27/04/2023

Feedback:

Title: Synchronise the daily reset of the various systems
There is currently a 5 hour gap between event / starlight daily resets and daily tasks. It would be a lot easier to manage everything if everything reset at the same time.

Reply: The reset times for Starlight and the daily missions have been implemented accordingly for quite some time. We are worried that the sudden changes will affect players' experience. Therefore, we will not make relevant changes anytime soon. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: event gifting rules
please bring back the old rules in the events. the rule that the sender doesn't need to own the skin before they can send gifts to other players. just like the moonlit wish event, i dont use hanabi so i don't have any plans acquiring her skin, but I want to send it to a friend. how am I supposed to send her the skin if i don't own it and i don't want to buy it in the first place? that's just unfair

Reply: We have set this restriction solely in lucky draw activities with the event exchange shop. This is mainly due to the presence of gifting with illegal diamonds, which cause property damage to the player's account. We will consider whether there is a better way to protect everyone from infractions due to purchase or use of illegal diamonds. We also recommend that you do not recharge through unofficial channels. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: let us know when limited time event skins are leaving
Chang'e lunar fest skin + fanny and claudes skins are now unable to be purchased. I know they're both lte skins so they would go eventually but they left without any sort of warning. I was planning to get those skins thinking they would stay around until the promo diamonds are usable but not anymore and now and many others who were planning the same thing will have to wait a year. Just let us know maybe even a week beforehand when they're going to leave so we can avoid thinking they'll be here longer than they are planned to be.

Reply: We will consider how to remind players better before the time-limited skin is off the shelf for purchase. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Preferred Hero - Skin Lock
Players should be able to lock a hero of their choice and they can get some offers for a skin of that hero that runs the whole season. Example an Epic Skin with 30% Discount or something of the chosen hero or whatever skin is available for that hero. So that players have a better price for the hero that they want and not under the mercy of whatever the guy managing the store wants.

Reply: There will be a discount event for the whole platform every six months, such as the ALLSTAR event that has just ended. If you have a favorite skin, you may buy it during the discount event. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Buff Aurora and Freeze debuff
Buff Aurora and the freeze status I want you to buff the freeze debuff, currently the freeze is just a version of stun without any difference except the animation. My suggestion is that you change the effects of the frozen status with this : When enemy is frozen its magical and physical defense will be decreased , so basically give a defense decrease to enemies that are frozen to combine with the Ice that make the enemy decay. Also buff Aurora , you could remove her additional damage to give her that defense decrease when she freeze enemies, allowing her control effects to help her damage and also allies to inflict more damage, frozen debuff should be unique. Also my suggestion to Aurora is that you remove her stacking passive and Exchange to give her a time passive. After a few seconds any of Aurora skills will freeze enemies hit, this way she wont be need to waste time and skills to charge her freeze . She will just have to wait her cooldown from passive to be back and she will freeze enemies with her skills instead of stacks to freeze. Because whats the logic for EVERY hero in mobile legends to be able to control the enemy just by using their skills and Aurora has to stack wasting her skills 4 times to be able to control someone? So, simple give her a timed passive so she can freeze or not freeze enemies with her skills So in resume give the freeze debuff a decrease hybrid defense status, and buff Aurora passive with a cooldown to make her more independent of not worrying to stack passive and waste skills to freeze her enemies , that way Aurora gameplay will have a better game experience

Reply: We already have a revamp plan for Aurora, which is expected to be completed in 2024. Please stay tuned.
Feedback:

Title: change the lane of support from gold lane to mid lane or to jungle
supports should not be in gold lane pretty much 270% of the time so please stop teaching new players to go support in gold lane its actually lowering the skill level of players who havent even started the game yet. look at every single high level m5 mpl or any official match and the ammount of supports that started gold was exactly 0. telling new players to go gold as support is like recomending a build for pharsa with all attacks speed items. it nerfs the player and is an advice thats generally considered trolling.

Reply: In the novice phase, there is no issue in educating players that roamers should go to the gold lane. But in mid-to-high-tier matches, the roamer needs to carry more functions. It is no longer suitable to stay in the gold lane all the time. This is the part of the tutorial that we are currently missing. We have plans to provide mid-to-high-tier tutorials and strategies for players who have come out of the novice stage. This can help players to learn gaming knowledge more conveniently and to get a better gaming experience. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Nerf freya too unbalanced
Please nerf freya at least take away the shields she gets. She is impossible to beat 1 v 1 even with argus and gatot. Her second skill was a bad idea. Let me ask yall this were you smoking when u decided to make a 1 skill button champ?

Reply: Freya is a typical early-to-mid-game hero and will be relatively weak in the late game. Freya's overall performance on the battlefield is at a moderate level. We are also observing her balance continuously. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: OPTIMIZED KADITA SPECIAL SKIN EFFECTS
The effects of this skin just look like a elite skin it just a recolor and little sparks it just like that nothing speciali hope you will optimize it

Reply: We have no plans to optimize Kadita's special skin anytime soon. However, we will consider it if there is an opportunity in the future. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Give Painted Skins Different Colours
Can you make painted skins have different colour effects? The colour scheme of the original skin does not match that of the painted one. I find that the colours clash and it feels like the skin is not worth our money.

Reply: Different levels of skin have different production standards. Under the current production standards, not all painted skins will have special effects and color changes. In the post-production of painted skin models, we will consider how to design the painted skin models to match the original special effect color better. If there is a skin case where the color conflicts, you can also give feedback on the specific skin. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Revamps
PLS for the love of god revamp other heroes in need instead of revamping eudora for the 6th time in 2 years update model quality for irithel gatoc aurora and a few more

Reply: We will arrange a reasonable revamp plan by considering various factors comprehensively. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Aurora Revamp
I had the chance to play the game in Ultra graphics recently, I noticed u planned to do a visual revamp for Franco and Eudora, but I think Aurora needs a visual revamp urgently, her basic design look with poor quality compared to many recent heroes.

Reply: We already have a revamp plan for Aurora, which is expected to be completed in 2024. Please stay tuned.
Feedback:

Title: System announcement voice
Please update all system announcement voicelines inside a game to the new voice. Like there are different voices. The old one and the new one for like this new „ok“ button and it would be better if everything had the same voice.. Thank you!

Reply: We will verify this issue first. If there is a problem, we will arrange for an optimization. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Draft screen improvement
ditch the current all blue background; it looks really bad.

Reply: We are currently considering some optimizations to the interface background. However, there will be no changes anytime soon. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: DON'T SWAP THE BUTTON
Sheshhh you swapped the "Play again" and "Quit" button and still ask if the person really wanted to leave. Desperate much for people to play your game again? It just came out as annoying because people need to click twice now to quit. Our muscle memories have been conditioned to press bottom right corner to Quit and it's left to enter a Room. The new button placement screws that up a little and makes it uncomfortable Please make it back as usual,it's really frustrating

Reply: This update is to solve some of the issues that the players have frequently complained about before. Among the problems encountered is that after team players end the game, they will enter a different room after tapping on "Another Round" and need to be invited again. Another problem is that tapping "Another Round" will automatically invite other teammates after solo players finish the game. This update has reorganized the logic of the two buttons, so there will be some changes. However, it is also a chance for players to have a better gaming experience. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Button
Please remove this godforsaken button feature. Or, if you insisted on keeping it, move it somewhere else.

Reply: We are already designing an optimization plan. It is expected to be completed in July. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Update stuff in other game modes
Update the heroes, items and spells in brawl and other game modes. many of heroes, spell and items are still old way

Reply: We will gradually update the equipment and spells in different modes to the latest version. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: Improvements that could be made to Overdrive
RNG makes Overdrive unfair and unfun at times (especially when the game keeps giving you terrible heroes) so these are a few suggestions to make it less unfair and everyone can have fun more often 1. -30% dmg for all mages 2. -10% max HP, def and res for all tanks and select fighters that are tanky 3. Remove Wind of Nature and Winter Truncheon for this mode only 4. More passive Gold and EXP so enemies can't just lock you out from farming

Reply: We will use the data to make reasonable balance adjustments for mages and tank heroes. Thank you for your suggestion.
Feedback:

Title: ImproMages and mm too op
Mages and mms are too op in brawl. They just stay back and blast u to oblivion. Also fleeting time should be removed from brawl. It is too strong on alot of mages like pharsa gord and change. U give fighter damage reduction yet why dont u nerf mages and mm? Its crazy when ur up againts a all range comp or full mage. Does not matter how much magic defence u have ur most likely lose. Its unbalanced. Instead of giving fighter damage reduction why not nerf mms and mage? They deserve a nerf.

Reply: We plan to optimize the gaming experience of melee heroes in Brawl mode. Please stay tuned!
Feedback:

Title: Matchmaking
why are mythical honors teamed up with legends while the enemy there are 3 mythical honors and 2 mythics??? when are you going to fix your matchmaking? players have been complaining about this issue for years.

Reply: We are already optimizing and adjusting some matchmaking strategies for Mythic rank team-ups. It is currently in development and testing stage. Thank you for your suggestion.

Shipping from Houston, TX. US Buyers only please.
Add $6 for USPS Media Mail, up to 3 records.
I don't grade any records as Mint, so even Sealed records will be graded as NM.
Feel free to make an offer if you don't like the price!
I also have a bunch of vintage Soul/Funk/Rock records for sale here. Please note I haven't play tested any of these records, please consider them VG condition or lower.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e1JzhPXfUrgDalVw6Q7o59FbHbThqbQIbfBuNkjdbLk/edit#gid=0
Grading is Sleeve/Record
A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory Reissue- NM/NM $25
Animal Collective - Centipede HZ VG+/VG+ $12
Animal Collective - Prospect Hummer - RSD 2021 Exclusive - NM/NM Opened, unplayed $10
Anthrax/Chuck D - Bring The Noise UK Import 7" Single VG+/VG+ $15
The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder VG+/VG+ $40
Arcade Fire - S/T - RSD 2018 Exclusive Blue Numbered - NM/NM Opened, unplayed $25
Arcade Fire - Everything Now - Blue Translucent - NM/NM $15
Arcade Fire - Reflektor VG+/VG+ $15
Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass - VG/VG $15
The Avalanches - Wildflower - Newbury Exclusive Cover VG+/NM $50
Beach Fossils - S/T - 2018 Green Reissue with OBI NM/NM $20
Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth - 1st Pressing Red Screen printed Cover - Limited to 400 VG+/NM $40
Beach Fossils - Somersault - Clear - NM/NM $30
Beach House - Depression Cherry - Loser Edition Clear with Velvet Sleeve VG+/NM $45
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars - Loser Edition Green - NM/NM $55
Beirut - No No No - NM/NM $15
Beirut - Gallipolli - Turquoise - NM/NM $15
Best Coast - Always Tomorrow $5
Bill Evans - More From The Vanguard UK Import VG/VG $12
Black Pumas - S/T - Cream - SEALED $15
Black Sabbath - Paranoid - VMP Purple - VG+/VG+ $45
Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning - 2016 Remaster w/OBI & Shrink - NM/NM $20
The Clash - London Calling - 1981 Pressing - VG+/VG+ $40
The Clash - London Calling - 2015 Reissue NM/NM+ $30
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy OST - Target Blue - SEALED $20
Dinosaur Jr - Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not - VG+/VG+ $10
The Distillers/ The Regrettes - Dismantle Me 7" - RSD 2018 Exclusive - SEALED $10
Dr. Dre - Deep Cover feat. Snoop Dogg - Unofficial 12" Single VG+/VG+ $50
Dub Pistols - Point Blank + Keep Movin 12" Single $20
EPMD - Unfinished Business VG/VG $10
Eyedea & Abilities - By The Throat NM/NM $20
Eyedea & Abilities - First Born - VMP NM/NM $25
Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear NM/NM $20
Father John Misty - Pure Comedy - Aluminum/Copper - SIGNED NM/NM $100
Future Islands - As Long As You Are - Blue Marble - NM/NM $15
Future Islands - In Evening Air - Clear - NM/NM $25
Future Islands - The Far Field - White - NM/NM $15
Future Islands - Wave Like Home - NM/NM $50
Gotye - Making Mirrors NM/NM $175
Handsome Boy Modeling School - So..How's Your Girl? - VMP Green - NM/NM Opened, Unplayed $40
The High & Mighty - Home Field Advantage VG+/VG+ $25
Hot Water Music - Light It Up - Coke Clear w/Black Smoke - SEALED $10
Isaac Hayes - Tough Guys OST - VMP Classics - SEALED NM/NM $20
Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender - G+/VG+ (Sleeve's bottom seam separated, easy fix. still looks great) $12
Joanna Newsom - Ys VG+/VG+ $20
Kishi Bashi - Emigrant EP - Joyful Noise VIP Exclusive /503 - NM/NM $40
Louis XIV - The Best Little Secrets Are Kept - MOV White Numbered - NM/NM $15
Mac Demarco - Another One - Newbury Aqua Blue - NM/NM $40
Mac Demarco - Here Comes The Cowboy - Olive Green - NM/NM $15
McCoy Tyner - Looking Out - In Shrink VG+/VG+ $10
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News - VG+/VG+ $25
The National - Sleep Well Beast - Blue - NM/NM $30
The National - I Am Easy To Find - Cherry Tree Exclusive - SEALED NM/NM $30
The Nextmen - Amongst The Madness - VG+/VG+ $12
Noah & The Whale - Heart Of Nowhere NM/NM $15
Okkervil River - In The Rainbow Rain - Purple/Blue - NM/NM $12
Parquet Courts - Content Nausea VG+/VG+ $15
Pink Floyd - Saucerful of Secrets - RSD 2019 Mono - NM/NM $30
Pixies - Monkey Gone To Heaven UK 12" - VG/VG $15
The Presidents Of The United States Of America - Green/Bronze Marble NM/NM $100
Queens Of The Stone Age - Villians Deluxe NM/NM $35
The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldier - VG/VG+ $20
The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger - NM/NM Opened, unplayed $10
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool NM/NM $30
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - 2016 MOV Press NM/NM $40
Rocket From The Crypt - Hot Charity VG+/VG+ $20
The Silvertones - Silver Bullets - MOV Orange Numbered - SEALED NM/NM $12
Spiritualized - And Nothing Hurt - SEALED NM/NM $15
Spiritualized - Let It Come Down - SEALED NM/NM $20
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light - SEALED NM/NM $20
Steady Hands - Truth In Comedy VG+/VG+ $5
Sublime - 40 oz. To Freedom - Pink Picture Disc VG/VG $50
Talking Heads - Warning Sign: Live At The Parkwest Chicago 1978 VG+/VG+ $25
UGK - Underground Kingz - VMP Woodgrain - VG+/NM $175
UGK - International Players Anthem - RSD 2016 Picture Disc SIGNED BY BUN B NM $250
The Wailers - The Wailing Wailers - VMP Red/Black - SEALED NM/NM $35
Washed Out - Life Of Leisure - 2010 Unnumbered Press - NM/NM $50
Willie Nelson Lot - Stardust, Always On My Mind, Somewhere Over The Rainbow (All VG+ In Shrink) $15
Willie Nelson - Shotgun Willie - VMP Gunsmoke - NM/NM $40
The First Six Dicords Records Box Set - Opened, unplayed. Comes in original mailer. $150
Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas - UO Red/Green/Clear Splatter - NM/NM $40
Mondo - Portal OST White/Gray Split - NM/NM $100
Mondo - Jurassic Park OST Yellow & Red Swirl w/ Black Splatter NM/NM $225
V/A - Dune OST - " Spice" RSD 2020 Exclusive - NM/NM $45

“Once upon a time, Ānanda, there was a market town in this spot named Vebhaliṅga. It was successful and prosperous and full of people. And Kassapa, a blessed one, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha, lived supported by Vebhaliṅga. It was here, in fact, that he had his monastery, where he sat and advised the mendicant Saṅgha.”
Then Ānanda spread out his outer robe folded in four and said to the Buddha, “Well then, sir, may the Blessed One sit here! Then this piece of land will have been occupied by two perfected ones, fully awakened Buddhas.” The Buddha sat on the seat spread out. When he was seated he said to Venerable Ānanda:
“Once upon a time, Ānanda, there was a market town in this spot named Vebhaliṅga. It was successful and prosperous and full of people. And Kassapa, a blessed one, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha, lived supported by Vebhaliṅga. It was here, in fact, that he had his monastery, where he sat and advised the mendicant Saṅgha.
The Buddha Kassapa had as chief supporter in Vebhaliṅga a potter named Ghaṭīkāra. Ghaṭīkāra had a dear friend named Jotipāla, a brahmin student. Then Ghaṭīkāra addressed Jotipāla, ‘Come, dear Jotipāla, let’s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.’
When he said this, Jotipāla said to him, ‘Enough, dear Ghaṭīkāra. What’s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?’
For a second time … and a third time, Ghaṭīkāra addressed Jotipāla, ‘Come, dear Jotipāla, let’s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.’
For a third time, Jotipāla said to him, ‘Enough, dear Ghaṭīkāra. What’s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?’
‘Well then, dear Jotipāla, let’s take some bathing paste of powdered shell and go to the river to bathe.’
‘Yes, dear,’ replied Jotipāla. So that’s what they did.
Then Ghaṭīkāra addressed Jotipāla, ‘Dear Jotipāla, the Buddha Kassapa’s monastery is not far away. Let’s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.’
When he said this, Jotipāla said to him, ‘Enough, dear Ghaṭīkāra. What’s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?’
For a second time … and a third time, Ghaṭīkāra addressed Jotipāla, ‘Dear Jotipāla, the Buddha Kassapa’s monastery is not far away. Let’s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.’
For a third time, Jotipāla said to him, ‘Enough, dear Ghaṭīkāra. What’s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?’
Then Ghaṭīkāra grabbed Jotipāla by the belt and said, ‘Dear Jotipāla, the Buddha Kassapa’s monastery is not far away. Let’s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.’
So Jotipāla undid his belt and said to Ghaṭīkāra, ‘Enough, dear Ghaṭīkāra. What’s the use of seeing that shaveling, that fake ascetic?’
Then Ghaṭīkāra grabbed Jotipāla by the hair of his freshly-washed head and said, ‘Dear Jotipāla, the Buddha Kassapa’s monastery is not far away. Let’s go to see the Blessed One Kassapa, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. For I deem it holy to see that Blessed One.’
Then Jotipāla thought, ‘Oh, how incredible, how amazing, how this potter Ghaṭīkāra, though born in a lower caste, should presume to grab me by the hair of my freshly-washed head! This must be no ordinary matter.’ He said to Ghaṭīkāra, ‘You’d even milk it to this extent, dear Ghaṭīkāra?’
‘I even milk it to this extent, dear Jotipāla. For that is how holy I deem it to see that Blessed One.’
‘Well then, dear Ghaṭīkāra, release me, we shall go.’
Then Ghaṭīkāra the potter and Jotipāla the brahmin student went to the Buddha Kassapa. Ghaṭīkāra bowed and sat down to one side, but Jotipāla exchanged greetings with the Buddha and sat down to one side.
Ghaṭīkāra said to the Buddha Kassapa, ‘Sir, this is my dear friend Jotipāla, a brahmin student. Please teach him the Dhamma.’ Then the Buddha Kassapa educated, encouraged, fired up, and inspired Ghaṭīkāra and Jotipāla with a Dhamma talk. Then they got up from their seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha Kassapa, keeping him on their right, before leaving.
Then Jotipāla said to Ghatīkāra, ‘Dear Ghaṭīkāra, you have heard this teaching, so why don’t you go forth from the lay life to homelessness?’
‘Don’t you know, dear Jotipāla, that I look after my blind old parents?’
‘Well then, dear Ghaṭīkāra, I shall go forth from the lay life to homelessness.’
[...]
Ānanda, you might think: ‘Surely the brahmin student Jotipāla must have been someone else at that time?’ But you should not see it like this. I myself was the student Jotipāla at that time.”
MN 81 - With Ghaṭīkāra)

First off, apologies for a bit of a clickbait-y title.
Specifically, for those who’ve been through - or are at - the stage where they’re pushing from Beginner to Intermediate DS videos: which do you think is most important?
To refine this question further: I see a lot of people advocating finishing every Beginner video on DS / grinding other content that’s 90-95%+ comprehensibility before progressing up to Intermediate. Others talk about getting used to being more comfortable with harder material with less comprehensibility (but still 70%+).
Do you find you’ve learned more when you’ve

• 1.) essentially got all of the value you can out of the very comprehensible range before starting harder material
• 2.) accepted that comprehensibility will be lower a level higher but focused on things you’re genuinely interested in and ploughed on

I plan to use a mix of methods - mostly focusing on Beginner content (and equivalent outside of DS) until I’m closer to 120-150 hours, while also trying out Intermediate content I’m more interested in to test comprehensibility; like switching to doing mostly (75%) Beginner with the rest Intermediate and equivalent from 100ish hours or whatever point I’m struggling to maintain an interest in the material.

Preface: first anaphylactic reaction in ~2017, ended up in ER wit face/throat swelling, severe diarrhea, full-body hives; all of this starting 4-5 hours after last meal. ER doctor assumed bc last meal contained shrimp that it must have been an allergic reaction to shrimp despite having had shellfish in my diet since young childhood (I'm Asian, some form of shellfish is in literally everything). A few months after, very very stupidly had some shrimp without any reaction - not even a mild one. Felt safe, so continued to have shrimp, shellfish, and other seafood without any issues afterwards until recently.
Medical history/issues: hypothyroidism, PCOS, migraines (no known cause, since high school). Dx'd ADHD and ASD, on medication (Vyvanse) for ADHD as well as Levo for hypothyroid. Caught COVID 3-4 times between 2019 to 2020 (sadly not joking), 3/4 times were confirmed via PCR or antigen testing, fourth suspected but not tested. Masked and was vaccinated & boosted but alas...the germ had gotten so brilliant (lol)
Bg info: Current diet is mostly comprised of meat (chicken > beef >>> pork), white rice, vegetables (peas, lettuce, cabbage, carrot, corn, soy sprout, spinach, bok choy, garlic). Seasonings are exclusively salt, sesame oil, and/or soy sauce - experimenting with miso paste at the moment as I've had intermittent issues with it. I don't use herbs or spices. I cook most meals from scratch and don't eat out. If I don't cook, my "cheat" foods are usually Lunchables Turkey & Cheddar (shoot me) or Special K + fairlife or soy milk. For the most part I have fairly bland taste, thankfully. I don't touch seafood period anymore.
Timeline:

2020

• Officially began having chronic issues with allergies
  

  Shellfish suddenly began giving issues (facial swelling, lip tingling, hives, GI symptoms) which was unusual, but given that I technically was supposed to have a "shellfish allergy" not shocking. PCP rightfully scolded me for continuing to eat a "known trigger" and explained how stupid that was, I quit eating shellfish and cut out possible cross-contamination.
  

• No issues yet with non-shellfish
  

2021

• Mystery, non-shellfish reactions begin
  

  Begin reacting to non-shellfish foods that were previously safe. Oddly, these reactions are not consistent. One day I might fix a bowl of fresh strawberries as a treat and find that after eating just a couple, my torso is covered in hives but then the next week I'm fine. One day I could eat mushroom risotto safely, and the next I eat japchae that has mushroom in it and have hives and diarrhea. Sometimes I might even get a reaction just by sharing utensils/cups with someone who had eaten something. Ex: I was on a mini road trip with my brother who had eaten eel and drank from his straw, and to my surprise found myself itchy all over and suddenly having throat tightness/hoarseness...even though when I've eaten that same eel dish before, I've had no problems. Note that at this point I'm making all my meals at home from scratch and that my family is eating most of their meals at home as well, and that there is no shellfish at all at home (nor shellfish in cooking sauces, etc.)
  

• Start having odd non-food reactions as well
  

  Sometimes find that, although this might just be a psychological reaction, just smells can set me off. When I go through the seafood section of Asian food markets, for instance, I sometimes get hives down my back and throat tightness. Strong spice smells sometimes set me off too. Being in the vicinity of dogs, even just being in the same waiting room sat quite far apart, makes me puff up/teary/sniffly/etc whereas prior it might have just made me a bit sneezy. The severity seems to really vary on the day and the dog(s).
  

2022

• Reactions ramp up in severity. Throughout 2022, I end up in the ER five times after using my epi pen, one of those times after having to use both of my epi pens. Up until 2021 I'd never even had to use my epi pen once
• Around early part of mid-2022, the allergist PCP referred me to finally has an opening. She suspects alpha-gal at first and does skin tests and bloodwork. Both show NO food allergies whatsoever and alpha-gal is ruled out. At this point she tells me she is considering possibly a mast cell disorder, immune disorder, or something called idiopathic anaphylaxis (IA) and has me do a 24hr urine panel and wants to do a follow up to test for environmental allergies. We discuss my anaphylactic reactions and how to manage them safely and efficiently, with the caveat that she reminds me (wisely) that Benadryl doesn't stop anaphylaxis.
• Urine panel comes back within normal ranges. Unfortunately this allergist is pretty booked out so it takes literally months between appointments. For now she tells me to continue to avoid shellfish but that's about it.
• Over the rest of the year I tinker as reactions pop up (a LOT) and find that Benadryl works for anaphylactic reactions if I catch them early.
• I go on vacation with my family to Canada in Sept, where I have an anaphylactic reaction to a smoothie :))) Benadryl doesn't do anything here, unsure of if I missed the signs (I was way blindsided here). I end up in the ER and get gobsmacked by a 9k bill. This gets whittled down to 1k. Yay! After I get back to ✨the States✨ my doctor has me put on steroids and twice daily Zyrtec and Allegra until my next allergist appointment, which isn't until Feb 2023.
• As 2022 winds down, I'm getting proper scared to eat. I try keeping food logs, I try low-histamine diets and they seem to help but don't fully eliminate the symptoms.

2023

• Allergist has a situation that requires the appointment to be pushed to May. I'm still on the twice daily double dose of antihistamines, and still getting random hives and reactions to food that I shouldn't be having. I gave up on the low histamine diet around March but tried to keep note of the weirder reactions/patterns that I spotted.
• (May - we are here!) Finally got in. We discuss the food log which seems to be basically trash for all the good it does (as she puts it, there is no discernable pattern). She does follow-up testing for environmental allergies "just in case" and finds mild dust mite and dog allergies but only through blood work. Otherwise my blood work is, again, normal. Total IgE was at 162.0 IU/mL, with the standard range being 0.0 - 100.0 IU/mL. She put a note on my chart that said "Your tryptase level, inflammatory markers, complete blood count were all normal" and settled on a diagnosis of IA for now and suggested Xolair as a treatment plan, which I am now looking into. She also did offer to have me to set up an appointment for a food challenge for foods I felt unsafe trying by myself which I am planning on scheduling hopefully soon (if she has any openings) to try to fully rule out food allergies.

Odd Reaction Notes (dunno what to call this, most of this is just a page in my notes app for my allergist lol):

• happened just once but had leftover dakjuk (chicken porridge) with family which I normally don't do as I tend to skip leftovers and my face swelled up. The rest of family was totally fine though
• I tend to have more reactions in general on my period, and they tend to be worse
• reactions usually are related to eating food but not always? (smells are another consistent odd trigger)
• often have issues with heat, though that can also be a sensory issue for people on the spectrum so idk
• after hot showers often get tingling/prickling/itching all over and very flushed feeling in the face and ears regardless of where I shower (even in other people's showers, hard/soft water, whatever soap I use, etc). idk if this is normal? not as bad with lukewarm or cold water
• had a very bad reaction (was one of the times in 2022 that landed me in the ER) after spending a very long, hot, stressful day at the zoo which is one of the rare outliers in terms of anaphylaxis that had no ties to food triggers. Still not sure what triggered me here and neither is my allergist. The heat? The smells? An animal? Walking uphill for hours? The stress? A combo of the above??? Haven't noticed any similar reactions after working out so fingers crossed that was a fluke

Symptoms:

• General fatigue, I get about 6ish hours of sleep at minimum but usually still feel quite tired. If I let myself sleep "to maximum" (+10hrs on days off) I still feel wiped and tbqh I have no good reason to
• Hives (most often on my face, and then my back for whatever reason - my first thought was an allergic reaction to soap or detergent or sheets but changing these hasn't helped and it's been consistent across moves and while staying over at friends' places. occasionally spreads through rest of torso. I've almost never seen them on extremities, and only a couple times seen them on my thighs when coming home after being out in negative temps in the winter)
• Itchiness
• Rashes
• "Tingling"/shivering/shaking? Idk how to word this. This only happens during the severe reactions but it's uncontrollable and almost like when you're very, very cold. When it gets to this stage I usually am having trouble breathing and need my epi pen
• Swelling (again most often on my head area - if not my face, it's my throat...rip)
• Random nausea, doesn't seem to be tied to being on my period or eating/not eating food
• (moreso in the past year) often feeling oddly weak, particularly in my extremities. Hard to describe but it's like the feeling the day after you've had an insane workout except I haven't had the workout. On bad days I have trouble doing stuff like showering because I can't hold "heavier" things like the soap well, for instance, or I find my (13lb) cat too heavy to lift. But most days I'm fine. It just worries me that there are even days that bad :(
• migraines (unsure of if this is related to the "IA" or not, as this has been a thing since high school)

Some Foods I've Reacted To (Intermittently):

• Fresh strawberries (which I've eaten a gazillion times and been fine, but have read are high in histamine so try to avoid...sadly these were a favorite treat of mine 😭)
• Fresh grapes (another favorite treat, and one that confuses me as I've read they're actually supposed to be low in histamine???)
• Fresh watermelon (another another favorite treat...I fkn love fruit gd. Anyways this is one that I've seen conflicting info about, but isn't supposed to be particularly bad? At worst it's been labeled a histamine liberator, and the day I reacted when I ate it I hadn't eaten any high histamine foods)
• Seafood/shellfish
• Some fruit juice (can't remember what it was, but I think it was a citrus juice blend? Either way it was fine one time I tried it and not fine the next time, so I never tried it again)
• Fresh cherries (again another treat which I loved loved loved. This one consistently kept setting me off so I had to cut it out. They're supposed to be safe I think? But sources seem conflicting)
• Chocolate (seems to vary, but I don't eat much choco anyways so I don't get to test it out often)
• Energy drinks (I only drink Zero Ultra fwiw and at most a can a day. I do notice that sometimes on days I have a can, that it does set me off. Other days it seems to be fine, and then other days still it just seems to lower the threshold so to speak? Dunno if there's much basis for that scientifically but that's how it feels)
• Tomatoes (sometimes causes weird tingling in the lips/tongue)
• Seaweed (sadly...doesn't seem to matter the sort, whether it's used in soup or eaten plain with rice, etc. It all sets me off)

Phew. Sorry for the insanely long post. I'm at my wits end. It's been coming on three years now that I've been trying to get to the bottom of this and my allergist seems to be at the end of her rope too which honestly scares me a bit.
I'll admit that I've been extremely stupid about my "allergy" in the past (obviously if you're allergic to a thing, don't eat the damn thing!!!) but knowing now that I apparently have no food allergies, I feel like an idiot for the trouble my family has gone to in avoiding shellfish for my sake (especially with how hard it is to do that with Asian food). My family won't even eat it outside by themselves because of how severe my reactions have been the past two years. It feels really bad to think that all this stress and caution could've been for nothing.
I also feel so confused, because if I have no food allergies...why on earth am I reacting to food? Why are my reactions to food so inconsistent??? I don't know of anybody with food allergies whose allergies come and go. When I read the description of mast cell disorders or histamine intolerance, they seem to line up more or less with my symptoms, but having the test results come back negative and having inconsistencies with the low histamine diet does make me pause.
If it weren't for the fact that my reactions result in physical symptoms that are externally observable (hoarse voice, hives, swelling, low BP on monitor, etc.) I'd think this was all in my head/anxiety/panic attacks at this point. With my blood work and skin test results, it scares me that my allergist may just leave it at IA which doesn't answer anything for me. The way she explained it is that there isn't any known trigger (hence the "idiopathic" bit) which is 1000000x worse to me than any allergy.
To my knowledge IA isn't "supposed" to be tied to food-related triggers but what worries me is that, increasingly, my reactions aren't food-tied. But it does give me a (messed up?) sense of hope that much of my reactions do seem to be related to food and specifically eating it, so it might just be an allergy to something I don't know yet (🤞)?
I'd appreciate your input at all. Thanks for reading this huge wall of text :")

Certain stages of the video creation process may seem of negligible importance, but when you try to cut costs on them, you either wind up with a video of noticeably lower quality, or else you end up complicating and delaying the project. What's more, omitting these stages ultimately will not save you significant time or money. Here are the stages we're referring to.

5 things it doesn't pay to skimp on:

1. The script. A video without a script is like a project without terms of reference. To avoid endless reworkings in the process and a garbled end result, give the script your utmost attention. First decide what exactly you want to convey to the viewer. Then think about what visual media you'll employ to bring your idea to life, and coordinate each of your ideas with the resources at your disposal, whether live gameplay or the game's source graphics. Develop your theme consistently, proceeding logically from one idea to the next.If you plan for the video to include voice-over, refine how the text of the narration is formulated.
2. Quality translation. If your native language is English, but you need a video in a foreign language — German, for example — hire an English-speaking translator whose native language is German. Ask them to translate text box inscriptions, CTAs, and the voiceover text. A native speaker will not make unpardonable errors or produce stylistic wrinkles that you yourself would never notice — but that your target audience will pick up on immediately.
3. Voice-over by a native speaker. If you want to save money, better to do without narration in the video altogether than to have voice-over done by a non-native speaker. If voice-over for your video is a must (sometimes the narrator's voice is a "load-bearing element" of the video), choose a narrator who is a native speaker of the target language.Regarding when a game video requires narration and when it can be omitted, we discussed the issue in this article.
4. Storyboarding. This is a question of saving time, rather than money. For text boxes, come up with a design and typeface. For the closing screen, think through the composition, embellishing it with the game logo, store badges, and a CTA. The most convenient method is to create and certify these elements while they are static, to decrease the number of iterations during animation.Storyboarding is especially important for videos with animated graphics (more on that below), as it is at this stage that isolated assets combine into cohesive scenes. If while preparing your materials you forget to include certain art in the source archive, at the storyboarding stage this error is easily pinpointed and corrected.
5. Sound design. As we see it, whether or not the user watches the video with sound is their affair. The creator's job is to make the video ideal in both cases. For those who watch with no sound, text boxes will prove helpful (we designed them at the storyboarding stage, remember?), while for those who leave sound enabled, the video should include sound design.

These, then, are the five stages that aren't worth skimping on. What's left? Strangely enough, the animation itself. A given idea can be conveyed by different visual means. And since compiling animation is the most labor-intensive stage of creating a video, when optimizing expenses it makes sense to consider this particular stage.

How to save on the video sequence

To watch game video examples that illustrate each of the following points, check out the full edition of the article on our blog.
Naturally, videos with 3D or CGI look impressive, but when your budget is limited it makes more sense to explore other options.

Option 1: Video with animated graphics in 2D

Here's when it makes sense to consider this particular option:

1. You need a video that will not lose relevance in the foreseeable future — for example, if at the time of the video's release or shortly thereafter the actual features will look different than they do at the time of the video's production.
2. You're planning to show the video to viewers from various countries and you want to simplify the process of adapting the video for foreign markets.
3. You don't need a trailer for a store, but rather a teaser or advertising video with an interesting theme, which requires more than just gameplay video.

In order to simplify bringing this option to life, come up with a selection of graphic files ahead of time that you plan to use in the video. Follow the script and compile your assets for each scene, leaving no details out. In the archive, for each scene don't forget to include a high-resolution background image, the proper characters from the proper angles, location elements, and other gameplay objects.

However, if you decide to use this kind of video on the game page in an app store, there's no guarantee that a video with animated graphics will pass the App Store's moderation.

Option 2: Combining gameplay and animated scenes

Animating graphics, even in 2D, is a fairly laborious affair — especially when it comes to character animation or highly detailed environments. But it's entirely possible that your video's subject matter does not require compiling all the scenes from source graphics. It may be possible to convey part of the ideas using gameplay scenes, which can be used to break up the animated video sequence. When properly employed, this approach will not compromise the video's visual cohesiveness. You can even combine gameplay and graphics in a single scene.

If you're on a limited budget, use as much actual gameplay as possible, resorting to animated graphics only when absolutely necessary — for example, when an aspect of the game simply cannot be conveyed by captured gameplay.

Examples of this might include features such as quests, which in the recorded gameplay will appear too drawn out or too detail-heavy. Just imagine the dialog windows when accepting, questing, and completing: the viewer will have little interest in learning about the specific scenario or in reading the mission description. It's best to describe this game feature schematically or symbolically, conveying the idea figuratively, and this is where animated graphics are your friend.

Option 3: Gameplay video

The most economical option is to record gameplay, select the best fragments, and set the captured video to the rhythm of the music.
For this option to work, carefully check whether the gameplay depicts what you envisioned in the script. If you want to get by with minimal expense, your video has to show what is already in the game, without embellishments such as custom unit placement or changes to the UI.
For example, if you have a space shooter and you want the video to depict a spectacular scene of a spaceship flying over an aerial armada of opponents, the game must already include this animation. If it has not yet been created, it can of course be made specifically for the video, using the game's source graphics. But this will cost more than a gameplay montage. So if cost-cutting is your priority, try to use only animations your game already contains.

If your video includes voice-over, any gameplay montage must be synced to it. That is, the video sequence must be matched to the narrator, not vice versa.

This will allow you to keep the voice-over to a natural pace and avoid a situation where the video sequence has moved on to the next scene while the narrator is still reading the text for the one preceding. In general, when a video contains speech, it is the speech that determines how long each scene lasts.
To keep the gameplay video from appearing monotonous or from bogging down, don't be afraid to speed up the recorded fragments a little, switch from one to the next, or even show several fragments on screen at once.
Credits: The article is written at Alconost, a game video production studio with over 10 years of experience and over 150 game trailers, teasers, and cutscenes in their portfolio.
You can contact the author of the article on Reddit.

Hi so here’s a lightning rounds of held items I’ve made up on the spot and I’m curious what’s your opinion about theme if their competitively viable or not and how they could be improved or changed to be more balance.

(Poké-Armor)
Cuts speed in half but doubles Defense, think like how Pure-Power doubles attack but Defense instead.

(Ability-Charger)
Allow the user to use all of its abilities, it’s most likely to be banned to Ubers or AG.

(Boxing-Gloves)
The user is protected from negative contact abilities like Flame-Body, Rough-Skin & Iron-Barb’s
Now you can freely Ice-Punch the Garchomp and Fire-Punch the Ferrothorn without worrying about their ability hurting your Physical Attacking Pokémon.

(Bunny-Ears)
Doubles the user physical attack stats if it’s Attack is 60 or lower, doesn’t work if the Attack is 65 and above.
Pokémon like Alakazam could use it since he has a Attack stat of 50 but Xatu and Gardevoir has an Attack stat of 75 and 65 respectfully, therefore you can’t use this to a Pokémon with High Attack stat, it’s essentially Huge-Power, this item would probably be banned in Little-Cup.

(Camera-Photo) Another signature held item for Ditto.
When Ditto transforms manually or with the ability Imposter it’ll Transform with full PP instead of only having 5 in all of its movesets, even stay transformed when you switch it out.

(Neutralizer)
Neutralize the user Ability, Watch out for Knock-Off that give bring back the ability.
You would obviously give this to Slaking, Regigigas and Archtops but you still need to watch out for Knock-Off as that’ll bring back the ability that’s holding them back.

(Umbrella)
Protect the user from weather damage of Hail & Sandstorms.

(Plastic-Remoraid) When held by of Mantyke/Mantine its Special Attack doubles.
A signature held item for Mantine that doubles its special attack like how Thick-Club doubles Marowak’s Physical Attack stats.

(Thunder-Orb) An item that’s always trying to paralyze the user.
Like the Flame-Orb & Toxic-Orb this item will always try to paralyze the user unless the user is a Ground & Electric Type, same for Pokémon with the ability Limber, Volt-Absorb & Lighting-Rod, could hypothetically work like Leftovers for Pokémon with the Volt-Absorb Ability.
And if a Pokémon with the Lighting-Rod ability has the Thunder-Orb it’s Special Attack is raised by one stage every turn like Speed Boost, the only Pokémon I see that could take advantage of this are Raichu, Manectric, Plusle, Zebstrika & Pincurchin, the rest have either very low Special Attack so it wouldn’t helped much or requires another item like Mega-Sceptile.

That’s all the items I could think of, what do you think about theme? Let me know down in the comments, love to know what you’re opinions are and how they could be changed? Thanks.

Hi all, feeling extremely discouraged as we’ve now failed our second round of IVF and looking for success stories. My husband 31M has severe MFI, which we originally believed to be due to grade 3 varicocele, however, he had surgery 8 months ago and we haven’t seen much improvement (with the exception of motility). His latest numbers are:
Sperm Count: 6.25 million, Motile Sperm: 2.75 million, Motility(forward progression): 44%, Morph: 1%,
His morph ranges from 1-4% just seems to depend on the sample. Also husband doesn’t smoke, maintains a healthy diet and weight and exercises regularly. He takes a multivitamin and Coq10.
There isn’t too much that’s been flagged for me (31F) other than I have a lower AFC for someone my age (round 1 = 10, round 2 = 15) and AMH is lower too at 1.8. But overall, all other normal hormone levels, normal periods, normal HSG/SHG, etc.
First round we retrieved 10 eggs, 6 mature, fertilized 5 and 2 made it to day 5 and frozen. PGS 1 low level mosaic and 1 aneuploid.
At this stage our doctor shared he thought it was due to egg quality and he added HGH for 2 weeks prior and during stims and wanted to stim me one day longer (10 days).. here’s the kicker..
Round 2 we retrieved 11 eggs, 11 mature and only 6 fertilized and we had 1 day 5 blast and 1 day 7 blast. Both aneuploid.
I chatted with the doctor and he has shifted gears and we are back looking into my husband. He was happy with egg quality and count. Doc was open to doing a DNA frag test and exploring TESE if numbers are poor. He also mentioned looking into calcium ionophore but was getting lab input and was going to circle back with me if that’s an option.
I brought up the ZyMot chip and he said the lab uses it and they used it in round 1 but the sample they got from my husband in round 2 wasn’t enough to even use the chip. So of course my theory is that’s why we saw better fert rates in round 1.
So now we are at a crossroads. We are going to do the dna frag test next week and in a couple of weeks we are meeting with another clinic to get a second opinion. I am just looking for any success stories with a similar situation. What ended up working for you? Does anything stand out in what I’ve detailed here that we could change? Do we need to face it that we should look at donor sperm?

Defending the Draft: 2023 Washington Commanders 8-8-1
Preface:
Hope.
This 2023 season will be the most interesting for the Commanders franchise in a long long time. We enter this season with more uncertainty than I have ever been a part of, however, the one thing the fan base is certain of... is the future is brighter. Dan Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999 and subsequently done nothing but run a blue blood franchise into the ground. This team has lacked direction for a long time and a large part of that was due to Dan Snyder's meddling in the day-to-day football operations of the team. Starting his ownership with signing washed up HOF veterans, to then overspending in free agency (Albert Haynesworth is arguably the worst free agent signing of all time), drug scandal with thetraining staff, the mishandling of the RG3 and Kirk Cousins situation, Not resigning Trent Williams, and lastly we've now reached tumultuous time where his off the field issues have hung a dark cloud over a once proud franchise. Although, lol, his most egregious mistake may be hiring Jim Zorn as head coach. It's egregious that his only punishment is a 6 billion dollar payout for his franchise. I hope the banks bury him and he faces the deserved legal actions. As of now there had been an agreement to sell the franchise to 76'rs and NJ Devils owner, Josh Harris.... and is 20ish members of his parliament. We await to hear news of the reviews from the NFL financial committee to close out the process. Last news I came across was he has cut down the number of minority owners to 20. It will be a pleasure when this agreement is finalized. He could be a terrible owner, but it would still be an upgrade from Synder. Harris, seemingly has been a hands off owner and properly allows the people he's hired to operate the team. This last sports season he's had both of his teams deep in the playoff hunt. This season will be interesting. A lot of questions all around: Sam Howell? Chase Young? Ron Rivera? Eric Bienemy? Josh Harris? I'm not sure of those answers, but I'm very excited to find them out.
Coaching:
HC- Ron Rivera OC- Eric Bieniemy DC- Jack Del Rio
Key Additions: Eric Bieniemy
Ole' Riverboat Ron Rivera is back and going into his 4th season with the Washington Commanders, hopefully his last. I believe Ron Rivera is a leader of men, but I highly question his actual coaching skills and team building. I've currently seen enough of this coaching regime and front office to safely say let's move on. There's been several things that I believed were firable offenses.... the Carson Wentz trade. Some rumors have said that this was a Snyder push. Not entirely positive, but Ron bragged that it was his call. Our team at that point was not a qb away from being really good, let alone a Carson Wentz level of qb. The next fireable offense was starting Wentz over Hienke when the playoffs were on the line. Wentz ended up being benched for Hienke, but it was too little too late. The next fireable offense was not realizing we were eliminated from the playoffs. Going into the last week of the season Ron planned on starting Hieneke. Pretty odd to not know you're out of the playoffs, let alone to test Sam Howell out for next season. Additionally, there's been some pretty questionable roster creation decisions. I absolutely hate the versatile secondary and offensive line philosophy. We currently have a patch work offensive line that has the means to fluctuate between average to below average. Not a single player on the line is top 5 at their respected position. Two years ago we had a top 10 o-line, but that had Brandon Sherff playing like a top 5 guard and Charles Leno having his best season. Our o-line took a significant step back this past season and now looks to be our biggest weakness. Ron has shown to trust his own board and has reached (according to the consensus big board) with every single pick so far. People mistake 2019 as one of his drafts ( Sweat, McLaurin, Holcomb), but he was hired at the end of the season. Take this with a grain of salt as it takes at least 3 years to properly review a draft. Rons 1st round picks have been the following: 2020 pick 2 Chase Young- the correct pick at the time, but hard to botch the 2nd overall pick, 2021 pick 19 Jamin Davis- hated the pick at the time, too early for a linebacker... let a lone a project. On tape he looked lost a lot and made up for it with his elite athleticism. He's shown progress, but nothing showing he's worthy of the pick. 2022 pick 16 Jahan Dotson- looks to be an absolute baller, had him ranked above Olave in the pre-draft process. Was a slight reach above the consensus board, but flashed high end ability. Davis has been the only mistake in the 1st round thus far. When I say mistake I don't necessarily mean player, but the roster building philosophy. Whether reaching on Phidarian Mathis in the 2nd round of 2022. Lol, he was older than Payne coming out of the draft, one year of good production, and was taken a round too early. In the next round Brian Robinson was taken and was really just a body. Haven't really seen anything elite with him so far and was a meh pick. John Bates in the 4th round was egregious. Now I have to give credit where it's due. Kam Curl was an absolute steal and can solidify himself as top 5 safety this season if he continues to play this well. Our other starting safety in Darrick Forest also had a lot of bright spots playing this past season.
Arguably, our best offseason move was signing Eric Bieniemy. I'm absolutely excited. Forget everything about him not calling the plays. Reports from OTA's shows his hands on approach and full control of the offense. One of my favorites things I've heard is he is using OTA's to see what the players can do and crafting the offense to their abilities. Time and time again (Scott Turner) you see coaches say this is the offense and not change anything to match the players strengths. We don't know for sure how the offense will look, but if it's anything close to the motion west coast offense the Chiefs have... boy lessssss gooooooo. Jack Del Rio has been up-and-down in his time in Washington. He's had two very slow starts with the defense to start year, however, they've finished strong and kept his job safe. This is really the no excuse year and everyone needs to show up amd show out.
Free Agency:
Key Departures:
Taylor Hieneke- signed with the Falcons
Cole Holcolm- signed with the Steelers
Bobby McCain- signed with the Giants
Carson Wentz- TBD
J.D. McKissic- TBD
Trai Turner TBD
Andrew Norwell- will be released when he passes a physical
Summary:
In my personal oppinion, the only player that hurt losing in free agency was Cole Holcolm. Linebacker is our one weak spot on defense, however, not resigning Holcolm shows Ron's belief in Jaymin Davis's progression. Cole was limited to 7 games last season and has yet to truly break out. Always played very solid and losing him downgraded the position. We've moved on from both starting guards from last year in Norwell and Turner (previously on the Panthers). Both players were liabilities last season and the guard position was easily upgradeable. Bonny McCain was a solid do it all for is player. Lined up at corner, safety, and nickel throughout the season. Hieneke was a big fan favorite, but was never the answer. We thank you for your service though. Carson Wentz, fuck you. Loved J.D. and his time here, suffered a major injury. Not sure if he gets picked up hy another team.
Key Additions:
Andrew Wiley- 3 years for 24 million, 12 guaranteed. Previously on the Chiefs
Nick Gates- 3 years for 16.5 million, 8 million guaranteed. Previously on the Giants
Jacoby Brissett- 1 year for 8 million, 7.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Browns
Cody Barton- 1 year for 3.5 million, 3.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Seahawks
Summary:
Simple. In free agency the Commanders did not overspend and tackled positions of need. None of the players signed are top 5 at their position, however, they could all possibly end up being upgrades to what we have. The most interesting is Andrew Wiley. He allowed 9 sacks (tied for 3rd most)... but man he put on the performance of his life in the superbowl. Another stat that favors him is pass block win-rate, which measure if a lineman can sustain a block for 2.5 seconds. Wylie ranked 9th in that stat last season. I translate that stat to mean can a lineman sustain a block against thr initial rush and counter move off the snap. After that 2.5 seconds the ball is thrown or the play breaks down. Another key factor to this signing is it kicks Samuel Cosmi inside to guard. Cosmi has shown flashes being a high end lineman and I expect him to be even better kicking to guard from right tackle. Guard was our weakest position on the line and Wylie signing helped to upgrade the RG position. Nick Gates is expected to he our starting center. He's coming off of a brutal leg injury that made him consider retirement. Has played guard and center and has some positional flexibility. Jacoby Brissett is the best backup qb in thr league. A solid signing if Howell doesn't pan out. Just a solid game manager that doesn't commit many turnovers. Cody Barton is another unproven guy. Last year was his first year with significant reps. Bobby Wagner leaving in FA and Jordyn Brooks injury made em the guy. He showed flashes of coverage abilities and had a lot of tackles. The tackles weren't necessarily a product of his abilities and more so of cleaning up on a bad run defense team. I've read some notes that he has trouble getting off of blocks. Honestly, haven't watched much on the guy, but reports were he played solid down the stretch.
The Draft:
Link to all RAS scores for our draft class
https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nfl-draft-ras-scores-for-the-washington-commanders-7-player-class-emmanuel-forbes/
Round 1:16 Emmanuel Forbes 6'1" 174 lbs. Mississippi St
Stats: 58 targets, 31 catches allowed for 284 yards (23 yards a game), 3 tds allowed/ 6 ints, 9 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 46 tackles.
PFF Grade: 87.2
If being a 160 pounds is your only knock then I think you're doing something alright. The word on the street is he is already up to 174 pounds. You wouldnt realize hes only 174 pounds by the way he plays the run. Hes not scared to hit and flies ro the ball. Although, he does struggle to get off of blocks. Emmanuel Forbes, per PFF, had the highest rating in man coverage last season, albeit the snap count was very miniscule. Emmanuel Forbes is a lanky corner than played a lot of zone coverage and is a very good scheme fit for what we do. I like the pick and I'm not upset about taking him over Gonzalez, who also had his own question marks. Forbes set a NCAA record with 6 pick sixes. A lot of those were the right place at the right time, but when you have that high of a number than you're doing something right.
PFF:
Forbes is one of the best ballhawks in this class. Over the course of his three-year career, he came down with 13 interceptions. That’s four more than the next closest Power Five cornerback since 2020. Forbes was unbelievably dominant in man coverage in 2022, giving up only three catches while also snagging three interceptions. He also only allowed a 20% completion rate in man, the lowest among FBS
PROS
Remarkably lanky frame. Limbs for days — ideal for a corner.Has bounce like a hooper. He can challenge any catch point necessary. Elite ability to locate the football. All six of his interceptions came in man coverage.
CONS
Still a stick. Not much mass on his frame. Has eyes that get him in trouble. Some freelance tendencies on tape.Can get bowled over in the run game. Mediocre tackler over the course of his career.
Round 2: 47 Jartavius "Quan" Martin 5'11". 194 lbs Illinois
Stats: 74 targets, 42 catches allowed, 611 yards allowed, 3 tds allowed, 3 ints, 15 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 4 missed tackles, 64 tackles.
PFF Grade: 73.2
Quan is a beast. I thought he was the 2nd best nickel prospect in the draft and a better deep safety than Brian Branch. Martin absolute rockets around the field in the run game. He started his career at cornerback before transitioning into the safety/nickel position. Another elite athlete that is a perfect fit for our Buffalo Nickel defense.
PFF:
Martin came to Illinois and immediately started as a true freshman in 2018. He originally started off as an outside corner before becoming more of a slot corner recently. He had arguably his best year in 2022, as his 15 forced incompletions were tied for the sixth-most among Power-Five corners. Martin’s 91.0 run-defense grade also led all Power Five cornerbacks. While he played corner at Illinois, we project him more as a safety for the next level.
PROS:
Explosive flat-foot breaks. Tremendous burst. Forceful and reliable tackler - 7 misses on the last 129 attempts last two seasons.Fills like a mac truck in the run game. Wants to come downhill and play in the backfield.
CONS:
Pure man skills are work in progress. Overagressive and liability to bite on fakes. cons On the lighter side for an around the line of scrimmage player. Gets caught with his eyes in the backfield on run
Round 3: 97 Ricky Stromberg 6'3" 306 lbs Arkansas
Stats: 9 impact blocks, 11 qb hurries, 0 qb hits, 0 sacks allowed
PFF Grade: 82.4
Nasty. Another guard experience player that spent his last two years at the center position. Award winner of the Jacob's Blocking Trophy for the SEC'S most outstanding blocker award. This is a solid player that has started since he was freshman in the SEC. He's been battle tested since he was kid and has improved every year. He has some knocks about his play strength, but a NFL program should get em to where he needs to be.
PFF:
Stromberg was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class and started for the Razorbacks as a true freshman, mostly at right guard. He moved inside to center for his sophomore season and spent his final three college seasons there. Stromberg’s 82.4 overall grade and 83.7 run-blocking grade in 2022 both ranked fourth among all centers in college football, and his nine big-time blocks were tied for fifth among FBS centers. Not to mention, Stromberg had an incredible performance at the NFL combine.
PROS:
Does not want to let blocks go. Can see him straining his butt of to stay engaged on tape. Tons of experience against top competition. Four-year starter with 3,121 career snaps.
CONS:
Forward lean gets going on the move, making him liable to topple over. Has wide hands to initiate contact in pass protection before resetting. Leaves himself open for stronger rushers.Unimpressive musculature, which leaves questions about how he'll anchor against NFL strength.
Round 4: Braeden Daniels 6'4" 296 lbs Utah STATS:
0 sacks allowed, 1 qb hit allowed, 14 hurries allowed.
PFF GRADE: 72.2 at tackle, 2021 84.4 at guard.
Braeden Daniels is another tackle/guard hybrid, with starting experience across his college career. This guy is on the lighter side but that allows him to be an Explosive athlete. Very raw at the tackle position and will be a developmental guy. I'd like to give em a try as our swing tackle and see how he performs. He was one of the quickest offensive lineman I've seen off the tape and that athleticism will let him climb to the next level. Even on the lightweight side I'd hate to see this guy running at me on the second level.
PFF:
Daniels is an experienced veteran who commanded the Utes’ offensive line for the past few years. He originally started as a guard before switching over to tackle. His best season came in 2021, as he put up an 84.4 PFF grade. Given his time on the interior, Daniels is at his best when run blocking, and his run-blocking grade in 2021 was an elite 89.1. He still held his own as a pass protector, allowing only five sacks in his Utah career.
PROS
Explodes out of his stance. Arguably the quickest get off in the offensive line class. Linebackers don't want to see him climbing. Gets on them before they can even react. Drive in his lower half to still move the line of scrimmage despite being under 300 pounds.
CONS
Wild into contact. He approaches blocks with the adjustment ability of a freight train. consDoesn't bring his hands with him. Clean engagements are rare on tape. Very light by NFL standards (294 pounds at combine).
Round 5: 137 KJ Henry 6'4" 260 lbs Clemson
STATS:
51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF, 6 pass deflections, 50 qb pressures, 31 qb hurries, 14 qb hits.
PFF GRADE: 83.1
Loved this pick. Henry was a 5 star recruit coming out of high-school and decided to attend Clemson University. With Clemson having deep lines it took him a couple of years to get on the field. The stats look odd when you only see 3.5 sacks, however, the 50 qb pressures is the key stat. Seems more like bad luck that the sack numbers weren't high. Clemson's whole d-line underperformed (Bresee, Murphey) and they should have picked up more sacks from Henry who was the best DE on that team last year. The team clearly liked him as we traded back up for him. He's not elite athlete, but he is an elite hands guy. Almost had that veteran presence in college. High motor and will immediately make an impact as a rotational de, a position that sorely needed an upgrade.
PFF:
On a team with Myles Murphy, you can easily make the case that KJ Henry was Clemson's best defensive end this year, as he posted better PFF grades than Murphy in every category and even generated 19 more pressures. The only problem is That Henry is 24 years old while Murphy is only 21. Therefore, Henry was expected to produce this well against younger competition. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that he can’t still improve. If Henry's play this season is any indication of his potential, he can still have a great NFL career as an edge defender.
PROS:
Heavy hands that are so well refined. Uses them independently to use combination moves.Utilizes hesitations and head fakes so well to catch linemen off-balance. Coaches rave about the type of teammate he is. He is the type of player you want in the locker room.
CONS:
First step that's unimposing for a rusher on the smaller side. Late bloomer. Wasn't even a starter until this past fall. One of the oldest prospects in the class. Already 24 years old.
Round 6: 193 Chris Rodriguez 6'0" 217 lbs Kentucky
STATS: 8 games played, 175 attempts, 904 rushing yards, 6 tds, 5.2 ypa, 5 catches, 41 rec yards.
PFF GRADE: 90.8
Chris Rodriguez is a PFF darling and was rated as the 7th best running back. This guy's is a pure one cut, run you over, power back. There's not much finesse to his game, but there's highlights of dragging guys 10-yards down the field. He does not posses break away speed, but he will get you 40 yards. He was suspended 4 games due to a dui and he may have been drafted higher on am abysmal Kentucky team. An extra 4 games of stats against SEC competition and no suspension may have jumped him into the 4th round. This was an Eric Bienemy guy and they brought him in because of that. Isiah Pacheco was another EB guy.
PFF:
Rodriguez is a powerful runner, but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder. He has the size and mentality to do the dirty work between the tackles, but it could be a challenge for him to get to and through the hole quickly in the NFL. He’s a physical blitz protector, so teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.
PROS:
Two-time team captain. Thick frame with ability to pick up tough yards. Makes tacklers feel his size at impact. Stays square getting through downhill cuts. Low success rate guaranteed for arm-tacklers. Stays on his feet through heavy angle strikes. Allows lead blockers to do their work. Steps up with force against incoming rushers.
CONS:
Below-average burst getting through line of scrimmage. Lacks finesse to navigate tight run lanes. Change of direction is heavy. One-speed running style is easy to track for linebackers. Pad level is a little tall as run-finisher. Inconsistent finding assignment versus blitz.
Round 7: 233 Andre Jones 6'4" 248 lbs Louisiana
STATS: 7 sacks, 5 qb hits, 20 hurries.
PFF GRADE: 77.2
Andre Jones was another hybrid de/lb player coming out last year. He possess 34 1/4" arms which is an elite number for his size. May move to LB, but I'm not sure that's the right move with a 4.71 40-yard dash. He doesn't have much a pass rush move set playing a hybrid role, but does use length to his advantage. A solid developmental pick.
PROS:
Shows a natural feel for setting up blockers and getting them off-balance. His hands are active and violent, and Jones quickly disengages with blockers and counters when his initial move stalls. Possesses accurate snap anticipation and timing to beat blockers off the edge. Offers some versatility, rushing from a two-and three-point stance with the playing speed to stand up in space.Flashes strength as a bull rusher and his energy doesn't plateau. Showed initial quickness and good flexibility to dip and bend. Jones has active hands and suddenness to his movements, demonstrating the ability to counter inside. Has fluid footwork to redirect, reverse momentum and close with a burst. Regularly first off the ball with good snap anticipation. He’s a high-effort pass rusher with an impressive combination of length and speed.
CONS:
Jones has to develop a counter move or two in the pass rush, and Jones needs to make better use of his hands. He lacks the speed of a chase and- tackle guy. He lacks twitch as a pass rusher and lacks the feet and flexibility to threaten around the edge. Jones also shows some stiffness when trying to bend the edge, often getting pushed past the pocket — he seems more comfortable countering back inside.
Draft Summary:
This was my favorite Ron Rivera/Martin Mayhew draft thus far. Going into the draft, offensive line, cornerback, and quarterback were our three biggest needs. Drafting in the middle of the round really took us out of the olineman race. The last one that interested me was Broderick Jones and he went off the board when the Steelers traded up. At that point in the draft it really left us with going cornerback. The Forbes pick was received negatively due to Christian Gonzalez being available. Both players will be viewed under the microscope throughout their careers. I'm fine with Forbes pick though. Another lanky cornerback who was an elite athlete. I did have Gonzalez rated higher going into the draft, but he slid for a reason. A lot of his tape shows him not necessarily being an elite cornerback, but being an elite athlete that plays corner. Forbes actually showed the athleticism, corner skills, and ballhawking ability. Some additional knocks against Gonazalez and his love of the game. Quan Martin was our biggest surprise pick of the draft. A lot of people had him going in the 3rd round, but I think the 2nd was a fine spot. Mayhew after the draft said he wish we were more aggressive at times, which I translated as not getting Brian Branch that went several picks before us. I think Quan was the backup option, but I like him as much as Branch. I think Quan will be a better deep safety and Bramch will be a better nickel. Liked Quan alot, but felt we should have gone o-line at this pick. Ocyrus Torrence would've been a sweet pick here. I think if that happened, the consensus view on our draft would shoot up. Quan will immediately via for playing time as our base defense is essentially a 4-2-5. Kendall Fuller was our only above average corner and now we turned our secondary into a strength. Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels were our next two picks. I like Stromberg’s tape a lot and think by next he will be a solid starter at guard or center. Braeden Daniels will be a nice depth piece and if he's able to tame his play he could develop into a starter. Fun player to watch. KJ Henry was an awesome pick and can see him being a nice rotational piece. Good pick at an underrated area of need on our defense. RB wasn't a pressing need, but it's an underrated area of weakness. I think Brian Robinson is about as average of rb as you will see starting in the NFL. I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez slowly cut into Robinson's role over the next two years. Antonio Gibson has had some solid season, but has a severe fumbling problem. Andre Jones will be a depth piece that will need development moving forward.
Offseason summary:
The biggest question of our offseason was our owner, which now appears resolved. Our second biggest question... was who was our starting qb? Sam Howell. Ron preached all offseason that he was going with Howell and I'll be damned, he did. Brissett was good qb to bring in, not someone that would necessarily turn the offseason into a battle, but can be a starter if called upon. Really a true backup qb. I'm all in on the Sam Howell train. I love it for a multitude of reasons. One, he balls out and we have our qb of the future, two he plays well enough we give him another season and maybe Ron is out and we get a high draft pick, three he bombs and we fire Ron Rivera and go for Caleb Williams next season. If anything, it gives us a direction for our future. I'm ready for Ron to go and think he's only as good as his coordinators. I'm concerned that EB AND Howell turn the offense around Ron gets resigned and EB takes a head coaching role... then the offense regressed. Additionally, I don't want Ron to get credit for drafting Howell. It was 5th round pick, you and every team passed on him for 4 rounds. If Howell is that good... it's not because Ron was a genius and drafted him. Very similar to Seattle taking Russel. I am excited about EB being here and think he's the real deal. I will give Ron credit for allowing him to run his own offense as he sees fit. OTA's have shown that EB is pushing his guys hard and is trying to see what he can do with the offense. We really do have elite playmaker and I'm most excited to see what he can do with Antonio Gibson. I can see his role being that of Jerrick McKinnon, with more athleticism. Sam Howell has shown a lot of progress since his rookie season. Had issues with his foot work, but has shown vast improvements. We only have 1 preseason game and 1 NFL game of tape on him. I liked what he showed. When watching tape you could see him going through his progression, man absolutely saved the day wish his escapability- was under pressure the whole game, threw two beautiful deep passes, and won the game. He did throw one bad pick, but was under pressure and playing hero ball. He had one week of practice with the starters, now he has a whole offseason. Our defense should be a top 5 unit next season and we only got better. Chase Young should be fully healthy and he's the X-factor for the number one overall defense. He comes out plays to his full potential then he could be a mid teens sack guy. If we have that sort of production and Sam Howell plays well than we can compete for the decision. Big if though. Our secondary really lacked a 2nd option, Benjamin St Juyce has shown some flashes but didn't seeze the role last year. Now on paper he's the number and that's very solid. We return two top 6 defensive tackles and Montez Swear is one of the most underrated players in the league. He's yet to have a high sack season, but is very much that Jadaveon Ckowney type of player in the run game. Big question mark season for Jaymin Davis. We knew he needed development, but it's been slower than previously thought. Down the stretch he showed flashes that he was coming into his own and now is his year. He's one of the best athletes at linebacker in the league and his ceiling is very very high. Overall I predict we will go 10-7 and challenge for a wild card spot. That record can fluctuate each one, but I'm calling the improvement now. We went 8-8-1 with bottom 3 qb play. The defense got better, we hired a better offensive coordinator, Howell will at the minimum be slightly better than Hienke last season, we didn't lose any major pieces and had a solid all around draft. I'm truly excited to watch how our future plays out.

G’day fellow sufferers. First up, just after thoughts/advice. Obviously nothing here will be taken as medical advice.
So just wondering what people’s thoughts are as to diagnosis and/or any advice.
I do shift work (manual labour) and I train early mornings, one day warming up on deadlifts I felt I couldn’t “set” low enough whilst maintaining lordosis. Kept at it thinking I was just tight but didn’t go over warm up weight as it didn’t feel “right”. At no stage was there any ping, pop or “pain”.
The “tightness” in my lower back stayed around for a couple of days, on the third day everything hit me. Glute super tight, cramping and burning. Electricity and light spasms down the hammy and my calf, seized up like I’d done 1 million calf raises. Couldn’t really sleep and working the rest of the week (manual labooperating heavy machinery (sitting down was worse) ) was hell.
Got back home, saw a physio who diagnosed me with posterior sacral torsion and bulging disc. Over a 3 sessions in a bit over a week he corrected my hips/sacrum and I felt a lot better in terms of neural pain down hammy/calf but the glute burning/cramping didn’t let up much.
Saw my Osteo yesterday and he believes it’s all due to my facet’s compressing down on the nerve root. What ever I did caused my whole right side to lock up and it’s not letting go. And also believes disc ain’t an issue.
Currently (13 days post) still having glute burn/cramp(tightness). Also some superficial numbness (like pins and needles) top of hammy and outside bottom of foot.
At no stage at all have I feel any local back pain. I got an MRI done today so obviously that will tell a lot but I’m the mean time I was wondering what the amazing people on reddit thought and any advice they had.
Cheers, Ps, how f$&ked is sciatica?

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I don't know what platform it was on sadly, i played it on an emulator. It looked like an early pokemon game, so it was very pixelated. It played similar to pokemon, exept you didn't collect monsters, you got their identification number. I am not sure about the number thing, but i remember that you can call, like actually call ones that you defeted before to fight for you in battle. I remember a stage in it, there was a lake or river, that you could go around it, and on one side there was a cave, and inside the cave was some kind of boss. If any of this rings any bells, please tell me. Thanks in advance for the answers.

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Chapter Summary:
Shot Heard Across the Galaxy A poor Shil'vati patrol goes looking for that Security Force that just got blasted in the last chapter
First Contact: We jump POV, where Elias gives them "pretty much the exact terms" of their invasion and occupation, turning it back on them.

Shot Heard Across the Galaxy

The summer had clung on by the tips of its fingernails despite the threatening change in season. The dry morning air heated quickly back to what Serenie had grown accustomed to, as if to deny the inevitable unwelcome encroachment of the biting cold night they'd just endured performing riot control in the center city.
Serenie learned some new insults over her comm as a pursuing Captain Goshen had watched the insurgent 'clear a building in a single bound like a retarded kangaroo with viagra in its tail.'" Serenie had never seen a kangaroo, but Earth's nature had fascinated her, and the loose familiarity caused her alone to laugh uproariously at the Captain’s breathless fury.
There were some other matters the Captain had muttered about, such as ‘lies turning truth’ that seemed to elude Serenie’s grasp. One thing that the Captain made certain Serenie did understand was the concept of punishment duty for her laughter. Double-shifts just seemed to be the order of the day, but being sent far afield with these people could hardly be called anything else. The scenery was occasionally something she’d have called nice, if it wasn’t for her present circumstance.
She was stuck with her new podmate, Zell, who it seemed just could not shut up.
"Look. All I'm saying is, they're hot. Hotter than the Security Forces 'squad' we're looking for. 'Squad.' Such a stupid-sounding word."
Serenie's expansive patrol pod had been shattered apart by casualties in the wake of Emperor's attack on Unification Square. The combat patrol had been dropped over twenty feet onto jagged concrete as the overpass they were sprinting across collapsed underneath them into rubble, courtesy of planted explosives. Serenie was one of the only ones to come out with relatively minor injuries and to make a full recovery. She'd even hobbled to the square on a broken leg, just in time to behold the horrific spectacle of the building’s collapse.
Now those cast off shards of incomplete pods had been shuffled and mixed up to serve with some temporarily deployed Shil'vati forces from out-of-state.
Two whole pods made up of the odd numbers from other units, sent to Delaware on punishment duty of their own came together to compose the new team of six out of the hodgepodge. Once Zell had used all her brain to do the math, she announced excitedly: ‘A grateful human boy for each of their rescuers.’
And so the two pods set off with initial enthusiasm, unburdened by much familiarity with one another. That had been three miles ago, and by now the excitement had given way to bitterness over how they were wasting time on a long walk across open, somewhat bleak bulldozed terrain that nature work crews had yet to reclaim, doing Search and Rescue for a bunch of deserters who didn't want to be found at all, instead of rounding up those 'mysterious hot insurgent guys.'
Serenie reflected that at least the razed structures and tall grasses offered a nice view of the vibrant colors the trees were starting to turn. A 'silver lining,' as the more optimistic locals liked to say. 'Well the square was utterly destroyed and you're led by an idiot from a green zone, but at least you're alive!'
The boys here were always upbeat. Then again, they were paid to take their clients' minds off their troubles. And she had to admit they worked better than the stupid Anarevoca. The deep rest in the arms of the man she'd visited while on mandatory medical and psychological leave had done more for her recovery and in then passing the evaluation than anything else she’d tried. She didn’t regret a moment or credit of the exchange, even if the bribes and fees to slip her out and get her the secret rendezvous did her accounts the same kind of damage as she herself had suffered.
She hoped Azraea hadn’t lowered the score just to get every soldier back on the front lines, and switched her line of thought. It did her no benefit to dwell on such things. ‘At least he let me sleep longer than I paid for’, she reflected, remembering the faintly sweet musk of where his shoulder met his neck, and how gently he’d run his fingernails along the back of her head, through her scalp until she fell asleep.
"The insurgents are not 'hot'," Serenie sputtered. "They're supposedly all too old, too set in their ways to adapt. You know, like, twice your age. You got a father-fucker fetish or something?" Serenie had already had more than an earful of this conversation, and repeating her rent-a-paramour’s comforting words buttressed her conviction. The honeyed sense of validation he’d whispered into her ears was better than dwelling on the possibility that the planet and all the men on it all just outright hated her.
"What, so you got your asses kicked by a bunch of daddies?" At Serenie's stare, her new podmate from New Jersey relented slightly. "Okay, fine. At least admit the idea of them is hot. So hot.” When Serenie didn’t bite, Zell kept going. “Come on- physically active, mysterious, and just need some love and affection before they realize we aren't so bad, and you win 'em over with -"
"-Yeah, alright, you find one, you try it, you tell me how it goes. If you survive and he’s somehow tolerating even someone like you, then I figure I can swipe him off you."
"Fuck no, we'll share, and you'll be grateful I'm so generous. Seriously, share the insurgency, I say. I can charm 'em so good we'll have peace within the day."
Serenie wondered how Zell had served this long and didn't realize human men tended to be fiercely monogamous. Maybe things were different where Zell served, though Serenie doubted it was.
"That's something I actually wanted to ask. I thought maybe you'd know." Serenie wasn’t sure why Zell might know anything, but it was at least in the area of Zell’s obvious obsessions. "How is 'fuck' an insult? Especially when the humans say words that mean 'fuck you,' but they use it as an insult. But even other forms of it mean ‘get fucked,’ or something."
"You sure it's an insult? Sounds like an invitation, if you ask me. Have you tried asking them ‘when’?"
Just one more addition to the ever-growing mountain of evidence that Zell was an idiot.
The new pod's equally new sergeant was little better, but at least when Sergeant Patmorica interrupted this time, it was focused on the mission. Her comm cut through the half-hearted banter as she made her periodic report at the required interval.
"Command, we've got eyes on a pretty good LZ on the crest of this hill, mark for exfiltration if necessary." Sergeant Patmorica pointed a gauntleted finger to the ridge on the far side of the field. Rote procedure; the last one she'd pointed to would be marked as a secondary. "Got a wide open view of that woods near where the patrol of Security Forces went missing- not seeing much out here in the field. Permission to move into the forest and check for them?"
Data Officer Borzun's voice floated back. "Granted. Relief forces will be en route if you find anything, ETA eleven minutes from Command."
The return signal sounded distant, quieter than normal. Something about that troubled her, but Serenie didn't want to draw the attention of a sergeant eager to prove she was capable of leading a couple pods, or feel she had to prove herself to the red zone veteran. Even more disturbing, Zell looked ready to start talking again.
"How are the other leads looking?" Serenie piped up quickly. At least the sergeant might offer something helpful, even if the information was secondhand.
"Not great. A lot of the people who are supposed to be patrolling looking for rebels are responding to the strikes and protests at the prisons, beating up protestors who weren't on any lists, trying to restore some semblance of order," Sergeant Patmorica responded with surprising candor.
"Be a real shame if no one's here. We could be out there helping," Zell picked up the line conversationally as they descended from the crest of the hill near the river, past an old sign that read 'Mister Pasta'. "Instead we're chasing down wayward Security Forces, who probably cut and ran."
"Best lead we've had so far," Patmorica responded.
"Have you heard anything about 'Camp Death'?"
"Just whispers. Nothing solid," Patmorica said, stepping over a half-buried old curb. The work here in leveling the town and returning it to nature had certainly been hurried and half-done. The ridge of the distant trees hadn't expanded outward much at all.
"Supposedly, it's somewhere in the North. We're in the North."
"What, you think Camp Death is actually in the middle of nowhere, somewhere out here? Come on, the town's leveled. There was a bomb that went off literally over there-" Serenie pointed across the rubble of the highway they were walking along. "-Some local shirtless kid pulled a Lieutenant out of the rubble."
"Doesn't seem to have been enough for them to consider saving the neighborhood. Not a chance it's out here; Work crews woulda spotted it."
"Guess the work crews finally got around to really taking the place apart before, you know, 'shit hit the fan.'
Human words were very evocative. Terrible situations lined with precious metals, feces being sprayed about by rapid physical impacts- the mental images they provided, disturbing though they often were, seemed silly enough to bring a smile that had been all too absent on the senior private's face ever since her time in Unification Square.
There used to be some roads here, but all that's been cut off. A bunch of trees, and no structures, no infrastructure, and a bunch of troops? That's just begging for an orbital strike."
"He might have the hostages there. Anywhere might."
The sergeant paused, contemplating something, then jumping into a private comm chat with Serenie, her voice coming through a bit more crisply. "Yeah, alright. Look, I read your file. You had your run-ins. You're still shaken, I understand that, but I need you to not jump at shadows, got that? You get to go on patrol with us, finding some lost boys who forgot how to read a map, and maybe lending your local expertise. But I have to weigh that against what you went through. The absolute last thing I need is you opening fire because one of the Security Forces guys sneezes, and it sets you off. Are we clear? Not everything's an insurgent. Not everything is done by insurgents."
"Ma'am," Serenie responded. "Understood. I'm cleared as ready for action." Idiot or not, Sergeant Patmorica was still her commanding officer for the time being, and she couldn't exactly relate her late night rendezvous in a red zone and say she was 'all better now.' Confessing such a violation was just begging to be written up.
"That's what I like to hear." Something about her answer or stature must have been conveyed while providing the words because they seemed to reassure Patmorica of her readiness. Serenie felt a ray of hope that she was really, well and truly had finally free from the aftereffects.
The rest of the walk along the treeline was blessedly quiet. Five minutes of peaceful walking. No idiots, no stupid orders, no more braggadocia. Even in full kit, Serenie enjoyed nature on earth in all its many mysterious and downright strange aspects. The morning chill felt crisp, and the crunch of dried parched dirt and grasses under her boots felt more alive than the steady beat of boots-on-plate aboard a starship's hull, no matter how large or ambient the white noise supplied.
It was as she reflected on the multitudinal ways the experience was different that she had a realization.
"There's something wrong."
"Is it that we got sent out without a vehicle? 'Cause I think we could have covered all this ground in a few seconds. Honestly, says everything that the Governess shipped us out here, but got tight-fisted with vehicles and equipment."
"No, everyone, be quiet!"
"You be quiet, Serenie!" The soldier in front of Zell snapped back.
"Shut up!" She hissed. Sergeant Patmorica spun on her heel. "Private Serenie. What are you-"
"Please, just- just- would you just listen!" A few seconds passed as everyone stared, either obeying or just shocked at the quiet girl's outburst.
"Listen...for what?" Zell finally broke the silence.
"Exactly. Do you hear anything? Birds? See any deer? Where are all the animals?"
"What's your point?"
"I think that we are not alone in this forest."
"Well, we were sent in to investigate where people disappeared to. Duh. It's a good thing if we aren't."
"But where are the animals?"
"I don't know. They migrate, right? Look." As if on cue, a tight formation of flying Canadian Geese passed overhead, honking. "There's your noisy animals right there."
Zell pointed and quipped. “Look sarge, insurgents!” The hand tracked the geese as they flew overhead.
Serenie felt trapped. How had some stranger from out-of-state been promoted to Sergeant and assigned to lead these pods, despite clearly never leading so much as a patrol in a yellow zone? Worse, Patmorica continued her teasing, likely to try and regain some face after her authority being openly challenged.
"Should we call it in? Tell Command: 'it's quiet' or ‘I saw some parrots’? With everything else going on in the state, do you think they'll laugh, or do you think they'll...?" The sergeant turned back to face the forest whose edge they were weaving in and out of, turning to start walking up the steep hill again, as if transfixed by something. "Hold on. I've got some thermal there and- hey, are you Ladies picking this up? I've got an IFF..."
Serenie dutifully reported her readings, grateful to at least get the topic changed. "I've got one friendly- two now. Security Forces standard."
Sergeant Patmorica pointed up the steep embankment she'd been about to start walking up. "I'm reading them as being straight ahead on my map. Confirm?"
This time someone else spoke up, and with all the fresh voices and full helmets, Serenie wasn't sure she could place them all. She was too busy staring at the collection of dead and dried branches lining the bottom of the hill.
What might leave such a large swath or create a clearing? A bear? She'd seen a video of one rubbing their backs against trees, one of the first to return to the state of Delaware, dubbed ‘DelaBear. These were certainly very large, unfamiliar trees. She’d never seen anything like them before, much as she’d never seen a Bear. To her mind, she might imagine such a large furry beast seeking out a suitably large tree, for some purpose or other. But she did not see any tufts of fur stuck in the grass or to the bark. And didn’t they only do that when shedding off their loose fur in Spring?
"It's two of the missing Security Forces," reported the sergeant somewhat spiritedly, leading the way toward the hill, the pod moving forward in her wake.
She crouched low again, taking a step back, eyes following where a serpentine footpath ascended the bluff. It was hard for her to make out if there were any footprints or animal tracks in the parched dirt, until at last she saw one near her own footprint. Conclusive evidence eluded her, but she thought she could make out a boot print, and searched her memory. Was it the pattern of the Security Forces uniforms? Was she just searching for signs and evidence, the conclusion already obvious in her mind?
Then she turned in place, and saw the many trampled grasses behind them, only noticeable once the patrol had reached where they had all converged. There were far, far too many to be the Security Forces.
"Zell. Zell! Hold here," Serenie whispered, putting her hand out to block her new podmate's progress.
"What?"
"Trust me."
"Privates! Fall in!"
Patmorica's tone was harsh. Serenie motioned like she was going to comply, freezing in place again the moment the sergeant's back was turned to her again. Something about this place seemed wrong. Where were the others of their 'squad'? And why hadn't they reached out to them on the comms yet?
Zell shook her hand free of Serenie's.
"Zell. Zell!"
Zell ignored her.
"Zell, will you stop thinking of fucking your father and turning your family tree into a circle for one depths-damned minute and listen to me!? Something. Is. Wrong."
"What?" Zell hissed, annoyedly. "I'm not getting in trouble just because you have 'a feeling'."
"There's some sort of structure up top. I'm getting metal readings. Way more than just their plate armor. Sensors are reading weird depressions on the way up, too. I'll relay it to your suits' telemetry. Are you receiving this?"
"How do I do that?" Zell asked, tapping her helmet. "Ah to the depths with it. Could it be caves?" Serenie's dimwitted podmate asked, clearly dreading that the answer potentially might be: 'Yes, now we have to go explore them.'
"Didn't you read your briefing? Delaware doesn't have caves." Serenie had read that first upon deployment, and then wondered where all the bats came from.
"Then what is-"
At that point, her comms dropped off completely, replaced with a sharp whine in her ear.
Communications lost. Signal lost.
"Ma'am, Sergeant? Zell? I've got a suit malfunction- I can't hear you." Serenie called out, pressing the button to retract the mouthpiece of her helmet. Her suit's connection to the satellites seemed to have cut out. Most of her HUD blanked out as she stepped forward to be heard, the device no longer receiving data to sync with the other suits and Command. The Friendly IFF signals had winked out as well.
Everyone seemed to be looking amongst each other, slowly coming closer together to be heard, faceplates retracting so they could speak, or touching helmets so the suit would pick up the vibrations.
So it wasn't just her, then, but her podmates, too. All of them were eyeing the hill, now, Serenie's sinking suspicion catching on. Then, everyone was calling out activity at once, some of them pointing in different directions, clumsily sighting down their rifles without the HUD to guide their targeting reticle.
"Everyone fall back. Rifles up- rifles up! Those are not friendlies!"
Movement from the crest of the ridge, figures pointing down at them, including the long barrels of unusual weaponry, the likes of which Serenie had seen glimpses of before, and again in her nightmares. Voices called out over one another, without a comms system to filter or grant priority.
"Motion! I've got motion!"
"It's an ambush!"
"Identify and surrender now! Lay down your weapons!" The sergeant yelled. There was no answer, but neither side opened fire. "Identify yourselves immediately!" Bellowed the sergeant, again, switching her command suit to loudly project her voice in the local tongue. "Surrender immediately!" Serenie was pulling Zell back. They were vastly outnumbered.
Those low, unmistakable, clipped and precise tones of the Emperor of Mankind that her translator didn't need to pick up had her heart thrumming in her ears too loud to even make out the words, no matter how clearly enunciated they were. She knew what they meant well enough, and her steps backward started carrying her out of the woods on instinct.
For what it was worth, her sergeant didn't balk, and renewed her demands.
"Surrender immediately! Lay down your arms!"
The response was as sudden as it was brutal. Where once Sergeant Patmorica had stood, now there was empty air. Something powerful cleaved her in half, a sharp roar of noise following as the hypersonic round split the air in a deafening thunderclap.
She hadn't quite been vaporized, rather jerked clean off her feet by a sudden and terrible impact, boots leaving the ground and her body separated at the middle, halves toppling to the ground and held together by the just as suddenly exposed entrails. The shock of the impact had surely killed her instantly.
Serenie turned on her heel and ran for her life.

First Blood

"Sur-ren-dar!" The call sounded out from the valley below. One of those few words the Shil'vati knew and uttered almost every time we met, often before we'd even begun fighting.
I grabbed the megaphone, irritated that I'd been kept waiting so long for them to show up. "We don't have enough facilities to take you all prisoner. Please elect your bravest, most stalwart defenders of your way of life, and have them step forward into the line of fire for us to dispose of. The remainder of you will be afforded the same kindness as you have given our civilians. As you're unfamiliar with democracy and the concept of 'voting,' we'll give you a moment to conform to our system of governance and culture, whether you like it or not. You get an unreasonably short amount of time to comply."
I tossed the Megaphone back down to Larry, who stared up at me with wide eyes. The sound of wind through the trees was all endured for now, a shocked silence settling in.
"What?" I asked, hefting the railgun up to my shoulder with a shrug and aiming down the sights at the one who continued to bellow threats. It seemed we had a volunteer. "Turnabout is fair play."
I raised an open hand to all those who had watched, and the stunned silence turned to eager discipline, men sighting irons and readying themselves to unleash hell as I lowered my hand slowly, indicating I was to take the first shot.
"The Emperor has given his orders!" He bellowed into the megaphone. "Hold the line! Hold for the signal!"
I squeezed off the first round, letting the railgun round kick- and this time I was braced for it. The shot took the woman right in the midsection, and tore her apart. Screaming and shouting from below- but no signs of an immediate mass surrender.
"FIRE!"
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The Paladins were not particularly happy carting us out of my tower.
They didn't carry us, we just kind of walked in between them all of the way to the Temple. Kurtulmak maintained a neutral expression, even as we entered.
Galax was waiting for us, with Tallyn at his side. He took one look at me, then sighed. "So, it is true."
"Before we make any judgment calls, there is context." I said before any verdict could be reached.
"I am aware." He said. "Bahamut made himself known to both of you, you abandoned him in a foolish attempt at redeeming an evil God- and you somehow succeeded."
"It wasn't that hard, it might be because I didn't immediately damn him for simply existing." I glanced at Tallyn, who averted his gaze. "Did my brother tell you how he tried to kill me before Bahamut stopped him?"
"I was not aware." Galax remarked. "What I am more concerned about is the change in alignment."
"The what now?" I asked.
"Before, you registered as Lawful, that is, aligned with order. Now, you are neutral in that regard."
"Is that specifically bad..?" I asked.
"It's a clear indication that you have fallen out of Bahamut's favor specifically, as you have broken his tenets. However, your disobedience was not out of malice, which indicates your actions were intended for the betterment of all." He looked at Kurtulmak. "He, however, is very much Law aligned, and radiates Evil, which matches expectations."
Kurtulmak gave off a smug grin.
"Due to the circumstances, I must require he at least show some manner of allegiance to Bahamut, vestments, perhaps?"
"Try it and die." Kurtulmak threatened. "The entire town, aside from this quaint little temple, is in my domain, that I do not force them to bear my symbol proudly is magnanimity on my part."
I stepped between them. "Just a minute." I said. "We can't waste time on bickering. Kurtulmak has helped us in the past, events I believed to be Bahamut's work were his."
"Oh, how can you be certain?" Galax asked.
"Bahamut bluntly said it." I said. "And if Tallyn is hiding that from you, that is a lie of omission."
"I have not had an opportunity to give my report. My intention is to verify the truth." Tallyn replied. "The night we were transformed, Kurtulmak did specifically force us to sleep. The alternative was losing all of our memories, being blindly beholden to either Kurtulmak or Tiamat."
"I am the God of Kobolds." Kurtulmak stated. "I will not lead my people into bondage, even if they were Human to begin with."
"He also provided aid during the mine collapse." I said.
"Why help us?" Galax asked. "Why go out of your way when letting things happen may have benefited you in the long run?"
"Do you honestly expect me to trust Tiamat after everything he and her kind have done to ours?" Kurtulmak asked. "The ancient winds stir, hatred and spite toward the surface world extends toward all. When we are but vermin in the eyes of those who never knew the pain of subjugation, who would never understand the suffering that the destruction of a warren brings- When those who profess to be good slaughter mindlessly and are rewarded, do you honestly believe I could trust anyone?"
The Paladins tensed, their hands on their swords.
"You are no fool, neither is Bahamut. I know compromise will do nothing for our kind, yet my newest servant believes otherwise. I will prove him wrong, I will show him that doing things the 'right' way only ever leads to suffering. The only way to survive is to dismantle the system that oppresses us, and I refuse to let my people be harmed again."
"Is it your intention to play by the rules?" Tallyn asked.
"I always play by the rules." Kurtulmak replied. "You should be asking, are the rules fair to begin with?" He looked at Galax. "Now, as I understand it, your Warren is woefully unprepared for a war. Alone, I could not fight the foe you face, but alone I will ensure you have a chance. Together, perhaps, we will carve out a place in this world."
Galax met his gaze with a cold one of his own. "As long as Bahamut wills our cooperation, you shall have it." He said. "By Bahamut's will, we will not allow the corruption of our people to evil. If this is impossible for you-"
"I will play by the rules." Kurtulmak stated. "I will do with my servants as I see fit. After all, they are not yours." He turned around and started walking. "Ruuk Stingtail, you will follow. You have your duties to your Warren, after all."
I nodded and followed after.
As we walked, Kurtulmak addressed me. "You have been a very willing servant thus far. You have not complained, nor have you made any efforts to specifically negotiate a better situation for yourself." He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Why?"
"You haven't given me a reason yet, Master." I replied. "Until you do, I will continue to do what I can."
He smiled. "Is that so?" He asked, before stopping and turning around. "Kneel." He said. I stopped and knelt. "Why do you kneel when I command you to?" He asked. "Do you feel nothing, submitting before me? No shame?"
I shook my head. "I've done it for Bahamut, why wouldn't I do if for you?" I asked. "I swore a vow to serve you, and to give my undying devotion to you, I keep my promises."
He smiled. "Good." He said. "I have plans for this town, and will see to their fruition. First and foremost is getting you something befitting of your service to me."
I nodded. "How will we announce your presence to the Warren, Master?" I asked.
"My plan is thus. Once you are outfitted, you will call for the Warren to gather, and you will publicly announce your service and fealty to me, your God and Master, and I will make the Barbarians' blood boil, I will awaken the bloodlust of the Fighters, for my domain is War, and they must recognize that to seek the path of either is to walk the path of blood."
We entered the town, Kurtulmak gestured for me to lead him through, to the craftsmen.
Everyone who was up at this hour greeted me warmly, then wondered as to the new face. I greeted them back, but didn't elaborate yet. There was only one person I knew at this hour who was doing any work, an Artificer named Tikkatik.
"Oh, Tallyn." He said as I entered her workshop. "Do you need something?"
I looked at Kurtulmak, who cast a spell, creating a still image. "This design is needed." He stated. "Make twenty-one to start, as quickly as you are able and willing. There will be Awakenings today."
Tikkatik looked at me, confused.
"Do it." I said. "And send the first one to me, I will need it."
"Very well. I thought Sorcerers did not do well with armor."
"This design will not hinder somatic components to the spell." Kurtulmak replied. "Your workings aid the Warren, be proud."
Her eyes widened, then with a determined expression, she nodded and started working.
We returned to the tower. He looked at me and said, "It will be some time before it is finished. Rest, finish your sleep. When I wake you, then it will be time."
"Thank you, Master." Following his command, I laid back down in my bed and fell asleep. As I slept, I dreamed of standing before an army of Kobolds, calling out to them, hearing their collective roar in response. I was powerful, they followed my command without hesitation.
"This is a vision of the past." Kurtulmak's voice echoed in my mind. "What you are feeling is my pride, what you see my nascent empire. This was the day that was taken from us."
There was a brilliant flash of light, followed by darkness as mountain descended upon us, crashing into the city. I could hear the screams of thousands before I was crushed. I opened my eyes to a brighter morning, Kurtulmak was sat on the floor, holding pieces of leather armor. I watched as he sliced his palm and spread the blood across it, but rather than be covered, the blood seeped into the leather, giving it a bright red coloration.
"Approach." He commanded, and I got up and approached. His movements were quick, strapping on the pieces of armor. It comprised of a breast plate and faulds, arm bands that went from my wrists to my elbows, and a pair of pauldrons, the right one bearing the symbol of a skull.
"This doesn't look very protective, Master." I pointed out.
"It is magical." He said. To demonstrate, he held his hand out, manifesting his spear, and stabbed me with it. Though he hit bare scale, it didn't puncture."This armor is your symbol of fealty to me, modeled after my own. I call it the Armor of the Kobold King, wearing this marks you as the leader of our kind, You will never remove it unless it is necessary, you will wear this with pride. Is this understood?"
"Yes, Master." I replied.
"We will abstain from declaring such, for the time being. Yet understand, this armor means you speak with my authority. Do whatever it takes to ensure our prosperity." He stepped away, looking me over, then nodded. "Yes, you wear it well. You look as strong as you are, your power shall be unmatched. In time, this lowly town will become the heart of a new empire."
"I don't know if the people would agree to that, Master." I replied. "We established the government we have because we didn't want the people's voices to be ignored."
"If you rule correctly, then they won't be ignored." He replied. "We will not need to take it by force, our Empire will come into being by their will. Now, stand tall, walk with pride, and speak with authority. It is time we address our subjects-to-be."
There were some proper channels I needed to go through, letters sent and received, permission granted, the news spread out for the people to gather in the town square. When I walked up to the stage where the Council addressed the people, the other Councilors were present, including Galax and Tallyn.
There was some murmuring at my appearance, some unease in the crowd. There were even more words when Kurtulmak stood beside me.
"Citizens of the Warren!" I called out. "Yesterday, we found something." All eyes were on me, most probably assumed it was the armor, or perhaps an armory. "An underground fortress known as Darastrixthurhi."
I could see several Kobolds' eyes widen, they understood what I was talking about. "And in those halls, I met a God." I proceeded to describe the situation as it had been, leaving nothing out. Several eyes flitted to Kurtulmak, connecting the dots even as I spoke of the agreement he had with me, and how Bahamut was willing to honor this.
"The Kobold who stands beside me is Kurtulmak." I spoke. "I have sworn myself into his service, yet this will not influence how I lead. He will make no claims over us, no demands. As with Bahamut, it is your choice whether or not to serve him as I do. Thus this gift he is about to give is done freely."
Kurtulmak simply raised his hand to the sky, his divine power pulsed through the air, and he spoke a single command. "I am War, embrace the power within you to fight."
All at once, thousands of Kobolds were overwhelmed by their Awakenings, the Barbarians straining to keep their sudden rage in check, the Fighters touching their hearts as bloodlust filled the. Kurtulmak leapt from the stage, his spear in hand. "Come to me and fight, direct your rage upon me, that you do not harm your fellow Kobold, turn your bloodlust upon me, that you do not slaughter your own. I shall temper you."
The fight that broke out as every new Berserker and Fighter charged at him was quick and brutal. No tricks, no magic, just Kurtulmak showing superior skill with just his spear. The newly Awakened were exhausted.
It made me realize that my stepping between him and Tallyn probably did more to save my brother's life than it protected him.
Kurtulmak held his spear out, pointing at them. "You are all who are capable of fighting. Understand when I say, if you wish for a life of peace, you will never touch a weapon again. But if you will fight to protect your Warren, then you will come to me to learn. You will not win this war by playing by the rules, but through the blood of your enemies."
With this said, he turned his back to them and leapt back onto the stage. I looked at the rest of the Councilors, their reactions were mixed, with the Clerics and Paladins still very much not a fan of the situation. "Galax." I said, holding my hand out to him. "For as long as our Gods act in peaceful alliance, so too do I promise myself and any who choose to follow Kurtulmak will only do what is necessary for our survival, and not a step more."
He stood up and approached me.
"That your master be redeemed." He said, taking my hand and shaking it.
"That the justice that was denied be delivered." I answered back.
I was certain Galax knew why I offered my hand to him. It was one thing to say there was peace between our Gods, it was another to show it. Bahamut spoke in actions, not mere words, and him refusing to do this much would be trouble.
The Council meeting after the fact was mostly just the others asking if I was insane and if I really thought this was going to end well.
I simply looked at them and said, "We have an army now that we didn't have a day ago." I left it at that.
When I returned to the Tower, Kurtulmak carving Draconic runes into them and muttering under his breath, I felt a rush of power flow through me, one I hadn't felt in a long time.
"So, you have achieved greater power." Kurtulmak stated.
"Yes, Master." I said. I had gained knowledge of a cantrip and a new spell. The cantrip was the creation of a handful of acid, while the spell granted me knowledge of how to enhance a weapon, albeit only for an hour- two if I used metamagic.
Not only this, but I was now aware of how I could use magic even with a weapon in hand.
"Nak." He said, standing up. "You are presently the most powerful Kobold in this town, myself excluded. Your insatiable desire to improve your craft is the reason for this. Be honored that you are superior to the rest."
While I felt a flash of pride in his praise, I shook my head. "I'm not superior." I said. "If I was, I would be leagues above them. No, my strength is the same as theirs, I've just been the one who doesn't waste an opportunity to practice."
He smirked in a way that indicated he found this amusing, maybe even quaint.
There was a knock at my door. He nodded, letting me know I could go. I walked downstairs and answered.
It was the other Sorcerers. "Come in." I said, and then entered. "Is something wrong?"
"We wanted to meet Kurtulmak." Goss said.
I blinked. "Uh, why?" I asked.
"He was- is- the first Kobold Sorcerer." Urak stated. "We have theory to guide us. Theory and experimentation. Our comparing notes is not enough, we need guidance, and there is no 'Bold with more experience than him."
Kashak nodded. "Not to mention, ever since they became Paladins, our friends have not wanted anything to do with us since we won't convert to their religion."
I sighed. "You don't make faithful by forced conversion." I muttered. "Alright, but bear in mind I am devoted to him, as per my vow, you cannot trust me to have your best interests in mind if it comes to doing what he needs me to do." I gestured for them to follow me, and they did. Once we were at the top floor, I held my hand out for them to stop.
"Master." I said. "The Sorcerers of our Warren wish to meet you."
Kurtulmak stood up and looked our way.
"They are fools seeking power, toss them aside." He said.
"We want nothing like that, great Kurtulmak." Garu spoke, bowing.
"He did not even waste any time brown-nosing." Kurtulmak remarked. "Your flattery needs work, and your theatrics make your insincerity more obvious. I have no place for sycophants, aspirants, usurpers, the avaricious, and traitors. Leave."
"But, your holiness-!"
Kurtulmak raised his spear at them. "Leave."
They quickly fled down the stairs, at least one of them outright fell. I winced.
"If even one of them was honest, only seeking truth, I might have entertained them. I have grown tired of tyrants driving our people to death." He returned to carving symbols into the armor. "I will give them two more chances. If they can learn to set aside their ambitions for the good of the Warren, I will grant them such a small boon. If they cannot, I will kill them, for they will endlessly seek to dominate, and we do not have the time or patience for that."
There was another knock. I heard him sigh, but he waved his hand. I went back down, opened the door, and saw a Human. "Uh, hi." He said. "I, uh... I wanted to speak with your God." He said.
I led him upstairs.
"Leave." Kurtulmak stated. "I will not meet with a Human, I do not care about your kind."
"I understand." The Human said. "Nonetheless, I still want to speak with you."
Kurtulmak stood up, pointing his spear. "Leave."
"I'm sorry, but I won't. Either let me speak with you, or kill me." The Human said. "I'm not afraid of dying."
Kurtulmak snorted, then pointed at the floor. The Human walked over to that spot and sat down. "What is your purpose here, Human?" He asked, "Not power, you would have cast aside your Humanity for such. You are not aligned with Bahamut or his faithful, so why are you here, and what makes you so bold as to even consider approaching me?"
"I wanted to know why we are immune." The Human said. "And why we can't use the powers that everyone else can."
"Why do you want to know?"
"So we have an answer."
Kurtulmak sighed, resting the butt of his spear on the ground and curling his arm around it so that he could lean against it. "The reason is twofold." Kurtulmak replied. "Tiamat wanted to ensure there would be no chance of the transformed ever remembering their Human lives. Driven mad with pain, they would lash out, killing their former friends and family, the horror driving them to repress their past identities, making it easier for Tiamat to wipe their memories entirely. Naturally, this precludes any Humans obtaining power."
The Human nodded. "I had a suspicion, thank you for the answer. I don't have anything to give in appreciation-"
"You could give me your Humanity." Kurtulmak stated. "As far as I am concerned, you only exist to aid us, to do the drudgery while we take care of the important things. I would make you all slaves, if it wasn't for the unfortunate reality that you might become Kobolds while in bondage."
The Human nodded. "I thought so." He said. I watched in surprise as he became a Kobold. "There."
Kurtulmak looked just as surprised as I was, impressed, even. "You are very brave." He remarked. "I hereby name you Kalith, in honor of such." He sat down across from Kalith, and held his hand out. "I am also aware of what you can be. My offer is thus- Serve me, pledge your fealty to me, work to ensure our ascension to a mighty empire, and I shall grant you power only you could wield."
"I'm a Warlock?" Kalith asked.
"You are nothing." Kurtulmak stated. "I can may you more."
Kalith nodded and took Kurtulmak's hand. He grew tense, his eyes wide, his mouth opening in a soundless scream. One of his eyes, the one I could see, turned from a light green to a pale yellow. When Kurtulmak let go of him, he slumped over, arms shaking as they held him up, his breathing heavy.
"Who am I, Kalith?" Kurtulmak asked.
"Master." Kalith breathed.
"Good. You will go forth and display your power before the Warren, and you will make known the Pact you have forged, and the price that is paid for power. You are mine now, you can either despair or rejoice, it does not matter to me."
Kalith looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fingers. "Huh, I should've done this a long time ago." He said. "Thank you, Master."
"Rejoicing it is." Kurtulmak remarked.
Kalith stumbled a little as he got up, I helped him get used to his legs before helping him down the stairs.
"Will you be okay?" I asked.
"Of course." He said. "There are other potential Warlocks out there, and for better or worse, we need them to awaken."
He left the Tower, and I waited for a few minutes, just in case someone else came by. The knock came just as I was about to head upstairs. "For fuck's sake..." I muttered as I opened the door. I didn't expect to see Tallyn.
"May I enter?" He asked.
I stepped aside and he walked in. Dressed in shining armor, proudly wearing the vestments of Bahamut, he looked at me coldly.
"Is your... master here?" He asked.
"Yes." I said. "Why?"
"I wish to speak with him." He stated, looking at the stairs. I sighed and gestured for him to follow me. "Is my being here an inconvenience?" He asked.
"The Sorcerers came by looking for power, Kurtulmak chased them off. We got our first Warlock not long after, you're the third person who's come by to see him."
"He chased the Sorcerers away?" He asked, he seemed surprised.
"He's not looking for minions. If they try again twice and they haven't figured out Kurtulmak actually does care about the Warren by then, he will kill them, because their ambition will endanger us at the worst possible time."
"Ruuk..." I looked at him. "Do you regret what you have done at all?"
"Do you?" I asked. I led him up the stairs, Kurtulmak was already waiting for us, spear in hand, pale yellow eyes glaring at Tallyn.
"Do you think you stand a chance, Paladin?" He asked. "I have not forgotten your actions."
Tallyn drew his sword, then handed it to me. "I did not come to antagonize." He said. "I have come to offer my limited service, as recompense for my actions."
"Don't even bother." Kurtulmak stated. "Accepting this would only lead you to resenting me more. You see me as one who has taken your brother away from you, who has lied to your God, who will lead your people astray." He walked toward Tallyn until he was face to face. "I would never accept the service of one who hates me. If you are truly sorrowful for your actions, you will renounce your God and accept me as your own."
"I would never." Tallyn hissed through gritted teeth.
"Then save your apologies for the ones you have wronged." Kurtulmak replied. "Starting with your brother."
Tallyn turned around, took his sword from me, and walked away. I heard the door to the Tower slam behind him.
"Did you have to antagonize him like that, Master?" I asked.
"Yes." He replied. "He is foolishly trying to reconcile his actions with his faith. He believes he was correct in punishing a traitor, his offer to me was nothing more than a means to quell his guilty conscience." Kurtulmak returned to his work on the armor. "Under less polite circumstances, I would have accepted and slowly corrupted him until he willingly consigned his soul to me. I told him exactly what he needed to hear."
"Given the opportunity to convert him, would you?" I asked.
"No." He replied. "Not only would it sour the deal I have with Bahamut, but it would also turn his followers against me even more. They are barely holding themselves back, even the mere notion that two of the miracles they experienced- indeed, the entire reason they were capable of revering him- was because I was feeling contrary that day." He looked at me. "Given the chance, would you?"
I shook my head. "No. But I would make him question his faith, force him to understand what it is he is looking for, and whether he is genuinely faithful, or simply struggling to reconcile with the pointless suffering we are dealing with."
"A good answer." He raised his hands up and began to chant an incantation. His eyes glowed with unfathomable power, the symbols on the armor began to glow, and then he lowered his hands. He picked up the armor, looked it over, then nodded before setting it aside and grabbing an unmarked one.
"Master, may I ask what you are doing?"
"Enchanting." He said. "I am creating a relatively rare magic armor that provides greater protection to the wearer. There is no way we will avoid combat, at some point, our enemies will grow impatient, and they will seek to kill us before long."
"So, it's like my armor?" I asked.
"No. The armor I gave you is a legend unto itself, a copy of the artifact that is mine. This will be less protective, but will still save lives."
"Is there any way I can help?" I asked.
"Not at present." He said. "You need to maintain your good image among the Warren, tomorrow, you will approach the Temple of Bahamut and request atonement. Say that, while you cannot forsake your vow to me, you wish to make amends. This will reduce tensions, will make you appear more reasonable and amenable to their desires, and will ensure that- when the time comes- they will leap to your defense, rather than risk their lives for a traitor."
"I will do as you command, Master." I replied.
He smiled. "I like you, Ruuk. You don't ask unnecessary questions. Now, you should go out there and lend your power to those who need it, you have a duty to your people, which is important for when you become their king."
"As you command, Master." I headed downstairs and stepped out into the town.
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