Hi. I own a 2020 Accord 2.0 T sport. Last oil change I was advised by the dealership that the transmission needed a drain and fill. At the time it had around 34k miles. I decided to hold off until I hit around 40k miles.
Since my next oil change is due soon, I called the dealership to schedule the oil change and transmission service. Unfortunately the price for transmission service went up from $170 to nearly $250.
Yesterday I called Brakes Plus and they quoted me at between $100-$150 for the drain and fill.
As it turns out, I can get the oil change and transmission service completed for less than the cost of just the transmission drain/fill at the dealership.
Before I go through with going to Brakes Plus for the work, is there anything I should know about the transmission service? If both places do the same drain and fill, is there a reason to stick with the dealership? This will be the first time taking my Accord to anywhere other than the dealership.

My husband and I got pregnant last year after two miscarriages, only to have our son be stillborn at the beginning of autumn. Before losing him I worked in the birth community as a postpartum doula. I had just gotten certified, was saving up for other certifications to really get my services out there to people who need them. After losing Sam (our son) I just haven’t been able to go back to doing that. I feel like I’ll be ready soon but I don’t know. Feels like some people around me are just waiting for me to “get over it” (some actual words that have been said to me).
Before we lost our son, my husband injured himself at work. Herniated disc and possible permanent nerve damage. Dealing with workman’s comp insurance is like pulling teeth. He’s only had two appointments from August to now. They only just approved him for a new MRI and physical therapy. Surgery is probably the route we’ll have to take but he might have to walk with a cane for the rest of his life because this has gone untreated for so long. He’s always in pain and I feel helpless.
So I got a job working from home recently so I could be home with him (he’s fallen a few times). But after training they reduced my hours significantly. Between his pay being less than half of what he was making originally and me not making much, we got to a point where we got behind on our car bill. The bank always said “as long as you have a payment on schedule, the account won’t be reviewed for possession”. No problem. Had a payment on the schedule. Our only car.
Now here’s where I’m really really angry: I’ve had that car for five years. At the time I co-signed with my mother. My egg donor. She offered to help me get a car and I accepted. I SHOULD NOT HAVE. I wrote a post venting about her in a different sub it’s in my post history but to keep it simple on here, she’s so petty and narcissistic. I’ve made every payment on the car, every single one. Mother’s Day the other week was a really tough day for me, and I’ve been estranged from my own mother because I decided to stand up for myself and not take her abuse anymore.
My mistake. She got pissed at me for not calling her on Mother’s Day. She has access to the account with the car because she’s on it too. She called them and canceled my scheduled payment - it went into review and I had no idea. Now it’s been repossessed. That was last week. Now I’ve gotta scramble for almost $1700 to get it back. I hate myself for taking so much time off work after losing Sam because otherwise, I’d have a better job. I’d still have savings. I’d still have our car.
Finding a different WFH job has been unsuccessful. I need a car to get to work if I get hired elsewhere. I’m angry at myself for falling behind. Angry at her for always exploiting and sabotaging and just being hurtful. I’ve cut off contact with anyone who talks to her because I just can’t risk it.
If I get the car back, how do I get her off the account so she can’t have access to that information anymore?
I’m here to vent of course but please if you can just give me some words of encouragement that’d be so helpful. I’m doing everything I can. Job applications, seeing what local resources are available to help us in any type of way. Everything and anything I can think of. But I just want to quit life because this suffering feels like forever.
If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read this.

Top 10 Tips:

1. Start at 8pm. This will ensure your last runs (aka the most difficult) are done during the day.
2. Stretch after every run, except the second batch of night runs; those are optional. The reason for this is that at night, your time may be better spent sleeping, and you’ll already be in so much pain that honestly stretching won’t help much.
3. Get up immediately when your alarm goes off. Do not snooze or put it off. This will only make it worse. p.s. this is also good life advice
4. Prepare food beforehand (or at least have easy to cook food in your house). You won’t want to go get food when you’re in the middle of the challenge.
   1. Also get some gatorade or electrolyte mix.
5. I’d recommend sleeping after the 8pm, 12am, and 4am runs, then napping where needed.
   1. Also coffee helps
6. Get a massage gun. This will really help with muscle soreness.
7. Make sure your running shoes are good before you start. This one I didn’t do, and I paid the price. My right shoe had a rough part where the siding met the bottom, and over 48 miles that gave me a gnarly blister.
8. Once you start, don’t let weakness or the thought of quitting enter your mind. Your brain loves a firm commitment, and if you can simply tell yourself you have to finish, and believe it, then you’ll be able to.
9. This was the hardest physical thing I’ve ever done, but I think that overstates how hard it is. Most people never have to do super physically difficult things. If you have a bit of running ability, you can do this. Most of it’s mental.
10. STAY HARD!!!

Best lessons learned:

1. The mind loves a firm commitment
2. Most of it is mental
3. You’re capable of so much more than you think
4. Don’t lose any one second decisions. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

p.s. I'm a YouTuber, and I made a video about the challenge. If you prefer watching to reading, you can check that out here (mods said it's ok to post the link): https://youtu.be/bsSqcHFmiDw

The House on Jackson Street

By John Westrick
I used to walk with her, now I walk alone. We used to marvel at the beautiful houses together, now I look down at my feet. Each home a grain of salt in the wound, each house a reminder of what I lost. Even though it hurts, I still find myself continuing our walks. Sometimes pain is good. I’d rather feel the pain of her passing, than not feel her at all.
She’s alive when I walk. She’s the shadow that strolls behind. Though I can’t see her, I can feel her. Her presence is like a windbreaker draped across my shoulders in an especially violent storm. The pain isn’t gone but it’s bearable when I’m moving. I can’t speak to her, but she’s there. When I trip over a root, a hand steadies me. When I veer off course, I feel a gentle nudge.
And every day I end up in front of the same house on Jackson Street.
A grand home, at least at one point it must’ve been. The windows are boarded closed. The door is locked. Beware trespasser signs are strewn haphazardly across the tangled mess of the once impressive lawn.
I feel her presence strongest here. It is almost tangible, as if she’s hiding behind a thin curtain. I call to her, yet she never answers. I reach for her, yet I can never lay hands on her. It is here on my journey where my emotions get the best of me. Every day I come, every day I cry.
The neighbors look at me with trepidation, but long gone are my days of caring what others think. I stand there an old man, face in my hands and weep for the woman I lost. Let them think what they want, but my Lenore was worth every tear.
I feel a tap on my shoulder, and look up to see the front door of the house swung wide. Light is pouring out of it, and there she is, my Lenore. I rush towards her and the gaping maw, towards the woman I’ve lost. The woman who heard my cries and has returned for me.
As I barrel forward through the brambles and overgrown weeds, I hardly am aware of the scrapes and cuts. Nor does it bother me that I trip over a hidden bottle and go tumbling face first in the dirt. I sling myself forward with the stamina of a much younger man.
And then, I am there standing in touching distance from her. It’s her. She’s got the same strawberry blonde hair that always tended to leave me breathless. It’s wrapped in a French braid with a daisy tucked behind her left ear. She looks younger by nearly twenty years. Her nose and cheeks are dusted with a fine layer of freckles.
I began to giggle like a schoolboy as I remember I once tried to count them. Twenty-three is the highest I got before I found my mouth on hers. And suddenly I have an inappropriate urge to pull her close and continue the kiss in front of God and all the neighbors.
Shortly before I do just that, she vanishes, leaving me standing in the front door alone once more. I look around the hallway and notice it’s fully furnished. There is no dust or decay. The parlor is in perfect condition. Even more shockingly I hear someone playing the piano. It’s Fur Elise and I could recognize that sound anywhere. Lenore was playing it the day she died.
The Turkish rug leading down the hall looks familiar, the pattern of the wolf howling at the moon, the picture of the ship sailing in rough seas. I know it. I walk forward, no longer in control over my own body. Instead, everything begins to flash in front of me like a movie. I see my own hand reach for the gilded door knob. I know on the other side of this door is a set of stairs that leads to the great room.
Still, I don’t remember, I can’t remember. They threaten to come back, but I don’t let them. I don’t want to remember. I’m back. Oh God have mercy on me, I’m back to the day my wife died.
I come to this conclusion even as my own traitorous hand throws wide the hallway door. I fight for control. I do everything in my power to not see. My eyes fling wide and I look to see the back of my sweet Lenore’s head, the damned daisy still perched behind her ear. She’s playing and she doesn’t know I’ve arrived.
I know what is coming but I don’t want to. Yet those damned feet, those mutinous mother fuckers keep pushing me forward. First up one step then two, before I even know it, I’ve scaled half of them. Now I can see her back, she’s in a flowery dress with what looks to be hummingbirds sucking at the honey. Fur Elise is ramping up, and the song is nearing its climax.
And then I see it. Him to be precise. He’s lounging in my chair, drinking my whiskey, with his shirt partially unbuttoned. Rage, white hot fills me once more. I look to the left and then the right, and that’s when I see my cavalry saber hung on the wall for decoration.
I remember the outcome, yet I can’t force myself to let go of its hilt. My hand turns white from grasping it so hard. There’s nothing I can do to lessen my grip. I see myself marching up behind her sword held high in one hand.
Fur Elise climaxes as my arm swings. I strike her left shoulder blade and with a discordant whine the music stops altogether. Inwardly I scream. I curse my God’s damned temper. I watch as she slumps out of her chair.
Without a second glance, I am charging the man just beginning to look up from his comfortable spot in my seat. My blade penetrates his right abdomen, he lets out one shriek before my second swing catches him directly in the throat.
I am appalled at the blood spurting from his nearly decapitated neck. My hands are scarlet, I feel wet stickiness oozing down my face. Yet I can’t control my own limbs as they swing and swing and swing, chopping the man into kindling. I try to close my eyes but they won’t, so I see his hand go flying. I watch as his innards come bubbling out of his abdomen. I split his head like a grape and watch his brain matter leak out of the side of it.
To my dismay, I hear a gurgling sound coming from behind me. I turn knowing what I’ll see but powerless to stop it. I look to see my Lenore’s face towards me trying to speak. Blood bubbles drizzling out of the side of her mouth. I don’t need to hear the words to know what she is trying to say. “Please, no more.”
Pity fills my heart and my own eyes refuse to cry. “Please don’t do this,” I scream at myself in vain. I watch as I slowly move towards my former wife letting the blade carve a wicked groove into the marble floor. With no mercy my arm swings the blade up once then twice then three times, and all goes black.
Finally, I regain control of my limbs and body. I look up to see a vandalized great hall with a nasty groove in the marble floor, and there my chopped wife lying on the floor looking up at me with dead yet still very much alive eyes.
I see the monstrosity of my late wife clamber to her feet. Her left eye slides out of its socket running like egg yolk down her face. Black pustule blood leaks from her wounds. Her right eye locks with mine and in a slobbering wet noise she said, “I will never let you forget what you did here. Jail wasn’t enough for you. You didn’t stay your hand, so even in your Alzheimer’s I won't let you forget. Same time tomorrow, honey?”

TL;DR-When you have been nothing all your life, what does it take for you to try and be better?
(30-Age) Alright so basically ill this is long my apologise, I have ADD, Im lazy, undisciplined, prone to creating addictive behaviour out of many things, have little patience for myself. There are many more negative words I have in mind, but if seeing other posts have made something clear it is-Remove the labels if you want to work on yourself. Basically what im learning is that, you just have to do something and find yourself. Create better habits and actions, the problem with me is after watching myself repeat overtime I see this- I struggle to manage task and time, so I am frantically trying to get it all done, yet I don’t have enough energy. This lead to multiple things in life being started but rarely being finished. I know the answers here will be harsh, but they will be honest. I have so much self hate, I truly am an empty vessel, what I mean is when I try to think of a future for myself a career to grow etc, its hard to envision. I try to see my passions and all I see is nothing, just me following what was near me. I am an over-thinker, yet I am very naïve and stupid, I have been so focused on being dead that starting over is hard. I realised the hardway that if I truly don’t want to do something then forcing myself to doesn’t last. I have finally decided to really try therapy and speaking to a doctor. Everyone else makes life look easy, so I figured im just weak, being depressed and anxiety prone is just untrained weakness. Yet the effort to build up is hard, mainly because I fully have to start over and im older so I don’t have the energy and excitement, unless im drinking coffee or on my meds. I grew up disliking myself for being a minority and stinted myself a lot. I have a fear of success and often sabotage or decline chances to grow because im not worth it. Anyhow sorry for rant, I just know if this is my last chance then I really want to discover and unlock myself. I like helping others do that, but fail for myself.

I can't pinpoint exactly when it happened but it seems my iPhone 13 Pro is having a lot of difficulty lately acquiring a location. And it doesn't even seem to show an approx location with that blue circle... just either doesn't show my location or shows a somewhat nearby location (last known location?)
This is, obviously, far worse and demonstrated near-100% of the time in the forest. I'm well aware of how GPS works and the difficulties without clear line of sight - but again, this seems to be a new problem to me and it seems to basically never acquire the signal/approximate.
Any ideas? The GPS antenna itself appears to work fine.

Ok so now that we got out of that horrible title I’ll explain lol, I am graduating next June 2 with a biology major and right now I’ve been in sales of health insurance for 5 months. I’m staring my own social media agency (freelance) on my spare time and already have made advances in that space (to create a portafolio and earn a little more cash on the side). Would a masters serve me right if I want to go to a digital marketing role or market research role in the near future? Considering that my bachelor is in biology? Any advice? I already have a google garage digital marketing certificate, I’ve considered completing more certificates but I’m not sure what are my best options. Please advice me if you can.

The House on Jackson Street

By John Westrick
I used to walk with her, now I walk alone. We used to marvel at the beautiful houses together, now I look down at my feet. Each home a grain of salt in the wound, each house a reminder of what I lost. Even though it hurts, I still find myself continuing our walks. Sometimes pain is good. I’d rather feel the pain of her passing, than not feel her at all.
She’s alive when I walk. She’s the shadow that strolls behind. Though I can’t see her, I can feel her. Her presence is like a windbreaker draped across my shoulders in an especially violent storm. The pain isn’t gone but it’s bearable when I’m moving. I can’t speak to her, but she’s there. When I trip over a root, a hand steadies me. When I veer off course, I feel a gentle nudge.
And every day I end up in front of the same house on Jackson Street.
A grand home, at least at one point it must’ve been. The windows are boarded closed. The door is locked. Beware trespasser signs are strewn haphazardly across the tangled mess of the once impressive lawn.
I feel her presence strongest here. It is almost tangible, as if she’s hiding behind a thin curtain. I call to her, yet she never answers. I reach for her, yet I can never lay hands on her. It is here on my journey where my emotions get the best of me. Every day I come, every day I cry.
The neighbors look at me with trepidation, but long gone are my days of caring what others think. I stand there an old man, face in my hands and weep for the woman I lost. Let them think what they want, but my Lenore was worth every tear.
I feel a tap on my shoulder, and look up to see the front door of the house swung wide. Light is pouring out of it, and there she is, my Lenore. I rush towards her and the gaping maw, towards the woman I’ve lost. The woman who heard my cries and has returned for me.
As I barrel forward through the brambles and overgrown weeds, I hardly am aware of the scrapes and cuts. Nor does it bother me that I trip over a hidden bottle and go tumbling face first in the dirt. I sling myself forward with the stamina of a much younger man.
And then, I am there standing in touching distance from her. It’s her. She’s got the same strawberry blonde hair that always tended to leave me breathless. It’s wrapped in a French braid with a daisy tucked behind her left ear. She looks younger by nearly twenty years. Her nose and cheeks are dusted with a fine layer of freckles.
I began to giggle like a schoolboy as I remember I once tried to count them. Twenty-three is the highest I got before I found my mouth on hers. And suddenly I have an inappropriate urge to pull her close and continue the kiss in front of God and all the neighbors.
Shortly before I do just that, she vanishes, leaving me standing in the front door alone once more. I look around the hallway and notice it’s fully furnished. There is no dust or decay. The parlor is in perfect condition. Even more shockingly I hear someone playing the piano. It’s Fur Elise and I could recognize that sound anywhere. Lenore was playing it the day she died.
The Turkish rug leading down the hall looks familiar, the pattern of the wolf howling at the moon, the picture of the ship sailing in rough seas. I know it. I walk forward, no longer in control over my own body. Instead, everything begins to flash in front of me like a movie. I see my own hand reach for the gilded door knob. I know on the other side of this door is a set of stairs that leads to the great room.
Still, I don’t remember, I can’t remember. They threaten to come back, but I don’t let them. I don’t want to remember. I’m back. Oh God have mercy on me, I’m back to the day my wife died.
I come to this conclusion even as my own traitorous hand throws wide the hallway door. I fight for control. I do everything in my power to not see. My eyes fling wide and I look to see the back of my sweet Lenore’s head, the damned daisy still perched behind her ear. She’s playing and she doesn’t know I’ve arrived.
I know what is coming but I don’t want to. Yet those damned feet, those mutinous mother fuckers keep pushing me forward. First up one step then two, before I even know it, I’ve scaled half of them. Now I can see her back, she’s in a flowery dress with what looks to be hummingbirds sucking at the honey. Fur Elise is ramping up, and the song is nearing its climax.
And then I see it. Him to be precise. He’s lounging in my chair, drinking my whiskey, with his shirt partially unbuttoned. Rage, white hot fills me once more. I look to the left and then the right, and that’s when I see my cavalry saber hung on the wall for decoration.
I remember the outcome, yet I can’t force myself to let go of its hilt. My hand turns white from grasping it so hard. There’s nothing I can do to lessen my grip. I see myself marching up behind her sword held high in one hand.
Fur Elise climaxes as my arm swings. I strike her left shoulder blade and with a discordant whine the music stops altogether. Inwardly I scream. I curse my God’s damned temper. I watch as she slumps out of her chair.
Without a second glance, I am charging the man just beginning to look up from his comfortable spot in my seat. My blade penetrates his right abdomen, he lets out one shriek before my second swing catches him directly in the throat.
I am appalled at the blood spurting from his nearly decapitated neck. My hands are scarlet, I feel wet stickiness oozing down my face. Yet I can’t control my own limbs as they swing and swing and swing, chopping the man into kindling. I try to close my eyes but they won’t, so I see his hand go flying. I watch as his innards come bubbling out of his abdomen. I split his head like a grape and watch his brain matter leak out of the side of it.
To my dismay, I hear a gurgling sound coming from behind me. I turn knowing what I’ll see but powerless to stop it. I look to see my Lenore’s face towards me trying to speak. Blood bubbles drizzling out of the side of her mouth. I don’t need to hear the words to know what she is trying to say. “Please, no more.”
Pity fills my heart and my own eyes refuse to cry. “Please don’t do this,” I scream at myself in vain. I watch as I slowly move towards my former wife letting the blade carve a wicked groove into the marble floor. With no mercy my arm swings the blade up once then twice then three times, and all goes black.
Finally, I regain control of my limbs and body. I look up to see a vandalized great hall with a nasty groove in the marble floor, and there my chopped wife lying on the floor looking up at me with dead yet still very much alive eyes.
I see the monstrosity of my late wife clamber to her feet. Her left eye slides out of its socket running like egg yolk down her face. Black pustule blood leaks from her wounds. Her right eye locks with mine and in a slobbering wet noise she said, “I will never let you forget what you did here. Jail wasn’t enough for you. You didn’t stay your hand, so even in your Alzheimer’s I won't let you forget. Same time tomorrow, honey?”

I've had PTSD for 7 years. A lot of my symptoms have improved with exposure therapy but the one thing that hasn't gotten ANY better over the years is hypervigilance and constant nervous tension. I don't like anxiety/depression medication for it because it's not necessarily psychiatric, it's my nervous system that's overactive. I've been taking magnesium glycinate for the past few days and holy crap it works so well. It does make me a little sleepy and be careful if you already have hypotension (I have orthostatic hypotension, probably pots and I get real woozy in the mornings after taking it at night) but otherwise I'm super happy to have found this even if I just use it for occasional temporary relief. It calms my nervous system down by like 80% and I've had no psychiatric side effects. I'll probably start taking it just a couple times a week but thought I'd share if anyone else struggles with this symptom!

Good day. I'm hoping to hear from professionals with good understanding of the science and risk levels.
I was diagnosed with epididymitis about a month and a half ago at our local urgent care clinic based on my symptoms, a physical examination, urine screen (unsure of exactly what it was for. As well as a prostate exam.
The doctor was about to prescribe Ciprofloxacin, when I asked if there was an alternative that wasn't a fluroquinolone. I've had 2 close friends over the years have major, devestating physical, neurological and mental side effects from them (both Cipro and Levofloxacin) so naturally I've always done everything possible to avoided them.
She prescribed me Septa for 10 days. And it appeared to work fairly well, as my symptoms subsided and we're nearly gone at the end of the prescription. However about a week and a half later the symptoms had returned nearly if not completely in full. I was given an additional 7 days of the Septa but it only seems to help slightly.
A few days after that ended I was able to get in and see my family doctor. Who in also performed a physical exam, and had me submit a urine sample to be sent to the lab (it came back negative for everything that it was checking for, A few STDs, Blood cells, proteins etc)
This time she gave me a prescription for a course of Cipro. Of course I am still very hesitant to take it.
I've already got a wrecked back that has me in significant nearly constant constant pain as well as other joint issues.
My questions are, first off is there any alternatives that aren't in that class of antibiotics but would also be effective?
Secondly, I've taken Cipro 2-3 times in my life in my mid and late teens and as far as I know didn't have any serious side effects at those times. Would this mean I should be safe to take it again or is it sort of a crapshoot each time?
I have the prescription and due to the amount of discomfort, I am very much considering starting them but have had a bad feeling about it and having seen what my friends have had to deal with im pretty stressed. I struggle with life these days already and couldn't imagine having any further issued on top of what I deal with day to day.
I apologize for the long question, and appreciate any recommendations, Information or suggestions.
Thank you

"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.

Hii, I'm Chris, 22 from Switzerland, geneva. I'm fluent in eng/fbg. I know very basic german even tho I've studied it for 8+ years xD.
I'm pretty shy/introverted irl, like I've never been in a relationship or anything like that... So yeah just wanted to mention that since it could be a dealbreaker.
I'm 187cm tall, brown hair and eyes, pretty pale because I stay in my room wayy too much lol and on the skinnier side but I've been putting on alot more weight + doing daily workout to get healthier.
I'm a self taught art student, mainly focusing on digital painting, traditional sketching, pixel art and animating stuff. Would be cool to make it my profession in the near future but still got a long way to go before even considering that xD. If you're curious in what I draw I'm down to share some of my sketches but don't expect me to send any masterpieces, still learning haha. I'm very into comics/mangas and animations/anime!
Besides drawing I'm into games aswell, mostly League of Legends tho. I've an okayish level, sitting around master-gm usually. I can't really play much besides during the weekends tho.
I also enjoy cooking. I like to cook for others more than for myself lol... Gotta work on that bad habit.
If you want to know how I look like, I don't mind sending a pic of myself. So yeah that's about it, if you wanna hang out just shoot me a dm!

Whoever suggested children need a good grounding in the three Rs (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) had an ironic sense of humour. Nonetheless, they were right. At school, I struggled with reading and writing, but was pretty good at arithmetic. I wanted to study Maths at university and, for that, most required GCSE English Language. I sat my English exam a year late, due to an admin mix up, and failed it. However, I did go on to get a degree in Maths and Computing. In my 30s, I decided to address my communication shortcomings. I started reading books, writing much more and presenting in meetings and other forums. While I did not label it as such, I had established a habit for change.
Kevin Kelly (Wired Founding Editor) suggests that, Good habits ensure we make progress on our bad days. Habits eliminate self‐negotiation. Here are five habits for change proposed by Kevin that I follow:

1. 15 minutes per day improvement
2. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite
3. Imperfect deadline
4. Work hard, rest hard
5. Choose change

Habit 1: 15 minutes per day improvement

Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe. - Albert Einstein

Spend 15 minutes per day (1%) improving how we do our thing. Study, experiment or refine a process so we are a bit better every day. From an unpromising childhood, I now love reading and write for at least 15 minutes per day.If we improve 1% daily then we will be 37 times better by the end of the year. Small changes matter little in the near term, but can make a huge difference in the long term.

Habit 2: Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite

If failure is not an option then neither is success. - Seth Godin

Kevin Kelly suggests, After you've completed your first draft, redo it from memory to see if better ideas find their way to the page. To make something good, just do it. To make something great, just redo it, redo it, redo it. I don’t rewrite my blog post from memory, but I do put a rough draft together then after a few days rewrite, cut and refine. 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing book by Gary Provost is a gem and includes 12 ways to avoid making your reader hate you.

Habit 3: Imperfect deadline

I set and try to keep to a tight deadline for things I care about and want to progress. As a critical foundation for my mobile game, Scarper, I am building a database. I have given myself three days to complete the first version. This deadline will force me to make progress. Imperfect, but progress.

Habit 4: Work hard, rest hard

Forty-hour workweeks are a relic of the Industrial Age. Knowledge workers function like athletes: train and sprint then rest and reassess. - Naval Ravikant

I work in sprints, some short, e.g. 40 minutes, and others longer, e.g. a few hours. At the end of each sprint I take a break, to rest my eyes and re-energise. At the end of each working day I go for a good walk. I find this mix of focus and relaxation works well for me.

Habit 5: Choose change

Kevin Kelly suggests, When faced with a difficult decision, take the path that produces the most change. Change is the catalyst for personal and professional growth. Increasingly, technology allows me to learn new things and work anywhere. I love exploring new technologies and plan to revolutionise meetings using AI. As Chris Dixon suggests, The next big thing will start out looking like a toy. I’m excited to see what new toys I can play with next.

Other resources

• Excellent Advice For Living book by Kevin Kelly
• Kevin Kelly Advice for Geeks (and others) post by Phil Martin
• Life Games to Play, Win and Exit post by Phil Martin

As Kevin Kelly says, Habit is far more dependable than inspiration.Have fun.Phil…
A Bit Gamey

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!!

it took me years of therapy until one day, someone whom i thought was a trusted person actually turned out to be the main person who has been trying to sabotage me.
i was a wreck and was socially and financially dependent on them, so as a result i looked at them as a "savior" while i was trying to get back on my feet. at the same time, there was many parts of me in which i still wasn't doing well around them

• i wasn't confident enough socially to go out and make new friends
• constant anxiety making it difficult to progress in school, constant self doubt of my abilities

it wasn't until years of therapy that one day, my narc decided to project a negative thought onto me that i was acutely aware and i actually said "hmm, no, i don't feel that way."
and that's when the real conflict began.
she started to argue with me and saying that i wasn't actually happy in life, that i wasn't competent enough to succeed in my career like it was a fact (or "what if i am not competent enough?" to make me anxious), etc.
when i started to raise those boundaries with a simple "i don't want to talk about x/y/z", she started to threaten me by taking away financial support.
Personally, when i notice that someone I'm close to has become withdrawn from me, the first thing I check is to open the lines of communication by making sure they feel safe and checking my own self/actions - did i say something i shouldn't have? can i apologize?
with narcissists, when you raise boundaries, the first thing they do is to demand if that doesn't work, they resort to control - if they cannot emotionally manipulate you, they'll resort to threats, from withdrawing financial support or even trying to sever your current relationship
it's actually crazy how therapy helps identify these patterns with narcissists

I, (17F) and my friends (All 17-18F) recently made plans to go the movies. We were going to see a by Disney (we are all movie/Disney fans). I was excited to see it, since I've never seen it before, only the trailer. Anyways, we were about to go, when my mom came back home with my little sister (14F) from one of her lessons.
As soon as she came in, she saw me and my friends were all packed up and asked where we were going, so I told her the truth. Big mistake. As soon as I did, she started being super hyperactive and jumping around and asking to go with us. I said, no, and that I was going with my friends, and we didn't have another ticket for her. She didn't like this and started demanding to go anyway. Now, a little backstory, my mom is a total pushover. She never stands up for herself, not even when people are yelling and pushing her, so naturally my little sister is a bit spoiled; she gets almost everything she wants, and when she doesn't get it, she gets something similar instead. I never got this privilege, since she only got a better job with more money once I turned eight or nine--she was too young to remember a life without it, while I was already accustomed to not getting everything.
My mom told me to let her come, but I refused and explained how then I'd have to leave one of my friends, which I wasn't going to do. I don't get to hang out with my friends a lot because they live in the next town over and I have school, and having a moment where all of us could get together like this was rare. Besides, my sister doesn't even like me or movies that much; she wouldn't enjoy it.
Now my sister got really mad. She stomped her feet and snapped at me, calling me a jerk and how I was always so mean to her (mind you, we don't talk that much besides when we have to, despite my attempts to kindle a relationship). I told her she wasn't coming, end of story, and she started to throw a full-on hissy fit. She screamed and stomped on my foot (which gave me a pretty nasty bruise) and called me a b-word. I-and I'm not proud of this-told her to fuck off, because she "certainly wasn't coming now".
I'll skip the rest of the drama, but she convinced my mom that I shouldn't be allowed to go because of my behavior, and my mom took away my ticket and told me that "my behavior was inexcusable and nasty". I snapped that I was nearly an adult, and this was the one time I'd get to do this with my friends for the next several months, but for once she actually stood firm and my friends all had to go home. My sister, nor my mom or I have apologized, and things have been very tense lately. I feel like an asshole and I'm thinking of apologizing for being a jerk to my sister, but I wanted to get someone else's opinion first. AITA?

Out here looking to satisfy the need for platonic affection. Just hugging being clingy with each other and doing cute hobbies together. We can pretend to date or just be really clingy friends. I don’t really like drama but I can listen to your chikas. If you want to feel like you’ve been married for 30 years then i’m you gal. I love the idea of staying in and just minding our own business.
About me: - Sleepy head (I wear pajamas more than other clothes) - Into different nerdy hobbies - Listens to random music genres but i’m into kpop, indie, pop, etc. - Asexual - Low maintenance
About you: - Be near u-belt (preferably can host, i’d like to be able to hang out together) - No preferences in looks, just be confident - Okay with cuddling sticks (yes i’m thin) - Can respect my boundaries and patient if I reply slow at times
Hmu if you wanna know more or for vibe check. I can cook if you have a place. I prefer if you’re around u-belt for ease because I don’t know how to commute.

The past week I’ve really realized how much emetophobia controls my life. I want to get better. It’s a lot worse right now because my medicine isn’t working but it’s a huge wake up call to me about how much this effects me. I’ve been doing some research and looked at some books but I’m not sure what is real and what is just a cash grab. What are y’all’s favorite resources?? I’m hoping to find some stuff I can bring to my next therapy session.

Ok. So this has been very annoying now.
You know, when male leads get very, very buffed for the sake of plot, romance, saving fls, etc.
I seriously cannot accept that most of the times, an ordinary noble child can beat a grown/ trained adult. And a duke of the north or a politically powerful man who can kill hundreds of people at once.
Like HOW????!!! Also, many times they are either abused/ abandoned AND THEREFORE IS NOT TRAINED TO FIGHT AT ALL. There are also some who are AT SCHOOL?? They are still fricking learning?! Moreover, how come politically-powerful adult mls are so strong?! They always seem to be geniuses while there is no explanation! And remember that it will be ALWAYS princes, dukes, emperors... who get access to this buff. Why some other noblemen can't be as strong if they have access to the same, if not, even better education? And I know some manhwas try to justify that by saying the ml is of special blood, a genius, blah blah blah, but there are so many times they still annoy me so much.
I don't know why or how, most mls had to be so, so overpowered. Like, make them learn hard work! I know some mls do have to work hard, but in certain cases, they are already secret geniuses...
Or maybe, they SUDDENLY get buffed. I do remember some manhwas that never, ever mention or imply how powerful the ml is, and then BOOM! There he goes! Genius sword-fighter! Special mage! Super strength! And the next thing I know, it is NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN. For plot's sake?
Like, for example, newest chapter of The Lady Wants to Rest. Ok, so the ml is powerful and all. He has special eyes, he is a genius, blah blah blah. And then he faces the monster of humanity's sins - an IMMORTAL, POWERFUL being who is basically the representation of sins. And that must mean it is nearly indestructible. And then, the ml just go *I'll just have to kill you over and over again if you are immortal*, he slashes through its attacks easily... He is a mere human who has some eye abilities! What?! So you are telling me he could have easily defeated the literal representation of sins had it not been for its immortality?! Oh, and that crown prince also, he is fricking annoying. Maybe there is something wrong with me, but reading the chapters really made me root for the monster.

Hii, I'm Chris, 22 from Switzerland, geneva. I'm fluent in eng/fbg. I know very basic german even tho I've studied it for 8+ years xD.
I'm pretty shy/introverted irl, like I've never been in a relationship or anything like that... So yeah just wanted to mention that since it could be a dealbreaker.
I'm 187cm tall, brown hair and eyes, pretty pale because I stay in my room wayy too much lol and on the skinnier side but I've been putting on alot more weight + doing daily workout to get healthier.
I'm a self taught art student, mainly focusing on digital painting, traditional sketching, pixel art and animating stuff. Would be cool to make it my profession in the near future but still got a long way to go before even considering that xD. If you're curious in what I draw I'm down to share some of my sketches but don't expect me to send any masterpieces, still learning haha. I'm very into comics/mangas and animations/anime!
Besides drawing I'm into games aswell, mostly League of Legends tho. I've an okayish level, sitting around master-gm usually. I can't really play much besides during the weekends tho.
I also enjoy cooking. I like to cook for others more than for myself lol... Gotta work on that bad habit.
If you want to know how I look like, I don't mind sending a pic of myself. So yeah that's about it, if you wanna hang out just shoot me a dm!

Hii, I'm Chris, 22 from Switzerland, geneva. I'm fluent in eng/fbg. I know very basic german even tho I've studied it for 8+ years xD.
I'm pretty shy/introverted irl, like I've never been in a relationship or anything like that... So yeah just wanted to mention that since it could be a dealbreaker.
I'm 187cm tall, brown hair and eyes, pretty pale because I stay in my room wayy too much lol and on the skinnier side but I've been putting on alot more weight + doing daily workout to get healthier.
I'm a self taught art student, mainly focusing on digital painting, traditional sketching, pixel art and animating stuff. Would be cool to make it my profession in the near future but still got a long way to go before even considering that xD. If you're curious in what I draw I'm down to share some of my sketches but don't expect me to send any masterpieces, still learning haha. I'm very into comics/mangas and animations/anime!
Besides drawing I'm into games aswell, mostly League of Legends tho. I've an okayish level, sitting around master-gm usually. I can't really play much besides during the weekends tho.
I also enjoy cooking. I like to cook for others more than for myself lol... Gotta work on that bad habit.
If you want to know how I look like, I don't mind sending a pic of myself. So yeah that's about it, if you wanna hang out just shoot me a dm!