It's been almost 10 years since my father passed, but he told me about an experience he had when he was a child several times. He was very sceptical about the paranoia and he never could reconcile his experience with to his beliefs.
My father and his parents lived in the same house with his grandparents. My father was a tinkerer and enjoyed playing with his grandfather's tools, but his grandfather didn't appreciate his interest and always kicked him out of his workroom which was located in the basement of the house. He learned that his grandfather's tools were verboten.
His grandfather passed away when he was a young boy. Shortly after the funeral, my father ventured into his workroom. He didn't think anyone would stop him. My father told me that while he was playing with the tools, he heard his grandfathers voice say "I told you to stay away from my tools!" from upstairs. He was startled and quickly ran up the stairs. Throughout his life, my father never could understand what happened. He would tell me that the voice was very clear and loud and distinctly his grandfather.

This has been happening for a few months now, at night. Every. Single. Night. I hear heavy footsteps but they never come in my room. They never go in anyone else's room either. I don't think any of my family hears them cause they don't seem worried in the slightest.
They just seem to be coming from the living room even though we lock our house at night. It's driving me crazy. "Am I insane or is there something in my house that shouldn't be there?" I start thinking to myself. My family was going on a trip but I said I was feeling sick to stay home so I could solve this problem. Perfect opportunity .
What if I set up cameras in the living room?", I asked myself?. "I do have a camera to see my cats when I was not at home, so what if I just shift it in the hall?". "Lets do this then I guess. I won't be at peace till I see what it is".
I put the camera up and waited till night time. I sat in my room and locked the door. Waiting. Waiting. At about 2:30am I saw it. I saw them. They were children! There were two, a teen girl and a little boy. Except they had white eyes. No pupils, nothing. Just blank like a whiteboard. I covered my mouth to stop myself from screaming. I called my best friend up and told her to come to my place, very frantically.
She drowsily told me to call 911. I couldn't think of anything in that situation. I become blank due to the horror. I called 911 in a state of panic. But just as I dialed the number, the children looked up at the camera together, and just disappeared. I cut the call, utterly confused. I looked this up, if anyone else had a similar experience.
Turned out, they're called white eyed children and they're an omen of death. They appear in houses near woods. Right where I lived. Great. I didn't want anyone dying. I started bawling my eyes out, terrified.
How am I supposed to act like I don't know anything in front of my family members if someone passed away. I tried contacting them. But it was to late. My entire family, except me passed away in a car crash. My dad, mom, grandma and little sister suffered a traumatic death full of pain. There was no saving them. I shifted away from the woods the week after the accident to a city. I never want to go near a forest again.
This is the first time I told someone about this. I am posting this so you pray that you never meet the white eyed children. Stay as far away from forests as you can. They appear in houses near forests.Pray you never see them. Pray you never meet them. Consider this a warning. If you ever see white eyed children...death is just around the corner...waiting. Waiting for you...

Hello! Hopefully someone can help me out with a social situation I’m unsure how to navigate.
TLDR: I have a good friend who has a habit of praising me for very minor things, and it makes me uncomfortable and feels a little patronising, but I’m unsure how to tell him without hurting his feelings.
(And the longer, not TLDR version:) I’ll preface this by saying I’m not very socially adept so I fully accept I might be making more of this than I need to. Apologies if that is the case.
I have a friend who likes to praise me for very minor things. It happens a lot. I’m a crafty person, I enjoy working with my hands even if I’m not very good at it and I like to post about that online. Sometimes I post things that are low to average quality on my personal social media accounts just because it’s fun. Example situations might be if I decide to take up a new crafting hobby and talk about my very first attempt at it, or I post a low effort sketch of a raccoon because it made me laugh. They’re fairly normal things that can easily pass by without much comment - maybe a polite question about if I’m enjoying my new hobby, or a passing “cute raccoon” if you wanted to start a conversation about it. The problem is he‘ll react very strongly and make comments about these things being so amazing, telling me “well done” and that I’m doing so well, or him being so proud of me. I’m certain he doesn’t intend it to be patronising and it’s just meant to be a nice, encouraging thing, but the disconnect between the reaction and the thing being reacted to throws me off. It is also starting to make the reactions to times when I do share something I’ve put effort into feel insincere in comparison now.
I have a history of people treating me in condescending or patronising ways, so my sensitivity to things like this is probably a little on the higher end. I fully accept this. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still bother me. The issue is he’s also quite a sensitive person, and since he’s definitely only meaning to be nice I don’t know how to bring this up without hurting his feelings. “Stop being overly nice when I post mediocre things” only makes me sound petty. But it’s reached a point where when he does this I either have to ignore it entirely and just act as if he hasn’t said anything which comes across as rude, or just close our chat window and take a moment away because it bothers me.
Again, I’m not very socially adept so apologies if this is a silly thing to be asking advice on, but I’d really appreciate if anyone could help me find a way to let him know it bothers me while also not hurting his feelings and acknowledging I know he’s only trying to be nice.

Hi reddit. I will try to keep it short but it doesn't go like that. I lied.
I can't really talk to my friends about this honestly because I'm ashamed of all this and I'm depressed as fuck so I need to let this go as it's starting to affect my every day relationships with friends and family, I'm drained and tired idk, maybe this helps.
Exactly half a year ago I was sad about my life. I have a decent job, it's not perfect regarding pay but everything else is pretty much great. I have lots of spare time if I organize correctly, let's say. The pay isn't anything wow, but it's a bit above average I'd say and in my current situation I get to spend it on basically whatever I want. So it's not the job.
My friends are great, but we are all collectively challenged. We are really bonded well, we live in a same town, but we almost never go out. If it's going out it's going to another friend's place to play some poker and that's about it. We spend about 95% time playing games on Discord and the sad part is I'm not really into fps and not many new games impress me (unlike them) so I'm left with one or two friends and I depend on playing with them, if they're online. Lately they really aren't, one found a job and the other one doesn't have one so he wakes up at like 2AM or random times and goes to sleep when he wants to. Most of us smoke weed, including me. Usually daily. I'd say we're all pretty functional though, we all have jobs and do all our daily obligations but I personally don't remember a day when I didn't smoke a bit unless I was out or if I was on tolerance break (I thought it was actual break but that's what I consider it now haha).
I realized it must be love I'm looking for and since I don't go out often and the city I live in is relatively shitty regarding night life. I decided let's try Badoo and Tinder. Also, my seduction skills are shitty, let's face it, not going out every weekend, sitting home and smoking weed isn't gonna do your social skills any good.
Anyway I meet this 9 year older girl (me 29 - she 38) and initially she seemed amazing in every aspect, I actually cried about this whole first part of relationship with her on a different alt on this same sub but I don't give a shit anymore.
She played with me mostly, to condense it all. TLDR is pretty much I was in love with her over my ears and she felt intimidated by it or whatever. At first she took me to trips with her friends for multiple days and I thought, well maybe she likes me so much she's already showing me to them! Also, the messages she sent me seemed like she was really into me, the gist is that she finds it hard to love someone, but if she does, no one loves like her. All bullshit, at least from my point of view after all this.
I designed her a nice coffee cup (I am decent in Adobe Illustrator but extremely uncreative, it took me over 10 hours drawing cartoon version of her and some stuff that I found interesting about her, filled with a couple of hearts here and there) for her birthday because a few weeks before she said she hates stuff that people order and appreciates the meaning in the gift. I was like wow! this girl must be special! She dumped me then. It was pretty much birthday party and after that she was cold until one day after drinking Friday with colleagues we had a chat over whatsapp and she said she didn't fall in love with me.
I was so fucked up for a week, but after a few weeks I pretty much collected myself and asked her to a dinner, just to say goodbye so maybe one day we can smile when we see each other in some random place in 10 years. On the dinner we speak about how yes, we're not compatible, some random stuff and occasionally we throw something jokingly about either one of us meeting another person so in my head it's ok, we've done our goodbyes. She's tiny so she didn't eat much and it was late anyway so we finished up and when we hugged she started kissing my neck and later me. Idiot me fell for it momentarily because I don't know, it's hard to explain. I am so abnormally attracted to her in every way and my lizard brain wasn't about to lose its chance for a dopamine pump.
To do a small digression, the reason I can't whine to my friends is because of the last two paragraphs, that's where I cried to them about being dumped, pt1.
Some days later she invites me over and we have a talk about how I guess I talk to much over the phone which she hates because she works as a hair dresser (often gets calls) and she's often tired, needs to hang out with friends blah blah (which I all met and they're idk what kind of people, but they all really do often go out together everywhere).
I thought to myself, I guess that's actually ok. We don't really have too many common interests and this way I get to spend a lot of time to myself but we can still see each other and this worked for a bit, then we were supposed to meet at New Years, but yup, she went to another city with her friends.
I didn't want to interrupt her as she said it was going to last a few days and she does hate phones, but after 5 days she still doesn't send any messages so I figured fuck her, if she wants to go anywhere she needs to call me now.
About a week or two later, she sends me something about needing an edit on her price list (which I made in illustrator), I edit it to her and still wait, not wanting to ask her anywhere. Nothing. Wow ok.
Two more weeks pass by and now there's a mask festival in town. If you go there, you get drunk, it's almost a custom and I got fairly drunk to be honest. At some point in the night, some guy was bothering some girl and she kind of caught me and started dancing with me to get away from him. At this point in my mind I was thinking I didn't see the first girl in basically a month so yes, I will dance with this cute girl and eventually we kiss and exchange facebook accounts.
In the morning I wake up and there's a "hey, wanna come?" message from girl 1 on whatsapp and to keep this short, this was two long weeks where I couldn't decide what I want to do. The moment I got the message I felt like I cheated on her and I got extremely depressed, just because I didn't have balls to break it off in time. I really liked both girls, but I had something with the first girl, whatever it was. The little time I got with her, I really cherished.
Digression number 2, this is where I cried to my friends pt2, most of them saying let the B go. But no, I follow my heart because romantic movies say so.
We met and she said how those same friends she went everywhere with abandoned her and they're not friends anymore basically. She listed some reasons I found legitimate because otherwise the whole thing would be a lot easier. As we left the coffee shop we met at, I asked her if we were going to be together like boyfriend and girlfriend (considering we were just great friends according to her) or not and she just hugged me hard and said something like "please, I'm really all over right now, just give me a month or two". I was a bit pissed because there was no movement, we were supposed to break up or become a thing, not stay where we are.
The whole thing was eating at me hard, I would wake up, start thinking about how I cheated on her and couldn't confess it, shed a few tears and move on with my day feeling like shit. I couldn't take it anymore one morning and I told her over a video call, it wasn't nice for me emotionally, she was pretty much insulted, and told me to fuck off.
The other girl seemed nice but not my type mentally. Other than TV shows, we didn't have any common interests, at least from the chat. (thanks for Casa de Papel, if you ever recognize yourself though!). She did chat a lot and seemed annoyed at first if I didn't answer fast enough which was a bit of a turn off and honestly, I didn't really wanna chat enough until I did what I was about to do (read on). Still, in my dumb head the logic said she's very hot and seems very kind, maybe there's more to it, I shouldn't just reject her before I get to meet her personally.
Few days in, I feel like a complete crap. Girl 1 was abandoned by her core friend group and now there's me, slam dunking by telling her I was with someone else over a video call. Also I remember her telling me of different ways boyfriends dumped her in a bad way and now I think to myself, great, I'm gonna be one more in a row when she tells it to someone else. I send her a message apologizing and saying I really feel like shit and I hope she won't hold the grudge forever, I thought lucky myself that I am good with numbers so I remember it despite deleting it... We have some kind of a fight about me being immature not having balls to tell it in her face and I end up at her place, wanting to say goodbye and all that, but again she starts kissing me and stuff happens and I'm fucked again because I'm at square one now.
All this mess in my head caused me not to want to go anywhere for next weekend, then I got sick for a week, then girl 2 got sick for a week and after all this I figured, I had something meaningful with girl 1, I'm just gonna call the girl 2 to have a coffee, give her a teddybear and explain myself and break it off.
Girl 2 at this point either got tired of me not going out and not chatting actively or not, but she said she doesn't see me like that after asking her out to a coffee. I was just an adventure for her that night. I was a bit surprised because initially she definitely didn't give off those vibes, but I also thought BINGO! Now my moral torture is done, she even didn't want to be with me so I don't feel like a complete piece of shit anymore.
Now that I was free, I was supposed to enjoy my time with girl 1, but she starts claiming she's having mental problems and she's visiting doctors so she doesn't want to see me. I say ok and I have a week of moral dilemmas regarding if it's something than I can support her through or not, especially since she's not telling me anything. Is she going to lose it and start crying, shouting on me or should I be worried she's gonna slit my throat if I sleep over?
I ask her out again and her reply is in style of "why do you still want to go out with me when I'm fucked up like that?". I replied something in style that I find it cute and we're all crazy in a way so I don't mind it one bit. I figured, she needs more time. In a week, I bought some chocolate and candy and went to her hair salon to give it to her, I really wanted to hug her and talk to her about all that, but her salon is closed. At this point I'm in a bit of a panic, she has always been opened and this thing that's bothering her must be terrible.
I contact her on whatsapp and she says to leave it in front and doesn't reply anymore. The other day, I ask her if we're never going to see each other again. In short, she says something in style of "yes, I like someone else now". I kind of lost it here and told her she was rotten. It's one of the things I'm afraid will happen to me and next to that, I went through all that shit with her, felt like I cheated on her because of something most others probably wouldn't even mention. I poured all my creativity in every gift I gave her, I went out with her whenever she asked, I thought about her when her friends didn't (regarding picking stuff up or something like that) and now she breaks it off because she likes someone. I thought (and she made me think) we had something special, multiple times, and now she just gives it all away for someone else. I also said "I hope you guys are happy" to which she replies "who says we're together?" and this is where I blocked her.
And that's all folks, last half a year has been a complete shitshow. I learned I am not a good person I thought I was and I am left all alone again. The sad thing is half a year ago I was a pothead with zero social skills and I was so happy with my life, now I'm back where I was but I hate myself and my life. I just hope it passes in a few weeks, it's really shitty having a beer or two with friends and when alcohol hits me a bit I remember her and start feeling depressed again.

I have a friend who has been guiding me spiritually. She was a highly evolved soul that helped bring a lot of changes to the world. She passed away a little over a year ago and I've been feeling like I have been failing her hiding in my own world. I feel like I've fallen deep into depression and I can't seem to find my way out. I just needed to write things out because my friends have been telling me to get over it already but they don't really seem to get how lost I am feeling

My(20F) partner(25M) broke up with me and I don't know how to deal with it. I've never felt so loved as he made me feel. He would always check in on me or let me know he is thinking about me when he was busy. He packed me lunch when he dropped me off at work. Things were rather quick, he told me he loved me after a few weeks. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He also tried to make sure I'm not uncomfortable and let me know that's just how he feels. Some people did say we were going fast but his thought was even though he has been hurt in the past he doesn't want past relationships to influence the one he is in currently. I admired him and wanted to take a chance on him.
I struggle with setting boundaries which caused a rift between us. I have the tendency to overthink and struggle with anxiety, so I easily feel guilty over things that are beyond my control. Before my partner and I were together there was a guy in one of my friend groups that liked me and told me as much. I told him I'm not ready for a relationship but he said he would still like to remain friends. After a few months I met my partner I let him know I like someone else just to make thing clear between us. I started to feel really guilty because I thought that maybe I was leading the guy on by being his friend and that it's my fault for hurting him. I shared these feelings with my partner through WhatsApp . He misunderstood me and thought that I was preparing to break up with him. We talked the day after it and I told him that was not the case. Ever since then he kind of emotionally cut me off, because he said it hurt him too much. We talked it out and everything was fine . Fast forward a mutual friend who I've known since high school and who I haven't seen in months said he wanted to stop by to say hello. I told him all about my partner even before we started dating and he said he is excited to meet him. My friend said that he wanted to show me something and even though I felt uncomfortable I assumed I was just overreacting and went into the car.
He went on to drive to a reserve because he usually hangs out there and wanted to show me it. There were some wild animals and I took pictures of it and send it to my partner. I felt scared that he might misunderstand again but then I thought you should never hide something from your partner. He knows about my friend who wants to meet him and I send him a video of how beautiful the nature reserve was and let him know who I was with and I said his name clearly to make it known I'm talking about him even though he wasn't there .Naturally this weirded my partner out and he acted distant, I started to stress that he misunderstood . We talked over the phone and he said later that he understands my position but he had a lot of other stress going on(he is pursuing his masters while working full time ) which is causing him to not think straight. I asked him if he needed space, but he said he doesn't want space while simultaneously being weird or cold with me. There was mixed signals and I didn't know what was going on or what to do.
Things just started going downhill from there. I saw him briefly on Valentine's day and afterwards he send me a text about feeling guilty for being so cold towards me. He said he feels I deserve better. I let him know that I understand he is just stressed and that wanted to be with him not anyone else. The morning after he was in a car accident. He was ok but didn't have a car to go to work with. He also stayed with his parents at that time who were fighting a lot which added to the pressure. He started being more weird over text and finally told me he doesn't have the emotional capacity for a romantic relationship but still want's me in his life. He told me that he emotionally shuts down when he is under a lot of stress. I let him know that I understand he is in a difficult position and that we could take a break until he moved away and/or felt more stable. He said that he appreciated it. Ever since then he has been weird ,only reached out every now and then. I started to overthink and was scared that we are on different pages, so i asked him if he has his car again if he could just give me a call or see me, or I could go to him to know what is going on. He listened to me but kept evading where I asked him to call me. I kept feeling unsure which only grew as time passed. I started crying almost everyday and blamed myself for weeks. Almost every night I would look through every choice I made and resent myself for it. It didn't help that I started new medication to help with my concentration which caused me to spiral into a deep depression. Every week I would beg him to call me or let me know what is going on which just pushed him further away. He would tell me that it's not my fault and that I'm an amazing person, but I kept thinking it it wasn't my fault then why is he acting this way only to me?
Things started to get so bad that I couldn't sleep. I was sobbing alone in my room and tried to reach out. I called him for the last time and he canceled it telling me he was busy talking to his dad. I understand that but I've asked him for 3 weeks, I told him that I'm confused and he couldn't find the time to call me for 10 minutes during that time? After that something broke inside of me. I've never been this low emotionally in my life. I feel embarrassed for contacting him so much. I feel horrible for not respecting him and giving him what he needs but I didn't know what else to do or how to cope. I thought things were getting better but then he suddenly unfollowed me and everyone we know mutually on Instagram. I started spiraling again and thought that maybe he thinks I'm talking to other guys. He say's that he has actually only been focusing on work. Now I'm here, trying to focus on class while still crying, and walking with a heart that feels too heavy to carry.

I have a close friend who is clinically depressed, and I typically keep an eye on her. While we were sitting on a bench, I suddenly remembered my deceased relatives, particularly my beloved grandfather and cousin. This happens frequently, and I become emotional each time because I fear people leaving me. My friend also remembered her father and best friend who had passed away, causing her to cry. I realized that it was inappropriate of me to bring up this topic, as it may have triggered her, and I apologized.
Later that day, while we were together because there is something we have to do, another close friend informed me that she was transferring to a different university, which I did not expect and made me cry again. My friend noticed me crying and attempted to console me, but I didn't want to talk about it since I knew it might lead to her discussing her father and best friend who had passed away. Despite my attempts to remain calm while discussing the issue, my friend continued to offer advice, which included statements like "people always come and go," "you can still talk to your friend who transferred," and "if you're this upset about losing a friend, how would you feel if your parents left you?" I abruptly interrupted her by agreeing and stating, "you're correct, if losing a friend made me feel like this how much more than a parent."
She then became upset and left after throwing her phone, leaving me feeling worse for having upset her. I only interrupted her because I didn't want her to bring up her deceased father and start crying again. As she approached me, I kept thinking to myself to leave because I knew what would happen. I understand that she has had it worse than I have, which is why I don't want to discuss my pain to her again and prefer to cope with it on my own. What I think I made her upset is that I may ignored her advice or she thinks I am mad just because she might be thinking that I think she is invalidating my feelings just because she had it worse than me. And no, I did not think any of that, I think of her well-being if she might ended up crying again discussing these things.

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Link to the Wiki page, with additional links to Clan information and background Lore.
First I Previous
Chapter 3: The First Taste Is Always Free
“I want to go on record by saying this is a bad idea.”
Genvass glanced over at Captain Hadad from his own seat aboard Gyrfalcon. “We’ve never had issues with the Oivu. In fact, there are many people alive today because of the goods they donated during the Yīqún Conflict.”
Remi shook his head in disgust. “You can’t be that naïve.”
Now it was the Dharmist’s turn to look irritated. “They came to us, opening up their warehouses and asking for nothing in return. They’ve never attacked us or discriminated against us. I’d say that earns them the benefit of the doubt.”
“You mean they asked for nothing yet,” the pirate countered. “You mark my words, they’re going to use that ‘generosity’ as a wedge to get their foot in the door.”
The newly appointed Terran ambassador just sighed and turned away. The Oivu had responded almost immediately when he sent out the message regarding the conclave. At first, he’d been unsure what that meant exactly, but after speaking with Rúna, aka Gunnery Sergeant Aukes, he now had a better handle on the importance of this mission. Obviously, the meeting needed to take place off-world, as no alien could set foot on its surface or even get close to New Terra under Athena’s watchful gaze. Coupled with the Oivu’s long-standing practice of holding all meetings aboard their vessels, it quickly became apparent that he needed a ride. Given their previous working relationship, Captain Hadad and Gyrfalcon were the obvious choice.
Not that the Corsair was happy about being tapped for this favor.
As they exited New Terra’s system, Genvass spotted several alien vessels lurking in the vicinity, though thankfully none belonged to the races that had once comprised the Troika. Considering how badly they’d been mauled in the final battle, he didn’t blame them. Still, it never hurt to keep one’s eyes peeled.
“I have the Oivu ship on sensors,” the pilot announced, “bearing 013 by Mark 357.”
“Hail them,” Remi ordered. “Explain that we have the ambassador on board and request docking instructions.”
“Aye aye, Cap’n,” Xiulan nodded, as she bent to her console to send the message.
“... you know they screwed us over that first FTL drive, back when there was still an Earth,” Remi said casually, the comment obviously meant for him.
Sighing, he turned back to face him. “They’re merchants, looking to make a profit. Sure, we could have gotten that engine cheaper elsewhere, but without that drive, there was no elsewhere for us. The Oivu were simply following the ancient custom of supply and demand. I can’t fault them for that.”
The pirate grunted, deciding to keep any further observations to himself. That was fine. Truth be told, Genvass preferred a minimum of distractions as he prepared himself for the upcoming conference. While he’d never met the Oivu, he’d known those who had, and by all accounts, they were a friendly, honorable race. Sure, they’d try to gouge you and would squeeze a credit till it screamed to get the best deal they could, but no one had ever accused them of cheating or reneging on a deal. They were sharp operators and businessmen, but they were careful to remain on the right side of the law.
Which made their request something of a concern. He was under no illusions this was to be “just” a parlay, and despite his obvious distrust, Remi was probably onto something regarding their motives. He’d consulted the Provisional government regarding their policy on such matters, and they’d explained to him their position in return. They simply needed to work out a compromise that would satisfy both parties.
Genvass shook his head ruefully. If it were that easy, anyone could do it.
The merchant vessel grew in their display as Gyrfalcon maneuvered to dock. A solid jolt reverberated through the ship’s hull as Xiulan killed the thrusters. “We have hard dock,” she informed them. “Thrusters are now offline, main engines on standby.”
“Very good,” Remi said in approval, before rising to his feet. “The bridge is yours. Genvass, let’s get you to the airlock.”
The two men headed aft, arriving at the main hatch as the Captain turned and faced the Dharmist. “Just remember whose side you’re on,” he said bluntly, as he cycled the airlock.
Genvass gave him an impatient look. “Do you think for even a second that I would suddenly forget I’m Terran?” he insisted.
“You’re here to negotiate,” the pirate fired back. “Fine. You do that. Just don’t hand over the keys to the Kingdom while you’re at it.” The airlock light turned green while the hatch slid open, as Remi gestured towards the Oivu ship. “Your public awaits.”
He glared at the captain, before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to shake it off. This was not the time. Squaring his shoulders, he moved forward, crossing through the airlock and onto the Oivu craft, where one of the alien merchants awaited him.
“Ambassador Genvass Shaafvaazif?” they inquired.
“That’s right,” he smiled, putting on his best face… no simple thing, when your counterpart had no face, or anything else recognizable. No one knew for certain what sort of species they were, other than the Oivu themselves, that is. Their bodies comprised thick ropy tendrils they manipulated to assume shapes roughly similar to those of their guests, but that only proved to make them appear more grotesque, not less. Perhaps it was the reason they worked so hard to put their clients at ease, though the uncharitable chalked it up to more sinister motives.
“Excellent. If you would please follow me.” The Oivu turned and glided deeper within the ship as he trailed behind them, glancing about as he took in his surroundings. The interior was pleasantly decorated, though austere and somewhat subdued in tone and color, giving the vessel an understated quality. It was almost as if they were putting a pleasing yet carefully calculated non-threatening foot forward to conduct negotiations. Given that they were well known for doing nothing not meticulously premeditated, that was likely the case.
Arriving in a cozy sitting area, four other Oivu awaited them. He’d heard they preferred negotiating in groups of five, though once again no one knew why. A sampling of refreshments sat on the small table between them, all familiar to a Terran. Making himself comfortable, he addressed the cluster of merchants.
“Since you asked for this meeting, it seems fitting to give you the floor,” Genvass told them, though it wasn’t purely out of politeness. Their request for a conclave had come as something of a surprise, so anything that gave him a better idea of why they were here seemed a prudent course of action.
The five aliens turned to one another, communing briefly before their spokesperson turned back in his direction. “We thank you, ambassador,” they said politely. “Much has happened in recent months, the repercussions of which are yet to be determined.”
“I see you have a flair for understatement,” he chuckled. Between the Troika’s downfall, the disappearance of the Yīqún, and humanity’s colonization of New Terra, the Perseus Arm was experiencing a seismic shift not felt in over five thousand years. How it would all play out in the end, no one knew for certain.
“Indeed,” the individual replied, inclining the clump of tendrils that roughly corresponded to what would be a head on any other species. “While we foresaw some of what transpired, there is much that even we were not prepared for. The shifting fortunes have presented us with new opportunities, as well as new hazards. One must be mindful of both if one is to survive.”
“I suppose that’s true,” he agreed. Genvass was waiting for them to settle down and get to the heart of the matter, whatever had prompted the request for the meeting. So far, all they‘d done was exchange pleasantries and small talk. The real meat and potatoes of what they really wanted had yet to make an appearance.
Something passed between the Oivu, small and obscure enough to escape most individuals’ notice. He didn’t know for certain what exactly had transpired, or what it signified, only that something had. Leaning forward, he looked at the aliens expectantly.
Another communing, before they finally took the plunge. “As you know, during the Yīqún Conflict, we provided much in the ways of food, medicine, and other essentials to those in need. We did this as valued members of the Alliance since we are unsuited for a military role. We asked for no recompense, instead focusing our efforts where they were most needed.”
“And those efforts are indeed much appreciated,” he said evenly. They were definitely working up to something, but what?
They communed yet again before the leader pressed on. “It has been most curious to see the planet you call New Terra pulsing with life. For uncounted eons, it has sat bereft of intelligent beings, guarded solely by a defensive network intent on allowing no other race entrance. And yet, to the incredulity of all others, yours did just that.”
“It has been an experience,” Genvass agreed, as he fidgeted in his chair. If this was going where he thought it was going…
“We are merchants and traders,” they continued, “and we are always exploring new markets, as well as procuring new goods for our inventory. The sudden emergence of New Terra as a potential trading partner, as well as the untapped resources it may possess, opens up many interesting and unique opportunities.”
A sinking feeling landed in the pit of his stomach, as he realized what the Oivu were really saying. They wanted to get their tendrils on Precursor technology and would pay handsomely for the privilege. Whatever price his fellow Terrans insisted on, they’d pay it without hesitation. Even if they charged the Oivu the moon and stars for a Precursor can opener, there were entities out there who would gladly pay ten times that amount, in the hopes the scientific and technical knowledge gleaned would put them far ahead of their competitors.
The Oivu were proposing a technological arms race, one where they could sell to all sides while taking a healthy cut straight off the top. It would make them rich beyond all imagining, more powerful than even the Troika once had been.
… who cared if the galaxy burned, right?
“That’s… an intriguing offer,” he answered, choosing his words with care, “and I will be certain to discuss it with those empowered to make those decisions. But we are still evaluating the artifacts we have discovered, and we need to exercise caution in what we make available to other parties.”
“Of course,” the Oivu agreed, “and it would be in both our best interests to ensure that any items you made available remain strictly controlled. It is a wise policy, one that we wholeheartedly support.”
Translation: We don’t want to flood the market and drive the price down. Not to mention risking their customers slaughtering each other before they’d soaked them for every possible credit.
“In fact,” the spokesperson continued, “we would ensure you received a generous stipend for your efforts in promoting a mutually beneficial relationship between our race, and yours,” they said, dangling a less-than-subtle bribe in front of him.
Something hardened within him as he slowly rose to his feet. “As I said, I will gladly convey your offer to those in authority,” he said, stonewalling them. “It may be some time, however, before they can render a decision.”
The Oivu stood up as well. “We hope it will not take too much time,” they replied, as a dark undertone seemed to suddenly make an appearance.
“What do you mean?” he asked, thrown by this change of tactics.
“As we stated, we have provided a great deal of aid to those suffering deprivation because of the Yīqún,” they answered, as Genvass suddenly felt unclean by their presence. “We continue to do so, even now. Bringing those affected by this disaster back to the level of prosperity they once knew will be a long and ongoing process, most likely taking several years. It is also, I regret to say, expensive.”
Genvass felt his jaw drop. “Just what is it you’re saying?” he demanded, horrified by the implication they were alluding to.
“We are saying that without an increased revenue stream, this level of uncompensated philanthropy is not sustainable,” they said oh so smoothly. “If we cannot enhance earnings elsewhere, we will soon be forced, sadly, to make drastic cuts in what we can make available for charity.”
His hackles rose in anger as he glared at the alien merchants. “Is that a threat?” he all but snarled.
“A simple statement of economic fact,” the Oivu riposted. “However, I would be remiss if I failed to point out several key, relevant details.” The alien drew close, so close in fact that its sheer abnormality made his skin crawl.
“What details?” he whispered.
“That it was us who first informed you of the world you call New Terra,” it fired back. “That it was us whose help you required to create the Alliance, without which the Troika would have long since defeated you. And finally, that it was us who kept billions from starvation and death, without demanding recompense. You may retreat to your world if you so choose, you and the rest of your race, secure knowing that you are forever untouchable.”
A tendril reached out and caressed his cheek as he flinched and pulled away. “But one day you will emerge from your protective cocoon,” it all but oozed. “And what will you find when you do? Friends eager to greet you? Enemies, preparing for war? Or perhaps a wasteland, where only death reigns supreme.” The Dharmist stared in shock as the creature drove their point home.
“You owe us a great debt, Genvass Shaafvaazif,” it cautioned him as he backed away, desperate for escape, “and what you decide will have repercussions far beyond your precious new world… a world you would not possess, were it not for us.”
First I Previous

This is the prologue for a novel I'm writing titled, "The Battle of Gehebris":
The sky was overcast. Winds blowing could have made any man shiver. There was a disturbance in the air. A feeling of dread, unwantedness. As if even the Gods didn’t want man to be out tonight. Empty baskets lying outside the houses flew away. The streets were empty. No man was visible. Everyone understood the signals from the Gods.
Lady Qualina, wife of Lord John of Riverfell, saw the scene from her windows. She couldn’t see the children playing in the fields, the old ladies knitting for their grandchildren and their mother gossiping at the City Well. She could feel the coldness of the air. She felt Death looking at her through the windows.
“Is something wrong, my dear?” asked John from the table. He was writing a letter to King William reporting about the recent happenings in Riverfell.
“I don’t know. There’s something out there, something that doesn’t want us. Something…” She stopped before she could finish the sentence.
John could see the fear in her eyes. He felt it too. The air had a sinister vibe to it. One could sense bad times were coming. He kept his quill down and walked up to her with a smile on his face, courage in his eyes that he would protect his homeland with all his might, come what may.
Rubbing her head, he calmly said, “Calm down, my love. Everything will be alright. I am always here. We will always be together.” He kissed her forehead.
She looked at his eyes. She loved him. They have been together since childhood. She gave a slight smile, which didn’t last for long. She looked at the scenery. Riverfell was the last village in Kingdom Asturas. From here, the Three Sisters was four miles away. Between that and them, lay miles of green grass and terrains. No soldiers guarding them. Vulnerable to what was to come. The air flew through the windows. She closed her eyes, smelling the air, the sinister vibe in it. She could feel the evil in the breath. Is it them? Is it…? She didn’t want to think further. She lowered her eyes. She felt death knocking at the gates of Riverfell. WHAT IS THIS? Every passing second she could feel the dread growing stronger. Her eyes teared up.
John stood looking at his village. He grew up here. His eyes lost their courage. He felt defenceless. There was an unsettling silence in the room. Qualina broke the silence.
“Something is coming. Something sinister.”
King William, sitting on his throne, in the capital city of Asturas, felt a shiver down his spine. He could feel impulsions in his chest. Something isn’t right… Is my reign over? Or are my citizens in danger? Is The Prophecy true? Are we all going to…
He remembered what the High Priest Celestus said, before he mysteriously passed away a fortnight ago.
"William," he said, his voice trembling with emotion. "I speak to you not as a member of the Council, nor as the High Priest of the Kingdom, but as your guardian. It was I who cared for you while your father ruled the land and drank to his health. I saw to it that you were well-trained, that you might become a king far better than Robert." His eyes grew misty, and he paused for a moment to collect himself before continuing. "I have always loved you as if thou were mine own son”
“I understand Celestus. What brings you here so late at night?” William got up from the bed, and walked towards the table to grab a glass of wine. He poured the wine from the jug into the black stone glass.
Celestus stared at the wine being poured. As if it was blood flowing. The blood of the kingdom. The blood of everything and everyone in Asturas. William handed him the glass. He stared at the wine. Its red colour seemed to be glowing brighter than usual. He didn’t drink. He kept the glass on the table. He looked with his teary eyes towards William. William felt sorry for the man. He kept his glass and walked towards Celestus. He held his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.“Everything will be alright. Tell me. What is bothering you?
Celestus looked at William. "Oh William," he said with a troubled expression. "How can I tell you about the tragedy that's about to unfold? How can I save you and this kingdom from the impending doom that's looming over us? The thought of what's coming fills me with dread and despair." He paused, looking at William with a sombre gaze.
“What is it?” William could feel the dread now as well.
“The Gate of Gehebris is open. I cannot speak further, for the night is unfortunate and full of terror.” He looked at the night sky through the window.
“Can’t you see them William? The Gods have abandoned us. The Gods of Gehebris are here now. To pour forth its ungodly spawn and no amount of preparation or valour shall avail us when they arrive.”
Celestus left the room. He was found dead at the city gates. His eyes wide open and full of terror. No sign of attack. The maester said he died of fear. What could have feared him?
He didn’t think further. His mouth became dry, he rubbed his hand across his head. He forgot he was wearing his crown. The esteemed crown of Asturas. The Protector of all. One who will save his people when the Dark Times come. Or so was it said in The Book of Kings. How easy was it to throw duty upon someone else…
His hands knocked the crown off his head onto the floor. He couldn’t move to pick it up. He didn’t feel like he was a king.
He could feel the fear Celestus had felt. Or maybe he did not. Maybe Celestus saw them. Maybe he saw something worse.
*****
I don't think I can fit more without breaking rule 3. So here's a link to the rest:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-_ejtoJqSylBpOCSlVjS5tXUkq_UcgVbV1JJ96Zzq6c/edit?usp=sharing

So i joined the world of work and didnt understand finances properly because hey guess what they don't teach you about making good financial decisions in education which is clearly by design because people like me make stupid commitments and require alternative credit to come up for a breath. Anyway its my responsibility overall just wish there was something systematically available for all to understand better (this reddit is great)
Had 2 car finances... 12.8% and 8% hire purchase agreements for cars back from 2019. It was needs must as i took on role of step dad and worked away a lot.
Went to bank and discovered the 3% unsecured loan potential and did the maths... Blew my mind. Ended up taking out a loan with them over 3 years for £719.32 a month (circa £24k). It bascially summed up the amount my 2 car finances were but ended up cutting 2 years of payments and saved shit load in interest.
Today marks the day i settled that 3% loan early. I now have available £2000 in dispensible cash which i plan to throw at my credit cards i've built up over the last couple years. Balances ive had passed around between various 0% transfers.
Should be debt free (bar mortgage) come september.
Feels great.

Lovely wife of 20 years, claims she does not worship DJT. But she does; says love you every morning but that lovely message that happens fizzles away that is baffling after some times passes when back at home and the work day is over. I will admit we do like to have some drinks. This is when it becomes dangerous lately. I understand its strange that once person that has as physical job and has a stressful work day with hand labor job standing all day. And then the other half has another technical job, pre and post pandemic. Yes, we all have to unwind ,laugh and have a drunken happy experience that could happen after clocking out. Says that he is the greatest POTUS, but it has turned into a drunk confusing experience if I come into the Kitchen, or something small and simple turns into a bickering about "The last word". Every since the down play of the COVID 2020 experience has been a roller coaster. Has has not just divided us, but MAGA is a proven lie acronym for propaganda in the modern age. Working at home feels like slavery now, there was once joy playing video games as spouses. Roller coaster into Ups and downs. I am feeling like the most patient person ever, but I don't want to be the destroyed for the greater good of Kings taking over our fabric. Please share if TIFU matters or this fits more. TLDR: Wife turned off the young mindset, switched on the old fashioned. MAGA has turned her into a random monster when I step in and try to share positive times.

It was 2011 I saw my Grandfather commit suicide. He used a 22-caliber shotgun, which didn't kill him right away. I went with my Dad and my Aunt to the hospital where we had to take turns cleaning his bullet wound until he passed from his injuries. I went home before my Aunt and my Dad so that I could clean up the mess so they wouldn't have to. A week prior to that my Grandfather told me he'd never try to commit suicide again (this was his third attempt, the first two were just intentional overdoses that failed) He had a horrific childhood and struggled with alcohol but he was a really good Grandfather. A week before he died me, my brother, my Dad, and my two young sons spent the day with him for his birthday having cake and laughing. He begged us to stay longer. I'll never forget that. All of that wasn't the most difficult though.
The most difficult was that my Dad died six months later unexpectedly as a young healthy 48 year old. He was my best friend, but my Grandpa bought the gun he used off of my Dad and at my grandpa's funeral my Dad made me promise that if anything ever happened to him I had to promise to bury him with the gun so it couldn't hurt anyone else. I was 25 when my Dad died and since he and my Mom had been through a pretty bad divorce just a year earlier I had to take care of everything. By honoring my promise to my Dad about burying the gun with him I felt like I was burying him with the guilt over my Grandfather's death and I didn't want to do that but I also didn't want to dishonor my promise so after everyone left the funeral home I placed the gun in his casket and closed it. To date that has been the hardest thing I've ever done, not only did I bury my Father, I buried him with guilt to rest with for all of eternity. Whether there is an afterlife or not that felt pretty awful.

Hi! I’m a bit worried because I was put on caplyta at the beginning of this year. I had some odd side effects, (lactation?!) and it wasn’t really doing anything related to what it was prescribed for. At first I experienced some lightheadedness and dizziness, but eventually this went away. About halfway through the duration of this medicine, I started experiencing something I thought was vertigo, but am now thinking it may be nystagmus. My eyes would shake and jump and blur and I would get lightheaded, akin to the feeling of passing out and my body would temporarily feel weak during these moments. I stopped caplyta after about a month and a half of taking it, and this condition has not went away. Although the frequency has diminished I still find myself going through these spells of shakey, blurry vision that last for a few seconds. Is this something to see a doctor about? Could this medicine possibly have caused some sort of damage to me? Has anyone else experienced this?

I've decided to make this post to address some very common arguments against Taming. I often see people bring up some issues with the proposal that are either a cause of disinformation, assumptions or straight up don't make any sense.
​
Argument: Despite what the blog says, it's just Summoning!
Rebuttal:
The blog acknowledges that part of it is similar to Summoning (that's why they bring it up in the first place) - the part that's about using animals and their abilities. However that is not why Summoning was unpopular nor bad for the game! The major complaints about Summoning have been or can be addressed:
- OP summons like Unicorn and BoB simply won't exist.
- It may not contribute to Combat at all depending on consultation with community.
- The training method is going to be completely different.
- It will not be required for training every skill, to support this I'll quote Mod Elena from new skill discussion's Discord server: "Not every skill/training method should have a companion affecting it. We don't want to fall into the trap of "If I want to do B, I have to do A first". This could be alleviated by having more niche and specific companion abilities, maybe aimed more at QOL than efficiency everywhere."
- Visual clutter can be prevented. Again, a quote from Mod Elena: "It's important that the game doesn't become too cluttered. Busy areas could look very bad if everyone has a companion out. Maybe companions get limited to specific areas, or we have toggles on whether to see others' companions."
​
Argument: It will devalue pets prestige!
Rebuttal:
What do you think of seeing someone with a Rocky pet out? I sure don't think of the pet as some sort of achievement, your first assumption will most likely be that he got a lucky RNG drop, which doesn't exactly scream prestige. So it ends up mostly ignored. On the other hand, seeing a Zuk or raids pet lets you know the person probably completed some difficult content - certainly more impressive. And you see, this doesn't change with Taming at all. Pet's rarity determines it's "value" - or you could even argue the value is purely subjective. Either way, having more options of followers doesn't devalue any specific pet - that would be like saying cats devalue your 10K kc Callisto cub. On the contrary, having a skill about raising animals could bring about companions that are quite prestigious and hard to get instead of just lucky!
​
Argument: It should be a Hunter expansion instead.
Rebuttal:
Hunter is quite lacking as a skill - as the last one added, it feels light on content with not much reason to train it. However, instead of shoving bunch of unrelated stuff about raising animals to the skill, it should be seen as a potential counterpart skill to Hunter. This way you're not only getting a new skill, you're also revitalising and giving a stronger identity to an old one - catch animals and food for them using Hunter, then raise and train them using Taming.
Plus, they're also toying with the idea of letting you use current pets as cosmetic change for tamed pets of similar nature.
​
Argument: The training process sounds like farming/training a cat/tamagochi.
Rebuttal:
Mod Elena also addressed this one wonderfully in the Discord server:
"It is VITAL that companion upkeep doesn't feel tedious. Companions shouldn't need upkeep often. Kittens are too demanding, and often needy while you're focused on other things. Let's keep companions' needs relevant to when you're focusing on them. For example: Utilising a companion's ability is what would trigger them having a need. Whether being tired from doing the action, or maybe having done combat and got injured."
So feeding an animal would be more like charging it's battery instead of having to feed it or it runs away as we're used to with kittens. Also it sounds like you would train the skill actively rather than being some daily chore.
​
Of course, you may still not like the concept in general, or prefer something else, or have a different issue I have not addressed. And that's fair and completely fine! Again, I just wanted to address these common arguments which simply don't feel warranted!

MEGA SPOILERS!
Here is the list of songs on the album in the order he played them with a summary of how I feel about it at the end. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE THE ALBUM ORGANICALLY. However, I have been asked by a few people to make this post. :)
Boat- beautiful song, very emotional, probably my favourite from the album. “The waves won’t break my boat” is the sort of descent of the chorus. Really impactful. A song basically relating staying afloat on the water and struggles in life.
Salt water - unsure, (if anyone can help) although I remember hearing the words “kiss me, salt water”
Eyes closed - a song about losing someone and thinking that you’re going to see them or “bump into them” but you won’t anymore.
Life goes on - Ed felt that after his friend Jamal passed away, he wanted everything to stop as it did when the queen passed away. However, everyone has to get on with their life and that’s what he felt he had to do, hence, “life goes on”.
Dusty - a more joyous and upbeat song from the album. It is a song about his two daughters and no matter how upset he is, he will wake up and they will always bring him joy. The name dusty is in reference to “dusty in Memphis” an album which I believe is the vinyl that she chose to play with Ed leading to him writing this song.
End of youth - Ed reflected back on his time at school and how there are people at a very young age that lose someone they love and how this essentially cuts their youth short. This is an emotional song about losing someone you love as a child and how painful this would be as it would essentially be the “end of youth”.
Curtain - a song about how no matter how dark life gets, there will always be someone to pull back the curtain and let the sun shine through. Ed went on to say how he was so lucky to have great people surrounding him, (friends, wife, parents, etc)
Colourblind - this song was about something along the lines of life and how it can be all different colours with ups and downs but when you’re in love you become colourblind. Essentially, it’s about how love can help you deal with all of life’s troubles.
Borderline - unsure, (if anyone can help)
Spark - a song about wanting to get rid of all of the bad things from a relationship and replace them with the original good things about the relationship that gave them the initial “spark”. The main lyrics are something along the lines of “let’s burn it all on a fire until we’re left with the spark” (something like that).
Vega - this track is about the time in his life where his pregnant wife had fallen ill and the track is him venting his imminent feelings about this after hearing the news. Vega is in reference to the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. The main lyrics are “it burns like hell to be Lyra”. He claimed that he wrote this song in a very short amount of time and wasn’t even sure what some of the lyrics even meant but they fit what he wanted perfectly.
Sycamore - unsure, (if anyone can help)
No strings - Ed claimed this this was one of his favourite songs he has ever written it is a love song about his wife.
The hills of aberfeldy - a beautiful song he wrote ten years ago, about falling in love on the hills of aberfeldy. He claimed that this song was always meant to end his version of subtract and felt that it does it perfectly. It is a feel good song and a lovely way to end the mathematics masterpieces, (disregarding subtract deluxe)
Overall, the album is an ensemble of beautiful songs about common tragedies and how these situations made Ed feel. You can really sense his vulnerability and how he used these songs as a shield to fend off all the pain and sadness that he was feeling during these times.
A picturesque description of how poorly life can treat people and the emotions are painted vividly between each lyric. An impactful album that will leave you sad, reflective and overwhelmed and all you can say is “Ed Sheeran has done it again”. What a way to end my favourite series of albums that have seen me grow up from a young age
Also, if anyone can add anything to these or correct me if I’m wrong on anything then please do, there was so much to take in and I know I have missed out so many great points. :)