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Froggy is hungry for profits and this is its only chance!
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Just finished a Succession season 3 rewatch and took some notes of my favorite lines. I honestly think Tom is one of the funniest HBO characters I've seen in a while.
Here are some of my favorite Tom Season 3 lines:

• "You’re going to live in a magical castle and I’ll be down in the dungeon, sucking off ogres for phone cards"
• "I've seen you get fucked a lot"
• "We’re like a sorority house, we’re in sync"
• "Looks like you were having a whale of a time, flying on the wings of white power"
• "A man dying of thirst is now all of a sudden a mineral water critic"
• "Can you not sate your lust for wisdom, Greg?"
• "He should be colored red like a dangerous lizard"

Guys a legend tbh. The funniest moment of the season overall was probably when Kendall started taking pics of him leaving after he said he wouldn't help him.
What are some of your favorite Tom moments? I'm really going to miss him

I previously posted my sharkfolk race. I added 4 more subraces, just wanted to get some feedback on what could be improved
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Sharkfolk
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Ability Score Increase- Constitution +2,
Age- Most sharkfolk reach maturity around 15 and live about 150 years
Alignment- Most sharkfolk tend to be more chaotic in nature versus your average human, primarily due to their territorial nature and curious biting.
Size- Sharkfolk come in all varieties some small, some large, however most fall into the
category of being small or medium sized.
Speed- You have a walking speed of 30 and a swimming speed of 40
Electroreception- The electroreceptors on your snout allow you to feel the vibrations around you, so much so that you can sense someone's muscles contract. You have blindsight for 10ft.
Amphibious- You can breath on land and in water
Darkvision- You have darkvision out to 60ft.
Lethal Jaws- You can use your bonus action to extend your jaws forward and unleash a devastating bite on your enemy dealing 1d6 piercing damage + Strength Modifier. Your jaws are considered natural weapons and strength is your to hit modifier
Languages- You can speak, read and write, Common and Aquan
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Subraces
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Goblin
+1 charisma
Nightmare of the Deep

• you have proficiency in the intimidation skill

Down Down to Goblin Town

• Your kind lives at depths unimaginable to humans. You have adapted to the cold and colossal pressure. You have resistance to cold and force damage

Devour

• Once per long rest when you kill a target you can choose to devour it, you may only devour a target once size smaller or larger than you. You gain temporary HP equal to constitution modifier x3

Whale
+1 Wisdom
Filter feeder

• All creatures within a 15ft cone in front of you must make a strength saving throw equal to 8 + Constitution modifier + Proficiency bonus or be sucked 5 ft. closer to you. If you are in water this increases to them being sucked 10ft. Closer to you.

Gentle Giants

• While allies are within 20ft of you, they heal an extra amount equal to half your wisdom modifier rounded up.

Sawtooth
+1 Dexterity
Natural weapon- Sawblade

• You can choose to use your snout to attack. It deals 1d8 slashing damage and has the “finese” property

Expert Tracker

• If you have damaged an enemy with your Sawblade, they have disadvantage on trying to hide from you.

Feisty spirit

• Once per long rest when an opponent hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to punish them by slashing them with your snout. They take damage equal to your proficiency bonus x2

Hammerhead
+1 Strength
Nail on the head

• PBTPD You can use your bonus action to slam your head into your opponent. They must make a constitution saving throw equal to 8 + Strength Modifier + Proficiency bonus. On a failed save attacks on their next turn will be at disadvantage as they are dazed. On a successful save they suffer no penalty

Sting Tolerance

• One of the delicacies that your people enjoy are the stingrays. This has caused your race to develop an uncanny tolerance to the stingrays barb. You have resistance to Poison damage.

Frenzy

• Once per short rest.If you kill an enemy with your lethal jaws ability, you crave the taste of blood. Your next turn your movement increases by 10ft. And your first attack has advantage.

TL;DR: Reworked the druid to be more in line with the Nature Magician idea. De-emphasized Wild Shape by making other options more valid using a Natural Order ability that has the Druid focus on a particular expression of their powers while still giving them access to weaker versions of the other options. Healing Blossoms got a buff. Made a new crowd control ability that the Druid can focus on rather than healing or wild shape. Changed the level 14 ability for Moon Druid to be more damage output rather than Alter Self which is kind of out of place. Lastly, I made wild shape stat blocks based on size rather than habitat and worked it into the language of the abilities when and what you get as far as movement speeds. I feel this increases choice, flavor, utility, and flexibility in builds, something the Devs expressed they wanted to do, but I feel failed to do when they made the OneDnD Druid playtest. Any ability not listed is not changed, I know you’re all smart enough to fill in the gaps as needed.
1ST LEVEL: CHANNEL NATURE
The magic of nature infuses you. Tapping into that power, you can create various magical effects. You start with one such effect: Wild Companion, which is described below. Other Druid features give additional Channel Nature effect options. Each time you use this Channel Nature, you choose which effect to create from among those you have from this class. You can use Channel Nature twice. You regain one expended use when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. You gain additional uses when you reach certain Druid levels, as shown in the Channel Nature column of the Druid table. If a Channel Nature effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals the Spell Save DC from this class’s Spellcasting feature.
Wild Companion. You can summon a nature spirit that assumes an animal form to aid you. As a Magic action, you can expend a use of your Channel Nature and cast the Find Familiar spell without material components. When you cast the spell in this way, the familiar is a Fey, you treat the spell as if you cast it at 1st level, and it disappears when you start a Long Rest or if it reaches 0 HP. To summon the familiar again, you must expend another use of Channel Nature.
2ND LEVEL: NATURAL ORDER
You learn three more ways to use your Channel Nature—Healing Blossoms, Primal Growth and Wild Shape—each of which is described below.
Healing Blossoms. As a Magic action, you channel healing energy that appears as blooming flowers, stars, or another expression of nature. Choose a point within 30 feet of yourself, and spectral magics appear for a moment in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point. Then roll a number of d4s equal to 1 plus your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one die), and add the dice together. The total is the number of Hit Points you can distribute to creatures in that sphere. You decide the number of Hit Points that are restored to each of those creatures, deducting the healing from the total.
Primal Growth. As a Magic action, you turn the world around you into an expression of nature’s will. You select a point you can see within 30 feet of yourself. The ground within a ten foot radius of that point becomes magically created difficult terrain to any creature but you as plant life bursts into existence regardless of the solid surface selected. Great vines and coiling plantlife writhe in the space and any creature that starts its turn in the space must also make a Strength or Dexterity save against your Spell DC or be grappled. They follow the same rules for grappling in order to escape as normal. This difficult terrain lasts for 1 hour, until you are more than 100 feet from the point you selected, or as a free action at any time at which point the plants whither and disappear. Any attempts to damage the vines are ineffective as they quickly regrow any destroyed material. You cannot use Channel Nature for any other effect while the Primal Growth is active.
Wild Shape. As a Magic action, you transform into a form that you have learned for this feature. You start knowing three forms, Small Beast, Medium Beast, and Large Beast, which are detailed in the “Wild Shapes” section later in this class’s description. You stay in that form for a number of hours equal to half your Druid level or until you use Wild Shape again, have the Incapacitated condition, or die. You can also end Wild Shape early as a Bonus Action. While in a form, its game statistics replace yours, and your ability to handle objects is determined by the form’s limbs, rather than your own. You retain your personality, memories, ability to speak, Wild Shape, Skill Proficiencies, Saving Throw Proficiencies, and any other ability that specifies it works with Wild Shape. You lose access to all your features that are part of another class and any innate abilities of your Species except damage resistances and proficiencies. Feats are unaffected, but may be hindered based on the new form you take. (Tough is still active, but Polearm Master would be difficult for a bear to use). While you are proficient with a skill, there may be difficulties in utilizing them based on the form you take. An elephant may find it difficult to use stealth to move through an alley unseen just as a squirrel might not be able to lift a log using Athletics. You lose the ability to use the Magic Action except to use Wild Shape unless an ability specifies it can be used while in Wild Shape (you can continue to concentrate on spells previously cast or other abilities that require concentration from this Class). When you transform, you choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space or merges into your new form. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form and returns to its previous position on your body.
5TH LEVEL: NATURAL ORDER IMPROVEMENT
Select one of the follow improvements to one of your Natural Order abilities
Healing Blossoms - Balm of the Leaves: When you use Healing Blossoms, increase the dice rolled to 2 plus your Wisdom Modifier. Also remove the poisoned condition from any creature affected by your Healing Blossoms.
Primal Growth - Thorns of the Vine: Any creature that is affected by the difficult terrain of your Primal Growth receives 1d4 piercing damage for each space they move through. A creature grappled by your Primal Growth takes 2d4 piercing damage at the end of their turn.
Wild Shape - Might of the Land: Your connection to the land deepens, empowering your Wild Shape; you unlock Wild Shape’s Multiattack, Amphibious (if your form has a swim speed), and can now select the burrow, climb, spider climb, or swim speeds for any of form you take, but only one of these speeds each time you Wild Shape.
7TH LEVEL: WILD COMPANION IMPROVEMENT
When you use the Wild Companion ability, you now summon the familiar as if you used your highest level spell slot instead of 1st level.
9TH LEVEL: NATURAL GROWTH
You gain the following feature that aligns with your Natural Order Improvement from 5th level, OR you can select another Natural Order Improvement from 5th Level that you did not previously select.
Healing Blossoms - Potent Blooms: Your Healing Blossom now rolls d4s equal to 3 plus your Wisdom Modifier and the range of the healing extends to a 20 foot radius.
Primal Growth - Living Wood: You can increase the radius of your Primal Growth from 10 feet to 20 feet. Additionally, creatures you designate once you create the Primal Growth may pass freely through the Growth.
Wild Shape - Winged Beasts: You gain access to the fly speeds for any of your forms. You also can become an Insectoid with any of your Wild Shape Forms.
11TH LEVEL: NATURE’S BLESSING
You gain the following feature that aligns with the feature gained from Natural Growth. You may instead select the final feature from 5th Level’s Natural Order Improvement or an ability in 9th Level’s Natural Growth that you qualify for.
Healing Blossoms - Hardiness: Increase the dice rolled for Healing Blossoms to 4 + your wisdom modifier. Any creature affected by your Healing Blossoms gains temporary hit points equal to two times your Wisdom Modifier.
Primal Growth - Barricade: You and any creature you designated as free to move through your Primal Growth gains +1 to AC so long as they are inside of the growth’s area as the vines actively seek to protect your allies.
Wild Shape - Creatures Great and Small: You gain access to the Huge Beast and Tiny Beast stat blocks.
13TH LEVEL: FLEXIBLE ORDER
You gain all of the following:
As a Bonus Action you can change your Wild Shape Stat Block, Form, or return to your normal form. You can then return to the first Wild Shape form within 1 minute without expending another use of Channel Nature. You can only use this Bonus Action once per use of Wild Shape. The power is still counted as Active unless you choose to end the Wild Shape completely or the time limit is reached.
A Primal Growth can be moved from one spot within range to another. All of the changes must follow all other rules of the ability. This relocation does not expend a Channel Nature.
Healing Blossoms linger and can heal any creatures still in the original area of effect when you use Bonus Action. This cannot be on the same turn as the original casting and must be done withing 1 minute of the first cast. This Bonus Action can only be used once per use of Healing Blossoms and does not expend a use of Channel Nature.
15TH LEVEL: WILD RESURGENCE
Whenever you use an ability listed in Natural Order, you can trigger one additional effect without having to spend a use of Channel Nature. Additionally, while using Wild Shape or Primal Growth, you can now use other Channel Nature Abilities while those powers are Active.
Circle of the Moon
14TH LEVEL: Bestial Savagery
Your Bestial Strikes are more brutal than other druids. Increase the damage die of your Bestial Strike die by a step. 1d4 -> 1d6 -> 1d8 -> 1d10 -> 1d12. If you have the Tiny Beast Stat Block, your damage in that form becomes 1d4 with no modifier added to the damage.
—--------------------------
The following are the Wild Shape Stat Blocks based on size rather than habitat. Accompanying the stat blocks are animals of comparable sizes to help you better select the kind of creature you are selecting. You can mix and match animal components (Owl Bear) or change the size of an existing creature to match the size selected (Tiny Elephant).
Small Beast (Size examples: Cat, Dog, Goat, Falcon, Sea Bass)
Small Terrestrial Animal (Your Creature Type Doesn’t Change)
Armor Class 11 + your Wisdom modifier
Hit Points you continue to use your Hit Points and Hit Dice
Speed 30 ft., (Burrow 5 ft. Climb 30 ft, Spider Climb 10 ft. Swim 30 ft (requires Might of the Land), Fly 30 ft. (Requires Winged Beasts))
STR use your score
DEX equal your Wisdom score
CON, INT, WIS, CHA use your scores
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages the languages you know
Proficiency Bonus equals your Proficiency Bonus
Saving Throws, you use your saving throw proficiencies
Skills the same skills you are proficient with, but using the new stats as needed
Amphibious. You are able to breathe underwater. (requires Might of the Land and swim speed)
Flyby Attack. You do not provoke opportunity attacks if you leave an opponents space while flying (Requires Winged Beasts).
Keen Senses. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
ACTIONS
Bestial Strike. Melee Attack: your Spell Attack Modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d4 + your Wisdom modifier Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage.
Multiattack (Might of the Land). You make two Bestial Strike attacks
REACTION
Uncanny Dodge. when an attacker that you can see hits you with an Attack, you can use your Reaction to halve the attack's damage against you (Requires Might of the Land)
Medium Beast (Size Examples: Wolf, Cougar, Pony, Dolphin, Flying Fox)
Medium Terrestrial Animal (Your Creature Type Doesn’t Change)
Armor Class 12 + your Wisdom modifier
Hit Points you continue to use your Hit Points and Hit Dice
Speed 40 ft., (Burrow 5 ft., Climb 40 ft, Spider Climb 20 ft, Swim 40 ft (requires Might of the Land), Fly 40 ft. (Requires Winged Beasts))
STR, DEX equal your Wisdom score
CON, INT, WIS, CHA use your scores
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages the languages you know
Proficiency Bonus equals your Proficiency Bonus
Saving Throws, you use your saving throw proficiencies
Skills the same skills you are proficient with, but using the new stats as needed
Amphibious. You are able to breathe underwater. (requires Might of the Land and swim speed)
Keen Senses. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
ACTIONS
Bestial Strike. Melee Attack: your Spell Attack Modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage.
Multiattack (Might of the Land). You make two Bestial Strike attacks
Large Beast (Bear, Lion, Dire Bat, Shark)
Large Terrestrial Animal (Your Creature Type Doesn’t Change)
Armor Class 11 + your Wisdom modifier
Hit Points you continue to use your Hit Points and Hit Dice
Speed 40 ft., (Burrow 5 ft., Climb 40 ft, Spider Climb 20 ft, Swim 40 ft (requires Might of the Land) Fly 40 ft. (Requires Winged Beasts))
STR equal your Wisdom score
DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA use your scores
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages the languages you know
Proficiency Bonus equals your Proficiency Bonus
Saving Throws, you use your saving throw proficiencies
Skills the same skills you are proficient with, but using the new stats as needed
Amphibious. You are able to breathe underwater. (requires Might of the Land and swim speed)
Improved Movement. You select one of your movement speeds and increase it by 10 ft. as long as you are in this Wild Shape form. (Requires Might of the Land).
Thick Hide. You gain Temporary Hit Points that last as long as you are in this form or until depleted, equal to 4 + half your Druid Level.
Keen Senses. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
ACTIONS
Bestial Strike. Melee Attack: your Spell Attack Modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage.
Multiattack (Might of the Land). You make two Bestial Strike attacks
Huge Beast (Elephant, T-Rex, Giant Eagle, Whale)
Huge Terrestrial Animal (Your Creature Type Doesn’t Change)
Armor Class 8 + your Wisdom modifier
Hit Points you continue to use your Hit Points and Hit Dice
Speed 40 ft., (Burrow 10 ft, Climb 40 ft, Spider Climb 20 ft, Swim 40 ft (requires Might of the Land) Fly 40 ft. (Requires Winged Beasts))
STR equal your Wisdom score plus 2 to a maximum of 24, until 20th level, then the maximum becomes 30.
DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA use your scores
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages the languages you know
Proficiency Bonus equals your Proficiency Bonus
Saving Throws, you use your saving throw proficiencies
Skills the same skills you are proficient with, but using the new stats as needed
Amphibious. You are able to breathe underwater. (requires Might of the Land and swim speed)
Improved Movement. You select one of your movement speeds and increase it by 10 ft. as long as you are in this Wild Shape form. (Requires Might of the Land).
Extra Thick Hide. You gain Temporary Hit Points that last as long as you are in this form or until depleted, equal to 4 + your Druid Level.
Keen Senses. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
ACTIONS
Bestial Strike. Melee Attack: your Spell Attack Modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage.
Multiattack (Might of the Land). You make two Bestial Strike attacks
Tiny Beast (Squirrel, Sparrow, Tarantula, Rat, Catfish)
Tiny Terrestrial Animal (Your Creature Type Doesn’t Change)
Armor Class 10 + your Wisdom modifier
Hit Points you continue to use your Hit Points and Hit Dice
Speed 20 ft., (Burrow 5 ft, Climb 20 ft, Spider Climb 10 ft, Swim 20 ft (requires Might of the Land) Fly 30 ft. (Requires Winged Beasts))
STR 2
DEX equal your Wisdom score
CON, INT, WIS, CHA use your scores
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages the languages you know
Proficiency Bonus equals your Proficiency Bonus
Saving Throws, you use your saving throw proficiencies
Skills the same skills you are proficient with, but using the new stats as needed
Amphibious. You are able to breathe underwater. (requires Might of the Land and swim speed)
Imperceptible. While in this Wild Shaped form, you have advantage on stealth checks when remaining stationary.
Squishy. Any damage you take from Attacks while in this form is considered a critical hit.
Vulnerable. You have vulnerability to all damage types except psychic. Any resistances you have from other sources allows you to treat that damage type as normal instead of as vulnerable.
Adaptable. As a tiny creature, you need every advantage you can get. You gain an additional speed type listed above in this stat block.
Keen Senses. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
ACTIONS
Bestial Strike. Melee Attack: your Spell Attack Modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage.
Multiattack (Might of the Land). You make two Bestial Strike attacks
REACTION
Uncanny Dodge. when an attacker that you can see hits you with an Attack, you can use your Reaction to halve the attack's damage against you (Requires Might of the Land)

I’ve read quite a few posts and wiki stuff over the past several weeks, but I’m still so inexperienced with this.
There’s this potSD whale who is OBSESSED with me, and he shares so much about all his companies, businesses, projects, and life. He loves the way I talk to him, I’m very special to him, and he says all the time he wants to be my best benefactor. He’s a spam texter, like I’ll have 15-20 messages from him waiting since my last reply, which is annoying, BUT he doesn’t mind at all that I take awhile to reply to him and only do one moderate sized message response because I put effort into making it sweet and supportive and all lovey.
He says things like:

• I am looking for a consistent long-term sustainable relationship companionship mutually beneficial relationship
• I definitely want to take care of you Honey and make you happy
• i hope I can become the chosen one for you
• It's certainly nice to know my future could have you in it. That makes everything worthwhile

Yet, he hasn’t given me an allowance or anything financial, no gifts, which is why I also don’t get on top of replying to him right away. Had one platonic M&G meeting, that’s it. I don’t want him to think I’m going to make my life revolve around him, but I’ve heard of some SBs who can navigate still setting an arrangement with an SD and appease the fulfillment if they get a high allowance to make it feel worthwhile. I think his obsessiveness I could play to achieving a ~$10k allowance, but I don’t know how to broach it because I’m bad at the direct financial talk and I want him to think it’s his idea that he’s truly providing for me cause he cares so much about me and I’m “one of a kind” as he says.
Should I cut it off now? Or what can I say/do to pull a hefty allowance? He seems very willing but wants to make sure I’m up for what he wants. I’m okay with emotionally playing into it, but want to be careful with my words because he’s so clingy. Any advice is appreciated! Private DMs are appreciated as well, because I want to learn how to be better in the bowl.
ETA: thank you all so so much for the feedback and wisdom! I hope the thread can serve useful for others too. :)

https://opentheo.com/i/3035426148847741449/77-the-heroic-feminine-isnt-missing
77: The Heroic Feminine Isn't Missing
*Stories Are Soul Food — Canon Press *
Nate and Brian discuss a theory percolating on the interwebs about the difference between male heroes and female heroines in fiction. They branch out into a discussion of the Hero's Journey and the accuracy of Joseph Campbell's storytelling advice (and inaccuracies of application). Remember, the video version of the podcast is streaming exclusively on Canon+.

StoriesAreSoulFood #SASF #HeroicFeminine #HerosJourney #JosephCampbell #NDWilson #CanonballBooks

Transcript:

Welcome to the Stories Are Soul Food Podcast presented by Canonball Books, the kids fiction imprint of Canon Press. [Music] Hold on a minute. Before I let you get to this wonderful episode of Stories Are Soul Food, I have to tell you something.
Some of you all who have been asking for video, well, your desires have been answered because this episode is now streaming on Canon+ in video. So if you for some reason have wanted to see my face or Nate's face, you now can do that. Or if you've wanted to see how Nate wears his headphones.
Or, I don't know, what clothes he records Stories Are Soul Food in. You can now do that. MyCannon+com and of course use code SASF 99 after you create your free account.
Enter that for a month of Stories Are Soul Food in 99 cents. And of course all the other things on Canon+. Alright, I'll get out of your way and let you listen to the episode because it's a doozy as they say.
[Music] What are we talking about today Brian? Welcome to Stories Are Soul Food everybody. It's another... It's not the 4th of July but we're talking about it.
Yeah. Because we missed all of last week for podcasting. And so we thought we should record on the holiday.
Which is... We missed the workdays. We're recorded on the Holy Day.
Although it's not a Holy Day. Apologies. Yeah.
It is kind of a little bit. Yeah. I mean, divine providence and all that.
A gracious day. Well, we were being protested because... A day of grace.
We like theocracy apparently. So people who like theocracy can't also like independence. We can't like freedom.
Is the main... But that's false because here I stand doing both. Anyways, the question that I have for you today, you might have seen zooming around the interwebs, a sub stack.
Probably not. I don't say things on the interwebs usually. Okay.
Others of you probably didn't see either. But a blog on the missing heroic feminine. And I know that title doesn't sound good but I want to ask you about it.
Okay. Because the idea actually is kind of interesting. The idea is that feminism proper sort of derailed our discovery of what an actual female hero would look like.
So we're kind of stuck between the complaining feminist one and Joseph Campbell's more masculine story structure. So that was my first question. Do you think Campbell's structure of the hero's journey fits better for a male story? Nope.
Being a works for everyone. Yep. There we're done.
We did the podcast. Campbell was once asked like something about one of his disciples, and he's not a Christian or anything, but one of his disciples said, tried to apply this to women. And he said, "Women don't have a heroic journey.
They're the place everyone's trying to get." Which I didn't know what that meant but it's a pretty weird sort of Campbellian thing. Yeah. Women as destination.
Yeah. So this guy was basically saying we had many stories over the course of thousands of years to understand what it looks like to be a hero from the Greco-Roman perspective up till now. But then we had a huge change in the 1900s where women sort of had a massive change in their roles and didn't get a chance to sort of develop that same sort of heroic structure.
Oh, those poor people. Yeah. Well, his idea was more just...
There's more fictional characters you never existed. I actually, I think this is a croc. You think so? Yeah.
I think it's a total croc. You think it's just not, you know, it fits perfectly. 100% festering nonsense.
Okay. Well, maybe then I'll continue to push you with what he thinks the heroic feminine does and find out if you agree with these or how it fits. Let's dive into this festering nonsense and see if there's a morsel or two.
Okay. So the question he has, and again, a lot of this is, well, you know, I won't say that yet. So he actually will wrap up, I'll remind me to go full-cam belly in on you at the end.
Okay. All right. Okay.
So here we go. He says, "A hero challenges an external threat, but a hero in challenges the hero." And not to push back, but I feel like your hero in often do that. Like that's kind of their role.
I'm especially thinking of Antigone. She's sort of a challenger of... That's what her role is.
She pushes back on Cyrus and she doesn't win all the time. She's not some sort of subversive female who's trying to subvert his mission, but she does push back on him pretty regularly. So anyways, what do you think about that point? Can we make that distinction? No.
I mean, if it is a crepe, it is in fact a crock then we're going to get solid nose on all of these. So that is... I mean, I think you have to start by defining the term.
Okay. If you're talking about heroin, "heroine," as you were saying, if we're going to go with that, as we're not confusing with the straight to the vein drug, we're talking about a heroine who's the actual protagonist, the central protagonist in the story versus a two-hander, as we would say, like dual protagonists, or a secondary character. Okay.
And Ashtown Ricochet has wanders the line between a two-hander and also Antigonea secondary character. Okay. So there's places where she is secondary character and there's places where it really is, especially early, the two of them together.
And she's not the protagonist. I've not written the story there where she is the central protagonist. If she is the true heroine, then no, that's not what she's doing.
As far as a description of what she's doing in the two-hander story or in that secondary role, absolutely. She is pushing against Cyrus. She is that peer review.
She is in the struggle. She is in this perpetual state of struggle with her brother over who is protecting whom. And she has this desire, this instinct to protect him.
And he has this desire to not be protected and to protect her. And they both have deep loyalty to each other, absolutely unquestionable loyalty to each other. And that gives you lots of character dynamics.
But basically, some of that is just that you need perpetual friction in the story and perpetual motion between characters. So the follow-up might actually just be that if you have a supporting character, then yes, they're going to have conflict with the main character. Whether or not they're what? No matter whether one is.
Doesn't matter. Male or female does not matter. Just the nature of the simple fact of being a supporting/secondary character means that.
If you are doing it, if you're writing the two-hander and both of your leads are male, it's going to do that as well. Gotcha. I was thinking Frodo and Sam.
Obviously, Sam's a bit, they're different classes too. But even that, Sam does push. Friction constantly.
Constantly. Who is protecting whom? Who's actually in charge? Right. And Gollum adding in there, that's the big one where Sam really disagrees with Frodo on what Gollum's purpose is.
But throughout, you see Sam is the follower, but followers frequently take ownership of the leader. They actually will do that. They are the ones who own the leader.
I own you and I'm going to protect you and I'm going to serve you. And this service of you is the nature of my ownership. And so male, female, doesn't matter.
You'll see that with any kind of alpha-beta dynamic. Well, speaking of our Fourth of July parade, I saw a woman refusing to shake your father's hand at the parade. And I felt that same sort of followers like, "Get in and help out." And then I realized that you're my pastor doesn't need my help on that.
He's quite fine with Joveely refusing to have his hand shake. Yeah. Leaving his hand unshucked.
Yeah. All right. It's probably germs.
She's just worried about germs. Yeah, it's all COVID. COVID fears.
Okay. Second point then. We've thrown out the first one of five.
So yeah. We would just say that's true of every secondary character. Okay.
And even if you're in a true two-hand or double-predagonist, it's true there too. Okay. Gotcha.
The heroine is a bulwark against disaster and a store of wisdom. So her role, rather than being the one who goes out and fights is the one who's the community-focused. I heard you snicker.
So. The heroine is the one who makes stew. Is that a bulwark against disaster? That one's kind of hard to define.
I think, and this is, man, I can't tell you this stuff because you're just going to make fun of it. But he's arguing this partly from, he's got some evolutionary psychology behind here because he says there are only certain mammals that have a females who maintain that sort of alpha female role. And those ones with an older woman, like we're talking whales here, or humans do better into times of disaster.
Is this ridiculous? Brian, you don't need to ask me that. Okay. But here's my second part of the question.
I think your main heroes do that. What do you see in, he groans in pain? What do the women in your stories do? I'm thinking of Ashtown here, or the 100 cupboards especially. Henrietta, what does she do? Screws everything up.
She is the disaster. Okay. All right.
How about, but without Henrietta, we wouldn't have got. What about, what about Henri's mom? I can see her and the grandma as fulfilling that role for you, though, in your story. What disaster is she a bulwark against? Well, I suppose she is a victim of massive disaster.
But I think in a sense, she's the reason they're still the family, right? This means she's a survivor. She's lost her husband. She's lost her sons.
And this is Campbellian. She's the one to whom they return. Okay.
All right. So, so again, you she's home. She is homecoming.
Okay. That's who that's who Hyacinth is. And now if we jump over to the door before, and we look at Hyacinth and the door before, we have something a little different.
What's she doing in the door before? Having an adventure. Because she's the main character. Sure.
Well, yeah, but even there, she's the main character. She's a main character. Right.
And she's having an adventure. Her world, she's not fairytale story where she's actually a girl in a, and in a California house where things go nuts. Okay.
All right. Third one. All right.
Third one. And a lot of these are taken from watching Miriam, the character Miriam in the Bible, which maybe you were some of their difficulties are the typological reading here. Looking specifically at when a hero fails, usually the consequences fall on them directly.
His, this guy's claim is, or actually I don't know if this guy is right. But when a heroine fails, I like you're still saying heroin. Heroin.
When a heroine fails, the community suffers primarily. Do you see support for this outside of the story of Miriam? Let's say if a freshman turned this in so far to me, back when I was teaching NSA, they would, they would be failing. Okay.
Hence, you see that the threshold for substack is lower. I'm glad that my bold assertion at the outset, though, this was festering nonsense is not proved to be false. I'm not stuck having to retract anything.
I had to prepare my soul being like, okay, I said that now I have to be prepared to backtrack and eat crow here on camera and into the microphone. And it turns out, no, the crow is going unet. This is ridiculous.
Okay. Fourth one. Sending him dumb.
Fourth one has the guy read a book. Whoever wrote this. I don't even know.
It's an anonymous substack. Maybe good. I'm glad I don't know who I'm insulting.
But this is really bad. Maybe they wanted to avoid your, uh, this is my Roth. Your Roth.
This is really poor. Also not from someone I know. This is really poor.
When guys screw up, the consequences do not follow on the community. Yeah. Yeah.
I think it's probably just his case study of Miriam and then who else did they play from this? Yeah. Their example here. All right.
A heroine binding and building a community, community focused there. Can you disagree with that one? You just think it doesn't cover anything. Maybe you need to go full Campbell and on us sooner rather than later.
Yeah. Um, but I mean, that one seems to make sense. Doesn't to you? No.
You just think it doesn't have to. You think you have some, some feminine characters who are building and binding community together, as opposed to a heroic one who more goes out. I don't, I don't have a clue why what that even means.
Binding and building community. They can't. I'm like, a woman cannot bind and build community.
Okay. She can't neither can a guy. It's only together.
It's only together. The two of them shall become one. Um, I remember it makes me think of the Jim Gaffigan wedding skip, which we should just play without any kind of license right now.
I was talking about weddings where, you know, we love each other. Let's pretend we have a kingdom. I don't know that I'm familiar.
It's fantastic. And then your, your parents' friends and my parents' friends will come together and we'll have a banquet and it's, and the two kingdoms shall become wild. Okay.
Um, so it's mythologizing. Yes. Uh, you can a woman can't do that.
I'm neither can a guy. Okay. I mean, that's just the dance of the two.
So still dumb. Still dumb. Okay.
All right. And then this whole, this whole thing sounds like an enterprise and sucking raw eggs. Let's see if we can get the last one.
Okay. The last one I thought was the worst. Oh, good.
Oh, good. I look forward to it. When we take another step of Dutch brothers latte.
Okay. Ready? So the last one, their idea, and he's, he's trying to read, um, again, this comes from some, some bad understanding of nature, but basically looking at Greek mythological figures like nemesis and the fates and the sirens as being feminine and it's trying to look at the, what is the, the female purpose of selecting or judging. And again, I don't see how that applies necessarily to fiction.
I'm still getting the grounds of pain. Uh, I saw this shared far and wide. So no, I wanted to share it with you.
Why? Why? Why? Why? There's a reason why I stepped the internet. Oh, yeah. Why? I mean, I guess the idea of, um, in some sense, I guess you're, you're probably going to say the same thing that depends on the judge.
The judge doesn't have to be female, doesn't have to be male. We can have a Deborah. We can have a, a, a, a minus.
I don't know. A wise character, male or female will judge a foolish character. Male or female will judge foolishly.
Yeah. And we'll fail. I might just.
That's just how it is. Yeah. We, we had an early episode, audio only.
No cameras for that, but we did had that early episode on mentors. So you're saying again, you're far more egalitarian than someone would give you credit for. Nope.
I'm just not stupid. So you, um, can we jump into why or how you think everything is completely Campbell and do we need to find that? No, it's not all completely Campbell and it's just there are, there are different roles for sure. And, um, but the, the fact is that everything's in ratio, right? So male and female dynamics and even good, good two-hander protagonists, good secondary characters, it's always in relationship.
And so when you say, and this is, this is one of the things that drives me bonkers about anybody who starts talking about gender roles and in like big sweeping terms is, is they want to classify whole categories with a single suitcase handle instead of actually handling the individual. No, I understand there are generalizations. That's fine.
But if you're talking about heroes and stories, you have characters like AO1, right? So if we go into the Lord of the Rings, we're talking about the character of AO1. What is she? Yeah. I mean, she's an interesting character for sure.
She's bold. She's a shield maiden. She wants to go out and have adventures and she's striving to be out there fighting and mattering and not being a nursemaid of a doltering old fool.
And everybody, well, not everybody, but I've heard plenty of people be like, this, this, this, discontentment, you know, this, this frustration, this discontentment that she has with her station. It's like, no, has nothing to do with her station. She's sitting here.
If she was, if she was following a king who was being a king, she would have no problem at all. The problem that she had was that Theoden was rotting in his throne. He was abdicated.
He was weak. He was listening to Wormtongue and he was destroying his house and his kingdom with his own weakness and abdication. And she could not sit there in that rot anymore.
She's looking for a real king. She's looking for a, like, she wants that, she wants that real place. She wants that real home.
She's not that real home. She wants that, okay, that real home, that real king, that real kingdom. This is why she falls immediately for Aragorn.
Like he's a real king. He comes through and it's like, there's, he's kingly. He's masculine.
He's aggressive. He is, he's doing all the things that Theoden should be doing, the ruler of her house, the ruler of her people. And she just once so badly wants to be there, doing those things.
And so when she dresses up as Dernhelm and goes and flees, she's fleeing like this, this horrible, horrible circumstance. And she is doing it in a way that's despairing and broken. She's throwing herself off the tower.
She's not the right choice. But she's reaching this place of utter despair and she's throwing herself off the tower. Her brother was imprisoned.
It's like, and now finally, finally, her king is writing out. Like this real king came through and finally Theoden's going. And she's supposed to stay back.
The one time she has a real king. Like she's not, okay, she's not going to go follow her king. And so she, she goes and she, you know, lies and she snakes and she goes.
Then in that, I think there's, there's something honorable and there's something great. Now, looking at it through our lens right now, like what we'd see culturally, like, yeah, no, there's, there's plenty to be nervous about, right? You mean like people who take her as some sort of feminist icon? Yeah. That we're talking about.
Yeah. You know, she's in drag. She's, you know, right.
Whatever. But the thing is she's incredibly strong. She's incredibly courageous.
And it's, but it's about the ratio. So about the relationship, she needs, she needs a hero. She needs a king who is even stronger, like that she can really truly follow.
So she wants that. She's, she's looking for those, that fortress, she's looking for that home where she can be in a fortress, like actually following somebody truly, Kingly. And there's no regret, obviously, because she's fulfilling a prophecy in being there.
She's the one that tips the scales of the battle through being there. She gets to be there for the ultimate, like peak of nobility for Theoden, the man that, you know, she's followed and loved despite his rottenness. And then even after that, she is still broken and still dying in despair.
And then until Aragorn comes, and Aragorn basically commands her to knock it off. You know, it's like, it's like stop. But then, like gives, like gives her to Farimir.
And in that is like something that's really ancient, and there's something kind of shockingly wise there that Tolkien does. But Farimir is also Kingly is also incredibly noble, is also strong and sacrificial, is more is more than enough. Like he is this great hero, also, but also self sacrificial courageous and so on.
So the two of them pair beautifully, like Farimir and Aowin pair like way more beautifully than she would pair with Aragorn. Gotcha. Yeah.
And so that right there, when she gets, she goes on this on this heroine's journey, what does she find? Like she finds a home, like she finds a place. Okay. You know, it's like that's and it's not because she finds a king.
She finds, like she finds her like a purpose. This is where this is now the nation she's going to mother. She's going to mother a nation here.
That's very unique to this particular mythology in this particular world. But she is not the, and she's unique in this way, because she's not the home someone else was trying to find. She is not the princess being rescued.
She is at sea. She's lost. Like, okay, she is this incredibly strong woman who's broken because of the brokenness of the men in her house.
And because of that brokenness, she's at sea. And then she's found her port. Gotcha.
She's found that in Farimir. So would you view her, you know, she's sent to sit with the old men and the children, basically, before. Yeah.
And that's what she leaves behind is. She let she fled the community. Yeah.
The thing that like she fled all that now in finding Farimir, not the two of them, like now the two of them are at home. And now the two of them will make a kingdom. The two of them are now a thing.
And so there is a way in which Farimir is now found a home as well. Right. Like he's in her, he's found his home.
So there is, I think I'm Campbellian in that women, whether they are wrecked. You know, it's like whether they are like sort of at sea, like she is, or just traditionally fairy tale. And he's going more fairy tale like women, you know, damsels, he goes very damsels in distress.
Right. Yeah. But I think that distress is all over the can be anywhere.
Right. It can be of their own making can be of another's making. And can be the solution can be a lot of, there's a lot of solutions.
Right. So you kind of see she staying for her almost would have, I mean, obviously you can't retell the story, but staying for her wouldn't have necessarily been a good move either. Women horrible.
Would have been a terrible, would have been the trail of what she knew was good. Yep. And what she knew needed to happen.
With Rohan. Yeah, it would have been a terrible trail of her call. Okay.
And so the way you see in these kinds of stories is you see a man without a kingdom, a man without a place. He is now the heir of the stewards of Gondor. And as far as he's concerned, there is no more use for the stewards of Gondor.
Fair me or like this, this office has reached its end. Now, Aragorn will continue it, but we don't know that as he doesn't know that. Like his father, his older brother's dead, his father has burned himself alive, having ultimately just failed.
Yeah. Like the line has just has just catastrophically failed. Yeah, the steward failed, right? The steward failed was absolutely corrupted and corrupted by the darkness he was supposed to be fighting against.
His brother was corrupted by the darkness. His father burned himself alive and tried to kill him. He is he is wrecked and without a home.
Fair amears wrecked without a home and without a king. Aolan is wrecked and without a home and without a king. And they find each other and they find a king.
It's like the two. So the two come together and they now have actually they can now build the line of the stewards. The line of the stewards can actually be built on a solid foundation of two people who were broken by unfaithful fathers, unfaithful unfaithful houses.
And it's just this shrapnel of wreckage that they're both surviving and then they they find each other. Yeah, any external threat to of course. And you know, but even that's actually irrelevant.
That's actually completely irrelevant to like their character journeys. Their character journeys like the Mordor and all that stuff, whatever. What really matters is that Ro Rohan was rotten.
Like rotten to the core, her family, her house, the whole thing was rotten. She had no king. She had no purpose.
She had no place. Yeah. He has no king.
His whole family has existed to be babysitting for the king. And his father, you know, suicides and right, you know, his brother is gone chasing power, you know, dies with it with nobility at the end, but he chased power was corrupted by it. Right.
And he's this like last survivor who made the faithful choice and has been noble. And so when the two of them actually get through that, the reason why there is such a catharsis and such a resolution in the fair, mere ailing story is because they're both coming out of such similar places. Like they're coming out of places of betrayal, of their own lines and their own houses.
And they're both coming like converts. They're both like new believers in the story to a new king. So they both had to let go of everything.
That's everything about their houses. Yeah. Everything, you know, at all, they're like two new believers.
Yeah. You know, one, you know, who is of some ancient line that has now been finally destroyed and another of a different one. So, you know, it's like the whole thing's been smashed.
Their lines have been smashed and destroyed and they both have now pledged loyalty to a new king together. And they're building a new line that's going to live in faithfulness to a new king. And so the two come together and do that.
And we know that AO1 is going to be content, and joyful, and happy, and healthy, both because her king is strong. Like the king is good. The kingdom will be led with nobility and righteousness and not an application, but also her own, like her own man now, fair, mere, is himself incredibly strong and incredibly faithful and has passed all the tests that he could possibly pass.
And, you know, and also understands and relates to the depth of the despair that she saw. Right. So he's capable of walking all the way into that darkness and coming all the way out with her.
So the two of them coming together there, it's not the ratio of his strength, her strength. Yeah. All of that is right.
Okay. All of it's right. Now, a lot of people kind of get confused around AO1.
I think she's a perfect example that just kind of refutes a lot of the points you just walk through. So if you had written a story, a novel, that focused on AO1's journey, just AO1, and just told her story, it'd be a great novel. Okay.
Yeah. It's like, and she could be the main character. And it would have been here as journey.
So departure, initiation, Exactly. All those three steps of the Kimberley and out there, she would have gone into another kingdom, been fighting in foreign fields. You know, it's like, and there would have been this other character we would have established in Fair Mirror.
And she could have been the lead and Fair Mirror could have been the secondary. And yet, by the end, like she and Fair Mirror could be coming together and it would be a great story. Okay.
So does that make sense? Yeah, I think so. So you're saying there's not really a fundamental, again, and this is like you've talked about, it's a lens question. Through God's lens, we all have that heroic journey that we're following through, you know, in our particular situation.
So trying to zoom in on a particular say and say all of the female characters in a story and follow this archetype is not as it's gonna, it's yeah, it's gonna depend. Okay. Yeah.
So Esther's story, Ruth's story, Tamar's story, Rahab's story. Yeah. They all are heroic.
Okay. Yeah, the Archer initiation. They are.
They're all, yeah, they're all heroic. So fundamentally, you're saying Campbell just is, are you making Campbell so generic though, that it can fit anything? Or do you think he just is trying to be that generic? Because I guess, I guess if we're saying Campbell is honestly just, you know, you have a problem, you go out and then you come back. So it's not, it's not all go out.
I don't think it's all go out and come back. I think it's sometimes you go out and arrive. There's, there's an adician thing to it where you can go out and come back.
Oh, but there's also, and of course, with the Odyssey, we're just coming back. It's like it's more like we just go out and arrive. But you can also be, be the pioneers heading west and you find the valley, you've, you know, you'll know when you see it, you find the valley and your homestead and right, you know, it's like, that's, you survive the winters, you get through the past, you know, like it's, there's journeys, like there's actually heroic journeys that don't involve the going back.
They involve building a new home. They involve like the new place. You know, it's like it's, and of course, typologically, in terms of the archetype, you came back, you're at home now, right? Gotcha.
So you left a home, and you've gone out, you've had a hero's journey and you are now arrived at your new home. Yeah. There's not the same home.
Right. Did you get that from Campbell? No. Okay.
That's what I was going to say. It just, yeah. I just think that's, that's just life study.
Yeah. That's, that's just more the nature of narrative. Okay.
And I don't think he would disagree. You know, I think that's kind of his point, I guess, is that psychological. Yeah.
He's a psychologist. Yeah. And so I think, I actually think that Campbell is a bit of a twit, but I don't, I think a lot of what he boils down is accurate, but over prescriptive, sometimes.
And I think this is usually the case with anybody who gets typological. So they, they get excited to find the typology. And I've complained about this before.
And I specifically with Harry Potter and all the things that, yeah, they get good at identifying typology. And then they soon, they identify typology. They try to make it this authoritative.
You know, meaning structure that they impose on stuff as opposed to things, you know, that actually can point out similarities or echoes or bring resolutions. Could you have good dragons? Of course, we can have good dragons. Obviously, we can have good dragons.
Okay. Can we in divert arc types? Of course, we can invert arc types. You know, of course, we can play with, you know, of course, we can play with negatives, of course, we can play with upside down stuff.
You'll think there's all sorts of, okay, because God does, ultimately, the rules are just which, which things does God do? What are the things he does? What are the things he likes? I was just having a discussion with some of my family members, some nieces about Flannery O'Connor. And we're finite. And so we can't tell all the stories that God tells, but we can't object to the kinds of stories he tells either.
And so while I don't care for O'Connor's novels, her short fiction is pretty triumphant. I think it's amazing. And we can find those stories all over the place.
It's just a question where you place the frame and what are you doing? Yeah. And what specifically you're talking about is the Flannery story that ends so badly. Except for it doesn't.
For me, O'Connor's short stories are all short stories about a super righteous young Jew who believes himself to be so righteous that he's committing perjury and arranging for kangaroo trials and murdering actually righteous people. Yeah. Only to be knocked off his donkey and blinded.
Okay. And that's where we end the short story. So all of the other things.
Like O'Connor is like, she tells these short stories and with Paul knockoff as donkey. And there's just like, there's just like violent grace. Yeah.
That shows up. And she's constantly, she has such a clear objective reality outside the storyteller. Yeah.
And some of her other ones seem to be running into that. Like the kid who gets baptized in drowns for that sort of story. She's saying there's something outside of this kid that's bigger than his poisonous little.
And I think her perception of violent grace is accurate. I think once her own religious perception is broken when she gets into theological exploration beyond that. And so when she tries to explore and big longer fiction, I think she gets more lost.
And so in scenes and characters and in even in her novels, she can be fantastic in a scene. But her bigger explorations of the nature of metaphysical reality that plays out in the physical world, I think, I think breaks down. But so basically, I think we look around at what God does and the kinds of stories that God tells, then we try to reduce it in a miniature and strip it down such that we can repackage it for finite imaginations, because we don't have the patience.
Yeah. Like we just don't. And I was having a conversation with my father about the destruction of tech giants and these multi trillion dollar companies that we're going to be dealing with.
The wildly dystopian things that our tech private industry can do and is working on. And we all, we're post mill and there's a God in heaven and towers of Babel never succeed. But the question is, if we're dealing with empires, empires get smashed, but do they get smashed in human lifetimes? Yeah.
Like they get like Persia falls, the Greek empire falls, the British empire falls, Rome falls, but and God uses it for good and God uses it for his purpose. But when those giant things actually clash and collapse, being post mill doesn't mean that I think they're going to fall tomorrow or even in my life. They might fall in my lifetime.
They might not. Yeah. They might last a thousand years and then rot and fall.
Yeah. Well, I mean, it's funny thoughts to be having on the 4th of July, but I was having the same thing. It's like, hey, if we're going to last a thousand generations and we're tiny ways into a thousand, right? Because the Bible promises that America is not sticking around for that whole time.
I mean, I've studied enough history just to be like, you don't get that long with it. Yeah, I don't remember which episode it was where I talked about institutions. We were talking about institutional rot.
That's why you were asking me about my fiction. It seems so cynical about institutions. Yeah.
It's because institutions are mortal. Like institutions are our way to try to reach outside of our own lifespans, but they like us are mortal. And so countries fail, empires fail.
They're just big trees. And they can seem like, man, this tree is going to live forever, but it's a tree. It won't.
Yeah. Ultimately, it's kind of all and that shouldn't cause you to have some existential crisis of faith because your faith cannot be in the tree. I mean, you just got to watch.
I mean, you know, it's funny. Annuals versus perennials is flowers. Like some of those flowers, they get one summer and they got to recede.
You got that one summer and it's like you bloom and then that's it. And it was a great summer. But if you got kids, they get a bloom next summer.
They still got one summer. But we've talked about the Mayflies who don't even have mouths. You know, in their adult forums, I think it's Mayflies.
I know there's, I can picture the shot and I can hear Adam Burrough's voice. You know, watching them all swarm above the water. And of course, I think I referenced Terry Bratchit last time we were talking about this.
The older flies seem like in my day, the sun wasn't so red. It was like a few hours ago. They are in their adult forum, unable to even eat.
They've got one full stomach. That's it. One gas tank.
One gas tank. And in that gas tank, they have got to find a mate and procreate and then die and fall into the water and feed the trout. I mean, that is like, the world must be Mayfly'd.
The trout must be fed. And so God is feeding trout. I mean, that's ultimately what he did.
He tied off a trout feeding system. That's all the Mayflies are for. But anyway, as far as we go, we have to look at the structures of narrative that God uses.
And so in scripture and in the natural world and in history, like we have to look at those things and bend the shapes and boil this down and bind the structures that really bring resolution and catharsis because they imitate the core structure that he's laid out, you know, the architecture under history. So Campbell touches a lot of that. But then what ends up happening is people will go about it the wrong way and they'll read a story that might be really compelling or have a great deal of resolution and catharsis.
And they'll say, this is wrong. Yeah. Like this is incorrect because instead of it being descriptive and like distilled from good storytelling, we go to the good stories and we distill these principles.
We now take these principles and apply them back on stories to then say, this one's bad. That one's good. And it just doesn't work that way.
Yeah, because they'll say like Act three didn't start with the refusal of the return. So this is a bad novel. And then I start then Nate just I start doing that stuff again.
Yeah, it's nonsense. It's like, so these are so sure Campbell has 17 points. Yeah.
And yeah, you can find those in a lot of stories. You can boil those out and say, oh, this is interesting that these are things that a lot of great stories have in common. And then when you find a story that is great, like it's great.
And you don't tick off the little 17 points and say, oh, never mind. It's a 14 out of 17. It's bad C minus or whatever.
Well, that would be a c. But you don't just don't do that. Yeah, you know, it's like you can't do it that way.
You actually have to look at what does God love? You need to get to know him well and his storytelling well. And then you need to be able to say, I think this is not true and good and beautiful in the way that his storytelling is true and good and beautiful in the following ways, not that I have distilled these rules. And I'm going to impose these rules.
Gotcha. Because it's just dumb. Yeah, it's just completely dumb.
The second dumb thing in today's episode. Yeah. So not as dumb, not as dumb as those things we went through first.
This is the lesser dumb, but it is, you know, it also it bothers me when people have narrative conversations around things where they they're imposing their own taste. And their own taste is not subordinate to the taste of God. Okay.
And they say they just say, I don't care for or I feel like this doesn't this isn't good. This isn't good. And I just feel like it'd be better if it'd be better if I just feel like I can't stand that stuff.
Because then you say, you mean, do you mean when they're objectively wrong or what actual taste. No, I mean, I mean, ought to to feel that way. Where how do you falsify? How do you falsify or verify your own taste? You should be perpetually pursuing the falsification and verification of your own taste, the refinement of your own taste.
Yeah. And that I see that is actually something that comes through scripture history. Yeah.
Great works of literature that have that have lasted that have been tested by time. Yeah. And I've lost it.
I remember reading Flannery at first as a high schooler because I'...

Read more: https://opentheo.com/i/3035426148847741449/77-the-heroic-feminine-isnt-missing

Chapter 19: The Princess Pride
Boys: Noah, Rodney, Shawn
Girls: Courtney, Heather, Lindsay
Episode 19: The Princess Pride
"Last time on Total Drama Action!" Chris said over a shot of the film lot. "Just when the cast thought they were safe," the host was shown in his Batman outfit, "I swung in to surprise," his dramatic 'flying' was shown, "I mean antagonize them," the rope break, as well as his and Chef's fall were shown.
"The cast was forced to use their creative sides," Heather was shown shoving Lindsay, then Courtney and Lindsay were shown working on their costumes, "while showing off their backsides," Shawn and Amy were shown working on their outfits, "as they made superhero costumes out of spandex," Rodney was shown introducing himself as the Slammer, then a close-up of the spandex rolls. "And some other junk," the pile of junk was shown.
Chris laughed as Shawn was shown hand walking down the catwalk. "Nice tights!"
"Of course," Pythinicus, and Dander Boy were shown in their radiant background, "they were foiled by the diabolical Pythonicus, super evil alter-ego of the villainous Chef!"
"In a fight against evil, the cast proved they could be heroes," Chris continued over clips of Lindsay making her way across electrical wires, and Shawn catching a sack of potatoes in a dress. "And also, losers!" Heather was seen getting electrocuted by the wires.
"In the end the most diabolical of them all was Heather," he said as she was shown using the confessional, "who planned to vote out Amy," Amy insulting Heather was next, "and thanks to the guys, her plan succeeded," the volleyball queen's goodbye with Lindsay was shown.
The recap footage ended and flashed to Chris in the monitor room. "Will Super Lindsay recover from her bestie's elimination?" he asked the camera. "Will Heather and Rodney ever hook up?" He pressed a button and a picture of the two appeared on one of the screens behind him.
"Maybe you'll find out right now?" he said as the flashed to him walking towards the cast trailers. "Maybe you won't? On another, totally dramatic episode of Total Drama Action!"
XXXXX
The episode began with a shot of the six remaining contestants walking back to their cabins after the elimination ceremony had ended.
"Noah, you're looking a bit worn out," Lindsay noticed his ticked off expression.
"It's a combination of being tired and angry," Noah expressed his emotions. "Heather made me twist my ankle just to hinder me."
"But you got so many luxuries because of it," Lindsay said. "You got a bed for yourself and never had to participate in a couple of challenges."
"I definitely enjoyed them, but now that I'm healed, I want to get back at Heather by eliminating her," Noah declared.
"So do I," Lindsay agreed. "She turned me against Amy and got her voted off."
"I would ask Rodney to join our side, but it's highly unlikely since he's into Heather," Noah cringed. "She's obviously using him like she used Sadie and Ella."
Confessional: Lindsay
"Rodney's interested in Heather?" Lindsay said in shock. "Why didn't I know about that? Probably because I wasn't told about it. In my opinion, Rodney deserves someone better."
Confessional Ends
The camera panned to Rodney glaring at Heather, causing the queen bee to take notice at his expression.
"Is something the matter?" Heather stopped walking as the others passed them.
"You got Noah injured," Rodney answered. "That's the problem."
"Oh come on. It wasn’t even that serious. Heck, I didn’t expect him to be injured by merely tripping," Heather rolled her eyes.
"Even then, you still sprained his ankle for your own selfish gain!" Rodney stated.
"Big deal. His injury wasn’t life threatening, and he’s healed by now," Heather said, showing more of her apathy.
"I can't believe you!" Rodney spat out. "Injuries are not a joke! You even felt bad for my broken arm!" He soon realized something. "Were you pretending to feel bad for me?
Heather pretended to be offended. "Wow! I didn't realize you had a brain!"
“How could you?! You seriously don’t care about all you caused! I can’t believe you!” Rodney said in irritation.
"All I did was start a fight between Amy and Lindsay, get Beth eliminated, make Sky annoying, and lightly harm someone's limb!" Heather shouted. "You have to do whatever it takes to win."
"I never would have loved you if I'd known you'd act like this!" Rodney declared. "I hereby renounce my feelings for you!"
"Fine then!" Heather walked away from a mad Rodney. "I never liked a goofball like you anyways!"
Confessional: Rodney
"All this time I was being used," Rodney groaned. "What is it with me and love? First I acted delusional when I thought that girls liked me to the point of being my girlfriends, and now I was used by someone I thought liked me."
Confessional Ends
Courtney and Lindsay were sleeping in their bunk beds when Heather entered. Luckily for her, they won't be able to see what she is going to do.
Heather went to the drawers and opened it. Inside, there was an assortment of underwear, clothes, and bras belonging to her, Lindsay, and Courtney.
Heather grabbed three bras. One for her and the others for the two girls. She folded them neatly before stuffing them into her pockets.
Seeing that part of her plan was done, she closed the drawer and snuck out of her trailer.
\
The scene cuts to a shot of something brown and mushy falling on a plate, before zooming out to show that it was the innards of a burrito being eaten by Shawn. The camera zoomed out a little more to show that Courtney and Noah were sitting at the same table as him while Heather, Lindsay, and Rodney sat at the other table.
"Didn't we have burritos last time?" Shawn dryly asked out loud.
"We did, but I'm not going to complain this time," Courtney said. "Especially when the burritos are bacon and egg themed."
A few off-camera footsteps caught their attention, and they looked towards the room's entrance where Chef had entered wearing a faded purple medieval-styled costume, complete with a simple horn bearing a flag marked with a simple black-and-purple shield. He blew an off-key fanfare and made an announcement. "Hear ye, and rise! For Sir Chris!"
"Sir?!" Noah repeated with disbelief as a few flies began swarming into the tent, watching something out of view as it moved past. "I believe that Chris needs to go to a doctor in order to check his ego."
The shot moved back out to show Chris riding atop the same elderly horse that had been used for the western movie episode. He was wearing a knight's helmet and dismounted once Chef laid out a small rug for him to stand on.
"I'm gonna guess that we're doing a fairy tale today," Shawn predicted.
"Shawn, dude," Chris said with stern annoyance. "If you ever steal my intro again, I'll have to personally boot you off the show."
"But are we doing the fairy tale challenge?" Rodney asked.
"Yes, Rod," Chris answered. "We are."
"Cool," Lindsay beamed.
"For this challenge," Chris explained, "you'll all be competing for the honor of rescuing the fair princess."
Heather immediately raised her hand. "Let me be the princess. I'm obviously fit for it," she bragged egotistically.
"No can do," Chris shook his head. "A familiar face will be playing that role, and you'll know who it is soon."
"Seriously?!" Heather grumbled.
"I was gonna have you girls try on a glass boot to see who would be the princess, but we looked at our cast and saw that somebody can already fill that role," Chris said.
Confessional: Heather
"I don't rescue princesses," Heather stated, "but oh well. Whatever it takes to win invincibility, here I come."
Confessional Ends
"Lindsay, Courtney," Chris mentioned the dumb princess and type-a's names, "as the winners of the last challenge, you don't have to participate in this one."
"Really?" Courtney wondered.
"You two will just watch from the sidelines. That's it," Chris emphasized. "I'm not making you immune from the vote twice in a row."
"Are you kidding me?" Heather complained.
"Nope," Chris said. "Maybe you should've tried harder last time if you wanted immunity."
"For once, I wish I did," Noah agreed.
Confessional: Noah
"Fairy tales are so cliche," Noah said. "An example would be Cinderella. The characters are what you'd expect in most modern shows. The pushover nice girl. The wicked stepmother. And don't get me started on the bullying stepsisters!"
Confessional Ends
"Who's going to be the princess if we aren't?" Shawn asked.
"I see you're eager," Chris noticed. "She placed 11th in the first season and animals of all sizes love her… Ella!"
The fairytale princess tippy toed into the tent. "Hello everybody!" Ella politely greeted the cast.
"Of course she'll be the princess," Heather grumbled. "It's written all over her."
"This is meant to be my cameo," Ella said. "I'm dressed like a princess, but I'm excited to be playing the role as one. It'll be my first time since Cinderella in my drama club."
"You're here to act, not delve into your life story," Chris claimed. "Anyway, Chef?" he looked back over his shoulder, and the cook arrived back on the scene. He had changed into a pale blue ballerina's outfit, and had strapped a pair of fake wings to his back that, along with the glittering 'wand' in his hand, made him look like a fairy godmother.
"I dub thee, Princess Ella," Chef shortly waved the wand above Ella's head and released a cloud of sparkling dust that nearly choked the contestants.
Confessional: Shawn
"I'm not the rescuing type," Shawn admitted. "I'd much rather protect my own life than risk it, but this challenge will force me to do the opposite."
Confessional Ends
An image of Chris' head and a large hardcover book appeared on screen in front of a yellow background. "It's story time, with Uncle Chris," the disembodied head said before the scene flashed to him seated in a large purple armchair with the same book in hand. His left hand was on a joystick built into the arm of the chair, and he seemed to be slowly rolling through the set.
"Once upon a time," he began slowly, the camera pulling back to show the host rolling up to the contestants minus Lindsay and Courtney on a wheeled platform decorated to look like a cozy den with Lindsay and Courtney seated next to him. "Four brave knights went on a quest to rescue a princess from her ivory tower." He pulled back on the joystick, and the platform came to a stop. "But, it wasn't gonna be easy! First," he motioned to a staircase behind him, "the knights had to get past my very good friend," the shot quick-panned up and left to Chef, now dressed in a tattered vest and breeches with a green wig and beard, "the Terrible Toothless Troll!" The shot zoomed in on Chef as he quickly blackened a few of his front teeth with a sharpie. "And, his Bad Breaks Bridge!"
The camera zoomed out even further, showing a large mountainous set featuring a rickety rope bridge over a treacherous and craggy fake waterfall. The contestants gulped.
"To get past the Terrible Toothless Troll," Chris read on, "the knights had to wear disguises! There was one of her Seven Dwarves," he grabbed a tall wizard hat from behind his chair and tossed it to Rodney, "and the Ugly Stepsister," he tossed a large red and wavy wig to Heather who caught it with a scowl. "The Frog Prince," he followed that up by throwing a frog-like helm to Noah. "Aaand," the host finished by pulling out a bright red hooded cape, "Little Red Riding Hood."
He tossed it to Shawn, who raised an eyebrow as he caught it. "I'm a boy. Can't we change the name?"
"No dice dude. That's what it says in the script," Chris told him as an unseen intern delivered a plate of milk and cookies to the host's side table. He turned and grabbed one, saying "Good work, kid," before continuing with the story.
"And so, the Ugly Stepsister approached the Terrible Troll," he read as Heather put on her wig.
"I can't see!" Heather called with alarm.
"Oh yeah," Chris said with amusement. "For this challenge, each knight is blind." The four teens immediately began to protest, causing the host to snap at them. "Nowhere in this story does it say 'the cowardly knights complained'! So get it together Steppy, and get crossing!"
\
The footage skipped ahead to show Heather slowly inching her way across the bridge while holding on to one of the rope rails. "Can this get any lamer?" she said to herself. She was hit by several red apples in rapid succession, causing her to yelp in pain and cry out "It could be!"
"Oh, also," Chris said as the shot cut back to him, "those are Wicked Witch's apples, so, they're poisonous and rotten. You might wanna watch..."
He stopped talking as the shot cut back to Heather slipping on one of the apples and falling off the bridge to the rocky set below. The camera followed as she fell and bounced off of several outcroppings before landing onto the hard ground. The shot cut briefly to the other contestants as they winced in pain before cutting back to the queen bee lying awkwardly on the ground with an apple in her mouth.
"See, Heather is just not fairy tale heroine material," Chris commented, dunking one of his cookies into his glass of milk. Heather writhed in pain.
Confessional: Heather
"I want to ask," Heather, wearing a neck brace and bandages around her head and torso, said. "I'm having trouble remembering things after that fall. Does that mean I have a concussion?"
Confessional Ends
The footage cut back to the other contestants standing at the start of the bridge. "Next, the Eighth Dwarf," Chris said as he moved his platform around towards the far staircase. "He grabbed a fistful of courage and headed across the bridge."
Rodney glanced over at Chef. The man had hunched over, and was slapping a cat o' nine tails against his hand with a wild grin. He took a deep breath, put on the wizard's hat over his eyes and charged forward with a battle cry. Chef raised his eyebrows and rushed out to stop him, but he ran into him, knocking him over and kept running to get to the other side.
"Did I make it?" Rodney asked, having reached the other side.
Confessional: Rodney
"It felt great to charge in on Chef," Rodney grinned. "He might yell at me for it, but it'll be worth it."
Confessional Ends
The footage skipped ahead to Noah's attempt, the frog hat already jammed down over his eyes and his hands firmly on the ropes of the bridge as he walked forward at a steady pace. Chef squeezed a mother goose, launching a golden egg out of its rear like a bullet. It shot past the boy's shoulder. "What was that?" Noah asked as he moved his head to track it. A second egg hit him square in the chest, knocking him back a step and putting a grin on Chef's face.
"Eggs!" Noah realized. He caught the next two eggs shot at him and with full force, chucked them towards Chef. The eggs blinded the cook's eyesight and caused him and the goose to fall off the bridge.
The scene cut to Chef as he grabbed something behind his back. "They don't pay me enough for this!" Chef yelled, pulling the cord of a hidden parachute and floating down safely.
Using the advantage, Noah quickly ran through the bridge and reached the end.
The camera cut to Chris as he watched what had happened. "Awesome!" he cheered.
"Is he going to be okay?" Lindsay wondered.
"It is a long drop from the bridge to the ground," Courtney educated.
"How should I know?" Chris shrugged. "All right the final knight attempting to enter Fairy Tale Land is," the shot cut to Shawn as he put on the hood and faced away from the camera, "Little Red Riding Hoodlum! We're over this way!"
"Got it," Shawn said as he turned around. "I can't see, but I'll try to work with it!"
"Rapunzel dude, let down your hair!" Chris called, and Chef eagerly lengthened one of the pigtails and began swinging it around. He cracked it like a whip at the survivalist, who dodged it.
"I don't know what it is, but it sure sounds like rope," Shawn grinned. "This is perfect," he exclaimed as he dashed forward.
Chef attacked one last time, but the theorist grabbed on the pigtail and swung across to safety with a whoop.
\
The footage skipped ahead to a close-up of the host's book as he began to narrate once again. "And so, the Terrible Toothless Troll knocked off one loser," the shot pulled back to show Heather sitting on the ground nearby. "But," the camera panned over to Rodney, Shawn, and Noah on the left, "three semi-brave knights made it to the other side and continued on their noble quest. Whereupon I," he motioned to himself, "in my wisdom, inspired them with a vision of Princess Ella."
\
[The shot pulled back even further, revealing that the group had assembled in front of a small stage with a pink-tinted backdrop depicting a large white castle off in distant hillsides. A slow piano melody began to play as Ella, now dressed in a regal-looking pink gown and tiara, was lowered onto the stage by a few wires.]
"When I was a little girl, I'd dream of my first kiss."
[Ella began to sing in a rather melodious voice the moment she hit the stage and the wired harness was reeled back up.]
"It would come from my perfect prince!"
[She spread her arms wide and a number of tiny birds and chipmunks gathered around her, the birds even landing on her hands.]
"And in my dream, it went like this!"
[The scene immediately cut to the three remaining knights as they watched the performance with interest.]
"She's so elegant and proper!" Rodney gazed at the princess affectionately. "More so than Heather."
Noah and Shawn turned to him. "I thought Heather was your girlfriend?" Shawn said.
"We were never dating, and I've moved on from her," Rodney told the boys.
"So you realized that she was playing you?" Noah asked.
"How did you know?" Rodney was surprised.
"I saw her flirting with you, and I knew something was up," Noah recapped.
"And you didn't tell me this why?" Rodney asked the schemer.
"You were so head over heels for Heather, I didn't think you'd listen to anyone," Noah said.
"He does have a point there," Shawn sided with his ally.
"Guys, guys!" Chris said, stepping forward and getting between the guys. "No need to fight! At least not until after this break," he declared happily. "Will Shawn and Noah be able to win against a guy twice their sizes? Find out when we come back!"
\
(Commercial break)
\
[The episode came back to a distant shot of the stage Ella was still singing on, her music resuming as the shot cut closer.]
"My prince will be tall and handsome."
[Ella sang and the camera panned down to show Rodney smiling at the camera.]
"My prince will be tough as nails."
[Shawn took out a huge wood stick and snapped it in half.]
"My prince will have lots of money."
[Ella continued, the camera moving back on her as she showered the stage with a wad of cash.]
"My prince will tame wild whales!"
[She flexed her own arms, Chris nodded to the beat, and the shot cut to Noah and a small orca giving each other confused looks.]
[The shot panned down to Heather watching the performance with annoyance on her face.]
"I wish it was up there," Heather said.
"If you have a singing voice as beautiful as mine or Ella's, then we can talk," Courtney shot back.
"When we kiss~, my prince will be you~!"
[A close-up was shown of Ella reaching for a wary-eyed frog in a small crown, the fairytale princess pulling it closer to her as she finished her song. As the music ended she held up the frog and kissed it on the lips, but broke almost immediately in a fit of revulsion.]
She threw the frog away from her. It landed on Rodney's face, and she quickly pried it off and gave it a friendly smile.
\
"Wasn't that song brilliant?" Chris asked as the focus moved back to him, Courtney, Lindsay, and Heather. "It was so brilliant, I know everyone wishes they could hear it over, and over, and over again! And now they can." He snapped his fingers, and a CD case bearing Princess Ella's picture on the cover was placed in his hands.
"Relive the magic of Ella for only $12.99," he told the camera. "Call 555-SELLOUT to get your authentic Princess Ella CD," he added as the camera zoomed in on the case, "before everyone else downloads it illegally!"
"I'll take one!" Shawn begged, earning him a CD. "I'm starting to miss Jo, so maybe I can sing this song and think about her."
Confessional: Shawn
"My prince will buy me lots of hot dogs! My prince will love ponies too!" Shawn was listening to the CD as his confessional began. Someone soon gave him a piece of paper, to which he grabbed it. "It's from Jo." He started to read. "Dear Shawn. If you sing that princess song just to think about me, I'll make sure that kiss never happened." He gave the camera a surprised expression.
Confessional Ends
"You are a vision of true beauty!" Rodney said in awe as he approached the stage. "As a noble knight, I am ready to lay down my life to protect yours."
He offered his hand to Ella, who took it happily. "Thank you, Sir Rodney."
Noah snorted. "More like Sir Suck-up."
"It doesn't hurt to give people compliments," Ella told him. "It's simply a random act of kindness."
"Whatever!" Noah rolled his eyes.
The sound of hoofbeats caught their attention and the camera followed their gaze over to Chef, still in his troll costume but now riding the same fly-ridden horse from earlier in the episode.
"I can't believe that thing's alive," Heather commented. "I thought it'd be turned to glue by now."
The camera cut back to Ella as she hopped onto the horse's back.
"Are we supposed to catch him?" Shawn asked.
"No, it's a classic princess abduction," Chris explained calmly. "As the villain makes a whirlwind getaway on a swift steed."
Chef kicked the horse with his bare feet, but it didn't react. "Guess ol' Betsy here didn't read the script," he said gruffly.
"Kick harder," Chris commanded, and Chef promptly complied. A stronger kick caused the horse to kick backwards, catching Rodney... in the groin.
"That did it," Chef said as the country boy groaned in pain and fell to his knees.
"So, that's how the three knight dudes lost the princess," Chris narrated, "But fate, aka me, wasn't finished with them." He motioned to the three as Chef and Ella rode off behind him. "They followed the troll all the way to a fight to the death, because that's how I like my princesses saved."
"How typical," Courtney scoffed.
"Gentlemen, I want you to know that I hope one of you will rescue me!" Ella called out.
"We won't disappoint you!" Shawn yelled back.
"As good luck, I give you my favor to carry into battle!" Ella tossed a glass boot. Rodney didn't see the incoming footwear... until it hit him in the groin.
\
The footage cut forward to a close-up of the old horse chewing on some hay before the camera panned over to a small castle archway propped up against a tower of some sort. "Sir Rodney, Sir Shawn, and Sir Noah reached the ivory tower in which the troll had stuck the fairytale princess," Chris read as the three remaining competitors walked into the scene and he followed on his rolling platform. The shot panned up the towers, where several other pieces of crenelated wall had been attached here and there, and at the very top there was a pink spire and balcony where Princess Ella waited.
"But there was only one way to rescue her," the host continued with a grin on his face. "One of the brave knights had to slay the dragon!"
"I can't wait to see a real dragon!" Lindsay said. "So scary!"
"We don't have a real dragon," Chris replied. "We're reusing the alien monster guy."
A few loud mechanical footsteps were heard. They looked to the left and the camera pulled back, showing off the animatronic monster from the first episode. Chef was wearing the motion capture suit that controlled it, and it had been given a hood with horns, a scraggly 'beard', and two tiny wings in a poor attempt to make it look like a dragon. Chef raised his arms menacingly, and the monster echoed the pose and growled.
"Let the dragon slaying begin!" Chris announced, pulling out a trio of wooden swords and throwing them to the knights. Noah caught the shortest, Shawn the thinnest, and Rodney the largest, and the three turned to face the tower and dragon.
"Godspeed, brave knights! Sir Noah!" Ella called from above, smiling at the schemer and blowing him a kiss that he nonchalantly avoided.
"Sir Shawn! Sir Rodney!" She blew two more kisses, and the boys felt it. Shawn didn't care, but Rodney was happy.
"Fear not, brave princess," Rodney called back. "I shall save you from this horrid beast." He began to charge the dragon.
"Here's what we're going to do," Noah talked to Shawn.
"Stop Rodney from winning?" Shawn interrupted. "On it."
"I never-" Noah tried to say, but it was too late. The camera cut to the two boys sword-fighting and dodging stomps from the dragon.
Noah sighed. "Guess we're on our own for this one." He hid behind the fake castle wall and waited for the monster to come back around.
Confessional: Noah
"Charging that monster head on is a guaranteed way to give your life to it," Noah stated. "As soon as the monster is stopped by the two boys, I'll swoop past and rescue the princess."
Confessional Ends
"My granddad's got more heart than you!" Shawn said as the footage resumed to the two boys running from the dragon. "Man up and fight!"
"You're not fighting either!" Rodney shot back.
Noah rolled his eyes and ran out in what appeared to be an attempt to join the fray, but he passed the two boys and crouched down in front of the dragon. It tripped over him and started to fall. Shawn saw this and ran to push him out of the way... only to be crushed by the falling beast.
"Are you good?" Noah checked up on him.
Shawn managed to poke his head out from under the monster. "Just slay the monster and win for the alliance."
Noah ran over to a large red button on the side of the beast's neck. The perspective switched to show his head as he readied his sword to finish it off, but a dull thud stopped him and he looked to see Rodney running up to him.
"I'll be the one rescuing the princess and winning the challenge," Rodney said seriously. "Nothing personal between us."
"You're right, but I hope you have an ice pack back in the trailer," Noah said before kicking Rodney in the groin.
"MY BISCUITS!!!" Rodney squealed as he fell off the monster.
The normal side view returned and Noah plunged his sword into the dragon's neck, causing it to fizzle and short out. "Nothing personal, like you said."
"Forget one ice pack," Rodney groaned. "I'm gonna need three!"
The camera panned to the right to show Chris' moving platform as he arrived with the girls in tow.
"Wanna rescue Princess Ella too?" Chris asked the camera. "Now you can, for only $79.95!" he pulled out a pink-and-yellow striped box and held it up for the camera, a vaguely Ella-shaped doll barely visible inside. "Order your very own Princess Ella Limited Edition Glass Boot Doll! Playing with the Princess Ella doll is more fun and less annoying than playing with the real Ella. Guaranteed!" He finished with a cheesy grin.
The scene cut to the top of the ivory tower as Noah climbed up to the balcony where Ella waited and the princess smiled at the schemer. "I have arrived!" Noah announced. "After my kiss with Courtney, a kiss from you can certainly wipe the experience off."
"Well then," Ella said. "It is my honor to bestow your reward."
"Wait, wait, there's no kissing!" Chris interrupted.
"But I thought all fairy tales end with a kiss?" Lindsay asked in confusion.
"Well Linds, this is a modern tale," Chris explained. "Gals have to fight for themselves. This isn't the 80s anymore."
Confessional: Rodney
Rodney was shown with three ice packs on the table. "Lucky for me, I'm wearing overalls. I can just slip and slide these ice packs and my you-know-what can heal." He did so, but jumped out of his seat immediately and ran off with a scream.
Confessional Ends
"For rescuing the fair princess, Noah wins immunity!" Chris announced.
"Yes!" Noah boomed out.
\
The camera went to the guys entering their trailer when Shawn notices some strands hanging from underneath Rodney’s bunk.
"Wait a minute…" Shawn raised an eyebrow.
"What’s going on?" Rodney gulped as Noah gave him a concerned look.
Shawn immediately pulled out what was under Rodney’s mattress and gasped at what he saw: Heather. Lindsay, and Courtney’s bras.
"How did those get in there?!" Rodney balked.
"Are you kidding me?" Noah said. "You think me and Shawn would treat girls like tools?"
"But I didn’t do it, you guys," Rodney pleaded.
Courtney entered the trailer. "Shawn, Noah, let's talk about…" she saw the bras on Rodney's bed. "What the heck?!"
"Okay, I know it looks bad, but please hear me out-" Rodney tried to explain but was cut off.
"I thought you changed after the first season, but I was wrong," Courtney scolded the country boy. "I never thought you'd stoop to stealing our bras!"
"Cody may have been perverted sometimes, but at least he didn't try to take any of the girl's belongings," Shawn said.
"Neither did I last season! And I didn’t do it now!" Rodney yelled, starting to get annoyed with how everyone was acting.
"Who else could it have been?" Courtney glared.
Rodney realized who it was in one second. "Heather."
"How could she have done it?" Noah asked. "She's been injured all day."
"She… she had to have found a way," Rodney begged, desperately trying to save face. "Maybe it was done this morning."
"Heather complained about the guy's trailer smelling bad to the girls a lot," Courtney said. "She'd never enter here."
"She sprained Noah’s ankle. You seriously think she wouldn’t pull this?!" Rodney argued.
"She doesn't give anything that's hers away, especially bras," Courtney claimed as she grabbed the bras and walked out. "They were in your bed, and Noah and Shawn aren't the type to pull a stunt like you just did. That's my proof."
Noah and Shawn followed after her, leaving the country boy alone to sigh.
\
Courtney kicked open the door to her trailer, causing Lindsay and Heather to take notice.
"Courtney, are you okay?" Lindsay noticed her expression.
"Look what I found on Rodney's bed!" Courtney pulled out their bras, causing Lindsay to gasp.
"Is that my pink bra!?" Lindsay gaped.
"Rodney stole them from us!" Courtney said.
"Hold on! What are you talking about?!" Lindsay asked incredulously.
"She's saying that Rodney tooks our bras, dimwit!" Heather insulted her.
"Maybe I'm navy, but there's no way Rodney took our bras," Lindsay said. "He's a very sweet guy."
"I found them on his bed Lindsay!" Courtney protested. "Noah's not into romance and Shawn keeps to himself so it had to be him."
"Plus, he gets all proud if a girl compliments him," Heather pointed out.
"That may be true, but I'm not voting for him," Lindsay firmly said as she left her trailer.
Confessional: Lindsay
"I know Heather was the one who framed Rodney," Lindsay claimed, "but I won't be listened to this time."
Confessional Ends
[A grand theme played as the camera zoomed in on the amphitheatre. Several film strips of the host highlights from the previous season flew past the screen, then the camera panned out from a solid gold screen to show a Gilded Chris.]
\
"So," a tux-wearing Chris began with an award already in his hand, "with immunity, Noah is the first to win a Golden Chris." He tossed the statuette to the boy, sitting on the left side of the bleachers with her alliance, and he caught it with a grin.
"As it should be," Noah said.
"Also still in the competish," Chris announced with another two awards in his hand "Shawn and Courtney." The former caught his prize in his lap with a confident grin, the latter with a more superior expression as she held her hand up high to grab it as it went over her head.
"And Lindsay," the dumb princess caught her award with a small smile.
Spotlights were put on Heather and Rodney, and they both opened their eyes in surprise. "Who will live happily ever after? And who will die penniless?"
"And the last Gilded Chris goes to..." The two leaned forward in anticipation.
"Rodney!"
"What?!" Heather stood up. "This is an outrage! Rodney should be going home! I even framed him for taking our bras!" As soon as she said that she stopped herself from talking.
"Yeah, you're right. I was just kidding," Chris said. "Rodney's actually the one who's been eliminated."
As Heather caught her award, Rodney got off his seat and stared down Heather furiously.
"I knew you were the one that pinned the bras on me," Rodney said.
"It's not my fault everyone here is a gullible idiot," Heather smirked.
"I told you Rodney didn't steal anything," Lindsay scolded the other three.
"How was I supposed to know that Heather would willingly give away her bra?" Courtney defended herself.
"She did it just to spite me!" Rodney declared.
"Sorry, man," Shawn apologized. "I didn't know what to think."
"I forgive you guys," Rodney said. "Just know that I would never steal anything for my own personal gain."
"Fully noted," Noah declared.
"Just get out of here already!" a bored Heather said.
"F**k off, Heather!" Rodney cursed her out as he took the Walk of Shame, much to the queen bee's shock and everyone's amusement.
\
The footage skipped ahead to show Rodney on his way to the Lame-osine. "Wait!" He turned around to see Lindsay running up to him. "I want to say goodbye," she explained softly.
Rodney smiled. "I'm grateful you didn't accuse me of taking your bra," he said.
"I know you're too nice to even do it," Lindsay told him. "I didn't even vote for you."
"I appreciate that. Take care," Rodney bid farewell before he got into the limo to be driven off the film lot.
\
The footage paused there, and the camera pulled back to show it on one of the monitors in the control tent. Chris was sitting in his chair playing with a couple of Princess Ella dolls and had a few more scattered on the nearby desk.
"Marketing says our target audience is too old for dolls," Chris told the camera as the footage on the monitor cut to static. "They're just not selling!" He looked to the side, and the camera panned to follow and show Chef playing with a group of Princess Ella dolls dressed up as soldiers.
"Princesses, attack!" Chef said with a dark grin, lighting a miniature cannon with a match. The cannon fired, and took the heads off two of the dolls.
Chris gave him an odd look, then turned back to the camera. "Hey target audience! Make sure you don't miss the next kiss-filled episode of Total Drama Action!" As soon as he finished saying the title, he mashed the mouths of the two dolls he was holding together and made kissing sounds. "Now ya see, Chef," he told the cook. "That's how you play with dolls."
(Roll the Credits)
\
(Bonus Clip)
"Even though I was framed for a crime I didn't commit, I'm glad I left with my name cleared," Rodney said to the camera. "Heather is a glorified witch. After what happened to her in the first season, I thought she would be nicer. I never cussed anyone out like I did to her though." He sighed happily before continuing. "The next time someone flirts with me and it's a trick, I'll be sure to listen to anyone who says otherwise." The country boy soon started to remember something. "Wow. Two lessons in two seasons. Who knew I could learn so much?"
16th/15th: Harold
16th/15th: Dawn
14th: Lightning
13th: Sky
12th: Jo
11th: Beth
10th: Brick
9th: Duncan
8th: Mike
7th: Amy
6th: Rodney

For use as a reference, this post, including this introductory text, is exactly 4096 tokens long (the context window of gpt-3.5-turbo as of March 11th, 2023).
Moby Dick
Chapter 1.
Loomings
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago- never mind how long precisely- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.
There now is your insular city of the Manhattoes, belted round by wharves as Indian isles by coral reefs- commerce surrounds it with her surf. Right and left, the streets take you waterward. Its extreme downtown is the battery, where that noble mole is washed by waves, and cooled by breezes, which a few hours previous were out of sight of land. Look at the crowds of water-gazers there.
Circumambulate the city of a dreamy Sabbath afternoon. Go from Corlears Hook to Coenties Slip, and from thence, by Whitehall, northward. What do you see?- Posted like silent sentinels all around the town, stand thousands upon thousands of mortal men fixed in ocean reveries. Some leaning against the spiles; some seated upon the pier-heads; some looking over the bulwarks of ships from China; some high aloft in the rigging, as if striving to get a still better seaward peep. But these are all landsmen; of week days pent up in lath and plaster- tied to counters, nailed to benches, clinched to desks. How then is this? Are the green fields gone? What do they here?
But look! here come more crowds, pacing straight for the water, and seemingly bound for a dive. Strange! Nothing will content them but the extremest limit of the land; loitering under the shady lee of yonder warehouses will not suffice. No. They must get just as nigh the water as they possibly can without falling And there they stand- miles of them- leagues. Inlanders all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets avenues- north, east, south, and west. Yet here they all unite. Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all those ships attract them thither?
Once more. Say you are in the country; in some high land of lakes. Take almost any path you please, and ten to one it carries you down in a dale, and leaves you there by a pool in the stream. There is magic in it. Let the most absent-minded of men be plunged in his deepest reveries- stand that man on his legs, set his feet a-going, and he will infallibly lead you to water, if water there be in all that region. Should you ever be athirst in the great American desert, try this experiment, if your caravan happen to be supplied with a metaphysical professor. Yes, as every one knows, meditation and water are wedded for ever.
But here is an artist. He desires to paint you the dreamiest, shadiest, quietest, most enchanting bit of romantic landscape in all the valley of the Saco. What is the chief element he employs? There stand his trees, each with a hollow trunk, as if a hermit and a crucifix were within; and here sleeps his meadow, and there sleep his cattle; and up from yonder cottage goes a sleepy smoke. Deep into distant woodlands winds a mazy way, reaching to overlapping spurs of mountains bathed in their hill-side blue. But though the picture lies thus tranced, and though this pine-tree shakes down its sighs like leaves upon this shepherd’s head, yet all were vain, unless the shepherd’s eye were fixed upon the magic stream before him. Go visit the Prairies in June, when for scores on scores of miles you wade knee-deep among Tiger-lilies- what is the one charm wanting?- Water- there is not a drop of water there! Were Niagara but a cataract of sand, would you travel your thousand miles to see it? Why did the poor poet of Tennessee, upon suddenly receiving two handfuls of silver, deliberate whether to buy him a coat, which he sadly needed, or invest his money in a pedestrian trip to Rockaway Beach? Why is almost every robust healthy boy with a robust healthy soul in him, at some time or other crazy to go to sea? Why upon your first voyage as a passenger, did you yourself feel such a mystical vibration, when first told that you and your ship were now out of sight of land? Why did the old Persians hold the sea holy? Why did the Greeks give it a separate deity, and own brother of Jove? Surely all this is not without meaning. And still deeper the meaning of that story of Narcissus, who because he could not grasp the tormenting, mild image he saw in the fountain, plunged into it and was drowned. But that same image, we ourselves see in all rivers and oceans. It is the image of the ungraspable phantom of life; and this is the key to it all.
Now, when I say that I am in the habit of going to sea whenever I begin to grow hazy about the eyes, and begin to be over conscious of my lungs, I do not mean to have it inferred that I ever go to sea as a passenger. For to go as a passenger you must needs have a purse, and a purse is but a rag unless you have something in it. Besides, passengers get sea-sick- grow quarrelsome- don’t sleep of nights- do not enjoy themselves much, as a general thing;- no, I never go as a passenger; nor, though I am something of a salt, do I ever go to sea as a Commodore, or a Captain, or a Cook. I abandon the glory and distinction of such offices to those who like them. For my part, I abominate all honorable respectable toils, trials, and tribulations of every kind whatsoever. It is quite as much as I can do to take care of myself, without taking care of ships, barques, brigs, schooners, and what not. And as for going as cook,- though I confess there is considerable glory in that, a cook being a sort of officer on ship-board- yet, somehow, I never fancied broiling fowls;- though once broiled, judiciously buttered, and judgmatically salted and peppered, there is no one who will speak more respectfully, not to say reverentially, of a broiled fowl than I will. It is out of the idolatrous dotings of the old Egyptians upon broiled ibis and roasted river horse, that you see the mummies of those creatures in their huge bakehouses the pyramids.
No, when I go to sea, I go as a simple sailor, right before the mast, plumb down into the fore-castle, aloft there to the royal mast-head. True, they rather order me about some, and make me jump from spar to spar, like a grasshopper in a May meadow. And at first, this sort of thing is unpleasant enough. It touches one’s sense of honor, particularly if you come of an old established family in the land, the Van Rensselaers, or Randolphs, or Hardicanutes. And more than all, if just previous to putting your hand into the tar-pot, you have been lording it as a country schoolmaster, making the tallest boys stand in awe of you. The transition is a keen one, I assure you, from a schoolmaster to a sailor, and requires a strong decoction of Seneca and the Stoics to enable you to grin and bear it. But even this wears off in time.
What of it, if some old hunks of a sea-captain orders me to get a broom and sweep down the decks? What does that indignity amount to, weighed, I mean, in the scales of the New Testament? Do you think the archangel Gabriel thinks anything the less of me, because I promptly and respectfully obey that old hunks in that particular instance? Who ain’t a slave? Tell me that. Well, then, however the old sea-captains may order me about- however they may thump and punch me about, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is all right; that everybody else is one way or other served in much the same way- either in a physical or metaphysical point of view, that is; and so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.
Again, I always go to sea as a sailor, because they make a point of paying me for my trouble, whereas they never pay passengers a single penny that I ever heard of. On the contrary, passengers themselves must pay. And there is all the difference in the world between paying and being paid. The act of paying is perhaps the most uncomfortable infliction that the two orchard thieves entailed upon us. But being paid,- what will compare with it? The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvellous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied man enter heaven. Ah! how cheerfully we consign ourselves to perdition!
Finally, I always go to sea as a sailor, because of the wholesome exercise and pure air of the fore-castle deck. For as in this world, head winds are far more prevalent than winds from astern (that is, if you never violate the Pythagorean maxim), so for the most part the Commodore on the quarter-deck gets his atmosphere at second hand from the sailors on the forecastle. He thinks he breathes it first; but not so. In much the same way do the commonalty lead their leaders in many other things, at the same time that the leaders little suspect it. But wherefore it was that after having repeatedly smelt the sea as a merchant sailor, I should now take it into my head to go on a whaling voyage; this the invisible police officer of the Fates, who has the constant surveillance of me, and secretly dogs me, and influences me in some unaccountable way- he can better answer than any one else. And, doubtless, my going on this whaling voyage, formed part of the grand programme of Providence that was drawn up a long time ago. It came in as a sort of brief interlude and solo between more extensive performances. I take it that this part of the bill must have run something like this:
“Grand Contested Election for the Presidency of the United States.“WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL.” “BLOODY BATTLE IN AFFGHANISTAN.”
Though I cannot tell why it was exactly that those stage managers, the Fates, put me down for this shabby part of a whaling voyage, when others were set down for magnificent parts in high tragedies, and short and easy parts in genteel comedies, and jolly parts in farces- though I cannot tell why this was exactly; yet, now that I recall all the circumstances, I think I can see a little into the springs and motives which being cunningly presented to me under various disguises, induced me to set about performing the part I did, besides cajoling me into the delusion that it was a choice resulting from my own unbiased freewill and discriminating judgment.
Chief among these motives was the overwhelming idea of the great whale himself. Such a portentous and mysterious monster roused all my curiosity. Then the wild and distant seas where he rolled his island bulk; the undeliverable, nameless perils of the whale; these, with all the attending marvels of a thousand Patagonian sights and sounds, helped to sway me to my wish. With other men, perhaps, such things would not have been inducements; but as for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts. Not ignoring what is good, I am quick to perceive a horror, and could still be social with it- would they let me- since it is but well to be on friendly terms with all the inmates of the place one lodges in.
By reason of these things, then, the whaling voyage was welcome; the great flood-gates of the wonder-world swung open, and in the wild conceits that swayed me to my purpose, two and two there floated into my inmost soul, endless processions of the whale, and, mid most of them all, one grand hooded phantom, like a snow hill in the air.
Chapter 2.
The Carpet Bag
I stuffed a shirt or two into my old carpet-bag, tucked it under my arm, and started for Cape Horn and the Pacific. Quitting the good city of old Manhatto, I duly arrived in New Bedford. It was a Saturday night in December. Much was I disappointed upon learning that the little packet for Nantucket had already sailed, and that no way of reaching that place would offer, till the following Monday.
As most young candidates for the pains and penalties of whaling stop at this same New Bedford, thence to embark on their voyage, it may as well be related that I, for one, had no idea of so doing. For my mind was made up to sail in no other than a Nantucket craft, because there was a fine, boisterous something about everything connected with that famous old island, which amazingly pleased me. Besides though New Bedford has of late been gradually monopolizing the business of whaling, and though in this matter poor old Nantucket is now much behind her, yet Nantucket was her great original- the Tyre of this Carthage;- the place where the first dead American whale was stranded. Where else but from Nantucket did those aboriginal whalemen, the Red-Men, first sally out in canoes to give chase to the Leviathan? And where but from Nantucket, too, did that first adventurous little sloop put forth, partly laden with imported cobblestones- so goes the story- to throw at the whales, in order to discover when they were nigh enough to risk a harpoon from the bowsprit?
Now having a night, a day, and still another night following before me in New Bedford, ere could embark for my destined port, it became a matter of concernment where I was to eat and sleep meanwhile. It was a very dubious-looking, nay, a very dark and dismal night, bitingly cold and cheerless. I knew no one in the place. With anxious grapnels I had sounded my pocket, and only brought up a few pieces of silver,- So, wherever you go, Ishmael, said I to myself, as I stood in the middle of a dreary street shouldering my bag, and comparing the towards the north with the darkness towards the south- wherever in your wisdom you may conclude to lodge for the night, my dear Ishmael, be sure to inquire the price, and don’t be too particular.
With halting steps I paced the streets, and passed the sign of “The Crossed Harpoons”- but it looked too expensive and jolly there. Further on, from the bright red windows of the “Sword-Fish Inn,” there came such fervent rays, that it seemed to have melted the packed snow and ice from before the house, for everywhere else the congealed frost lay ten inches thick in a hard, asphaltic pavement,- rather weary for me, when I struck my foot against the flinty projections, because from hard, remorseless service the soles of my boots were in a most miserable plight. Too expensive and jolly, again thought I, pausing one moment to watch the broad glare in the street, and hear the sounds of the tinkling glasses within. But go on, Ishmael, said I at last; don’t you hear? get away from before the door; your patched boots are stopping the way. So on I went. I now by instinct followed the streets that took me waterward, for there, doubtless, were the cheapest, if not the cheeriest inns.
Such dreary streets! blocks of blackness, not houses, on either hand, and here and there a candle, like a candle moving about in a tomb. At this hour of the night, of the last day of the week, that quarter of the town proved all but deserted. But presently I came to a smoky light proceeding from a low, wide building, the door of which stood invitingly open. It had a careless look, as if it were meant for the uses of the public; so, entering, the first thing I did was to stumble over an ash-box in the porch. Ha! thought I, ha, as the flying particles almost choked me, are these ashes from that destroyed city, Gomorrah? But “The Crossed Harpoons,” and the “The Sword-Fish?”- this, then must needs be the sign of “The Trap.” However, I picked myself up and hearing a loud voice within, pushed on and opened a second, interior door.
It seemed the great Black Parliament sitting in Tophet. A hundred black faces turned round in their rows to peer; and beyond, a black Angel of Doom was beating a book in a pulpit. It was a negro church; and the preacher’s text was about the blackness of darkness, and the weeping and wailing and teeth-gnashing there. Ha, Ishmael, muttered I, backing out, Wretched entertainment at the sign of ‘The Trap!’
Moving on, I at last came to a dim sort of light not far from the docks, and heard a forlorn creaking in the air; and looking up, saw a swinging sign over the door with a white painting upon it, faintly representing tall straight jet of misty spray, and these words underneath- “The Spouter Inn:- Peter Coffin.”
Coffin?- Spouter?

ecause most public cannabis companies are still largely in growth phases, higher interest rates have hit their stocks hard. But, as share prices come down, institutional investors and hedge funds have started to take stabs at several different companies. Here are a few cannabis stocks the big players have been buying. Tilray Inc (NASDAQ:TLRY), the Canadian cannabis company focused on supplying medical marijuana to hospitals, pharmacies and other customers. Because Tilray is focused on the medical side, it may make it easier for institutional investors to hop in. According to Whale Wisdom, Aristeia Capital added more than 9 million Tilray shares last quarter. The fund now holds more than $30 million worth of Tilray stock. Canopy Growth Corp (NASDAQ:CGC), a multinational corporation with dozens of brands under management, the company has ventures in cannabis-infused beverages, CBD and more. According to Whale Wisdom, the National Bank of Canada bought up more than 7 million shares of Canopy. The bank now owns more than 1% of the company through its shares. SNDL Inc (NASDAQ:SNDL) is another Canadian cannabis company that supplies retailers with recreational cannabis products. According to Whale Wisdom, Jane Street, yes the fund that used to employ the disgraced Sam Bankman-Fried, bought up more than 140,000 shares of the cannabis company last quarter. Aurora Cannabis Inc (NASDAQ:ACB), which operates in both the recreational and medical marijuana spaces, does business in more than 20 countries around the world. According to Whale Wisdom, Millennium Management LLC bought up more than 6 million shares of Aurora last quarter. So, while many people may still be hesitant to touch the cannabis space right now, there are some big players that clearly are not. Doesn’t Warren Buffett’s famous adage go something like “be greedy when others are fearful?”

This post is inspired by a few posts I've read here suggesting that people should be spending their crypto because it will help with mass adoption apparently.
Disclaimer: the points in this post aren't exactly sophisticated or very deep. Actually, the points I make are So Captain Obvious but what do you expect as a response to the equally dumb suggestion that "we should all be spending our crypto if we want adoption". So if you were looking for deep insights and philosophical wisdom: this might not be the right post for you.
Ok then. Let's look at the pros and cons of using our crypto as a currency

Cons:

• Volatility: people who tell you to be spending crypto like to pretend volatility doesn't exist
  
• Capital Gains Taxes: I might have to pay taxes when I spend my crypto
  
• Pointless: The business I am spending my crypto in will immediately convert it to fiat because they most likely have to pay their bills in fiat
  
• Investment or Currency: I bought my tokens to sell them at a higher price. I didn't buy them to spend it at the coffee shop.
  

Pros: (the following points will all be super dumb)

• Marketing: Paying with crypto is a way of marketing crypto as a "hey everybody look how easy it is to transfer crypto from the hot wallet on my phone to the shop. Amazing!"
  
• Business Adoption: Apparently if a lot or cryptobros start spending their crypto, then more businesses will start accepting crypto as a payment option
  
• Consumer Adoption: People will see that businesses are now accepting crypto and think "that sounds like a lot of fun, why don't I go and get some crypto too so I can pay with crypto the next time I go to this shop"
  
• Positive Perception: when you pay your bill with crypto at the bar, all the girls will giggle in awe and whisper to each other "wow who is this guy, he must be a mega rich whale. I can't wait to get to know him". All the men will think "i gotta start paying with crypto too so the girls will give me attention"
  

So yeah, I honestly don't see the upside in using my volatile crypto as a currency. I mean, if you guys want to spend your crypto - go right ahead. But I personally think it's kind of dumb.
Maybe IF stablecoins become more regulated and accepted in more places and have lower fees than my credit card, then it would make sense. Otherwise, no.

This post is inspired by a few posts I've read here suggesting that people should be spending their crypto because it will help with mass adoption apparently.
Disclaimer: the points in this post aren't exactly sophisticated or very deep. Actually, the points I make are So Captain Obvious but what do you expect as a response to the equally dumb suggestion that "we should all be spending our crypto if we want adoption". So if you were looking for deep insights and philosophical wisdom: this might not be the right post for you.
Ok then. Let's look at the pros and cons of using our crypto as a currency

Cons:

• Volatility: people who tell you to be spending crypto like to pretend volatility doesn't exist
  
• Capital Gains Taxes: I might have to pay taxes when I spend my crypto
  
• Pointless: The business I am spending my crypto in will immediately convert it to fiat because they most likely have to pay their bills in fiat
  
• Investment or Currency: I bought my tokens to sell them at a higher price. I didn't buy them to spend it at the coffee shop.
  

Pros: (the following points will all be super dumb)

• Marketing: Paying with crypto is a way of marketing crypto as a "hey everybody look how easy it is to transfer crypto from the hot wallet on my phone to the shop. Amazing!"
  
• Business Adoption: Apparently if a lot or cryptobros start spending their crypto, then more businesses will start accepting crypto as a payment option
  
• Consumer Adoption: People will see that businesses are now accepting crypto and think "that sounds like a lot of fun, why don't I go and get some crypto too so I can pay with crypto the next time I go to this shop"
  
• Positive Perception: when you pay your bill with crypto at the bar, all the girls will giggle in awe and whisper to each other "wow who is this guy, he must be a mega rich whale. I can't wait to get to know him". All the men will think "i gotta start paying with crypto too so the girls will give me attention"
  

So yeah, I honestly don't see the upside in using my volatile crypto as a currency. I mean, if you guys want to spend your crypto - go right ahead. But I personally think it's kind of dumb.
Maybe IF stablecoins become more regulated and accepted in more places and have lower fees than my credit card, then it would make sense. Otherwise, no.

(This text was written and distributed from Windhelm's Temple of Talos following the death of High King Torygg. It is believed to be a response to an ecumenical text composed by the High Priest of the Eight in Solitude, refitted to serve as a rebuttal of Imperial theology and propaganda for the Stormcloak Rebellion. Given the speed at which the text was disseminated through Stormcloak territory, it can be assumed that the government of Eastmarch had a hand in its production and disbursal.)
Praise Talos.
The Gods that were are the Gods that are, and any formality beyond that is the comfort of others. This is the wisdom given us by Ysmir Wulfharth in the shadow of King Borgas, and his fire was the beacon that foretold the coming of the true Dragon of the North.
At the turn of the kalpa Shor fought the gods of the elves and there died. There too, died the shield-thane brothers Tsun and Stuhn, and Jhunal betrayed Shor’s clan to the elves, and Kyne took her children the Nords and gave them shelter in Atmora to await the Return. Of the Return, Ysgramor was the first to set foot in Skyrim, but Talos was the last, and the Storm of Kyne preceded Him, hence ‘Stormcrown.’
At fresh twenty His Thu’um destroyed the walls of Old Hrol’dan and Kyne, seeing His strength, appeared above the Throat of the World and bade the Greybeards speak His true name. Her storms emptied the lands about the mountain, for no hindrance would impede the coming of her son. His Thu’um carried Him through the storms, and upon High Hrothgar the Greybeards named Him Ysmir, Dragon of the North, and declared the restoration of the Empire of the Nords, and bade Talos go south to claim the throne of dragons that was His birthright.
One thousand and nine hawks signaled His coming at the bridge of Heldorn, that sacred crossing where Shor laid low the elves of the Heartlands. At Falkreath where the Nords of the south had wrapped themselves in Colovian trappings, Mara appeared in the aspect of a great pine wolf, and what clever men were among them knew to restore their hearths and were prepared to receive Talos when He came to Cuhlecain as the Storm of Kyne. Here Talos married the wolf and by Mara’s mediation took the name Tiber Septim, thus to reprieve the Colovians from Alduin in aspect.
At Sancre Tor the snake god of the Orcs worked with his lies the Nords of the Reach into tricky union with Bretons and Witchmen. Here rested the last Dragon of the South with the Heart of the Mother of Dragons, and the Orkey would withhold from Talos these needed totems. But the Orkey sought shelter in the storm, and sought union between Witchmen and Nords, and relied on the fastness of the Golden Hill.
Talos is the son of Kyne, and His Breath parts any storm. His wife is Mara, and she would not mediate the union the Orkey sought. The Thu’um of the Ysmir continued to grow, and by this art was Talos able to summon Tsun from Sovngarde to overcome the trial of the Golden Hill, in the shape of the Bear of the Eastmarch. The Nords of the Reach saw this mastery and felt the curse of their own fool deeds; they yielded to the Stormcrown and all the Sons of Skyrim at last stood with Talos. The Bretons saw their liberation from the sufferance of the elven gods and felt the call to serve the true Empire of Man. The Witchmen saw and felt nothing, and so were blasted into Hell.
Here the Orkey was caught in Mara’s jaws, and the ghost of Tsun held its writhing fast, and with Kyne storming above Talos reached into the mouth of the snake and pulled its skin inside out. So reversed, the serpent grew the legs and arms, hands and feet of man, and Talos took the Heart of Aless and said, ‘Here is the Arkay you imagined. See what more I shall birth that you dreamed.’
‘Freedom,’ said the Heart in turn, and it knew Talos to be the true Dragon, and being made from Shor’s blood it saw at last what our Gods already knew to be true.
He crossed the Niben to the east and met their clever man, called Arctus, who posed to the Ysmir, ‘How now should you come here, arrayed for war with the clan of the dead about you, garbed as you are in the totems and trappings of the End Times like the elven giant of old [who shares his face with the Underworld] and call yourself master of the solar and lunar spheres?’
At this god-talk, Talos roared away Arctus’ disguise, revealing Jhunal-cum-Julianos having fled south after his betrayal. The Thu’um attracted a swarm of moths which took Dibella’s shape, and buzzing she wrapped her arms around Talos and Arctus spoke, ‘Royalty,’ as by Talos' Breath the moths consumed the jungle around them and remade all the Heartland.
Thus Jhunal delivered the Niben to Talos and came under his service, but in Kyne’s wisdom would never again be welcome in the clan of Shor, condemned to Julianos.
With roaring Thu’um Talos conquered the serpent gods of the Ra Gada. He warded the demon trees of the south with Dibella’s wings. His legions toiled against the deserts of the south and sang the ghost of Stuhn into the world to serve as their patron, for many of them dwelt in the Winter Hold and knew the strength of the Whale. This ghost the southerners called ‘Stendarr’ for their language is ignorant, but the Sons of Talos suffered them gently as Stuhn’s presence reminded them the value of forbearance.
Jhunal worked clever words upon the devils of the far east and their god-guisers surrendered their false divinity to the Dragon of this world. Others called this the Third Empire of Men. The wise know it to be the Second Empire of the Nords, the doom of Wulfharth realized and the glory of Ysgramor restored.
Talos appeared on the shores of the elves as a giant, bearing the Blood of Shor on His brow and the Heart of Shor as a standard. Kyne sent her storms, and elves died. Mara’s tears raised the oceans, and elves died. Dibella’s moths swarmed the fields, and elves died. The ghost of Tsun clawed and mauled from Sovngarde, and elves died. Stuhn ferried the legions onto the summer-set shores, and elves died.
Talos son of Shor struck down the gods of the elves and removed their skins that they would never again assume their shapes. He then took His place upon the Dragon’s throne on earth and the Dragon’s star in the sky to await the coming of Alduin and the turn of the kalpa when He would make all things right.
But though skinless, the gods of the elves lingered in the souls of their children. The forbearance of Stuhn let them live; the tolerance of Kyne bestowed stewardship of the Empire on the men of the Heartlands. The Sons of Skyrim laxed and were as ash in their vigilance. Even as Talos rose up to shout the Dagon of Oblivion back into Hell, we slept.
Talos is with us still. But the caprice of the Cyrodiils and their supplication to the elven Dominion show that He is no longer with the Empire. It has fallen to the dead gods of the elves, slain by words where strength of arms failed. With desperation the elves roam the land, knowing that should Talos return to the earth their destruction will follow.
The Nords of the Old Holds unite under the banner of the Stormcloaks. The Bear adorns our flag, for we are as Tsun manifested, the strong arm of Talos. And we are led by the Bear of Markarth, Ulfric Stormcloak, who heard the summons of Kyne atop High Hrothgar to go south to war, who shouted down the Witchmen of Markarth in mimicry of Talos, and who sits on the throne of Ysgramor to restore the Nords to their true faith, as Wulfharth did before him.
Arise, Sons and Daughters of Talos! The Gods of Skyrim call us to war! The glory of Sovngarde awaits us!
Talos go with you, always.
Lortheim, Priest of Talos
​
Addendum: If the Last Dragonborn joins the Stormcloaks
Dragons stalk the skies, and the World-Eater comes in the midst of our struggle to claim this kalpa for his meal. And Talos returns to us.
His shape is different, but His Thu’um is mighty as ever. The Greybeards shout ‘Dovahkiin.’ The Dragon of the North has taken His place at the vanguard of the Stormcloaks; the elves and their hollow men wail and gnash and quiver in terror.
Talos is with us, always.
​
Addendum: If the Last Dragonborn joins the Empire
Let all Sons and Daughters of Skyrim heed my call: Ours is a holy war, not just against the elves of the Dominion, but against the end of this kalpa at the hands of the World-Eater. Alduin sends a false Ysmir to aid the Empire and hasten the destruction of this world. The spirit of Tsun burns strong in Ulfric Stormcloak, but it will take the spirit of every true Nord to equal the might of Talos. We need this might now more than ever.
Take up arms, in the name of the true Ysmir who is Shor. Talos save us all.

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Welcome to another UPG of the Week post, sorry its been so long, I was a little inconvinienced by my appendix being removed. This week, meet the Punjabi people in Canada.

Region: Canada

https://preview.redd.it/v7xbzx7oj4ma1.png?width=425&format=png&auto=webp&s=57c7deded5961891b2fa8eb206ac76a96b2e51dd
Stratus Index Ranking (Urgency): 155
Climate: Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary from region to region. Winters can be harsh in many parts of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces, which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near −15 °C (5 °F), but can drop below −40 °C (−40 °F) with severe wind chills. In non-coastal regions, snow can cover the ground for almost six months of the year, while in parts of the north snow can persist year-round. Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. On the east and west coasts, average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C (70s °F), while between the coasts, the average summer high temperature ranges from 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F), with temperatures in some interior locations occasionally exceeding 40 °C (104 °F).
Canadian Coastline
Terrain: Canada can be divided into seven physiographic regions: the Canadian Shield, the interior plains, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Appalachian region, the Western Cordillera, Hudson Bay Lowlands and the Arctic Archipelago. Boreal forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in northern Arctic regions and through the Rocky Mountains, and the relatively flat Canadian Prairies in the southwest facilitate productive agriculture. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River (in the southeast) where the lowlands host much of Canada's economic output. Canada has over 2,000,000 lakes—563 of which are larger than 100 km2 (39 sq mi)—containing much of the world's fresh water. There are also fresh-water glaciers in the Canadian Rockies, the Coast Mountains and the Arctic Cordillera. Canada is geologically active, having many earthquakes and potentially active volcanoes, notably Mount Meager massif, Mount Garibaldi, Mount Cayley, and the Mount Edziza volcanic complex.
Banff, Canada
Wildlife of Canada: There are approximately 200 mammal species, over 460 bird species, over 40 amphibian species, over 40 reptile species, and over 1,200 fish species in Canada. The Great Lakes region is home to the black bear, Virginia opossum, red squirrels, North American beaver, and striped skunks; birds include eastern bluebird, red-winged blackbird, robin, wood thrush, woodpecker, oriole, bobolink, crow, hawk, bittern, heron, black duck, and loon. The boreal forest region contains moose, caribou, Canadian lynx, timber wolf, marten, porcupine, snowshoe rabbit, and chipmunk. The Rocky Mountain region fauna included the grizzly bear, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, elk, cougar, and flying squirrel. The Pacific ecozone is home to the Cascade mountain goat, mountain beaver, a vast variety of mice, and puget striped skunk; birds include northern pigmy-owl, band-tailed pigeon, black swift, northern flicker, crow, rufous-sided towhee, and black brant. Residence species of the Great Plains ecoregion includes the desert cottontail, deer mouse gophers, plains bison, and several types of prairie dogs (black-tailed, white-tailed, and gunnison's), alongside many prairie birds. The Arctic expanse includes fauna such as the musk ox and reindeer, polar bear, white and blue fox, arctic hare, and lemming; with birds such as the snowy owl, willow ptarmigan, snow bunting and arctic tern. Walrus, dolphins, seals, sea turtles, whales and sharks inhabit Canada's coastal waters.
A Moose in Canada
Environmental Issues: There are many different types of environmental issues in Canada which include air and water pollution, climate change, mining and logging.
Languages: A multitude of languages are used by Canadians, with English and French (the official languages) being the mother tongues of approximately 54 percent and 19 percent of Canadians, respectively. The Punjabi people also speak Punjabi.
Government Type: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy

People: Punjabi in Canada

A Punjabi man
Population: 287,000
Estimated Foreign Workers Needed: 6+
Beliefs: The Punjabi are only 1.5% evangelical. That means out of their population of 287,000 there are roughly 4,305 true believers. Thats about 1 believer for every 150 unbeliever.
The Diaspora Punjabi reflect the three major religions of their homeland: Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. Most of the Diaspora Punjabi speakers are Sikhs, except for those in Myanmar who are mostly atheists.
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that was founded in northern India during the sixteenth century. Its teachings have combined the elements of both Hinduism and Islam in an attempt to find one god who transcends all religious distinctions.
A Sikh gurdwara in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
History: In 1897, the first persons of Punjabi origin visited British Columbia. They were soldiers transiting from India to the United Kingdom during the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The Punjabis ultimately became the first South Asian-origin group to settle in Canada.
In 1900, the population of Punjabis in Canada increased to 100. By 1906, this number increased to 1,500. The vast majority were Sikhs and came from Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ferozpur, and Ludhiana. At the turn of the century the Mayor of Vancouver did not permit cremation, so when the first Sikh died in 1907 he could not be cremated in the Vancouver city limits. Christian missionaries did not permit him to be buried with whites. Even though the missionaries promoted burial, the Sikhs instead cremated the man in a distant wilderness. This prompted Sikhs to establish their own religious institutions.
Initially, Punjabis were guaranteed jobs by agents of big Canadian companies like the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Hudson's Bay Company. Overcoming their initial reluctance to go to these countries due to the treatment of Asians by the white population, many young men chose to go, having been assured that they would not meet the same fate. They were British subjects and Canada was a part of the British Empire.
A notable moment in early Punjabi Canadian history was in 1902 when Punjabi Sikh settlers first arrived in Golden, British Columbia to work at the Columbia River Lumber Company. This was a theme amongst most early Punjabi settlers in Canada to find work in the agricultural and forestry sectors in British Columbia. Punjabis became a prominent ethnic group within the sawmill workforce in British Columbia almost immediately after initial arrival to Canada.
The early settlers in Golden built the first Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Canada and North America in 1905, which would later be destroyed by fire in 1926. The second Gurdwara to be built in Canada was in 1908 in Kitsilano (Vancouver), aimed at serving a growing number of Punjabi Sikh settlers who worked at nearby sawmills along False Creek at the time. The Gurdwara would later close and be demolished in 1970, with the temple society relocating to the newly built Gurdwara on Ross Street, in South Vancouver.
As a result, the oldest existing Gurdwara in Canada today is the Gur Sikh Temple, located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Built in 1911, the temple was designated as a national historic site of Canada in 2002 and is the third-oldest Gurdwara in the country. Later, the fourth Gurdwara to be built Canada was established in 1912 in Victoria on Topaz Avenue, while the fifth soon was built at the Fraser Mills (Coquitlam) settlement in 1913, followed a few years later by the sixth at the Queensborough (New Westminster) settlement in 1919, and the seventh at the Paldi (Vancouver Island) settlement, also in 1919.
Oftentimes, upon arrival to British Columbia, early Punjabi immigrants and settlers faced widespread racism by other ethnic groups who had also immigrated and settled in Canada in prior decades, including English Canadians, Scottish Canadians, or Irish Canadians. Most of the white Canadians feared workers who would work for less pay, and that an influx of more immigrants would threaten their jobs. As a result, there were a series of race riots that targeted the Punjabi Sikh immigrants, who were beat up by mobs of angry white Canadians, though often met with retaliation. Nevertheless, during the most infamous anti-Asian riot in BC history (Anti-Oriental Riots of 1907), Punjabis were spared as they remained indoors.
The continued tensions caused the Punjabi population to fall from a high of 4,700 in 1907, to less than 2,000 by 1914. In 1908 the British Columbia government passed a law preventing Indian men from voting. Because eligibility for federal elections originated from provincial voting lists, East Indian men were unable to vote in federal elections.
Punjabis were later faced by one of the most infamous racial exclusion acts in Canadian history. In 1914, The Komagata Maru, a steamliner carrying 376 passengers from Punjab docked in Vancouver. Of them, 24 were admitted to Canada, but the other 352 passengers were not allowed to disembark in Canada, and the ship was forced to return to India. The passengers comprised 337 Punjabi Sikhs, 27 Punjabi Muslims and 12 Punjabi Hindus.
By 1923, Vancouver became the primary cultural, social, and religious centre of Punjabi Canadians as it had the largest ethnic Indian population of any city in North America. The Punjabi population in Canada would remain relatively stable throughout the mid 20th century as the exclusionary immigration policies practiced by the Canadian government continued. However, a shift began to occur after World War Two. The Canadian government re-enfranchised the Indo-Canadian community with the right to vote in 1947.
A significant event in Punjabi Canadian history occurred in 1950 when 25 years after settling in Canada and nine years after moving to British Columbia from Toronto, Naranjan "Giani" Singh Grewall became the first individual of Punjabi ancestry in Canada and North America to be elected to public office after successfully running for a position on the board of commissioners in Mission, BC against six other candidates. Grewall was re-elected to the board of commissioners in 1952 and by 1954, was elected to became mayor of Mission.

"Thank you all citizens of Mission City [...] It is a credit to this community to elect the first East Indian to public office in the history of our great dominion. It shows your broad-mindedness, tolerance and consideration.". — Notice by Naranjan Singh Grewall in the local Mission newspaper following his election to public office, 1950

A millwright and union official, and known as a sportsman and humanitarian philanthropist as well as a lumberman, Grewall eventually established himself as one of the largest employers and most influential business leaders in the northern Fraser Valley, owned six sawmills and was active in community affairs serving on the boards or as chairman of a variety of organizations, and was instrumental in helping create Mission's municipal tree farm. With strong pro-labour beliefs despite his role as a mill-owner, after a scandal embroiled the provincial Ministry of Forestry under the-then Social Credit party government, he referred to holders of forest management licenses across British Columbia as Timber Maharajahs, and cautioned that within a decade, three or four giant corporations would predominantly control the entire industry in the province, echoing similarities to the archaic zamindar system in South Asia. He later ran unsuccessfully for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (the precursor of today's New Democratic Party) in the Dewdney riding in the provincial election of 1956.
While by the 1950s, Punjabi Canadians had gained respect in business in British Columbia primarily for their work in owning sawmills and aiding the development of the provincial forestry industry, racism still existed especially in the upper echelons of society. As such, during the campaign period and in the aftermath of running for MLA in 1956, Grewall received personal threats, while the six mills he owned along with his house were all set ablaze by arsonists. One year later, on July 17, 1957 while on a business trip, he was suspiciously found dead in a Seattle motel, having been shot in the head. Grewall Street in Mission was named in his honour.

“Every kid in the North Fraser, who thinks he or she is being discriminated against, should read the Grewall story and the challenges he faced.”. — Former B.C. premier Dave Barrett on Naranjan Singh Grewall

During the 1950s, immigration restrictions were loosened and Vancouver remained the centre of Punjabi immigration through the mid-20th century. In the post-war years into the early 1950s, Punjabis were geographically dispersed in the Lower Mainland, however two concentrations soon developed; first in South Vancouver (Sunset neighbourhood) during the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, followed by South Burnaby (Edmonds neighbourhood). Out of these two newly formed ethnic enclaves, it was South Vancouver which began to flourish as the Punjabi Market was soon founded in the late 1960s.
In 1967 all immigration quotas based on specific ethnic groups were scrapped in Canada, thus allowing the ethnic Punjabi population in Canada to grow rapidly thereafter. Most continued to settle in across British Columbia, notably in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and the interior. As many Punjabis worked in the forestry industry, interior and northern regions of British Columbia began to see a rise in Punjabi immigration in the 1960s. Prince George, the economic centre of Northern BC, became a secondary hub for early Punjabi immigration.
Later in the 1970s, Punjabi population concentrations began appearing in North Delta, East Richmond, and Surrey. Vandalism against houses owned by Indo-Canadians and a Sikh gurdwara occurred in the 1970s, especially in 1974-1975 in Richmond.
In 1986, following the British Columbia provincial election, Moe Sihota became the first Canadian of Punjabi ancestry to be elected to provincial parliament. Sihota, who was born in Duncan, British Columbia in 1955, ran as the NDP Candidate in the riding of Esquimalt-Port Renfrew two years after being involved in municipal politics, as he was elected as an Alderman for the city of Esquimalt in 1984.
By the 1980s, the traditional Punjabi immigration patterns began to shift. Ontario soon became an important centre of immigration to Canada. Large Punjabi populations began to appear across the Greater Toronto Area, especially in Scarborough, Markham, Mississauga, Brampton, and Ajax. At the same time, Alberta also became another important immigration destination for Punjabis, with the third and fourth largest Punjabi Canadian populations in metropolitan areas now situated in Metro Calgary (primarily Northeast Calgary) and Metro Edmonton (primarily Southeast Edmonton in Mill Woods).
Punjabi Sikhs in Vancouver, 1908
Culture: Typical qualification that all people groups can't be summed up in small paragraphs and this is an over generalization.
The caste system is India's strict organization of heriditary classes. The Punjabi are divided into castes called jati. For the Punjabi, a caste is described as a group of families in an area, with common ancestry, who marry among themselves, and have a common traditional occupation based upon a common type of inherited productive property. Castes generally have origin stories that explain how they came into an area, and/or their present occupational position. Caste divisions vary according to region, but they generally range from the upper castes of Brahmins (priests, scholars, landowners, and skilled artisans) to the lowest caste of laborers and servants. Various artisan castes include those who are skilled as carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, barbers, and weavers. The jati are further divided into clans, villages, and families.
The caste system in India is not fully supported by religion, as it is specifically rejected by Islam and Sikhism. Most of the Diaspora Punjabi who are Hindu, are of the higher castes and are usually well educated. For this reason, they have easily assimilated into the various communities in which they now live.
The Punjabi immigrants have taken on a variety of occupations. Many of the Sikhs, who are characterized by their neatly wound turbans, have excelled as mechanics, construction workers, and business professionals. Other Punjabi have found work in retail and trade, particularly through small family businesses.
In traditional Punjabi culture, the men are responsible for overseeing the family possessions such as land, shops, or other business assets. The women are responsible for overseeing the homes. They cook, care for the children, manage the household finances, and take care of any domestic animals.
Marriage is highly desired among all Punjabi, whether Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh. Traditionally, residences were patrilocal, which means that young couples lived in the husband's village near his parents. However, in most Diaspora Punjabi communities, this does not occur. Newly-married couples set up their homes wherever they choose. Marriages can still be arranged by parents, but this is rarely done without extensive discussions.
Among the Punjabis, there is no overall system of social control. Instead, each institution (such as business, home, civil administration, religious organization, or political organization) has its own set of laws and disciplinary measures.
It is commonly said among the Punjabi that "land, women, and water are the sources of all conflicts." This simply means that they deem it necessary to control the means by which a person perpetuates his family and property.
Prayer Request:

• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will break up the soil through worship and intercession.
• Ask God to give wisdom to missions agencies focusing on the Punjabi.
• Pray that the Lord of the harvest will thrust forth many laborers to work among the Punjabis.
• Pray for effectiveness of the Jesus film and other evangelistic tools among the Punjabis.
• Ask God to encourage the small number of Punjabi Christians.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to soften their hearts towards the Gospel message.
• Ask the Lord to raise up strong local churches among the Punjabi.
• In Turkey, pray for the local churches and believers to respond as the hands and feet of Christ. Pray for Turks who are feeling lost and hopeless—that the God who Sees would meet them where they’re at and reveal the unending love of Christ.
• Pray for the church in Turkey after the earthquake. Praise the Lord that the church is not a building, but the people of God! Pray that God strengthens them as they rebuild and that the body of Christ would grow in numbers and strength.
• Pray against Putin and his insane little war.
• Pray for our nation (the United States), that we Christians can learn to come alongside our hurting brothers and sisters and learn to carry one another's burdens in a more Christlike manner than we have done historically.
• Pray that in this time of chaos and panic that the needs of the unreached are not forgotten by the church. Pray that our hearts continue to ache to see the unreached hear the Good News.

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)
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Here are the previous weeks threads on the UPG of the Week for Reformed from 2023 (plus a few from 2022 so this one post isn't so lonely). To save some space on these, all UPG posts made 2019-now are here, I will try to keep this current.

People Group	Country	Continent	Date Posted	Beliefs
Punjabi	Canada	North America	03/06/2023	Sikhism
Kurds	Turkey	Asia**	02/13/2023	Islam***
Krymchak	Ukraine*	Europe**	02/06/2023	Judaism
Talysh	Azerbaijan	Asia**	01/30/2023	Islam
Shan	Myanmar	Asia	01/23/2023	Buddhism***
Shaikh - 2nd post	Bangladesh	Asia	01/09/2023	Islam
Hindi	United States	North America	12/19/2022	Hinduism
Somali	Finland	Europe	12/05/2022	Islam
Hemshin	Turkey	Asia**	11/28/2022	Islam
Waorani (Reached)	Ecuador	South America	11/21/2022	Christianity

* Tibet belongs to Tibet, not China.
** Russia/Turkey/etc is Europe but also Asia so...
*** this likely is not the true religion that they worship, but rather they have a mixture of what is listed with other local religions, or they have embraced a liberal drift and are leaving faith entirely but this is their historical faith.
As always, if you have experience in this country or with this people group, feel free to comment or let me know and I will happily edit it so that we can better pray for these peoples! I shouldn't have to include this, but please don't come here to argue with people or to promote universalism. I am a moderator so we will see this if you do.
Here is a list of definitions in case you wonder what exactly I mean by words like "Unreached".
Here is a list of missions organizations that reach out to the world to do missions for the Glory of God.

After play testing the class (both as DM and as player), I gotta say the OD&D is 110% a step in the right direction.

• New Wildshape: Not having the ability tied to animal stat blocks is a step in the right direction. Before, my optimization brain kept me using the same animal forms for combat and exploration. It sucked that mechanics got in the way of what I wanted to be, narratively.

Personally, I don’t see what’s the point of scrolling through dozens of animal stats when most of them suck anyway (or have very similar abilities).
Even through I see the new format as positive change, it needs many improvements. Here is my personal list:

1. Wildshape needs more precise language regarding which features you keep. The way I understood, you keep all your feats and racial features but they don’t apply to the stat block - although they may still effect your own character statistics which is used to build the stat block. So things such as ASI and Toughness end up carrying over.

What happens to your skills and saves is also not clear - I’m assuming you keep those as losing all save proficiency would be needlessly brutal. Losing knowledge skills when the feature says you keep your mental faculties and memories would also makes no sense.

1. We need more stat blocks or stat block modifiers. At minimum, we need separate blocks for each size, or have all blocks set to medium and small/large size act as modifications on those (using enlarge/reduce spell effect for example).
   
2. We also need a block for mounts or beast of burden type animals who may not have great attacks but run a lot, carry a lot and travels fast. I don’t care wolf and tigers and giant spiders are the same, but a horse need its own block!
   
3. Beast of the Sea should keep Str = Wisdom. Sharks and whales are strong animals.
   
4. Wildshape: has too many enhancements spread around. Alternating forms needs to be part of the base feature, and aquatic form too. Neither are too strong and they are boring features to acquire later.
   

Tiny Forms I feel could be level 7, just limit it to animals no smaller than a 4 inches. Becoming a bee can stay at 11. This free up space for other features even if they are not that strong.

1. Wild Resurgence: healing allies with magic flowers when you become a wolf is nobody’s idea of druidism.
   
2. Wild Shape animals are indeed too squishy, more so for moon druids. AC should be 12 + Wisdom. Moon Druids should be able to burn a spell slot when they transform, gaining 5 thp per level of the slot used (this basically just false life). Wild Shape damage is good.
   
3. Moon Druid capstone sucks. Free level 1-2 spells at tier 3-4 are terrible features. It should gain something that helps with concentration.
   

Some have come so close too!
The idea is one I'm sure we're all familiar with: A sandbox fantasy RPG with co-op. They are are not exactly in short supply and there are still more coming, so why am I here? What itch am I trying to scratch that the existing titles can't reach?
I want to play an open world sandbox D&D/Pathfinder style first/ third person fantasy RPG that doesn't feel so scripted. I want co-op and not an MMO. I want to explore the world and care about the lore.
That's too big though right? I always thought that might be the case, but there really are so many games that come close and now I'm no longer sure... So what changed my mind?
Valheim created an open world co-op/multiplayer experience that really came close. While lacking in NPCs and narrative, it is a great template for what things could look like. The beautiful biomes, cave diving, base raids, exploration and even how you approach combat all evoke a sense of freedom that is felt in a fantasy TTRPG.
Outward also does some things really well in terms of gameplay, especially as you can be taken prisoner and lose all of your supplies, but I think the strength with Outward is in the world building. Walking through the forest trying to make it to the next town feels dangerous, because it is. But the payoff is huge when you get to lay eyes on ruins and cities that look so ancient and steeped in culture. It's heavy on the survival aspect for me and the magic system feels limited.
So for brevity, I'll leave those two as my touchstones. Why did playing these games change my mind about what could be accomplished? Because they're not AAA titles leveraging giant budgets and graphical gimmicks, and they still killed the execution.
So what would my white whale be like?
BACKGROUNDS
Stick to the classics. You choose a backstory and starting location to determine your starting skills that adhere to the standard TTRPG formula. But ultimately you get better at what you work at.
Location: Port City/Town

1. A local rascal with sticky fingers and a knack for trouble might give you Stealth, Deception and Persuasion
   
2. Two time Dockworker's Guild Arm wrestling champion might give you Athletics, Pilot Water vehicles and Intimidation
   
3. Travelling Circus Performer might give you Acrobatics, Performance and Sleight of Hand
   
4. Shipwreck survivor is your blank slate. Choose your own starting skills
   

Location: Forest/Frontier Settlement

1. Local hunter might give you Survival, Perception and Stealth
   
2. Hermit/Herbalist might give you Nature, Survival and Animal Handling/Medicine
   
3. Black Sheep might give you Insight, Arcana and Persuasion or Deception
   

Location: Landlocked City

1. Constable might give you Investigation, Insight and Intimidation
   
2. Intern might give you Arcana, History and Investigation (but low starting gold amiright?)
   

Location: Remote Mountain settlement

1. Local Warrior might give you Athletics, Survival and Religion (old gods-flavor)
   
2. Missionary Priest might give you Religion (the "one true"), Persuasion and History.
   

QUEST AND STORY
First quest depending on your backstory: You're recommended foreassigned to/hauled off to/looking for work at a newly formed fantasy temp agency that we can call an adventurers guild. Getting to this central location is a part of the tutorial and different backgrounds use different methods. The Rascal and the Black Sheep get taken there locked up in a ship's hold or cart, Mountain folk ride horses, Forest folk take a boat downriver, Coastal folk sail.
The quest system doesn't have to be sprawling or full of intrigue or anything: Go there, kill that. I'm a merchant, help me get to X. My brother likes to explore the streams in the mountains, but he is a week overdue. I was cast out of my family's ancestral home and the proof is hidden in the wall of the master bedroom, please help.
And then you can have some darker stuff for people who don't want to be heroes: My husband took everything and left me for my best friend, I want to "send a gift." Wink wink etc.
Main quests should be rooted in the lore and episodic. Zombies start showing up in some farmlands in the summer, you start killing zombies in farmlands. You create a trail of zombie corpses to a remote cave system (or go around the zombie hoard completely and sneak in). You discover evidence of a mass suicide orchstrated by an up and coming group of necromancers. They left one guy behind to manage their affairs here and this is your boss fight. In his diary, you learn that these bozos found the book of the dead and are planning to fullfil a prophecy and prepare the world for an ancient evil. But he never finished the entry so no telling where they're going. You can turn in the quest or investigate, but either way you find out they boarded a ship in a small port town and sailed.
You go back to work the temp jobs, explore and live your life for a while, then you start to hear rumors that sound like the necromancers again from sea faring merchants.
The idea is that you receive jobs from notice boards and turn in the completed jobs to your guild representative, who then makes sure you get paid. So you don't actually need to speak with the client in most cases. I don't know what full mod support actually means, but by limiting the quest system to be primarily based on written communication, it seems primed to accommodate more consistent community quest creation. Personally, I think voiced dialogue is nice, but completely optional. Beyond that, dealers choice. I am not a writer, constructing the big story is not in my skill set. I will say that when creating a story or questline, look to the skills. Some stories are all about killing everything and looting bodies. But maybe the orcs will release your client's stream exploring brother if you can beat them at a game (Sleight of Hand and or Deception), a foot race (athletics), Make a trade (Persuasion). You could sneak him out (Stealth) or challenge someone to one on one combat. First blood or to the death.
Speaking of skills...
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Proficiencies with Skills and equipment can scale from 0-100. 0-44 is Beginner, 45-74 is Intermediate, 75-90 is Specialist, 91-99 is Master and 100 is Grandmaster.
Weird distribution, I know, but I'm trying to convey how I imagine the balance might feel. Gaining one new level in a skill shouldn't be that noticable, but going from Beginner to Intermediate should feel like a big step. Anyone who has learned an instrument knows the feeling of struggling or being stuck for long periods and suddenly something clicks and you progress in leaps. I also believe the way I've broken it up here could make progression feel more natural if applied correctly. You spend a long time in each stage and with the typical xp increase required to achieve a new level in a skill, it seems logical to make the progression look something like that.
Abilities would be your basic Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. These concepts already exist and have strong ties to the skills I've referenced and are applicable to any additional skills that might be added. Most of the games I play have these in some form, so it makes sense to me.
CLASSES AND LEVELLING
It's popular to create subclasses within classes, but I don't think that's strictly necessary. Class perk trees are cool sometimes, but most of the time you end up blocked from something you want by a few wasted things you don't want. My answer to that would be more like a class specific perk pool. If you meet the skill or ability requirement, you can get it.
Classes should determine how good someone can get in a chosen skill. I'm just using basic D&D classes here as my examples because they're common archetypes and familiar to me.
Martial Classes: Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin- can reach Grandmastery in select skills, Master in physical skills, Intermediate in Knowledge based skills like Arcana or Religion, Specialist is the limit for social skills like Insight or Deception.
Hybrid or Skilled: Rogue, Bard, Warlock, Monks- can reach Grandmastery in select skills. Can reach Master in either Social Skills, Physical skills or Knowledge Skills. The rest are limited to Specialist.
Magic: Druid, Cleric, Wizard, Sorcerer- A mixed bag. Wizards can reach Master in all knowledge skills, Specialist in Social Skills and Intermediate in Physical skills. Sorcerer can Master Social Skills, reach Specialist in Knowledge Skills and Intermediate in Physical skills. Druid can reach Master in Physical Skills, Specialist in Knowledge Skills and Intermediate in Social Skills. Clerics can reach Master in Physical Skills, Specialist in Social Skills or Knowledge Skills leaving the other capped at intermediate.
If you want to be a Wizard that uses a long sword, do it. But you're limited to an Intermediate proficiency. Wizard/Fighter multiclass? You can take it a step further to Specialist. Just like a Rogue can with long blades. For FighteRogue, Master is the cap for long blades. Each class has some dedicated things that they can gain Grandmastery in. Ranger- Archery, Survival, Animal Handling. Rogue- Short Blades, any dex related skill. Wizards/Sorcerers- Arcana (governs all schools of Arcane magic and spellcraft). Fighters- Any Weapon type. Cleric- Religion (All Divine magic and spellcraft), Insight and Medicine. Druid- Survival, Animal Handling, Nature (Equivalent to Religion for divine spells)
MAGIC SYSTEM
Fire, ice, lightning, thunder etc in different forms. Bigger spells take longer to cast, but do more damage. Basic stuff. Utility spells are often lacking though. Invisibility, silence, flight, wind spells.. Equip a spell to a hand and go nuts. Staves, wands orbs etc. that are tied to a specific spell is cumbersome. Literally. If your main role is to cast spells, it is incredibly ridiculous to be forced to carry around 10 staves in order to be prepared. Spell focuses should be optional and only provide buffs, not tied to a spell. Skyrim has a good spell system in terms of being close to D&D imo. I would make it look something like that in terms of mechanics. You have spells you can learn from different schools of magic and they can all be relevant to the imaginative.
WORLD
The world itself would have different biomes. The starting location examples and a couple more like desert or marshland.
The big thing I'd want to see are ruins. Nothing makes a fantasy world feel lived in like people settling in their wood and thatch hovels near the stone foundations of a crumbled castle. Adventuring in a world where it feels like all of the great achievements are in the past, and civilization has regressed, is great! It makes you want to know what happened. Seeing a grand monument or temple to a forgotten god in disrepair, because no one knows how they managed to make it in the first place, adds mystery to the world.
Exploration is big too. Get in a boat and ride the river or sail across the ocean. Drink a water breathing potion and look for sunken ships or underwater caves. Buy a horse and hightail it to the desert and see what is going on there. Idk, cast fly and fly around.
BUILDING
Not really my focus, but I know a lot of people love this kind of thing. A base is cool for an adventuring group, but a full on building experience would take a lot of resources that could be used elsewhere.
LOOT
You know there has to be some magic items. Belt of strength, Bracers of Archery, cloak of protection, Boots of Speed... I don't think every item should adjust your stats somehow. Most of the time a sword is just a sword. An always on fire sword or zoom zoom boots should be special and not replaceable with the next loot drop. Elden Ring did a good job of making what you find feel special.
That being said...
CRAFTING
If you find an item and deconstruct it, you can get a recipe. Special or unique item recipes use rarer ingredients and cost more or are harder to find.
I might come back to this later

I came back a week ago from my second experience taking mushrooms. I took a strong dose along with eight other men in the presence of a Shaman and two facilitators. I had a profound, life-changing experience interacting with the divine feminine. I will relate most of the details and learning here for the benefit of the community.
A little about myself: I’m a healthy male in my fifties, married with children, employed as a software developer. I have ADHD and have sought help from psychedelics as part of treatment for PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I have an extensive religious background (LDS, still practicing) and I consume almost no drugs at all. Last year was my first experience with so-called recreational drugs in the form of psychedelics. (reported here)
Preparation
Safety and success are important to me. There are several known practices that led to the positive experience depicted here – practices that I have seen ignored by others with predictable results. These are common to many practitioners who help with psychedelic medicine. I add my own voice of experience in recommending the following:

1. Mental Preparation – Just like any other medical substance, psilocybin is a powerful tool you want to use deliberately and expertly to make the most of it. Personally, I made it a matter of careful thought, noticed it calling to me, and did an internal search to try and understand what I wanted to receive. The medicine tends to give something along the lines of what the person has been wanting and preparing for, but it will come in an unexpected form, so I also practiced the thought of saying “yes”, to whatever the medicine would give me. (Even if you are not a spiritual person, it is important to understand that psychedelics work by suppressing the part of the brain called the default mode network (DMN). With the DMN suppressed, parts of the brain normally hushed by the DMN become active. Mental preparation makes it easier to receive the symbolic messages arising from these parts.)
2. Set and Setting – Where and how you take the medicine is scientifically shown to affect the result. A person needs to be in a private, peaceful place where they will not be threatened or distracted, and where bodily needs can be met. Behavior may change significantly – I made a lot of noise and did plenty of moving, even dancing, and I was also aware that others in my group were in the room observing. Feeling comfortable with the people and the room allowed me more freedom of expression.
3. A competent facilitator - I knew I was going to be mentally and physically vulnerable for several hours. It is very important to have a sober person sit with me the entire time and they should have some training to know what to do when things get difficult (and they can get VERY difficult!). Of course, the facilitator should also know how to administer the medicine so that I get the appropriate dose to help me meet my intention. There are plenty of people who advocate solo journeys, and they might have a point, and still I think it would be foolish to attempt one without some guided experience first.
4. Journalling – I became a careful observer of my life. Once I decided to take psychedelics with intent, I noticed my mind adjusting in a subconscious preparation for the experience. Things happened at work, old memories came up, strange dreams came to me, etc.. I wrote these things down and talked about them with trusted people. I think of it like preparing to go to Disneyland, where the thoughts that come up are the extra things such as comfortable shoes, sunscreen, water bottles, tickets, etc. that I will need to maximize the experience.
5. Integration – This will come afterwords, but worth mentioning here. Processing the experience, bringing new ideas into my daily thoughts, and changing my daily practice is what it meant by integration. It is just as important as the experience itself. I prepared for this by making sure I had a person (my therapist) who is trained in integration and is ready to help me integrate afterwards.

Other things I did to prepare:

• Vipassana Meditation – Any kind of meditation is going to help you. I liked Vipassana because it is administered as a 10-day isolated retreat, free of charge. Many important ideas came to me here that helped during my psilocybin retreat.
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy – Again, any kind of therapy is going to help, however I think IFS is particularly valuable because it teaches how to talk to my internal parts. It is evidence-based as well, so woo-sensitive people can feel confident with it. Whatever therapist you have, it’s a good idea to ask them if they are willing to help you integrate your psychedelic experience. My therapist is Zakia Ovington and she is amazing!
• Taking time off – I took a few months of medical leave before and also some days off around the retreat to be able to focus on my mental health. I think this had a strong indirect benefit for me.

All told, I spent a year building up to this specific trip and my preparation paid off more than I could have imagined.
The Setup
The psilocybin medicine was administered as part of a men’s retreat offered by Sacred Heart Medicine of Vancouver, WA. The retreat lasted from a Friday evening to a Sunday morning and took place in a large home where we stayed the entire time, eating and sleeping there as well. There were 11 of us there in total –Nadia (the Shaman/administrator), two other helpers (a woman and a man), and eight male participants including myself. The overall purpose of the retreat was to help heal the psychic wounds men receive growing up and to develop a better understanding of the sacred masculine and feminine.
The structure of the retreat was the following:

• Friday evening
  • Introductory ceremony – some light training is given along with a small amount of mushrooms (a little less than one gram) as an introduction to the medicine.
• Saturday
  • Breakfast and casual conversation - participants talk about the previous ceremony and prepare for the day. Intentions are developed and/or refined.
  • Full Ceremony. Everyone lies down or reclines in the same room on comfortable cushions and mats to receive and experience the medicine (a higher dose, adjusted to the needs of the person). This lasts about four hours but can be longer (as in my case). Facilitators, as needed, will burn incense, help people to the bathroom, give food, help with pillows and blankets, place their hands on the feet of participants, or talk to participants to help them feel comforted and safe.
  • Celebratory dinner. Eat together and talk about what just happened. The medicine is still working during dinner, but the effects are more subdued.
• Sunday
  • Wind-up ceremony. We get together to give our little summaries of what happened, and the facilitators give notes on what they say.

My Experience
What follows is a lengthy account of going through this process with these medicines. The details of the ceremony itself are sacred, so out of respect I am leaving them out and I will focus on my own observations. My aim is not to interpret the experience, but to describe it as accurately and honestly as I am able. This is difficult because all senses undergo fluid distortion, especially the sense of time and order of things, however the memories during a psilocybin session are quite distinct, and a lot can be recalled, especially when there is a friend to help corroborate what happened and when I take notes as soon afterward as possible.
Friday’s session was an introductory session that was interesting and helpful, but by far the most powerful sensations and insights came from the Saturday session with its higher dose. The entire weekend was Earth-moving for me, experiencing what felt like five years’ worth in introspection in just a couple of days. I hope you enjoy my accounting as I take you along for my personal adventure of healing and discovery.
Introductory session, Friday
The introductory ceremony on Friday began in the large living room of the house. All the furniture had been cleared out and replaced with yoga mats and floor chairs. We brought in extra pillows and blankets to help make ourselves comfortable. Nadia sat near the fireplace which was appropriately decorated with a tree of life motif. She gave us some instructions on three meditations that we would do. After the instructions, we drank a cup of mushroom tea. The flavor was muted and earthy – quite easy to consume. We then lay down or reclined to get comfortable while Nadia played some fast paced rhythmic drumming.
The details of this session were largely personal, and from a relatively shallow psychedelic space, so I’ll leave most of those out. Most of us did experience some visuals for about 30-40 minutes. I saw the rainbow colors and geometric patterns often associated with psychedelic visions. My ego was mostly intact, though I could sense it holding on, dangling, like that little guy on google maps when choosing a street view. With the ego distracted, another strong aspect of my personality came up – an aspect I call “Rafiki”, left over from my previous trip a year ago.
The overall experience was quite subdued, which I think is the point. Nevertheless, I had several insights worth writing down. We went to bed soon afterwards to get a good sleep for the next day. I took a few pages of notes before turning in.
Breakthrough Session, Saturday
I spent a pleasant morning eating and hanging out with the others. While walking around the kitchen area, we all would curiously visit the tall, stainless steel pot sitting prominently on the stove. Suspended in a strainer at the top of the full pot, steeping in the hot water, was a quantity of mushrooms & herbs. As if in anticipation of the colors I would soon witness, the mixture exhibited beautiful purples, pinks, and greens. I had a sense of great promise for what was to come.
During this time, we were asked to refine an intention for the afternoon, to think about what we want to let go of. I felt the idea come to me to let go of everything, to simply let myself die with regard to all prospects, relationships, and projects, to let go of my life even. I’ve known for a long time that I wanted a deeper experience, and I felt determined to go all the way, so I set aside everything I could think of setting aside. I had read in the book How to Change your Mind that being willing to go through whatever the medicine presents is an important part of reaping all the benefits. Dying seemed the most extreme, so I prepared by deciding I was ready to die.
The session began as we gathered back in the living room at 11:00am. Nadia again explained what would happen and gave additional instructions on how to approach the ceremony. She then administered Sananga, a yellowish liquid used in traditional Amazonian medicine to sharpen night vision. We are all given the choice to refuse it if we want, but everyone participates. When it is my turn, I tilt my head back so that the liquid can be applied to my closed eyes, then I blink it in. The sting is intense, like a needle in the eye- it took my breath away and I had to be reminded to breathe and allow the pain. It lasted just a few minutes, and though it was intense, it was not intolerable. As for the effects, I did notice sharper physical vision later, though hard to distinguish from the effects of psilocybin.
Next we received a tobacco snuff called Rape’ (pronounce hah-peh). Again, people could turn this down, but nobody did. It was administered one nostril at a time. When Nadia reached me, she asked me to hold my breath, then she placed an artistically carved pipe into a nostril and gave a tiny puff, shooting the snuff far back into my nose. People have different sensitivities to this medicine, some almost no reaction, but to me it felt like cayenne pepper being blown into my nose, through my eye, and onto the back of my skull! The feeling was intense! I had to sit back a minute to let it wash over me before I could receive it in the next nostril. The Rape’ has the effect of bringing me into my body, focusing on the sensations. It also gave me a strong emotional release. I thought about my parents, both dead for a number of years, and I mourned them, letting the tears roll down into the bucket I was holding. We all sit with that medicine for several minutes, refraining from blowing our noses and spitting occasionally into our buckets so as not to swallow the furious drainage that is tinged with snuff and tastes of earth and ash.
After receiving the introductory medicine, we share our intentions with the rest of the group. Around noon the mushroom medicine is administered. We put masks over our eyes and layed down or reclined to get comfortable. Nadia put on some very gentle background music that stayed on throughout the whole day and evening. It takes longer for the effects to begin this time. It’s not until right after the third cup and eating some mushrooms that the familiarity of a strong psychedelic vision returns to me.
The Onset
The first phase of the journey is what I call the onset. It begins with a feeling of euphoria, and my first instinct is to laugh. I feel as though I am a child walking into Disneyland for the first time, or having just received my first bike for Christmas, excited and ready to ride.
The visuals commence slowly at first with glimmers, shifts, and patterns here and there, building quickly into intense rainbow colors with wildly repeating geometries. (The appearance is similar to the images here. ) I am still aware of my ego and as I think about my intent of dying – the visuals become veneered with a black surface, as if decorated for a funeral.
After a time (who can say how long?) these visuals into an introduction to God. I experienced this for a short time in my session a year ago, however this time it is much longer and God presents as a distinctly female presence, and has the form of a vast living thing like a cosmic whale with fractal edges swimming gracefully in a vivid blue sea. The overriding feeling from this being is love. Love mixed with powerful intelligence fully directed toward me. After experiencing this for some time, I return to my intention and head down into darkness, but she pulls me back and I can feel her tell me, “You are not here to die, you are here to live” The black all around me breaks apart and I am soon back in the vibrant color space.
Somewhere about this time, I am aware of an entity I first experienced a year ago that I called Rafiki. He is serpent-like, red-orange in color, with a vaguely cubic form. He has many eyes and his presence is powerful and masculine. He comes into my mind and I become him. My manner of speaking changes completely – a deep accented voice that speaks slowly and with great confidence. I speak as him out loud. Everyone can hear me. In a friendly way, Nadia shushes me. Rafiki is incredulous at being shushed, however he is respectful of Nadia and though he continues to speak, it is in a hushed town.
At this point my ego, my human self, is virtually absent. It is just Rafiki and another presence that Rafiki is talking to. Gradually my awareness moves back into the room, but it is much more perceptive, more profound. I realize the other voice is the sacred feminine being I had witnessed as God before. There is a lot of banter going back and forth between her and Rafiki. This is the beginning of what turns into literally hours of play between the two. As love pours in from the feminine, Rafiki rapidly relaxes, pacifies, and becomes like a playful child, no longer powerful and intimidating, but curious and excitable. The whole time, Rafiki stays grounded in my body, but the feminine appears everywhere – especially in other people, but also in objects, in the music playing, and in the mind.
A few items to mention at this juncture:

1. I want to stress that the sense that these beings actually exist is undeniable. The perception of them has far more reality to it than a dream, and even more weight than the ordinary waking experience. Even afterwards as I write this, when the rational thought patterns of the mind have returned, there remains the realization that one can never go back to thinking the old ways- it was all too real to think otherwise. I can’t fully access these perceptions in writing this, but I have clear memories of the whole day and the spike of intensity I felt in recognizing what I would call God.
2. Curiously, I don’t find the facts of what I saw in conflict with my religious belief even though they differ significantly from very specific dogmas about the form and appearance of God. The sense of God in the vision is simply so encompassing that the god of my religion fits inside of it like a single person in a huge stadium.

The interplay between masculine and feminine
The way that the feminine played around and around with Rafiki was an important, ubiquitous, and delightful part of the whole experience. So much so that I have decided to devote an entire section to it. The “play time” totalled around 7 hours, with aspects of the play remaining with me a full week later. Given that personalities I discovered in my experience last year still remain with me, I expect to retain this feminine aspect indefinitely
First, I will describe the two personalities:

• Feminine personality – composed of, and radiating pure, focused, unwavering love not all that different from how we experience sunshine. She is constantly changing forms and is found everywhere in every form. She never forces anything, but accomplishes work through subtlety born out of a vast wisdom and intelligence. She easily moves back and forth between the most sincere compassion possible and the most clever jokes that defy the mind. She does not really speak, but the world she creates through her form will give her words. She is madly in love with the divine masculine. I never had the thought to give her a name, as I did with Rafiki. It felt like a name wasn’t needed or wouldn’t stick.
• Masculine personality – A serpent in form, I call him Rafiki. He is impetuous, explorative, and contrary like a child. He is constantly pushing rules and boundaries, occasionally pushing too far. He likes to talk. He resists the feminine but also loves her madly and respects her profoundly. He will burst into laughter at the feminine’s clever jokes. He is constantly flummoxed by her astounding multi-level tricks and diversions that get him to do the most wonderful and productive things, resulting frequently in this gleeful surrender and confession: “OK! You win! You can love me. I admit it, you are the MOST INTELLIGENT being in the universe, and that is what I love about you.” He says that last part with mock sarcasm of a person that is overcome with the unfettered, shameless love received from another he admires that is far more vast and capable, but also fully focused and purposed on him with unreserved, authentic purity. There is literally nothing else to do but stop fighting and let her love him and fill him with the most wholesome adoration there ever was or will be.

In the beginning of their play, the conversation was presented like two young lovers sneaking out in disguises, sharing a secret joke on the world. “Heehee, nobody knows it is Us!” I say lovers because that is the twitterpational quality of the intellectual/emotional interaction, but it isn’t sexual - just pure love. The two lovers circle around and around each other, the serpent playfully trying to resist and escape, to outmaneuver the feminine, but she is like a thousand steps ahead of him and he meets her loving gaze at every turn.
The play gradually expands and becomes less covert. On the first expansion, the role of the feminine moves out of my mind and into the friend next to me (I will call him Felix to protect his identity – he is a friend of mine that decided to attend with me.) When I look at Felix, I see this feminine personality in his face. I know it is Her. Felix has joined in this play, and allows the feminine to speak through him.
Later, as the need to be quiet and non-disruptive winds down, we have more freedom to act out this playful cycle openly and joyfully, speaking loudly and laughing more. People hear and observe us and just shake their heads with a smile. I am constantly moving through all emotions and feeling loved the whole time. It’s indescribably amazing and I will always cherish the memory of it.
A little example of this play: at one point I am trying to make it to the kitchen and I have to get down on my knees because I’m wobbly. She says, “Did I pull the rug out from under you?” I look down and see that I’m on a rug. That’s a joke, so I laugh, but then I notice there are geometric patterns on the rug, and from my visions I see that the patterns are depictions of her face. Thinking about all the forward planning that must have happened for her to make that particular joke in that moment, I say, “You even put your face on the rug! HOW do you DO that??” Then Rafiki bursts out laughing and confess how smart the Goddess is and how much he loves her.
Later in the evening, the play expands much further into other people and objects. It is clear and obvious to me that every person (including myself) and every single thing are all God, the same being, individually and collectively. It is a oneness like I have never sensed or comprehended before. The play continues, but the feminine is now speaking through the whole environment – other people in the room, the crowd of people eating dinner in the kitchen, the music, the sounds, the objects, the house itself. It was a dizzying, profound lesson being impressed onto my mind in a thousand different ways.
It was spectacular to have a conversation with God and have God’s part of the conversation move continuously so that it emanated from wherever I placed my attention. One second I’m talking to a person, next second the snippets of conversation from another room are continuing the sentence, then the music and random noises are speaking to me, then everything comes together in a symphonic conversation with many parts, but all communicating a single message to me. These words I am writing now are a truly pathetic effort to describe it all. It is something that must be experienced to truly understand it.
Purging, release, and forgiveness
Another important aspect of the evening was a set of important mental and emotional breakthroughs, deep moments of realization that allowed me to release pain and injuries, some that have been with me nearly my entire life. These releases gutted me emotionally and I often wept full force, sobbing uncontrollably, followed by the peaceful relaxation of being freed from a burden.
The nature of psilocybin is to suppress the ego, the part of my personality that would normally hide and bind up the painful experiences of my life. My ego is also concerned about politeness and proper conversation. Under the influence of the medicine, there is no holding anything back. I say it like it is, I don’t soften my tone or my language, I just don’t care about appearance or what other people think about me. On top of that, I see that everyone is me, we are all god, so what’s the point in holding back? It is honoring the love I am receiving to be honest about what is in my mind. (Other people are honest with me too - one person admitted he found me irritating at first, but then later felt nothing but love for me.)
Other people, especially Nadia with her powerful feminine energy, were crucial to helping me through these realizations. Their training on how the process works allowed them to receive my unusual behavior and visions and turn those lovingly back onto me for processing. Instead of interpreting for me, they were “keeping the container” as they called it, bouncing the energy back in so I could handle it. They would repeat back what I was saying, and ask questions such as “And what do you think that means?” “Why do you think that?” “How does this make you feel?” “Where are those feelings coming from?” etc. They would also reassure me with words like “It takes time.” “You are perfect.” “This is perfect.” “Your experience was exactly what was needed.” “Relax and let it happen.” “You are working through this so well” “You have made some powerful breakthroughs.” “It’s OK to feel that way.” “It’s OK.”
The many specific breakthroughs I had were often deeply personal, so I will mostly speak in generalities here to give you a sense of what was happening for me:

• I was able to see my father’s experience of me from a first person perspective. This allowed me to reach him and my feelings about him in a way that allowed me to forgive and release, because I was forgiving myself.
• I could objectively view my personality from the outside and see it how God sees it, with perfect acceptance. The feminine, speaking through Felix, would often tell me, “you are perfect!” or gently hold me back with “It’s OK. Slow down. Don’t disturb the picture.” This is coaching at its most loving. It is perfect and with it, it is impossible to feel ashamed of myself. I can see how the aspects of me I don’t like need to be there, and how they also need some loving containment.
• I learned new ways to see my wife and my work, allowing me to reframe them as divine and part of this eternal play between masculine and feminine. This is a totally new way of seeing every aspect of my life – just part of this bigger, wonderful dance.
• I observed the universe as infinitely synchronous. Part of the feminine play and cleverness is the leverage of endlessly wide and deep repeating patterns. The patterns were detected by all of my thoughts and senses. It is something easy to see in the vision state and harder to see in the mortal ground state, however I realize later as I write that I can look for it and find it if I am patient and persistent. I can also derive happiness from these little reminders in that I can sense the delightful play that is always happening.
• Seeing myself in the mirror was a revelation. At one point I had to go to the bathroom, and when I saw myself in the mirror, I looked right into my eyes and I saw the same receptive feminine spirit that had been loving me all evening. I also saw Rafiki looking back, and also my own mortal self. I viewed myself with exquisite clarity and detail and it was obvious to me that I was beautiful, down to the last wart. I scanned myself, a whole person, then looked into my eyes and expressed my love for me and who I am. I have attempted to do this kind of thing earlier in my life, but it always felt forced and incomplete. This time it was complete and freely given. It was amazing. This was all part of a larger process of bringing in my separated parts to create a whole person again.

Coming down
At a later point, Nadia could sense I was having a hard time coming down, so she engaged with me to help me become grounded in my body again. I was reluctant and said that there was more to release – I could feel it. It was an important moment for Rafiki. He wanted to get away from Nadia, from the help she was offering, but he also knew that she loved him and that she was wise, so he surrendered. “OK” he said softly, “I will do it.”
Nadia sat with me until I was ready, talked for some time, enjoying the powerful feelings of love and acceptance in that space. As she began helping me, I could feel myself floating down, almost like a balloon running out of helium. Nadia helped me to arrive at important realizations, especially the unifying realization that it was OK for me to be one with myself and love myself.
I thought about eating a little food, but I wasn’t hungry, so I went off to bed. Before laying down, I jotted down short notes of as much as I could remember. (I can't recommend this step enough for those who want to integrate their own experiences with psychedelics. There is such a flood of details and insight that it's impossible to remember more than a small portion of it.)
I only slept a few hours. I woke up and ate and talked with a few of the others and we enjoyed sharing notes. Felix couldn’t sleep either and we stayed up for several more hours talking about all that we saw and experienced, receiving new ideas and new breakthroughs, but in a more rational state. This produced an additional sense of awe, love, and appreciation. Both of us felt like this was the most significant day of our lives.
Next day
I finally slept about 3 or 4 hours, then woke up feeling fairly well rested and quite content. I had received far more than I expected. From my notes and memories, I had reams of new knowledge to process and integrate. We cleaned up the place and put the furniture back, then met in the main room again, sitting on couches and chairs and on the floor.
In this wind-down meeting we talked about what we had received. There was a range of reception, from simple and profound peace to knock-down transformations. We all recognized the value of all the others in making the experience successful. I personally could see how my perception had changed from them being “other” to all of us part of the same whole. The mutual feeling of pure love in the room was palpable.
We said good-bye with lots of hugging and expressions of love. We had all been changed. Felix and I rode several hours home together, talking more, learning more, and listening to music. It was blissful.
The Week After
I am writing this section nearly a week following the experience. The gratitude, peaceful feelings, and insights have remained largely intact. My memories have faded significantly, so it is good I took notes as quickly as I did. The last time I took psilocybin a year ago, it changed me and the way I think. This time around feels the same, but bigger and more complete. I will also mention that I think the group dynamic was at least as important as the higher dose in making the difference here. The facilitator and the participating friend working in tandem were a major part of the benefit.
I have been interacting with my wife, family, friends, and coworkers, and I can think of at least half a dozen instances where I have adjusted my thinking and/or behavior in direct response to what I have learned or by stopping to have a conversation with my True Self. I feel more inclined to work and more productive. I still have my ADHD symptoms, but I’m more tolerant of my ADHD ups and downs, more compassionate to myself for how I work. I’m less combative as well because I have recast my view of others from people withholding love to people worthy of love that I have the power to give.
I can remember over a week ago how I felt driving to the ceremony: somewhat fractured, with dysfunctional ego interventions causing little micro pains emotionally. On the day after, I felt like my fractured personality had been melted and tentatively recast into a single piece. I would describe my internal self as feeling like a smooth blend of the Goddess, Rafiki, and my formerly repressed child-self.
Borrowing from my memories of the weekend, I’ve also written several pages worth of reflections, new insights and poetry to family and friends. I certainly have better bedrock philosophy that arises from a new conception of the feminine and the importance of receptivity and love in receiving intelligence.
Sounds great, but are things perfect and peachy? Well, I still have challenges. I still have to figure out things at work and deal with negative emotions. I’m still noticing tendencies to judge myself and others. The main difference is that I have some new tools and some new ways to feel, so I am more inclined to think that life is good. It’s easier to proceed into messy situations and see them as perfect regardless of hiccups.
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I hope this is helpful to some seekers out there. If you take the same path, your experience will be different than mine because you have different experiences and needs, but maybe this will light up some possibilities and help you prepare.

I haven't seen anyone mention this specific aspect but it's no secret that Avatar draws a lot of inspiration from Hinduism and Buddhism.
Well as I was watching Religion for Breakfast's video on Tibetan Buddhism I did a double take when he went into the concept of Tulku. Long story short, tulku are people who are reincarnations of important figures with the Dalai Lama being the most notable of them. But there are other such ones of signficance within that faith.
Also, fun fact, the Dalai Lama translates to 'Ocean Guru' with Dalai, Ocean, being a metaphor for wisdom being as vast as an ocean.
Anyway, that got me thinking that with that name, could Cameron, who has the subtlety of a whale using body slam on a boat, be implying that the Tulkun are reincarnations of dead Na'vi?
Tl;dr - Neteyam is going to be isekaid as a whale. You heard it here first folks.

Since the dawn of D&D we have had to explain the difference between Intelligence and Wisdom.
Sometimes, when I hear someone do so these days, it goes a little something like this:

Intelligence is book smarts. Things you have learned or can learn from studying.
Wisdom is street smarts / practical knowledge, things that need to be learned from experience.

Here's another:

There's a story of an old English professor who wanted to learn how to swim. He read three books on the subject and then jumped off a pier. He's an example of a high intelligence/low wisdom character.

This one takes the cake:

Consider the farmer who can go on and on about when to plant, how the moon looks when harvest time has come, and what good soil vs bad soil is, but who has no clue about bacteria, nitrogen levels, photosynthesis, etc. He just 'knows how to farm.'

These are all real examples from this sub. They are insulting and stupid.
It is insulting because farming does require a lot of knowledge. It's knowledge that can be read, or can be passed down through families, or can be acquired through work experience. That's how we figured out how to farm in the first place. There's no one out there instinctually planting and digging because they "just know how to farm." This makes it sound as if the farmer's no better than an animal. Knowledge of bacteria, nitrogen levels, photosynthesis, etc. is all useful knowledge for farming, but people didn't just instinctively overcome these gaps in their knowledge. People back in the day knew certain plants renewed the soil and others drained it; they just didn't know about nitrogen.
They still knew. Meaning they still had knowledge. Which they had learned from somewhere. That's the definition of Intelligence (in D&D).
From the AD&D PHB, page 10:

Intelligence is quite similar to what is currently known as intelligence quotient [IQ], but it also includes mnemonic ability, reasoning, and learning ability outside those measured by the written word. [Emphasis mine]

2e preserved that definition nearly verbatim (PHB 15):

Intelligence . . . represents a character's memory, reasoning, and learning ability, including areas outside those measured by the written word.

3.5e PHB 9:

Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons.

4e PHB (page 17) keeps that wording.
5e PHB 177:

Intelligence measures: Mental acuity, information recall, and the ability to reason. An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning.

It is a sign of white-collar snobbery that some people equate education with "book smarts." An apprentice trained in carpentry, smithing, or harnessmaking has an education. A farmer taught by his parents how to tend plants and animals has an education. A child who ran away to sea and grew up on a whaling vessel and figured out all the tricks of sailing without ever learning to read has an education.
Intelligence is not book smarts, it is smarts. That is the official stance of every edition of D&D. I don't know how this "book smarts" stuff crept into the discourse, but I wish people would cut it out.