I'd like to start by letting everyone know that the genre is Fantasy Epic, and that this is a long prologue at 6,414 words. This prologue serves a purpose as it takes care of a lot of my setting and plot setup. It also gives the reader a fair bit of worldbuilding without making it too much of an info dump (talking to you Robert Jordan ;P).
I've had several people beta read this for me and gotten a lot of positive feedback. The prolbem for me is that these were all people I know very well on a personal level. Several have made comparisons to Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings as far as how well the full book is written. The problem is, friends and family can often have a bias and make things seem better than they really are. So, now I want to do a test run in the real world and see what people who don't know me think. Is it as engaging and compelling as they have made me hope that it is?
I'm basically wanting to take a page from a couple authors I admire and follow the ABC rule for critiquing. Please let me know of any point where you thought it was Awesome, Boring or Confusing. I know prologues aren't everyone's favorite thing, but this has basically been written like a novella for the main story as it foreshadows a lot of things leading all the way into book four.
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PROLOGUE
ARCHIVE INFINITUM
October 14, 844 (Alt-Future)
"Welcome back to the Archive, Master Jonathan."
"Thank you, Charles. It's good to be back. Have you noticed anything interesting in the Physical Realm?"
"I have not, sir. Do you require any assistance today?"
"Thank you, but no. I'm only here to revisit a passage within the history of the Order. Shortly after, I'll depart for the reunion at the Tower."
"Excellent, sir. I'll leave you to it."
Jonathan emerged from the ether and walked through the Archive doors. Inhaling deeply, he breathed in the familiar scents of dusty cleanliness that can only truly be found in a place of learning. The lights reflected off the floor's white marble surface, casting a glow that evenly lit every corner of the large chamber. Even so, the room still felt cavernous to him, as if he were a galleon amidst the vastness of the ocean.
Jonathan appeared to be in his early to mid forties. Though, with the way he carried himself and the spring in his step, he seemed closer to his late twenties. His hair was shoulder length and dark gray. He wore bifocals though he hadn't needed them since his ascension, and dressed with a refined sense of style.
His gray eyes were by far his most interesting feature, though. They were the only hint of how old he truly was and the many adventures and travesties he'd witnessed. Regardless, how old he was didn't matter as age had long since lost its meaning for him. After all, being an immortal tended to give a man new priorities in life.
As he strolled across the room, a lift descended from the tower's heights. The square platform had waist high rails around its perimeter. It floated through the air showing no sign of a suspension system to raise or lower it. This was accomplished by a magical enchantment that allowed it to levitate and dart about the room at mind numbing speeds. As he stepped up onto the platform's dais, it landed on the floor in front of him. He took a position at its center, then, after folding his arms behind his back, mentally willed it to take him to floor eight hundred forty four.
It rose off the ground, gradually gaining speed until it was a hundred or so feet in the air. At that point, the platform took off like a rocket. The thought of what these speeds would do to him if this were outside the Realm of Intellect crossed his mind, making him chuckle nervously. He knew he had to be moving close to six hundred miles per hour.
Now, let me tell you a bit about Jonathan's pet project, The Archive Infinitum. The Archive is a magical structure he'd designed shortly after the cataclysm that nearly wiped out the human race. An event most of you now refer to as the Night of Burning Skies. That same event is also what gave us the powers we now refer to as magic.
Shortly after obtaining his ascension, he learned that science's multiverse theories were close to how reality really worked. There are an infinite number of parallel universes, or branching timelines, that coexist simultaneously. What was different is that each universe shared a common six realm structure. The Physical Realm, the Realm of Intellect, the Dominion of Shadows, the Plane of Enlightenment, the Land of the Forgotten, and the Ether.
He built the Archive within the Realm of Intellect so it wouldn't be bound by the laws of physics or time as we know them. Once the structure was anchored in place, he could set most of those parameters himself. What he didn't realize was that making it here would have an unintended, though not unwelcome, side effect. The structure's size, shape, and architectural style could change by anyone who entered it.
When someone enters the Archive, it ascertains their strength of mind and will. Suppose the individual's mental fortitude is deemed stronger than that of the other occupants. In that case, the appearance will adjust to one that best serves and appeals to that individual. This could become unsettling for the occupants already inside the first few times it happened. That being said, it has no effect on the contents atop the shelves or where you're located within the structure. For Jonathan, it shared an uncanny resemblance to the George Peabody Library, though on a much grander scale.
The lift stopped after a brief ride, and Jonathan stepped off. He resumed his stride, passing row after row of the cherry wood bookcases. There were hundreds of rows and thousands of tomes and scrolls in each. As a scholar, he'd spent most of his existence here. But, even so, he knew there would always be something more to be gleaned from their pages.
Today was a day of remembrance. Of celebration. Of mourning. It was the anniversary of the end of a war that had lasted ten thousand years. With the death of one individual, a light of hope was given to many. For others, it was a bittersweet victory that left a void in their hearts. He'd come here today to revisit a passage that would return him to that fateful day. Reliving the event which granted them this peace, and once again, paying his respects to a dear friend.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Here we go."
The plaque on the side of the bookcase read, Row DD, Column 15. Now that he'd found the right one, he began scanning the shelves. It wasn't long before his hand landed on the tome he sought.
"Here it is." He pulled it down from the shelf. "My word. Has it truly been fifteen hundred years since I glanced through these pages?"
Looking at the cover, he chuckled. The combined magic of the Archive and the Realm had created a thin layer of dust. Giving it the feeling of something ancient and lost to time. Raising it to his lips, he blew the dust away, causing the magic to dissipate as it fell to the floor. He pulled open the cover and rifled through the pages. The section he stopped at contained the account of Rexinon the Prophet's final words.
Summoning his divine magics, he channeled a spell into the tome. The words that once filled the passages began to fade away, leaving only the blank pages, which now bled a blueish gray smoke. The soft glow of the lights against the floor diminished as the smoke spread. As the darkness grew more substantial, luminescent spheres and arcs of brilliant blues and crimson could be seen dancing about its surface like lightning.
The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the smokey haze took on a more stormlike appearance. All around him, the air started to feel heavy, and the taste of dust and sea salt filled his mouth. A gentle rain began to fall, and the room's remaining lights winked out. If not for the increasing flashes of lightning, he would've been left in total darkness. But even this was not a comfort, as those flashes cast shadows against the storm's ever swirling walls. Many of which appeared to be dark things that should never be seen in the light.
The storm's intensity grew, bringing disorienting cracks of thunder and wind whipping around him. It assaulted his senses and seemed to have an almost vengeful purpose. That meant he had to constantly focus on the spell, bracing himself against the onslaught. If he failed, it would kill him without question.
Some of the shadows began to take on a physical form with details beyond what the walls could offer them. He watched as an hourglass tumbled end over end, circling him before it returned to the storm. A moment later, a blazing fireplace and mantle emerged but produced neither light nor heat. Finally, a door engraved with the crest of the Order appeared. These images were ones he'd expected to see for this particular passage, and so came as no surprise. However, when a fourth image appeared, he was caught off guard.
Although it was normal for three images to accompany this spell, an occasional fourth spoke of prophecy. He focused intently on this final image. It showed twelve people standing in a circle; one of them was coated in blood. Two others were bound by chains. One a man, the other a woman.
He looked closer at the man and realized it was Godric. His eyes opened wide as he tried to decipher the meaning behind the image. Only a few moments passed while he speculated, but it was a few moments too many. Disaster struck, and too late, he realized his mistake. He'd lost focus, and now the storm would surely take him.
Hurricane force winds and debris tore at his clothes, quickly turning them into rags. One powerful gust slammed into his side as if he'd been struck by a car, knocking him off his feet. The storm swelled with even greater ferocity. It threatened to consume him this time, and he wondered if it would finally cost him.
Rain and hail pelted his face and body, while dust and sand stung his eyes. As he wiped away the grit, a bolt of lightning struck before him, temporarily blinding him. He got to his hands and knees, gasping for breath as the storm continued to beat him relentlessly.
Steeling himself against the pain, he rose to his feet. As fast as he could manage, he began casting mental defenses and barriers to protect his mind from the horrific assault. He bellowed in defiance of the storm, "I will not let it end this way! I refuse!" One defense after another was laid upon his person, until finally, he succeeded. The winds died to a breeze as the rain became little more than a summer misting.
He heard the sound of a quill scratching against paper over the storm's remnants, and the air behind his back grew hot as a crackling fire joined the room's ambiance. The sickly sweet smell of incense filled his nostrils, reminding him of days spent in his master's study. Another fond memory.
The storm wall vanished as the tremors subsided, making the room visible through a misty haze. The light of the fireplace cast his shadow across the now rough cut gray stone floor. Half a dozen tapestries hung around the room, and a liquor cabinet stood at the room's far corner. The main entry door remained closed to his left, and the doorway to the study's balcony lay to his right. At the room's center sat Rexinon at his desk, writing furiously on a piece of parchment.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he'd done this countless times, the journey into the pages of history was always filled with peril. But, blessedly, the most intense part of the spell was complete. And while he could now relax in that fact, that fourth image still concerned him.
He stood in the familiar square room, clothing restored to its original state. The evening's air flowed through the open windows, making the ambient temperature quite cozy. Crossing the room, he paused at the desk and listened as Rexinon started muttering. "What I wouldn't give for a typewriter, much less a computer. Would make this so much faster."
Jonathan couldn't help but crack a smile. "Oh, but how many times have I thought the same thing, old friend?" He remarked, though he knew Rexinon couldn't hear him.
He stepped up to the desk and leaned over it. Looking down at the paper Rexinon was writing on, he frowned. Like so many times before, it appeared as little more than black scribbles on a page. Those words had to be important, but there was no way to know.
This was one of the spell's critical weaknesses. The details within the vision were only as precise as what was written in the tome. Most of the books in the Archive were magically transcribed. The benefits of this were completed histories free of victor and writer biases. Although, it wasn't flawless.
Throughout history, there have been individuals or events that the spell couldn't see. The most well known examples of these blips in time were the United States presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945 and the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Michael Durham, from 2063 to 2065. All that is known about them was their lives before office and the accounts written by those around them. These gaps in history were generally the result of one of two things. In these two cases, a place or individual with a strong connection to the Dominion of Shadows.
Sighing, he pushed off the desk and crossed the room to the liquor cabinet. He opened the glass doors, pulling several bottles and a glass from the shelves. He made a drink consisting of three parts Red Adders Bite and one part Dry Amorian Blood Wine, then added a lime wedge to the rim of the glass. The others wouldn't arrive for another half hour, leaving him time to kill.
He walked around the room with his drink in hand and studied the various tapestries, several of which he'd been a part of. Each one depicted an accomplishment or tragedy facilitated by the Order. All save one, which showed a scene from the event that started it all.
The one to the left of the cabinet showed the Order's founding. In the background stood a grand tower of black and white marble. Its four sides were engraved with the Mark of Hellyrr, which glowed with a magical light. In front of it stood a man facing a gathered crowd, his arms swept wide in triumph. They looked up at him and the structure with reverence and awe.
He continued to move in a counterclockwise manner around the room. Above the main entry door hung another tapestry. One he was even depicted in. It showed the aftermath of a massacre. Six figures stood amidst the bodies of hundreds. The earth around them was scorched by flame, and the blood of the fallen had stained it red. The cloud covered sky glowed a deep crimson with gold outlines from the fires below. It had come to be known as the Cleansing of Elysian, in which the entirety of the planet's second continent had been annihilated to preserve the world.
"I wish it had never come to this. Why can't we all just get along? Instead of thriving in the prosperity of our two lands, they plotted and began planning to bring war to our own people. To rape, pillage, and enslave them. Even with all my vast knowledge and wisdom, I can't understand why they felt the need to dominate and control the world." He looked back up at the tapestry. "Even now, most of the land is still uninhabitable."
He turned around and looked at the tapestry above the balcony door. This one would appear out of place with the others to all but a few handfuls of people. Even for those who learned the truth behind it, it looked like little more than an artist's vision of what a beautiful landscape at sunset should look like. The sky is dotted with hundreds of stars as shades of red, orange, and yellow dance across the land's horizon. The artist's point of view appears to be looking down from a hillside. Down the hill's slope, you can see a pond teaming with wildlife along its edge. The remaining landscape is filled with miles of forest stretching toward the horizon.
For the few who survived this event and still remained, they knew it depicted the final moments of their world before all of humanity was nearly lost.
Jonathan fixated on this tapestry more than he had on the others. The longer he stared, the more distant his expression grew. Over time, his breathing quickened, and his grip on the glass slipped. It shattered as it hit the floor, causing the rug to stain from the liquid. The sound jerked him out of the trance like state, making him feel ill.
He could still recall the memory of that long ago day like it were yesterday. The thought of how close humanity had come to extinction made his legs weak, and he stumbled back against the wall behind him. He slid down the stones' cool surface and noticed his hands were now trembling. Through shuddering breaths, he uttered the words of a broken man. "So much death. So many lives were lost that day. So many. Oh, Sonia. Even after all this time, I still miss you."
The main entry door slammed open, crashing against the wall with a loud bang. Jonathan jerked as one of them collided mere inches from where he sat. The startling sound had been enough to pull him from his stupor, but it still took a moment for him to gather himself. A man in the doorway lowered his foot from where he'd obviously kicked the unlocked door in.
"Knock, knock, Rex. Seems you've done it now."
"Seth. I'll never understand the animosity you held for Rexinon," Jonathan said wearily as he got to his feet.
Seth stood just shy of five foot eight inches and had slick black hair that he kept combed back. He wore black jeans and a beige dress shirt with mother of pearl buttons, which had seen far too much polish in recent days. A malevolent grin displayed his perfect teeth and careless eyes. He strode into the room, dragging a chair behind him, and placed it on the rug by the fireplace.
"Was kicking the door in really necessary, Seth?"
A second man stepped into the room, obviously annoyed by the unnecessary use of force. He wore a navy blue business suit and towered over everyone else in the room, and that was saying something considering Jonathan was six foot. As he still held to the standards of a marine, he kept his hair high and tight and his face clean shaven. He stood at the rug's edge out of respect for the Order so as not to mar the embroidered Mark of Hellyrr. A respect Seth clearly lacked.
"Godric Gibbs. This day changed you. Hell, it changed all of us, but few as much as you," Jonathan said. He looked back at the door as the third and final man entered. "Assassin."
This man was of a height with Jonathan and wore all black from head to toe. His outfit looked like something out of a TV show. Almost like a cross between Gi Joe's Snake Eyes, and CW Arrow's League of Assassins. After ten thousand years, all they knew about him was his previous occupation as a contract killer. It wasn't long before they'd taken to calling him Assassin, as they had no other name to go by. Any time he was asked a question regarding his past, he either remained silent or dodged it outright. He took a position to Godric's left and, like Godric, took care of where he stood on the rug.
The three men stood in silence and watched as Rexinon continued to write. Godric and Assassin seemed content to wait until he addressed them. On the other hand, Seth seemed to grow more agitated as the minutes passed. Jonathan chuckled in spite of himself.
About twenty minutes later, Rexinon spoke, "Reverend Seth Jones, Colonel Godric Gibbs, and Assassin. To what do I owe the pleasure?" His tone plainly indicated that he already knew.
Seth spoke first. "Oh, cut the crap, Rex. You already know why we're here. This cult thing of yours has gone on long enough."
"Well, there's the pot calling the kettle black," Jonathan muttered sarcastically.
Godric rolled his eyes. Everyone in the room knew about Seth's past as a cult leader. They also knew his anger was more at being forced to wait in silence than anything to do with Rexinon or the Order.
"Calm yourself, Seth. There's no need for such hostilities." Godric looked at Rexinon apologetically. "I'm sorry to have to do this, old friend, but my hands are tied. Rexinon the Prophet, Headmaster of the Hellyrrian Order, you've been charged with conspiracy to overthrow the governments of Aurelia and seize control for the Order.
"As we speak, the leaders of the Hellyrrian Order are being gathered for execution. Furthermore, your towers and all their artifacts will be destroyed, and any remnants of the Order's existence is to be wiped from the face of history. As of 0813 this morning, you have been sentenced to death. How do you plead?"
Rexinon continued to write at an incredible rate. He knew why they'd come. He'd known this was coming for months. After all, his gift was the gift of prophecy. The evidence for the charges against him was both substantial and ethereal, depending on what light was shown on it.
Two centuries ago, the Order had tracked the activities of an unknown number of individuals who'd been subtly manipulating several of the Aurelian governing bodies. They'd spread like a poison, corrupting them and turning once prosperous kingdoms which knew few hardships, into lands where the people had to fight just to survive. The problem was that whoever that force had been, always seemed to be just one step ahead of them. Now, not only was it check, but checkmate. The Order had lost.
"I believe the Righteous Twelve to be ill advised. I believe you've been manipulated by the same corrupted governing body which we've spent so long trying to purify—." Seth grunted. "—But," he said at length, "I accept all charges against me, save one. Neither myself nor anyone else of the Order has ever sought to rule Aurelia, as the charges would imply. The Cleansing of Elysian should've been proof enough to show that to be true."
Rexinon penned the final words of his letter and placed the pen back in its stand. Pulling the top off a jar, he dusted the page with a thin layer of sand to soak up any excess ink. After dumping the sand back into another jar to be cleaned, he pushed away from his desk and stood to look at his guests for the first time. After nudging his stool back under, he addressed Godric directly.
"Will you join me on the balcony one last time?"
Godric nodded his head and gestured towards the balcony doorway. As they stepped outside, Jonathan followed.
Rexinon leaned against the railing and looked out over the city, his gaze fixed on the setting sun. Godric joined him and looked down to the tower's base, some five hundred feet below. Although he was not afraid of heights, it gave him respect for the sturdily mounted railing at the balcony's edge.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rexinon said. Godric looked at him, confused. "The way the world has turned out since that day? Ten thousand years of watching as civilization was rebuilt and destroyed time and time again by a senseless war. Watching them evolve into something more as they learned how to use these gifts we were given. In some ways, we're greater than we ever were. In other ways, we're inferior. If I have any regrets, it's that I couldn't do more to leave the people better prepared for this new age."
"Well spoken. If it's any consolation, I believe this is wrong. I even spoke out against the council for a different outcome. For my efforts, though, I was threatened with execution if I didn't cease my objections."
Rexinon's tone grew heated after hearing of the council's reaction. "You should know better than anyone why I fought so hard against them, then. I'm not against governance. I'm against corrupt governance. We had far too many corrupt politicians and warlords in our own time for me to ever want to allow it again."
Godric nodded his head. "Yes. The problem is you played too heavy a hand too quickly. Instead of accepting that they'd been beaten, they cheated by playing with an ace they had hidden up their collective sleeves."
Rexinon sighed, knowing his words were true. "Indeed. I've accepted my fate. I won't run. Won't even make it difficult for y'all. I have no need to. I would like to make one final request to ease your conscience, though."
Rexinon leaned toward Godric conspiratorially. As he did this, the world around them began to shimmer and distort. Almost like the motion blurring you'd see on a TV. Likewise, their conversation was masked by the sound of white noise and the sound of hushed incoherent whispers.
This was the second hurdle the scrying spells had to deal with. Individuals with divine magic could conceal their conversations or even the events they were a part of. Rexinon had concealed this conversation, and to this day, Godric has never spoken of what was said.
Jonathan returned to the study with a resigned sigh. There was nothing more he could learn from their conversation. Assassin stood in the same spot he'd been when he first entered the room and looked as if he hadn't so much as twitched. Seth, however, was rummaging through the desk's drawers. He'd tried to figure out what he was looking for in the past, but nothing seemed obvious.
The shards of glass from when he'd dropped his cup earlier had vanished, along with the stain on the rug from the liquor. As expected, the glass had returned to the cabinet, and the bottles had refilled to where they were before he'd arrived. This was yet another reminder that this was a magically induced vision of an event that had long since passed. It could be too easy to forget that this wasn't real and that if he spent too much time here, it would have consequences in the real world for him.
He knew they'd be out there a while. In previous visits, he'd occasionally spent this time combing through the room, similar to what Seth was doing. Having cataloged everything centuries ago, there was nothing left to do but wait. So, he walked around the desk and sat squarely within the Mark of Hellyrr embroidered on the rug. There, for the next hour or so, he would remain, arms folded, legs crossed, and eyes shut. Freeing his mind of all unnecessary thoughts and emotions. At least, that was the plan.
About forty minutes in, Seth started to grumble and complain, forcing Jonathan to give up on his meditation. "… I know he's one of the humblest among our kind, but lord, does he have to be so dull? I can't find anything interesting anywhere. Even his liquor cabinet is dull." Seth walked from behind the desk to the liquor cabinet, pulled a few bottles out at random, and read the labels aloud. "Red Adders Bite, Amorian Blood Wine. Christ, he's even got Athester's Sweet Malt. This crap might as well be water." He pulled another bottle down and said, "At least he's got the taste to have at least one bottle of Nordic Berserker."
"Some of us prefer the simpler things in life. You might find life more enjoyable when you aren't always looking for the rare and exotic," Assassin said with a disinterested, almost dismissive tone.
Seth clicked his tongue. "Hell, even this letter he was so focused on when we arrived makes no sense." Seth thrust the letter towards Assassin, who took it nonchalantly. "Look at this."
Jonathan studied Assassin intently, hoping for any sign that would reveal the letter's contents. It was no use, though; for all the emotion he showed, Jonathan would've thought it no more important than a grocery list. But, if that were the case, why obscure it from the eyes of the scrying spell? The frustration caused by such a simple sheet of paper was baffling.
Jonathan got to his feet as Rexinon and Godric returned. As Rexinon walked to stand at the center of the rug, Jonathan moved behind the desk. Godric walked toward Assassin and conversed with him for a few minutes. Once again, the sound of white noise shrouded what was said. This time, it was Godric who masked his words from the spell. When Assassin nodded, Godric moved beside him and faced Rexinon.
Rexinon looked at each tapestry and seemed to relive each as he did so. They all knew those accomplishments and tragedies would stand the test of time. Any efforts to change that would fall flat. The Order had played too significant a role in shaping this new world. Finally, he turned to Godric, kneeling as he met his regret filled eyes.
Assassin pulled an infamous rod from his side, dubbed the Executioner's Handle. Forged in the Dominion of Shadow by Assassin some three thousand years ago. It was one and a half feet long of shadow infused steel and bound with his own divine essence. Ominous black tendrils crawled along Assassin's hand like something alive and flowed into the handle. The shaft elongated, and an axe head formed at its end.
Though he had accepted his fate, seeing that axe form made Rexinon's heart stop momentarily. He looked at Godric questioningly. Godric knew what that look meant and nodded his head in assent. Agreeing to this had allowed them both to right several wrongs this night by asking one simple question. "Do you have any final words or requests?"
"I have two, if you'll grant them. The first, allow me to disband the Order formally as my final act as headmaster."
Seth started to protest, but Assassin lowered the axehead in his direction as a silent threat. Seth glared at Assassin with seething hatred. Godric nodded to Rexinon. "Proceed."
As the headmaster of the Hellyrrian Order, he had a mental connection with every member. Without hesitation, Rexinon's eyes began to glow with a brilliant purple hue. This would be Rexinon's final order, and Godric knew it would save thousands.
"My brothers and sisters, hear me now and heed my words. Abandon the Order and save yourselves. Flee to the hills and never look back to what we once were. With my dying breath, the Hellyrrian Order is no more. The governments of Aurelia have played a hand we can't stand against. Anyone who disregards this command will be hunted down and executed without mercy. To the leaders and guild masters of the Order, I charge you with dismantling everything relating to the Order and turning over every artifact and document you can to Godric the Just, Jonathan the Wise, or Assassin the Watcher. I also ask that you help calm those who feel outraged and betrayed by this night. Do not blame the Twelve, as they were little more than pawns in this corrupt game of politics. Farewell, my friends. My family. May the peace we have fought for be found in the coming days."
The glow faded, and he slumped forward onto his hands, his breathing labored. A few moments passed, and he managed to catch his breath but still looked towards the ground.
"The second request I have is that anyone who would heed that warning be spared. The ruling factions wanted me. As long as no one else causes trouble, we know they won't cause too much fuss over it."
His voice took on a much sharper edge as he looked back up. "You call us a cult, though you know we are nothing of the sort. On the contrary, our Order has stood for nearly five thousand years for the betterment of the entire world. How they treated you should tell you that what I said and what we were doing was justified."
"Shut your mouth, Rex!" Seth spat venomously.
Godric glared at Seth. His own anger with this situation was at the point of breaking free. "Be silent! I don't know what kind of grudge you have, but I, for one, don't give a damn what the council said. Rexinon doesn't deserve death for the crimes he's being accused of. Unfortunately, the ruling factions in almost every nation are corrupted and working towards being as corrupt as they were back in our day." Godric sighed. "Regrettably, my hands are tied, though. The law is the law, and I have been overruled on this matter. Regardless of what my conscience thinks, I will abide by the rules of the land."
Rexinon nodded, understanding Godric's situation perfectly. Godric had become the divine embodiment of law and justice at his ascension. While those two things work hand in hand, they are far from the same, and one must often walk a fine line to serve them both. In this case, the choices were clear. In the end, it didn't matter what he chose; he would inevitably betray one virtue or the other. Unfortunately, there was no good way for him to handle this, and Rexinon could see how this was affecting him.
"The majority of the Order will heed my warning. As for the leaders, if any are still alive, they will follow that command to the letter. They'll even aid you in handling any hotheads who resist," Rexinon said.
"The good news is that no one has yet been executed this evening. I'll personally see to it that those who abide by that order are given a chance to live long, productive lives within society. If all goes well, you will be the only casualty of this idiocy."
Rexinon gave the faintest sign of a smile with a halfhearted chuckle as he said, "Godric, one thing I'll not allow is any of the Order's work ending up in the hands of one of those tyrants. Therefore, I demand that Jonathan be given every document, scroll, and tome held within our strongholds for safekeeping." Rexinon felt exhausted. The spell to warn his Order took more out of him than anticipated.
"You're in no position to be making demands of us," Seth said. Godric finally snapped and struck him so hard that he slammed back into the wall beside the fireplace, cracking it. He got back to his feet a moment later, fixed his shirt, and looked down at the blood he'd wiped from his lip. Godric looked back at Rexinon.
"As you were saying."
"Assassin, I'd ask that you secure all our relics and artifacts, regardless of their magical significance. I don't need to tell you what all we have housed around Aurelia."
"No, you don't. The nukes of our time were nothing compared to some of those items," Assassin replied.
"We'll see to it that it's done. There are things within these walls that were never meant for untrained mortal hands," Godric added.
"Thank you."
"As for the texts, Jonathan will have a field day going through everything. There is far too much the council doesn't understand within these walls that we can't afford to lose."
"Godric was right, Rex. I still have everything. Much of which has been quite useful over the centuries,"
Godric turned his head away, no longer able to look Rexinon in the eye. "I no longer deserve the right to call you a friend, but is there anything else you would ask of me?"
Rexinon looked at Godric for a long time and couldn't help but smile. Not at his pain or suffering in following the orders given to him, but knowing that if anyone here had ever been a friend to him, Godric certainly was. With his final words, he left Godric with a warning.
"No, but I'll leave you with this. Be wary of those among you, for one will betray you all. My friend."
Godric nodded, accepting these as Rexinon's final words as a tear ran down his cheek. Rexinon lowered his head, and Assassin enveloped his axe's blade in a purple aura.
"Woah, Assassin, what's with the new color? Never seen that before," Seth asked.
Ignoring the question, Assassin swung the axe, severing Rexinon's head cleanly.
That night, the cries of the Order were heard in every city across Aurelia. All mourning the death of the Order's first, and last, headmaster.
Jonathan fought back tears of his own as he watched the axe's head vanish. Assassin secured the handle on his belt as he walked towards the desk. Godric looked as though he was going to be sick.
"Did you do as I asked?" Godric asked shakily.
"Of course. I may be a trained killer, but even I know this was bullshit, mate."
Seth walked over and picked up Rexinon's severed head by the hair. He held it up before him, a mischievous grin on his face. Then he whispered something into Rexinon's ear.
Assassin's eyes locked on Seth. As he let go of the head, he used one of his abilities, known as shadow step, to cross the distance to where Seth stood. Before Rexinon's head hit the ground, Assassin snatched it out of the air and punched Seth so hard that it sent him flying into the same section of the wall he'd hit earlier. He bounced off it, but the force of the impact sent several of the stones flying into the next room. Seth crumpled to the floor, where he lay unmoving for several seconds. After a while, his head snapped upright, and he began to laugh. He stood up as if nothing had happened and headed out the door. Godric, now seething with anger, watched as Assassin started to go after him. "Leave him. He's not worth your time."
Jonathan paced around the room, waiting for the spell to wear off. His heart ached, and his own anger toward Seth at that moment made him wish he could destroy the man. But that was Seth's way, and they'd all learned to let it go in time. The world began to blur and vanish, reverting to the Archive once again.
He closed the cover, placing the tome back on the shelf with a heavy sigh. His fingers lingered on the binding as he read the inscription, A Complete History of the Hellyrrian Order, Volume 666. Finally, Jonathan let his hand fall to the side as he walked away with his shoulders slumped.
As if speaking to an old friend, he lamented, "Damn you, Rex. Why couldn't you have just left well enough alone?"
As Jonathan walked away, he shed a tear at the loss of one of his closest friends.

An actor everybody is pretty much somewhat familiar with, Rowan Atkinson that plays Mr Bean recently made an about 10 minute press release speech and statement. It was directly concerning the freedom of the people of the United Kingdom to merely express themselves, to perform the very human act of communicating and sharing. https://youtu.be/xUezfuy8Qpc
The fact that the U.K is unfortunately by law a tyrannical state that dishes out criminal punishment to anyone who says anything anyone finds offensive, no literally they actually have laws that get you arrested for posting normal song lyrics and other mundane normal usage posts. It's from a recent yet slightly older law from 25 years ago, and it enables anyone to be charged with hate speech for saying or since the advent of social media posting anything anyone ever finds offensive.
I wish it were otherwise but unfortunately these authoritarian tyrannical laws are also present... in Australia and you have probably forgotten but they were on full display in Australia in 2019... when the Pharmaceutical companies became the wealthiest and most profitable companies on Earth... the same companies that sponsor Political Parties,... and Television advertisements,... Social Media companies (like the one your on now) and literally run the tests and produce all medical scientific papers (studies, theories, hospitals, physicians on payroll, fund entire hospitals and livelihoods... etc. etc.) The best example I can remember of the absolute tyranny Australia was under is a case whereby a pregnant women in Victoria was arrested for writing on a Facebook post that she was against lockdowns and supported the protests against them... the Police came and arrested her... for 'Hate Speech'... it luckily enough got picked up media companies (TV stories and articles). Luckily. So the police, after dragging this pregnant woman kicking and screaming out of her apartment (not exactly literally) let her go without charge. She was lucky. Very very lucky. And there is no way she should have had to have been 'lucky' for merely making a post on Facebook.
America simply does not have this problem as written into the very constitution as the 1st Amendment to their constitution by the founding fathers in all of their wisdom, intelligence, good faith and if your religious like they where, filled with divine enlightenment wrote it such that the Government in America has no ability to write any law to restrict people's rights to express themselves (Freedom of Speech), restrict the press (because back then they lacked smart phones, social media and all modern technology, which should be obvious but perhaps it is not and is difficult for people today to even begin to imagine life back then despite it being very loosely similar to today's world) and finallu restrict people's religious freedoms (written in reverse order to this because they were all wise God loving, humble, noble and brave men.
America's 1st Amendment is the only Freedom of Speech law written into its very constitution in the entire world, it is the reason that America is referred to as 'Land of the Free' and the second part of that phrase, 'Home of the Brave.'. As for protests, peaceful assembly had always been constitutionally protected, not violent assembly so riots and revolution is still very much illegal and is met with lethal counter force every time. [As a side note, if peaceful assembly fails to prevent America becoming a Tryrannical State, then the 2nd Amendment is the fail-safe. As the wisdom of the founding fathers literally argued and intendeded]
Australia does not have that phrase and frankly I feel that every Australian that knows that, feels a deep unspoken, subconscious shame over that fact and far more importantly that all Australians simply do not have the constitutional right to even speak their minds freely, as every human being alive desires.
As Rowan Atkinson stated 'Hate Speech' is not real. It is a term used to silence, censor and remove power from whomever those in power disagree and dislike or are offended by. There are seemingly endless examples from history of the evil deeds of enactment of those disliked by existing powers for example, Galileo (ostracised and persecuted by the church and all religious folk for merely stating he believed that the sun was the center of the Galaxy and not the Earth), Nikola Tesla (defamed by the work of Tomas Edison and countless people trying to claim his inventions as their own by way of patent theft and lies for the purpose of advertising like don't by an American organisation NPR over the discovery of radio), (Jesus Christ himself by his crucifixion by my Ancestors, the Romans) and as the last example, the NAZI's by locking up any intellectuals that disagreed or dared critisize any of their doctrine and propoganda, their torture of anyone condemned for death by way of countless sadistic and grotesque torture methods, and some though quite few, for scientific discovery purposes, their burning of the books followed in time by bodies, and lastly their brutal slaughter of the Jews, no evidence of wrongs but only stirring words and speeches from their beloved demagogue, Adolf Hitler and gigantic amounts of absolute propoganda distributed to the masses, orchestrated by NAZI Propoganda Chief Joseph Goebbels and his team. (Which every highschool student should have, though potentially didn't, have already learned from Highschool History class, at least in every Public School, Private Schools may be permitted a different curriculum.) Offensive caused by speech has only 1 solution. More Free speech, Rowan Atkinson a famous actor that has probably more wealth than this entire subreddit conveyed this message, and it would seem as an absolute truth as far as I can tell.
I have written this in hopes of sparking and pasing wisdom and knowledge into whoever needs to have read this. And hopefully you will pass this type of message on yourself from now on. Australia needs the Right of Freedom of Speech written into its very constitution. As demonstrated during COVID19 it needed it years ago but now even more than ever.
And to those that would say it will do nothing but allow mass disinformation, manipulation and mislead people, I would say this, history has proven you absolutely dead wrong on that statement and sentiment, the only solution to offense from speech is more Free Speech and if you silence, censor or try more modern trends of the same kind known as deplatforming or cancelling, then all you do, all you achieve, everything you are trying to stop will only be made stronger, more resilient and more popular then ever before. As examples, take Jesus Christ, he has the Roman equivalent of being hung drawn and quartered, he was crucified, publicly executed like a lamb to the slaughter to send a message of absolute obedience being required to the rest of the herd. Yet because of that Christianity exploded and has been far more viral than COVID19 or any viral video has ever been to date. And for modern times look at Tucker Carlson, deplatformed by pressure from Pharmaceutical companies, lawsuits from shitty voting machine companies and pathologically idealogically fanatic ex employees in lawsuits. Tucker Carlsons show on Fox was the most popular show on Fox News and it drew in about 2 million people every night to watch it... after he was fired... is now getting 35+ million on the regular after he started up on Twitter. I do so imagine that actuall that will be an understatement in the coming future as currently he's on his 2nd episode ever. The 'Streisand Effect' in full unbridled, unstoppable force.
Every Australian deserves the right to express themselves freely, meaning free of all Government persecution and all possible Government and legal persecution. This is and has always been a left wing idea, as the rule of Tyrants; Dictators, kings Pharaohs, Caesar's, Shoguns, Kahns, Lords, Nobles Knights and Emperors have always, always been majority perpetuated by people with conservative temperaments, whereas free thinkers, creative and imaginative people are the minority of people perpetuating the rule of Tyrants.
We here in Australia critisize China for authoritarianism and tyranny when there is weakness in our own ranks. 'Those in glass houses should not throw stones' - some famous person', 'never lay cannonfire on your enemy with a glass cannon' -me. Western countries, especially our home Australians true colours, true laws and beliefs of of people were broadcaster for the world to see during covid. And they paint a very dark authoritarian picture of our nation to the world, something China is more than smart enough to take advantage of... and much to our chagrin they are and have been since Covid ended for us. Chinese propoganda, their Television Channels, all Chinese State OWNED... all of them constantly bring up how Australia, England and America all were even worse if not just as bad as China was during Covid19, and as the best and most convincing propoganda always is... its harrowingly mostly true. (Only, partly mostly thankfully) but domestic Chinese TV isn't the most important propoganda outlet taking the easy win by using our sins in their propoganda... no, that would be the Confucius Institute in Australian Universities. China's unelected ruling communist party (communist in name only these days, just a full bull authoritarian tyranny is their ideology nowadays) main propoganda outlet in Australia is a Chinese University group called the Confucius Institute (I could be wrong about the name and I've spent too long writing this to be bothered to look it up). They target young, impressionable Chinese men and women when they are studying abroad in Australia's universities, our most popular young adult Chinese attraction, I dare say, maybe even 'Global young adult Asian attraction' as I once met a man from Tibet who said exactly that in a course I had to take for my construction job (white card). The Confucius Institute goal is promote CCP propoganda via demonising the way Australia and all Western countries are so that as few young people ever believe in the ideals of Democracy and want to return to China, such that the CCP can perpetuate its tyrannical rule over China forever. Idealogically brainwash 'loose ends' - Mafia Terminology if you understand. They thanks to what happened to Australia under the Lib/Nats Coalition 2019 to late 2022 they distribute and spread half truths about Australia and countless other lies about every part and aspect of life in Australia as well as pay members of their organisation to organise pro China protests, (sign holders and chanters) in Australian Universities, footage of this circulated sparsely in Australian media and articles during 2014-2018 roughly though probably a bit before too. They actively seek out and target specifically ethnically Chinese and often try to emotionally blackmail them, incite fear into them, speak exclusively their propoganda to then and rarely but almost certainly literally blackmail them using the threat of violence, torture and death of their families back in China. Naturally there's no direct evidence of that claim except for Chinese Father and Husband in England that was blackmailed (husband of high ranking shipping Port official wife) they abducted his wife and child and forced the wife read a script to the husband over the phone (utilised emotional and physical blackmail and just directly veiled and unveiled threats, I recommend you look up interviews from the husband) and if you look up the articles of the Confucius Institute from IDK 2011-2018 and have the ability to interpret from what the articles found you can tell the Confucius Institute, only has 1 purpose, to try and perpetuate the CCP's rule of China and stop and protest against their rule, specifically stopping Tiananmen Square type protests from ever happening again. The Tianamen Square Massacre was a global well known proverbial black eye to China that severely hampered every nation's diplomatic relations with China for close to half a century, and the CCP didn't like that as even Tyrants love swimming in money, also the CCP loves stealing technology through trade espionage, China's MAG Lev trains and their entire car industry is built off stolen technology from Western companies dumb enough to deal with companies owned by the CCP. Naturally the Chinese who have been or are being 'convinced' by the Confucius Institute are always the biggest promoters of Anti Freedom ideas, especially the death of Freedom of Speech via hate speech crime laws such as: incitement of violence laws (Victoria mainly), offensive Tweets, Facebook Posts, Instagram Posts,,, Goddamn Reddit posts all hopefully being made illegal and the Liberals God awful rich persons almost exclusive digital world referee, The new E-Safety Commisioner. And like all the God awful Tyrant Commissioner's from TV shows and books if the E-Safety commisoner ever... EVER gets in the hands of the Liberals again it will be used against the normal people of Australia to beat the collective will of normal free thinking Australian's to the ground if not to death. Only complete dumbass Liberal Supporters usually dumb beer drinking sky news watchers (usually fossils) and Young Adult Chinese University Students support ANY of the laws and speech referees I just mentioned.
Again please war h the video I linked at the tiop and if the Politcal State of the U.K interests you for whatever reason then I recommend: Count Dankular (his second channel) the first person in Scottish History tried and found guilty of 'Hate Speech'... from a freakin comedy video. Where he's mocking the very thing they charged him for supporting [funny pug salute video as a direct hint]), Jonathan Pie (excellent wit, fantastic satirist and insult wordsmith wizard, also very yelly, I like him) and lastly Jordan Shanks himself, the namesake of this subreddit, FriendlyJordies. Whenever he actually gets round to covering the U.K his analysis is excellent.
Also a guy from YouTube channel Sargon of Akkad though... fair warning, his videos are really boring but he is quite very articulate.
All Australians deserve the Right of Freedom of Speech. And unfortunately, on Reddit in particular I see far too many Tyrannical Speech Law sympathisers which I personally find truly disgusting and as much as I hate the authoritarian ideas you spout, I will defend your right to say and spread them. If your a real FriendlyJordies fan or agree with his ideas and rhetoric than I already know you support all Australians Right of 'Free Speech'.

Me and my girlfriend have been in a really good relationship for the past six months or so. This is someone I have known practically my entire life. There has always been something between us but we only recently started exploring it.
I kind of lost my old habits with women in the relationship and just went with the flow. Normally with women, I will keep busy, rarely give her any time, less compliments, less attention, etc... This is something I have found to work well for me practically every time before her.
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Anyways, I decided to tell my father about our relationship and maybe how this is the woman I would like to marry. (He knows her well). He gave me a lot of good advice but also told me to do the things I said I had left behind, to give her less attention, less compliments, basically to never let her feel like I truly like her.
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I have put the advice to use and it has since been ruining things. What used to be a fun relationship has just become a bit dull. She sends less and less pictures now. She told me before that she felt good in her body because I make sure she knows it. I am thinking the less compliments has something to do with that. There are other things that are not going well as a result of the change I have made.
People that have used 'game' tactics in dating would understand the advice and the practicality here. My question is 'why is it having the opposite effect with her?'
Where exactly do we go from here?

So I just wanted to share a minor win that I had last night that is so small but absolutely profound to me.
Me (5'11" size 20), my partner, and a few friends will be driving in a 24 Hours of Lemons race (wheel to wheel road course racing in $500 POS cars) this summer, and it's been super fun to prep our car, plan out our weekend strategy, shop for racing gear, etc. I grew up around Indy cars, and have always wanted to race, but my height ruled that out as a possibility very early on, and cost made it seem totally out of reach as an adult (I'll be 40 in August) until we found the Lemons series. Needless to say, I'm ridiculously excited.
Despite my excitement, prepping for the race has brought on a lot of unexpected anxieties about my size. I've been tackling them one at a time: racing seats are designed to be snug, will I fit? YES. Will the harness that fits my average sized partner and teammates fit? YES. Last night we received our fire resistant racing suits (coveralls with a front zip, think the suits trash collectors and janitors used to wear) and we realized we were missing some gear, so it was decided while we were all together working on the car, we'd try on what we DID have to make sure everything fit and we could exchange what didn't. I've been hesitant to do this kind of stuff in front of friends, because not fitting into a thing that should fit and having other people see me struggle with a zipper or buttons or whatever has been horrendously embarrassing to me in the past. My suit was an XXL (default sizing is for men, because they're the majority of the people wearing them), and while I was able to get it on and up over my shoulders, I realized pretty quickly that there was no way it was going to zip over my lower stomach where I carry most of my weight, and that even if I could, that would make the crotch so tight I likely wouldn't have been able to sit in the racing seat long enough to drive my shift (if at all). While the four of us were all trying them on, I was aware that everyone else's suits zipped up just fine, and they noticed me struggling to gather the front of the suit to try to zip it. Once I realized it wasn't happening, I just took it off and told the teammate that had arranged our gear rental I needed a bigger suit, and we all just carried on.
Just a few weeks ago, this would have been potentially devastating (I avoided fit-testing the seat u til it was just my partner and I, in case I could fit, or got stuck getting out), but it was very matter of fact: my body is the size that my body is. These suits are not designed with bodies like mine--or even bodies with curves in general--in mind. The suit that had failed me wasn't the largest size available by quite a ways. Other suits are available.
It was very much not a big deal to me, and it wasn't a big deal to anyone else and it was just... a lightbulb moment? Like how much time have I wasted being upset about a thing that wasn't designed with my body in mind not fitting my body?! It's 12+ hours later, and it's still kind of blowing my mind that this sudden "idk, it doesn't fit, can you get me a bigger one? 🤷‍♀️" moment was such a non-event.
Just sharing to say: take your fat body and do the thing. Get out of your own way and allow yourself to have fun experiences if the resources are available!

A storyline document has been found at a hotel where EastEnders creative team holds their conferances
It reveals not only the name of the unlucky body on the floor during Christmas 23 but also what happens to the body.
Ive redacted the name of the victim and only shown the front page of the document
But From what we can gather from this
- CHRISTMAS DAY IS AN HOUR LONG SPECIAL AT 7PM AND THEN A POST WATERSHED 9PM HALF HOUR EPISODE
- THE KILLER IS NONE OF THE 6 WOMEN IN THE CAMPAIGN AND IS IN FACT A SECRET 7TH FACE WHO WAS OFF CAMERA DURING THE FLASH FORWARD
- THE BODY IS HIDDEN AND LOCKED INSIDE A FREEZER IN THE VIC KITCHEN UNTIL IT CAN BE DECIDED WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT.
- THERE ARE AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE AWARE OF THE MURDER AND THE COVER UP IS EXTENSIVE.
- CINDY AND IAN BEALE RETURNED AT HALLOWEEN
- CINDY WAS PLACED IN WITNESS PROTECTION AFTER A VIOLENT INCIDENT IN THE PRISON
- CINDY'S WITNESS PROTECTION NAME WAS ROSE AND SHE WAS MARRIED TO GEORGE KNIGHT. HER DAUGHTERS ARE ANNA AND GINA (WHO IS NAMED AFTER HER SISTER)
- UPON LEARNING OF HER DAUGHTER LUCY'S MURDER IN THE PRESS CINDY WAS DEVASTATED AND ALSO SCARED THAT HER NEW IDENTITY MIGHT BE REVEALED AND FLED FROM GEORGE AND HER DAUGHTERS ANNA AND GINA
- IAN RETURNS AND BUYS HALF OF THE UNDERTAKERS FROM THE COKERS
- A FIRE AT THE PANESARS ON BONFIRE NIGHT SEES EVE AND VINNY TRAPPED. ONE DOES NOT SURVIVE THE EXPLOSION
- EVE AND SUKI'S RELATIONSHIP GOES PUBLIC...
- LITTLE MO RETURNS FOR 6 WEEKS FROM CHRISTMAS DAY ONWARDS FOR A STORYLINE WITH HER SON FREDDIE
- FREDDIE BEGINS WORKING AT THE ALBERT
- MARTIN AND STACEY REKINDLE THEIR RELATIONSHIP
- A MYSTERIOUS NEW OLDER FEMALE CHARACTER WORKING FOR RITCHIE BEGINS SHOWING AN UNSUAL INTEREST IN THE PICTURE OF PEGGY MITCHELL BEHND THE QUEEN VIC BAR. IT APPEARS THERE IS A CONNECTION. SHE BEGINS TO WORK FOR PHIL.
- ELAINE AND KATHY FORGE A STRONG BOND BUT KATHY BEGINS EXHIBITING EARLY SIGNS OF DEMENTIA. (COULD JUST BE STRESS DUE TO WHAT HAPPENS AT CHRISTMAS)
- DEPSITE PROMISING LOLA THAT HE AND JAY WOULD LOOK AFTER A LEXI, A CUSTODY BATTLE ENSUES WHEN JAY DISCOVERS BEN HAS BULLIMIA. IN ORDER TO FIGHT BEN IN COURT JAY AND BILLY END UP SELLING THEIR HALF THE UNDERTAKERS TO IAN
- CINDY ATTEMPTS TO BUILD BRIDGES WITH GEORGE AND THE GIRLS EVEN GOING SO FAR AS TO AGGRESSIVLEY PERSUE GEORGE ROMANTICALLY. BUT HE IS TOO BUSY HELPING LINDA CONCEAL THE BODY AT THE VIC
- FELIX BEGINS SEEING A MARRIED MAN WHO TURNS VIOLENT
- ALFIE AND JO SHARE A NIGHT OF PASSION
- MITCH IS ACCUSED OF ASSAULTING ONE OF HIS FARES AND EVEN KAREN STRUGGLES TO BELIEVE HE'S INNOCENT
- KEANU AND SHARON STRUGGLE WHEN LISA RETURNS WITH PEGGY TELLING KEANU HE NEEDS TO STEP UP. IT APPEARS THAT LOUISE HAS HAD A MENTAL BREAKDOWN.
THERES TALK OF CHARACTERS RETURNING IN 2024 TO BE DISCUSSED AT NEXT CONFERANCE
THESE INCLUDE - LOUISE MITCHELL AS A RECAST, JANINE CARTER FOR 3 EPISODES IN ANNIVERSARY WEEK, EMMA HARDING FOR A HUGE STORYLINE THAT SEES HER TAKE LEXI
LETITA DEAN IS TAKING 3 MONTHS OFF FROM ANNIVERSARY WEEK SO HER EXIT IS BEING DISCUSSED AT NEXT CONFERENCE
THERES TALK OF STARTING TO PLAN FOR THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY 'BLOCKBUSTER' IN 2025 AND THAT THEY WANT BIG BOLD IDEAS
COULD BE A HUGE STUNT OR COULD BE MAJOR CASTING IT ALL SOUNDS VERY EXCITING
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https://preview.redd.it/01m0zgx8qz4b1.jpg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=306fafa19efb8272667ff9dd7910fdcfcac6790f

Hi guys this isn’t for everyone but for the last few months I’ve been enjoying reading trip reports. It’s been a bit of nighttime reading for me. Yesterday I did my first shrooms. I wrote a report more for myself but thought I’d post it for anyone who wants to read it
First trip Strain: yetis Location: download (UK rock festival) Dosage: exact unknown but roughly 1.5g With: 5 friends. 4 took shrooms before me and one other friend it was our first
14:00 the shrooms were eaten. I’d heard about how horrible they were taste wise but I swigged them with a drink and was surprised how tasteless they were. Popcorn texture, the smell was worse than the taste.
14:20 wondering if they were duds. No feeling of anything but remembering they were bruised blue and from a reputable seller and reminded myself to stop being so impatient
14:30 I started to notice like a slight tingling in my hands and a smile forced into my face. One of my friends (the most experienced user) smiled at me and said I’m definitely feeling something now which made me laugh, consequently him laugh back.
15:00 hard to explain but I start to feel my muscles moving individually and I could fully feel blood, not pumping but rather moving round my body. It had a sort of euphoric feel that my body was just working away to keep me alive. We were sat on one of many wooden benches outside a beer tent and one of my friends mentioned something about the wood of the bench, I looked down and the knots of the wood started going slightly green and the wood was swirling around the knots. At this exact point I knew I was tripping, I remember thinking it was exactly how I pictured some parts from watching YouTube clips of “trip simulations” and thought how accurate they were. I remember touching the wood and again, my explanation is terrible but I could really feel the actual wood against my fingers like it was the first time touching wood. I definitely had a real euphoric feeling as I smoked a cigarette and looked up at the sky.
16:00 the next phase definitely turned up a notch. As my group was chatting and laughing it felt like everything was moving really fast. One of my friends is a naturally quicker speaker and it felt like he was talking so fast I couldn’t keep up. One of friends I was talking to has a few freckles and I noticed they were all swirling too. A band started playing on a distant stage but was easily heard and I don’t know if it was the music, but it really felt like as they started a slow beat, everything slowed down to like 0.5 speed. We had been sat there for a couple of hours chatting etc at this point and there was a generator for the beer tent near us the whole time but all of a sudden my ears like locked onto it and it was almost squealing at me.
1630ish I noticed my thoughts were a bit more meaningful. For example we have a friend who since kids was the natural leader of our group and everyone gravitates towards him. But I realised that while he was our groups natural leader whenever there was an argument, issues or someone in need I tended to be the go to person and I understood that I actually play an Important role in our friendship group.
16:45 i started to feel a little out of control, my vision was off and I felt really quite hot. But I needed a pee. I walked 100m to the toilets and on my way back I realised the sea of wooden benches with thousands of people all wearing dark clothing. Things were a bit blurry here and my sight a bit all over the place. It the was the only moment I felt a little worried and out of my depth but alas, I found them after a few minutes.
17:00 I think it started to ware off here. All the effects were losing strength but even my experienced friend said they felt very potent for the small dosage we had. I suggested we go and get some food which I pulled us out of the trip even more.
As someone who’s never done shrooms or any kind of drug tbh I thought it was an ideal first time. I will always remember that experience it was like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
My after thoughts. Hard one to explain but I see why people say you need to let go and enjoy the experience.
I’m glad I had friends around me
Im very intrigued how a slightly larger dose will be, to see visuals etc.
Some parts of the trip were exactly as I expected, some parts I don’t think I was ready for (the change of vision etc) and I’m glad I didn’t do a bigger dose to start with.

I'm finally going back to college after having not studied in years. I'm pursuing Computer Science, which is a field I've always been interested in. A lot of people in my life have said that online classes are the way to go with CS, and that many programs don't require any in-person classes.
I'm struggling heavily with anxiety, agoraphobia, and social anxiety. I've basically been a shut-in, only leaving home when I absolutely must. So going back to college online was the biggest push out of my comfort zone that I could manage. Even though it's still extremely stressful, the fact that I could do it from my comfort place of home was what's been making this do-able for me.
However, today I found out that one of the classes requires an in-person lab (and I'll also need to go in-person for other things here and there, such as getting an ID made). And I'm currently panicking, probably on the verge of a meltdown. This is just... not remotely what I expected or wanted. I'm not even sure if I want to continue at this point.
The reasons why I struggle so much with in-person learning revolve around anxiety and sensory struggles. When there are people and noises and bright lights and lots of different environments, I struggle to retain anything the professor says. On-campus learning is just too stressful for me, and the anxiety it causes makes it impossible for me to learn properly. I also have body imagine struggles that make acutely aware of being perceived by others. So, I told myself that, this time around, I would learn the way I need to by sticking to online classes.
On one hand, I need to do something with my life, and going back to school would be good for me. On the other hand, I'm not sure I can bring myself to do any in-person classes right now. I don't know what to do. Should I stay and just "get over it?" Should I back out and try finding a completely online CS program, but push my education back one semester as a result?

I've hardly gotten any work done today because as it turns out, I might not be as mentally stable as I thought. Let me explain.
Earlier, I was talking to a friend on phone and she seemed a bit off. I asked her, what's wrong ,she said, "Hukaangi tu sometimes unaskia hauna mood?". Then it hit me, I don't. I asked her when was the last time she'd seen me angry and she couldn't recall. Mind you we've known each other for years.
See after the conversation with my friend, I googled 'Why don't I get angry". That one question sent me down a rabbit hole. And after a series of online tests and testimonials, I may or may not have mild Alexithymia .It all makes sense now. Why I'd be in certain situations and wonder why everyone is overreacting. Or why people say I'm nice because I'm "quick to forgive" or I'm always calm. Why despite having seemingly deep affection for certain people, I've never been heartbroken. Truth is, I mostly feel nothing.
My personality has often been mistaken for being a hippie. You now, one of those people who are into positive vibes and 'peace' and I bought this narrative. I thought I was overly positive and had an over-active sense of humor, seeing as to how I laugh at lot of things. I thought I was generally unbothered. I thought I was healed , I thought I loved everyone, enough to carry no hard feelings for anyone.. But as it turns out, I'm just incapable of feeling or understanding these 'hard feelings'.
Like just the other day, we witnessed an accident that involved a truck and a cow. While other people screamed, I just sat there watching. And when I don't know how to react, I think my body's go-to reaction is to laugh. You can imagine how shocked people were. And how funny I found that as well.
Now I don't know how true this is, because I used to cry during movies. My mother recently told me she hasn't seen me cry in a long time. Well, guess I haven't watched a sad movie in a while?
Wah. I'm perplexed. (And yes, I'm saying that while I sit here blankly looking at my screen)
Am I overthinking this?
I'm sad. I guess. I'm not sure.
Anyone Relate?

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What is ashwagandha?
The ashwagandha plant is one of the most powerful herbs. Various parts of the ashwagandha plant are used for medicinal purposes, with ashwagandha extract mainly being used in supplements. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, a natural agent that reportedly helps the body cope with stress. As a result, it’s believed to be effective at helping reduce levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. It may also therefore potentially help with anxiety and depression too.
What does ashwagandha do?
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Ashwagandha is known to help reduce stress and anxiety. One way it does this is by reducing levels of cortisol, a hormone that is released in response to stress. Additionally, ashwagandha has been shown to improve mood and cognitive function, both of which can be negatively affected by stress.
Enhances Cognitive Function
Ashwagandha has also been shown to improve cognitive function. One study showed that it improved memory and reaction time in healthy adults. Another study found that it improved task performance in people with ADHD. Additionally, ashwagandha may help prevent age-related cognitive decline.
Boosts Energy Levels
Ashwagandha has been shown to boost energy levels. One study showed that it increased stamina and reduced fatigue in people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Additionally, ashwagandha may help improve exercise performance.
Additionally, ashwagandha may also help improve sleep quality and reduce inflammation. These effects can all contribute to enhanced energy levels.
Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Ashwagandha has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels. One study showed that it improved insulin sensitivity in people with type II diabetes. Additionally, ashwagandha may help reduce fasting blood sugar levels and improve symptoms of diabetes.
Additionally, ashwagandha may also help lower cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease. These effects can also contribute to improved blood sugar control.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Ashwagandha has been shown to help lower blood pressure. One study showed that it improved blood pressure in people with hypertension. Additionally, ashwagandha may help reduce stress and anxiety, both of which can contribute to high blood pressure.
Is ashwagandha safe?
Ashwagandha is generally considered safe for most people. However, it can cause side effects such as stomach upset, diarrhea, and vomiting in some people. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, it's best to avoid ashwagandha.
What happens when you take ashwagandha daily?
As a sleep aid, ashwagandha may help people get to sleep faster and stay asleep for longer. It is also used to promote male potency. Ashwagandha has a variety of health benefits, including reduced blood sugar levels, inflammation, mood, memory, stress and anxiety relief, as well as an increase in muscle strength and fertility. Depending on your requirements, dosages vary from 250 to 500 mg per day for at least one month.
When it comes to stress relief, ashwagandha may be as effective as some prescription medications. A 2010 study found that the herb was just as effective as lorazepam (Ativan) in reducing stress and anxiety. click the link below to learn more about abhwagandha, and its real health benefits.
CLICK HERE

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I am so, so tired and depressed. My first ex was emotionally and physically abusive, and there were so many times where he'd mention a celebrity being hot without complimenting me. I had to ask him to stop doing that and start complimenting me. On the rare occasion when I did decline sex, he sometimes went and watched porn in another room (and I had sex with him often, about once a day, but sometimes, I just wasn't in the mood!!). I literally walked in on him jerking off to porn in the shower after we had clarified that neither of us would watch porn during our monogamous committed relationship. It's been over a year or two since we stopped dating, but I recently checked on his social (he had reached out to one of my friend's boyfriends, which reminded me of him and his account), and he follows instathots and sexual accounts, women with faces and bodies he claimed were ugly and fake when we had been dating but are now clearly getting him hard.
My second ex seemed like a good and nice guy but also had commented on celebrities being hot without ever complimenting me at the beginning of the relationship. It just devastated me because clearly I do not hold a candle to Olivia Wilde in terms of physical appearance. I had to ask him to stop telling me other women are hot... which seems like an insane ask and also reminded me of my first ex. If you really think your girlfriend is beautiful, why are you not telling her while telling her how beautiful other women are? I also had to ask this one to compliment me, to which he responded that he wasn't comfortable with giving compliments. But he was so comfortable telling me compliments about other women?? He also hadn't wanted to take any photos of or with me. I had to beg him for that, too. Anyways, he ended up complimenting me more but it felt cheap and flimsy since I had to beg him to do it and also beg him to stop calling celebs hot. Toward the end, he said I was the most beautiful girl and prettier than celebrities, but I know he was lying because it's just not true and his previous words and actions showed that.
He didn't follow any instathot accounts but had liked a few sus tweets from coworkers, which upset me and we discussed it and he unliked them and didn't do it anymore. I also clarified at the beginning that I don't want my partner to be sexually gratifying himself to other women's bodies, in person or electronically, including porn. He agreed and said he wouldn't do it, but then ended up doing it four months into our relationship and acted like it wasn't a big deal. It super upset me for obvious reasons and also because I was developing UTIs after sex constantly and was on antibiotics, which weren't healthy for me. Also paid a bit of money for the appointments and meds I had to take for the infections... I had been sacrificing my health to have sex with him and please him, which he was aware of, and he still just didn't care and jerked. Like who cares that my girlfriend could die of a kidney infection from pleasing me, I want a big titty porn star video right now, my gf can die for all I care.
I feel so awful for straight women because we literally have slop for options. All men seem to do this and want their cake (having sex with our bodies and whatever else they drain from us) and to eat it, too (being able to consume porn of millions of other women and be unfaithful to us). I am just sickened and tired and want a normal, decent boyfriend who is faithful to me like I am to him. I hate how normalized porn has become. It is NOT normal for men to have the "need" to watch multiple different women to get their rocks off. And my second ex struggled occasionally to get and stay hard and I felt him go soft inside of me a few times like seriously... I am so unattractive in his eyes that he can't even stay hard inside of me during sex. I think he was used to jerking to other women and just subconsciously found my body unappealing because.... hey, there are literally goddesses online who I cannot compete with and lose out to every time. I will never be beautiful to anyone. Being beautiful is so beyond reach for me. I'm more likely to die and come back to life three days later than be pretty, and it makes me want to just end myself

Me (19f) and my boyfriend (22m) have been together since january 2022, we started having sex a month later and in the first few months it was great - i usually had one or two orgasms and he did too. Unfortunately he made me bleed every time while fingering me so we stopped doing that for about a month or two (id say that was around april) but i was still enjoying it and got wet. He doesnt really know how to eat pussy or rub the clit so i didnt have any orgasms, he got around 2 or 3 every time but i didnt mind much. I was starting to be a little unhappy with sex so he started fingering me again, he was more careful so i didnt bleed as much and it was nice. Everything was great until august. All of a sudden i couldnt reach orgasm with him. I read about it online a lot and i saw that womens orgasms are more emotional so i thought it might be that. In july when we were on vacation in his hometown he made a joke about not minding breaking up and i cried for a few days. Luckily, that issue got resolved in a few days but after that i just couldnt orgasm. I also read that it could be due to stress or mental illness, i was diagnosed with depression and bipolar around 2016 and was on meds but the doctors here are really bad so nothing helped and eventually i just stopped treating it in 2019 and pretended it doesnt exist haha. Through september untill november i went through a stage where i starved myself quite a lot and i stopped getting wet as much. I noticed around mid-december when i started taking care of myself again and eating more sex felt a looooot better and i got wet more so i was really happy about that. Unfortunately i was doing very bad at school which caused suicidal thoughts which caused me being bad at school and so on, that lasted from september until january and in january i started feeling much better. In january it was also supposed to be our anniversary and i was super excited for it i loved him a lot and i couldnt wait to spend a few days with him celebrating and having fun. Unfortunately it wasnt fun at all. It all felt forced, like he didnt actually want to be there. A week or so later i admitted i wasnt happy at all during our anniversary, he actually said he kinda forgot about it and he was tight on money so he didnt give me a gift which made me a little sad because i handmade my gift for him for free. We decided to re-do our anniversary date on valentines day and it was a little better i think, i honestly dont remember what we did. We actually bought lube in february because i couldnt get wet anymore. We thought it was some sort of problem with me and my body but now i realize it was just him not doing ANY sort of foreplay. He thought i would be ready with 2 minutes of kissing and somehow i didnt see anything wrong with it. I told him i want him to touch me more after around 2 months of that the no foreplay business and i started producing just barely enough wetness so we can have sex. Its not like i cant communicate, on multiple occasions i gave him whole lists and details of all the things he could do to get me turned on and i specifically mentioned touching my clit. I think he did that only 2 times and stopped again. During sex i also tell him what feels nice and doesnt. Now we havent had sex in about a month because i had a pregnancy scare and he was scared it would happen again so i didnt force him. He still accepted blowjobs and handjobs, which i gave to him every time we saw each other because i just liked seeing him enjoying himself. Unfortunately he touched me only once in the last month. All this combined is making me dread having sex with him. Last night i told him (in the nicest way i could) i wasnt very happy with our sex life, i felt really bad because he said hes trying, even if he doesnt do absolutely anything to prove it which makes me a little mad, and hes been doing a little bad himself but he says that everytime i mention i want him to try and please me more. I dont even think im asking for a lot, i just want him to kiss my body more, hold my hips and try to touch my clit a little. I feel like its slowly ruining our relationship because i resent him for getting pleasure and orgasms every time we hang out and yet he rarely touches me. He says he knows what i want and like yet he rarely does them and often times he does things i dont like.
Sooooo what should i do? How do i reach orgasm again? How do i make sex good again?

For a number of years, I have had KTM Life Space, but I am looking to upgrade at the moment, and not sure what to get in the 450-650e price range.
My country is not part of the EU, so popular manufacturers do not have representatives here, so the realistic option is to get used bikes for the budget.
What I found in the budget that looks good is:

1. https://www.2bike.rs/cikloberza/mali-oglasi/bicikli-6/city-turing-10/ktm-life-space-xt-1
   
2. https://www.2bike.rs/cikloberza/mali-oglasi/bicikli-6/city-turing-10/ktm-urban-1x12-sram-sx-nov-nov-4
   
3. https://www.2bike.rs/cikloberza/mali-oglasi/bicikli-6/city-turing-10/cube-travel-exc-2022-ram-58cm
   

These 3 represent the design I go for, but what more to look for when getting an expensive bike?

I’m not sure if I’m asking this in the right sub, but it seems like there should be some insight available here.
Very Brief Background:
spent much of my life with a very limited emotional capacity. (Classic American man…) Through 3 years of somatic counseling combined with work with ayahuasca, meditation (specifically the unified mindfulness technique), and various other things, I’ve learned to feel my emotions more strongly and fully. I’ve also developed a more sophisticated and diverse emotional vocabulary.
Question:
I don’t drink alcohol often, but I’ve noticed that when I do, I often feel emotions more strongly. Last night I was watching a movie (after a couple of drinks) with a great soundtrack and every time an old song came on, I was SO deeply moved. I found myself feeling my emotional response SO strongly in my body. It made me wish I could feel my emotions that way more often. It made me think that, despite my work and progress, I’m often a little numb or distracted and alcohol was helping me feel LESS numb and MORE present!
Obviously I don’t plan on becoming an alcoholic, but it was a very interesting experience. How can I feel that deeply into my day to day? More concentration, more clarity, more equanimity— that’s my guess.
I would love for you all or riff on this question in any way that makes sense to you.
Thanks for your musings!!!

For a number of years, I have had KTM Life Space, but I am looking to upgrade at the moment, and not sure what to get in the 450-650e price range. My country is not part of the EU, so popular manufacturers do not have representatives here, so the realistic option is to get used bikes for the budget. What I found in the budget that looks good is:

1. https://www.2bike.rs/cikloberza/mali-oglasi/bicikli-6/city-turing-10/ktm-life-space-xt-1 (''great condition, little used'')
   
2. Ktm Urban 1x12 Sram SX Nov Nov - Cikloberza Mali Oglasi - 2Bike.rs (seller states that the bike is 'new')
   
3. Cube Travel EXC 2022 Ram 58cm - Cikloberza Mali Oglasi - 2Bike.rs (''great condition'') These 3 represent the design I go for, but what more to look for when getting an expensive bike?
   

I hope you all enjoy this one! Got a lot of these hanging around in my writing folder ready to be proofread and published.
The following record has been altered for mortal consumption.
BEGIN MEMORY EXCERPT
General Richard sighed deeply as he sat in the council chamber. This was all too much. He could see the Xol representative across the chamber, talking in hushed tones with another Xol. Ashley sat beside him, arms crossed. After everything he'd heard about her, she seemed a normal person, even if she was a bit awkward. Her umbra was tight against her skin, and almost translucent. He knew from her tutoring that it's weakness was a trick.
Silva Wrassack, a Sage of Law, sat to his right. Her face was impartial, as always.
Soon, all of the representatives arrived.
"Attention all sapient races." A voice called out. "We are gathered here today to address a grievance by the United Republic of Terra, against the Xol Khanate."
Richard straightened his tie.
"The Council held a remote motion to hear the grievance, and the motion was accepted. Representative from the United Republic of Terra, you have the floor."
General Richard cleared his throat, and then spoke. "Peoples of the council, I am General Richard Hammond. With me is Ashley, the Apostle of our home star, Sol, and a Sage of Law, Silva Wrassack."
Murmurs ran through the chamber. God, Richard hated talking in front of politicians.
"Before I voice the Republic's grievance, I would like to extend a hand of friendship and peace to those around us. I am a General, indeed, but in Human culture, if there is peace, I am doing my job correctly. For background to those of you who who do not know of the Republic, we are a republican representative-democracy of Humans. Humans are a bipedal, warm-blooded, hunter-scavenger, omnivorous mammal species. We typically make decisions based on both emotion and logic. Humans have a lifespan of 110-130 years with our current medical technology, and we reach adulthood by approximately age 17, and reach full maturity at approximately age 26. We sometimes alter our bodies with cybernetics, but typically only for increased access to information and to enhance our social opportunities."
He saw nods and more murmurs across the chamber.
"Sadly, the Republic is here as a matter of conflict. We are here to file a grievance against the Xol Khanate." He gestured to Silva for her to continue. Better to let the Lawyer do her job.
Silva spoke up. "We accuse the Xol Khanate of the enslavement of our sovereign citizens, and the occupation of Pre-FTL Republic-colonized systems. We demand our systems be left, and our people freed and returned to us. We are open to negotiation, but our demand of our people's freedom is nonnegotiable."
The murmuring turned into a cacophony.
The arbiter managed to calm things down for the moment.
"Representative Jir'lan of the Xol Khanate, the integrity of the Xol Khanate has been questioned. The United Republic of Terra claims you have claimed their citizens as part of your workforce. What say you against this claim?"
The Xol representative, apparently named Jir'lan, spoke after a moment. "It surprises the Xol Kahnate that the United Republic of Terra exists in the first place. Our contracted workforces are second to none in the galaxy, as most of you know, and were any humans to be among them, they would be the rightful residential contracted workers of the Xol Khanate, and would not be citizens of this Terran Republic. How a human would end up outside of an FTL-isolated system is beyond me. I motion to table this discussion, and move on to more important matters."
The arbiter let out noise of boredom. "Motion to table, any objections?"
Sage Silva raised her hand. "We have an objection. How may I address you, arbiter?"
"Your objection is heard. You may address me as simply Arbiter."
"Understood, Arbiter. Our objection is as follows: when the human race finally united as one nation more than two thousand years ago, we sent out generation ships as an act of unity. The residents of those ships were Republic citizens, as were their children, and their children's children, and so on. When they arrived at their destination systems, those systems and the colonized planets became Republic territory. At the time, we did not know of the sapience of stars, but those stars would today be allowed to become Republic citizens themselves, or negotiate terms for colonization."
"Objection heard. For clarification, please define the function of a generation ship."
"Oh, I see." Silva said. Richard was surprised the concept was foreign. Silva continued. "A generation ship is a type of exploration and colonization vessel that travels at sublight relativistic speeds. As per the name, the crew of the ship is a pre-designed and regulated society that lives and dies aboard the ship, until it reaches it's destination system."
Murmurs began to echo as the sage explained the concept. Was it really that crazy?
"Understood. Any responses to the objection?" The Arbiter spoke. A distant hand was raised.
"Representative Glagnon of the Firma Federation, what is your response?"
The gruff looking alien spoke up. "How many of these generation ships have you fielded?"
Silva nodded as the arbiter gestured to her to respond. "Thirteen. Each vessel holds approximately 1.2 million people."
"Response heard. Any other responses?"
Another alien spoke. "What is the United Republic of Terra's policies on indentured servitude?"
Silva cleared her throat. "In the Terran Republic, Involuntary servitude under any circumstances, by any means of coercion, is illegal and will result in life imprisonment and the dissolution of any organized group or corporation found culpable by a random jury of their peers and a Judge."
The murmurs rebounded as Silva explained. Richard didn't have much hope for this dialogue anymore. It was clear that slavery was commonplace.
"For the record, extreme cases of systematic exploitation can result in a death penalty."
"Outrageous!" An alien shouted. The murmurs turned into roars.
"SILENCE!" The Arbiter declared. "Order shall return to this chamber. Are there any objections to the objection raised by the United Republic?"
Jir'lan spoke. "The Xol Khanate objects. Any humans or generation ships which have entered territory are ours by right of appropriation under Article 76392-Kit."
"Objection, Arbiter." Silva said, "The Terran Rep-"
"Silence. Provisional Attendees of this council are only allotted one objection for every motion. Speak again and you will be arrested for contempt."
Richard could barely hold in his rage. What kind of council was this?
"Any objections?" The Arbiter asked the chamber. Silence rang.
"Objection resolved. The motion to table this discussion passes, and the motion to question integrity fails."
Richard sighed. Of course it would come to this. He then heard a message in his communicator. The Central Congress just voted. He took a deep breath.
"Arbiter, I wish to comment."
"Granted, though no new objections are allowed."
"Of course, Arbiter." Richard said, a shiver running down his back in disgust. "Members of this council. I want to reiterate the Terran Republic's extended hand of friendship. However, it disappoints me greatly that this galactic council of supposedly intelligent beings refuse to do anything about this injustice. Our citizens and systems have been taken from under our nose by a law that we never agreed to follow, nor that we knew existed. I have been in contact with the Central Congress of the United Republic of Terra during this discussion. Fourty-Eight seconds ago, in a monumental unanimous decision, all 18019 members of the Central Congress, under guidance of the Grand Council of Sages, voted to declare a war of liberation on the Xol Khanate. "
Roars filled the chamber. The face of Jir'lan turned from surprise to both anger and humor. The sly shithead thought this was funny!
"SILENCE." The arbiter thundered, bringing the wining to an end. "A motion to declare war under the galactic rules of conflict has been raised."
Richard couldn't hold himself in. He laughed.
"You misunderstand, arbiter. There is no motion. We are not asking for approval. We will not be pushed around by the hubris of this council who thinks themselves better than their peers, and thinks the rights of individuals are an afterthought. We will follow our own rules of conflict, which we will deliver to this council and the Xol Khanate momentarily." he said. "We will take our leave. After all, I am a general. It is time to do my job. To the Xol Khanate, we heavily recommend you start removing your non-military population from your military centers and emplacements. We do not like killing civilians."
The door behind Richard locked.
"You will not leave. It is not our hubris, but yours, to presume this is your decision, or that you are equal to anyone else. Speak again and you will be detained." The arbiter said.
Ashley stood up, and spoken for the first time. "Respectfully, Arbiter, you can go chuck yourself, your mate, your extended family, and your firstborn in an incinerator."
Outrage ran through the council chambers, the Arbiter's face twisted to disgust and anger. Ashley turned to the locked door. Richard saw Ashley's umbra flared up in a rainbow of colored tentacles, and the door simply crumpled. His umbra control couldn't compare, even though Sol and Ashley had been directly tutoring him for weeks now.
"Security, detain them." The arbiter spoke.
Richard opened his briefcase. He flipped open the hidden panel and pulled out his issued PDW. Ashley took a deep breath.
They bolted down the hallway. Armored aliens rounded the corner and held out weapons.
"Let us pass if you value your lives. We have no quarrel with you. Raise your graspers above your head and drop your weapons." Richard said, pointing his weapon back. "Don't make me do this."
The guards took a step forward.
Richard opened fire, the bullets cracking the air. Two guards fell, and one more stumbled. Their shiny armor was cracked and split, a single hole in each. Not designed against kinetics, he guessed. He turned his gun on the remaining guards, but a flare of burning light filled his vision before he could do much else.
The rest of the guards became charred husks on the ground. Ashley's eyes burned with an orange light, the wispy flame in her hand dying out. She held the hand out, and Richard took it.
He spoke into his communicator. "Detonate the ship, according to plan A2." He heard a distant rumble as the plastic explosives vaporized any hint of Terran data or technology.
Ashley pulled him close, then her umbra yanked them through the metal corridors. They shot through the hallways towards the emergency exits.
"Gonna be a rough ride home, General." She said as the white, gold, and chrome hallways sped past them.
"That's fine. Always wanted to see those floes and swells you keep talking about with my own eyes, anyway."
END MEMORY EXCERPT

In my opinion I really feel that girls like men who smell nice. Doesn not mean you bathe in perfume, lol. I think they naturally get attracted to boys who don't have a bad body odour. So when I was looking up the net for my brother who came to me for advice, I found some ways to get rid of bad body odour. Here's the link if you wish to check
https://tooshytoask.org/discoveyour-body/body-odou

Hi! Professor Huberman mentioned a few times that he takes berberine when eating abnormally large meals (and has friends who do the same). Berberine reduces blood sugar. My questions are ...
​

1. What are the benefits of reducing blood sugar after a meal by using berberine, in both layman's terms and in "light" scientific terms? I found a nifty paper that goes deep into the mechanism behind berberine, but my non-bio-science brain cannot compute it. Are the outcomes that you feel physically better? That you are stressing you body less?
2. In a really bottom line sense, does taking berberine limit weight gain that is caused by acute overeating? For example, as a thought experiment, if I overeat by 3500 in a meal, does berberine help the "calories out" part of the metabolic equation? If so, how? If not, why not?

​
Thank you for any input!

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Treasure Nr. & Year	Rare & Retro Sets	Hero	Price	Stock	Reserved
Diretide 1. 2022	Dark Behemoth	Primal Beast	40💲	6
Diretide 1. 2022	Blue Horizons	Marci	15💲	14	1
Diretide 2. 2022	Brands of the Reaper	AntiMage	25💲	2
Aghanim's. 2021	Wrath of the Celestial Sentinel	Chaos Knight	50💲	1
Aghanim's. 2021	Pyrexae Polymorph Perfected	Ogre Magi	30💲	1
Cache 1. 2019	Gothic Whisper	Phantom Assassin	95💲	1
Cache 2. 2019	Cinder Sensei	Ember Spirit	145💲	4
Cache 1. 2019	Defender of Ruin	Disruptor	20💲	3
Cache 2. 2019	Fowl Omen	Necrophos	15💲	5
Cache 2. 2018	Cruelties of the Spiral Bore	Magnus	50💲	2
Cache 2. 2018	The Rat King	Chen	8💲	2
Collection 2022	Charms of the Firefiend	Batrider	1💲	1	1

​

Diretide Cache 2. 2022	Hero	Price	Stock	Reserved
Darkbrews Transgression	Alchemist	8💲	2
Withering Pain	Clinkz	8💲	2
Dawn of Darkness Foretold	Doom	8💲	2
Sacred Chamber Guardian	Huskar	8💲	2
Bird of Prey	Legion Commander	8💲	2	1
Feasts of Forever	Night Stalker	8💲	2
Freebot Fortunes	Ogre Magi	8💲	2
Transcendent Path	Oracle	10💲	1
Darkfeather Factioneer	Phantom Assassin	10💲	1
Cursed Cryptbreaker	Pudge	15💲	1
Grand Suppressor	Silencer	8💲	3
War Rig Eradicators	Techie	8💲	1
Acrimonies of Obsession	Vengeful Spirit	8💲	3

​

Diretide Cache 1. 2022	Hero	Price	Stock	Reserved
Hounds of Obsession	Chen	8💲	13
Seadog's stash	Clockwerk	8💲	12
Starlorn Adjudicator	Dawnbreaker	8💲	10
Chines of the Inquisitor	Faceless Void	8💲	13	1
Shadowleaf Insurgent	Hoodwink	10💲	10
Champion of the Fire Lotus	Monkey King	8💲	14
Crimson Dawn	Phoenix	8💲	13
Scarlet Subversion	Riki	8💲	13	1
Whippersnapper	Snapfire	10💲	10
Spoils of the shadow veil	Spectre	8💲	12	1
Forgotten Station	Terrorblade	8💲	11
Dirge Amplifier	Undying	8💲	12
Trophies of the Hallowed Hunt	Ursa	8💲	13	2
Deathstitch Shaman	Witch Doctor	8💲	12

​

Aghanim's Cache 2021	Hero	Price	Stock	Reserved
Blightfall	Abaddon	12💲	3
Cosmic Concoctioneers	Alchemist	16💲	1	1
Secrets of the Frost Singularity	Ancient Apparition	12💲	2
Days of the Demon	Axe	15💲	1
Widow of the Undermount Gloom	Broodmother	10💲	2
Perils of the Red Banks	Chen	12💲	4
Apex Automated	Clockwerk	25💲	1
Perception of the First Light	Dawnbreaker	25💲	2	1
Silverwurm Sacrifice	Dragon Knight	20💲	1	1
The Chained Scribe	Grimstroke	10💲	2
Forgotten Fate	Mars	15💲	2
Scales of the Shadow Walker	Phantom Lancer	8💲	3
Test of the Basilisk Lord	Razor	10💲	1
March of the Crackerjack Mage	Rubick	10💲	1

​

Cache 2. 2019	Hero	Price	Stock	Reserved
Endless Night	Abbadon	15💲	1
Prized Acquisitions	Batrider	10💲	2
Fury of the Bloodforge	BloodSeeker	10💲	4
Automaton Antiquity	BroodMother	12💲	3
Directive of the Sunbound	Clockwerk	12💲	2
Sight of the Kha-Ren Faithful	Drow Ranger	20💲	3	1
Souls Tyrant	Shadow Fiend	25💲	4
Distinguished Expeditionary	Tusk	10💲	1
Verdant Predator	Venomancer	10💲	2
Tribal Pathways⠀	Warlock	10💲	4

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Cache 1. 2019	Hero	Price	Stock	Reserved
Echoes of the Everblack	Abaddon	16💲	2
Priest of the Proudsilver Clan	Chen	10💲	2
Allure of the Fadeshade Flower	Dark Willow	20💲	2
Forbidden Medicines	Dazzle	10💲	2
Soul of the Brightshroud	Death Prophet	15💲	1
Scorched Amber	Dragon Knight	20💲	1
Glimmer of Sacred Hunt	Drow Ranger	45💲	1
The Arts of Mortal Deception	Enigma	12💲	2
Pursuit of the Ember Demons	Huskar	20💲	2
Riddle of the Hierophant	Oracle	8💲	1
Appetites of the Lizard King	Slark	20💲	1
Poacher's Bane	Tidehunter	18💲	2
Curse of the Creeping Vine	Undying	12💲	3

Genuine Weather Effect can be traded without delay

Genuine Weather	Price	Stock	reserved
Ash	7💲	6
Snow	4💲	11
Rain	4💲	10
Moonbeam	4💲	10
Aurora	3💲	25
Harvest	3💲	12
Spring	3💲	11
Pestilence	2💲	11
Sirocco	2💲	11
Total	32💲	6	1

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I’m not sure if I’m asking this in the right sub, but it seems like there should be some insight available here.
Very Brief Background:
spent much of my life with a very limited emotional capacity. (Classic American man…) Through 3 years of somatic counseling combined with work with ayahuasca, meditation (specifically the unified mindfulness technique), and various other things, I’ve learned to feel my emotions more strongly and fully. I’ve also developed a more sophisticated and diverse emotional vocabulary.
Question:
I don’t drink alcohol often, but I’ve noticed that when I do, I often feel emotions more strongly. Last night I was watching a movie (after a couple of drinks) with a great soundtrack and every time an old song came on, I was SO deeply moved. I found myself feeling my emotional response SO strongly in my body. It made me wish I could feel my emotions that way more often. It made me think that, despite my work and progress, I’m often a little numb or distracted and alcohol was helping me feel LESS numb and MORE present!
Obviously I don’t plan on becoming an alcoholic, but it was a very interesting experience. How can I feel that deeply into my day to day? More concentration, more clarity, more equanimity— that’s my guess.
I would love for you all or riff on this question in any way that makes sense to you.
Thanks for your musings!!!