Death notices utica ny

This morning i took a bunch of STD tests. I had been having some urinary tract symptoms and some redness on my penis. I received unprotected oral sex about 3 months ago. For the last few days i have been feeling washed out and fatigued, along with frequent urination. My doctor put me on antibiotics for prostatitis because i didn’t tell him about the sexual encounter since i was afraid. I have had prostatitis before. However i have spent the last few days googling the entire spectrum of std’s. Although i know this is probably not a good idea, I’ve been increasingly sure that i have an std. I’m aware that hiv doesn’t generally transfer through oral sex, but there have been exceptions. The other possibility is that it is syphilis. I have been feeling fatigued with a mild fever, and today i noticed some sores in my mouth as well. Also feeling a bit if swelling in my armpits. For the last few days ive been terrified of being hiv positive. The std testing lab didnt send me the results today by email, which has led me to believe that they will call me tomorrow to ask me to pick up the report in person because something is not right. Im less terrified now, more resigned to the idea that whatever it is will be dealt with. If its hiv, it is not a death sentence, though it may be a lonely road ahead. If its syphilis, i guess im lucky and some meds will take care of it. Maybe its just herpes and that’s really not a big deal either. And im aware that theres a possibility that its nothing at all and i have just psyched myself out into a frenzy. I guess ill know tomorrow. Im still shit scared, and i know a diagnosis is going to be very hard to handle, but i think ill be able to manage.
I guess I’m writing all this because i just needed to write it somewhere. I’ve only been able to speak to a friend about it so far, and i don’t plan to speak to anyone else. He seems to think there’s nothing wrong and I’m simply panicking. I really hope he’s right to be honest. But somehow i don’t think he is. His words helped though. He said theres no point freaking out like a little bitch. Life is going to constantly throw shit at us, all we can do is keep limping on. And that even if it is hiv, im gonna live a full life. Maybe a life that will have to be more mindful and disciplined, but full nonetheless. I will become undetectable. I will fuck again, i will have a partner and even have children. I will make a career for myself. I probably wont tell anyone except my partner and my best friend, because i don’t think the world is ready to understand that this was not my fault. But i will not let this stand in the way of a live that i want and deserve. Man, even if it turns out to be negative i think I’m going to live life differently from here on out. The mental torture that i have put myself through for the last few days has changed me, hopefully for the better.
Apologies for the extremely long post.

TL;DR: Reddit has changed a lot in the past decade. Their decision to get rid of 3rd party apps is a catalyst for me to quit this site. I should have quit this site years ago, but I'll be committed this time. If you see me using this account after 6/30/23, call me out on it and I'll PayPal/Venmo/whatever you $100.
I've been using Reddit since 2012. Reddit has helped me in many ways:

• I was nearly 300 lbs and wanted to lose weight. /fitness was an invaluable source of information on how to approach nutrition and exercise. I lost 100 lbs and have kept that weight off ever since.
  
• /cscareerquestions and /csMajors guided me in how I should approach my career as a software engineer. The advice from that sub helped me land a job at a FAANG company.
  
• /Ultralight and /AppalachianTrail gave me invaluable advice on my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, which I successfully completed last year.
  

Safe to say, Reddit has been influential in my growth as a person in the last decade. Reddit has introduced me to communities that I can't find anywhere else on the internet.
At the same time, I want to stop using Reddit. I've spent countless hours mindlessly scrolling this site, when I could have been doing so many other things with my life.
I've noticed in the past few years (I would say post-2016, and especially since COVID) that the quality of content on this site has drastically dropped. There's simply more people on this site. Reddit has an interest in expanding its userbase, which I can't necessarily blame. At the same time, the lowest common denominator of Reddit users has dropped, and the content needs to match to these users in order to reach the front page.
I've noticed just how much of the content on default subs is meant to anger me. I can tell just how much worse I feel when I browse through /all. Content is reposted across subs, typically by bot accounts. It's like a shitter version of TikTok. The culture of Reddit is completely unrecognizable from what it was a decade ago. Maybe I'm seeing this through rose-colored glasses, but there still have been changes.
I've always used 3rd party apps to access Reddit on my phone (as well as old.reddit.com on my desktop). I've used BaconReader, Sync for Reddit, Alien Blue, and Apollo. I never have and will never use the official Reddit app. I cannot support the direction that Reddit has gone in recent years, and I'll consider the death of Apollo as a goodbye.
So thanks Reddit, for all the good and bad you've given me over the years. It'll be hard to breakup with you, but I know it's what's best for me.

To be clear: I'm discussing the institution of religion in this post, not the merits of faith or any given brlief.
One of my favorite details in ASoIaF's world building is the religious politics.
The gods in ASoIaF are more tangibly active participants in the plot of course, magic being a thing. But there's a lot of really well-researched and thought out structural components to it aswell.
Religion plays a pretty big role in politics in a monarchy, or really any central authoritarian structure. Money/landownership gets you about a third of the way there to being a king or emperor, military gets you another third if the way, and the last piece that seals your right to rule is social, ideological influence. All of these three factors tend to strengthen and sustain the others. That last factor, historically anyway, usually came from being legitimized by the dominant religious institution of the people you were ruling. The Chinese Dynasty had a great phrase for this I'm going to be appropriating as a general description of this concept, the "Mandate of Heaven."
So, you're a ruler. You need you Mandate of Heaven so the peasants actually pay their taxes after you've taken them over. You more or less have three (on occasion fexible) options, each with various tactical advantages better suited for certain situations:

1. Be polytheistic and fold any of the local gods into your own religion. (Example: The Romans.)
   
2. Be monotheistic and convert to the religion of the common folk. (Example: the vikings lords who became kings.)
   
3. Be monotheistic and convert the common folk to your religion. (Example: The Spanish converting Mexico's native tribes and civilizations.)
   

The Catholics are notable by on occasion doing a mix of 1 and 3, where they converted the people they conquered but canonized local gods as saints, which was a pretty effective strategy for them.
It's also worth noting that it's easier (though by no means impossible) to be the supreme ruler of a civilization with a monotheistic religion than it is a polytheistic one. Especially if your kingdom is as massive as Westeros. Many Roman emperors claimed to be the direct descendants of gods but ideological authority was so decentralized it diluted the strength of their Mandate of Heaven. Nero claiming to be related to Apollo was a big deal but you're getting drunk and having orgies in the woods with your other Bacchus cultists, so.
That brings us to the Faith of the Seven, finally. A really cool combination of real-world religious influences with a very comprehensive structure. The Faith of the Seven was likely once a polytheistic belief, or multiple different faiths, that became monotheistic gradually or through deliberate reform likely do to the pressures of authorities trying to strengthen their Mandate of Heaven claim. If I could hazard a guess at the primary influences, I'd say likely Celtic gods meets the evolution of Hinduism's monotheism with some Catholic papacy thrown in.
Ageon the Conqueror adopting the Faith of the Seven has historically president as an intelligent political move, likely inspired by those aforementioned vikings who became kings. The incest issue causing a bunch of shit for Targaryen rule until the doctrine of the faith itself was changed is a really cool historical detail with a lot of real-world reference as well. That the two most geographically separate kingdoms (winterfell for it's size and the Iron Islands for being, well, Islands) maintaining their local religions is one of those just one of those extra meaty world-building details that personally makes my brain explode with how well thought out and real Westeros feels. It's such a simple detail that makes perfect sense when you think about it but is exactly the kind of thing a lesser writer would forget to consider. It's a true anti-hat planet kind of thing to include.
Getting to the Bran of it all though, you might have noticed an massive glaring issue as I've gone through all this with the ending of GoT. I know there's a lot of issues with the ending of GoT, but, I've never seen someone point this one out before. Bran's the Three Eyed Raven. Wrong gods. Even if he kept that a secret somehow, the "elected," claimless, disabled witch king is not likely to be well-recieved by the majority Seven-faithed population after their Sept was blown up. After a dragon just like, wrecked shit all over. After the kingdom may or may not be bankrupted with a weakened military.
What I'm saying is, Tyrion likely doomed the kingdom and set up Bran for a violent death.

I've been seeing alot of DMs in my social circle experiencing difficulties in their campaign due to a mismatch and miscommunication between DM expectations and desires and their players. IE They wanted a gritty campaign with a lawful neutralish party of agents working under a patron, the players went chaotic and had some pushback about the survival mechanics such as inventory management. One wanted them to care more about the NPC towns/villages for an upcoming attack and tried to have them have background ties and do quests related beforehand, the party still ends up very passive and focused on survival over tackling the threat.
I've been thinking that for my next campaign, when I finally have more breathing room from work in the near future, instead of coming up with a concept before hand and having players agree to it, I basically build a campaign with them, thereby creating a setting and playstyle everyone has agreed to and has equal expectations about.
What would be the best way to go about this?
So far I'm thinking, once I get a group with an agreed upon play time, I basically have a session 0 asking:

1. Setting/Adventure Type: Official (CoS, RotFM, etc), Official remixed/modified (CoS reddit remix by Mandy, Avernus remix by Alexandrian, etc), Homebrew. If homebrew, what kind of genre (epic fantasy, horror, urban, etc) and adventure type (mystery, intrigue, journey/lotro, dungeon crawl, hex crawl, etc)
2. Combat Difficulty: Power Fantasy (Combat will be balanced towards sometimes challenging, but ultimately winnable. Medium/Hard, not full adventuring day, etc), Fantasy Vietnam (OSR tucker's kobolds style, no encounter balance), Dark Souls (Hard/Deadly, but balanced towards fairly challenging an optimized party), should enemies be allowed to retreat usually, discuss what kind of combat feel players want to go for etc.
3. Rule Modification: What Variant Rules to include/agree on, what changes to classes/rules to make that everyone would like, etc (adjustment to monk or martials, spell mods, allowing non-class scroll usage, gritty realism or safe haven for full adventuring day + downtime crafting, dungeon crawl/hexcrawl rules, no encumbrance/slots homebrew/official variant, ration/torches tracking, faction rules, death save changes, etc)

I also noticed alot of debate between my fellow DMs and their players with changing rules mid-play, so I wanted to implement a democratic process to it. In that, the rules belong to eveyone, not just the DM, and rules would only be allowed to change if an overview was called by anyone and at least one person voted in favor, then a vote would be called to change the rule, which can be suggested by anyone, requiring 2/3 to agree, though if the other 1/3 had strong disagreement, DM would arbitrate and make the final call.
However, I am also aware, from the simple practice of trying to get feedback between sessions, and seeing the same from other DMs, that players can often not genuinely know what they want or specifically (dis)like until later or not at all, and so even this may still result in disagreements or reducing/conflicting interest as time goes on.
Advice?

1- she’s always warm and welcoming, she’s generous and giving. Conflict avoidant to the extreme, hates topics of death or anything sad. She screams when we talk about darker topics.
2- she doesn’t know how to say no, very bad at setting Boundaries, and says that people always walk all over her in the work place.
3- she’s extremely anxious and an over thinker, she says she’s always “thinking of the future” but doesn’t make any plans, and hates thinking of the past.
4- she can be dependent, in a lot of situations she won’t know how to act, and in stressful situation she’ll just panic and scream or cry.
5- she’ll spend a lot of money on things to feel better, she values being comfortable and living in a beautiful room that’s decorated in a way she loves, she’s into fashion and makeup, and would love to buy luxurious things. She loves looking good and wants everyone to look good as well.
6- she’s always wants to be a part of a group, where everyone is nice to each other, she wants to be loved and cared for, and she’s very loving to everyone and wants everyone to love her, often dreams of marriage and kids.
7- she can have black and white thinking, often villainaising people without thinking, but can feel bad after someone points out a different point of view, she struggles in discussions, but is always willing to hear people and make them feel heard.
8- she’s good at sensing when someone isn’t feeling alright, and will care and go out of her way to ask or help. Always has a word of comfort, and is a good listener.
9- she good at artistry, knitting drawing and Pottery, she says she wants to make things so people will feel happy.
10- she hates when people talk about the past, and says that the past is all bad and find it useless to reminiscent about memories.
11- her opinions are easily changed, and she gets nervous about sharing it, because she avoids any kind of conflict.
12- she can be bad at planning, and will just go with the flow.
13- hates schedules, and wants to be free, she says that routine can make her bored.
14- very obedient for authority figures.
15- she always needs reassuring and comfort and support from the people around here. And wants someone to help her choose things for her.
16- very forgiving, and always supportive.
17- she’s really smart but she often questions her abilities even though she’s capable and is smart.
18- she gets embarrassed so easily, and won’t do things that people consider embarrassing.
19- enjoys fantasy books and media in general, and loves the feeling of beautiful worlds, but she loves reading things from different genres.
20- can be inattentive, which can irritate the people around her, but she can notice noises and smells and how the lighting effects the environment and stuff like that.
She‘a infj ni dominant. Self pres6 in enneagram system.

Just wanna say i feel this post comes both under general question and advicd needed
Okay so i got lot of questions (sorry for asking multiple in single post) Idek where to start from, am 16M (altho exploring my sexuality and gender) (about to be 17 soon in 2 months)
So very first, how exactly virginity is defined, because i did not cum from course but was rather by myself and lil help from partner (which to me feels no diff than masturbating) like ukwim? i dint orgasm out of actual course
And now speaking of that, i realised i love everything but the main course part, like i enjoyed things before main course and foreplay and all wayyyyy more
It wasnt exactly like how i expected, def my hopes were well very fantasizing, BUT i had the time of my life in foreplay and thats what i actually enjoyed I also got to learn am 200% submissive and that i enjoyed more when giving ny partner pleasure than recieving one
So my next ques, do my sex endurance/ability naturall can/will grow? Like i noticed myself i cant stay hard for too long, and well while its not small its not big either so not being hard def creates issue in main course (i think thats one of reason i enjoyed other bits more)
Now am a very healthy and quite fit guy, idk how and why i just felt kinda tired during the main course, was it cos of position? or am guessing again cos i wasnt being hard enuf constantly so i get pulled out lot of times
AND NOW FINAL PART Someoebody please explain me this, so after we were done, we were laying down and chilling for about 15 mins still and then we finally got up and freshed up, and when i started to wash my face and mouth i was starting to gag, very intense gag i never exp before, and then i felt like almost throwing up so bad Was it cause i did lot of tongue kiss with my partner or like i gave her oral, it was so bizzare man, most curious thing is why only after we eere done that too after so much time when i was getting to get fresh up, and not during play only
Also please suggest some beginners advice for both male and female to enhance this experience for both of us and to gain max pleasure Thank you for reading till here if you did and highly grateful for your opinions/suggestions/thoughts on this and answering my questions

PUBG MOBILE
Reggaeton Remix Dance Contest
CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES
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This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 73%. (I'm a bot)

Night hadn't fallen; rather, particles from the fires in the Amazon rainforest had travelled to the heavily-populated city, turning everything gray.
Since she had already been looking at the fires in the Amazon, she also wanted to understand how this phenomenon was affecting the health of the local Indigenous people.
Through a model that examines how air travels through the atmosphere - when there are and when there aren't fires - combined with demographic information from the Amazon basin and a formula about the impact of PM2.5 particles on premature deaths, Bonilla and her team concluded that those most at-risk populations are the Indigenous communities of the Amazon.
The figure just for those who are living in Indigenous territory was around 230 premature deaths.
To give another example, the data suggests that, between 2014 and 2019, exposure to smoke from forest fires represented almost 39,000 deaths throughout Brazil.
The study also says that, since 2002, the annual number of fires in the Amazon has twice exceeded the figure of 600,000, both in 2004 and 2007.

Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: fire^#1 deaths^#2 premature^#3 Indigenous^#4 particles^#5
Post found in /worldnews and /EverythingScience.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.

TW: Mention of Termination. Pregnant with third child. Note that I am and always will be pro-choice. I am pro-family and I believe that included the whole family, not just the one in utero. I apologize deeply to anyone that is emotionally effected by the above. Please don’t feel the need to read if you are.
I am currently 4 weeks pregnant. I struggled with infertility and was never able to get pregnant on my own. My first child (6) was conceived with the help of clomid and timed intercourse. My second (1) was with a trigger shot and IUI. My pregnancies were easy breezy. I loved being pregnant. My first birth went unexpected but I was able to go through a c-section and heal quite alright.
My second pregnancy, was also okay but the birth process was so extremely traumatic. During the pregnancy I had to deal with vision impairments, painful sciatica, carpal tunnel. I felt immense guilt preparing my oldest to share my love and attention. He loves being big brother though.
That birth was awful. My spinal tap didn’t work. I was aware and awake for 45 minutes as they crunched various spaces in my spine. It was excruciating. Finally they said I had to go under to get baby out safely. The team was wonderful, and it’s not a common thing that happens so they were so supportive. Within 1 minute, a catheter was pushed in me, I went under and went though a second c-section. My second is healthy and so so cute.
Post birth, I had a screaming headache but my blood pressure was fine. The nurses kept checking on me giving me ice packs etc. I thought the headache was because I was nursing for the first time. She randomly does a CBC and finds out my blood count was deathly low, about 5 away from heart failure. I immediately get 2 transfusions and I felt like a new person. I am so very grateful to her. She noticed I had no color in my face, she noticed my pain, and she noticed my demeanor. Without her running the test I would’ve died.
After that I had a hematoma bust through my incision. 3 days after birth I was bleeding out. I went to the ER, praying I wouldn’t get stitched back up. Since it was a hematoma and not a blood clot they said we just have to wait till it all comes out. 9 weeks of changing dressings, treating an infection, and my scar finally healing (but with a horrible crater), I made it through. My whole maternity leave was spoiled. I had to take care of my newborn, go to farmers markets, continue making memories with my kids, breastfeed all while bleeding out of my incision for 9 weeks. Without my husband I wouldn’t have made it post partum.
I developed severe PPA, and moderate depression. Eventually I was treated with medication and therapy. It helped keep me normal. What hasn’t left me is the fear of what I went though, the damage my body went through and the fact that I feel a heaviness in my chest when I think about it. The fact I almost died and left behind two children.
We decided since I have fertility issues we won’t try to prevent, but if within the next two years we get pregnant we can make it work. If not we have such a beautiful wonderful life with our two children. For 12 months we did not get pregnant and we finally accepted we will be living a great life with our kids.
Month 13 I find out I’m pregnant. It’s a literal miracle. I was never able to do this. We were happy but the fear crept in quickly. I would like to let it be known that we kept the option open for a third, and that means if we felt a third wouldn’t work at the time we are okay with terminating. But truly in my heart of hearts I didn’t think I was going to get pregnant because no matter how hard we tried I wouldn’t. A vasectomy was going to be scheduled within the year.
Now we are at a standpoint. We have weight the pros and cons of a third, and honestly 2 seems to have more pros than 3. We are financially set, but emotionally I’m not sure how we would adjust as a family of three. From logistics, from being spread out thin, from not being able to do many things together as a family like we could easily with 2. These are all lifestyle fears, not even medical fears which I am panicking just thinking about. We have a few weeks to make a decision and my OB is supportive either way. I have a scan setup for Monday. And in 2 weeks we make our decision.
I’m afraid and I’m sad. I feel like terminating is a slap in the face to my body and soul because I fought for so much for my body to conceive. From shots, to pills, follicle studies, previous losses etc. This miracle happens. Why not accept it? I love the idea of 3 children. I want them to pile up on me and laugh, tell stories. I want to help them with their problems, make them feel validated and strong. I want to watch children grow and become healthy adults. I am so so proud of my kids now, and I know I will be proud of any that come forward. But I also know that wanting that feeling, and all the ideal family “look” isn’t enough. Love isn’t enough. It’s time, finances, being able to live a healthy lifestyle all around.
Then I also feel the following: I have a family. I have to do not only what’s best for me, but for my family. How will our dynamics change, how will our finances change? Will our children be able to live AS comfortably as before? Are we ready to adjust our lifestyle? Will be be able to push through the hardest years and make it to the 3 kids coming over for dinner in college, and having a movie night? We could live a much better life with two in terms of time, career, money, emotions, being dedicated parents to 2 instead of making it work for 3. There are so many benefits to having 2.
I guess what I’m saying is, I’m afraid and I’m sad. I know I will have grief either way - one short term one long term. The benefit now is that I’m in therapy, I’m medicated, my doctors have a game plan for me in terms of treatment because they know what to expect. I just don’t know how people make these big decisions when money is not a factor.

i would love some advice/opinions from you guys here
one of my buns, tater tot, is just about four years old. she’s always been healthy as far as me and my vet have been able to tell. over the past week or so i noticed her drinking water kinda weird, but thought i was being a helicopter bunny parent. yesterday she wasn’t coming up to me for pets so i decided to give her a little at home checkup. i noticed her mouth looked weird so i opened it up and noticed her bottom front teeth were pretty overgrown, one more than the other. thankfully my vet had a cancellation today and we’re just leaving after getting her teeth trimmed down. when she came back to the room she told me that she noticed some discharge when she was poking around in tater tot’s mouth, and thinks she might have an abscess. we have an appointment set up on the 20th to get some x-rays done
while doing the check-up my vet noticed some swelling on both sides of tater’s mouth, but she thinks it’s just an anatomical thing because they’re pretty hard and symmetrical. regardless, she told me that if there’s an abscess, she does have the ability to perform an extraction but it’s something she would normally refer a patient to a specialist for. problem is there are no specialists within 10+ hours of us. she’s done such surgery before, but she did warn me that it’s not her specialty. she also mentioned that even if we did the surgery, it’s likely that an abscess would come back sooner or later.
my vet is amazing and i trust her - i’ve taken all my bunnies to her practice to get fixed (six in total!) and have never had any problems at all. she seems extremely knowledgeable. however, i don’t know what i should do if the abscess is bad.
do i spend $1500+ on a surgery performed by a competent but inexperienced (with this specific surgery) vet, just for it to come back again? do i go back once every six weeks to get it drained until finally it spreads so much that it kills her anyway? no matter which option i choose, it just seems like it ends the same way - pain and suffering and eventual death anyway.
cost is not a concern - i would bankrupt myself for my buns - but when i think about the fact that i might be spending thousands of dollars just to lose her anyway, it’s a little discouraging. and she’s only four!! she’s got so much life left to live! my sweet happy baby :(
i’ve never had to make a decision like this before and i’m freaking out. i’m obviously going to express my concerns to my vet when the time comes to discuss our next steps but im sobbing in the car and can’t even drive home right now because im so blindsided by this. i wish bunnies weren’t so good at hiding their pain. what would you do if you were in my shoes?

This is me at the moment, I am waiting for my 28 days to be up before I can test again, I am convinced that I have HIV, the reason because I picked up another STD from the encounter I had, the only symptom I've had which makes me think I have HIV is a constant headache like a wake up every morning instant headache type one, I haven't had a rash, I haven't had swollen glands or a fever (that I have noticed) anyways, I've had to have antibiotics for my other STD plus I also got the Mpox vaccine so my body has been through a lot lately but tbh I am just shit scared, I know HIV isn't the death sentence it once was but I am just not sure mentally how I would cope if I did receive a positive diagnosis. I am day 14 so only another 14 to go but still how do you cope with waiting for the days to pass. I am sure I will be ok with whatever the outcome is but it's a really difficult situation to be in and I don't wish it on anyone.... Fingers crossed for me🤞I will learn from this that's for sure.....

Hey, folks! Chapter 6 is here! Sorry for such a long wait—I decided to go ahead and give myself some extra time to write and edit (and deal with irl shenanigans). This is my longest chapter yet—nearly 4.4k words! o_O
Anyway, thanks to u/CruisingNW for the title, and of course, thank you u/SpacePaladin15 for this wonderful universe! Well, without further adieu, let's get into it!
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Memory Transcription Subject: Meyra Yeirel, Spacecraft Engineer Apprentice
Location: Veyr, Veyrian Homeworld. Outer Orion Spur.
Date: September 11, 2182.
I pushed myself away from the table, staring at the unconscious Veyrian. In my hysteria, I hadn’t been able to process much aside from what she had said. But her golden eyes… there had been something wrong with them, but I hadn’t caught precisely what it was. I glanced around at the trio. I wasn’t an expert at reading predators’ expressions, but they were undeniably shocked. Galya as well. She sat frozen in her seat, her blue eyes staring into space. I couldn’t fathom why they were so shocked. Was it what I had told them? They should’ve known everything already. Did the Veyrian say something particularly important? If so, why was it so important?
The predators snapping into action derailed my train of thought, causing me to flinch. My heart seized up as I saw they were going for the Veyrian.
Oh, Myern, they’ve snapped, haven’t they? I thought frantically as they crouched next to the Veyrian. I closed my eyes and grimaced, preparing to hear the horrid sound of flesh ripping and the pain-filled screams of the Veyrian.
. . .
. . .
I opened my eyes. To my surprise, the predators had flipped over the Veyrian and were apparently checking if she was alive. I put my paw on my chest, trying to calm my breathing. At every turn, these predators subverted my expectations. Not killing me on sight—both last night and today, not killing me in my sleep, preventing the house from burning down, and remaining calm despite me apparently rocking their entire worldview. Next thing I knew the gray would tell me that it was a herbivore.
“Connor,” the gray growled, “help me out here.”
The ape moved to the other side of the Veyrian and helped the gray. They hauled the Veyrian to her feet and dragged her to the couch. I tried to catch a glimpse of her face, but I couldn’t see anything since her head hung low. They laid her on the couch. The gray tucked a pillow under her neck.
“Go get some water,” the gray commanded, swatting the primate’s arm. It obeyed, hurrying away to the kitchen. “Hey, Galya.” It snapped its claws. Galya flinched and looked at the gray. “Get some pillows.”
Galya put a paw to her head. “Y-yeah. Alright, then.” She stood and got the gray the pillows it wanted. She sat down as the gray tucked the pillows underneath the Veyrian’s legs.
“Thanks, by the way,” the gray added, glancing at Galya.
“You’re w-welcome.” The Venlil stared into space, obviously perturbed by something.
I couldn't believe the brainwashing on Venlil Prime was so overbearing that the Venlil were completely unaware of the galaxy around them. Same for the Terrans and the Arxur. I shuddered to imagine what sort of techniques their governments used to subjugate their populace.
The ape returned with a glass of water and handed it to the gray. The gray took it and stared down at the Veyrian, apparently watching for something. From my place at the table, I couldn’t the Veyrian’s face. The gray didn’t seem to be particularly disturbed by anything, so maybe I had just been imagining things. But… my mind still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
I shook my head and gathered my nerves. “H-how did you learn to do all that?” I shuddered as the gray laid its eyes on me.
“My mom was a nurse,” it growled. “She taught me how to handle this sort of situation. In case of emergencies, you know?”
The ape made a strange, sharp chuffing as if something was caught in its throat. I stared at the ape, trying to guess what that sound meant. It was baring its teeth—was it angry? Did the gray say something wrong?
“Looks like it paid off, eh?” The primate swatted the gray’s shoulder. “You always complained about your mom lecturing you on how to perform CPR or how to do the Heimlich m—”
The Veyrian bolted upright, gasping for air. Everyone in the room flinched in unison. The gray acted immediately and handed the Veyrian the glass of water. She took it and began drinking with reckless abandon, spilling the majority of the water on herself. She breathed deeply and put her arm over her eyes. The ape sped away to the kitchen once more.
The thought of a gray possessing medical knowledge shocked me. They only knew how to maim, maul, and murder. They weeded out the weak, making no allowances for undesirables. No amount of UN and Dominion propaganda could change the fact that the gray were bloodthirsty monsters. And yet… here one was in my home. No one was dead. The walls weren’t painted red and orange with the blood of Veyrian and Venlil alike.
The primate returned once again and sat in front of the Veyrian. It gave the glass to her and leaned forward, steepling its long, gangly fingers in front of its face. It looked like it was struggling for words as the Veyrian drank—much slower this time. As the Veyrian finished, the ape lowered its paws.
“So, uh, how are you doing?”
Despite not understanding primate body language, I could tell it had just died inside.
“I mean uh… damnit.” The ape’s head hung low.
The Veyrian removed her arm from her face. “I have not… have not been d-doing well.” Her voice was raspy as if she hadn’t used it in a very long time.
“You uh, you don’t look the best either,” the ape commented. It gestured toward the Veyrian as a whole.
It was right. The Veyrian’s fur in the morning light looked even worse than it had the night before. The Veyrian coughed and turned her head to look around the room. That’s when I realized. I stared at her head, expecting to see her eye appear on the side of her head, yet it never came.
Not until she had turned to look
right
at
me.
I felt a bolt of terror through my chest. I staggered backward, knocking my chair down. A scream built in my throat as I stumbled and fell against the wall. They all stared at me, a mixture of shock and confusion scrawled across their faces.
But they were all a blur. Those two golden eyes stared right into my soul, delving into my psyche and shattering it.
I sunk to the floor, tucking my head between my legs. I hyperventilated, my heart racing. All outside sounds were faint. I barely registered them. Calm down, Meyra, it’s ok. You’re ok. I thought frantically. No, you’re not ok. You have several predators in your home, and she has something extremely wrong with her. They must’ve been torturing her. Changing her DNA. I should’ve snuck out in the middle of the night and run down to the exterminator’s office. Oh, Myern, I’m next aren’t I? I started rocking, unable to control myself. You’re fine, it’s fine, I’m fine. It’s all just a dream. It’s all just a dream. It’s all just a dream it’s all just a dream it’s all just a dreamit’salljustadre—
I flinched as a paw touched my shoulder. I looked up, shaking.
“H-hey, ma’am, are you alright?” Galya asked gently. “What’s wrong?”
I pointed at the twisted Veyrian and curled back into a ball. “Her—her eyes. Wh-what did you d-do to her?”
Galya’s ears drooped in confusion. “Her eyes? What’s wrong with—” she glanced at the Veyrian and back at me. She took a step backward, her eyes widening. “W-wait, what’s wrong with your eyes?”
“Galya, can’t you see that she’s pani—wait, what?” The primate growled inquisitively.
I took a glance around the room. Fear had dawned on their faces. They stood in a semi-circle, stuck in a state of tension. I couldn’t understand why.
But those eyes.
Those two golden eyes.
They stared at me, echoing the horrors of the cruelty of the UN and the Dominion. Myern knows how they had done it. And I was sure I was about to find out. To my horror, she stood slowly, baring her teeth as she went.
Oh, Myern, I thought helplessly. They’ve brainwashed her, too.
“I apologize for thy situation,” she rasped. The trio snapped to look at her, causing me to flinch. “I know… I know this must be quite a shock. To all of thee.”
I breathed shallowly, listening as she spoke. She had a strange accent, alongside her deeper, raspier voice. I had never heard her accent before. Despite my sheer terror, I was intrigued.
“I am Xertalis, goddess of time and space,” she proclaimed. “The former goddess, I should say.” Her head hung low as she stared at the ground.
The trio glanced at each other. The ape closed its eyes and waved its paws around. “Woah, woah woah—hold on. Let’s take this one step at a time. First off, what the ffffffuck? You’re saying all that back in the library really… really happened?”
Xertalis’ silence was enough of an answer for the primate.
“And so… and so all the stuff on TV is real?” It glanced at me. “And that I’m not imagining things?”
“You sure as hell aren’t imagining things,” the gray growled. “I’m seeing this shit.”
Their lack of disturbance surrounding Xertalis and her eye placement was almost more terrifying than the situation I was in. I mustered the courage to speak, despite the voices in my head screaming for me to shut up. “Wh-what the farrik is wrong with you?!” My voice faltered as three pairs of binocular eyes stared at me. “Why are you s-so concerned about my eyes? What about hers?” I waved an indignant paw at Xertalis.
“There’s nothing wrong with her eyes!” The gray roared, causing me to flinch. It put its claws on its head and paced back and forth. “This is fucking insane! What the fuck happened last night? Did our drinks get spiked? No, we didn’t bring drinks. Was it the snacks?” It sat down heavily on the couch, holding its head in its claws. Its knee bounced erratically as it sat.
Nothing the gray had said made sense to me. What drinks? What snacks? Did Galya feed them in the middle of the night?
Galya put her paws in front of her in a placating gesture. “Guys, let’s—let’s just eat some food, and then talk about this. I get that this is pretty insane, b-but yelling isn’t gonna get anything done.” Galya glanced at me. “Besides, I’m sure we’re all starving. Right?”
“Y-yeah,” the ape said. “Let’s do that. Maybe a hot bowl of oimal will help clear our minds.”
Galya put her paw on the gray’s shoulder. It looked up at her, its eyes glossy. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Kiile. You’re the only one who knows how to cook, and well, you saw how well it went when Connor tried.” She bared her teeth. “How about it?”
The gray took a shuddering breath and bobbed its head. “A-alright. Okay.” It stood and closed its eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. “Let’s g-get this.” And with that, it headed towards the kitchen. As it left, it wiped its eyes.
I stared at Galya, completely floored. A gray. Crying. No, grays can’t cry. They don’t have emotions. They have two modes. Murder, and Stalking. They don’t feel panic or sadness or fear, I thought. But a small, creeping voice asked, Then what was that? I shook my head, trying to shake it off. That was fake. Manufactured. The apes must’ve been teaching the gray how to fake emotions. And yet, the voice persisted.
Galya didn’t notice me staring and instead walked up to Xertalis. Her snout scrunched up as she approached the filthy Veyrian, yet still attempted to speak to her.
“We uh, you should probably get showered,” Galya said. She stood as if she were uncomfortable.
Xertalis didn’t pick up on her discomfort. She flicked her ear inquisitively. “I know not what a… shower is. But I shall dine, for I am quite starved. My long slumber has taken all my energy.” As if to accentuate her plight, Xertalis swayed on her feet.
“Okay, then,” Galya muttered. “Um, well, let’s get you some clothes? Or a blanket at least?”
Xertalis tilted her head at Galya. “What are clothes?” She echoed my thoughts exactly.
“You know what? It’s fine. I’ll just go get a blanket.” Galya grabbed the primate’s paw. “Connor, c’mon.”
Xertalis sat down and watched as the two sped down the hallway. She looked around the room, her ear flicking as she laid her eyes on something new. She seemed particularly interested in the analog clock hanging on the wall. It wasn’t anything special. The numbers and the claws glowed faintly. The [seconds] claw ticked constantly. I swore I could almost hear it over the sound of the gray cooking in the kitchen.
The gray cooking in the kitchen, I thought, amused. I chuckled. The gray cooking in the kitchen. I let out a short laugh. The gray cooking in the kitchen! I started laughing uncontrollably. The absurdity of the whole situation finally got to me. I rocked back and forth, gesturing helplessly with my paws. At some point, my laughter turned to sobs. I put my head in my paws and cried, my tears running down my snout. The gray cooking in the kitchen. Oh, Myern, what am I going to do?
I looked up, and Xertalis was staring at me, perplexed. “What is thy sorrow? Why dost thou act in such a way?”
I gestured vaguely at everything in the room. “Wh-what can I say? I… I’m fucked! I have two p-predators—three predators—in m-my home, and I sure as Xyek c-can’t call the exterminators, otherwise I’ll b-be accused of harboring pr-predators!” I splayed my paws in front of me helplessly. “H-how in the ever living fuck did they g-get here?! The closest UN planet is-is-is—” I gesticulated wildly “—I d-don’t even know how far. Did they u-use FTL? But how did they g-get planetside?” I put my paws on my face and screamed. The sound came out muffled.
I looked up at Xertalis. I could barely hold her gaze, yet her eyes held undeniable sorrow and guilt… and an odd hint of fear. “I will explain,” she said quietly. “Everything. Just… wait.”
I put my paws on my chest and breathed deeply. I tried to calm my mind, yet it was near impossible. All these thoughts bouncing around in my brain like stray bullets. The voices telling me to run away screaming, and the voices telling me to stay and learn. Should I stay or should I go? Should I stay or should I go? Back and forth, back and forth! I wish I could make it stop. I wish I could just wake up, and wake up to a nice, hot bowl of oimal. I wish I wasn’t alone. I wish they were still here.
My thoughts were interrupted by Galya and the ape returning. The primate was carrying a blanket—one of the blankets from the guest room. It approached Xertalis and held it out.
“Sorry we took so long,” Galya apologized. “We sorta had to dig around for it, and we didn’t figure she’d like us going into her room.”
I cringed internally as Xertalis took the blanket and wrapped it around herself. That’s not going to wash out very well, is it?
“Thou are fine,” Xertalis said, taking the blanket. “I thank thou, for it is quite cold in here.”
The gray came around the countertop with a steaming pot in its claws. “You guys came back right in time,” it growled. It placed a pad on the table and set the pot on top of it. “I found some brown sugar, thankfully, so it’s not gonna be too bland.” It hurried into the kitchen and returned with a bowl. “There were also some apples, but there wasn’t any milk, so we’ll just have to do with water.”
The ape stopped Galya in her tracks. “You go and sit down, alright? I’ll help get the bowls and stuff.”
Galya stared at the primate for a moment. “Are you sure? This whole thing has been pretty stressful for you, I imagine.”
The ape made the same, strange chuffing noise. Except it somehow sounded… sadder? I tilted my head. “I’m fine. Just almost became a human flambe last night. At least the mattress downstairs was comfortable.” The primate glanced at me before moving into the kitchen.
Galya took a seat at the table. Xertalis sat across from her. “So you weren’t uncomfortable?” Galya asked.
I pushed myself up and leaned so I could see into the kitchen.
The primate shrugged and glanced at the gray. “Well, as comfortable as I could be while sharing a mattress with Godzilla over here.”
“Ha!” The gray barked, causing me to flinch. “That’s rich, coming from King Kong, Lord of Mattresses.”
My gaze bounced between the two nervously. Their words didn’t seem friendly. But… their tones. I didn’t know ape or gray social cues, but they almost sounded friendly. Yet another piece of a constantly shifting puzzle. Their moods seemed to have gotten better while I was having my breakdown, which struck me as oddly ironic. Slowly, I moved to the table and took a seat at the far end. The primate and the gray returned with bowls, spoons, and cups full of water, which were being transported on a tray.
I watched in surprise at how deftly the gray moved the cups to the table. I had only ever known gray to be clumsy and brutish. But there was almost an artistry to its movements.
“How did you do that?” I blurted. I cringed as everyone turned to look at me.
“Put the cups on the table?” It shrugged its shoulders. “I don’t know. Practice? I’m a waiter at the Toreros on main street.”
Toreros? That’s not a real restaurant, I thought, perplexed.
I watched as they passed the oimal around themselves. Galya, who was closest, pushed the pot and apples toward me. I sniffed it suspiciously. It didn’t smell any different, but I knew some drugs didn’t have a smell. But… I was hungry. Reluctantly, I served myself and pushed the pot away. Everyone began eating—aside from the gray. The fact that an ape was eating oats and fruit surprised me. I almost couldn’t believe it. And yet, there it was, right in front of me.
Xertalis scooped up some oimal daintily and blew steam off it. “I suppose I shall tell thou my story, and explain thy plight.”
The change of mood was palatable. The entire table stared at Xertalis, prepared for what she had to say.
“As I have said, I am Xertalis, the former goddess of time and space.” She raised her paw as the gray opened its mouth. “Many centuries ago, mortals believed in gods. They believed that they could bestow miracles, rend mountains and valleys to pieces, and offer enlightenment. Alas, those beliefs have faltered. That is why I am so weak.”
She took a slow sip of water.
“My powers have waned as mortals’ beliefs have waned.” She held an apple slice between her paws and turned it over. “I could not even age this fruit if I desired. If I tried to open a portal to your universe, it would kill me.”
The primate steepled its paws in front of it. “So how did we get here? Why did that book teleport us to… wherever the hell this is?”
Xertalis pondered the apple slice for a moment before popping it in her mouth. Once she had chewed, she spoke. “I would not rule out the fact there might be other forces at work. I might have been the goddess of time and space, but I am not the only deity with the ability to twist reality.”
The trio glanced at each other. “That’s not concerning at all,” The ape stated. “So… what do we do?”
“There is not much,” Xertalis said quietly.
“So we’re stuck here?” The primate cried. “Stuck in a universe where humans and gray are being genocided? Where the police shoot at innocent people? Where crazy bastards with flamethrowers run around?!”
“Wait,” Galya butted in, “what if we like, spread word of your existence?”
Xertalis stared at Galya. “And who would believe? Who would believe that a god walks amongst mortals?”
Galya tapped the table with her claw. “Uhhh… shit.”
“Well, there’s gotta be some sort of religious group somewhere, right?” The gray asked. “There’s the Church of Myern just down the street if I remember correctly.”
I flicked my ear affirmatively. “Yes, there’s a church. But… they might not be t-too fond of her eyes.” My voice faltered as they all looked at me. “Her eye placement? It’s abnormal.”
“So you’re telling me that normal Veyrians in this universe look like you?” The gray growled.
“Y-yes…?”
The gray rubbed its eyes. “Holy shit.” It held its claws up. “Look at this. I’m shaking.”
As the trio was processing what Xertalis had told them, she ate her oimal. Despite the fact she must’ve been starving, she ate slow and daintily, as if she had practiced eating in such a way for years and years. The fact she was eating calmed my nerves a little. But she’s a goddess—apparently—she might be immune to drugs. Or was she a goddess? Xertalis’ monologue confused me.
Nevertheless, I was hungry, and I didn’t function properly when I was hungry. I lifted a spoonful of oimal and ate it. The flavor caught me off guard. It was sweet and perfectly cooked; masterfully put together. I hadn’t ever expected oimal to taste as good as this. I found myself taking bite after bite.
The table was silent as everyone mulled over the information that Xertalis had disclosed. I glanced around the table. I felt a pang of bittersweet nostalgia as I watched the four of them eat. I physically recoiled in surprise. Galya glanced at me, perplexed, but I ignored her.
I turned over the feeling of nostalgia in my mind. It was strange. I shouldn’t be feeling this way about my literal enemies. And yet…
I looked at the wall opposite me. Among the paintings was a frame. And inside that frame, a family portrait. I stared at it for a long moment, emotions boiling in my chest.
You shouldn’t be feeling like this, Meyra, I thought half-heartedly. These are your enemies. They’d gladly rip you to shreds or stab you in the back if given a chance.
I glanced between the portrait and the small group at my table. It’s been so long… surely I could…? No. I took another bite of oimal, burning my mouth. I sipped my water quickly. No. That would be a death sentence. But the way Galya elbowed the gray and the primate playfully, and how they talked as if they were good friends…
Lost in my train of thought, I hadn’t noticed Xertalis had finished her food until she had stood up. “That was a most delicious meal,” she said. “I thank thee for thy culinary skills.” Xertalis bowed her head to the gray, who bowed its head in return.
“You’re welcome,” it growled. “It’s the least I could do.”
“I must now bathe myself. Where might your bathing room be?”
I pointed down the hallway. “Last door on the right. You can’t miss it.”
“Most appreciated.” And with that, Xertalis left the table.
I noticed the trio watching her as she left. I felt another pang of nostalgia in my chest. I immediately quelled it. Now wasn’t the time to be feeling sentimental.
The primate turned around. “She’s got an interesting way of talking, huh?”
The gray bobbed its head. “Yeah. But she’s a goddess apparently.” I tilted my head as I recognized the sound of skepticism in its grating voice.
Galya furrowed her brow and flicked her tail. Before she had a chance to speak, she was interrupted by Xertalis.
“I require assistance,” she said. “This bathing room lacks water.” She tilted her head slightly. “I know not how to draw it. Perhaps the girl could help me?”
Galya choked as she was taking a sip of water. Water dribbled down her chin. She recovered and turned to Xertalis, her cheeks tinted orange. “Uh—I’m sorry, b-but that’s like, not um… that—I don’t…”
Xertalis looked at the predators. “Perhaps one of the boys, then?”
I gawked as the primate’s face turned a bright shade of red. The gray’s face had grown noticeably darker as well. They glanced at each other and exchanged a silent conversation.
“Um, couldn’t—couldn’t she d-do it instead?” The primate pointed a long, gangly claw at me.
I stiffened. Me? I thought. “I-I can’t,” I blurted. “There’s, uh—I hurt my leg when I fell.”
“Your leg’s fine,” Galya said. She squinted at me. “It’s not really appropriate for kids to help an adult, anyway.”
“She just wants someone to help her figure out how the bath works!” I said indignantly. “That’s hardly inappropriate.”
“You’ll know how your bath works better than we do,” the ape interjected. “Besides, it is a little, uh, odd to make us do it.”
“But—” I began.
“I do not care who assists me,” Xertalis said in a low, steely voice. “Stop thy bickering and make thy choice.”
The trio stared at me. I stared back in disbelief. Did they want my heart to fail? Galya flicked her tail, indicating for me to hurry up. It was obvious that they weren’t going to move.
So it was all up to me.
I took a deep breath and clenched my paws. With great effort, I pushed myself away from the table. I tried to keep my breathing stable as I walked over to Xertalis. I avoided her eyes and motioned down the hallway.
“J-just this way,” I muttered. I glanced at the trio. Galya swished her tail supportively. The primate displayed its thumbs and bared its teeth. The gray whipped its tail across the floor erratically and flashed its razor-sharp fangs.
Suddenly dealing with Xertalis’ eyes didn’t seem like such a bad deal. Without another word, I speed-walked down the hallway.
Meyra, how in Xyek did you get yourself into this situation? I thought helplessly.
[Next]

Source: https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/Article/the_first_twid_06_08_2023
This Week in Destiny... yeah, you read that right. As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we are fully leaning into this becoming a Destiny-centric space going forward. More on that in a bit! Before we jump into it, let's recap the contents of the previous week:

• Ghosts of the Deep rundown.
• Bungie Rewards got new dungeon-themed merch.
• Did you get your Marathon emblem?
• You got new Prime Gaming loot.

And here's what we have for the first TWID ever:

• A new name for the TWAB.
• Ready for a new Community Fashion Contest?
• Grandmasters will be back on June 13.
• And Supremacy, too.
• You all owe Kalli an apology.
• Preview of some 7.1.0.2 fixes.
• Collaboration art!
• The usual Player Support Report, and our AOTW and MOTW picks. ##Rebranding the TWAB

For as long as anyone can remember, there has been a weekly check-in between Bungie and our community. Back in February of 2016, we rebranded the “Bungie Weekly Update” to “This Week At Bungie.” This was done primarily because, at the time, there was a lot of confusion when a live game put something out with the name “Update” and there weren’t patch notes to read.
Fast forward to today, and it’s time once again to evolve the name of our weekly ritual. Don’t fret, our weekly check in for Destiny news and community highlights will continue! The main change here is that we will be keeping things Destiny-specific, so we need a name that reflects that since Bungie has now publicly announced a new game.
Starting today, the weekly Destiny blog will be named This Week in Destiny. As you may have noticed already, each week’s blog post will be announced on official Destiny social channels rather than on Bungie’s channels, and we’ll continue to drop the occasional standalone blog with in-depth details and insights from the dev team. Now that you know the new name and the reasoning behind it, you can do what you do best, Destiny Community: Meme away! But first, please join us in bidding farewell to the TWAB and welcoming the TWID.

Put On Your Best Dress

Fashion is the ultimate, true endgame. Matching the perfect textures, forms, and colors to express the right idea is not easy, so we want to reward those who succeed in such endeavors.
Given that Season of the Deep is all about how the scariest floors of the sea can also be the most beautiful, how Guardians are good at killing gods, but better at catching exotic fishes, and how even the most dangerous warmonger can break down a bit when recalling simpler times... Well, why not celebrate all that complexity with a good Community Fashion Contest?
We know you can express what Season of the Deep is all about with just five pieces of armor, . Don your drippiest designs and try out the most combinations, and of course, let us know with the #DrownInTheDrip hashtag for a chance to earn our very new and exclusive Prêt-à-porter fashion emblem. You have until June 15, so get to work, fashionistas!.
Image Link^imgur

Ready for Some Early Grandmaster Nightfalls?

As we mentioned in our ”Reflecting on Lightfall” article, Grandmaster Nightfalls will be available a bit earlier than usual during Season of the Deep. The reason for this is simple: without the seasonal Power climb, and with the requirement level changes we added during Season 19, we believe we can successfully launch them earlier. Grandmasters are coming on Week 4, and that means you'll have a chance to earn Exotic materials and Adept weapons starting next Tuesday, June 13.
Note that this is only for the Weekly Grandmasters. The Conqueror gilding node is still planned to open in Week 7. So, get ready to face The Lightblade if you are aiming to get the Adept version of the Wendigo GL3 Heavy Grenade Launcher next week. And in case you are wondering, The Loaded Question Fusion Rifle and the Braytech Osprey Rocket Launcher will be featured in the following two weeks.

Supremacy Enters the Relentless Rotator

For those of you who got a taste of Supremacy during Guardian Games and wanted more, congratulations! Supremacy will be added to the Relentless rotator in the Crucible starting next week.
This Crucible game mode requires you to collect the crests dropped by the enemies you take down to score for your team, while you also deny the enemy their points by picking up crests from fallen allies. Show everyone who’s in charge here and secure each kill. While you earn ranks, you might even get that renewed Randy's Throwing Knife Kinetic Scout Rifle that Shaxx has brought back into the loot pool. Keep an eye on Cascade Point or Box Breathing for this one... Trust me.

You Owe Kalli an Apology

People, we need to talk. Why? What did she ever do to you? What's your problem with murderous, Taken Techeuns? We know The Supremacy got Rewind Rounds, that Techeun Force has a sick PvP roll and that Reconstruction and Bait and Switch make Apex Predator a top-tier option for DPS, but that's no reason to put Kalli into such a situation!
A lot of you stepped into every plate to get double rewards, while others just cursed their aim over how many Golden Gun or Sleeper Simulant shots they missed... Either way, the outcome would be the same: a lot of good loot.
We hope you consider it time well spent. Because I do.

Some Fixes Coming Next Week

The Destiny 2 Update 7.1.0.2 will be deployed on June 13. Although we'll have our usual patch notes available the moment it's available, we wanted to give you a preview of some of the implemented fixes.
First, a reminder that the extra reward awarded by the weekly Last Wish quest, the one handed by Hawthorne, was not intentional, so it's going away. Starting Tuesday, you'll get one Deepsight weapon from it, since that was always the plan. You'll still earn at least another one every week, because the final chest after dumping Riven's heart gives one per week and account. But you still have a few days until the fix is implemented, so if you want that extra reward, go for it.
Now, for a few Exotics' fixes. This update will reenable the Vesper of Radius, since it won't have such explosive behavior with certain weapons anymore. Sunbracers will have their increased duration of Solar grenades restored. And after Saladin had a very long conversation with Kephri's Horn, the strange interactions that this Titan Exotic Helmet allowed have been fixed, so it will also be reenabled.
Finally, to name a few other fixes coming: we also have one for the issue that allowed certain grenades to go through Barricades and Wards of Dawn, we are toning down the new Collective Obligation perk in PvP (10% damage buff instead of a 20%), and we are giving the new Mercurial Overreach Competitive Sniper Rifle a bigger reticle when scoping so it's easier to use.
The rest of the patch notes for the 7.1.0.2 updates will be available on June 13.

Keep That Art Coming

Remember two weeks ago when we announced a small art and cosplay contest to celebrate the collaboration between Destiny 2 and PlayStation? Well, we have some amazing submissions already, like these two below:

"Death can have me... When it earns me"
image if some characters from PlayStation games became characters in Destiny. Who would you love to see?#Destiny2AOTW #Destiny2 #Destiny2Art #DestinyTheGame #GOW pic.twitter.com/frim0WlEEC
— BO (@BO_7aSSan597) May 30, 2023
To go with the Titan Kratos armor I made a matching Atreus Set #Destiny2 #Dresstiny#GodofWar #Destiny2Fashion @Destiny2Team @DestinyTheGame pic.twitter.com/3pwJLFj8Sw
— Amanda TheBeebo (@TheLadyBeebo) May 26, 2023

We love to see your creations, so please keep them coming. You have until the end of June and each winner will earn the Art of the Week emblem and all the bragging rights in the world, of course.

Player Support Report

20,000 Screebs Under the Sea
Image Link^imgur
Known Issues List Help Forums Bungie Help Twitter

TRIALS OF OSIRIS EMBLEM

The Dazzling Iridescence Trials emblem was meant to be rewarded to the best of the best, those who could go Flawless while earning a Flight of the Pigeon medal (lead in score for the entire game) in every win along the way. Ultimately, an issue caused this emblem to be awarded to anyone who made it to the Lighthouse at all which, while still a challenging endeavor, made seeing the emblem a little more common than we had hoped. In this upcoming patch, we will have a fix for this which is two-fold:

• Starting with Week 4’s Trials (June 16) the emblem will no longer drop from the Flawless chest for those who have not achieved the requirements on their way to the Lighthouse.
• Those who already have the emblem (meaning those players who went Flawless in Week 1 or who go Flawless in this upcoming weekend) will be able to retain the emblem in their collections but will not be able to equip the emblem unless they complete the requirements AFTER the patch has gone live.

We understand in some cases this will mean that people who rightfully earned the emblem must re-earn it a second time if they want to equip it, but we felt that this was a necessary step to retain the original intent of the emblem.

ADVANCED FOCUSING

Due to an issue causing Exotic focusing to not grant intended rewards, we have temporarily disabled Advanced Decryption focusing. Precision Decryption focusing will continue to be available as we investigate.

EVERVERSE INTERFACE

Some UI pricing elements in Eververse will be disabled with the release of 7.1.0.2. Note that the displayed price is the correct one.

KNOWN ISSUES

While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help Forum:

• Due to an issue the Kephri’s Horn exotic Titan helmet has been temporarily disabled.
• The Helm of Saint-14 Exotic Titan helmet is not functioning as expected.
• Players can get stuck outside of the final boss arena after self-reviving in the Ghosts of the Deep dungeon.
• Spending Salvage Keys after a Salvage activity is not providing progress toward the "Spend Salvage Keys" Triumph and is instead progressing the "Spend Deep Dive Keys" Triumph.
• The Bump in the Night Weapon Pattern Triumph requires the Season 17 Season Pass.
• The Standard Fare bounty does not gain progress on Kinetic weapon kills.
• The Warlock Courtier Longcoat chest ornament has a gap beneath the right arm.
• The Verity’s Brow perk “The Fourth Magic” is not functioning correctly in PvP.
• The New Pacific Epitaph Grenade Launcher is doing less damage than intended to Stasis crystals.

For a full list of emergent issues in Destiny 2, players can review our Known Issues article. Players who observe other issues should report them to our #Help forum.

You Gotta Work For It, Guardian

Image Link^imgur
Hippy: An artist with synesthesia, a phenomenon that allows a blending of senses like the ability to hear color and feel sounds, took their unique lens of the world and turned it into art for fellow Guardians to enjoy. Titled The Fear of Dreams, here’s a really cool opportunity to see the world in a way that someone else does and how truly beautiful that really is.
Movie of the Week: The Fear of Dreams

🌙ONEIROPHOBIA // THE FEAR OF DREAMS.🌟
(I have synesthesia. I paint music. This time, I used Tilt Brush and an Oculus Rift to sculpt/paint the song to get a closer facsimile of what I perceive.) #Destiny2Art #AOTW #MOTW pic.twitter.com/kaMhoSelHB
— Runesael L. de la Peña Flynn (@Runesael) May 29, 2023

Sam: Sometimes you want to be the very best, but it helps when you put in the extra work. Take these Guardians for example; couldn’t jump, couldn’t fight, and after... nope, not going to spoil it. Go check it out.
Movie of the Week: Guardians try the Cloud Strider workout
Video Link

That's One Big Bonk

Image Link^imgur
Ivan: Looks like a solid battle just finished and this Titan came out as victorious. As with many great paintings, you first spot the brightest object — the Titan's hammer — and then find more and more details. Amazing #Destiny2AOTW. Well done!
Art of the Week: The last Sunbreaker

The last Sunbreaker#Destiny2 #Destiny2Art #Destiny2AOTW pic.twitter.com/YKzM3f6zBP
— Max Vick (@MaksymPotselui1) May 31, 2023

Timon: Look at this amazing fishing art! When I see this I just wanna drop everything and go out there grinding those Exotic fishies! Always remember: Less working, more fishing.
Art of the Week: Go fish

Made this birthday present for my sister @MajaroniArt who had her birthday yesterday 🥳🩷💜
Had a lot of fun making this 😁👍#Destiny2Art #Destiny2AOTW #Destiny2 #DestinyTheGame #Destiny2Fishing #DigitalArtist #DigitalArt pic.twitter.com/6ObwQLcXsq
— Pickles ✨Comms open!✨ (@xPickles77x) May 29, 2023

Bonus AOTW: MY BROTHER, DEAD!!??

BLASPHEMY. BLASPHEMY #Destiny2Art #Destiny2AOTW #Destiny #DestinyTheGame @Bungie @DestinyTheGame pic.twitter.com/vYKcSGfFLs
— AliveWake (@AliveWake) May 29, 2023

Another week that goes by, and it's almost summer around here. Or winter, for those of you in the southern hemisphere. We are deep into Season of the Deep and there's still much to uncover from under the methane seas.
Methane, what a thing, by the way. I checked the other day and liquid methane has a temperature range between 91 and 112 kelvins, which makes me think those new Guardian armor sets not only look amazing, but also have some pretty insane heating systems. And speaking of heat, how can Solar grenades scorch stuff under such extreme circumstances, or Stasis crystals even hold their structure under such pressure? Anyway, transmat firing!
‘Hasta Luego’
Br1

My dad, my soulmate and best friend, died unexpectedly and my life collapsed. It’s been 5 months but I’m numb and can’t process my emotions for the most part. I have severe PTSD because the events surrounding his death were traumatic. I’ve also experienced anxiety and panic attacks where I was convinced I was having a heart attack (world getting dimmer and closing in on me, increased heart rate, breathlessness, sense of impending doom, etc. ).
I am (was?) in a long-term, long-distance relationship and was to get married to my fiancé, this year. When he heard my dad had a cardiac arrest, he flew down to be with mum and me and was there the entire time dad was in coma and for the funeral, after we mutually agreed to get him off life support.
After the funeral, he travelled back and promised to look for a remote job that would allow him to be with me. It’s close to being half a year but he still hasn’t found work. I don’t hold that against him because finding remote work might be beyond his control. But I’ve noticed he has lost interest in me and this relationship. He hasn’t been communicative or shown much emotional support lately. I’ve raised this issue multiple times but we seem to fall back into old patterns. We don’t talk on the phone and we haven’t video called once since the event happened. We text occasionally but it’s only a few words exchanged everyday (mostly lazy small talk) and we don’t even talk on weekends much. He’d rather go to the gym than have a chat with me. I feel like I am last on his list of priorities, I’ve been made to feel like an afterthought, a chore.
One week ago I told him I didn’t want to continue exchanging meaningless texts and if he wanted to talk he could call me like an adult. Despite this, he continued to text and I stop responding. Unsurprisingly, he seems more than happy with this new arrangement and has disappeared, vanished into thin air. He’s known to show passive aggression and I feel like he’s trying to ‘punish’ me for pulling away by giving me the silent treatment. Instead of providing comfort and support during this dark time, he’s somehow managed to add to my stress and make me question this relationship. It breaks my heart because he and my dad had a close relationship and my dad adored him.
After dad’s death, mum and I had to move houses and we ended up moving to a pretty isolated neighbourhood, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I have no friends here and I’m really lonely. My fiancé is aware of this but he hasn’t bothered to be there for me. When I told him I was starting to question our relationship he said, “good luck finding someone who’d halt their career and move for you.” I am at a loss, I don’t know what to do. I feel disappointment, rage, resentment. I don’t know if I can forgive him. Can I marry this guy? Someone who has abandoned me at my lowest simply because he can? I’m confused because he has done a lot for me and my family. But does that absolve him of his crimes - the neglect and utter indifference?

There has been a lot of discussion and complaining about the state of A2G. As an esf main, here are some tips I’d share with you infantry guys to avoid some deaths. (Edit: some of this may seem obvious, but I continue to see it happen every day)

1. Don’t just shoot at every esf you see flying in your area!
   A lot of times pilots fly around looking for A2A action and are not bothering your ground fight at all. But when you guys shoot at an esf engaged in a dog fight or one just making a pass, you poke the bear for no reason. I tend to get annoyed when this happens repeatedly, pull an A2G Mossi, and spend the next half hour wracking up infantry kills until I feel like justice has been done.
   

Another thing I’ve noticed is that when pilots hear other ESF using A2G weapons, it triggers the swarm effect. So where you had a couple esf flying around not bothering infantry, now you have a half dozen ground farming because someone wanted to blast off a couple lockons with no hope of getting a kill.

1. Don’t take the bait!
   When you see that esf peeking from behind cover, stop trying to lock on. My strategy is always peek, let you fire at me, dip behind cover and let the rocket miss. When you fire, I get to see exactly where you fired from on the minimap and it usually results in an easy follow up kill.
   

I see this with sky guards too. They will start blasting away as soon as an esf comes in to render distance which gives the pilot plenty of time to evade. Be patient…. Most pilots I see will take the same route when farming A2G. Flying in, kill, fly out and come back around to the same spot for the next assault. Get your skygaurd in a position to have the best line of sight for the route you know the esf is going to take and then blast it when it gets close.

1. Burster maxes
   Most ground farming occurs at or near spawn rooms. Usually one bursted max can shut the party down. Pull a couple…
   

I know this is probably something talked to death already but air quality has been a major concern for me due to the fires in Canada. I’m more part of the sensitive groups where I can hardly breathe even with a mask on if I’m walking around too much and knowing it’s 233 for me today with work in a few hours is daunting. I know NY has it worse than VA (where I’m at) but it’s still scary for me. I’m gonna try and if I get really sick from it, it’s on me.

Here is the old message:
I'll merge the first and second experience. LSD: Hoffman Molecule 650ug/975ug respectively. Both experiences were very similar, I had 1 really profound experience that keeps on giving today, saw some warping/hue changes and aging. So, for my first question, before I tried, I heard so much about you have to have the perfect setting, ego death, super intense and some saying they don't even know what's going on and that they're high. And most of those trip reports were regarding 100ug trips, mostly. So my question is, what could be some reasons my experience was more mellow, and I didn't experience ego death or such?
Here, for the second part. I saw some Aztec Crystal 99.5%, so I fugured I'll order some because it has been a year since I did acid, and my first trips, while constructive and super pleasant, left me feeling like there's more to it. And my second question is, from the Hoffman Molecule acid, to the Aztec Crystal acid, what differences can and/or should I expect? I find it very hard to find information about Aztec, and significance of different names of LSD.
Thanks in advance!
​
-------
​
So I've now had my third trip, on the Aztec Crystal. And first of all, I can say that the Hoffman trips were probably more mellow just because it was less pure acid, the trips were still super beautiful, but the Aztec trip was way more intense and "pure", I can't explain the "pure" part, it just felt way more pure, the energy and atmosphere (this could also be contributed to by my mood or other things) (at a fraction of the dosage, at that). But first was only 250ug, and I'll do either the remaining 500 or 2000 next time and see what that does.
The first thing I noticed with the Aztec was that it hit really fast, and lasted really long (I was pretty high for 12 hours, and saw warping in faces even 18 hours later, and coming up-peak-coming down was really intense in comparison. It was still essentially a very similar trip to the Hoffman Molecule, but much more intense, my whole vision was disco, where as the Hoffman was more hues/subtle warping. Aztec was more like closing my eyes, but even when they were opened.
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As for ego death, I'm still not sure what this even means. I think people are just scared to cut the bridge between reality, and let the LSD drag you along. That place you get to when relax/close your eyes and you're just a frequency/pulse in nothingland, this is my favorite part about acid, just see nothing and feel nothing but the rythm/pulse/frequency, and just watch everything form from nothing. While you're just a hum to the rythm.
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As for not even knowing that you're high, or what's going on, this is another thing I don't understand, but perhaps would after a 2000-10000ug trip, however there were times where it was hard for me to understand what's realistic within the scope of our non-LSD reality, and which things were only logical to me.
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I hope this helps anyone, I'm happy with what I learned about acid and definitely suggest trying Aztec or any other decent and pure crystal!