New to using retinol. Any advice on improving my skincare routine so I don’t experience a terrible purge?
Issues/Goals — I’d like to decrease the size of my pores, work on anti-aging remedies, and have smoother skin. I’d like to reduce the redness in my cheeks. I don’t break out often at all, but when I do it’s around my jawline (most likely from touching my face).
My current skincare routine — 1. Cleanser: CeraVe hydrating cleanser 2. Toner: Olehenriksen Glow2OH Dark Spot removing toner 3. Retinol: The Ordinary, in squalene (0.2%) 4. Serum: The Ordinary Multi-peptide Steum 5. Moisturizer: Fresh Vitamin Nectar Moisture Glow face cream 6. Sunscreen: Biore UV
Skin type — I believe I have a combination skin type, my skin gets pretty dry and can also get oily if I don’t wash my face every day.
How long — I’ve been using this routine consistently for the past year or so, with the exception of retinol. I’ve introduced retinol into my skin care routine ~3 weeks ago, and I do it a maximum of 3x/week. I’ve started with the lowest dosage (0.2%) and plan to continue using it 3x/week until I finish the bottle, where I’d upgrade to the next amount.
Location — I live in downtown Toronto, Canada.
Any tips or suggestions on improving my routine and optimizing my use of retinol would be appreciated!

Hey all, I love Star Wars in all it’s forms, but have some ideas about how I would have done things differently. Take it for what you will, just have to get it out of my brain or I’ll explode!
Disclaimer: assume if I haven’t addressed a specific plot point it stays as originally written.
Episode I: The Phantom Menace: Trade Federation blockade of Naboo investigated by Jedi Master Yoda and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as Jedi Master Dooku and his former Padawan Qui-Gon Jinn. The Jedi encounter a skilled Federation slave pilot named Anakin Skywalker (aged 16) Skywalker, Kenobi and Jinn are shot down over Naboo and have to band together to return to Theed and support Queen Amidala. Along the way, Jinn and Kenobi learn that Skywalker’s mother is held hostage by Federation Viceroy Gunray. They work together to liberate Naboo, but the Federation retreats with Shmi in their custody. Darth Maul appears to support Federation and kills Jinn. Jinn had seen value in training Skywalker and was supported by Dooku. Yoda is vehemently opposed and Kenobi is unsure. Dooku falls out with Yoda and leaves the Jedi Order. Kenobi pledges to mentor Skywalker to honor Jinn.
Episode II: Attack of the Clones The Republic continues to lose systems to the CIS. The Jedi Council learns of a plot by Dooku to raise a clone army on Kamino. Kenobi and Skywalker investigate and find that Dooku had commissioned the army while still a Jedi. Senator Amidala is captured while negotiating Geonosis’ status in the Republic and Kenobi and Skywalker are diverted to rescue her. Padme and Anakin are isolated within the hive-like underworld, fall in love and save Kenobi. Shmi Skywalker is murdered by Gunray and Poggle the Lesser. Anakin kills a whole section of the Geonosian hive in retaliation. Yoda and the Jedi Council bring the Clone Army to reinforce. Dooku reveals his Sith training and battles Kenobi and Skywalker, and eventually Yoda. Skywalker and Padme marry secretly.
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Wouldn’t change anything.
Episode IV: A New Hope Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru aren’t blood relatives of Luke. Han shoots first.
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Leia doesn’t kiss Luke.
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Wookiees instead of Ewoks
Episode VII: The Force Awakens Lor San Tekka gives Poe Dameron a map to a Wayfinder which will lead to Exegol. The Resistance wants it to destroy the last of Palpatine’s allies. Kylo Ren arrives to take it, but BB-8 escapes and meets Rey. Meanwhile, the Knights of Ren arrive at Luke’s Jedi Academy to destroy it. Luke barely escapes and isolates himself to hide from Ren and to contemplate what went wrong. FN-2187 helps Poe escape the First Order and they return to Jakku for the map. They find BB-8 and Rey and escape on the Millennium Falcon. The Falcon is reclaimed by Han and Chewie, who lead them back to General Organa. General Organa hears of the destruction of Luke’s Academy and Starkiller base destroying the New Republic. She dispatches Rey, Han, Finn, Chewie and BB-8 to decommission Starkiller Base. While decommissioning the base, Rey finds Anakin’s lightsaber among Ren’s keepsakes and uses it to fight off the Knights of Ren. Han is killed by Ben Solo (Kylo Ren) and the heroes blow up the planet as they escape.
Episode XIII: The Last Jedi Rey seeks out a humiliated Luke. He is reluctant to train her as he fears what may happen. General Organa uses the Wayfinder to move towards Exegol, but General Hux and the First Order track their fleet in hopes of finding Palpatine’s secret weapons. The movie plays out much like the 33 episode of Battlestar Gallactica. Luke eventually decides that training Rey is worthwhile thanks to visits from Force ghosts Kenobi and Yoda. Kylo Ren cements his transition to the dark side by picking off the Resistance fleet until his mother Leia uses the capital ship to blow up his Star Destroyer. Luke feels Leia’s sacrifice and fully commits to the Resistance. Luke and Rey rejoin the Resistance as they jump into Hyperspace towards Exegol.
Episode XI: The Rise of Skywalker The Resistance arrived at Exegol shortly before the anticipated arrival of the First Order. Luke and Rey travel to the planet’s surface with Finn and a squad of Resistance fighters. They encounter the Sith Eternal, a cult which worships Palpatine. The Sith Eternal have been working to create a Palpatine clone and it is nearly complete, it just requires the Force essence of a strong Force user. The First Order fleet arrives in system and is engaged by the battered Resistance fleet. Kylo Ren sneaks to Exegol’s surface. He battles Luke and appears to defeat him. The Sith Eternal capture Kylo Ren and attempt to use his essence to revive Palpatine. Rey intervenes, using her teachings from Luke. She is reinforced with the essence of “all the Jedi” and manages to disrupt the resurrection. Ben Solo recognizes the error of his ways and sacrifices himself to destroy the Palpatine clone. Rey escapes and rejoins the Resistance fleet. Poe leads the Resistance fleet to defeat a demoralized First Order Fleet.

Hello everyone! I’m a college student (male), so my hours are sporadic during the school year, but I play a large variety of different games, some more than others. I’m a very chill, real, and fun person. I enjoy getting really into games, playing a lot of open worlds and building my character, and other things. I like dark humor, so be warned if you get offended easily I may not be for you, I’m happy to get to know anyone who thinks they’d like to get to know me and build some long term friendships. I’m not in gamepass, so keep that in mind, but I am open to looking into potentially new games too! Here’s a list of games I play:

GMod (Has a TTT group)
Minecraft
Terraria
Stardew Valley
Starbound
Project Zomboid
Tarkov
Battlefield
DayZ
F1 Games
Forza
Fifa Games (not FUT)
Fallout 76
Football Manager Games
No Man’s Sky
Ghost Recon Breakpoint
RDR2
GTA V
Civ 6 ( I’m bad )
CSGO (Casual Competitive Player)
Sons of the Forest
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Stick Fight
Grounded
Halo Infinite

Other Games I would get - Uno - Star Citizen - Other Party or Open World Games

Here are the final results of the latest poll after 2 full years of weekly voting, followed by all-time statistics for all 3 years of polls including the Atari Era:

The Best Games of the NES/Master System Era:

Super Mario Bros. 3
Contra
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Ninja Gaiden
Bubble Bobble
Mega Man 3
Phantasy Star
Final Fantasy
Battletoads
Batman: The Video Game
Blaster Master
Shinobi
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation / Dragon Warrior III
Tecmo Super Bowl
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Rygar
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
Dr. Mario
Mother / EarthBound Beginnings
Journey to Silius
Metroid
Super Mario Bros. 2 / Super Mario USA
Space Harrier
The Legend of Zelda
River City Ransom / Street Gangs
Jackal / Top Gunner
Rampage
Super Spike V'Ball / U.S. Championship V'Ball
Little Samson
The Guardian Legend
Gargoyle's Quest II
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Sid Meier's Pirates!
DuckTales
California Games
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
Jaws
Gun-Nac
OutRun
Mega Man 2
Kid Icarus
R.C. Pro-Am
Faxanadu
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Kirby's Adventure
Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
The Battle of Olympus
R-Type
Maniac Mansion
Kid Niki: Radical Ninja
Golden Axe Warrior
Psycho Fox
Crystalis
Gimmick! / Mr. Gimmick
Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team
Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior
Bionic Commando
Gain Ground
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
Excitebike
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
Captain Skyhawk
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
Zanac
Black Tiger / Black Dragon
NES Open Tournament Golf
Golvellius: Valley of Doom
Bucky O'Hare (NES)
International Karate + / IK+ / Chop N' Drop
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Rolling Thunder
Renegade / Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun
Rambo: First Blood Part II (SMS) / Secret Command
Baseball Stars
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War
Blades of Steel
Ice Hockey
Fantasy Zone
Micro Machines
Super Mario Bros.
Castlevania
1943: The Battle of Midway
Vice: Project Doom
The NewZealand Story / Kiwi Kraze
Mega Man 4
StarTropics
Paperboy
Gradius / Nemesis
Formula One: Built to Win
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen / Dragon Warrior IV
Super Sprint
Mega Man
Ys: The Vanished Omens / Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
Batman: Return of the Joker
Super C / Super Contra

"Super C / Super Contra" won last week's poll with nearly twice as many votes as all 5 other games in the poll combined, and becomes the 64th NES game to join the list! Last round 100 people voted in the poll.

Earliest and Latest NES/Master System Era Games:

6 games were the earliest in the poll from 1985.
3 games were the latest in the poll from 1993.

Platforms of the NES/Master System Era by Number of Games:

64 - NES 23 - Arcade 9 - Master System 4 - Computer
The percentage of arcade games fell from 66% in the Atari Era to 23% in the NES Era.
The percentage of console games rose from 20% in the Atari Era to 73% in the NES Era.

Genres of the NES/Master System Era by Number of Games:

38 - Platformer 13 - Action Adventure 9 - Shooter 8 - Sports 7 - Beat 'em Up 7 - RPG 7 - Run and Gun 6 - Racing 4 - Action 1 - Puzzle 1 - Adventure 1 - Fighter
The percentage of shooter games fell from 40% in the Atari Era to 9% in the NES Era.
The percentage of platformer games rose from 20% in the Atari Era to 38% in the NES Era.
A new genre to the polls, the Action Adventure, was suddenly the 2nd-most popular genre.
3 other new genres also did well: Sports, Beat 'em Up, and Run and Gun games.

Developers of the NES/Master System Era by Number of Games:

13 - Nintendo 11 - Sega 11 - Capcom 10 - Konami 5 - Rare 5 - Sunsoft 4 - Tecmo 4 - Compile 4 - Technos 3 - SNK 3 - Chunsoft 2 - Westone 2 - Irem 2 - Taito 2 - Atari 1 - Square 1 - Ape 1 - Bally Midway 1 - Takeru 1 - MicroProse 1 - Epyx 1 - Hudson Soft 1 - HAL Laboratory 1 - Infinity 1 - Lucasfilm Games 1 - Vic Tokai 1 - Quest 1 - Atlus 1 - System 3 1 - Namco 1 - Codemasters 1 - Aicom 1 - Winkysoft 1 - Nihon Falcom
Atari fell from developing 20% of top games in the Atari Era to only 2% in the NES Era.
Activision similarly fell from 10% of top games in the Atari Era to none in the NES Era.
Namco as well fell from 10% of top games to only 1% in the NES Era.
Capcom, a new developer not in the Atari Era poll, ended up tied for 2nd-most games in the NES Era.
Nintendo and Sega rose to dominate this Era, developing 13% and 11% of games, up from 6% and 2% last era.

Platforms on the All-Time List (Atari & NES Era Combined):

83 - Console 56 - Arcade 11 - Computer

Genres on the All-Time List (Atari & NES Era Combined)

48 - Platformer 29 - Shooter 13 - Action Adventure 11 - Action 9 - RPG 8 - Sports 8 - Racing 7 - Beat 'em Up 7 - Run and Gun 4 - Maze 3 - Adventure 2 - Paddle 1 - Interactive Film 1 - Puzzle 1 - Fighter

Developers on the All-Time List (Atari Era & NES Era Combined):

16 - Nintendo 12 - Atari 12 - Konami 12 - Sega 11 - Capcom 6 - Namco 5 - Activision 5 - Rare 5 - Sunsoft 4 - Bally Midway 4 - Taito 4 - Tecmo 4 - Compile 4 - Technos 3 - SNK 3 - Chunsoft 2 - Williams 2 - Lucasfilm Games 2 - Westone 2 - Irem
(only developers with multiple games listed)

The 50 Best Video Games of the Atari Era

Want to see the best games before this era? Check out this list which was compiled by Reddit users' nominations and votes over an entire year:
https://www.reddit.com/retrogaming/comments/o4drau/best_video_games_of_the_atari_era_poll_final/

What Was Eligible To Be Nominated:

Any Arcade coin-op game from 1985-1988.
Any Computer game (any PC system) from 1985-1988.
Any Home Console game from the 3rd Generation (regardless of year published unless it is a port): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_generation_of_video_game_consoles
NO SNES games, NO Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games. Those systems aren't retro enough for this poll.
NO Sonic. NO Streets of Rage, NO A Link to the Past, NO Super Mario World. Those games aren't retro enough for this poll.

Exceptions:

In general, the original year published takes precedence. No games that played betteare more iconic/are more remembered in an earlier or later era.
"Sonic the Hedgehog" was released for Sega Master System, but as a port, it was made for the Sega Genesis, so it is not eligible for this poll.
"Tetris" made its biggest impact with 35 million copies sold for the Game Boy, in the next era, so it is not eligible for this poll.
Arcade ports like the original "Mario Bros.", which hit arcades in 1983 are not eligible for this poll, even though they were ported to home consoles from the next generation.
1984's coin-op “Punch-Out!!”, was more iconic/more remembered as 1987's “Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!” on the NES, which is now eligible for this poll.
Instances like this can be debated. I think it's best to allow all games from a console to be designated to one era, and for games to appear in one era poll only.

The Idea:

Comparing, say, Pong and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, is not useful. It's like arguing which is better: the Ford Model T or the Space Shuttle? But comparing games of their era is interesting and fun! Usually, best game polls are limited to a single system. This poll is unique because it includes all platforms from the era together. How will the best arcade, computer and Master System games compete with the best that Nintendo had to offer? It will be interesting!

Why Only Arcade and Computer Games from 1985-1988?

The 3rd Generation of home consoles launched in the West with the NES in 1985 and changed everything. The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive launched in 1989, began the 4th generation of home consoles which will begin the era for the next series of polls after this concludes.

The Criteria:

I'll leave it up to the individual to decide. Innovation, quality, influence, iconic status, how much fun it was then, how it holds up today, are all valid. Whatever games you love, whatever games you want to see named as the greatest of the era.

What Happens Next:

Next week we will move on from the NES/Master System Era to the SNES/Genesis/TG-16 Era, for a new set of polls.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote in the polls and nominate games in the comments section.
This will be a series of polls I hope to hold every week for a long time! Have fun everyone!

Hiya! It seems all my attempts at finding love just aren't working. Maybe I'm one of those people meant to be single forever or something idk. ANY WAY! hi my name is Ace I'm currently a security guard full time(boring ikr) but when I'm not doing that I enjoy long boarding,gameing, watching Netflix,or just talking to my friends,ive also been told i can sing really well. I'm pretty goofy but I can be serious at the appropriate times. I'm 5'10½.(my pfp is a picture of me at my friends wedding)I've been told that I'm kinda aloof but only when meeting new people but after I'm pretty chill. (Yeah God really made me an inch and a half away from being 6ft.) And dark skin. I'm just looking for a long-term relationship it doesn't matter where you're from. We can message on here first or discord(discord probably better way to reach me)Please be between 21-28 and tell me a bit about yourself.i want someone I can Laugh with, watch anime with, I'm honestly super lonely I'm down to do pretty much whatever.(if interested feel free to send a message with a picture of yourself so ik you're real)

I ventured through the realm of the forgotten, a solitary wanderer treading the fringes of a world I could never truly call my own. Each step propelled me deeper into the heart of isolation, where extravagant condos belonging to the wealthy loomed on one side, and the impeccably groomed greens of an exclusive golf course stretched out on the other. Beyond was the sound, a channeled sea of islands and foggy weather. Sandwiched between them, an enigmatic patch of forest concealed its secrets, a barrier between opulence and the untamed.
A bone-chilling fog rolled in, veiling the nearby islands in an eerie cloak of mystery. The islands, silent and enigmatic, whispered their secrets to those who dared listen. But on this night, I had more immediate concerns that demanded my attention.
My footsteps led me towards what I knew was my path.
The forest itself seemed out of place, a remnant of untamed wilderness amidst the refined elegance of the condos and the pristine golf course. It was a forgotten corner of nature, hidden away from prying eyes, its secrets locked within its ancient trees and shadowy depths.
It was within this eerie thicket, nestled amidst the extravagant neighborhood and the tranquil sea adorned with fog-shrouded islands, that I stumbled upon a chilling discovery. Max, my loyal canine companion who had accompanied me on countless escapades, led me to a hidden grave. A heavy air of unease settled around us, and a shiver ran down my spine, for I realized I had inadvertently stepped into a dark and foreboding nightmare. Some nightmares are not cleared away in the morning light.
The forest floor was strewn with golf balls, their presence a strange incongruity against the backdrop of towering trees and decaying foliage. But it was the horror that awaited me that truly shattered any sense of normalcy. As Max began to unearth the enigma hidden beneath the earth, an ominous atmosphere descended upon our surroundings, setting the warming orchestra of my thoughts for a descent into madness.
Max began scratching at the ground, his paws kicking up small clouds of dirt. I watched him with trepidation, unsure of what he had stumbled upon. And then, the truth emerged amidst the chaos of his excavation. The forest floor, already littered with golf balls, revealed an even more unsettling sight—a skeletal hand, its bony fingers clutching a weathered club.
As Max continued to dig, my unease grew, and I could no longer ignore the foreboding sense that something terrible was about to unfold. Suddenly, a chorus of guttural voices pierced through the silence, their chilling tones mingling with the rustle of leaves and the distant crash of waves against the tranquil sea.
We huddled in the dense thicket, our hearts pounding against our ribcages like captive beasts. The air grew thick with fear and the stench of decay emanating from the newly discovered grave, just a few feet away. Max, his hackles raised, stood beside me, his eyes fixed on the abyss of the forest.
The feeling of being hunted made us hide, readied us to run. Somehow they knew that we had found their secret. Perhaps the hunters were as sensitive to fate as I.
The nightmare began with a hail of arrows, raining down from above like deadly specks of darkness. I dodged and weaved, desperately seeking cover from the onslaught. The masked men, their eyes burning with malevolence, closed in on me with flashlights in hand, casting grotesque shadows against the fog-laden trees.
A thrown bottle exploded at my feet, glass shattering and cutting into my flesh. The searing pain only fueled my adrenaline-fueled flight. The hunters pursued, their footsteps thundering behind me, accompanied by their mocking laughter and sadistic jeers.
Then, a gunshot shattered the night, its sound resonating through the forest. The other men shouted in anger, chastising the gunman for his recklessness. Chaos intensified, and I felt a tomahawk cartwheel past my ear, missing me by a hair's breadth.
In the midst of the chaos, my heart ached for Max. He had vanished into the depths of the woods, drawn away by something I couldn't fathom. I wanted to run, to escape the approaching vehicles and the hunters who sought to claim me, but I couldn't abandon my faithful companion.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes stretched into an agonizing eternity. The sound of vehicles grew louder, the hunters drawing closer. I was terrified and heartbroken, my mind torn between saving myself and waiting for Max.
Just as I was about to abandon hope, a shadow emerged from the gloom. It was Max, bounding toward me with a wagging tail and a glimmer of relief in his eyes. Tears of gratitude welled in my eyes as I called out to him, and he joined me, his presence reinforcing my resolve to flee this nightmarish pursuit.
With renewed determination, Max and I sprinted through the tangled underbrush, the relentless pursuit of the hunters driving us forward. Our hearts beat in sync as we raced against the encroaching darkness.
I followed Max, as he seemed to know the way - having run ahead and found our escape.
The forest seemed to conspire against us, its twisted branches reaching out like skeletal hands, ready to ensnare us in its malevolent embrace. The undergrowth became a treacherous obstacle course, threatening to trip us up with every step. But Max, ever the loyal companion, guided me through the labyrinth of shadows, his senses honed to navigate this haunting realm.
As we sprinted, our breaths ragged and desperate, the pursuing hunters closed in, their footsteps growing louder and more menacing. The sounds of their jeers and taunts echoed through the trees, a symphony of sadism that chilled me to the core.
Then, as if the forest itself decided to aid our escape, a hidden trail materialized before us. It beckoned, a sliver of hope cutting through the suffocating darkness. With no time to spare, we veered onto the path, our feet pounding against the earth, propelled by a surge of adrenaline.
The trail wound deeper into the heart of the forgotten forest, twisting and turning like a serpent, as if playing a wicked game with our pursuers. Shadows danced around us, their elongated forms whispering malevolent secrets. The air grew colder, biting into my skin, and an otherworldly hush settled over the land, as if the very essence of nature held its breath, aware of the horror unfolding within its domain.
A fog reached up from the cliffs as we ran under the open moonlight. We were exposed to our predators, yet the fog came and made us invisible to them. As we reached the other side of the cliffs and more forest, the seaside abandoned us and the fog retreated naturally.
As we raced along the path, the distant sound of crashing waves began to fade, replaced by an eerie silence broken only by the haunting calls of nocturnal creatures. Fear and exhaustion threatened to overtake us, but the thought of what awaited us at the hands of the hunters fueled our determination.
The path abruptly opened up into a clearing, bathed in an ethereal glow. Moonlight filtered through a gap in the dense foliage, casting an otherworldly radiance on a weathered stone structure that stood at the clearing's center. It was a forgotten shrine, forgotten by time and those who once paid homage to its mysterious deity.
A surge of both trepidation and desperate hope coursed through me as I realized that this shrine might hold the key to our salvation. With no time to second-guess, we approached the ancient structure, its moss-covered stones seemingly pulsating with an unknown energy.
As I stepped onto the sacred ground, an unsettling stillness fell over the clearing. Max's hackles rose, his gaze fixated on the shrine's mossy entrance. A primal instinct warned us of the ancient forces at play, but we had come too far to turn back.
Summoning all the courage within me, I pushed open the heavy stone door, revealing a chamber shrouded in darkness. A chill wind swept through the entrance, carrying whispers of forgotten incantations and the scent of decay.
With hesitant steps, we ventured into the unknown depths of the shrine, our hearts pounding in our chests. The walls seemed to close in, suffocating us with a weighty anticipation. The air grew dense with an ancient power, the residue of rituals long forgotten.
A dim light flickered at the center of the chamber, drawing us closer like moths to a flame. We stood trembling, almost forgetting our dire escape. Max began a low growl that broke into a frightened whine.
From the depths of the chamber, a haunting wail erupted, resonating with the agony of centuries past. Shadows coalesced into a towering figure, its eyes blazing with an otherworldly fire. It was the wrathful spirit of the forest itself, determined to protect its secrets at any cost.
Max barked, a valiant act of defiance in the face of an unstoppable force. I stood my ground, clutching my pack, and mustered all the courage I had left. In a trembling voice, I spoke words of remorse and reverence, offering appeasement to the vengeful spirit.
"We're drawn here...to see the grave...to escape its makers."
A hush fell over the chamber as the deity listened, its wrath subsiding, if only momentarily. In a voice that echoed through my mind, it issued a warning—a warning to never return to this forsaken realm, to leave the secrets of the forgotten forest buried in the past.
It wasn't in words, it was just a feeling. I knew what it wanted, and so did Max. It had made itself clear. It would spare us only if we abandoned our trespasses.
With a final glance back at the shrine, Max and I fled, propelled by a newfound urgency. The pursuing hunters were nowhere to be seen, as if swallowed by the very darkness they sought to unleash upon us.
As we emerged from the clutches of the haunted forest, the first rays of morning painted the sky, casting a golden hue upon our weary faces. We had escaped the clutches of the forgotten, forever marked by the consequences of horror that we had personally experienced.

me and my ex (T) broke up on monday, we decided it was better for us to just be friends and i agree’d due to me not wanting to loose her and us not being together for so long. we had to drive to the airBNB. we got to the BNB, we got food, we pregamed, we went to the concert. we had such an amazing time. but after the concert i was feeling down and wrote this note while they were asleep next to me.
dear me. it’s hard. it’s hard being friends with the person you saw a life with, it’s hard being friends with someone you wanted to create life with. it’s hard. it’s hard being the good while while knowing you were the bad guy to create the issues you two have. it’s hard being 1 while none. it’s hard. i miss this person every day , all day. i miss kissing and hugging and being able to call my self that persons partner everyday. i miss being able to do whatever with my person. i mis being able to sleep. i miss being able to sleep without drinking. i miss being the person i was so proud to be. i miss being the person they wanted. i miss being the person they craved i miss being the person for them. i miss being us. i miss the us, and we , and i love yous i miss being able to show feelings towards them. i miss being able to be open with them. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. i am sitting in the darkness of our room, writing this. i turned the lights off just so i can allow them to sleep. they slept in mt car today on our trip. and i was constantly rolling the windows up and down so the noise of nyc traffic wouldn’t wake them. i was trying to let them sleep. when we went to the concert we had so much fun. sooooo so soooo much fun. when we got home they were trying to get to sleep, i put on gentle rain because i know they sleep the best with gentle rain. i miss them so much i am writing this while playing gentle rain and they are dead asleep. i am currently wide awake at 3:30am, drinking to try and get me to bed. my heart rate is currently 133. i can not sleep. i wish we could cuddle or kiss or have sexual or whatever so i could feel close to them again. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. it’s really not about the sexual, but it’s mainly to feel close to them again. i miss them so fucking much. i even offered to open to poly due to sex not being the main thing i’m after. the main thing i’ve been after is them. i drank a lot on the boat, yet i don’t feel drunk nor never did. this all hurts me so bad because they felt the void i had in my heart. unknowingly.
i am so sad that we are not together. i really loved her so much. it’s so hard transitioning into friends. but i’m willing to do so to keep her in my life, even if it hurts me.

Hello, I'm new to adding modifications to the game. I recently downloaded Stardew Valley Expanded, and to be honest, I don't like the size of my farm map. I read that you can replace the farm in Stardew Valley Expanded with a farm of your choice. If that's the case, could you explain to me how I can do it? I already have the farm I want (by the way, the farm I want to change to is a mod). The point is, I want to replace the farm in Stardew Valley Expanded with a farm mod I came across...
Sorry, my English is very basic, I hope you can understand what I'm trying to express...

I ventured through the realm of the forgotten, a solitary wanderer treading the fringes of a world I could never truly call my own. Each step propelled me deeper into the heart of isolation, where extravagant condos belonging to the wealthy loomed on one side, and the impeccably groomed greens of an exclusive golf course stretched out on the other. Beyond was the sound, a channeled sea of islands and foggy weather. Sandwiched between them, an enigmatic patch of forest concealed its secrets, a barrier between opulence and the untamed.
A bone-chilling fog rolled in, veiling the nearby islands in an eerie cloak of mystery. The islands, silent and enigmatic, whispered their secrets to those who dared listen. But on this night, I had more immediate concerns that demanded my attention.
My footsteps led me towards what I knew was my path.
The forest itself seemed out of place, a remnant of untamed wilderness amidst the refined elegance of the condos and the pristine golf course. It was a forgotten corner of nature, hidden away from prying eyes, its secrets locked within its ancient trees and shadowy depths.
It was within this eerie thicket, nestled amidst the extravagant neighborhood and the tranquil sea adorned with fog-shrouded islands, that I stumbled upon a chilling discovery. Max, my loyal canine companion who had accompanied me on countless escapades, led me to a hidden grave. A heavy air of unease settled around us, and a shiver ran down my spine, for I realized I had inadvertently stepped into a dark and foreboding nightmare. Some nightmares are not cleared away in the morning light.
The forest floor was strewn with golf balls, their presence a strange incongruity against the backdrop of towering trees and decaying foliage. But it was the horror that awaited me that truly shattered any sense of normalcy. As Max began to unearth the enigma hidden beneath the earth, an ominous atmosphere descended upon our surroundings, setting the warming orchestra of my thoughts for a descent into madness.
Max began scratching at the ground, his paws kicking up small clouds of dirt. I watched him with trepidation, unsure of what he had stumbled upon. And then, the truth emerged amidst the chaos of his excavation. The forest floor, already littered with golf balls, revealed an even more unsettling sight—a skeletal hand, its bony fingers clutching a weathered club.
As Max continued to dig, my unease grew, and I could no longer ignore the foreboding sense that something terrible was about to unfold. Suddenly, a chorus of guttural voices pierced through the silence, their chilling tones mingling with the rustle of leaves and the distant crash of waves against the tranquil sea.
We huddled in the dense thicket, our hearts pounding against our ribcages like captive beasts. The air grew thick with fear and the stench of decay emanating from the newly discovered grave, just a few feet away. Max, his hackles raised, stood beside me, his eyes fixed on the abyss of the forest.
The feeling of being hunted made us hide, readied us to run. Somehow they knew that we had found their secret. Perhaps the hunters were as sensitive to fate as I.
The nightmare began with a hail of arrows, raining down from above like deadly specks of darkness. I dodged and weaved, desperately seeking cover from the onslaught. The masked men, their eyes burning with malevolence, closed in on me with flashlights in hand, casting grotesque shadows against the fog-laden trees.
A thrown bottle exploded at my feet, glass shattering and cutting into my flesh. The searing pain only fueled my adrenaline-fueled flight. The hunters pursued, their footsteps thundering behind me, accompanied by their mocking laughter and sadistic jeers.
Then, a gunshot shattered the night, its sound resonating through the forest. The other men shouted in anger, chastising the gunman for his recklessness. Chaos intensified, and I felt a tomahawk cartwheel past my ear, missing me by a hair's breadth.
In the midst of the chaos, my heart ached for Max. He had vanished into the depths of the woods, drawn away by something I couldn't fathom. I wanted to run, to escape the approaching vehicles and the hunters who sought to claim me, but I couldn't abandon my faithful companion.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes stretched into an agonizing eternity. The sound of vehicles grew louder, the hunters drawing closer. I was terrified and heartbroken, my mind torn between saving myself and waiting for Max.
Just as I was about to abandon hope, a shadow emerged from the gloom. It was Max, bounding toward me with a wagging tail and a glimmer of relief in his eyes. Tears of gratitude welled in my eyes as I called out to him, and he joined me, his presence reinforcing my resolve to flee this nightmarish pursuit.
With renewed determination, Max and I sprinted through the tangled underbrush, the relentless pursuit of the hunters driving us forward. Our hearts beat in sync as we raced against the encroaching darkness.
I followed Max, as he seemed to know the way - having run ahead and found our escape.
The forest seemed to conspire against us, its twisted branches reaching out like skeletal hands, ready to ensnare us in its malevolent embrace. The undergrowth became a treacherous obstacle course, threatening to trip us up with every step. But Max, ever the loyal companion, guided me through the labyrinth of shadows, his senses honed to navigate this haunting realm.
As we sprinted, our breaths ragged and desperate, the pursuing hunters closed in, their footsteps growing louder and more menacing. The sounds of their jeers and taunts echoed through the trees, a symphony of sadism that chilled me to the core.
Then, as if the forest itself decided to aid our escape, a hidden trail materialized before us. It beckoned, a sliver of hope cutting through the suffocating darkness. With no time to spare, we veered onto the path, our feet pounding against the earth, propelled by a surge of adrenaline.
The trail wound deeper into the heart of the forgotten forest, twisting and turning like a serpent, as if playing a wicked game with our pursuers. Shadows danced around us, their elongated forms whispering malevolent secrets. The air grew colder, biting into my skin, and an otherworldly hush settled over the land, as if the very essence of nature held its breath, aware of the horror unfolding within its domain.
A fog reached up from the cliffs as we ran under the open moonlight. We were exposed to our predators, yet the fog came and made us invisible to them. As we reached the other side of the cliffs and more forest, the seaside abandoned us and the fog retreated naturally.
As we raced along the path, the distant sound of crashing waves began to fade, replaced by an eerie silence broken only by the haunting calls of nocturnal creatures. Fear and exhaustion threatened to overtake us, but the thought of what awaited us at the hands of the hunters fueled our determination.
The path abruptly opened up into a clearing, bathed in an ethereal glow. Moonlight filtered through a gap in the dense foliage, casting an otherworldly radiance on a weathered stone structure that stood at the clearing's center. It was a forgotten shrine, forgotten by time and those who once paid homage to its mysterious deity.
A surge of both trepidation and desperate hope coursed through me as I realized that this shrine might hold the key to our salvation. With no time to second-guess, we approached the ancient structure, its moss-covered stones seemingly pulsating with an unknown energy.
As I stepped onto the sacred ground, an unsettling stillness fell over the clearing. Max's hackles rose, his gaze fixated on the shrine's mossy entrance. A primal instinct warned us of the ancient forces at play, but we had come too far to turn back.
Summoning all the courage within me, I pushed open the heavy stone door, revealing a chamber shrouded in darkness. A chill wind swept through the entrance, carrying whispers of forgotten incantations and the scent of decay.
With hesitant steps, we ventured into the unknown depths of the shrine, our hearts pounding in our chests. The walls seemed to close in, suffocating us with a weighty anticipation. The air grew dense with an ancient power, the residue of rituals long forgotten.
A dim light flickered at the center of the chamber, drawing us closer like moths to a flame. We stood trembling, almost forgetting our dire escape. Max began a low growl that broke into a frightened whine.
From the depths of the chamber, a haunting wail erupted, resonating with the agony of centuries past. Shadows coalesced into a towering figure, its eyes blazing with an otherworldly fire. It was the wrathful spirit of the forest itself, determined to protect its secrets at any cost.
Max barked, a valiant act of defiance in the face of an unstoppable force. I stood my ground, clutching my pack, and mustered all the courage I had left. In a trembling voice, I spoke words of remorse and reverence, offering appeasement to the vengeful spirit.
"We're drawn here...to see the grave...to escape its makers."
A hush fell over the chamber as the deity listened, its wrath subsiding, if only momentarily. In a voice that echoed through my mind, it issued a warning—a warning to never return to this forsaken realm, to leave the secrets of the forgotten forest buried in the past.
It wasn't in words, it was just a feeling. I knew what it wanted, and so did Max. It had made itself clear. It would spare us only if we abandoned our trespasses.
With a final glance back at the shrine, Max and I fled, propelled by a newfound urgency. The pursuing hunters were nowhere to be seen, as if swallowed by the very darkness they sought to unleash upon us.
As we emerged from the clutches of the haunted forest, the first rays of morning painted the sky, casting a golden hue upon our weary faces. We had escaped the clutches of the forgotten, forever marked by the consequences of horror that we had personally experienced.

Hi! I'd love to make some new buddies, or just chat! I'm 23 y.o. from the US
Some of my hobbies include movies/tv, design, casual gaming, reading, and staring at the ceiling. I'd prefer to befriend some people fairly close in age, but as long as you're 18+, I'm totally up for a chat. I have a fairly dark and sarcastic sense of humor, but I consider myself relatively bearable, so what else could one ask for?
I'm happy to chat here on Reddit, or on Discord or something (since I know Reddit can be finicky sometimes)
Anyways, what are you waiting for? Shoot me a message, and introduce yourself! I'd love to chat

Now that TOTK has made it clear that the great dragons are created by swallowing secret stones, do we know who the additional ones are or were? Given that they were in BOTW, im surprised this wasn't touched on more in TOTK. I recall being mentioned in BOTW that they were elemental spirits in dragon form but that seems to go against what Tears is saying. Outside of Zelda and Ganon becoming dragons of their respective elements (time and darkness), the other dragons have elemental aspects akin to that of the Champions in BOTW and the sages in TOTK.
Is there anything in the game that can indicate if the dragons are anybody noteworthy like previous Zonai? From the memory where Mineru explains the process of draconification to Zelda its obvious that these dragons have been around for a very long time. The Zonai are also aware of the process of how they come to be so this indicates that the other dragons were at one point Zonai. Otherwise, Mineru and the rest of the Zonai wouldn't he so opposed to the process of becoming one.
Any theories or hints on this you all may have?

Gwzuc complained to his father for what felt like the 10th time about being pulled out of school for an entire week to travel to Demila, a backwater planet just so they could visit on a specific date . His father unrelentingly told him once again “This is an important date for myself and the humans, they call it Memorial Day, a day to celebrate and mourn those lost in the line of duty. Of which the humans have lost plenty in the War of Imperial Aggression. Hopefully you will understand once our day has concluded.”
Krlinn Vol'jin was a former Captain in the Federation Armed Forces, being medically discharged after the slaughter of Demilia which saw Federation ground forces being reduced to a mere 20% of what was sent to the planet in an effort to stop the Tuvili Empire from gaining a valuable stronghold in the fight for the Federations survival.
Krlinn and his son Gwzuc arrived at the memorials entrance and proceeded to a hallway immediately to their left, Krlinn already knew exactly where to go, having been here countless times before. Gwzuc on the other hand only got a quick glance around, the wings of the memorial seemingly dedicated species by species with Humanity’s being the largest.
On the way over Krlinn started to speak to his son using a tone Gwzuc was all too familiar with, it meant that his father was about to start one of his famous lectors and not even a charging Curbat could stop him, with nothing better to do Gwzuc listened while walking, his father choosing to not take the speed assist walkways in an effort to have more time to make his point before reaching their destination.
“Now son I know that you have heard all of this throughout your lifetime but I feel the need to reiterate it due to what you will see shortly. Humans arrived on the galactic scene a couple of centuries ago and ever since then have been an average species in our great federation, not the strongest, nor the most intelligent, no, Humanity simply exists in most aspects of life.” At this point they reach around the midway point where banners from Terra, the Humans homeworld are flown along with a statue, Krlinn stops them both and walks to the statue before looking his son in the eye. “But Son, do not be mistaken when you look a Human in the eye and see nothing but steely resolve looking back at you. Know in your deepest hearts that something somewhere should be terrified.” At this point Gwzuc looks confused at the statue, it appears to be a human male wearing firefighting gear he looks at the plaque in front of the statue which reads
“Dedicated to the brave men and woman, firefighters, police, and EMT’s who lost their lives while helping the citizens of Demila during the war, costing many of their own lives but saving countless others in the process.”
“But I don’t get it. Why die for others instead of saving themselves?” Gwzuc said quite frankly while looking at his father.
Krlinn sighed, the question being poised one he was expecting but was still hoping to all together avoid. “That question is what we are here to answer today. Humans are unique in the federation, most species have an instinct for self preservation, our many cultures only serve to reinforce that instinct. For that matter the human’s have that same instinct, the difference being they can turn it off. That steely eyed look I mentioned earlier? That’s how you know if the “switch” has been flipped in a human’s head.” Krlinn brought his son up to start the walk back down to get to the exhibit that was their goal. In the meantime he could see Gwzuc’s coils phasing in his head as he was slowly starting to understand why his father never talked about his experiences in the war.
“You know son, the humans almost never made it to front line combat units” Krlinn said to his son. His son looked at him surprised and asked “How? They make up almost half the Federation’s forces!” Krlinn replied “That came about partially because of the event’s here. For all the Federation’s upsides it’s bureaucracy is not one, most saw the humans lack of specialization and failure to excel at any one thing to mean that they were useless. While most humans in the Forces were relegated to backline support and logistics, or medical staff there were always a few every infantry company did see at least a few. Hell, one of the member’s on my headquarter’s staff was human.”
There was a long minute of silence following this, Gwzuc looked at his father who had the eyes of a person looking into the past remembering something Gwzuc knew better than to interrupt him when he got like this, after a minute they were at the front of the exhibit.
They had walked into a large hall with statues every 20 yards or so, while they hadn’t encountered anybody on the way to the hall due to them taking the non speed assisted path the hall was filled with people, while all species appeared to be represented it stood out to Gwzuc that the majority was of Humans which he thought odd, until he remembered what his father had told him. That this was a Holiday for the human’s one a day to remember and mourn those who had fallen.
“We could spend all day here looking at every memorial, but instead I want to focus on the Men and Women I personally knew and served with who helped me and others survive.” Krlinn said to his son, bringing him to the first statue, again without needing more than a second to gather his surroundings.
The first statue they came upon was of a woman saluting, the almost bronze statue was so detailed he could see the wrinkles around her eyes, evidently the picture this was molded after was taken of her facing that system's star. Krlinn tells Gwzuc “I will let the plaques do the talking, I didn't know the private well enough to add more information.” Gwzuc walked forward and saw two plaques starting with the one on the left having more and larger writing
“Here lies a remembrance to Private Livia Morrison, a medic who in the battle of Demilia at great risk to her own life ran across a battlefield in an effort to save two marines who were severely injured by an artillery shell. She ran over 300 meters while being actively engaged by combatants to reach the marines. At which point she provided life saving assistance and stabilized them. However after finishing her duties she heard cries coming from a short distance and while moving to provide them care she was hit by an artillery shell. Her bio-metric suit and helmet recorded her last words as “Get those Marines home” before shortly passing away from blood loss.” Gwzuc’s hearts were beating slightly just reading that, not imaging he could ever do something so dangerous. The second plaque seemed to be for information “Private Morrision received a battalion commendation for her heroic efforts. We thank her family for allowing her likeness to be used. It should be noted Morrision had only been stationed on Demila for two weeks when the attack began, it was her first posting out of training and her only.”
Krlinn quickly brought his son to another statue giving him barely enough time to absorb what he read before his father began to speak “This is Sergeant Rhett Dunlap, while I would not have considered us friends due to a myriad of reasons he was a good man, from what I hear those whose lives he saved donated the cost to get this statue built.” Gwzuc took a good look at the statue. It showed a short human male who one would call diminutive if not for the fact that his muscles made him look extremely stocky. The statue showed him in a kneeling position with a light machine gun in one hand, the other arm missing below the elbow, his uniform tattered and shrapnel sticking in all parts of him. Gwzuc started to read the quite long plaque
“Here lies Sergeant Dunlap depicted by request of his brothers in arms to show his final moments. The Sergeant was severely injured in an artillery blast resulting in his arm being blown off. It is noted when asked about it he told his superiors “Just a flesh wound” before laughing, A few moments later the imperials began another push and the Federation had to fall back or be enveloped. The Sergeant then picked up a machine gun and hoisted it onto a nearby wall before telling his platoon leader that he would cover the retreat. His platoon leader accepted, seeing no alternative. The Sergeant proceeded to hold off imperial forces single handedly for over 4 minutes resolution in his platoon making a full retreat with no casualties. For this Sergeant Dunlap was awarded a Titanium Novastar”
Krlinn put a hand on his son’s shoulder after seeing Gwzuc finish reading, startling his boy. His father spoke in an uncharacteristically quiet voice “I saw it you know. His final stand, we had a drone in the area to make sure the retreat went as smoothly as possible. He wouldn’t, couldn’t stop. Even when he ran out of ammo he pulled his knife out and used it. When we finally took that sector back his corpse was surrounded by imperial bodies. I shudder to imagine what he could have achieved without already being injured.” Come son there’s one more statue you need to see.
With that Krlinn brings his son to the final statue, which was also the largest and in place of honor in the middle of the room, it was a simple statue similar to the first one they went to showing a tall but skinny human male saluting, due to others in the room they must wait for a handful of minutes before being able to read this statue's plaque. This appears to be the only statue with an accompanying piece on display, it appears to be a name tag ripped off a military uniform that says “Saunders”. The entire wait, Gwzuc noticed his father had not said a word and appeared to be in his own world. Gwzuc read the plaque
“Here Lies lieutenant Caleb Saunders dubbed by many as “The Savior of Demila” whose actions caused a total rout of the Imperial forces on the planet during the Battle of Demila. While Federation forces were in a near collapse the lieutenant grabbed a targeting sensor and spent 12 hours sneaking into an Imperial Ammo facility in an effort to place the sensor in a way to be able to bring artillery accurately onto imperial lines from far off batteries. Helmet footage that was being transmitted to base showed that in the process of activating the sensors a patrol of Imperials found him. Instead of engaging the sensor and retreating he valiantly activated it while receiving multiple injuries, allowing said artillery to destroy the facility and cause a chain reaction destroying a large number of Imperial Assets at the cost of the Lieutenant’s life.”
Gwzuc quickly moved onto the second plaque his two hearts racing, a thought forming in his mind. “This statue was paid for and commissioned by the Federal Armed Forces. For them we thank the ability to remember Lieutenant Saunders. For his actions Saunders was awarded a Federation Star of the People, The federation’s highest military honor. We also thank Captain Krlinn Vol'jin for donating Saunders name tag. It is said he ripped it off before allowing Saunders to attempt the mission in an effort to ensure his sacrifice would not be forgotten.”
After reading the last sentence everything fell into place for Gwzuc who turned to his father, however before he could get a word out his father said “Some of the human’s have a term for this type of thing you know? That’s how damn common it is for them. They call it “Broken Arrow.”” His father motions his son to step away so others could read the plaque Gwzuc witnesses a sight so rare he forgot it possible his father was in tears. Full blown tears “Caleb was a damn good man you know. Had a wife and daughter, he was going to engineering school on the side, he had every reason to live. That’s how I learned about the human’s now famous look. That was the first time I saw it, you know? We were trying to set up a final line of defense, something, anything to slow the imperials down, buy time for civilians to evacuate, reinforcements to show, hell just praying anything would happen other than our deaths. All looked hopeless, we were in a staff planning meeting. When someone pointed out how close the ammo dump was to their motor pool. A glaring oversight but one an overconfident enemy makes. Saunders had made a comment that was true, if we could get one of our Targeting sensors on the building we could call in a strike to blow it up. The atmosphere and jamming made anything but direct positional targeting impossible, the device had to physically be at a location to be used. It made bombing near impossible for us and they knew it. Sadly we had no explosives to make use of.” Krlinn at this point took a minute to compose himself and finish his story. “We all agreed it would work, but no one would risk their lives like that, it just wasn’t done. Caleb finally said he would do it, I didn’t believe him however seeing the other human’s heorices I should have, and said ok to the plan thinking it was just bravado and he would back out. He just prepared his pack and sensor so I saw him off. When I saw that look in his eye, that look that meant he already knew he was dead and just waiting for it to happen, I thought for just a minute, maybe just maybe he would go through with it, so I took his nametag and sent him on his way. Not putting much stock into it succeeding goddess not even watching his helmet cam, that was until he broke comm discipline and his comm burst with the sound of gunshots and screams, until finally all he said with a grunt was “Standy for target acquisition”. Following that was one giant fireball a few minutes later…” Krlinn looked at his son after giving his son a minute to understand and absorb all of the information he was given. He felt guilty about being annoyed at his dad for taking out of school. After a while all he said was “I’m sorry” before they began to walk back down the hall, Gwzuc looking at every human present through a new lens, partially in awe, partially in fear of what they are capable of.
On the treadmill-like walkway back he heard his father say to himself a poem, but for the first time listening to the words and truly taking their meaning in.

“Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

His father finished his almost mechanical repeating of the poem before saying to his son “Human’s won’t throw their lives away, but they will sacrifice them if needed”
A/N This is my first time writing a short story like this since school, so I’m happy with any criticism. I do hope however you enjoy it! The end poem is not my own work as I hope you all know. All credit for that goes to Dylan Thomas the Poet.

me and my ex (T) broke up on monday, we decided it was better for us to just be friends and i agree’d due to me not wanting to loose her and us not being together for so long. we had to drive to the airBNB. we got to the BNB, we got food, we pregamed, we went to the concert. we had such an amazing time. but after the concert i was feeling down and wrote this note while they were asleep next to me.
dear me. it’s hard. it’s hard being friends with the person you saw a life with, it’s hard being friends with someone you wanted to create life with. it’s hard. it’s hard being the good while while knowing you were the bad guy to create the issues you two have. it’s hard being 1 while none. it’s hard. i miss this person every day , all day. i miss kissing and hugging and being able to call my self that persons partner everyday. i miss being able to do whatever with my person. i mis being able to sleep. i miss being able to sleep without drinking. i miss being the person i was so proud to be. i miss being the person they wanted. i miss being the person they craved i miss being the person for them. i miss being us. i miss the us, and we , and i love yous i miss being able to show feelings towards them. i miss being able to be open with them. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. i am sitting in the darkness of our room, writing this. i turned the lights off just so i can allow them to sleep. they slept in mt car today on our trip. and i was constantly rolling the windows up and down so the noise of nyc traffic wouldn’t wake them. i was trying to let them sleep. when we went to the concert we had so much fun. sooooo so soooo much fun. when we got home they were trying to get to sleep, i put on gentle rain because i know they sleep the best with gentle rain. i miss them so much i am writing this while playing gentle rain and they are dead asleep. i am currently wide awake at 3:30am, drinking to try and get me to bed. my heart rate is currently 133. i can not sleep. i wish we could cuddle or kiss or have sexual or whatever so i could feel close to them again. i miss them. i miss them. i miss them. it’s really not about the sexual, but it’s mainly to feel close to them again. i miss them so fucking much. i even offered to open to poly due to sex not being the main thing i’m after. the main thing i’ve been after is them. i drank a lot on the boat, yet i don’t feel drunk nor never did. this all hurts me so bad because they felt the void i had in my heart. unknowingly.
i am so sad that we are not together. i really loved her so much. it’s so hard transitioning into friends. but i’m willing to do so to keep her in my life, even if it hurts me.

Soon I won't be 26 anymore, so, corny as it may be, I've been listening to Wish and had that particular song in mind a little more than usual. Thankful to say that for a while now I've found that many NIN lyrics aren't directly relevant to my improved mentality of the past couple years or however long (the healthiest/best relationship that I've ever had the fortune of being in, returning to university, reducing substance use as a coping mechanism, and starting to assert boundaries despite the intrinsic discomfort of doing so is all I will provide here for personal elaboration on that, and of course many/most of those factors, especially the former two there, are not the end-all be-all of "healthier living" or whatever for everyone, they just have happened to help in my case). Still far from perfect, and to be fair, I'm also thankful that there are a good few lyrics to which I've never fully related, as much as the music/"vibe" still resonates and perhaps always will, and that's okay.
First got into this music almost a decade ago now when I had an "existential crisis"/first severe depressive episode, and both then and numerous times thereafter, this music has saved my life (again, maybe corny/trite, but hardly an exaggeration if at all), recognizing I'm not alone in thinking and feeling certain ways, and that such dark states of mind can be alchemized into art that connects with others struggling to help them persevere. Even all that aside, it is brilliant music in so many ways, cathartic and enjoyable, even if it sometimes takes a few (or more than a few) listens to fully appreciate what's going on in a given song (case in point at least from my perspective, God Break Down the Door, by which I was nonplussed at first, now if I had to choose a favorite NIN song it may very well be that one).
This post isn't meant as some sort of boast or something like that, even if I may not be entirely sure of all of my reasons for posting this, but a main one is to let younger fans know that things can improve, even if it takes a lot of patience and introspection, and a better(/the best?) example of this is the trajectory of Trent himself. And fuck "outgrowing" music, if it doesn't resonate with you at a given point in life/you don't want to listen to it anymore, then of course that's fine, to each their own, but this has in so many ways been the soundtrack of my life, and I hope to see them again/get to experience some more new releases at some point.
Even if not, though, I am so grateful that this art has been released into this world to give rise to amazing experiences and that communities such as this have formed as a result. Something real, something true, indeed. Thank you Trent (and Atticus, and Robin, etc.), and thank you for reading this, if you did.

The life of a chef is a busy one. Long hours and a lot of days preparing and cooking food doesn't give me a whole lot of free time to meet people, and certainly not on weekends. That's why I find subreddits like this one appealing because it let's me flex my extroverted brain in a schedule that would otherwise force me to be an introvert. If you're someone that loves cooking or food then we'll be off to a good start. Happy to help people in the kitchen with advice and new recipes or just to share some recent food pics.
A few facts about me:

I'm currently residing in Pennsylvania.
I'm often up until 1am most nignts.
I'm genuinely more if a homebody.
I've been told I'm a good listener when it comes to people wanting to vent.
I prefer talking to people 24 or older.
If you're into Magic the Gathering that's an automatic plus but this is a huge shot in the dark ahahaha. I'm also into anime, comics and video games which seem to be more common topics of discussion.
I also have a dog so pet pics will be shared too.

If anyone wants to chat please drop me an envelope saying your age, kik handle and your general intention with the chat. I'm okay with getting flirty over chats but if that's not what you want I'm fine with shutting that down.
Hope to hear from some of you out there.

Throwaway for OBVIOUS reasons. This is a long, kind of crazy story that has a lot to do with intuition and straight up Facebook stalking lol not the most serious detective work, but it ties together. Please bare with me, as I'm going to do my best to get it all out in a way that makes sense.
I'm a healthcare worker. When I was in my early 20s, I had a coworker, lets call him "Ross," who rubbed me the wrong way within the first few weeks of knowing him. He was a seemingly charming, outgoing ~40 y/o who infiltrated into and got along well with my work friend group. He started to rub me the wrong way when he would try to "innocently" make physical contact with me during visits with our patients (making a point to put his hand over top of mine when doing a Hoyer transfer, asking for hugs, putting his hand on my back or shoulder, etc.). This escalated to him telling me on a regular basis how beautiful he thought I was and how "in shape" I was, telling me that I could be a supermodel... he continued to do this refer to me as "supermodel" at our group outings, in front of my boyfriend and his fiancé, "Rachel." She was less than thrilled and safe to say she didn't like me from the get-go. (Side note: when he started working with us he had told us about his girlfriend, it wasn't until we met her that she told us that they had been engaged for over a year.) To tell you a little about Rachel, she too was in her early 20s and a beautiful, sweet, reserved, dark-blonde girl. Hair color ties into this. They lived together with his "only" teenage daughter.
After about two months of working with this guy I could not shake the weird vibes he gave me. I told a friend that I worked with about it and she expressed that she had noticed how Ross was strangely infatuated with me and another girl that we worked with (also early 20s). She told me how she had felt like he was appropriate towards her, but pointed out that she has blonde hair and that me and the other coworker both had dark brown hair--suggesting that perhaps he had more of a type.
Decided to google Ross, as he has a rather unique last name. I figured that I would probably find nothing and could put my mind to rest about the weird feeling in my gut once I did... but I didn't. Instead, I found an obituary for a close relative of his that had his name listed as well as what I assumed were the names of his ex wife and three daughters. This peaked my interest because he had told us at length about one daughter, but only one, and that one's name was on the list.
I searched the name of his ex wife on Facebook and to my delight it seemed that most of, if not all of her posts were public. Under the influence of a strong edible, I spent more time than I'd like to admit just mindlessly scrolling through her posts. Not reading every one, but just scanning to see if there was anything that stood out. She was a pretty, older, dark-haired woman who shared a lot of After scrolling through a few months worth of posts, I came across a screenshot of a Pinterest-like image of a living room with two canvases that spelled out "STOCKHOLM" on them, or something to the effect... and her caption on it was "I found the perfect housewarming gift for my sister, Rachel," and in that moment my heart sunk to my stomach... because I KNEW.
I kept scrolling and found another post that was sharing a link to an article entitled "A Different Kind of Heart Attack: New Research Finds A Broken Heart Permanently Weakens The..." (I'm referring to a screenshot, so that's all I've got.) Her caption on the post solidified the feeling in my gut. She wrote in her caption, "This literally happened to me a few years ago... My BP was regularly low and I had fainting spells due to my heart not pumping enough blood to my brain... this was after discovering that my now ex husband was sleeping with my 15 year old sister. I later learned that he was also abusing our children." I could have barfed. Putting those pieces together told me that Rachel had been groomed into being this gross man's fiancé. From her comments it sounded like for whatever reason, the court system failed them and he had gotten out with no charges or anything.
I immediately told my friend and from that point on only interacted with Ross in a work setting. If he went out with our work friend group then I didn't talk to him, I brought my boyfriend to ensure I wasn't alone, and I avoided him at all costs. At work he still was overly friendly/touchy towards me for months until finally like a year later he finally seemed to get the hint that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. He stayed infatuated with my other dark-haired coworker.
I can't pinpoint when I finally noticed the mask drop from him, but I definitely can tell you that once it dropped I could see him for all that I had learned that he was... cold, dark, and unfriendly. Once he noticed that I would not play into his games, he turned off the charm on me and would get mad at me for miniscule things at work. I'm good at what I do, but this guy would try to belittle me in front of other coworkers and make it seem like I didn't know what I was doing when I would fill in for others and that my other coworker (that he loved) was the best at what we do and that I should lead by her example. I sucked it up and didn't take it personally, because I knew it wasn't... He would talk down to me and scold me for weird things and try to mansplain everything.
We had one interaction that I will never forget, outside of our clinical office. He had gone out to leave for a visit where he was training someone (still on the clock, in-home care setting) but had forgotten something in the office. I ran down to see if he had left yet to give it to him to take, as the patient needed it, and his car was still in the parking lot. I ran up and tapped on the window and this man turned his head back in disgust and his blue eyes went pitch black. It was a very short moment, but it was a switch I definitely noticed. He did the annoyed "one minute" gesture, as he had gotten on a phone call, so I waited then gave him the patient's item and quickly went back upstairs.
Not too long after that I ended up finding another job and I stopped hanging out with that work friend group because I decided that it was just giving me too much anxiety to be around this weirdo, and I didn't have to subject myself to that.
After changing jobs, he sent me an "apology" text for being rude to me and that he hoped we could still be friends. I didn't respond, but rather blocked him on everything to get my point across.
I did, however, keep Rachel, who at this point had started school for a specialty medical program. I told my close friend who knew the whole situation that I was holding out hope that Rachel was just using Ross to pay her way through school and that she would leave him once she got her degree. I never had a problem with Rachel, we just got off to a weird start and I didn't like her dude so I was not going out of my way to be her friend.. lol. So we have stayed social media friends the whole time.
Anyhow, fast forward to this last summer, Rachel graduates with her degree. I say again to my friend how much I hope she was just going to get a good job and leave him after a few good paychecks.. (I don't wish that upon most people, and definitely acknowledge that in most situations that would be awful lol my moral compass is there, I swear, but like COME ON!!! How full circle karma would that be?)
Well, they seem to stay together for a while after that until all of a sudden I noticed that she was posting in a seemingly single way... iykyk. I looked at her Instagram and noticed that she had deleted all of their photos together. After responding to a story post, I decided to ask her and she confirmed that they had in fact broken up. I told her congratulations and suggested we get a drink. This was in December.
At the beginning of spring term in my psychology class we had been discussing personality disorders and I asked my teacher some questions keeping the weird interactions I had with Ross in mind, as it is still to this day one of the craziest intuition stories I have. So I ask my teacher about the ability to infiltrate into groups with charisma but then switch to being cold, having the eyes turn black, etc.. My professor told me that the "switching" is literally that, it is the person's personality switching.. and in that moment you see the real them and it's when the "mask slips." He said it is a very common trait amongst serial killers and advised me to stay cautious and safe.
This is where I feel like my story definitely becomes more of a reach (maybe I'm just feeling insecurely crazy), but if you've stayed with me this long, maybe you'll see the dots I'm connecting. I'm a big true crime fan so there's some crime junkie theorizing here.
So, there have been a bunch of bodies that have turned up in the last four months in rural areas of surrounding counties where I live. One of the counties that the bodies were dropped is one that this guy lives in.
The first girl that they found went missing in December. She eerily resembles Ross' daughter that I saw on his ex-wife's FB page (not the one he continued to raise).
Ross and Rachel broke up around that time. Could be a trigger.
The next five bodies were found in rural areas and the commonality amongst the women is that they had dark hair and dark eyebrows, and were in their mid 20s.
That's clearly not enough to accuse someone of something as serious as murder, but it's surely enough to give me the suspicion that if the murders are connected and it's a serial killer that it could be him.
I decided to look at his FB page from an account that can't be traced back to me and over the last few months he's shared a lot of posts about mushroom hunting. You know where people go to hunt mushrooms?? RURAL. AREAS.
I feel so freaking crazy but I CANNOT shake this feeling in my gut that something is up.
Ted Bundy was the same way, a freaking charismatic guy that got caught because someone (his wife) had a weird feeling in her gut!!!
I can't really do anything though but vent to reddit, because I just can't imagine that anyone else would listen to this story and take it seriously.
Also, on the off chance that this guy's on reddit he's definitely going to know who I am. I'll be sure to tell my fiancé about this post and add it to my "if I go missing" file.

Tonight I watched a Coke commercial — females & 1 male playing Pictionary drinking bottled Coke & having fun. It looked like someone used tea instead of Coke. How long ago did Coca Cola’s formula change from its deep, rich, dark brown color? Has the flavor changed as well? Still miss the classic bottle shape. Guess I’ve been living under a rock.

This post contains spoilers for Priory of the Orange Tree (notably, the romantic interest of one of the lead characters, though this becomes fairly obvious in the first third of the book, and a few events from throughout the book that relate to the barriers that relationship faces)
This weekend I finished reading Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon for my LGBTQ+ Bingo Card. While I picked it because of the dragons for the mythical beasts square, it’s also been mentioned as a good option for the Queernorm Square by many, and I was curious what that would look like in and Epic High Fantasy story, since I more often see this in more urban settings (Rook and Rose comes to mind).
What comes below are not a review of the book, but instead my rambling thoughts on whether or not this book is a Queernorm story.
What is a Queernorm Story?:
It’s probably best to start with a working definition. According to this year’s bingo card … “A book set in a world where queerness is normalized, accepted, and prevalent within communities. Characters are not othered, ostracized, or particularly remarkable in any way for their queerness”
I should also note that, as someone completing an LGBTQ+ card, and who reads a good amount of queer speculative fiction, I am perhaps a more rigorous set of standards for this than most. I also want to stress that queernorm =/= good and the reverse =/= bad. Non Queernorm Stories are just as important and wonderful. This conversation exists mostly in the context of the 2023 bingo contest and my own desire to overanalyze things.
What is Priory of the Orange Tree?
In short, this book is an Epic Fantasy story where four disparate protagonists try to stop the Nameless One from rising, and the Nameless One is a giant western style dragon. The characters come from a variety of cultures, which encompass many analogues from around the globe (notably, there are two types of dragons, Eastern and Western, which largely map onto how Eastern and Western cultures on our earth have depicted dragons). Goodreads has more information. eastern continent)
Queernorm Elements:
To start with, half of the four viewpoint characters are homosexual. Ead is a mage warrior secretly protecting a western foreign queen while living at her court, and Niclays is an exiled alchemist from said court now living in a tiny island town off the eastern continent. Ead’s romance is a major plot point in the book, and Niclay’s relationship with his deceased lover is a major part of his character. This prevalent queer rep in main characters is key to the argument that Priory is a queernorm book, especially since there’s no dramatic coming out, or need to comment on the fact that they’re gay at all. It’s treated like any other relationship in the book is. There are a few minor queer characters, mostly mentioned in passing, which is a part of a well realized queernorm world (and really any world where its mentioned people are married if we’re being honest)
There’s a lot of work put into pushing for world building elements that are queernorm in nature. Most notably, the world uses the term ‘companion’ instead of husband or wife, which is a clear attempt to make the world a more queer friendly place, since there is no distinction between different types of companionships/marriages.
These fairly major elements really lend strength to the argument that this is a Queernorm story, though the lack of any trans or gender diverse characters that I’m aware of is perhaps the only major obvious knock against it (and this shifts in the second book from what I’ve seen)
Where Things Start to Fall Apart
While I was reading, there was this nagging voice in my head that kept picking at this question of whether it was a queernorm book, in part because it was an element I was excited about. And I kept running into little things that bugged me.
To begin with, both of the main queer relationships were forbidden for unrelated reasons. The first is fairly straightforward: Niclays’ lover was already married to a woman, though he painted a positive relationship with her (and their children), even after his lover died. You see, the religion of the northern countries in the West (where both queer relationships spent most of their time occurring) have strict monogamous rules, and it doesn’t seem like divorce is an option.
This already provides systemic barriers for poly folks, but led to some more insidious forms of discrimination. You see, Niclay’s lover got engaged when the man was two years old for political reasons. In fact, all mentioned arranged marriages were between a man and a woman (although it is entirely possible that homosexual arranged marriages occurred as well, I can’t comment on what isn’t there). This, when combined with the strict religious monogamy laws, lead to queer people being forced into heterosexual relationships against their will in a systemic fashion.
The second forbidden relationship is between Ead and the Queen of Inys. For context, Inys is a Queendom, whose queens uncannily produce only one child: always a girl, and always with a very similar appearance. Sabran has long resisted marriage, but is forced to marry a man to produce an heir and cement of a political alliance. A lot of my above issues come into play here as well, but there’s a larger problem facing the queernorm label here. As a religion (and country) the need to produce heirs in a monogamous relationship forces any first son/daughter to be heterosexual, and it feels like a glaring oversight that an otherwise LGBTQ+ friendly world can’t figure this out. Heck, bloodline succession at all seems like a strike against queernorm stories without evidence that adoption is an acceptable alternative for queer couples.
To be fair, this storyline is actually engaged with in a meaningful way, as Sabran’s struggles with the expectations placed on her and her eventual daughter are a centerpiece to one storyline. It’s presented mostly through a feminist lens however, and doesn’t particularly consider its ramifications in terms of queerness. This isn’t a bad thing, because it was engaged with in critical a way that the problems facing Niclays’ relationship wasn’t. The discussion/struggle around Sabran’s limited options was one of my preferred parts of the books.
So no, I cannot in good conscience label Priory of the Orange Tree a queernorm book. It is certainly an LGBTQ+ book that seeks to reclaim space for us in the epic fantasy space where most queer authors have avoided treading, and not every book featuring LGBTQ+ themes should be queernorm. Discussion and engagement with struggle and hardship is important, and it’s okay that many queer folk refuse to read those book in favor of queernorm stories - and vice versa.
However, I definitely can’t recommend this for the Queernorm square of bingo, and I do wish that Shannon had considered the implications of arranged marriages on an otherwise LGBTQ+ friendly world, because it really feels like the culture should have this figured out based on the way they handle other queer topics.
TLDR: Priory is not a queernorm book. Lots of good representation of queer love, albeit forbidden for reasons other than LGBTQ+ identity. A culture of heterosexual arranged marriages made before children are born/have developed romantic/sexual preferences marginalizes queer folks in tangible ways in the book, and doesn’t leave room for those whose identities shift over time.

Hello! Looking for an attractive gentleman to charm my night with some flirting. Im looking for someone who can take charge and keep the spark alive instead of a one-sided conversation. Opening this up to the world because 1) I love accents and 2) I like to travel and hope to see more of the world some day. I'm looking for my future partner, someone with a sense of humor, emotionally intelligent, and knows what they want in life. I'm always working on myself so I'd prefer to have a partner who is of the same mindset.
· Please be 24-35
· Left leaning - transgendeLGBTQ friendly
· about you: emotionally intelligent and mature, aware of social issues, have done self improvement or therapy, ability to self reflect, can hold a conversation, I prefer assertive men, bisexual/pansexual, monogamous, physically attractive, flirty, confident, sense of humor, well mannered/respectful, genuinely interested in getting to know new people, child free, and can hold a conversation.
about me: I'm 27, afab/nonbinary, demisexual and use they/them pronouns. 5'6, dark brown skin, slim fit, septum piercing, glasses. Hope to get tattoos some day! Friends would say I'm classy, driven, kind, compassionate, funny, and intelligent. I tend to get along best with talkative types. My time zone is est and I'm open to voice chat if we vibe
other interests : fitness, fashion, painting, space, collecting random rocks, comic books, documentaries, pineapple pizza, petting dogs, uno, sushi, volunteering, memes, and going on long walks.
current fav tv shows : moon knight, bridgerton, disenchantment, Jojo's bizarre adventures, arcane, rpdr, the good place, wandavision
Please dm me a brief description about yourself and how you can help. Add to your title the word 'moon' so that I know you read this:)

DO NOT WASTE your time or money. Pass the Globe, don’t collect your $200 dollars, and head straight to Dooley’s if you want a pleasant and delicious dining experience with great prices. While the food at the Globe is pretty great, you’ll only know if you can manage to get someone to take your order and get it right. I have been there for food at least 6 times. The service is always questionable at best, but tonight it was just an epic fail. IMPORTANT NOTE: RYAN THE BARELY BARTENDER IS THE MOST FOUL, UNGRACIOUS PERSON I HAVE EVET MET. It was a Sunday night in June, so just a few scattered customers, but it still took 10 minutes for Tim, the BARELY BETTER THAN RYAN bartender, to even take notice of us, and we were seated at the center of the bar, in full view. Then it took 40 minutes to get a basket of fries, and an hour for our food because they “misplaced the ticket” for one hamburger. Didn’t bother to tell us, while the rest of our order sat in bags for 40 minutes getting cold. I finally asked what was taking so long and was informed about the order screw up. Then we had to wait another 10 minutes to get our drink bill, which finally arrived with 3 extra cocktails charged. When I told RYAN THE FOUL that we were overcharged, he became immediately rude and offensive, saying “this is for the REST of your drinks!” When I told him he had charged us already on the food tab, he sneered and walked away and got Tim. It then took Tim TWO attempts to correct the bill, when all he had to do was take off the 3 extra drinks. By the time we got the bill for that, our food had been sitting for an hour. We got home and everything we ordered was soggy. And we ordered $200 worth of food. When I called to complain, Ryan hung up on me. So I walked back over and explained in person that all the food was soggy and Tim was not apologetic at all, but in fact responded with irritation and disrespect. I WILL NEVER go back. The only person there who is decent is the hostess Andy, but that poor girl can’t possibly carry the weight of her coworker’s incompetence and ill-mannered attitudes. They also shorted us a chicken strip, at $3 a strip. TWO FORKS WAY DOWN!

Pleasant valley map long dark

Vermonting Vermonters