What I am looking for: I am looking for someone active. I mean that I want a partner who will post at least once a day. I understand life can get in the way, so please let me know ahead of time if possible and not let days and weeks go by where I will believe that you have ghosted me. This is a long-term roleplay and more of a slow burn so that you can strap in for the long haul.
Prompt: This world is filled with paranormal beings (vampires, fairies, dragons, elves, witches/wizards, werewolves, centaurs, mermaids, dwarfs, goblins, satyrs, & fauns). They have been in hiding since the war began. The war has been going on for five years. It was caused once humans found out the truth about the supernatural. Somehow, a human brought down the barrier surrounding The Realm, where the supernaturals live, with evil magic stolen from witches/wizards. Your character (YC) wants to be a part of the war effort and joins a paramilitary group that 'claims' to be a group dedicated to peace. The paramilitary group believes that they are working to capture supernaturals to make the war end faster. Few know that they are capturing supernaturals to study them and possibly more. YC is a brand recruit to the group. Our characters know nothing of what the group is doing initially. My character (MC) has been part of this paramilitary group for a year. She is the secretary of this group. She is also supernatural, hiding in plain sight. A king rules the area our characters live in, so I'm sorry if I'm not using the proper terminology. This is a romance. There will be a lot of world-building and handling of multiple characters. I don't often like 'talking to myself' in roleplay, so I ask my partner to be comfortable taking over other characters. This doesn't mean I won't take on characters. It just means that I don't want to do all the heavy lifting if several characters are in a scene together. You should not pick this prompt unless you have roleplayed it for a while. For this roleplay, I have created documents for the background of the world and characters, a spreadsheet on characters that might be met in the world, and another document on the other kingdoms and characters that exist within the world. I like being prepared, detailed, and informed. Each of these things will be shared with my partner.
A little about me: I am in the EST time zone. I can often post multiple times throughout the day. I ask that my partner post at least once or twice a day. I can write a paragraph to multi-paragraph format and am comfortable in either first or third-person POVs, I prefer third. I only roleplay on Discord, so we would start by getting to know one another a little here, and if we vibe, then we'd move to Discord. Once in Discord, I like to create a server for the roleplay. I also want to name my servers. I generally like my partners to come up with the names for the servers, so be thinking about that when you reply. Also, I am okay with getting to know my roleplay partners through the #ooc channel I create on the server.
Please message or DM me if this sounds up your alley. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

I’ll never forget the first time I borrowed a day’s rations from a horse. I had a good ride on the sheltered side of my car, grateful for once to not have to ride dirty face. An unfortunate misadventure the day before had led three other people I was riding with to get left behind, so I was alone and had the whole porch to myself. This was somewhere in either Utah or Wyoming, there weren’t any water towers or other signs to tell me exactly where I was at the time.
I was headed in the right direction under good weather, and I looked forward to reaching the end of the line in Chicago. The only problem was that my jug and all my canteens were nearly empty. By my reckoning, the next significant stop on this line wouldn’t be until somewhere in Iowa, easily another full day’s ride over desolate, wide-open terrain. I needed to find a source of drinkable water soon or else I’d be forced to abandon my train and hitchhike to civilization.
I was riding an IM, but we must have been relatively low priority because we kept stopping to let other trains pass us at sidings. These stops made the water problem worse because I was forced to lay prone on the porch to stay out of sight. The full blazing sun overhead made the steel hot, and it baked me where I lay every time my train sided out to wait for her sisters to thunder past us. There was some relief while we were rolling because the moving air was cooler and I could sit in the small sliver of shade provided by the double-stacked shipping containers that accompanied me on my car.
The wind whipped the black nylon shoulder strap of my last canteen as I drained it. I closed the plastic screw cap, swallowed the final tepid mouthful, and thought about what to do. Even though I already knew what I would find, I dug around in my pack and pulled out all the food I had left. Three flour tortillas, about five ounces of peanut butter, half a dozen whole carrots, and a small package of quick oats. There would be some moisture in the carrots, but not enough to get me through the night and another full day.
If I’d known for certain that I’d be delivered directly to civilization within the next 24 hours, I could have toughed it out and just waited. The problem was that I didn’t know exactly which train this was, only which direction it was going when it left the yard in Sparks, Nevada. We might end up sitting somewhere up in the mountains for hours, we might divert to some facility or location that I didn’t know about. A mechanical failure might lead to a string of cars getting left behind to be reclaimed hours or days later. I might get spotted and pulled off the train by police, left to make my way on foot in the middle of nowhere. There were possible scenarios that made dehydration a life-threatening factor out here.
The fact that I faced this scenario didn’t come as a surprise to me, it was always like this, always that risk of getting stranded or detoured. I felt foolish though for not being prepared, for falling into this most simple and basic trap of too little water. I thought back to the gas station in Roseville, CA where I’d last replenished my supplies. It would have been easy to just spend two bucks on another gallon jug and strap it to my pack. The extra weight would have made the long walk to the hopout suck that much more, but I knew this route and I should have known better than to approach such a long hop with inadequate supplies.
I snapped a carrot in half and chomped a bite from it before stashing the rest of the food back down in the bottom of my pack. Whatever decision I made, I would have to wait until we stopped again or at least until we slowed down enough that I could dismount on-the-fly. The landscape around me was mostly rolling sheets of yellowish grass extending far off toward distant Rocky Mountain peaks. Other than the railroad itself, any signs of human progress were rare, and usually limited to industrial infrastructure like cell towers or solar panels in the distance. I could see a road about two miles away running roughly parallel to my train line. It was hard to make out individual vehicles from here, but there was some hazy movement that looked like traffic.
I came up with a plan and repeated it to myself internally, reinforcing my logical rules so that I’d act on them correctly when I was under duress. The next time my train stopped, I would hope and pray that it was miraculously near some good source of water. In the likely event that it didn’t, I would dismount, bring my gear with me, and run back towards the rear of the train. There was probably close to half a mile of train still behind me, and though I hadn’t seen the end of it myself, I figured there may be a slave unit back there. If that unit happened to have its doors unlocked, and I was fast enough to get back there before the train left me, I had a chance. The door should lead to an empty, uncrewed cab which would likely be stocked with dozens of unopened disposable water bottles. If the train left me behind, the unit’s doors were locked, or there weren’t any pusher units to be found, I would just have to walk toward that road and thumb it out.
It was hard to accept this decision. Walking away from a perfectly good train is something that no rider wants to do. It can be so arduous and difficult just to get a ride in the first place, the though of giving one up willingly is hard to fathom. I had to remind myself that I’d experienced dangerous thirst before and vowed to never again let myself get close to that terrible death. Even just being dehydrated for a few hours, I knew, caused me to think more slowly, react more sluggishly, and make bad decisions more easily. I had been lazy and foolish in bringing too little water in the first place, now I might have to pay for it by watching my train leave me behind. I had noone to blame but myself.
As I was sitting there battling internally to force logic down my own throat, I looked over the side of the train and noticed something up ahead of us to the southeast. Cows stood in a pasture, fenced in by barbed wire between ancient-looking wooden posts. This was a new feature in the otherwise empty landscape. At the same moment that my mind began to grasp the meaning of this new development, a telltale jerking clatter told me that we were slowing down. When the deceleration continued, I realized we were stopping, probably siding out. Sure enough, another set of tracks appeared directly beside ours. We continued decelerating. I peered toward the livestock and saw a separate pasture with four or five chestnut brown horses grazing within it. That was where I spotted the item I’d been hoping for: a water trough for the animals.
My hands were quick and busy as the train gave a stronger lurch of deceleration. I was disconnecting and separating all of my water containers from the rest of my gear. Before we came to a complete stop, I was already climbing down the ladder. I gently landed on the ground at a walking pace and my next two steps instinctively took me away from the train, clearing myself and my gear from the deadly steel wheels. I walked about another hundred feet alongside the train, keeping up with it and staying abreast the car I’d been riding. There were suicides and other lousy rides aboard this train, and I wanted my car back if I could get it.
As soon as the thing came to a stop, I dropped all of my gear except for the jug and canteens and then took off at a dead run toward the pasture. It was further than it looked across the open ground. I was light on my feet, picking my footsteps carefully, scanning the uneven ground with animal focus as I went. Dry yellow straw crunched under my boots, the empty water containers bounced and jostled around in my hands. I had to consciously pull my lungs down into measured breaths in rhythm with my bounding strides.
My heart was pumping in my ears as I approached the fence. I glanced behind me to see that my train was still there. The other train was already passing it going the opposite direction. I thought to myself that I’d made the right decision leaving my pack there on the ground. It would have been truly disastrous if my train left me behind and took my gear with it as it went. I’d heard of it happening to others. I was safe from that fate, but it would be far better if I could refil here and get back aboard. I’d have to hurry.
Was trying not to be frantic as I scanned the fence line. My eyes had to gather a lot of information all at once. I was looking out for vehicles or figures that betrayed the presence of any farmer who might object to me sprinting toward their livestock. I had an eye on the horses themselves. They were trotting around at the other end of the pastuer, kicking up dust and tossing their heads and tails about in a flowing display of red-brown hair. Whether they were perturbed by me, the trains, or just horses being horses, I couldn’t tell.
Just inside their pen I spotted an oval-shaped corrugated tub about twice the size of a bathtub with sides that came up to my knee. When I approached it to investigate there was about 18 inches of water in the trough, but it was dark green and slimy with the residue of dusty, alfalfa-fed horses drinking deeply from the depths. Another glance back at the trains showed that mine was still stopped and the oncoming one was still passing.
I shuffled a few yards along the fence and spotted another trough, this one was circular, about 6 feet across. What I was really looking for sat sticking out of a fence post, attached by bailing wire and several zip ties. It was a simple spigot faucet with a little T-shaped handle. I leaned in over the barbed wire and turned the old dusty, cobwebbed contraption. To my surprise, it turned easily and freely as if it had been recently greased. A strong blast of rushing water violently spurted from the faucet and into the trough, occasionally interrupted by the coughing sputter or air leaving the line. I left it running and bent down to uncap my jug. I held the old gallon milk jug there under the flow of water with one hand and uncapped my next canteen with the other. In quick succession, all the vessels were filled and their caps tightly screwed back on. I turned the faucet handle clockwise with a squeak and silenced the flow of water.
One more glance around, noone watching besides a couple of curious black cows. I whipped my head around to the train to see that her sister had finished passing. I bent down to gather up the now heavy collection water vessels and began walking back. About halfway across the field, I heard the soft hissing followed by the tick tick tick tick of air brakes opening up. My train was about to leave. These IM’s were infamous for accelerating quickly, often taking off with little warning. Keith a jolt, I began to run at a maddening pace back toward the rails. Somewhere in the open stretch of dead grass, my food caught on the hidden remnants of a half-buried old tire. I caught myself but dropped one of my canteens. I stopped to pick it up and heard the terrifying staggered thunder clap of slack being pulled out of the train. She was moving.
I didn’t know if I could make this. By the time I lept over a small ditch and onto the ballast gravel that lined the tracks, my the train had already pulled forward nearly half a car length from where I had left my backpack. In a desperate effort of awkward straining, I managed to transfer all of the water containers into the grip of my left arm. I bent down without stopping and grabbed my backpack and saxophone case with my right hand.
The train was accelerating. I made the split-second decision to give up my cushy sheltered porch and take the dirty face side of my car since it was about 50 feet closer to me at this point. I would have trotted up next to the moving behemoth immediately, but there was a stack of old railroad tie plates that I had to run around to avoid tripping. My muscles were screaming with the exertion. I managed to swing my left arm up and clumsily deposit all my water containers up onto the porch as I ran along side it. Then with my newly freed arm, I threw my backpack aboard, hefted my saxophone case onto my shoulder by its strap, grabbed the ladder with both hands, and hopped up onto my ride.
There was a solid shunting motion as the train continued accelerating. I corralled my scattered gear and sat down, still catching my breath. As we picked up speed and the landscape began to move past me once again, I peeked around the corner of my shipping container back rest and got one last glance at the corral. The distant figures of the horses had settled down and bowed their heads to munch on scrubby tufts of mountain grass. I opened a canteen and pulled deeply, gulping good, cold water. The adrenaline slowly faded and left me with a renewed sense of relief, peace, and gratitude.

Hello Redditors! 👋 ✨
We're excited to (re)introduce Veiled Haven SMP - A vanilla+ Minecraft experience (Java 1.20.6).
At Veiled Haven, we've kept the addition of mods to a minimum - just enough to enhance the vanilla experience without compromising the core game-play. This ensures a balanced and consistent gameplay for all members of our community.
We believe in maintaining a mature and respectful atmosphere, which is why our server has an age restriction of 16+ and is whitelisted. We're committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive space where everyone feels safe, respected, and engaged. Our primary means of communication is Discord, allowing us to stay connected and coordinate seamlessly as a community.
Applications are simple and quick - just head over to our website at https://veiled-haven.net/ and fill out the application form (at the bottom), we will get back to you via Discord as soon as possible and, once approved, you'll be granted access to our whitelist and invited to join the Veiled Haven SMP family!
If you are looking for a small, but growing Vanilla Minecraft community? Join us today, and let's build, explore, create, and connect with each other! 🌠
We look forward to having you on board. See you soon in-game! 👋

I called a domestic abuse hotline to gain understanding. I explained my situation and she stated some very victim blaming comments.
“If they blocked you that doesn’t look good on you”
“You can’t make him stay married to you”
“There’s nothing we can do”
“He doesn’t want to be with you”
I ended up crying on the phone and telling her I don’t WANT to be with him. I just want justice and understanding and knowing that what I’m going through happened and it’s valid. In no way did I give any indication of wanting to go back. I just wanted reassurance that what I was going through was valid. I went to the police and they advised they were unable to move forward with my case. They agreed this was abusive and wrong but not illegal under their jurisdiction. I felt so sad so I went to the hotline for support.
I’m now extra sad, anxious, and feel like I’m going crazy based off her statements. But hey she did agree he was abusive and manipulative…
I want to make a complaint..I want to tell her how her statement made it worse…such a dangerous thing to tell someone..
I honestly am so tired of this…

My (24m) boyfriend (27m) of 6 years and I had a lot of disagreements the past half a year, our relationship has been a bumpy road to say the least. For short he was unsatisfied with our romantic/sexual relationship and never spoke up and I never saw a problem so nothing changed for at least 3 years which lead to a lot of tension and a lot of near breakup scenarios.
During those rough times he opened himself to a variety of communities, looking for friends and he has found many, a few of which became really close really quick. He was very secretive for the most part of the majority of his friends, but the close ones I knew some things about, so I had nothing to worry about. There is a girl, let's call her sweetie , I think she is a sweet heart and is a good friend to him, there was also a guy, let's call him stinky, however he was secretive till this day for him and I knew little to nothing.
One day while I was on his PC, curiosity and built up anxiety got the better of me and for the first time I snooped through my partner's messages with stinky. I was devastated at what I found. I looked up key words such as "cheating" and "feelings for you" and I saw a lot of messages where my boyfriend is very guilty of feeling like he cheated, while stinky was comforting him. There was a message of my boyfriend explaining his love for stinky and this whole thing was happening for 1 month while we were in the hardest period of our relationship. For context they've known each other for 5 months total, from 2nd month till 3rd month my boyfriend had feelings for him. Stinky didn't seem to share my boyfriend's feelings and rejected him, but they decided to still be friends and my boyfriend never told me about those feelings even tho I've asked directly if anything is up between them.
There could be no physical cheating, since stinky was too far for that, but emotional cheating was everywhere, eventually I decided that I will not break up and I wanna work this through, however I told him he can keep stinky as a friend and I will need time to decide how I feel about them being friends and how close they are. My boyfriend reassured me there are no romantic feelings left for stinky, he even calls them fake, says that he was confused.
Fast forward to yesterday, I told him I don't think I can heal while stinky is still there. He asked me if I was making him choose between his friend and me and I told him that under normal circumstances I'd never do that, all I'm saying is that I'm not sure I can move on from that while they still keep contact, texting every day and saying how much they love each other even if it was in a friendly way, everything is so fresh. I don't like it when he calls it "making him choose" because I'm not making him choose between me and a friend, I'm making him choose between me and some guy he met 5 months ago, trauma bonded with, and emotionally cheated on me with.
Now I feel like shit. He choose me, however he is avoiding me. He doesn't wanna talk about it at all, he is crying and he is sharing with others, just not with me. He says he understands me and I'm right, but he says he has a problem with me regardless of that. I wanna talk it out and put it behind us. I feel like he hates me. I regret speaking up. Was it too much for me to ask? a few years ago there was a guy I went to the park with and my boyfriend is convinced I cheated on him with said guy, because I knew him from Grindr, when I saw how much that hurt him I immediately dropped the guy, the friendship, anything related to him, because this was not worth jeopardizing my relationship over, so because of this I expected for him to drop stinky as a given, since our relationship of 6 years should be more important than this.
Since I'm messy I forgot to mention above, after I found out that my boyfriend was unhappy with how things were, I did a 180 and completely changed the way things are between us. Since then he says he hasn't felt better with me, he has said that he has fallen in love with me again, since his feelings had faded during the tough times, I would say I'm giving everything within my power to help him feel emotionally, romantically and sexually satisfied.
I feel like I'm being punished for speaking up now and finally taking a decision to protect myself and the relationship, but it just feels like I've ruined it. I have nobody to tell about this because I don't want my friends or family to dislike my boyfriend for that, so I desperately need a place to vent and opinions on the it. I've talked about it with my therapist, she agrees with what I did and encouraged me to not leave loose ends that may ruin me or the relationship in the future. I wish I could have just been okay with the situation but it's eating me alive.

In the 90's and early 2000's, my high school and early university years, I was fully immersed in evangelical culture and theology. I was one of the true believers with all of the bullshit that goes with it. I was judgmental. I believed stupid things. And I believed the most important thing a Christian could do was bring others to Jesus. I did, said, and believed things that were so harmful and/or stupid, that now all these years later I can hardly believe it was the same person. Leaving the church because my deepest held values couldn't stand the dissonance anymore, it was non-Christians who taught me how to love and be kind, generous, and hospitable. It was also non-Christians of all kinds that taught me that justice and collective problems matter too and maybe even more than personal "sins." My life improved so much in every way. In a lot of ways I never looked back.
Fast forward to the last year or so, I got a job at a mainline Protestant progressive church, and I have returned to being a Christian of sorts. It's a church, much to my surprise, that accepts my heterodoxy--my universalism (there is no eternal punishment), my queer-positivity, my far leftism, my rejection of the "magical" parts of Christianity and my rejection of any sort of biblical literalism or inerrantism. They accept that I don't think Jesus is for everyone or even most people. I think they even accept me for my more Spinozistic and/or post-modern view of the nature of God. And they accept that I have an unorthodox understanding of what salvation is.
Going back to church has made me want to get in contact with old friends from my evangelical era to see how and if they have grown. Most have grown a lot. Some have totally deconstructed. Some are on their way or at least open. One isn't, but he was the most toxic Christian from my evangelical days, so I suppose that I'm not that surprised. I had to tell him I couldn't be in his life when we espoused views like "I don't care about Christian abuses of power around the world."
It's my one friend who is on the edge of deconstructing that I have the most inner-conflict about. She's not sure if people like me and non-Christians go to hell or not. She's not sure if being in queer, sexually active relationships is sinful or not. I can tell she's stuck between her values of openness and kindness and her allegiance to the Bible as the word of God and a certain kind of Christianity that I have completely rejected. I'm trying to be open to her, but I also feel really protective of my queer friends and partner and my non-Christian friends, family, etc. She doesn't see how her inability to fully distinguish actually harmful things like adultery or murder from things like committed queer relationships is judgmental and hurtful. I'm trying to remain open to her while being protective of myself and others. That's the best I can do.
I guess I just want to say that this last little bit of confronting my evangelical past feels really good, like something has come full circle and in doing so is made whole.
I wish everyone luck in their continued healing from the poison that is "evangelical" Christianity. (Scare quotes because nothing could be further than it from good news.)

Reddit Post: "Unlocking the Mysteries of Credit Scores: What You Need to Know"
Are you constantly wondering how credit scores work and why they have such a huge impact on our financial lives? Look no further! In this post, we will demystify the enigma of credit scores, exploring everything from the factors that affect them to tips on how to improve them. So grab a cup of coffee and let's dive into the rabbit hole of credit scoring.
🎯Understanding the Basics
• Your credit score is a numerical representation of your creditworthiness, telling lenders how likely you are to repay borrowed money.
• Ranging from 300 to 850 (FICO score), a higher credit score signifies lower credit risk. Alternatively, a lower score indicates higher risk.
• Credit scores are influenced by five primary factors: payment history, credit utilization, length of credit history, credit mix, and new credit applications.
🔎Breaking Down the Factors

1. Payment History:
   
   • Arguably the most critical element, payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score.
   • Consistently paying bills on time builds trust and demonstrates responsible financial behavior.
2. Credit Utilization:
   
   • This factor encompasses the amount of available credit you're currently using.
   • Aim to keep your credit utilization below 30% to avoid negative impacts on your score.
3. Length of Credit History:
   
   • Showing how long you've had credit accounts, this factor constitutes 15% of your score.
   • A longer history reflects stability and is preferred by lenders.
4. Credit Mix:
   
   • Diversity matters! Combining different types of credit, such as credit cards, loans, and mortgages is more favorable.
   • However, don't rush to obtain unnecessary credit just to improve your score.
5. New Credit Applications:
   
   • Applying for multiple forms of credit in a short period may raise lenders' eyebrows.
   • Minimize new credit applications unless necessary.

📈Improving Your Credit Score
• Establishing good credit habits takes time and patience, but improvement is possible with the right strategies:

1. Pay On Time: Make all payments promptly and set reminders for due dates.
   
2. Reduce Debt: Trim down overall debt and aim for low credit utilization levels.
   
3. Monitor Credit Report: Regularly check for errors, and address them promptly if found.
   
4. Maintain Old Accounts: Closing old credit accounts may harm your credit history, so think twice!
   
5. Avoid Frequent Applications: Be selective when applying for new credit and avoid multiple applications at once.
   

🔒Conclusion
• Credit scores, though seemingly complex, play a vital role in our financial lives, impacting interest rates, loan approvals, and more.
• By understanding the factors affecting credit scores and employing healthy financial habits, you can strengthen your creditworthiness and align yourself for greater financial success.
So buckle up, take control of your credit future, and join the journey towards a higher credit score that opens doors you never thought possible.
Best of luck, fellow Redditors! Remember, your credit score is ultimately within your control. 🌟💼✨

So I've been dating this girl for 4 months and there was always this insecurity lingering behind my mind where i always feel like am not gonna preform good enough for her because of her past experiences, she has told me about her past experiences with men who "used" her but it never came to me to bother knowing the race of her exs or anything until i got to meet her little daughter who's 4 and she looked mixed so i was like "oh do u have any black lineage in your bloodline" and she just said no her baby daddy was a black man.
I slowly started asking her about the other exs that fucked her over and turns out mostly they're black, idk literally her curvix is 8 inches deep (she's 5ft) and the straw that broke the camels back is during our regular talk before meeting she said if she should bring magnum Condoms with her, i told her it wouldn't fit me and why she would ask that when she knows I'm average at best (6 inches) and she said that it's what her baby daddy used to use, i felt sick to my stomach and cancelled the session, i couldn't look at her or get aroused by her for 2 weeks after.
All tho we're sexually active now it feels like am despising her while we do the deed i say stuff like "who's 🐱 is this" and she seems to respond to that very well, it's a dirty phrase used in those adult bbc vids or i think by her exs too.
I used to see her as a girl sent by god for me to take care of a heal but now i just see her as a bbc hungry monster who was unresponsable and god knocked up by a deadbeat dude who she only left because he put her in a crippling debt because of a mustang car.
This is all and i hope none reads this i just wanted to vent.

Marvel's Midnight Suns is a card battling/SRPG/social-simulation game developed by Firaxis Games. Released in 2022, Midnight Suns asks us just how much tolerance do we really have for listening to super heroes gripe about doing chores.
We play as The Hunter, a resurrected hero of old brought back to face off against the evil forces of Hydra. Along the way we are joined by some of Marvel's most well known heroes from Spider-Man to Wolverine to Iron Man and more as we fight of the future of humanity.
Gameplay comes of two modes. Combat itself is a hybrid of X-com and deck builders where instead of having action points and abilities, you use ability cards to determine your moves each round. Between combat is a social simulation hub that you can wander around freely to interact with the various heroes to gain their trust, fine tune their decks and dress them up.
The Good
The combination of X-com and deck builder is a near orgasmic experience for me. What's really fun is that in addition to the card abilities, your hero can interact with set pieces on the battlefield to do bonus damage. Launch over a stack of pallets to smash an enemy from above, smack an enemy in the head with a trash can to knock them off the edge of the building and so on. It works so well and is stupidly addictive.
I thought I would hate the Persona 5-esque high school drama sections but after the initial cringe it starts to grow on you real quick. Even the campier things like Blade running a book club end up being hilarious. Listening to Tony Stark and Dr. Strange bicker like an old married couple or Spider-Man asking you to join him and play some video games become events to look forward to.
The Bad
You can't pause cutscenes. Seriously.
Also everything has an animation and it wastes time. Opening intel packages is a 7 second animation. Opening gamma charges is another ~15 seconds of animation. Between every combat mission you need to go to bed and wake up which consists of 3 animations that last 5 seconds each. And on and on and on. 25% of the game is waiting for menu options to animate.
The Ugly
There's a strong gacha game vibe to it thanks to multiple currencies, the 'loot crate' aspect of intel, arcane chests and gamma charges, the art style, the interface and so on. However...it's not a gacha game. So while it feels a bit dirty due to how reminiscent it is, it also makes me think about how much nicer games could be. It's a bit melancholy of a feeling really.
Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of X-com, you might hate this (but let's be honest they hate anything that isn't X-com 3). If you're a fan of card battlers, you might hate this. If you're a fan of Persona, you might hate this. If you're a Marvel fan, you might hate this. If you're a fan of X-com, card battlers, Persona and Marvel you will love this. If nothing else, this game made me want to watch the Blade movies again.
Interesting Game Facts
No game would be complete without nude mods. Yup. And you thought superhero costumes were already impractical. That being said, there are a number of mods that alleviate a lot of the grinding aspects. I would strongly recommend at least getting the one which shows you on the map where the damn cat is. You'll understand.
Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and experiences!
My other reviews on patient gaming

I need to get this off my chest, and maybe some of you know exactly how I feel right now. I am not desperate, but I do feel defeated. And yes, I have a therapist that I talk with, but I am just looking for some support from people who really understand. This is a little negative though (and perhaps dramatic), so fair warning.
Background: I was diagnosed in November at the age of 37 (mother of two young children) with a TNBC tumor in the breast (grade 3, 1.7 cm, ki67 30%) and an ER+, Her2 negative lymph node (grade 3, ki67% 35). We confirmed the status of the ER staining in a second laboratory and also confirmed that the tumors were genetically identical (so same original cells). The plan was to go forward with keytruda 522 (treat me for the tnbc) and so chemo was started (along with keytruda).
Once chemo had finished, I had surgery (a lumpectomy) followed by SNLB and TAD (they removed 5 nodes). Pathology report showed that I had a complete response in both the breast and the node(s). There was no more disease to be found.
This whole time I was focused on getting a pCR, because this has the best outcome for TNBC. But, I realize now, that ER+ is shit. And I am so sorry for the other ER+, HER2 neg. ladies out there. Even with my pCR, my miracle of a pCR, my recurrence rate remains the same: 20% or higher. Probably for the rest of my life. The relief of this outcome, which many TNBC ladies get to have, I don’t get to have.
On top of that, I will now be put on hormone blockers (ovarian suppression + letrozole). I am devastated that I will lose my youth essentially. And truthfully, for what? With my tumor stats, this medicine doesn’t do much but prolong the inevitable recurrence, I feel. So I’m just waiting, I guess.
I guess that I was in fight-mode for the last 7/8 months and now it’s all hitting me hard. I’ll never be done with this. The 5 year mark, which means so much for TNBC ladies, does not apply to me. I think it’s best for me to assume it will come back and be grateful for everyday that it doesn’t.

I'm going to speak my truth and just because you disagree does NOT mean I'm trolling. This is truly what I think and I'm free to think whatever I want to.
So...
Buckle up, Sonic fans, because it's time to face some hard truths. Sonic 06, the game everyone loves to hate, is LEAGUES better than that overhyped nostalgia bait, Sonic Mania. Yeah, I said it. Sonic 06 outshines Sonic Mania in ways you blind nostalgia junkies refuse to acknowledge. Here's why:

1. Ambition and Scope: Sonic 06 aimed HIGH. It wasn't afraid to push boundaries with its story, characters, and gameplay mechanics. While Sonic Mania is just a rehash of the old 2D games, Sonic 06 tried to innovate with a 3D world, a complex narrative, and multiple playable characters. Sure, it had glitches, but at least it dared to dream big. What did Mania give us? The same recycled levels we've played a thousand times before. Yawn.
   
2. Graphics and Design: The visuals in Sonic 06 were revolutionary for their time. The environments were vast and detailed, creating a truly immersive experience. Sonic Mania? Pixel art. It's 2024, people! We don't need another retro throwback. We need games that look forward, not backward.
   
3. Storyline: Sonic 06 offered a rich and intricate storyline that added depth to the Sonic universe. It wasn't just about running from left to right; it was an epic adventure with real stakes. Sonic Mania’s plot? Save some animals, defeat Dr. Robotnik, rinse, repeat. It's child's play compared to the mature and engaging narrative of Sonic 06.
   
4. Character Variety: Sonic 06 gave us multiple characters with unique abilities and storylines. Sonic Mania? A few extra characters that barely change the gameplay. In 06, every character had a purpose and added to the overall experience.
   
5. Soundtrack: The music in Sonic 06 was nothing short of phenomenal. Each track was epic, memorable, and perfectly suited to the grandiose nature of the game. Sonic Mania’s soundtrack? Catchy, sure, but it's just a remix of what we've already heard. It's not original; it's just recycled nostalgia.
   
6. Replay Value: Sonic 06 offers a diverse range of experiences with its various characters and storylines. The glitches and challenges add to the charm and make it a unique experience every time. Sonic Mania, on the other hand, is just the same old grind. Once you’ve played through it, there’s nothing new or exciting to come back to.
   

So, there you have it. Sonic 06 is an underrated gem that dared to push the franchise forward, while Sonic Mania is just a lazy attempt to cash in on nostalgia. It's time to stop living in the past and recognize the true greatness of Sonic 06. Hate all you want, but deep down, you know I’m right.

Hurrah some free time! If I don't release this chapter now I'm forever going to be fiddling with it and getting nothing else done.
As ever thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for allowing us into his world and I hope you enjoy.
Just one more cycle.
This was all the controller could think of as he paced back and forth in his home office. In the near future he would be a controller with twenty five cycles service, with it the very nice pension package it received. He knew that anything not safety related would move slowly among the halls of bureaucracy when it came to relocations, but didn’t relish the thought of leaving the pension to chance.
Is it time to call in some favours? Those bastards owe me for not giving names back then, this is the least they can do!
If this idea worked he would need to spread rumours of Werna possibly being saved, the last thing he wanted would be to lose any islanders, a.k.a. sources of income, before he could leave on his own terms.
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Two brothers relaxed in a swanky mainland bar after a long day in the office. As time passed Drax’s increasing intoxication loosened his tongue while the younger questioned his sanity.
“Drax have you finally lost it?”
“What? I think this will do her some good, make her realise there is more to life than Werna. Denkin even the old man wants her off the rock.”
“But you're talking about a human. A H.U.M.A.N! You seen what they did to the gojids.”
“Eh those spiky bastards deserved it. How would you react if someone was planning on glassing you?”
“That’s not the point!”
“Relax! Besides, what's the worst that can happen?”
“This harebrained scheme fails and we all get taken away for predator disease?! You just said this isn't through official routes!”
The elder brother sighed, he was never going to hear the end of this unless he came clean to his younger sibling. “Okay I will level with you. You know how I had to beg the office president to get you on as an apprentice? Well she’s calling in the favour.”
“What's that got to do with this and the humans?”
“Well she has a friend on Venlil Prime who’s in the human exchange program, long story short they know of a weird human who is into old stuff and wanted to introduce him to someone like minded... somehow Elna was mentioned.”
“Why not ask dad?”
“You know he would use the pad once, decide it’s too complicated and relegate it to the back of a drawer.”
“I still don't like it.”
“Look it’s not like I can say no. From what I gather the fast network link her venlil friend set up costs more than our salaries combined.” A deep draw of the potent drink and tail swish later he continued “What would it be like to earn that sort of credits… now stop worrying, if this all goes tail up we can pin it on that witch of a president.”
Drax downed his remaining Tailspin before ordering another while Dren pondered how screwed they were.
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It was unusual for Drax to come to the island by himself, even more unusual when he requested to meet Elna alone in the family's regular pub The Miners. While waiting for lunch to arrive the elder sister wondered what was going on.
“Drax… this must have cost a fortune. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the holopad but why would I need one? Wouldn’t it serve you or Dren better?”
Drax’s tail swished in fake annoyance, “Can’t I bring my sister a gift without being questioned? Well I thought you could learn a lot of things from it that you can’t find here... for example did you hear about the humans? Some keep to old traditions and value history, isn't that fascinating?”
His left whiskers tremor was as good an indicator that he was up to something without everything else ringing alarm bells. The noise of Elna’s tail smacking the flagstone floor made him wince.
“What is this really about? I promise I won't get mad but I WILL get angry if you don't tell me.”
“You promise?”
“SPILL IT!”
“I promised the office president you would talk to a human.”
A few seconds passed for her to process the information before “HOW COULD YOU!” echoed around the small pub. Nobody paid attention to the pair, these two arguing was once a common sight.
“I owed her for taking Dren as an apprentice.”
“BUT WHY ME?!”
“...She knows your interests and thinks you could both get along. Look, it was hard enough to get Dren employed and I don't want to give her an excuse to demote me or remove him.”
It didn't take a genius to see how angry Elna was, her tail rhythmically slapping the floor while ears twitched erratically. Dren thanked Ralchi that the food arrived before she had a chance to formulate a reply.
The meal was in an uncomfortable silence though she visibly calmed down mid way through, by the time they finished her tail had become stationary.
“Is it possible for Dren to be let go if I don't do this?”
“I don't want to risk it. It doesn't help that performance reports are coming soon, you know he isn't the quickest learner.”
A loud huff followed. She knew how hard it was for islanders to get a job on the mainland let alone Dren, together with how proud dad was to have both sons in the government even if it was the lowest office.
“How am I supposed to contact this human? And how long for?”
“So you will do it?”
“ANSWER THE QUESTIONS!”
“It's all on the pad, just click on the icon Chat and follow the prompts. As far as I'm concerned this is just an experiment she thought up. Send a few messages, say you got scared by the predator and that should appease her.”
“I must be mad to even consider this.”
“Thanks sis! I owe you one!”
“Let’s get one thing clear: this is for Dren and the old man. Promise me you won't tell them or anyone... Now get me a Yipper, I need a stiff drink after this.”
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Away from prying eyes Elna sat in her room with the holopad in hand, staring at its screen and debating if she was really going to do this.
Welcome to chat! All messages will be displayed below. Remember to follow the rules or your account may be deleted. Now let's start making friends! For the first step introduce yourself.
onewernayotul: Hi, my name is Elna and I'm a yotul from the planet Leirn. I live on a little remote island named Werna. I hope we can get to know each other.
She felt stupid, the entire thing was stupid in her eyes. The last time she had interacted with anyone that wasn't face to face was as a joey with a penfriend, as a result this all felt foreign to her.
“Elna get your father in! Dinners ready.”
Sharnas bark jolted her back into reality and in the process the send icon had been tapped.
Sigh, well the die has been cast. May Ralchi have mercy on me.
The holopad pinging in the early hours awoke her, picking it up the screen displayed a cheerful text:
Your new friend has replied! You have a new message from westcountryboy. It took more than a few moments before she could summon the courage to view the message.
westcountryboy: Greetings Elna! The name is Damian Andrew Jones, though please just call me Damian.
I hail from the planet Earth, or more precisely an island named Great Britain. I don't have a context for size compared to your own but you are never more than 113Km from the sea (see attached files for Earth's units of measurement and a few satellite images). If you have any images of Werna or Leirn I would be thrilled to see them.
So you know this is all new to me so please have patience (I presume I attached the files correctly). I got a pad thrust at me from my friend with the instructions to chat... pardon the pun but this entire thing is alien to me, and I'm not one for words at the best of times.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Damian
She stared at the message for some time. Nothing so far screamed scary predator, only the human apparently having three names and the style of his writing stood out, the latter bringing back memories of the penfriend. The images though... She sat and looked at them for a great deal of time while thinking you have a beautiful planet. Now the problem was if she should carry on with the exchange, eventually deciding she needed to ask Relka for his opinions on the predators before proceeding further.
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Relka sat in Werna’s last remaining tea room while Elna asked him a multitude of questions revolving around the latest predators. This should have been a pleasant experience for the old exterminator, few would ever ask for his opinions let alone treating him to a pot of ginna and confections, but on this occasion it was leaving him irritated.
“You know this could be the grounds for a case against you?”
“I know… but I trust you, besides we both know dad would pitch you off a cliff if that happened.”
He sighed and rubbed his beak in frustration, Denna was his best friend but was equally aware nothing would stop his wrath if anything happened to his daughter, said daughter now flicking her ears indicating you know I'm right.
“As far as i can see you have as much information as I do. The guild obviously wants them destroyed… but the empathy tests don't lie. Personally I would like more information before coming to a conclusion.”
“So if someone could be in remote contact with one you wouldn't be against it… …for research purposes you understand?”
“Only if it was through official routes and through certified exterminators like myself. Remember predator lies and deception? We still don’t know enough to trust them. Now may I get a question in? What brought all this about?”
“My brothers were talking about them last time they were over. I’m just curious.”
Relka issued another sigh, he known Elna long enough to understand her ear tremor was indicating the statement wasn’t entirely true.
“I’m not going to pry, but promise me you joeys stay safe okay?”
“Don’t worry, and we aren’t joeys anymore.”
“You all look like joeys when you get to my age.”
While enjoying another sip of ginna the old bird pondered if he behaved the same in his youth.
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As exchanges passed Elna began to feel comfortable with talking to the human, both learning about each other's respective race and history. Something that took her by surprise was how she looked forward to his messages, almost as if these were an escape from the world surrounding her. Sometimes negative thoughts would override, especially if it was to do with her stature. One evening she finally spoke about it.
onewernayotul: I know this is sudden but I feel guilty about not showing you who I really am. Would it be alright if I send you a picture?
westcountryboy: Why would you feel guilty about that? Is everything okay? Are you okay?
onewernayotul: I didn't mean to worry you, it's just that I have down days at times, usually after some nasty comment. You know my traits were a positive thing before the federation? Now they think it makes me a primitive among primitives, some mainlanders have even gone as far as calling me defective. I know I should ignore it but it does get to me at times.
Is a cuddle and a few nice words from someone who doesn't see me as a primitive, defective or only as a joey maker so much to ask?
westcountryboy: Elna send me the picture. Okay my human biases might skew things but it pisses me off that sort of shit happens on your planet too.
You are not primitive or defective, you are not alone.
Remember you have yet to see me, I’m supposed to be the scary one.
onewernayotul: I have attached one to this message. Please give me your honest thoughts. PLEASE.
I just want the honest truth.
westcountryboy: Please remember you asked for my human reactions so I plead ignorance if I'm breaking some sort of taboo or sound weird...
First thought: How cute, especially that white marking around your chest.
Second thought: Your eyes are striking (in a good way)! I do have a soft spot for green hazel eyes so make of that as you will.
Third thought: Bloody hell I bet that tail could do some damage.
Fourth thought: I wonder how soft your fur is?
It feels somehow wrong for me to write all this but in summary: Would happily cuddle.
This was not the expected response, it took her some time to process this information.
onewernayotul: Why would saying that feel wrong, or is this some human thing I'm not aware of? This might sound sad but knowing you would cuddle me has made me happy. Thank you.
Would it be possible to have a picture of you? I would like to see the man behind the kind words. Oh and no face coverings! I'm not a woolly head or joey.
Westcountryboy: About that... it's more down to an internal conflict for why it felt wrong to write... I don't even know how to put it into words but keep in mind humanity has only just discovered other sapients exist. Before you think anything different I stand by the cuddles.
Do not think that, it is not sad for you to be happy.
As requested see the attached files. Note: May contain pictures of a defective human. Do not look past picture four if you find me repulsive!
Again Elna If you ever need to talk about anything I'm here okay? I don't care what it's about, just promise me you will talk.
Tentatively touching the files brought up the first, A side profile of Damian looking over the bow of a ship. One furless hand holding down a head covering that was apparently trying to escape, under it his brown hair could be seen. Is he trying not to scare me by not showing his face?
The second was of him focusing down at some piece of machinery, his steel grey eyes now evident but somehow not triggering any fear response, in fact the patches of oil and grease stuck on his face made it a comical sight.
The third was in the same location but evidently some time later. A smoke haze surrounded him while he held up a glass of liquid, apparently celebrating whatever had been achieved. Notably not a spot of white skin could be seen under the layer of filth that now covered him, the only things spared of the grime were those grey eyes and white teeth. Still no fear response, she was starting to wonder if she really was defective until a more positive thought crossed her mind: Dad would love to see this.
The fourth was him standing in a vibrant green field, behind him a small stone building no different from those on Werna and in the distance a wide body of water could be seen. This was the first picture of him directly facing the camera but again no fear felt, only curiosity.
The fifth... well it took a few seconds to process what she was looking at. In his arms was something that looked almost like a yotul... but wasn't. A large stuffed toy? The pads visual translator picked out some words at the top of the image: Free virtual cuddles now available to a select yotul, enquire today!
It clicked what he was implying, with it setting free some tears.
onewernayotul: I can see why the venlil sided with your kind. I need a cuddle.
westcountryboy: Enjoy.
The attached picture was of him lying on a bed with the not yotul held against his chest.
onewernayotul: Thank you, this means more than you could imagine.
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Today was business as usual in the old workshop, Denna repairing an axe for one of the farmers while at the same time keeping out of the house. Chaos rained last time he looked inside, his sons had come for the weekend together with the eldest grandjoey, the latter running amok after consuming too much fruit juice. As his mind drifted around the grandjoeys it dawned on him Enla had become much happier in the days of late... and pondered maybe she had found someone to take as a mate. Bah, don't get your hopes up, denkin will warm up before that happens.
“Granpaw! Granpaw! Are these the things you used to use!?”
A little ball of fluff had barrelled her way into the workshop, his eldest grandjoey seemingly enamoured with whatever was on Enlas holopad. “Come now, Enla isn't going to be pleased if you run off with her pad. Now what is it you want to show...”
The sight on the pad stopped him dead, on the screen was a picture of a winding engine not dissimilar to the one he used to be in charge of, its paint shining and brass work gleaming. Was this from a new race that had just been discovered? If so he wanted to see them before the inevitable removal of history.
A voice boomed from outside, “Tana! Tana! Where the denkin are you!?” moments later the workshop door swung open, followed by the owner of the voice looking down at the object of her ire.
“Tana! What have I told you about taking my pad!” A brief pause and look of concern followed. “Dad... are you alright?”
Denna hadn't realised tears had formed. “...Yes, I think so. Tell me, what do you know about this?” Gesturing at the image gained a brief moment of shock followed by a slow tail wag.
“Ah... I see. You best put your tools down and follow me into the house, I will explain to everyone at the same time.”
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This wasn't as Elna had planned for the revelation of human contact, standing in the middle of the living room she tried to work out what to say as everyone looked on expecting answers, Dren however broke the silence.
“Please tell me this isn't about your human?”
Drax lighlty smacked his younger brother in annoyance... this wasn't something he should let on knowing about.
“What! What did I say?”
“...Yes it's about that. Mum, Dad, I'm in talks with a human. His name is Damian and seems to be a decent man regardless of what the federation may say.”
A brief silence was quickly replaced by happy tail sways and laughter from Denna, this earning a tail slap from Sharna.
“What's so funny dear?”
“I'm just relieved, I thought she was going to say she was seeing a fed.”
This earned him another tail slap, this time from Elna, “How dare you think I could do such a thing!”
“I'm joking... but I'm glad to see you're broadening horizons.”
Sharna ear flicked along in agreement, “Whatever makes you happy.”
Dren, confused at how easily his parents took the information, decided to chime in “How can you two be so calm about this? Don't forget humans are predators.”
“And? I trust her judgement. Remember we had pet predators before the feds arrived.”
“Dad are you really comparing Damian to a pet?”
Before Denna could respond Drax sensed a chance to wind up his sister, “Don't worry, I won't question what you are into.”
Elna very nearly swore, only the presence of her niece and Denna asking the question that started this chain of events prevented it.
“So how does this human relate to this image on your pad?”
“Damian loves all things old. What you saw is one of Earth's old engines, he sent me the pictures after hearing about you and wondered how close they were.”
This confused him, humans were the only other species to have independently created faster than light travel, how could they keep such a relic of the past? The federation damn well wanted all “old” tech disposed of. Then it hit him: Are these only the records of humans' early technology? His ears and tail drooped at the realisation.
“Dad, what's wrong?”
“Tell him yes, that engine didn't look much different to the one I used to operate... I'm surprised you can't remember it. I wish I could have seen one before they got disposed of but tell him I'm happy they at least kept records of them.”
“I can remember it well enough dad, how do you think we both came up with that picture? I think he said there are many examples of all shapes, sizes and types preserved. Here let me show you some more.”
Pressing the holopad into his hands the old yotul silently looked on as the device scrolled through a variety of machines. Dren unfortunately drew parallels between this and his niece's earlier antics, ``Huh, I never would have thought the pad would quiet him down like it does on Tana.”
“SO YOU ARE THE ONE WHO GAVE HER MY PAD!”
The siblings started to bicker back and forth about the use of someone's personal device without the owner's consent while Denna marvelled at the humans' machines.
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onewernayotul: My Damian.
I hope your work hasn't been stressful, I still haven’t understood how you humans can work like you do. I had a notification saying it's now possible to send short videos. Here are a few clips of my family and Werna in general, I hope you enjoy them.
Also can I have another cuddle? I don't want to keep asking you for this but the uncertainty about moving is starting to get to me. I have heard some people saying that it’s not happening now but my brothers say differently. Also Dad has been itching to get his paws on the pad to see what else he can find about your country and machines, denkin it's all starting to drive me spare.
Your yotul Elna
westcountryboy: My Elna
Thank you for the support, as we humans say “Same shit different day.”
I just received that notification, it's great news, I can spam funny clips to you now!
Seriously though many people would envy a family like yours, I can tell how close you all are.
Werna looks lovely, I still can't work out the government's thought process? I can see from a production standpoint but surely tourism could replace it? I can certainly see why you refuse to live on the mainland, I could only dream of living in such a place. Before you ask, we do have places like that, but no mere worker like myself could ever afford a house in a place with such charming buildings or location (see attached files of Porthdinllaen and The Isle Of Man).
Consider yourself cuddled. Out of interest, what is this “denkin” you refer to? The translator brings up “archaic religious term” each time I see it.
I have attached some videos of my family from last summers get together. I will get some decent ones when I go down to see them next (I can't stand video calls for these types of things). I have attached a couple of local museum exhibits to appease your old man's curiosity for the time being... but for the love of god do not open the last one in front of anyone else... It is for you only! I have a reputation of a terrifying predator to uphold.
Your defective human Damian
After being told about the pet incident Damian had started signing off as “your human” and putting silly or daft things as the last attachment, so she was expecting something odd... but not what was to come. As the video started to play the not-yotul was perched on the corner of his bed, shortly followed by Damian sitting by its side.
“You looked stressed, rough day?”
He manipulated the stuffed toys head to do a bob.
“I see. Do you want to talk about it?”
A few moments passed in silence.
“You know a problem shared is a problem halved.”
Now he stared down at the toy as if expecting it to speak back. After a few more moments of silence he continued “The silent treatment doesn't help anyone Elna... but I can still help you even if you don't want to talk.”
Picking up the toy and gently cradling it he continued “Please never be scared to speak, never be afraid to ask me things.”
As he stroked the back of its head Elna started to envy the toy.
“One thing you should know is that this doesn't only help you, it helps me too, do you want to know why?”
Again another head bob.
“You make me feel as though the universe isn't against us humans.”
He looked down at the toy, moving its head as if to meet his gaze.
“From what I can see every other race seems to be wanting us dead and the ones that aren't are scared of our appearance... From the outset you just treated me as a person.”
The toy shifted making it look as though it cocked its head.
“I'm sorry for unloading all this but I just wanted you to understand that you will never be a bother to me... I'm sorry for troubling you. Good night Elna.”
She played the short message back time and time again, dumbfounded he had been carrying such worries.
onewernayotul: My Damian
Don't ever think that you are troubling me by telling me these things, I do not want to think that you are suffering in silence. If it's any solace you have two of us on your side, I'm sure the rest of the people would be the same if they actually gave your kind a chance. You know dad hasn't shut up about those museums after seeing the pictures, if funds and politics allowed it I'm sure he would be finding a way to Earth to make a nuisance of himself.
Your family gathering looks no different to ours, you all look so happy. It really reinforces the stupidity of the people who hate...who could see that and think ill of your kind? I hope one day I could see them in person.
I’m very happy to hear you like this island, both me and dad still can’t believe you have places like Werna let alone they are desirable to that extent. I can’t see tourism being a thing here, understand the people lucky enough to have credits and time to spare wouldn't waste them by visiting something that reminds them of work or the past, for example our controller visited the mainland's latest city Lengu last cycle, but from what my brothers have said it's a place full of sin.
Speaking of sin please don't think of us yotuls as backward for what I'm going to say: Denkin is a common euphemism among us islanders to highlight or exaggerate something, for example “Denkin look at the rain!” or “What the denkin have the farmers been doing?” Religiously denkin was the subterranean place evil doers and others were supposed to go in the afterlife. If you do good deeds in life you will find Ralchi's warm loving embrace. If you sin and do bad things you find yourself in the ice cold depths of denkin to be tormented by the ice maidens for eternity... These are the twins that guard this frozen realm.
I wish I could be in person to comfort you but I hope the attached video will go some way to help, and yes I did make it.
Always remember you are not alone.
Your yotul Elna
Damian was wondering what she had in store, clicking on the file soon brought a smile. Elna was sitting in a rustic chair with a human shaped rag doll in arms. “I'm here if you ever need a chat, a cuddle and nuzzle.” She then gave the doll a nuzzle before breaking out in laughter “Is this a human power, getting me to behave like a joey?” After some more giggling she calmed herself down.
"Please have faith in us, if nothing else have faith in me.”
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Elna was greeted by a small ball of fluff upon arriving home from helping the farmers, her niece having been left with the folks to joeysit earlier that day.
“Aunty, where can I get a cuddle toy like your humans?”
Elnas hart sank, “Tana... how did you find out about that?”
“Granpaw found a video while playing with your pad.”
Rushing to the living room her worst fears were confirmed as both Sharna and Denna looked on at Damian's various videos.
“Why?! My pad is private!”
Ignoring the protest Sharna retorted “Who would have thought his kind could think like this.”
“Mother he is a person!”
“Elna he is an alien predator... and I'm not happy at how close you both are getting. I think you should stop this foolishness and find a real mate.”
“But mother, he actually listens to me!”
“We don't take mates because they listen!”
Denna looked very annoyed by this, and after a few moments he vocalised his thoughts, “How can you say that! Remind me again how many times you called me emotionally stunted and yet you say this?!”
Before anyone could interject he continued “You have seen how happy she has been lately, you have seen how he has been listening to my requests and acting upon them, don't deny it you have seen all the messages!”
“Dear I didn't...”
“Has he made derogatory remarks? Has he classed us as primitives? Has he dismissed our history?”
“But he...”
“No he hasn't! For Ralchi's sake he is more concerned over her well-being than all her previous potential mates combined, and those were the ones you were pushing her to get with!”
“But he’s a human! Any of those men would have given her a secure future!”
“Again how can you say that? You of all people know how that would have ended…” The sound of sniffling from the doorway stopped Denna from continuing.
“Why is nana and grandpaw shouting?”
Elna promptly scooped up her upset niece “It’s nothing for you to worry over, they can be like this when passionate over something. Say let's go and get some treats from Skenns shop? How does that sound?”
A sniffly “uh huh” set the pair out of the room, Elna pondering on the walk how best to chastise her parents and if it could wait until the weekend, at which time Tana would be off island and safe from the inevitable bad words.
xxxxxxxxx
The lack of communication from Damian in the following days set Elna on edge. Initially she wondered if Denna had messed up a setting while playing with the pad, followed by wondering if the human had had enough of talking to her... But when the news of the krakotl alliance fleet heading for earth was released she very nearly broke down.
A ping resonated through the stone house in the early hours, Elna initially overjoyed after seeing the notification:
westcountryboy has sent an audio file: Open Y/N
She couldn’t open the file quick enough.
“It's all going to hell down here! They say I'm eligible for refugee status as I got you as an off world contact... but I don't know if I’m going to make it out, everywhere is bedlam! I'm trying to get to an off-world pick up point now... the folks don't want to leave and reckon they will be fine out in the sticks, I pray I can see them again. If this all goes wrong I will definitely find you on the other side, hell or ice maidens be damned! If you don’t hear from me again please stay safe and have a good life regardless where you wind up… remember you deserve to be happy!” A couple of strange noises played out followed by a muffled “For fu…” before the audio cut.
Her cries echoed throughout the house and continued into the daybreak.

So the break is killing me... she/we have gone no contact each other however I'm not blocked.
Notes:

1. She thinks I'm too good for her. Out of fear for months she would say that I would be happier with somebody that isn't as damaged as her. (she is really damaged by her ex husband that has passed).
2. She has said that I'm the only person in her life that has gotten to know her for her and not for what she looks like. It makes her feel safe.
3. She cries often when we are together wishing we meet sooner because we would've had 4 kids, big house, and she wouldn't be damaged.
4. Because she is avoidant we were exclusive (but no BF/GF title) but we had a huge blowout argument and she had basically told me off as if it was the final fuck you. Then I wrote her a long text apologizing for my shittiness and that I love her and want to make this work. Her response basically reiterated the phone call a few day prior. Here is where I fucked up boys...
5. For months now she had been saying I need to talk to other girls, go on the apps because she wasn't right for me (even though we spent most our time together and did BF/GF shit without the label). Avoidant behavior 101 before I knew what it was. So I hopped on an app just to talk to somebody out of despair and get a no-shit I really want this women in my life vibe and I did.
6. I matched with one of her friends on the first and only before deleting it... FML word got back to her of course. It was confusing because she reached out to me immediately reacting like she loved me still and not like she had been pushing me away the past few months. She had created an account herself to try and match with me on the app that day as well.
7. Anyways, so I wound up coming over to her place that night and we talked things out, wound up hooking up and I spent the night at her place. We talked, I told her that I love her and that I was sorry... Mind you this entire time when she was trying to push me away I was iron clad faithful to her, never talked to anybody else. I always focused my love on her when we were together and let her hurtful comments to reach out to other women roll off my shoulders. I digress - we spent the next two days together and it was awesome.
8. The last day she said she needed a few days to think (7 to be exact). This was the day she was going back to work with the friend that saw me on the dating app. So I knew her friend camp that was my most staunch supporters would now be my biggest opposition moving forward. Also, I asked her to get off the app and she said no for a few reasons. I hurt her even though she wanted me to move on and wouldn't tell me she loved me. Second, I think she's trying to save face with her friends as to not seem like a pushover by getting off the app for an ex that jumped on one..
9. I love her... I'm 40 and there isn't anybody else in my long life that I've felt this way about. Not even my ex wife. I want her in my life and the few hrs I was on the app proved more that she was the one I wanted to be my person.

Anyways - were into a week of no contact and I'm new at this thing. I've working on self improvements and becoming a better person. Do I want her back? God yes.
Question to the community - how has no contact/radio silence worked for you? Has it helped you attract your partner back and if so how long did it take?

A couple of things before we get into it, I think what CA meant by they want to reduce the scope of the DLC is focusing on the land mass regions, I think the 'Leaks' are a mix of what CA is planning moving forward, so with that, I think the DLC will follow:

• Lords of Shang-Yang:
• Orge Kingdoms - Kingdoms of Ind - Cathay
• Golfag Maneater - Batsheva - Sun Wukong (Monkey King)
• FLC: Li Dao (Fire Dragon)

Kingdoms of Ind (Batsheva): This is the start of CA putting Ind into the game but it is part of Cathay for the time being. Also the Price of 'Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs' is the same as 'Thrones of Decay/ Shadows of Change' over 3 factions (if that makes sense) so by CA adding Kingdoms of Ind slowly means more content for the game.

• 100th Lord: Bugman's Lament
• Dwarfs - Greenskins
• Josef Bugman - Git Guzzler
• Dwarfs Legendary Hero's*:* Bazrak Bolgan, Skeggi Threkkson, Grim “Dead Eye” Grunnson, Kap'n Skabend, Durzak Dragonback
• Greenskins Legendary Hero's: Grotsnag, Grabnatz Sourbelly, Slygit, Gulag the Orc
• Units Dwarfs*:* Ol' Deadeyes (Dwarf Seadogs), Bugman's Cart (Fire Thrower), Mountain Rangers and Brewmaster for a hero
• Units Greenskins: Fungas Loons, Gobin Spear Chukka, Hill Goblins and half the missing hero and lords with the other half getting added in with the other Greenskins DLC

Race Pack: Dogs of War:

• Borgio the Besieger - Lucrezzia Belladonnia - Marco Colombo
• FLC: Great-King-Lord Bezer (Ogre Kingdoms) + Add in Marius Leitdorf (The Empire)

Tribes of the North:

• Sayl the Faithless - Ghazak Khan - Teiyogtei Khagan - Adella of the Thousand Mouths
• With a new 3 Legendary Hero, 3 Lord, 3 Hero and new 10 units, (Chaos Dwarfs also get stuff too)
• FLC: Mòna Mimn/ Stürmjarl, Shaman Lord of Ejsgard

The Dragons Isles:

• Lizardmen - Cathay - High Elves
• Tetto'eko - Yin-Yin (Water Dragon) - Sealord Aislinn
• FLC: Althran Stormrider

The Spirits of Shanlin:

• Wood Elves - Slaanesh - Dark Elves
• Naieth the Prophetess - Masque of Slaanesh - Shadowblade
• FLC: Dechala the Denied One

Vampire Counts: Bloodlines

• Zacharias The Everliving (Necrarch) - Walach Harkon (Blood Dragons) - Vorag Bloodytooth (Strigoi) - Harakhte (Jade-Blooded) - Neferata (Lahmians)
• With a new 3 Legendary Hero, 2 Lord, 1 Hero and new 7 units,
• FLC: Dieter Helsnicht + add in The Red Duke

The Defense of Middenland:

• The Empire - Greenskins - Khorne
• Ar-Ulric Emil Valgeir - Gorbad Ironclaw - Arbaal the Undefeated
• FLC: Skarr Bloodwrath + Add in Boris Todbringer

Warriors of Chaos: Archaon's Lieutenants:

• Crom the Conqueror - Styrkaar of the Sortsvinaer - Haargroth the Blooded - Feytor the Tainted - Melekh the Changer
• With a new 1/2 Legendary Hero, 1 Lord, 1 Hero and new 7 units,
• FLC: Ungrol Four-Horn (Beastmen)

Thanquol's Cunning Plan:

• Bretonnia - Skaven - Tomb Kings
• Bertrand the Brigand - Grey Seer Thanquol - Sehenesmet
• FLC: Prince Tutankhamut + Prince Apophas (Hero)

Kislev, They will get a DLC at some point but I think it is most likely to be within these DLCs - they do need a rework.
The End Times: I hated the End Times with Warhammer back in the day - BUT - CA could do something cool with it, they have talked about doing an 'expansion pack'. The way I want to see this be implemented is by every faction getting a Legendary Lord, Legendary Hero + Lord/ Hero/ Units (3/4 of each, so like 1 Lord, 1 Hero and 1 Unit or mixed) and this would finish off each of the factions completely. Legendary Lords would include Valten, Nagash, Lord Skreech Verminking, Caradryan, and The Glottkin. I am sure GW have unleashed material for Slaanesh, and Tzeentch, and maybe for other factions too which would get pulled in here. CA could divide up this expansion.
Other possible DLC (following the same format as Lords of Shang-Yang DLC):

• Amazons (Lizardmen): Mother Samantha
• Halfings (Empire): Marius Leitdorf
• Snakemen of Khuresh (Part of Kingdoms of Ind) Serpent Queen
• Humans of Ind (Part of Kingdoms of Ind): Shrimant Rao + Monkey King of Ind
• Norse Dwarfs (Dwarfs): Thorgard Cromson + Sifna Throrindottir (Hero)

Unlikely Factions:

• Albion (Unlikely but units could be in Dogs of War)
• Deadfleet (Vampire Coast) (Unlikely but could be FLC content)
• Araby (Unlikely but units could be in Dogs of War)
• Nippon (Unlikely but units could be in Dogs of War)

What do you think? - I can do a follow-up post with a more detailed look at units and like if folk want that.
Thank you for reading!

So long story short, first SA showed 3 sperm after extensive search. We tried clomid/anastrozole every other day and after 10 weeks SA found 6 sperm. Prior to mediation my T was 500, FSH 13.2 LH 7.4. Doctor used the phrase pretty normal but slightly low for my age 26. The medication made every number skyrocket T 800 FSH 23, didn't test LH for some reason. Anyway from the previous results, wasn't much of a difference translated to sperm.
I saw a urologist specializing is vasectomy reversals. I was expecting a physical, ultrasound, urinalysis, and a lot of different things, but all he did was sit me down and say it is probably genetic and I should just move forward with IVF. I had to ask to have genetic testing done (they didn't even offer) and everything came back normal. They came back and said it's still probably genetic, but no capability currently to uncover the condition and give it a name.
I'm disappointed with what seems like their total lack of thoroughness. It's almost like I was being rushed out of there. Not sure if I'm feeling this way just because of the circumstances attached or if I should seek a second opinion.

Marvel and DC exist in a permanent state of trying to maintain the facade of the "world outside your window" where everyday life is pretty much the same as it is in the real world, including technology levels. However, at the same time they want heroes, villains, and the government to have access to cool sci-fi technology like flying cars, teleportation, healing pods, casual space travel, time travel, translation machines, Turing-complete AI, alternate energy sources, etc. etc.
So we end up in a situation where the heroes are seemingly hoarding all of this super advanced science and refusing to share it with the world. Reed Richards is infamous for this, with many many many attemps at justifying it that all make Reed look like an arrogant tool. Wakanda is also quite infamous with its refusal to share the cure for cancer because reasons. Tony Stark at least has the excuse that most of his technology could easily be weaponized and is thus very hesitant to share Iron Man tech with the world. And villains like Lex Luthor have no real incentive to try and share their technology and make the world a better place, and neither do most shadowy government organizations.
Krakoa broke the trend by sharing medications that prolong lifespans and cure some mental problems, but not only is that no longer a thing anymore, those are ailments that are conveniently invisible in most narratives and thus not the kind of thing that makes the world unrecognizable.
So how do you think writers should balance out their desire for a "world outside your window" with a desire to show cool sci-fi stuff?

Last played Quake when Dark Places first came out, maybe 20 years ago by now. Sheesh; time is a serious WTF. My son is 6 and I wanted to introduce him to the classics which never die.
I saw a Dark Places build that includes a host of hi-def patches and tweaks called "Quake HD Remix", and the screenshots were beautiful, so I chose that. The graphics do glitch quite a bit:

• When viewed from above, the water texture is glitched. When you go under water and then back out, the textures return to normal.
• Torch entities aren't occluded by walls; you can see torches through walls.
• Enemies are sometimes not occluded by walls. I think it's mostly zombies, but you can definitely see them through walls and around corners.

Still, the game looks so good, I decided we'll push on. However, we got to E2M6: The Dismal Oubliette, and I think we're stuck here.
https://i.imgur.com/2hiEr6T.png
I watched a video, and it looks like the back wall opens to reveal two voles when you finish killing all the enemies. Maybe you push on the wall, but I think it's just scripted when the enemies are all gone. For whatever reason, the wall isn't opening and we're stuck in that well.
I'm not sure if the game glitched or we're not doing something to make the wall open.
Any ideas on how to move forward?

More than 200 university staff have signed an open letter in support of student pro-Palestinian protesters.
The academics at Durham University have called on management to "constructively and substantively enter negotiations" with the students.
The protesters have set up an encampment on Palace Green and have been campaigning against the Israel-Gaza war since 10 May.
The university said it was in "regular dialogue" with the students and supported the right to "lawful protest and freedom of speech where it is done in a safe and respectful way".
The campaigners are calling for the university to disclose all investments, collaborations and partnerships from any firm or organisation "complicit in Israel’s violations of human rights and international law".
As of 23 May, 222 staff members had signed the letter.
Dr Philip Goff, who works in the university's philosophy department and is one of the academics who signed the letter, told the BBC that the demands of the students could help in part put pressure on British politicians to force Israel to end its settlements in Gaza.
"The demands of the protesters for the university to disclose investments from any organisation complicit in Israel’s violations of international law represent one small part of the pressure that needs to be applied," he said.

Campus protests

Pro-Palestinian protests have been happening at universities around the country.
Earlier this month, the leaders of 17 universities met the prime minister to discuss the protests and steps they should take to tackle antisemitism.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 33,000 people have been killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza, the majority of them civilians.
Israel rejects accusations that it is engaging in genocidal acts in Gaza, and has insisted it has the right to defend itself following the armed incursion by Hamas on 7 October.

'Open conversation'

Durham University pro-vice chancellor Dr Shaid Mahmood said: "We welcome the opportunity for continued, open conversation with all our students."
A spokesperson for the student protesters said they were "delighted" to see so many staff members back them.
"Our demands are fair and reasonable - and while we enter early discussions with the university, it reinforces the view that there is large support behind our encampment and demands," they said.
"We are looking forward to continuing discussions with the university and seeing our demands being met."
More than 200 university staff back pro-Palestine protesters - BBC News

ANALYSIS:

• On Monday Tuesday, I expect probably more choppiness until the Fed. We probably see a similar choppiness to on Friday last week, with oscillation around 5350. key levels are 5350 as the pivot. 5325 will be an area of support. Probably see oscillation in range of 5300-5400, but let's see. i will post levels more precisely daily during the week. Potential risks to that are a post NVDA stock split, but positioning for the market remains bullish for now.
• CPI - Now most of the data sources I am watching suggest that CPI probably comes in line or soft. But regardless, the main event will be the FOMC.
• Basically, volatility is in very steep contango. This means that vol sellers are sitting there absolutely ready to crush volatility down. This means that if Vol spikes after FOMC/CPI, probably we see a vix crush and we may see bears getting squeezed. This could make for a nice buy the dip.
• Market appears to be expecting a more dovish Powell from what I am reading.
• Possibly could be a non event, or a catalyst for a squeeze imo. Obviously if he comes super hawkish, I can be wrong, but the volatility set up does strike me as the fact that any sell off will be a nice buy the dip opporutnity.
• Personally, I expect him to say that they will bring inflation down, full commitment, remain month by month data driven approach. Will probably say that they are expecting inflation to be more difficult to get down than before, which can be enough to make the amrket drop initially, but I do think he will point to weakness in the labour market and suggest that they are monitoring it, and that if it gets weaker it can be reason to cut rates. This then could lead to the bears having to unwind positions, vix crush, and a squeeze higher.
• IF powell is dovish, IWM will probably be one of the trades to be in.

DAta lede:

• Japanese GDP price index comes 3.4% YOY vs forecast of 3.6%. Previous reading was 3.7%
• SO prices are lower than expected, not good for inflation hopes, so points to more dovish BOJ.
• GDP annualised growth was -1.8% vs -1.9% expected.
• So weak GDP, but slowed less than expected, which is good.
• No major economic data announcements today.

MARKETS:

• European markets lower after Macron calls snap election after losing EU election to far right counterpart.
• French market particularly is down 2%. French bond yields ar ehigher - sign of uncertainty, traders choosing to invest in safe bonds.
• GEr40 slightly lower, still holding the 18,400 level.
• SPX is flat - on Friday, after initial drop after Jobs numbers, to around 5325, it moved higher to 5375. Was chopping around the 5350 range, with bears trying to break below 5335 and bulls trying to get above 5375. Today we see more choppiness around this range.
• Nasdaq: Flat around 19,000. After jobs numbers on Friday, it dropped to 18,900, before recovery to 19,100. Fell to close around 19000, which is where it is trading now after dropping earlier in premarket.
• Dow Jones: on Friday, with the volatility after jobs numbers, it did jump above 39k momentarily, but then moved lower. Currently trading at 38,765, flat around there.
• UK100 green after drop below 8200.
• HKG50 closed today, sell off yesterday.

FX:

• EUR closed on Friday at 1.08 support. Today it gapped down and moved lwoer after more far right parties increased representation in EU election. Many major presidents like Germany’s and France’s lost their vote.
• Increased uncertainty, hence EURUSD lower.
• GBPUSD lower in sentiment with EURUSD.
• USD higher as a safe haven assets after far right parties advance in EU elections. When investors are not comfortable with something, they rotate into USD and that’s what we are seeing here.

MAG 7:

• NVDA - post stock split now. 10-1 stock split is in effect.
• MSFT - unveils all digital Xbox consoles and new Doom title at games showcase
• TSLA - Vote on Musk pay package this week. Norway’s wealth fund opposes Musk’s 456B Tesla Pay package. The fund is Tesla’s 8th largest shareholder. Will vote against.
• TSLA - Bernstein says that CEO’s pay package is unlikely to pass the shareholder vote.
• TSLA - Musk says that if any of his other companies goes public, they will prioritise other longtime shareholder of my other companies, including Tesla
• AAPL - WWDC event this week. Expected to deliver on AI anticipation.

OTHER COMPANIES:

• EV companies generally - Beijing will offer a subsidy of $1,380 to buyers of EVs for replacing petrol cars and the incentive scheme will be available until year end.
• CRWD - Joining SPX, replacing Robert Half, RHI. Hence positive tailwind
• GDDY - also joining SPX, replacing CMA
• KKR - Joining SPX, replacing ILMN.
• AMD - Morgan Stnaley downgraded to equal weight from overweight, with Pt of 176.
• Morgan Stnaley says they like the AMD story, but said investor expectations for AI business are too high. Said they see limited upward revision potential for AI. Said it looks expensive compared to NVDA.
• Morgan Stnaley say they are in favour of AVGO, as their 2nd best AI alternative to NVDA.
• LUV - will get push today as Elliott Management has built a nearly 2b$ stake in LUV. Plans to push for changes.
• WMT - JPM upgrades Walmart to overweight from neutral, raises Pt to 81 from 66. Believes WMT offers strong balance of defence and offence. Said soft consumer background, but still expects Walmart to achieve multi year double digit EPS growth due to market share gains.
• CVNA - JPM raises CVNA PT to 150 from 130, overweight rating. Said used car market seen partial recovery YtD, due to better affordability. Said company has superior execution compared to peers. Strong unit economics,
• ENPH - HSBC upgrades to buy from Hold, with PT of 166. Potential squeeze candidate and can see Enphase push up today.
• GD - Their land systems division is awarded a 2.56B Canadian logistics vehicle modernisation contract.
• GME up in premarket. Halted multiple times on Friday as Roaring Kitty did his livestream.
• MRNA’s combination covid, flu vaccine shows positive late stage trial data.
• DKNG - MS adds DraftKings to top picks list with overweight rating at 51 PT. Cited tax increases dont translate 1:! And shouldn’t be viewed as foregone conclusion.
• DNUT - higher after Truist raises to buy from Hold. Price target 15. We saw it pump after price target last week with JPM.But it faded the gains, lets see if it can hold this time.
• AVGO - price target by MS at 1658
• PLTR lower after failure to be included in SPX rebalancing.
• ADBE down as Melius downgrades amid generative AI concerns.
• OXY - Berkshire buys an additional 2.57 million shares in Occidental petroleum.

Other news:

• JPM and Citibank have scrapped their calls for a July rate cut after Friday’s jobs report.
• Populist far right parties have won record support in this year’s European Parliament elections.
• Far right ID party made big gains, right wing ECR party also saw votes increase.
• Center right EPP won the most seats, more than before. Von Der Leyen is president of EC and is an EPP member. Said their party is strongest in parliament.
• German Chancellor Scholz’s Social Democrats faced worst ever result on Sunday, falling 3rd place behind far right alternative for Germany.
• Germany say they are not contemplating a snap election as a result of EU election outcome. Pressure is however growing on Germany’s Scholz after the election drubbing by the far right.
• Macron renaissance party suffered heavy defeat to Le PEn’s far right National Raly, which is part of ID. Rival won 2 times the votes that Macron won.
• Macron takes “huge political gamble” and calls for snap election that his rival has every chance to win.
• As a result, French markets lower and bond yields up.
• The fact that more right wing in EU is important as can make it more difficult to pass EU legislation on issues ranging from climate and immigration to industrial strategy.
• ECB’s Nagel says its not yet the right moment for full rate reduction. Said they still need to be cautious on future moves. hawkish.
• ECB’s Kazmir: Its a non negligible risk of resurfacing price pressures. Disinflation will be bumpy. Said we shouldn’t rush into rate cut again and should sit out this summer.
• These comments go to reinforce that it was a hawkish rate cut last week.
• US lawmakers are trying to add chinese battery firms like CATL and Gotion to import ban list. Allegations claim supply chains use forced labour etc.
• Blackrock slashes Byju’s valuation to zero amid financial struggles. This company is an Indian company, once valued at 22B, now considered worthless by Blackrock.
• Toyota lost over $15B in market value last week after being caught falsifying tests.
• World gold council says that Gold is getting harder to mine as miners are struggling to excavate more. This isn’t a particularly pressing catalyst but in long term gold supply shortage is bullish for the commodity.
• Japan are trying to push up their birth rates and are therefore promoting dating apps.
• Modi sworn in for 3rd time as India pm.
• Bloomberg says that Japan likely financed most of its recent record currency market intervention by selling securities including Treasuries, says Bloomberg.