the beginning and didn’t really have a storyline during the entire show.

The nation's leader: The trainee who takes charge in the leader role time and again and shows compassion for their teammates, but also leads them to greatness. Someone who makes level-headed calls and also helps out the weak trainees. This is a niche that several trainees will fill early in the season, but only one of them typically makes it to the finale and becomes the nation's leader. It's also an archetype that the contestants seem to know well and gun for frequently, but it's success rates aren't actually fantastic.

OP listed Nayoung (S1), Kim Jonghyeon (S2), and Bora (GP999) as examples.

The nation's leader is usually one of the older trainees, and Ichika and Hui are already looking to be likely candidates. Keep an eye on trainees in the eye contact battle that seem to be very doting on their partner and helpful, especially those helping them translate. Hui's speaking Japanese for the much less confident Hyo is a classic nation's leader move.

I agree with Hui as he was the leader for every single mission in the show and people liked his leadership skills. Ichika didn’t get a lot of screentime and was eliminated pretty early nor was he ever a leader so he’s disqualified. Dongyeol was also a contestant who got the leader role in every single mission he was in, but he also didn’t get a lot of screentime and not a lot of people talked about him so he doesn’t really count. I’d argue that Park Hanbin was also a nation’s leader as many people liked his military-style training and he ranked first in leadership in that one subreddit talent survey. On top of that, his K-Group Hot Sauce team was the only team whose members all survived the first elimination. People also liked Zhang Hao and Jiwoong as leaders and they both made it into the final lineup, but neither of them actually ended up becoming the leader of the group.

The faildol: Often going hand in hand with the leader archetype is the trainee who seems to be way out of their league, looking lost and generally failing at every mission they try to do, but not failing too hard. Being endearing is the primary factor that makes the faildol such a successful archetype, and it's one of Mnet's absolute favorites … Somebody who isn't talented (yet) but they're down to earth and likeable.

OP listed Sohye (S1) and Hyewon (48) as examples.

Early candidate is Lee Daeul, who fans are already noticing can't dance, but at least he's cute! In kpop, for many, that's what really matters.

Daeul fits OP’s definition of a “faildol” pretty well; he didn’t have a lot of training but he was pretty endearing, and Seunghwan (who you can also argue as someone who fits the leader archetype) took good care of him when they were both 2-stars. Unfortunately, he was not one of Mnet’s favorites as he got a really bad evil edit in episode 4 that caused his rank to plummet down to 46th after the 1st elimination ended and the votes resetted. Another example might be Takuto, who also lacked training but was incredibly cute and charming. Mnet constantly edited him with cute sound effects, but they also focused on him struggling in the missions a lot as well.

The wonder kid: Opposed to the last few archetypes, the wonder kid never debuts, but an Mnet show isn't complete without them. The trainee who's young, probably too young to be on the show, but wow, they sure can dance. You're kidding, they can sing too? This kid's going places … Surely these kids are too talented to overlook, until their age holds them back, but they often work wonders for this next archetype.

OP listed Woojin (S2) and Haeun (48) as examples.

Likely candidates are any of the 07/08 kids, we'll have to see which one gets that golden ep.1/ep.2 edit.

I’m not sure if there were really any contestants in Boys Planet who fit this archetype. The closest example would be Yujin, who dances well especially for someone who was born in 07 and has only been dancing for a year, but that’s pretty much it (edit: also Yujin debuted so actually I’m not sure if he really fits OP’s definition).

The Ideal Hyung/Unnie: They're effortlessly cool and pretty, down to earth in a believable way, and are always looking out for the little guy, whether that be the faildol or the wonder kid. They're probably a little doting too, but it's not quite motherly/fatherly. A little tomboyish or distinctly masculine. The sort of person you'd want to have your back, the perfect older sibling … This archetype has been watered down and more of a micro-archetype in recent seasons, but I think it's pretty likely to make a resurgence this time around, especially with the contesants skewing older.

OP listed Sejeong (S1) and Daniel (S2) as examples.
I think a good example for this archetype is Jiwoong. He’s definitely masculine and has a “cool” vibe, but he’s also down to earth and has a goofy side to him. He also has almost a fatherly relationship with Yujin, who I listed as a potential example for the Wonder Kid.

The One True Main Vocal: Is pretty self explanatory. It's the trainee who can hit high notes like no other. Every kpop group needs a main vocalist and this trainee is essential for the debut team. Typically this means they barely scrape by to the final elimination and get panic-voted into the lineup. It's also key for there to be several contestants of this archetype, so Mnet can pit them against each other for drama. This archetype can even pretty consistently make the debut team even after getting some bad edits.

OP listed Yeonjung (S1), Jaehwan (S2), Yuri, Goeun, Haeyoon, and Chowon (S3) as examples.

Kim Taerae seems like he'll be in the running, but there will definitely be many more alongside him.

I’m honestly pretty impressed with how OP managed to predict Taerae, as not only was he one of the contestants who were highlighted as a main vocal, but he also made it into the final lineup. On top of that, they also managed to predict that he would get panic-voted into the lineup since that is pretty much what happened after the final interim rankings dropped. Other candidates for The One True Main Vocal were Hui, Jay, and Seungeon (OP also predicted the “pit them against each other for drama” correctly, especially with Hui and Jay during LMR), but ultimately it was Taerae who rose on top.

The Born Dancer: Also self explanatory, these are the trainees that are the best dancers on the planet and Mnet is going to make sure you know it, even if you don't know anything about dance whatsoever. They've probably been dancing since they were a baby, and they probably also learn choreography in 30 seconds … Unlike when it comes to main vocals, there will probably only be one main dancer push from mnet, despite many potential candidates.

OP listed Chungha (S1) and Chaeyeon (48) as examples.
There were a fair amount of main dancer candidates during this show (Sung Hanbin, Park Hanbin, Zihao, etc.) but honestly I feel like this show didn’t really focus that much on who can dance well? I feel like whenever the show did focus on dance it was more focused on who dances poorly and is “hindering” the rest of the team, but idk I could be wrong. Anyway, I think Park Hanbin fits this archetype the best. Idk if he’s been dancing since he was a baby, but Mnet put a lot of focus on him being a very fast learner (cue to him learning both the En Garde and Switch choreos) and a very good dance teacher.

The Underdog: There's something inherently underwhelming about his trainee, but when they come on stage they come alive. Maybe they're meek and shy, maybe their visuals aren't up to snuff, but that just makes them more relatable. Maybe they just aren't ranking as high as the objectively should, and that just makes you root for them harder.

OP listed Yoojung (S1), Hyeongjun (X), and Youngeun (GP999) as examples.
I… honestly don’t know who to put for this archetype. Maybe Jay? Since he had quite the hate train going but that also made his supporters root for him even more. He did rank pretty high throughout the show though, so I’m not sure if he was really an “underdog.”

The Vitamin: Endlessly energetic, naturally funny, and always optimistic. Mnet loves to have a tense scene of team conflict then immediately cut to a vitamin doing something endearing for the cameras. The vitamin is the variety star to be … While the success-rate for vitamins has definitely gone down over time, their frequency has not wavered, and there will surely be several this season as well.

OP listed Yena (48) and Seungyoun (X) as examples.
This is definitely Seowon. That scene during the reevaluations when everyone was stressed and anxious meanwhile here comes Seowon happily doing his audition and going “this is so fun :D” afterwards… yeah this archetype belongs to him. Woongki also fits this archetype as well; he’s funny and very energetic and is Seowon’s partner in crime. Both of them were the variety stars in the show (unfortunately they also didn’t make it into the final lineup).

The Flower Boy: A little effeminate, probably very comfortable doing aegyo. They're usually a bit of a toned down vitamin, and they're often a big victim of mnet forcing shipping. Smiley and upbeat and will probably be put into a fluffy sweater at some point.

OP listed Jihoon + Daehwi (S2) and Dongpyo + Hyeongjun (X) as examples.

Woonggi and Sungmin were World Klass' flower boys so there's a decent chance they'll take up the mantle again. From what I've seen, Seo Won or Jung Hojin might also fit this archetype well.

Alright I know I literally just listed Seowon and Woongki as examples for the Vitamin archetype but they also kind of fit the Flower Boy archetype as well. I don’t think they were “toned down vitamins,” but they’re pretty feminine and comfortable with doing aegyo (I wouldn’t say they were victims of Mnet’s forced shipping though; I feel like I didn’t see Woongki shipped with a lot of people and Seowon was mainly shipped with Jiwoong but like,, so were a lot of other contestants lol). I think OP might be right with Hojin (based on that dorm scene where Woongki, Seowon, and Hojin danced to Hype Boy), but he also didn’t get a lot of screentime so it’s a bit hard to tell. Same thing with Sungmin.

The Big 3 Dropout: A trainee once from a prestigious company but who got overlooked for debut and is now on the rocks, desperate for debut. Mnet makes sure you know they're a bit different from the rest, there's something inherently better about them. They must be talented to have been in such a big agency, but they're also a built in underdog for having failed already … Being from a Big 3 agency isn't a guarantee you'll get this archetype either, you just have to get lucky and hope Mnet picks you to be the lucky one, there's always many who get overlooked.

OP listed Herin + Seoyeon + Jiwon (IS), Chaeyeon (48), and Chaehyun + Mashiro (GP999) as examples.

The Loud contestants have a good chance of getting this archetype for this season.

To be honest, I don’t think this show really focused on which companies/survival shows the contestants have trained/participated in before. There’s no/barely any mention of some of the contestants being in Loud or being former Cube trainees, so I don’t think this archetype is really present in the show.

The Desperate Idol: Maybe their group is struggling, maybe it's already gone. Regardless, this is a trainee who's already made debut but has struggled to find success for one reason or another. Every season has a ton of contestants who have already debuted in one way or another but you've got to be from a decently high profile group to score this archetype. What's important that you know about this contestant is that it might just be their last chance. Don't you feel sorry for them? Aren't they too good to let slip through the cracks? The likelihood of a very nugu group member getting this edit is very unlikely.

OP listed Chaeyeon (S1), NU’EST (S2), Kaeun (48), Wooseok (X), and Yujin (GP999) as examples.

Hui is a given for this edit, but it's also possible the guys from Up10tion might get it too. Woonggi and Sungmin are unlikely to get this edit due to the circumstances of their leaving the group, and Seunghwan is also unlikely due to be the winner of an MBC survival show. Can't be promoing the rival networks. The other contestants from other groups are likely all much too nugu for mnet to name drop them.

OP was right about Hui getting this edit as well as Woongki and Seunghwan not getting this edit. Sungmin did briefly mention “leaving” TO1 and saying that this is his last chance during the Rush Hour conflict though. Up10tion and NINE.i were also very briefly mentioned during Hui’s segment but that was kinda it, so yeah it was mainly Hui who got this edit.
This was pretty fun to write lol. Feel free to agree/disagree with any of these or chime in with your own opinions!

So I'm running Tyranny of dragons and one of my players is a Eladrin elf. He likes to RP using the seasonal changes of his race.
We've discussed that his character isn't aware of why these behavioral changes are happening
I've been thinking about using tiamat to make a sort of bond between the two characters. So her red head would be associated with summer. White = winter. Blue = fall and green spring. How could I weave this into the narrative? How could I hint about this plot point?
I've been teasing nightmares involving seeing the different colours and feeling a connection
I'd love some advice!

I have been eating around 8 seeds of Heavenly Blue(Ipomoea Tricolor) raw(chewed) on a emptier stomach every other day or so(every third day now) for a few weeks. Toss and wash nothing special. This was a switch from intuitively microdosing Psilocybin mushrooms off and on for the last 4 years, with the last year or so being "ON"(0.17g my MD). A typical microdose for these seeds is said to be from 5-15, along the typical 1/10th micro amount vs normal dose with average(ime) psychedelic doses starting at 100-150 seeds. I am finding I want it more than the mushroom which is very surprising. I take doses I can JUST feel and JUST see, no semantic wars please. -I notice a vibrancy much like but different than psilocybin, like if psilocybin is making you see better detail then the LSA is really just a shift in saturation. The closer I look at things on Psilocybin, that higher definition look to textures is still present, while upon closer inspection on LSA things just look more "normal" within that vibrancy if that makes any sense at all. -I feel a psychedelic energy like Psilocybin but it has less DEEP elation, less cosmic laughter or chuckles. Body feeling is like a pleasant rolling feeling, more chemical than Psilocybin but still pleasant. -Instead of "wow, this is life how amazing to be here" it feels like " yup what a trip were all here, now what?", a kinda of "moving on..." "and??.." to things, a sense of urgency or alertness I don't notice with Psilocybin. -I notice longer after effects, this is a huge one. The vibrancy seems to stick on days off more, no trails but a definite boost in saturation day to day. This is likely why I am wanting them dramatically less than Psilocybin, intuitively through experience my body is telling me to slow down with these, that there is higher chances of HPPD or other lingering effects if used every day. With Psilocybin I wake up the same on even light doses, with LSA there is a definite "afterglow" to microdoses not like Psilocybin. -No "backwards thought processes" as I explain them on psilocybin. On Psilocybin I notice I will "rethink" something and become very satisfied with this new way of doing or thinking of something. This usually entails just skipping-combining steps, rearranging orders of things and then amazement when it ends up in the same place/thing. No new amazing insights or the feelings of epiphany!(I have a theory on the reasoning for this feeling on psilocybin). More of a "This is it" feeling similar to LSD, being DEEEP in the moment, an almost stillness. -slight upset stomach first hour from toxicity of seeds which passes. Compared to mushrooms this is a major downside. It wont make you throw up but you will notice a swimmy head and upset stomach for a good 15-20 minutes. -Onset is longer but not enough to mention given the low effects. A "change over" visually happens that is more noticeable than Psilocybin but nothing major. Again the vibrancy is noticeable on microdoses. -Ability to concentrate is good but a bit scattered at times, although you are brought back instantly there is a daydream like ability at all times to fall out of what is going on. I arrive in a little pleasant spot, like a place within yourself(Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich) almost in a dissociative way. Maybe this is the lower level sedative effects of the seeds playing out on a fractal micro scale? idk. Not bad but present. -I feel slightly less creative but more constructive with the seeds, there is a push to completion just to complete things, to then move on. Ideas become "old news" quickly, crafts or art becomes boring a bit quicker it seems.
They feel like they lack the same "magic" of magic mushrooms but have something else the mushrooms are lacking, a kind physical quality that makes them workable in some way I cant put my finger on. Opposite in the way mushrooms feel almost symbiotic, an extension of ourselves unlocked with their use, the LSA feels more like an actual tool. The seeds to me are like a Gaian Pocket Calculator, best way I can describe it. It feel like something you can work WITH as YOU.
The feelings-insight!-visual, easy digestion and lack of lingering effects in small doses make Psilocybin the usual winner in most areas, but there is something magical about the feeling on LSA that tells me keep eating them. Another thing is the desire to tell others about it, that this seed is available at any garden center for under $3 per pack and would supply you with 5-10 microdoses. It really amazes me few talk about it.
Hope to share more in the future, really hope others chime in with their experiences with LSA in lower amounts like this! Thanks for reading I appreciate you being here for me!

Some background: My girlfriend and I, we'll call her Jill, have been dating for almost a year and a half now. We met freshman year of high school, we were friends, but we didn't talk much until we started dating halfway through our senior year. Jill has been friends with two girls, we'll call them Annie and Cami, since middle school and has always been best friends with Annie. Right around the time covid started to cool off, Annie and Cami started dating two best friends, we'll call them Bill and Bob and with 2 of their friends they formed a group and started hanging out (I think this was some time junior year of high school). I hung out with them briefly a few times, mostly at school events and I thought they were fine, but I got the vibe that they didn't really like me, even though Jill promised me they did. We started talking more and dating and I would hang out with them a little at school, and Bill and I talked some since we were in a small class together. At this time I was deciding which college to go to. None of the ones I had applied to really excited me, and the entire group was going to the same one so I decided to apply and go up to tour it since it was only 1 1/2 hour drive away in state. I really liked the school, and I could afford to go there so I decided to register, which made Jill excited since before we were just going to have to try long distance or break up after high school.
Fast forward and over the summer I was out of state doing a summer job so I could hopefully make some more money to pay for my tuition. I stayed fairly close with Jill through facetime but obviously never hung out with the group, and didn't really talk to them on my own. Come fall we all moved up and with work and new surroundings, I mostly hung out with that group although I should've made an effort to make more friends. I have to work during the school year to pay for college, so 4-5 nights a week I'm a server at a restaurant nearby. Because of This my nights off were usually spent on homework or hanging out with Jill. Bill's roommate would do stuff with this friend group, but after a month or two he stopped hanging out with them although his friend, Allen stayed with them. Especially in college, this friend group became super cliquey; they would get dinner together at the dining halls, every night at the same time, then they would pick someone's dorm, usually Bill or Bob, and drink on Friday nights, then smoke on Saturday nights. I would sometimes join them after work on fridays or saturdays, but often times I would get out too late and I almost never went to dinner with them. The weekend hangouts were usually fun when I went, but after winter break I started to get weird vibes from them again, and I just started to notice all the things that I didn't like or that made it seem like they didn't like me. Annie NEVER wants to go out on weekend hangouts, so the entire time they just end up sitting in someone's room getting drunk. Allen is nice, and we had a class together, but Bill and Bob would never actually talk to me, and I started to notice that no one really acknowledged me unless I inserted myself into the conversation. At dinners, they would always sit in the same pattern with the guys on one side and girls on the other. I wanted to sit next to Jill, so any time I went I ended up sitting with the girls, and wasn't really involved in the conversation. Annie is very controlling of the friend group, and has to have her way. One time I intentionally sat in the middle of the table, so that people would have to sit in different spots, and although there wasn't anything directed at me, you could tell Annie and Cami were upset, and it was much quieter during dinner.
After this I stopped going to anything with the group entirely. I talked to Jill about it and she was extremely understanding and said I didn't have to go, but I feel like it has been putting stress on our relationship. I've heard Jill complain about them before, when some of them hang out without her or they make her feel alienated. She's talked to me about how controlling Annie is, and how their relationship feels stronger when Annie is more authoritative, and Jill takes her advice or lets her take lead. I think she could do better, but it's hard since she does have fun with them and they've been best friends for so long. Towards the end of the year, Annie talked to Jill about why I didn't come to stuff anymore, and Annie said something along the lines of "Yeah if you don't have the same sense of humor as us, it can be hard to feel like a part of the group." However, even in the few things I've gone to that they've been at since leaving, I haven't noticed any effort to talk to me or make me feel involved. When most of them posted semester re-caps on instagram, Allen and Jill were the only people who included a photo with me in it or liked my comments on their posts. Jill wants things to be better but there's not really anything she could say to them that I think would improve things, and neither of us know what to do. I've been feeling like eventually for one reason or another, she will have to choose between us, and I don't think that it would be me especially since she's living with Annie, Cami, and another of their friends next year. I love her more than anything, and I don't want her to have to choose, but I genuinely don't know what to do.
How do I communicate this better with her, and keep our relationship strong regardless of her friend group? Is there anything I can do make this situation better? Any advice is appreciated.

Edit: reposted as I made some mistakes in the write up.
Famed explorer Volothamp Geddarm needs you to complete a simple quest. Thus begins a mad romp through the wards of Waterdeep as you uncover a villainous plot involving some of the city’s most influential figures.A grand urban caper awaits you.
Pit your skill and bravado against villains the likes of which you’ve never faced before, and let the dragon hunt begin!
Hi everyone!
i'm looking to get together 4 or 5 players to play through Waterdeep Dragon Heist and when we complete the module to branch out into a full game.
Game overview
Known as the "City of splendours",The city of Waterdeep stands out on the Sword Coast as a example of artistic, economic and scholarly achievement. Governed by a secretive council known asthe masked lords headed up by the current open lord Laeral Silverhand. Home to various guilds and factions, the city is always abuzz with activity from the various trade guilds to the shadowy criminals organisations such as the mysterious Xanathar guild to the various factions of the Zhentarim or the inner Politics of Waterdeeps many noble families.
The module takes players from level 1 to 5 as the party will interact and find themselves embroiled in the actions of various factions as they find themselves chasing after a rumoured treasured housedwithin Waterdeep.Though we will be playing through the Module, i am hoping to make this a longer running campaign for the group to go on other adventures alongside the module and after the end of the module to hopefully develop this into a long running game.
Character creation
For character creation. all official contentfor Dnd 5e. I do also allow some third-party content such as the Taldori Reborn subclasses, gunslinger and blood hunter etc and am open to Homebrew and other third-party content though i would want to look at it first.
Additional content
For the game i would like to try using some additionalrules from third party books to add to the game.The main addition will be the injury systemfrom Grim hollow. it overhauls the lingering injuries system to add the smaller scale injuries such as the chance to break an ankle after going down in combatfor a brief example. The system will be fully explained after the group is together and if it not something the group vibes, they it will not be used.
I also own some books that expand up diseases that players can catch alongside various add-ons such as taverns and tankards which add magical brews which players can buy or craft for fun effectsI also use a revamped wild magic table to make wild magic a bit more interesting by having 100 different effects that can occur.
Session schedule and platform
The game will take place weekly on Wednesday 7pm to 10-11pm BST and will range between 3-4 hours. unfortunately this day cannot change as this is the only free time i have within my weekalongside my work.
The game will be played on Roll 20 for the use of maps and character sheets though extensions such as beyond 20 can be used and voice will be done through discord.
About me
I tend to go by Drake/Owen and am 23 years old and go by he/him pronouns. I have been playing ttrpgs for around 6 years and have played a bunch of different systems such as monster of the week,pathfinder and of course 5e. I have been dming for around 2/3 years and am decently new to dming 5e. as such as i don’t know every rule but i have a good grasp on the game. For my games, i do tend to follow the rules most of the times however by no means do i go for rules as written and i think it can be fun to bend the rules to allow fun and interesting ideas.
i tend to enjoy playing more rp heavy games though with space for combat as i think it adds to the game but are happy to adjust the flow of the game for the players but im completely happy to havejust full rp session. please add magic to the google doc just to show you have read at least this far
Application
If this game sounds like something you would like to take part in feel free to put a application in with the google form. People will not be picked on a first come first serve basis and i will try to get to everyone i can
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKAAzErm3Rkj-sLZh1wT-q3A_Rw8y3msPShrwknumii3XqjQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

That's it really. We always knew, but not for sure.
A few hours ago I got a call from an unknown number, his daughter. She told me her dad was dying of bowel cancer and only had a few days until full time sedation, and that he needed to speak to me before he went into end of life care. She clearly knew what he needed to say, and I recognised his name immediately as he was the only suspect in my father's death. I knew it was coming but it was very awkward, and I really didn't appreciate her telling me that it's pointless to call the police at this point. It might sound petty but I'm glad she's in pain, purely because of that comment.
He sounded weak, and all he said was that he's sorry, and that everything the police had said was true and that he hoped I could forgive him. I thanked him and told him to get some rest. It obviously meant a lot to him and I didn't know what else to say.
My dad was a terrible person and he died a horrible and savage death. The only difference between now and yesterday is that we know he was pushed. I'm really not looking forward to sharing all of this with the rest of the family.
I've been crying for hours but honestly I feel nothing.

Being told to deal with the Sorcerers now by the shadowy cabal of Asgorath-worshiping monks, I proceeded to do just that.
Well, more specifically, I looked for wherever the hell they holed themselves up in.
The faithful of Bahamut shot me frosty glares as I walked around the city unimpeded, though I did very pointedly give them a very strongly worded letter about spying on me and ambushing me, and that if Nakk wasn't going to tolerate their shit, he wasn't going to tolerate mine.
Hopefully, that bought me some breathing room.
Now, the Sorcerers hadn't fucked off elsewhere, or I would have gotten a lot of questions as to where they went. They still operated in the town, still used their magic appropriately, so it wasn't like they were being assholes about it.
But, considering I was being warned about them specifically, shit was about to go down.
Now, I didn't go alone. Not specifically. I had my Warlocks move about, searching for any clues as to the whereabouts of the Sorcerers.
Naturally, they were extremely dodgy about where they were going.
But, the more we looked, the more we found clues, the more we got closer until we realized they were gathering under the Council Chamber.
So there they were, all nine of them, not counting the however many probably awoke due to my machinations. Nine Sorcerers, Nine Warlocks, and me.
They were gathered around some sort of sacrificial altar that was stained with blood, on which they were very pointedly bleeding on.
"You know-" I said, startling them and causing them to look at me. "-If you'd just been respectful to my Master, you might have gotten more than you could have ever dreamed of."
"Ruuk, what are you doing here!?" Goss hissed.
"Looking for you before you get yourselves killed." I said. "I've been warned twice that you were getting into some shit, and here I find you bleeding all over an altar that isn't even configured right, you fucking idiots."
They shared looks, first shocked, then angry. They started yelling, my Warlocks screamed into their heads to shut up, which caused them all to rub their heads.
"Which one of you has the highest Level?" I asked. "Goss? Taklak? Kashak?"
"I am a solid Level 4!" Molo bragged.
"That's it?" I asked. "Fuck's sake, I'm Level 6. I've been out there busting my fucking ass. We got invaded while you were playing fucking secret society! People died!"
"We wouldn't have lost anyone, if Kurtulmak gave us power!" Hagnar snapped.
"No, we would have lost more." I said. "If you actually cared about the Warren, you would have been out there, leading rather than plotting."
"Says the man who's clearly getting boosted by Kurtulmak!"
I strode toward them, my patience wearing thin. "I want to make something very clear now." I said. "You've wasted more time trying to get stronger than it took me. You think hard work hardly works? Hit me." I removed my armor. "I'm wide open."
They didn't do anything, they just stared at me with wide eyes. "Oh, this? This isn't armor." I said. "It's a sign of my fealty to my Master. Now, Hit me."
The spells were flung at me, and most of them did hurt. "Nine of you." I said, grinning. "And you couldn't even hit me properly. Kneel."
They began backing away.
"I said kneel!" I roared.
They all fell over themselves as they tried to kneel. They all looked terrified.
"I am going to give you exactly one chance to make up for your foolish behavior." I said. "I will call you out one by one, you will approach, you will kiss my hand, and you will swear your undying loyalty to me, your Imperator, and the Empire that our Master will raise. If you refuse, I will end your pathetic excuse for a life right then and there. And if even one of you attacks me, my Warlocks will make that scream in your mind feel like a gentle tickle."
I held my hand out. "Goss." He scrambled over to me and knelt. He took my hand and kissed it. "I swear my loyalty to you, my Imperator, and the Empire our Master will raise." He said.
"Good. Stand among my Warlocks. Arix."
One by one I called their names, and they came. They spoke their vows, all nine of them.
I put my armor back on and said, "Excellent. From this moment on, every hour, one of you will go to my Tower, you will pledge your fealty to our Master, and you will allow him to mark you such that you can never disobey him again." I looked at them. "And if even one of you tries to escape, I will track you down as easily as I have now. You are marked, each and every one of you. I will make your deaths as slow and miserable as I see fit. My Empire has no room for traitors."
"Yes, Imperator!" They said.
"Dismissed."
They all left, clearly trying not to piss themselves or run. I felt a wonderfully powerful sense of pleasure and smiled. "Warlocks." I said. "Continue about your day."
I cleaned up the mess the Sorcerers had made left the Councilor Chamber. I ran into Tallyn on the way out.
"Brother." He said.
"Sibling." I replied.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"The Sorcerers were trying to summon a Demon for power." I said. "Considering they tried to petition my Master for power as well- he denied them, rightly noticing they did not care how they got power- I threatened to kill them if they kept trying, ordered them to submit to my Master, whereupon they will be marked such that they will no longer be a threat to the Warren."
He stared at me in utter shock. "Did you-? Do you hear yourself?" He asked in a horrified whisper.
"Brother." I said. "This is an outright Demon we're talking about. We're lucky they're fucking idiots and didn't make their altar correctly, so they were just bleeding on a fucking slab of rock with pentagrams and shit on it. They attacked me. That on top of your fellow Paladins ambushing me and accusing me of conspiracy-" I gave him a pointed look, "-my capacity of mercy is very low at the moment."
"Ruuk... What happened to you?" He asked.
"You and your Temple tried to kill me." I replied. "For the sins of compassion and mercy." I shrugged. "I've tried meeting you and yours half way, I sought atonement out of guilt, to rectify what I had done. I've tried to walk the path of good, and the cold, simply truth is, you and your order have not given me much incentive to continue to walk that path."
He was silent.
"Tallyn." I said, taking hold of his hands. "I miss the days when you were the good brother." I was able to see the exact moment when his heart ripped right in half. I walked right past him. I was tired of his shit, and at that moment, I wasn't going to play his or his Temple's game anymore.
I took a deep breath to try and center myself, as I started heading back for my Tower.
"Has it become your mission in life to leap merrily from the slippery slope?" A familiar voice asked me. I turned around, coming face to face with a gray-scaled Kobold, behind him were seven others with ruddy yellow scales.
"You've certainly changed since I last saw you." Bahamut stated. "A turn for the worse, it would seem."
I gave him a reverential bow. "I take it the Fizban persona wouldn't work now." I remarked.
"No, it wouldn't." He said. "All your doing, it would seem."
"Indeed. My doing." I couldn't help but smile.
"And with such pride as well. Walk with me, and understand I speak with you only because what I have to say is important."
I nodded and walked beside him, his seven companions following as inconspicuously as a septet of yellow Kobolds could- which I had to admit was surprisingly good.
"I am not happy." He stated.
"I sincerely doubt you would." I replied.
"With you, I expected it." He remarked dryly. "My followers have been playing fast and loose with their morals, day by day, their actions speak louder than their affirmations of faith, and what they say is, 'We are only concerned with our own power'. Does that amuse you?"
"No." I replied. "In fact, it pisses me off."
"The gradual corruption of a sect of holy warriors disgusts you?" He asked, his tone carrying a hint of surprise. "For all your posturing about, you still manage to get things done, even if they're via less morally sound standpoints."
"Is there a purpose to this beyond chatting?" I asked.
"Yes." He said. "One way or another, this Warren will become a theocratic nation, your faith spreads like wildfire, while the faith of my followers tapers off. You've manipulated events such that you are winning, and my followers have nobody to blame but themselves."
We stopped in front of the Temples, he looked at them. "Kurtulmak is relapsing." He said. "And you are walking a narrow rope between good and evil. Between judicious rule and tyranny." He looked at me. "And unfortunately, in spite of my best efforts, it is becoming harder and harder to maintain contact with this world."
He paused, then added, "I will, of course, be supporting my faithful, trying to keep them on the correct path, but in the event they utterly fail, and the only option left is you, I would rather the lesser evil of you win than the greater evil that is my sister. This is not tolerance, this is ensuring that no matter what, the forces of good can always pick up the pieces."
"I understand." I said. "And Bahamut... I am sorry things turned out this way."
"Your apology is sincere." He remarked, surprised. "I am sorry for the way I treated you in Darastrixthurhi, I chose the wrong course of action."
"You don't deal in words, but actions." I said. "Therefore your apology is sincere."
"Within the mines, there is a yet-untouched vein of platinum in your Warren's mine, enough to supply enough holy symbols for my Clerics, and to forge one sword, fifth level down, three lefts, and at the far end. I leave it up to you how you will handle that information. And Ruuk, remember the entire point of you remaining down there was because you believed Kurtulmak could be redeemed. Do not forget that can apply to you as well."
He walked away, followed by his cadre of Kobolds.
'I sure as hell don't like his followers...' I thought as I headed for the mines. 'But I definitely respect him a lot more.'
My gear compelled me to do good, and right now, I was in a better mood. I gathered a few miners and told them to follow me. They did so hesitantly, but dug where I indicated. I watched as they dug maybe a half-mile before they yapped.
"There's ore here!"
"I know." I said. "Mine out the entire vein and take it to the Artificers. It's platinum, they're going to need it soon."
I left them to their work and headed for the Artificers. Once there, I had them gather around.
"You will be receiving a shipment of Platinum, once it comes in, you are to create enough Holy Symbols of Bahamut to equip each Cleric, as well as one sword. Once they have finished, you will deliver them immediately to my Tower. Do not tell anyone what they are. Understood?"
"Sure, but why?"
"Simple." I said. "I need them to get the fuck off my case and start realizing they're only hurting the Warren. Their God saw fit to speak with me, so it's in my hands whether or not they continue to measure out rope to hang themselves with."
It was several hours before the crates came in. I wordlessly picked them up and carried them to the Temple.
The Paladins were, of course, pissed when they saw me approaching. "Stop right there!" They snapped. "By the High Priest's orders, you are not allowed in here!"
"Your weapons and your faith isn't enough to stop me." I said. "Fucking try me."
I walked straight up to them, and my attempt at intimidation worked, as they backed away while I walked in.
Galax immediately noticed my entry, as did every Cleric and Paladin in the room.
"Who let you in!?" Galax roared. "I have expressly forbidden you from entry!"
"I let myself in." I said. I walked toward him, glanced around, and sighed. "Do you guys just not believe in tables, or is the whole ascetic aesthetic really this fucking sparse?"
"I am warning you, Stingtail, if you do not leave this Holy Temple, I will have no choice but to kill you."
I wreched the top off the crate I brought in, he glanced at them, then his eyes widened in complete shock. "What..? Those are..."
"Holy symbols to Bahamut, made from the vein of platinum I directed the workers to." I said. He stared at me, clearly incapable of comprehending what I'd done.
"Why..?" He asked.
"Because you've been playing fast and loose with your morals." I said, paraphrasing what Bahamut stated. "Even though you preach Bahamut's words, you've forgotten that actions are how you pray. You've become so enamored with bringing about the perfect theocratic kingdom of Bahamut, that you don't even realize you're telling the people you're only concerned with power."
I handed him the sword crate, which he opened.
"I want you to understand, Galax." I said. "Bahamut came to me and told me where the platinum was. I could have kept it secret, or I could have used it for literally anything else. Because as much as Bahamut was disappointed in you, he wasn't giving up on you. And as much as he's rooting for you, he understands if you fall, it's either the lesser evil in me, or the greater evil in Tiamat. And honestly? I'll gladly leap headlong into Hell if it means keeping this Warren safe. This is your last chance from Bahamut, and your last warning from me. Understood?"
"I understand." He said soberly. He approached me and hugged me. "Ruuk, oh Ruuk... I thought we had lost you."
"You did." I said. "And I'm not coming back into your fold." He let go of me. "I don't know what the fuck you need a platinum sword for, but whatever it is, if it's aimed anywhere near me, I'm exploding people's heads."
I turned around and left the Temple.
Returning to my Tower, I felt the anger I'd been holding in just melt away. I went upstairs and smiled when I was my Emperor was finishing up another armor set.
"That makes seven." He said. "Still far too little, but it's more than we had before."
"Tireless and industrious." I remarked as I approached him. I knelt. "I have news, some you likely won't like."
"Tell me this bad news first." He said.
"Bahamut decided to speak with me." I said. He tensed, his eyes widened as he looked at me. "Thus far, he's not particularly pleased with my... progress, but he's at least indicated he'd rather us winning over Tiamat." I paused. "He also told me of the location of some platinum. I deigned to give his worshipers holy symbols and a sword, as he had directed. As nice as it would be to have them fall under their own stupidity, we still need them."
My Emperor nodded. "There was no correct way." He said. "Keeping Bahamut less inclined to try and smite us is better than his Temple getting holy symbols. Was there anything else?"
"Yeah. I told them what he told me, he wasn't pleased with what they were doing, that they were acting like they only care about power, and that Bahamut came to me rather than them."
"I see." He said. "That devious old bastard."
"What is it, my Emperor?" I asked.
"It's unimportant." He said. "Was there anything else?"
I told him about the ambush, the Shadowscale Clan, and the Sorcerers- he indicated that a few had shown up and pledged their fealty to him, and that due to their transgressions, he ensured they would never disobey him.
"I made them some collars." He said, smirking. "Any time they go against my will, or they try something that will harm the Warren, it chokes them long enough to make them stop." He leered at me and added, "I should have done the same to yours. I'd never have it choke you, but the knowledge alone would have excited you, yes?"
"Not really, my Emperor." I admitted. "I'm terrified of choking."
"Is that so? All the better that I didn't, then." He looked thoughtful. "Tell me, was there any particular logic to your choice of giving Bahamut's Clerics holy symbols and a sword?"
I shrugged. "I don't like his followers." I said. "I told you what I said to Tallyn, I'm sick and tired of them being paranoid about me. Like, yeah, I admit that they have every right to be at this point, but when it was just you and me, they didn't even really give me a chance. It just felt like them going mask off and showing themselves to be no different than any other religion I've had the unfortunate experience to try."
"Yet you respect their God." He mused.
"Yeah." I said. "I do. Everything I've done out of spite was because of those hypocrites, every good word I've spoken to them was a challenge for them to get their shit together. I've never once done anything to spite Bahamut himself- though whether that was simple pragmatism on my part, or some latent desire to serve the first God to accept my challenge to prove they exist... I don't know. All I know is that I don't regret choosing you."
"As should be." He remarked. "These Monks, these followers of Asgorath, have you any thoughts on them?"
"As long as they are true to their word, I could see them having a place in our Empire." I said. "Having a group that's willing to deal with you if you go off the deep end and start oppressing the very people you started out wanting to protect is useful. At the very least, I'll potentially have a warning."
"And do you think Bahamut's Temple has a place in our Empire?" He asked.
"Maybe if they got their shit together." I replied. I looked at him. "My Emperor, was there ever a point you honestly considered compromise?"
"Yes, in honor of a fool who would choose to consign his life to a God he barely knew, simply out of compassion. I am ruthless, yes, I may be a liar when it is convenient for me, and I most assuredly will twist such compromise such that the letter, but not the spirit, is carried out. But when I make a solemn vow, I hold true to it. If you cannot keep a promise, nobody will believe you again."
"And nudging me toward evil?" I asked.
"You took the first step." He said. "Some actions transcend morality. Kindness to one's family, it is not merely good. It is an act that ensures survival, an act that builds trust. There is always room for kindness when it is deserved."
I nodded. "My Emperor... Do you see a place for Bahamut's Temple in our Empire?" I asked.
"Anything can have its place." He replied. "The only grudge I have held for him is that he- self-proclaimed Justicemaker- did nothing simply because our people were born of Chromatic Dragons. Perhaps in those days, we were born into evil, perhaps in those days, we were enemies... Yet they raged, knowing what Garl did was wrong... heinous even. It was targeted retaliation for something his children did first, for the natural result of- I believe the term is 'fucking around and finding out'."
"Good old FAFO." I remarked.
I heard the door open, followed by Molo meekly coming up the stairs. When he saw me, he looked terrified. He approached my Emperor and pledged himself, was collared, and sent on his way.
"Seven out of nine so far." My Emperor mused.
"Good, it means most of them got the memo." I replied. I heard the door open, then shut, followed by footsteps approaching us.
It was the Rogue from earlier. He knelt and said, "Master, Imperator, I am here to report that we have successfully managed to leave beyond the wall and enter our enemies' base of operations. We have managed to do this without being spotted. Our Leader is waiting for you."
I nodded. "By your leave, my Emperor." I said.
My Emperor nodded and I followed the Rogue down a street I've been on countless times, one that was open and public. I recognized the house I was led to as Nakk's, the rogue knocked, and the door opened.
"Councilor Ruuk, thank you for coming. I'm sorry to divert you just to fix some of my stuff." Nakk said amiably, gesturing for me to enter.
I simply nodded and went inside. The moment the door shut, he dropped the amiable demeanor and said, "Thank you for coming, Imperator. This way."
He led me into his house, then into a closet. I didn't expect the floor to move underneath us, but it led us down into a large room.
"You have a basement." I observed.
"This is my base of operations." He said. "This was where our sewer system used to be, cleaning it out was a headache and a half, but since we moved onto more sustainable means of addressing waste- Merti's idea to use it as fertilizer and the Artificers' Guild designing a means of filtering and cleansing urine being particularly inspired- we decided to make use of the existing architecture to ensure our stealthy movement through the town."
"That explains why nobody's really wised up to how you've been spying on everyone." I remarked. "What were your plans, before I found our Emperor?"
"Keep everything stable." He replied. I noticed there were a few Kobold Monks present among the dozens of Rogues. "Rogue, Monk, we're all Shadowscale." He said. "That being said, our Monks are strictly neutral, they made it clear they won't align themselves to a singular ideal, their only interest is ensuring the Warren does not devolve into infighting."
"As I've already seen." I remarked.
"They're happy with how you handled the Temple, though they can't fathom how you found the platinum."
"Bahamut visited me." I said. "I honestly thought he was being obvious."
"That would explain it." I didn't notice the Monk walking on my other side, but it sure as hell startled me. "You are here regarding the recent mission's success, we ensured nobody was detected."
"Our Monks do not identify themselves." Nakk spoke. "I don't understand it, but it's what they agreed was the right course of action, so we just go along with it."
"For the sake of convenience, you may call me Fox." The Monk spoke. "And before you ask, we have all elected to live apart from the Warren. We may walk the streets, but until things have achieved equilibrium, we will continue to observe from the shadows."
I nodded.
We came over to an area where a handful of Rogues were sat. They stood up as soon as they noticed us, and began casting spells to show the interior of our enemy's base of operations. It felt like a punch to the gut, seeing not only electricity clearly being supplied to them, but also having established sinks and refrigerators.
They glut themselves on what we struggled to provide for ourselves, things that needed miracles just to sustain us. Through tears of hatred, I spat out my incantation.
​
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It’s not the only track on the album that shows Lana’s influence — there are some Born to Die elements on “Home to Another One” — and Beer even got to share the album with the star for feedback. She says Del Rey told her she’s particularly fond of the LP’s opening track. “She said she listened to it a couple of times back to back, and I can’t believe that,” Beer says. “It’s so awesome to have someone who has been such an idol of mine be so supportive of me and gracious always… She’s definitely someone that makes me believe in goodness.”
Hi, I really needed to share this here since Madison’s music is a bit inspired by Lana’s! If you haven’t listened to her… ugh I totally recommend. She definitely fits in the target of Lana fans. I hate that people only see her as a “pretty face” (you don’t know HOW MUCH it pisses me off that her only sub is full of perverts instead of being dedicated to discuss her actual artwork, persona and mind. Btw, if you are a fan of her too… would you mind saying in the comments if you would be interested in a proper sub for Madison’s music? Her main sub is just disgusting…).
Anyways, I just love to see artists being influenced by Lana, and, to me, Madison is doing it like no one while still keeping her own essence and style. Her last single gives off kind of Video Games vibes along with Tame Impala’s beat; and also her song ‘Blue’ from her debut album (which is so immaculate and criminally underrated) is definitely a total tribute to Lana.
I legit died when Lana praised her in the Billboard’s Awards (she even has a highlight on her Insta of her listening to Dear Society by Madison!)
I just wanted to recommend her if you haven’t listened yet. I really like how she is making out her career and really appreciate she’s doing what she loves instead of going for super mainstream pop even if that guaranteed her more success.
Btw, I must say too I got to know her during her Life Support Tour last year and she was super sweet and gentle and gave a great performance! She is obviously different from Lana but as a huge fan this little tributes and knowing about their relationship just gives me life :’) 🤍
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/madison-beer-new-album-silence-between-songs-1234744057/