Chart-topping rapper lil tjay in surgery after new jersey shooting

I am mostly just venting and at a loss of what to do for myself right now. I usually can figure out what to do but I just feel weird and bad. First, I know a lot of this is triggered by seeing my LDR boyfriend recently and then immediately having PMDD symptoms. I've also gained 15-20 pounds in the last year and feel gross about it. I just feel really disgusting in my body. I know I haven't changed that much, just a little more fat in my stomach and love handles but nothing crazy at all. However, I still feel disgusting, ugly, half my clothes don't fit properly anymore and I just don't feel like I know myself. I also have started vaping and smoking weed everyday and I think it is making me dissociate pretty much 24/7 and I can't stand it.
(paragraph TLDR: Weight gain and not having boobs bc of top surgery makes me feel ugly when compared to the standard of beauty for women. PLUS my bpd desperately wants male attention 24/7 but I am in a LDR) This whole part is mostly about my body issues and aren't directly BPD but the BPD makes it a lot worse so I am including it because I don't know where else to vent about it. I feel like a lot of my body issues are body dysmorphia, I've dealt with this basically my whole life but it went away for a couple years after top surgery. I felt amazing and could dress however I want, I felt thin and attractive. My BPD loved it and loved all the attention I would get. Though since gaining a little bit of weight I feel so ugly. Ive started noticing that I don't look like any of the "hot" people I see online. I know I am mostly feeling the same thing most women feel when they see those super hot OF girls but I feel that because my body looks different, it makes it worse in a way. I had top surgery and I don't regret it, I hated having boobs and am glad I don't have any because they just made me feel like a sex object 24/7 but now I am sad that I am not a sex object. For context, I dress and look like a woman, I just don't have boobs. It is so silly but it is incredibly distressing to never see anyone that looks like me be praised for being attractive or anything at all. I think a lot of my BPD symptoms show in wanting sexual attention from men and when I don't think that I look sexually attractive to men I get suicidal and feel inferior and disgusting. Its really bothering me and I don't know what to do because my boyfriend lives 1.5k miles away and acts like I won't be able to see him as often as I told him I need and he's super vague about when he will be ready for us to live together. So I can't get that Irl attention I want and I can't get it from any other random men and it feels like I am dying.
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(paragraph TLDR: as someone with top surgery who is feminine, I feel ugly compared to the standard of beauty being women with boobs) On top of that, I honest to god feel like I have a problem with porn and seeing all of these women that make me feel ugly. Im not blaming those women. I know my boyfriend watches porn and I don't care about that, its mostly the OF girls that bothers me. This is such a stupid thing to even admit too because how can someone have a preference on what porn they are okay with their partner watching but the OF porn just feels too personal and intimate. I just don't like the idea of him watching that stuff it makes me jealous and feel ugly. Also since I have top surgery, I just get so insanely fucked up if he watches or follows people with a lot of content about their boobs (again, an insane statement to make). Even just being by my self and seeing porn that focuses on boobs makes me want to rip my skin off. I feel like I am not feminine enough, I'm not desirable, I am not woman enough. I hate it. I got top surgery to stop feeling like a sex object and feel comfortable in my skin and then I end up feeling ugly STIlLL over NOT having boobs...I don't get it. I don't like the way my scars look and my skin there isn't clear or perfect and I have some fat there that I wish was flatter and it just makes me want to die looking at it. Its not pretty enough its not clear or perfect or anything. I also gained weight in my love handles and I hate that too. I don't feel pretty. I don't feel desirable.
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(paragraph TLDR: I am mad at a lot of things lol) I don't really know what to do. Its hard for me to eat healthy because I don't like cooking and it makes me so anxious that I freeze up. I Can't really do cardio because my arches, knees and hips hurt so bad. I want to learn weight training stuff and try working out that way but I am scared to learn how to do that at a gym with men around and the women gym is $60 a month. I want to buy new clothes because I don't really like any of mine anymore and don't feel like they fit me or are my style anymore but I don't even know what my style is anymore because all of the Pinterest things I find are not for everyday wear. I am irritated about feeling insecure about my chest and feeling inadequate compared to women I see online. I am irritated if my boyfriend is looking at those women. I am frustrated that my boyfriend might not be able to visit as often as I want and that he is still trying to work EVEN MORE when he hardly has time now to do anything but work. I am frustrated that he doesn't even know when we could move in together. I am annoyed with my job for being annoyed at me for calling out because I keep getting sick AT MY JOB. I am annoyed that I now need to look for a new job because now I have to try to find references from all these people older than me with masters degrees and kids and I am a new employee who isn't perfect, who doesn't have a degree and who is half their age. I am stressed to deal with the applying process and hiring process at a new job. I am annoyed that my boyfriend talks about moving down here or me moving up there but then goes and says that I would need two jobs to live up there or just I don't know, makes it more complicated. I feel so off balance and messy right now and I don't know what to do. I don't even want to talk to my therapist about everything because I want things to CHANGE not to accept and "talk" about it. And I swear to god this vape and weed is making me dissociated 24/7 and I just do NOT have the energy to deal with quitting and withdrawals right now but I hate feeling this way too.

Started a new job 6 weeks ago and have noticed that a woman I work with just always seems to be "there."
From the time we met, I got a lot of eye contact / smiles from her, but I chalked it up to her being friendly/professional.
But I keep noticing that this same girl keeps ending up in the same general vicinity as me, though. For example: A handful of times she's gotten up to go to the bathroom / break room at the same time as me.
Our office building has an outdoor courtyard with a basketball hoop and some other stuff.
Literally every time this girl and I have been in the courtyard at the same time she's been in my vicinity, and it's always been her coming outside after me.
The few times I was shooting around with coworkers, she would be standing around off to the side on her phone or with some other girls (but I saw that she was the one who led them there). I caught her looking at me a few times. Another time, I was talking to some guys by the fountain, and she came out and sat down a couple benches down. I thought she might be interested in another guy, but the only person present in every one of these incidents was me.
A few days ago, some work groups from our office had to do a volunteer cleanup thing. I noticed she was lingering around me and the girl I was partnered with, then she started working in our area until her group mates called her over to their assigned area. When I was leaving the venue, she was there with her group. She walked right in front of me for no apparent reason, smiled at me and said "Sorry for getting in the way!"
I have some hesitations about the situation because it's work, but do you guys think there could be something to this things from an attraction standpoint? Am I reading into this too much because I find her attractive, or does this seem intentional?

The State of Time is a relatively small and surrealist/sci-fi world building project that I started working on earlier this year. I aim for the project to take the form of a vaguely house of leaves styled "complete guide" to the State of Time, a fantastical, somewhat eerie and arguably disturbing albeit ultimately good-natured utopian society of humans who reside on Xanthys, a massive space station that orbits Earth at all points in time simultaneously.
Xanthys is chock full of ridiculously advanced technology and I'd like to share a few aspects of it.
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The people of Xanthys posses knowledge and technology that enables them to easily transfer 100% of a human consciousness into another body, computer or hard-drive. This, combined with their mastery of cloning and genetic engineering allows the people of Xanthys to not be restricted to their birth bodies. Instead, the average "Xanthysian" actually possesses a multitude of bodies that they can swap their consciousness between at any time via a process that takes less than 1 minute.
Essentially, if a Xanthysian is dissatisfied with their birth body for any reason. They can commission a genetic engineer to make them a new and practically flawless body in full accordance to the clients wildest desires. If a Xanthysian wishes for any of their new bodies to be based on persons with inaccessible genetic codes or fictional characters who are either realistically or unrealistically designed. Advanced computers can analyze pictures of the aforementioned subjects and access a genetic archive of the human species to come up with an assortment of genetic codes that fit the clients desired body. When not in use, the bodies are stored in stacked hypersleep pods that are in turn, stored in a closet-like chamber within peoples homes.
Furthermore, if a Xanthysian desires a body that is non-human, vaguely-human, anthropomorphic, or thoroughly alien. The aforementioned computers can access a greater genetic archive of all life that has existed on Earth, once more, using advanced algorithms to create fully functioning genetic codes for what could very well be a completely new organism.
If one of a Xanthysians bodies require medical attention, they can simply transfer their consciousness into another body while the injured body undergoes surgery and If they do not have another body, their consciousness can be temporarily stored in a computer with this process effectively replacing anesthesia.
Xanthysians are both biologically and psychologically immortal. Although their minds are still subject to time and may degrade with age, mental ailments amongst Xanthysians are easily rectifiable, once again by uploading a persons consciousness into a computer and translating it into code which can be altered. Xanthysians can live indefinitely but none of them have made it to 1,000 years as they tend to grow bored with living after a few to several centuries and may choose to simply delete their consciousnesses from existence.
Xanthysians can record their dreams, edit them, replay them and share them. Their equivalent to video games involves uploading their minds into personalized, shared or multiplayer simulations that are so flawlessly designed, that they are nearly indistinguishable from a reality. Some Xanthysians may choose to spend significant periods of time in simulated realities and they can communicate with people in reality from simulated realities.
The State of Time is an anarchist or near-anarchist society. As a result, it has no concept of poverty or crime and because the SoT is extremely permissive, there is little to no incentive for prisons. However, in the extraordinarily rare event that a member of the society must be forcibly isolated or reformed, this is achieved via something called a "Mind Prison" in which an offending persons mind is trapped within a hyper-adaptive simulation designed to reform them.
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Because Xanthysians can change bodies like they change clothes. I'm currently not sure how they'd be able to identify each other so I'll need some ideas for that.
Anyway, what do you think?

TW: Transphobia
Hello dear sisters,
Yesterday I had a talk about me being or not trans with my wife.
I came out to her about two years ago but back then I thought I only liked to crossdress. When we had that talk, she made clear two things, one that she felt betrayed for not me not showing her who I’m fully am, and two that she is not attracted to women.
Now after these years, I’m at a crossroad where I think I’m trans but I’m not sure if I want to transition.
I feel like all my life “my path” has been laid in front of me and I’ve kind gone with the flow. So, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a choice where the stakes are high and the outcome of my choice is completely unknown.
Have I thought about a new name? About having breasts, or wearing women clothes? Absolutely. Do I have what it takes to do that? I don’t know… I don’t know if I’m brave or strong enough.
Going back to my story, my wife asks me if I think I’m trans and tell her the same thing I just wrote.
She then proceeds to say somethings that were really hurtful.
She said that I have very masc features and I’d need a lot of surgeries to pass.
That I’ve been unhappy and I talked like if I transitioning would magically make everything better, that I should figure out that first.
And no matter if I transitioned to her I’d always be her husband.
And that if I decide to transition I’m basically breaking up our family.
I know this sounds transphobic and hateful, but I feel it comes from a place of ignorance and her being hurt, but damn if it hurt. Specially the first one, since she has been supportive with me dressing up or wearing makeup, now I feel that all she have always seen is a “man in a dress”
The conversation calmed down and kind of go nowhere after that. I told her that I really wished I could make this go away and she said that she has also wished that she was attracted to women.
As I said I don’t know if I’ll have the courage to make the decision (which is another thing that I’m trying to work on) but I won’t see my therapist for another couple of days and I just needed to vent.

Greetings GM’s! I have been wanting to participate in a one-on-one campaign for a while now. I prefer Play-By-Post on Discord, and am available after 4 PM EST on weekdays and all day on weekends. Shoot me a DM if interested and available. Thanks!
Edit: If you are running another system, feel free to shoot me a DM too - I’m always down to try new systems!

I’m a first time watcher but have been reading a lot on this page. At first I didn’t quite understand the strong hatred for Robyn and Kody but after this season I am straight up ANGRY!!!
I understood the COVID precautions at first. But then Ysabel’s surgery came and he asked her to wait 6 months..absolutely selfish and ridiculous. THEN, Kody picks Robyn and her kids instead of going to New Jersey with Ysabel for her surgery, then has they audacity to say he regrets that decision ????
Kody has been staying with Robyn basically full time because she’s following all of his “rules” but then it comes out that they have a NANNY???? Are you kidding me…to say I understand the hatred now is an understatement

power 22
speed 22
tooltip: devils gambit
ability name: ex blast
ability: shoots a random ex blast in front of you, unless if it says it doesnt, when in mid-air you will shoot it downwards unless if it says it doesnt
mega blast: shoots a big blast that deals knockback. power 29
eight way: shoots a projectile in all wind directions this will still shoot in all 8 wind directions when in the air. power 27
chaos orbit: shoots five stars that will after 1 sec return and orbit around you. this will not block projectiles and only deal knockback. after 2,5 min the orbiting stars or whats left of it will will then just fly out wards still in a orbiting maner. if you get another chaos orbit while one is active the old one will automaticly just fly outwards and the new one will be orbeting around you. power of each star: 16
jumbo rebound: shoots a giant saw that will fly for 3 sec away from you, stays static for 1 sec, and will then return to you, anything that touches it will take 26 power into the face. power 26
kablooey: shoots a explosive bouncy ball in the straight up into air, it will then bounce another 2 times ( each bounce being shorter then the last one) and at the end of the last bounce it will explode, it will also explose on player impact, this ex blast will always shoot up, even if you are in the air. power 30
radial barage: you just flat out explode in a big radius around you. power 30
p. turret: shoots a turret that shoots 5 weak projectiles at the nearest enemy, after that it will disepear. all cuphead users can slap it shooting the turret itself to the nearest enemy (turrets do not target other cuphead users) the turret also deals knockback on impact that has the same knockback as if it was shot. when a cuphead user slaps the turret he will also be launched up, like a parry. projectile power 16, turret power 20.
eletro-bolt: shoots a thunder-bolt that instantly hits the death barrier, this will pierce through everything. power 26
cyclone spiral: shoots a big tornado that moves in a spiral dragging anyone into it with a medeocer pull strenght. once trapped in the tornado, you can't escape but still can use ability to get out of it. once the tornado is over the void, it will then change the movement of the tornado to fly up instead of a spiral (still moves foward tho) after one sec of being over the void, the tornado will then disappear dropping the trapped persons.
badge name: run n gun
how to get: get hit by all projectiles in 1 mintute (this exclodes the ex shots)

The Blackwood Forest has always been a source of legend in our town. Not for anything good, though. Everyone here fears it. They always remind newcomers to “Never go into Blackwood Forest.” Nobody who enters it ever comes back. At least, that was how things used to be.
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One of the most famous incidents surrounding the forest occurred around 1989. A family of 6, the Franks, moved into a house not far from the forest. It had an expansive backyard, stretching up until the edge of the dense clusters of trees that make up the boundary of Blackwood Forest. One evening, they decided to eat dinner in their new backyard. They weren’t going into the forest, just the fire pit about halfway between their house and the trees. Another family of 3, the Andersons, joined them. At around 8:30, screaming was heard by nearby neighbors. The police were called. When they arrived, they found that the benches, tables, and chairs were soaked in blood. The grass was smeared with it in a path leading into the forest. There was no sign of either of the families. The police confirmed the blood of 9 individuals was present at the scene. Enough blood was lost to assume the deaths of all 9 individuals.
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After that day, a massive fence was built around the forest, to keep us out, or keep other things in. The fence is 11 feet tall and designed to be impossible to climb over, with almost no footholds. A gate is kept locked tight, located at the end of a worn path leading out of the side of town. Nobody goes in, and nothing gets out. Not that anyone knows what took the Franks or Robinsons. Except, of course, for me. I’ve seen what lies beyond the gates of Blackwood Forest. I’ve seen the beasts that took those families, all those years ago.
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The fence wasn’t really necessary to be perfectly honest. There aren’t really any trails to hike through the forest, and we don’t have many issues with kids doing stupid things like trying to sneak in for “fame.” Even if we did, the fence keeps them out. Therefore nobody has any reason to go into the forest. Everyone is too afraid.
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But, although I listened to what everyone always said; “Never go into Blackwood Forest,” I was curious. My morning run took me past the fence and gate, and I would sometimes glance in to see what was in there. I thought it looked like a normal, albeit dark, forest. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very off. There weren’t many animals, like birds or squirrels, and you couldn’t hear the ones that were there very well. It was oddly quiet. At night, no crickets would be heard. No fireflies during the summer. It was oddly devoid of animal life for a dense forest with so many places for a small critter to live or a bird to make a nest. However besides that, it really didn’t seem that dangerous.
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A few weeks ago, my curiosity got the best of me. I decided to see if there were any openings that I could slip into. Sure enough, on the very far side of the fence, opposite the side with the town, I found a small gap I could squeeze into. I decided that the next morning, I would grab my phone and camera and explore some of the forest close to the fence. I was excited to see what lay within, and wondered about what sort of stuff I might find. After all, nobody ever went in there.
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The next day came, and after eating breakfast, I jogged to the small opening I’d found the previous day. I had a backpack with some water and food, as well as the camera and phone. I pushed my backpack through first, and then squeezed through the opening.
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The first thing I noticed upon entering was how dark it was. The trees blocked out much of the sunlight. It was hard to see very much. Thankfully, I could use both my phone’s flashlight and the one attached to my camera. As I walked, the quiet of the forest around me felt eerie. There should have been the sounds of animals beginning to wake up and start their day, but instead there was silence. Every sound I made, like stepping on a tree, quickly was dampened out, as if swallowed whole by the trees.
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After a few minutes of walking and taking pictures, I came upon a worn path. I was confused, since there was no reason for any path to have been here because nobody had ever lived in the forest. I took another photo, and decided to follow the path. After another few minutes of walking, I noticed a clearing with sunlight pouring into it ahead. In the very center of it sat an old, decrepit stone building. Off to the side, there was an old well. The building had a very weathered but readable sign, identifying it as “Blackwood Church.” I took a photo of the church and well and decided to enter. I was very curious, as nobody should have ever lived out here, this deep into the woods. There was a church that had been built as part of the original town, so it didn’t make sense for this one to be there.
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I walked through the place where the doors would have been, had they not rotted off of the hinges. I could see the space around me because of several holes in the roof allowing sunlight in. It seemed like it was once fairly normal, though weeds had sprouted up through the floorboards which were falling apart. I stepped outside after snapping some photographs. I was going to leave back along the path and get out of the forest. As I walked, I noticed that there seemed to be several old buildings, almost destroyed, spread out on the edges of the clearing. I began to see the old worn paths made of cobblestone and dirt, almost invisible, having been reclaimed by nature. This wasn’t just some church, this was an entire town.
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I was both shocked and excited. I spent the next hour taking photographs of all of the somewhat intact buildings and their rubble counterparts. I spent around an hour exploring the town, exploring a butchers shop, clothes store, and general store. I finally made my way to the path I had come in on. I noticed, underneath all of the foliage, there seemed to be a sign. I brushed some of the growth away and read the faded words; “Welcome to Blackwood, Population: 349, c. 1903.”
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At this point, on top of the confusion, there was a growing feeling of nervousness in my gut. I’d never heard of any town in Blackwood Forest. Our town, Greyrock Springs, was founded in 1909. I searched the other houses on the outskirts of this ghost town. In one of them, I found the journal of a 19 year old girl named Ellie. She had moved into the town with her family, the Wilsons, and another one they were close friends with, the Millers. They had moved in 1905. The first dozen pages were normal entries about life around the town, her friend, 19 year old Janie Miller, and her older brother, 21 year old Shaun Miller. She and Shaun were apparently set to get married in a year, something Ellie wrote almost endlessly about. The 20th entry, dated September 17, 1905, however, was different.
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The 20th entry said that 7 townsfolk and gone missing suddenly overnight. It read, “Last night 7 of our neighbors vanished. The Smith family and Mr. H. The Sheriff doesn’t know what happened to them. Their beds appear to have been slept in, and their homes appear normal. But nobody has seen or heard of any of them since 8:00 last night. I’m getting worried, some of the other neighbors are talking about dark shadows in the trees snatching them away. I hope they’re alright.”
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After reading this, my anxiety started growing. What could have happened to the people who lived here? I looked at the next entry, 6 days later. It read “Almost everyone has vanished. The night after the first disappearances, 14 people vanished. The numbers got worse from there. The Sheriff, the butcher, the schoolteacher, all gone. Last night, 34 people, including the Millers, vanished. There are only 115 of us now. Janie and Shaun are gone, their beds unkempt, everything else in place as if they just got up and walked out. It’s 7:52 at night according to my clock. There are things making weird screeches out there. I can see the shadows outside. They’re drawing closer. I think I’m going to join Janie and Shaun tonight. At least I won’t have to live on without my friend and love.”
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Terror was beginning to take hold now. I looked around the room. I realized that it was now noon. I had been reading for so long I had lost track of time. I got up, grabbed the journal, and ran out of the house, the feeling of being watched nearly overwhelming me. I got to the path I had walked in on. It was then that the screeching and wailing began.
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It started as an inhuman, deep, gravelly sound, and then cracked and sounded like a dying person giving a final cry for help. Soon, a chorus of these other-worldly howls filled the forest. Terror shot through my body. I felt chills. I turned and scanned my surroundings, searching for the source of the sounds.
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That was when I saw one of Them for the first time.
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I don’t know how to describe Them here, but I will do my best to give you an idea of what lurks in those woods.
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They are tall, around 7 feet, with pure black skin. No light reflects off of any part of Them, except for their milky white eyes. Brown veins reach for the center of the eye, where the iris and pupil would have been. Instead, there was just more white. In some places, Their flesh clings to Their bones as though they have been vacuum-sealed. In others, the flesh is gone, and only bone remains. Their entire body has pulsating, grey veins spiderwebbing from place to place. And Their mouths stretch from one side of the head to the other, nearly to the hinges connecting the jaw to the skull. Their teeth are thin as a needle, and they have hundreds of them.
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One of Them was standing close to me, looking at me. It let out a screech-wail and started to run towards me. I turned and bolted, running towards the church, hoping to escape through an window-opening. As I reached the church, I turned and glanced back, only to see It standing near the well, not moving. Instead, it was growling at me. As we stared each other down, more of Them began to appear. They formed a ring around the church. I was now trapped. Panic began to set in more deeply, as I looked through the window-openings, trying to look for a weakness in the circle I could use to escape, and there was one. Directly behind the church, there was a large opening in the ring of monsters surrounding me. Taking several deep breaths and becoming as calm as I could given the circumstances, I took my opportunity and ran. I jumped out the window and sprinting with more force than I have ever used in my life.
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I made it to the trees, hearing their horrible screech-wails following uncomfortably close behind. I didn’t stop, running through the foliage like my life depended on it, which I could tell it did. Most of Them remained behind, but a few followed me deeper and deeper into the forest, not letting up. The trees and brush whipped at me, stinging and cutting my skin, but a continued, even going faster. I finally stopped when I couldn’t hear Them behind me anymore. By this point, it was closer to 2:00 P.M. I had run in the opposite direction I had entered Blackwood from. The adrenaline I had felt began to wear off, and I wanted to collapse from exhaustion, but I knew those things would keep looking for me until they found me.
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I spent the rest of the day cautiously searching for the fence, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find it. By the time it got dark, I was exhausted. The adrenaline from the whole day had turned into a mix of emotions, namely fear and anxiety. I decided to hide in a tree, in the event They found me. As I sat there, looking, I began to hear that screeching wail and those deep growls and grunts. They were close. I held my breath as the first one approached. It looked around, peering through the forest, searching for me. I got the feeling it knew I was close.
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It started to scan some bushes near the tree I was in, when It looked up suddenly. I fell from my spot in surprise, hitting the ground hard and with a grunt. It let out a wail, and started to approach me. I searched for something to use as a weapon, and found a sharp rock. I looked at the large veins covering It’s chest area. It seemed like the perfect target. It began to run, screeched and then lunged. I pulled the rock from behind my back and sliced with ferocity, cutting through the veins like paper. It screamed and shrieked, black ooze shooting out of the wound like a hose until it stopped. The creature let out a final wail before collapsing to the ground. I looked at it. I could hear a sickly breathing coming from the thing. Before it died, I heard a distorted but human voice mutter a weak “Thank.. you..” and then the breathing stopped. I was stunned. I didn’t have much time to think about it, because more wails could be heard approaching fast in the distance. I continued to run through the forest, more adrenaline pumping through my veins, fear at the back of my mind. I ran for a long time until I ended up back in that town. I hid in the church, underneath the floorboards. At some point, I fell asleep from exhaustion.
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The next 6 days were awful. I spent most of them hiding, slowly running through my food and water I had packed. One morning, as I reached the last of my water, I realized I had to escape. Although They searched the forests for me, I thought I could slip past Them and make it to the fence. But after a few minutes of preparing, I heard those wails approaching from the distance yet again. I grabbed my backpack and stepped outside again. I looked, seeing the creatures from before step out from the trees. I prepared myself, and ran. All of them began to follow me, their screeches cutting through the quiet of the forest and reminding me of how close I was to death. I went down that same worn path, sprinting through the woods. One jumped out in front of me, forcing me to veer off the path and into the forest. I ran, nearly tripping and getting cut on the branches. That was when I saw it. Ahead of me, finally, lay the fence. I took off the backpack as I approached. There was the gap. I was about to escape. They were close now, just a few yards away. I forced the backpack through the opening, forcing myself through it just as they reached the fence.
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I turned to look back at them, snapping one final photograph. I’m not entirely sure why I did that, but maybe I just wanted proof of the truth. That I wasn’t crazy. What I saw was real. I grabbed the backpack and ran back towards town, towards safety, towards home, their growls and wails fading behind me.
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I want to say that I’m safe now, that everything is ok, but it isn’t. A week ago, I started to hear whispers from my neighbors of wails, screeches, and growls coming from the fence. If anyone looked in the direction the sound was coming from, it stopped. I had to walk past the fence a few days ago, and I heard it. I was all alone. The fence started to rattle as well. I turned to look, but only saw a tall shadow slipping into the darkness of the trees.
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Last night, two people who were walking past the fence vanished.
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That brings us to today.
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I know what They want. They are angry. I wasn’t supposed to escape. I don’t want to do this, but I won’t endanger anyone else who lives here.
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I’ll leave the photos, camera, and journal in my desk for safe keeping. That way people will understand what I saw, at least partially. People will hear the story of the townspeople of Blackwood. That is the reason I’m posting this. So more of you know.
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I have accepted my fate. After I post this, I will walk to the gate, and I will be taken. I don’t know for sure, but I think I will become one of Them, cursed to walk Blackwood Forest forever. My consciousness will be left a fragment, my humanity gone, as I walk the forest and wail, screech, and growl. This is the end for me. If anyone cares, my name is Daniel. I am 29 years old. I live in Greyrock Springs. If you come here, to find me or Blackwood or those things, or maybe even the pictures and journal, remember one thing.
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Never go into Blackwood Forest.

< Ep 4- Part 1
Based on the fourth round of the elimination contest
Spoiler tag only for basic character spoilers
[Team Looming Lions]
Kaito: Alright Lions we're winning this one again today, right?
Nekomaru: Absolutely! Of course I'm not sure which of us will be performing.
Kokichi: Well, Kaito's a bumbling moron so he's out.
Kaito: Hey, what the heck man! I mean sure being the Ultimate Astronaut isn't that impressive for a show but so is your talent.
Kokichi: So true Kaito! Glad to hear you didn't refute the fact of you being a moron though. Nee hee hee.
Kaito: Why you little-
Angie: Calm down, Tyler. Atua has foreseen what will lead us to victory. I shall take the lead and create a beautiful masterpiece in the name of Atua.
Mondo: Okay, so Angie's doing art. What are the rest of us supposed to do to perform along side?
Mahiru: I could take some action shots of her work. Though I'm not sure how impressive of a performance it will be.
Hajime: Your ability to take perfect photos is still impressive in its own right, Mahiru.
Mahiru: Hajime…
Celeste: So it's decided. Angie and Courtney will be performing with some artistic photography
Angie: Nyahahahah, wonderful though if we're doing artistic pictures, would it help to provide something more visual. Body models for example?
Mahiru: Absolutely not! These boys don't get to see anything like that. Speaking of which, how about you boys pitch in on the performance?
Celeste: Well, we've already established Max and Tyler are out. How about you, Trent. You could hit some tennis balls to add to the action shots.
Ryoma: Sorry, but I've sworn off using my talent ever again.
Celeste: Oh really, then how about a threat. Perform with the girls, or when we lose we'll vote you off immediately!
Ryoma: Go ahead, like this competition means anything to me anyways. This is merely just prolonging my time out of prison.
Chihiro: Stop it. Both of you. Celeste, I think it's clear Ryoma won't do it. Of course, I won't be much help either. Not without some kind of computer to work with.
Mondo: If I had a bike, I could do some tricks around Angie while she makes her art.
Nekomaru: Alright then I guess it's up to me. I'll be the manager to keep the show going and make sure we do it PERFECT!!!
Kirumi: If you need me, I could also be your assistant for the performance and clean up afterwards.
Mahiru: Then let's get started. Time to make something at least mostly coherent.
[Team Ominous Octopi]
Maki: So, who wants to volunteer for this talent show?
Korekiyo: I believe it's pretty obvious that Kaede and Ibuki should perform as a musical duo.
Ibuki: You got it! Izzy and Sky-ede here are gonna rock this camp!
Kaede: Sure, but that's only two. We need a third.
Chiaki: If I had a big screen and a console, I could play video games with you playing the music to it. Too bad they don't have any of that here.
Akane: I could do some flips over you two.
Taka: Too dangerous. Plus we don't want any of you to get hurt.
Maki: Then I guess killing someone to music is out, huh?
Taka: Absolutely!!!
Maki: I was kidding anyway.
Kaede: Haha, wow Maki, never seen that side of you before.
Maki: Don't push it. What about you, Shuichi?
Shuichi: Well, unlike Kyoko I'm not even that talented a detective, but I'm not certain how you'd perform that talent.
Korekiyo: I could give an archaeological lesson with a pleasant backing track by these wonderfully talented ladies.
Maki: No way, after that stunt you pulled with Kaede, I don't trust you alone with her again even with Ibuki there.
Ibuki: How about DJ do the robot to our music. Ha ha, get it!
Keebo: Hey, that's robophobic to assume I could do such a stereotypical dance.
Akane: Well can you?
Keebo: No, I can't dance, however I could sing with them if you'd like?
Kaede: NO!
Shuichi: No way!
Maki: Not happening.
Korekiyo: Oh please, anything but that.
Keebo: Wha….fine.
[Team Nasty Narwhals]
Junko: So let's see talent…talent…which one of you losers has the best talent.
Sakura: I think it has less to do with best talent and more to do with talents that can perform with each other.
Sayaka: If that's the case, I'll volunteer to sing for this talent competition. You guys can make the show more exciting with your talents.
Tsumugi: I like that. I could make a costume for your performance though I'm not sure how much is that me performing with you.
Junko: Besides Beth, if anyone's going to make Ella fashionable it should be me.
Toko: We get it, we have costumes down b-b-but that still not get any closer to who's performing.
Miu: Well it's obvious the moody writer and clumsy nurse shouldn't perform.
Toko: Not like I wanted to in the first place.
Mikan: I'd probably just get hurt either way and embarrass our team.
Junko: Then how about the boys then?
Rantaro: Well, I'm not even sure what my talent is but I could try singing with Sayaka if you need me to.
Gonta: Rodney could bring bug friends on stage to perform with Ella.
Sayaka: NO! NEVER! ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Miu: Guess that leaves you and me, baby gangster.
Fuyuhiko: Like I'd do anything with you and what about B and Himiko?
Miu: Washboard chest is too mopey to do anything, and I still have no idea what Big B's deal is.
[They look over at him, but Imposter merely shrugs]
Miu: Besides you should be grateful that I'm offering my genius for the performance.
Sayaka: Okay Miu, what can you do to help my performance?
Miu: Well I'm glad you asked Pop Princess. Behold first up I have a fantastic voice amplifier perfect for singing into.
Sayaka: Oh wow, that actually might be helpful. I'm surprised you came up with something so normal.
Miu: Of course it was originally meant those wild nights when you want your moans and cries to really shake the bed. Hoo Yeah!
Tsumugi: And there it is.
Sayaka: Okay but with me singing, what will you be doing during the show?
Miu: Why adding a little flair to the show. Get ready for your outfit to practically explode for the audience. [Points an invention at Sayaka] Literally I might add.
Sayaka: W-wait, what are you-Agh! [Miu shoots the machine and Sayaka is enveloped in a flash of light] Ugh…why does it feel cooler……. AAAAAAAHHHH!!!
Tsumugi: Quickly cover her up!
Sakura: You boys didn't see anything, right?!
Fuyuhiko[Blushed smirk]: Uh…no not all.
Gonta: Rodney shall not look at the indecency for he is gentleman.
Miu: See, what'd I tell you. Quite the show stopper really! Be glad you didn't go commando today.
Tsumugi: Miu, how is Sayaka supposed to perform when she's left in her underwear?
Miu: Well, four eyes, I thought this is where you'd throw her into a different outfit like the Ultimate Cosplayer you claim to be.
Tsumugi: It's not like I can dress her in an instant. She'll still be seen.
Miu: Well that's for you to work out then dip[bleep]. I merely just provided the genius with my inventions.
Sayaka: WELL YOUR INVENTIONS SUCK!
Sakura: It's alright, Sayaka. Let's just think this idea through.
Sayaka: I don't want her inventions near me ever again!
Miu: Pfft, your loss then.
[Confessional]
Sakura: I really, and I mean really hate to admit it....but Miu might've had something going there with her idea. The act of changing Sayaka's outfits while she's performing would be an impressive display. If only there was a way she wouldn't be seen during the swap.
[End]
[Team Looming Lions]
Nekomaru: Alright, Angie so how this is going to go is I throw tools to you and you work your artistic magic.
Mahiru: And I'll make sure to capture it all on film.
Angie: Absolutely, I shall let Atua guide me.
Celeste: Please dear, enough about Atua this time. Just perform your own talent.
Angie: Oh, but Atua is the one who blessed me with this talent so every work must always be an offering to him. Remember that Lightning and Courtney.
Mahiru: Sure gotcha…
[Confessional]
Mahiru: I don't want to disrespect Angie's beliefs but relying on her God for everything even just a simple talent show may be a little much. But it's fine we have this performance in the bag. Chris is going to be blown away by my photography skills.
[End]
[Team Ominous Octopi]
Makoto: So run it by me again why I'm playing with Kaede.
Nagito: I'm not sure I'm cut out for play the bass guitar either.
Korekiyo: Well Kaede and Ibuki are going to teach you two the routine and with your luck you'll each learn it and play a beautiful duet.
Makoto: I'm not sure that's what being an Ultimate Lucky Student will help with.
Akane: No time to worry about it now we've got two hours left. Besides when we rely on both of you we win…well at least we don't lose.
Miu: Hey Cockoctpi, quit hogging the stage. Some of us have a performance to practice.
Korekiyo: Sorry, but we were here first. You'll just have to wait your turn. Whenever that will be, kehehehe.
Junko: Look, I understand that you need all the practice to not suck complete balls, but right now we need an empty stage, so Sayaka's not seen in her underwear too much.
Sayaka: Junko?!
Makoto: W-w-what? Sayaka's going to be performing in her underwear?
Junko: Oopsie, did I let that slip. My bad!
Tsumugi: It's more we need to work out how a quick change would work on stage, but uh she might still be seen in her underwear while rehearsing.
Sayaka: Will you all please stop talking about my underwear!
Akane: A quick change performance, huh? Good luck, even when I was wearing the skimpiest outfits for gymnastics, it still took a good thirty seconds to change.
Shuichi: Sounds like you'd need a miracle to not be seen then.
Sakura: Wait…a miracle…or magic. I'll be right back.
Miu: What's gotten into the orge?
Junko: Nevermind all that, we still need a stage to perform on.
Maki: Well then you're going to have to get through me, so unless you want to die, I say go practice over on the side of the camp like the Lions.
Junko: ………Fine Miss Assassin, you win. But I won't forget this. Come on team we're leaving. [Narwhals follow her reluctantly]
Kaede: Thanks for that, Maki. Okay Makoto, let's just try a simple scale.
Ibuki: And Harold, how about we try an A-chord.
Hiyoko: Hey, what's the big idea hogging the stage?!
Korekiyo: Here we go again.
Sonia: If it wouldn't be much trouble friends, we'd like to use the stage to practice our act.
Keebo: Is Hiyoko going to dance in her underwear too?
Hiyoko: Ew, gross! What are you saying you perverted robot!
Keebo: Sorry, I just assumed that was how all the girls were performing these days.
Maki: Ignore him, like we told the Narwhals, we were here first.
Byakuya: While I commend your fighting spirit, just know that no matter how much practice you do, you'll never be able to force talent onto those two.
Hiyoko: Yeah besides, we at least have our routine planned out and everyone with actual talent who's going to perform.
Korekiyo: Really, and what would that be?
Leon: Like we're going to tell you guys. Just give us the stage so we can practice already. We need to use the wood backdrop of the stage anyway.
Akane: If that's all it is then-HIYAH! [she breaks the backdrop in half and tosses it to Kazuichi] There, practice with your backdrop somewhere else.
Kazuichi: Seriously…well fine. Let's go Rhinos.
[Cut to Himiko sitting by herself. Sakura approaches]
Sakura: Mind if I sit down with you?
Himiko: Nyeh sure…I'm guessing they called you over to make me help them.
Sakura: Actually, I came over of my own volition. But I am curious if you'd like to help. Sayaka could really use your expertise in magic.
Himiko: Yeah I get it, you just want to use me for my talent but when I'm no longer useful you'll just vote me off the team. Just like how they treated Tenko.
Sakura: I understand why you're upset. It seems the Octopi weren't committed to understanding Tenko; she was a person you comfortably called a friend. Why couldn't anyone else do the same?
[Himiko doesn't respond but gently nods]
Sakura: Well, I'm not forcing you to do anything. I'm just trying to understand your feelings. In the end, it's your decision whether you want to be part of the team or not and I'll respect that decision.
[Himiko still doesn't respond but gives a side glance to Sakura]
Sakura: However, if you do decide to participate, we could honestly use your magical talent to save Sayaka from embarrassment. I've seen your shows, you have a knack for misdirection. It would help to provide misdirection when Miu attempts the wardrobe change. But of course, that's if you decide to help.
[Himiko looks forward again still in silence]
Sakura: Well, that's all I came over here for. I'll be getting back to making sure Miu doesn't embarrass the rest of the team. I hope you feel better, Himiko.
[Himiko quietly watches Sakura get up and leave, before looking forward again in deep thought]
[Confessional]
Himiko: Nyeh, Tenko always believed in my magic but she believed in me as a person too. How can I guarantee the others see me as a person and not just the magician girl. Maybe I really can't…nyeh.
[End]
Junko: Well look what the Princess dragged in. You Rhinos got kicked off the stage too huh?
Hiyoko: Beat it, you skank. We're trying to rehearse and we've wasted enough time as it is.
Junko: Hey, I'm just trying to empathize with a fellow team. Those Octopi jerks shooed us away too. If only there was some way to get back at them. [Stares down Mukuro]
Sonia: Sorry Junko, but we need to practice right now, so no more distractions.
Junko: Fine fine, guess we should probably step away then. Don't want Sayaka's underwear to be a distraction.
Kazuichi: Wait, Sayaka's going to be singing in her underwear?
Sayaka: Stop telling everyone that!
Mahiru: Hey, would you other teams keep it down.
Nekomaru: Yeah, Angie needs complete concentration to work!
Sayaka: Ugh, let's just give up already there's no way Miu's invention is going to work without me being utterly embarrassed.
Miu: It could if you could change faster.
Tsumugi: And how do you suppose we do that. Hide her from plain sight everytime you shoot her.
Himiko: Sounds like you could use a little magic then.
Rantaro: Hey, Himiko's back. You feeling better?
Junko: Oh Staci, I knew you wouldn't let your team down.
Himiko: Nyeh…I didn't really want to do it for you but I'd feel awfully ashamed if I could've helped and didn't. So what's going on?
Miu: Well Shimplette, Pop Princess here is going to be zapped by my clothes cannon. It'll make it easier to change into a new outfit, but she's worried about everyone seeing her pink little panties.
Himiko: So you need a distraction to allow you time to change, huh? Okay, I can do that, just follow my lead.
Sayaka: Oh Himiko thank you so much, you're a lifesaver!
Kazuichi: Great you have your act figured out; now can we please have some room to practice?
[Confessional]
Kazuichi: It took a little bit of creative thinking but with Hiyoko, Gundham and Mukuro we finally had an idea. Mukuro is going to throw knives around Hiyoko's dance while Gundham's hamsters do some tricks on the knives that get stuck in the backdrop. Pretty brilliant, right. I bet Miss Sonia thinks so!
[End]
Kazuichi: Hiyoko, are you ready to begin?
Hiyoko: I was born ready, dummy. This is my talent after all. [She begins dancing]
Kazuichi: Okay Mukuro, now aim carefully as not to hit Hiyoko and strike the backdrop with the knives.
Mukuro: Sure, no problem. [Starts throwing knives around Hiyoko]
Hiyoko: Eeee! [She jumps a little every time a knife whizzes past her, stabbing into the backdrop making little platforms]
Kazuichi: Alright Gundham, you're up!
Gundham: Hmph, while this may be a mockery of your power, for the good of our team do not disappoint me my Dark Devas of Destruction! To the left San-D. The right Maga-Z. Jum-P, the high one. And of course Cham-P, harness all your power and get to the low one there. [They each take a knife pedestal] Now switch it up! [They begin leaping from knife to knife timing it to Hiyoko's dance]
Kazuichi: Yes, this is working. Now Mukuro, just a few more knives to bring home the finale. Just aim true; you've got this.
Mukuro: Aim true, right…
[Confessional]
Mukuro: I'm supposed to play dirty, right? I've never been more confident in my accuracy…and yet.
[End]
Hiyoko: Just throw it already, my dance is almost over.
Mukuro: *deep breath* [she eyes a slit through the backdrop and sees Kaede and Makoto at the piano] HIYAH!!!
[The knife speeds past Hiyoko and she feels the motion] Hiyoko: Hey, watch where you're throwing you clumsy-
Sonia: Oh no, Octopi, watch out!
Ibuki: Harold, come on, it's just a simple pluck and strum like this.
Nagito: Like this [strums his bass guitar. Immediately a string breaks near the top and whips Makoto in the arm]
Makoto: Agh! [He falls from the piano bench in pain] What the heck was that for?!
[As he falls, the knife flies passed and ricochets off the piano]
Kaede: Woah! What the? Makoto, look out!
[The knife comes flying back towards the Rhinos]
Peko: I got this. [She take out her sword and deflects the knife away]
Yasuhiro: Watch where you're throwing that thing, you could've hurt someone.
Mukuro: Apologies, it must have hit a weak part of the backdrop. I'll be more careful nex-
???: AGGHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Peko: Uh oh…
Mahiru: My….my….my camera!!! [The knife finally came to a stop lodging itself directly into her camera lens]
Nekomaru: HEEEEYYY!!! What happened over here?
Mondo: Yeah, what the [bleep] did you just do?
Mukuro: Oh crap…
Kazuichi: L-listen it was an accident, alright. We just had a mishap with the knife throws.
Kaito: You took out one of our performers!
Mukuro: I deeply apologize. It won't happen again.
Byakuya: You're right it won't because you're sitting this one out now.
Mukuro: What?
Aoi: Byakuya, please it was an accident. Besides, we need her for this.
Byakuya: Do we? Every time we rely on this incompetent soldier we either come in last place or second to last place. You're clearly putting too much faith in her. I don't care if we are in the same class, she's only become a detriment to the team even more than the little loudmouth.
Hiyoko: Hey!
[Mukuro looks over to Junko who simply gives a dismissive smirk]
Sonia: Byakuya, we don't need to be so harsh. Maybe Mukuro just needs a little break, if we just-
Mukuro: No, it's fine. If you don't want me anymore, I won't try to help you guys. See you later.
Byakuya: Finally, the girl gets the memo.
Sonia: Mukuro please, you don't have to do this.
Leon: Well, that's just great, so now who do you expect to perform for our team?
Byakuya: Figure it out yourself, and stop relying on one person to solve all your problems. I bet the swordswoman could do just as well. She hasn't been pulling her weight that much.
Yasuhiro: Dude, you can't just call her fat like that!
Byakuya: How about it, Pekoyama? Knives are just like mini swords, right?
Peko: If this is really how you want this competition to go, I'll give it a shot.
Aoi: But just know if we lose, we're blaming you for this, Byakuya.
Byakuya: Typical peasants. Putting all your actions into your emotions rather than your logic.
Sonia: Byakuya, that is enough. Even I, as a woman of nobility, know this is not how you should treat your friends!
Byakuya: So the Princess finally has a backbone.
Sonia: That's right, and I intend to use it and not let my friends be bullied around by you.
Kazuichi: You tell him Miss Sonia!
Byakuya: Fine then bring back the soldier girl but you better hurry because your time is up.
Leon: What do you mean?
[Loudspeaker feedback]
Chris: Attention all campers. Your three hours of preparation are over! Please join us at the stage. Narwhals you're up first.
Peko: Looks like he's right. It's fine, I'll do my best. Just know we're not afraid of you.
Byakuya: The feelings are mutual.
[Confessional]
Sonia: Ooh, that Byakuya. First driving away Mukuro then thinking he can just boss us around. If I weren't trying to be so proper I'd call him a…call him… a [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] [bleep] with a [bleep] [bleep] in his [bleep] [be-
[End]
To be continued

I just started playing again after a 14ish year hiatus. Now that I can afford things a little better my first thought was "HELL YEAH! road trip to cpx in Illinois and finally play bedlam" and they closed. My next thought was "Oklahoma d-day" and that's no more. I played a vietnam scenario in New jersey back in 2008 and 2009 but I can't find any record of that still happening (or any proof it even existed outside of my own pictures, memories and "war stories" me and my friends share. So my question now is, who has the multiple day scenario games? I'm willing to travel as long as it's in the United States

Hey! I’m Belle! I’m from New York, and i’m 5’2 and 110lbs. I’m white with brunette hair. I don’t post pictures of myself because the bots/scammers steal them and use them - shoot me a message and i’ll gladly send some over! Open to all arrangement types - very kink friendly ;) STRICTLY online to start. I like to move to in person arrangements after a couple of weeks, but I have no problem keeping it online if that’s what you want. [email protected] only. Pls dm, don’t comment. Too many bots. Absolutely nothing nude/s*xual before payment. I’ve been doing this for 2 years, so scammers and guys trying to get free content, don’t even try it or you’ll be posted and exposed!! Looking for something long term and non-transactional feeling. If you’re a real human being (hard to find on these subs lmao) then feel free to shoot me a message! :) here’s me!

Hey! I’m Belle! I’m from New York, and i’m 5’2 and 110lbs. I’m white with brunette hair. I don’t post pictures of myself because the bots/scammers steal them and use them - shoot me a message and i’ll gladly send some over! Open to all arrangement types - very kink friendly ;) STRICTLY online to start. I like to move to in person arrangements after a couple of weeks, but I have no problem keeping it online if that’s what you want. [email protected] only. Pls dm, don’t comment. Too many bots. Absolutely nothing nude/s*xual before payment. I’ve been doing this for 2 years, so scammers and guys trying to get free content, don’t even try it or you’ll be posted and exposed!! Looking for something long term and non-transactional feeling. If you’re a real human being (hard to find on these subs lmao) then feel free to shoot me a message! :) here’s me!

Hey! I’m Belle! I’m from New York, and i’m 5’2 and 110lbs. I’m white with brunette hair. I don’t post pictures of myself because the bots/scammers steal them and use them - shoot me a message and i’ll gladly send some over! Open to all arrangement types - very kink friendly ;) STRICTLY online to start. I like to move to in person arrangements after a couple of weeks, but I have no problem keeping it online if that’s what you want. [email protected] only. Pls dm, don’t comment. Too many bots. Absolutely nothing nude/s*xual before payment. I’ve been doing this for 2 years, so scammers and guys trying to get free content, don’t even try it or you’ll be posted and exposed!! Looking for something long term and non-transactional feeling. If you’re a real human being (hard to find on these subs lmao) then feel free to shoot me a message! :) here’s me!

Background: I rescued my male fixed silver lab when he was 4 and now he’s 13. He’s never had health issues except some minor arthritis in his back which is fairly new and he had a non-cancerous cyst removed in October 2022. He used to be active, in-shape, and wasvery happy.
5 weeks ago he had a seizure and his tongue was blue. I immediately took him to the emergency vet and they diagnosed him with LarPar. My vet had a lab who had the tie-back surgery at the same age and was still happy and active. He had another seizure the same night has the first seizure. He got the surgery two days later.
He was prescribed gabapentin which made him loopy and not himself but he was only supposed to be on it for 2 weeks. He started pacing a lot at night so after his stitches were out so I started exercising him more thinking it could be anxiety. He was still pacing at night. He had a seizure last Monday night.
After that seizure he started going to the bathroom in the house, staring at walls, running into things, and he very out of it.
I asked my vet about this and he prescribed trazodone for anxiety. The pacing and accidents have stopped the last 2 days,l. He was acting like himself today just a little weaker, but around 6:30 tonight he’s back to being disoriented.
I’m hoping to get him into the vet next week, but I think he has Sundowners Syndrome. Could the seizure or surgery have caused this?
Any advice for helping him right now?

NOTE: This is a very long post. There’s a tl;dr summary at the bottom
Background:
This is coming from a long-time lurker, first time poster, and an Evil Dead fan for decades. For background, I have previous game dev experience, including Unity and Unreal, so I’m (mostly) not talking out my ass, and I've played both sides of this game roughly equally for more hours than I’d care to admit (primarily solo q, sometimes survivor with friends, and otherwise just playing demon when survivor queue times are high, as they have been many times since release). Usually, I just play whichever side has the lowest queue time.
Despite its flaws, this has been one of my favorite games of all time. The original development team was clearly passionate about the Evil Dead. The art, audio, and overall atmosphere are excellent and have superb attention to detail. I love all the random chatter from my survivor, the feeling of rushing through the woods as the Kandarian demon, and the intensity of a close game regardless of who wins. However, most of us would agree that this game has been held back by very poor "balancing" patches since release, as evidenced by polls on this subreddit confirming it is indeed the most frustrating problem.
We've endured shemps duping, brokenly OP characters, fear looping, and many other game-breaking exploits throughout. Bugs can be tolerable and are even to be expected, but the "fixes" almost always cause new issues and take far too long. It is painfully obvious that there has been very little time or effort expended on these issues by the post-release support team. Some patches have been so bad that they shouldn’t even make it to QA, let alone production – I’d be ashamed, esp. given that some of these issues can be fully and precisely patched in a few lines of code. I don’t need to see the source code to know that – even a rat’s nest of blueprints and disorganized C++ code can’t justify it.
I can only hope the skeleton crew that's continuing support for this game will take a few hours to address these issues. More importantly, I hope someone higher-up will recognize that this game still has millions of copies floating around and a lot more opportunities for profit, so it’s worth it to invest just a little time/thought into balance to keep new players and veterans happy. Frankly, each issue could be hammered out in minutes by someone familiar with the codebase, but I know it takes some time for building and testing across multiple platforms - days is fine, weeks/months is insane, esp. given the current state of the game.
I think it is important to first precisely define how the game is unbalanced, and how this imbalance can ruin the fun of many matches. Based on previous posts and my own personal experiences playing with friends and family at various skill levels, the following pattern becomes clear:
3+ Bad/Low-Level Survivors – Essentially 99% Demon Win
2+ Bad Survivors, All Others Decent to Excellent – Heavily demon-sided (~90% Demon Win)
1+ Bad Survivor, All Others Decent to Excellent – Somewhat demon-sided (~70% Demon Win)
All Survivors Decent, Not Very Cooperative/Sharing – About Equal (~50/50 on Win)
All Survivors Decent, Mostly Cooperative – Somewhat survivors-sided (~70% Survivor Win)
All Survivors with Good Skills/Teamwork/Knowledge – Heavily survivors-sided (~90% Survivor Win)
All Survivors with Excellent Skills/Teamwork/Knowledge – Essentially 99% Survivors Win
Note: Skills/teamwork/knowledge are not necessarily related to prestige level nor gameplay style, though usually survivors with prestige levels have stuck with the game long enough to at least be “decent” (even if they’re still not perfectly cooperative/sharing/etc.). This pattern is only somewhat altered by the demon’s skill level – new/low-level demons skew much more to higher survivor win rates in every scenario, and excellent high-level/prestige demons playing the current “meta” demon skew toward higher demon win rates. Any level 45+ demon that’s decent to good and usually plays non-meta demons like the current versions of Warlord or Necro (that’s me) will likely not skew these results.
I believe my personal experience is a microcosm of the overall balancing issue, and we’ve seen posts on this subreddit that consistently confirm the above pattern. It should be painfully obvious by now to anyone who’s played both sides long enough, and it should also be even more painfully obvious to any developers/publishers pouring over analytics data for the game. What adds insult to injury is that, at the more extreme ends of the pattern, a lot of toxicity emerges. Many survivors go into flashlight-clicky mode when they have the upper hand, and many demons retaliate by dancing with possessions over corpses or other means, whether it’s in the current match or against some innocent victims in the next match (I’ve sometimes been guilty too – I usually just take a break when toxic matches get to me and I turn toxic, but I’m truly sorry to anyone who’s had to deal with any of this crap from me)
Anyway, what will happen if the above pattern continues over time? Well, newer players who are consistently getting absolutely destroyed and possibly taunted at the same time (as either survivor or demon) will either (a) quit the game, or (b) get better. Now, run through that scenario while looking at the pattern and assume the game remains roughly in the current state. There will be more and more new/”bad” survivors quitting the game entirely, and a smaller portion that will only stick with the game if they level up and “git gud” over many hours (becoming good to excellent players). The same thing will happen to demon players. What happens when all we have left are good to excellent survivors and good to excellent demons? Well, check the chart again. Every match will be at least heavily survivor-sided if not a guaranteed win. Survivors get bored, even most masochistic veteran demon players give up, queue times for survivors reach new heights, and the game “dies.” This sequence of events has happened at various times in the game’s lifecycle, but I fear it’s headed toward extremes that will eventually make the game unplayable.
Obviously, it’s no fun to win virtually every time and it’s no fun to lose almost every time. Competitive games are most fun when you have close matches – ideally, there’d be a win rate of about 50% for either side. “But wait,” you say, “the pattern above indicates that there already IS a roughly 50/50 balance for that scenario!” And yes, that’s true. But how many matches are actually like that? How many matches have you personally played that felt close and competitive the whole time? It certainly wasn’t common when we had strong SBMM, and it isn’t common without SBMM either. Why? Because players who stick with the absolutely brutal intro to this game today are almost guaranteed to at least become good/high-level players with solid game mechanics/knowledge (though some will still become toxic/uncooperative teammates or toxic demons). Those who don’t become competent players are virtually guaranteed to quit in frustration, some after just the first several matches where they are either getting consistently annihilated by all the veterans, or clearly being “allowed” to win if the other side takes pity. In essence, the game is just plain brutal for HOURS on end for newer players and can become stale for solid veteran players. For veterans, we have survivors who team up with 3 other veterans (boring due to easy wins, low challenge), demons who can only win by repetitively attacking an inanimate stationary book (boring due to minimal ability to challenge survivors throughout match), or demons who see 2+ bad survivors and have to decide whether to let them win or immediately stomp them to move on (both of which can be boring due to low challenge, and frankly feel bad if harassing beginners). I absolutely LOVE any close matches, win or lose, but they are unfortunately exceptionally rare.
Clearly, the goal of balancing patches should be to make as many matches as close as possible. How? Well, it’s very simple – give beginners a chance and give veterans a challenge. Specifically, force or incentivize gameplay that elevates beginners, challenges veterans, prevents toxicity, and basically “evens the playing field” so that the chart above reads more like “20% through 80%” win rates for survivors rather than 1% through 99%. Thus, the fixes below mostly take aim at mechanics that are abused by veterans of the game or seek to better prepare beginners. Additionally, nearly each of the fixes below can be implemented with the equivalent of just a few lines of code.
I fully believe that this game can achieve a decent balance as a 4v1 asymm. It only seems impossible because the patches for balancing have often failed to address root causes and/or caused new issues. The game can be more welcoming for newcomers (both survivors and demons alike) while still having a lot of the same learning curves and leveling systems to reward higher level play without it becoming outright oppressive to either side.
Anyway, based on a lot of previous posts and my own observations, here are some easy fixes for the next patch:
1. Revert demon traps to their previous behavior (i.e. make it so possessed survivors can be walked into a trap) and fix the fear looping mechanic for SchemeBaal specifically
The latest "fix" for this had a workaround from the community within hours to fear loop survivors anyway and nerfed all other demons for no reason.
This can be easily resolved by reverting to the previous code/blueprints/whatever (or hell, going back to the previous build if necessary), and then implementing a simple solution for Schemer. This solution requires a scalpel, not a sledgehammer, so it should apply ONLY to Schemer. I can think of two easy possibilities, either of which would only need a few lines of code.
First possibility: If a survivor has set off a trap that was set by using the Schemer's special ability, then that trap now has a normal cool down and cannot be "reset" again by Schemer's current use of the special ability. This would allow Schemer to set a trap manually, possess a survivor, run them into it, get the trap reset immediately by their special ability, but then only run the survivor into the same trap a 2nd time. Thus, Schemer would still be the demon associated with traps and fear, but wouldn't be able to loop a survivor in one spot endlessly. A survivor that's slightly separated wouldn't necessarily immediately die, but a demon could still down a lone wolf by harassing, lowering health, raising fear, and then doing this method.
Second possibility: The trap setting special ability of Schemer could be disabled when Schemer possesses a survivor. This may nerf Schemer specifically a tad bit too heavily, but is still a far better fix than what we've got. It's also super easy to program with something like the following pseudocode:
If (demon.ability == true && demon.name == "Schemer" && demon.possessing == true)
demon.ability = false;
2. Implement a stamina cost for vaulting windows/railings (e.g. the stamina cost could be the same as dodging)
This helps keep gameplay fair for both sides. It's clearly unfair and unfun to have a demon that can easily fear loop a survivor to death even if their teammates aren't far away, and the same holds true for a survivor that can "loop" a demon and never die. Survivors can still use objects, dodges, and other means to postpone death if they're alone (as I've done myself and seen done as demon) but it's at least possible for a demon to get in an occasional hit and whittle down health (i.e. it cannot be done indefinitely, at least if vaulting also uses stamina). Alternatively, at least give demons the ability to vault all the same objects as survivors, such as railings, so a 1v1 chase is fair – it just doesn’t feel great when a survivor jumps over a porch railing and looks back to flashlight click your possessed unit, knowing that there’s somehow zero threat in this 1v1 encounter in a 4v1 game due to a simple exploit. Personally, I think just adding a stamina cost would be fine to try at least, and many others in this community seem to agree. Plus, it should again only be a few lines of code to adjust the stamina bavariable of a survivor whenever he/she vaults.
3. Edit the text for the "hints" when a match is loading. There are absolutely no CLEAR tips about giving the right resources to the right players, nor hints about any newer demons (i.e. the hints have never been updated)
Regardless of which side we've played, we all know solo q for survivors is a total crap shoot. None of us started playing this game knowing that we should be gathering supplies for ourselves AND our teammates, dropping shemps for support, dropping ammo for hunters, etc. Many players quit before learning these things and there is no in game explanation for them (besides one single vague tip I can remember about how you can share resources with teammates, but no clear indication of sharing based on class).
I think the lack of instructions for basic team play is one of the major causes of low player retention for the game. The tutorials are helpful for basic controls, but there needs be a lot more emphasis on the basics of this game that many of us on this subreddit take for granted.
I’d start by making sure the following tip text is the first to be shown to all players for a few matches after this is patched in:
“Stay close to your teammates and focus on the current objective to survive. Going off to loot alone is very dangerous”
(yes, veteran players can often get away with this, but man, it feels terrible playing on either side and watching someone just wander off to loot the whole game)
The other tips could be a lot more direct:
“Players should stay within the blue aura of leaders whenever possible to get additional buffs”
“Warriors should generally be given the best melee weapons but do little ranged damage”
“Hunters should generally be given the best ranged weapons but do little melee damage. Drop ammo for them if they ask”
“Support players are generally weakest, but can heal or shield all their teammates by using shemps and amulets near them. Drop spare shemps for support”
Now, the above “tip texts” at the loading menu are super quick and easy to add to the game. However, if the developers would like to go a little above and beyond, it would be amazing to add some additional text boxes within the game to warn players about bad choices. For example, there could be blinking text in the center bottom half of the screen for awhile if you’re carrying another survivor’s specialty weapon and they don’t have one (or if yours is a higher rarity). Also, there could be similar warning text that you’ve wondered more than, say, 100m from your team. Again, just trying to give simple, clear instructions to beginners (and those that are somehow still selfishly playing after reaching level 25+). And yeah, there are always arguments and exceptions to be made about how to play optimally, but some updated/clear tips could go a long way.
4. Implement a bonus XP on the results screen after a match is over that gives each side a bonus based on how many points the other side gained. Also, fix demon leveling based on survivodemon level
This one sounds a little weird and complicated, but it's really not. What I'm saying here is that veteran survivors should be rewarded for taking it easy on a baby demon, and a veteran demon should be rewarded for taking it easy on baby survivors.
Basically, regardless of which side you play or if you win or lose, I believe you should get a bonus XP based on how the other side did. For example, let's say you're a veteran pup player that gets matched to novice survivors and down them all with a power possessed basic before they even get the first map piece. In this case, those survivors will have very little points after the match (maybe even under 1000 per person) and the demon should get no bonus reward. The survivors here should at least get a bonus for enduring the slaughter and staying in the match. Let's say the demon takes it easy on them though, let's them progress, maybe even just throws AI at them (hell, I've personally spawned a boss and walked them to good crates when they're clearly new and can barely take on bots). Let's say they get 10k points per player this way - the demon now gets bonus XP for good behavior.
I'd say that there should be a bonus XP for each player if the other side reaches a certain point threshold, say 30k, or if the survivors are wiped before first objective (as in, survivors get a bonus for enduring such a match and demon gets no bonus). This would help discourage immediately stomping new players and help retain them (remember everyone, this game will die if it's just a few hardcore people with long queue times all doing cheesy strats and stomping anyone who dares try joining as a newbie).
Anyway, in psuedocode, something like this could work:
If (survivor.totalscore >= 30000)
demon.bonusxp = 3000;
If (demon.totalscore >= 30000)
survivor.bonusxp = 3000;
[Loop thru survivors to apply bonus to each - obviously, these values can be tweaked]
Obviously, you may have survivors or demons who go AFK and then it may make it impossible for the other side to get a bonus. Therefore, there could also be some basic code for checking if someone is AFK (i.e. hasn’t not moved more than a certain small distance in a decent amount of time, hasn’t set a trap or possessed anything in a certain time, etc.). Frankly, I have no idea how we still don’t have AFK checks – just about any other online game I’ve ever played automatically disconnects you if you’re not playing.
As a bonus idea to this bonus idea, you could also cancel ALL XP points for a player for a round in which he/she is toxic, such as a check for repetitive flashlight clicking. I find this irritating whether I'm a survivor or a demon (and I def didn't deserve a bunch of XP the few times I've been guilty of it when I felt a demon was being toxic). I don't think there's an easy way to detect all toxic demon behavior with code, but it would be trivial to keep track of flashlight clicking in code. Maybe if a demon is "hovering" (dancing) directly over a dead body too long with a possessed unit or survivor, then they also have their XP completely canceled for the round - that would also be easy to check via code. The key to promoting good, non-toxic behavior would be to implement these checks without specifying precisely how many flashlight clicks count or how long dancing over a corpse counts – just note that specific toxic behavior will result in zero XP for the round for the offender and automate it in code.
Finally, as another incentive for fair play, the leveling up of demons should be dependent on the level of the survivors they are harassing AND on the demon’s current skill tree level. In other words, there should be modifiers so that new, low-level demons get leveled up more by the same actions as high-level demons, such as downing a player, and there should also be modifiers so that high-level demons cannot get leveled up as much by harassing low-level survivors, such as constantly downing a newbie, but can get slightly more leveled up by downing a high-level survivor. This goes back to the idea of elevating beginners and challenging veterans, esp. since it’s incredibly frustrating to be constantly singled out as a brand-new survivor. This could be something like:
Demon:
Lvl 1-24: x1.5 for demon leveling up
Lvl 25-44: x1.3 for demon leveling up
Lvl 45: x1.1 for demon leveling up
P1+: x1.0 for demon leveling up
Survivor (being attacked, hitting traps, or otherwise affected by demon):
Lvl 1-24: x0.5 for demon leveling up
Lvl 25: x1.0 for demon leveling up
P1+: x1.1 for demon leveling up
Specific examples:
Lvl 10 demon somehow downs a P3 survivor – demon levels up 1.5 x 1.1 = 1.65 times as much as now
Lvl 45 demon downs a Lvl 4 survivor – demon only levels up 1.1 x 0.5 = 0.55 times as much as now
P5 demon downs a P5 survivor – demon levels up 1.0 x 1.1 = 1.1 times as much as now
5. Disable the ability to start both the dagger and pages objectives at the same time
This "split cap" method is usually only used by high-level teams and can be almost impossible to counter by anyone who isn't a very experienced demon, at least on certain maps or when these objectives are at certain locations. I've managed to counter it myself most of the time as demon, but it can be very hard to deal with, esp. given that survivors are resurrected after either objective finishes. Depending on the map and RNG (esp. light sources at objectives and other variables), it can be impossible to counter.
Basically, if the timer is running on either objective, it should be impossible to start the other objective. This still allows creative play by high-level coordinated teams (e.g. maybe Pablo hides at the next objective waiting to kick it off immediately while waiting for others to race there by car). It also feels a lot more fair, particularly to less experienced demons.
Again, this could be fixed in just a couple lines of code. Literally, just check if a timer is running for daggepages and if so, don’t allow interaction with the other objective.
6. Add a call out in the in-game communication wheel to say "demon is on me” or “I need help” for survivors
We know from polls on this sub that most people are dropping into solo q most of the time (I’m sure Saber’s own analytics could prove this too). Also, many people don't have or don't want to use a headset. These are just common facts for most online games.
I know some people have resorted to using the "need matchsticks" chat option to indicate they're being attacked by a possessed unit but this is frankly absurd. We need a simple chat option for survivors for this. Honestly, if the text for “I need matchsticks” were simply replaced with “I need help!”, I'd be satisfied because I often need help fending off a possessed unit or boss a lot more than I need matchsticks in solo q.
This should be easy to add to the game (it’s more than a few lines of code and would require minor image/text adjustments and possibly kicking off existing voice lines, but should still be doable). I’m pretty sure that most characters already have a voice line recorded that could work (I picture Scotty already literally saying “I need help”) and if not, we’ve already been shown that voice lines don’t really have to match their context anyway (I picture Mia saying “fire’s lit. Anybody needs fire, it’s here” when turning on her flashlight – so hell, just make that what she says when she uses “I need help” on the wheel – we’ve already accepted she’s crazy anyway and the text would be clear at least).
7. Keep car possessions consistent on all maps. Demons either can't possess them until they "spawn" when survivors are near (like Castle Kandar) or they can possess them at any time anywhere
Personally, I think that it should only be possible to possess cars when survivors have "spawned" them by being close to them like on the Kandar map. The method of flipping all cars on a map at the start of a match is generally only used by a few high MMR demons and feels cheesy to me (I also feel it's cheesy to drive 3 cars to each objective, but cars are always going to be divisive and they can also be used to cause a lot of damage at objectives at least).
I think car possession should've followed the lore of AvED, kept survivors inside, and done something different like having both driver and demon fighting for control of the vehicle, like maybe survivor controls keep randomly reversing while demon controls it normally and the driver tries to counter the demon driving until infernal energy runs out - survivors take a little damage whenever the car crashes. However, this idea is complex, so I'll stick to easy fixes.
No matter what, it just seems like the ability to possess cars should be consistent across all maps and it should be easy to implement, esp. since there's already code/logic for the two scenarios.
8. Add a single menu option at the main menu when choosing a game mode to select "random"
This could immensely help queue times. I know there are others like me who just want to play and don't care about whether they're survivor or demon.
This may take a tiny bit more work to implement than some of the pieces above (e.g. need a little artwork for the button, menu programming, some matchmaking programming, etc.) but it would help queue times, which have been problematic at various times in this game's life cycle.
9. Adjust RNG based on the overall levels of survivors
Again, this goes back to elevating beginners and challenging veterans. I’ve been in too many games with all prestige survivors that can split up and loot a large portion of the map without fear of consequence until each character has his/her own purple/gold specialty weapon (which also goes back to looping/vaulting endlessly and depends on map, demon character, etc.) – those games are a wash for demon. On the other hand, I’ve been in too many solo q matches where people are bringing grey weapons to defend the book and hobbling in without shemps knowing it’s just a slaughter. I’d really like to be in more balanced matches where veteran teams don’t all have perfect weapons for an easy win, and novice players don’t all hobble around with garbage for a guaranteed loss.
As a simple fix, it would make sense to simply increase the odds of chests being purple/gold if 2 or more survivors are under P1, and decrease those same odds if all survivors are P1 or above (in all other cases, odds can remain the same). And yeah, I know prestige does not perfectly equal pure skill, but odds are you’re at least “decent” at the game if you’ve made it that far (if not good or excellent). This RNG adjustment for chests could be multiplied by whatever Ed brings to the table. For example, if the decrease for all prestige players is to have 0.75x the amount of purple/gold chests and the increase Ed brings is 1.5x, then there would still be slightly more purple/gold chests on the map than normal even for all prestige players (and a lot more good chests for new players, who definitely could use the boost).
10. Give out more XP/SP – we need more double XP/SP events and there should be a bonus given to any low-level players (say, anyone who hasn’t gotten a single character to P1) to get and retain new players
This last point shouldn’t need much explanation. The community obviously overwhelming voted to have more double XP/SP events. It would take such an incredible number of hours to P5 every single character that I’d imagine only those who have literally played non-stop for thousands of hours since release could have done it already. For some, like me, who only took a brief hiatus from the game since release, it feels like a herculean task to even get 1 or 2 characters to P5 on either side. Such events literally help with balance by elevating beginners and they also give a reason for veterans to return. Queue times were noticeably lower during the last event, even though it was poorly announced, clearly timed to try and mess with TCM (which is just a bad look, esp. since there was nothing for this game’s own anniversary), and wasn’t even VISIBLE in the game menus. Despite all this, it was still a success. Saber, unless you’re actively trying to eliminate your player base, it makes no sense to not do these regularly. And since you timed it to try to pull attention away from TCM, it would seem as though you want to retain players (or you’re just petty, but I’m guessing you’re more motivated by profits than such emotional considerations).
Anyway, more XP/SP please. Also, please put some kind of indication that an event is planned and/or is actively occurring in your game. I mean, it could literally be a freaking sprite on the main menu screen with some text announcing a double XP event and the duration – this is really basic stuff.
Finally, I don’t think anyone here would argue with giving away a large number of spirit points to every newish player the next time they open the game. I think a one-time bonus of at least 100K would be very reasonable for anyone who has not reached P1 for any character. I personally know several people IRL who would be back to playing the game if this were done (and almost certainly give you money for DLC when they get a chance to actually enjoy the game in a semi-competitive way) – these people just don’t have the time or patience to grind through hours of straight losses to even have a chance.
Closing thoughts:
I know there are a lot of other great ideas from the community on future content for the game (maps, characters, etc.) so I've just tried to stick to simple, easy to implement fixes for the developers.
Saber, this game could still generate a lot of (mostly passive) revenue if you support it well. There are many of us who are ready to throw money at any random DLC or cosmetic (myself included as a huge Evil Dead fan). However, the fans will only stick around to throw money at the game if the basic fundamental gameplay is somewhat balanced and glaring exploits/bugs are addressed. Seriously, if it's tweaked to feel good to play either side without major exploits being used by anyone, I (and many others) would keep throwing money at literal outfit accessories that could be crafted by a single 3d artist - it should more than pay for servers and labor, at which point you're just watching the money roll in.
Anyway, I've tried to stick to easy fixes that could improve the game for both novices and veterans. It would be easy to just say "buff the other side" whenever queue times are long for one side. At this time, it's obvious that average to excellent demon players are at a disadvantage when compared to equally skilled survivor players (as evidenced by queue times). I also remember times when demon queue times were long and I just played survivor because a certain demon was overturned or using cheesy exploits, so more people wanted to play demon.
However, I've been honestly sad that playing either side has just not felt good lately. It doesn't feel good to sit in a long queue for survivor, and it definitely doesn't feel good to crush noobs or get crushed by full prestige teams on coms. I can count on one hand the number of fun/close matches I’ve played in the last several dozen – I’d love to play more like those. Even if none of the changes above happen, I'd at least enjoy receiving some love for the older demons so they're at least fun to play and a challenge to go against (Plaguebringer Witch getting her original movement speed back, Necro and Warlord getting some minor buffs in any areas since they're pretty universally considered weak right now, etc.) – I mention these buffs in case you want to fall back on the tired old “just buff the other side” method.
Saber, please implement some quick and easy fixes for this game . Even if you're just in it for the money at this point, I'm literally here wanting to throw more money at this game, but only if some basic balancing changes are made. If the next patch surgically tweaks some major pain points rather than bludgeoning fundamental gameplay elements, then I'll be here waiting to throw money at any random DLC you've got. Otherwise, I'll sadly have to find another game (as many others have or will, given the overall sentiments after this latest patch and some patches before it). You can still turn the ship around - you have 3 million copies of this game floating around. That's literally millions of fans who likely want to return to the game and throw money at DLCs if the gameplay experience is fun. It's up to you now.
Tl;dr Summary:
The game can be balanced by elevating novices and challenging veterans. Here’s how…

1. Revert demon traps to their previous behavior (i.e. make it so possessed survivors can be walked into a trap) and ACTUALLY fix Baal specifically
   
2. Make vaulting cost stamina
   
3. Edit/create hints for new players at the match loading screen that are clear and direct
   
4. Give out a bonus XP for "good behavior" (not demolishing newbies), cancel XP for “toxic behavior” (flashlight clicking as survivor, dancing on corpses as demon), level up demon based on levels of victims
   
5. Do not allow dagger and pages objectives to run simultaneously
   
6. Add a call out in the in-game communication wheel to say "I need help" for survivors
   
7. Keep car possession rules consistent on all maps
   
8. Add a "random side" menu option to be able to play either survivor or demon, whichever happens to get matched first
   
9. Adjust chest rarity RNG based on the overall level of survivors
   
10. More XP/SP events. Also, give a bonus 100K+ SP to anyone with zero prestige characters
    

• If you are over the age of 18, "shipping" idols or reading idol fanfiction is fucking weird.
• I HATE when groups reference one of their previous songs in a song.
• Red Velvet songs, with the exception of Bad Boy, sound very noisy and dissonant to me. I am always exhausted after listening to their music. I like them, but they just...tire me.
• Idle hasn't had a good song since Hwaa, the new direction they are going in feels very Disney channel and not in a good way.
• Idols twerking is so difficult for me to witness. It always looks...odd.
• There is nothing wrong with Kpop only featuring East Asian idols. Kpop is based in Korea, run by Koreans, and they can feature whoever they want in their own industry. There is also nothing wrong with a non-East Asian person dreaming about being a kpop idol and shooting their shot.
• Dahyun looks best in black hair or Elsa white hair. The light purple hair in Yes or Yes was a catastrophe.
• More and More and Scientist don't feel like real Twice title tracks that actually happened. It's hard to describe. Both of those tracks feel like fever dreams. Every time I hear them I'm like, "Oh, right, this happened."
• Twice has the best discography of all kpop girl groups.
• Kpop dance covers in public make me cringe.
• Flower was a catastrophe and made me realize that I didn't like Jisoo's vocal color as much as I thought I did.
• The fact that music shows always start displaying the Korean lyrics at the bottom of the screen AFTER the group sings the first 1-2 lines drives me insane. What about the first 1-2 lines?!
• People who wait for idols in the airport for their arrivals and departures make me uncomfortable. What is the point of this activity? I feel so bad for the idols and can't get through a single video of these airport greetings for this reason. Can you imagine getting off of a long flight, you're jet lagged, and you have to deal with screaming fans shouting your name every two seconds like you're a circus animal? Waiting to watch a group depart after a concert I understand, this I do not.

Alright that's it bye

A few months ago I had an allergic reaction to taking oral minoxidil (for hair regrowth). I ended up in the ER a bunch of times with heart palpitations and extreme new onset anxiety.
Long story, due to the extreme anxiety, poor sleep, and a hiatal hernia maneuver by a chiropractor (basically a lot of stretching on the stomach) I think I developed gastritis. My initial symptoms included things like constant stomach soreness, burning when eating, not being able to eat more than 1-2 small bites every 10 minutes, salt sensitivity, acid reflux, heartburn, instant panic attacks when drinking citric acid.
I did a strict gastritis diet with bland foods for about 2 months and got much, much better. I am still doing a strict gastritis diet. However one problem that has persisted is I have an inability to lie flat for long periods of time. Whenever I try to sleep flat, I wake up after an hour with bad heart palpitations and feeling very disturbed. Early on, I would actually shoot upwards in bed going lying flat to upright, almost like an involuntary reflex. It felt like I was riding a rollercoaster.
I tried sleeping flat again late last week and had a gastritis flare up immediately. Woke up after an hour, my stomach starting gurgling and the gastritis symptoms resumed over the next days.
I'm getting over the flare up already, but I'm wondering: has anyone else had similar issues with sleeping flat causing a flare up? Did it ever resolve? Do you think the lying flat issue is caused by gastritis?

Thanks and Credits in the Comments Section due to LONG chapter.
Chapter 31: A Whale of a Tale and it’s All True
“IT’S FUCKING J-POD!”
Kalai watched in shock and awe as the two humans collectively lost their minds, hopping up and down and letting loose a series of high pitched vocalizing as she, Papa, and Mama Sakalbi stared in confusion at the two ecstatic aliens.
Andy turned and ran back to where Kalai and her parents were still staring in amazement and held his hand out, face alight and happier than she’d ever seen him before. “Binoculars! Quick! I want to see who’s out there!” Mama Sakalbi tentatively held them out, and he took them with a nod of thanks before rushing back to the bow. Kalai started as he jumped up on the bow and balanced against the roller horns to spot the black and white whales that were swimming fast towards the net.
“Eyes on Mama Shachi! Look, over there, see her?” Kalai approached cautiously as Andy pointed in the direction of a cluster of porpoising black shapes that were coming nearer.
“Eyes on! I got Grammie Slick out there too; the WHOLE POD’S HERE!” Jackie cut loose an undulating cry and waved her hands as little geysers of water and air shot out from the water on the other side of the net.
Kalai nearly jumped when a miniature version of the Orcas from the clone tank at Headquarters breached the water, leaping almost twice her height into the air before splashing back down in a massive wave.
“Look at that! Butterball’s getting some good air these days!” Andy crowed as he hopped back down from the bow and passed the binoculars to Jackie.
“Butterball?” Mama Sakalbi asked as she and Papa joined them. Kalai stared as the Orcas formed a line and charged at the middle of the ‘S’ bend in the net before diving down in front of it, sending a wave that pushed the corks back. She saw the spouts and the dorsal fins rise again for another charge at the net.
“He’s the baby, only about four years old. Grammie Slick’s taking the family hunting, see how they’re flattening the net out? We’re about to have a great fucking day!” Andy took Jackie’s shotgun and took it back to the cabin as Kalai and her parents crowded the rail.
“What are they doing?” Mama Sakalbi’s question was directed at Jackie and the woman turned to answer with a gigantic smile.
“Herding! See the ones circling around the net?” Jackie pointed to the two dorsal fins that were almost invisible in the fog that was starting to burn off in the morning sun that had started to clear the eastern mountains. “They’ll be starting to round up small schools of salmon once they’re done turning our net into a reef. Right now, they’re running along the line and probably seeing what they have to work with.”
Mama Sakalbi did a double take, “You must be joking, that level of intelligence would almost be-”
“Human?” Jackie interrupted with a smile, “Yeah, that’s our original teachers out there. We learned to fish from them.”
“I was going to say ‘sentient’, but I take your point. What I want to know is, what are they doing?” Mama Sakalbi gestured out at them, with a bewildered look on her face.
“They’re using the net as a sea wall. Thing is, the net’s hard to see in the water, but the fish can feel it. They’ll put their heads into the net, but that doesn’t catch them. They’ll try to swim around it so that’s why we put an ‘S’ bend. That’s where most of the fish get tangled.” Andy returned and picked up the explanation. “See in the center of the line? That fin with the black and white little checkmark behind it? That’s Grammie Slick, the Matriarch. She’s around sixty now, and grew up out here LONG before you all came down. They don’t always do this, but I guess with you all keeping the fishing fleets docked, she saw the net and wanted a big meal for the family. They’re going to keep pushing the net until it’s in the shape of a crescent and herd a bunch of small schools into a big baitball with pickets to keep the fish pinned in the middle. You watch, there’ll be salmon jumping all over in the middle as they school up.”
“That’s when you’ll see them charge up the center and take big old mouthfuls of salmon. It’ll be a smorgasbord for ‘em!” Jackie pulled up Andy’s omnipad and started recording.
“Wait, but you hate seals for competing with you for food, why are you this excited about Orcas who take so much more?” Papa asked as he also took out his omnipad and started recording as the pod of Orcas finished repositioning their net just as Andy described.
“Because they’re using the nets as a reef to trap the fish! See? Look! There they go! The wolves are out scaring every salmon in the area here!” Kalai dug her own omnipad out at Andy’s words and watched as the dorsal fins sank below the waves, with only a faint and fading wake to tell where they’d gone.
“Now watch ‘em set pickets! They’re going to start patrolling the outside of the net. When they get enough salmon in the middle, they’re going to charge. When they do, watch the entire middle section of our corks go under from the salmon trying to get away. They get whole heaping mouthfuls of food and we get a full net!”
Kalai watched the Orcas swimming in circles around the net like Helix Sharks, and felt a pang of fear seeing the big predators that seemed so gentle and inquisitive in the tank. “But what if they get caught in the net?”
Jackie suppressed a laugh before sweeping an arm out at the net. “I’ve never seen that happen before, and I haven’t even heard of it happening before… at least not here in the Salish Sea. All our Orcas grew up around these nets, so they’ll either avoid them or use them like they are right now.”
“I think it’s because they can see them and the fish can’t. Either way, we’re in for a show!” Andy patted Kalai on the back before pushing Kalai and Mama Sakalbi forward.
For a long while, the surface was calm, save for the circling Orcas as they all watched. Then, by degrees, there was movement on the surface of the water as fish the length of Kalai’s arm started to jump and kick in the baitball. Kalai watched, fascinated, as Orcas seemed to appear and disappear along the edges but never approached the middle of the net.
All the fins disappeared from the surface and an eerie stillness settled over the water. Suddenly, the water in the middle of the crescent erupted, with hundreds of fish shooting out of the water and a sudden surge that hit and pushed the corks outward before they sank completely out of sight. Jackie and Andy started vocalizing those strange undulating cries again, raising their fists in the air before shouting something in their language. From as best as Kalai could guess, it was encouragement as the Orcas started breaching and jumping. In those moments, Kalai could catch glimpses of their mouths full of salmon.
Kalai watched as the terrified fish swarmed towards the net, and watched as many seemed to jump over it and swim away as the Orcas gorged themselves on the enormous school of salmon they had trapped. It was an awe inspiring sight to see, and Kalai lost herself in the moment watching the amazing display of symbiotic hunting and fishing between them and the Orcas.
The engine of the boat turning over broke the spell they were all under as Andy moved the boat at a dead slow pace back towards the net. “Alright, let’s haul it in and reset for ‘em! Jackie! Get on the bow with the billhook!” Jackie whooped in agreement and gently pushed passed Kalai to grab a long pole with a small metal hook at the end.
“We’re gonna have to work fast. They’re hungry, and we all want salmon today,” Andy called over the sound of the engine as they approached the giant buoy that marked the end of the net. “Doc! Open that hatch back there and watch your step! Mrs. Vaida, stand clear in the cabin; I want no accidents today, and three on deck’s going to be a crowd with how many fish we’re going to be taking in. Kalai, I want you back in the-”
Kalai shook her head as she put her omnipad away. “I can do it! Let me help!” she was riding the high feeling of watching the Orcas, and seeing Andy and Jackie preparing to go to work while she was to be just a passenger galled her.
Kalai saw Andy give Jackie a look that she couldn’t quite interpret. “Alright, but you’ll work with me picking fish. Jackie, you’re on the Drum; trade places with me!”
Kalai saw Jackie huff and give Andy a piercing look as she handed off the billhook. “Watch out for jellies, they tend to explode,” the native woman muttered to Kalai as she took over at the net drum’s controls. Kalai was about to volunteer to grab the line with the hook, given her longer reach, but Andy had already leaned almost all the way over the side. Kalai had a momentary scare as Andy seemed to dip forward, seemingly in danger of falling overboard, until he seemed to almost levitate himself using his lower legs back into the boat and pulled the line over the roller horns. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do when Andy braced a foot against the side and began to pull on the line and feed it back towards Jackie.
“Way, haul away, we’ll hang and haul together! Way, haul away, haul away Joe!”
Though she didn’t understand the words, Kalai knew a sailing song when she heard one and didn’t wait for any instruction. She moved forward opposite Andy and lent a hand, pulling the heavy line in to the cadence of his chant. After two verses, Kalai heard the whine of hydraulics and the slack in the line behind them went taught.
“Stand back! Here we go!” Andy called to her and the line began pulling the net back aboard. Kalai looked back to see that Jackie had wrapped the line around the center pole of the drum, with the wheel turning to pull the line and net in out of the water. A small set of guide poles that moved when Jackie twitched the controls kept the line evenly distributed on the drum as the first corks and the dripping wet net began to appear out of the water.
“Put your hoods up!” Andy yelled at her over the noise of the machines, and demonstrated the motion. “It’ll keep the water, seaweed and Jellies out of your face and eyes, and take this!” Andy tossed her what appeared to be a handkerchief and he mimed the act of tying it around her face like a mask.
“What about you? You’re sleeveless!” Kalai’s voice was slightly muffled from the cloth as she tied it around her face before pulling up both hoods.
Andy didn’t respond, except to grin at her as he leaned out to watch the net coming up out of the water before it got pulled aboard.
From behind her, Kalai heard Jackie start singing another human sailing song. It was a bit fast paced, and Andy joined in for the chorus. On the third time she heard it, she joined in too.
“Blow ye winds in the mornin’, Blow ye winds, high ho! Haul away your running gear, And blow ye winds, high ho!”
“Coming up!” Andy shouted as there were several loud thunks before six large salmon appeared in the giant fluorescent green tangle of the net. The drum stopped, bringing the fish to a halt as Andy pulled on the corkline and scurried his hands back and forth, gathering the net up as he did until he reached the first fish. Kalai watched in awe as he seemed to magically pull the fish from the tangle and shake it out onto the deck. The second one seemed to be resting on top of the tangle and he flipped it over the corkline and shook the fish out onto the deck.
“Just watch these first few. When you get a feel for how I’m doing this, jump in. Until then, slide these beauties back towards the stern. Jackie’ll pitch ‘em into the hold.”
Kalai nodded and watched Andy’s movements intently. It looked like sorcery, with how fast he moved his hands and zeroed in on a fish. As soon as he was done, he’d whistle to Jackie, who kept singing the cadence out to pull more of the net in, only to stop when more fish were pulled up and over the horns.
The song changed twice before Kalai felt confident enough to jump in. She almost got tangled in the net herself trying to pull out her first fish, but Andy gave the net a quick tug and she was free again. Maddeningly, the fish had simply fallen out of the net without any help from her, and she fumed just long enough for Andy to point to one that was closer to her.
“Hoist up the thing, batten down the whatsit! What’s that thing spinning, somebody should stop it! Turn hard to Port! That’s not Port, NOW I GOT IT! Trust me, I’m in control!”
On the second refrain, Kalai managed to dig her first fish out and drop it to the deck. She let out a whoop, and Andy paused for a moment to give her a quick applause.
“That’s one, girl! There’s a thousand left if we’re lucky!” Jackie called out as Andy sang a verse and tackled another fish in the net.
“Keep an eye on the lead line; make sure it doesn’t go over the corks!” Andy called as Kalai ran down her second fish and was about to throw the excess net over the other side. She stopped, and Andy helped her get the fish without tangling the net.
It took until the end of the song for Kalai to find her rhythm, and soon she and Andy were running down fish in the net in a crisp and quick manner. Kalai felt like she could go faster, but Andy had cautioned her to keep pace with the songs, as there was still a lot of net to go. When Kalai spared a glance at the length of net still in the water, she saw that Andy wasn’t kidding. It looked like they hadn’t even really started to reel it all in. Ok, it’s hard work, but so is sailing, and he’s my size so I should be able to keep up with him. If he can do it, I can do it!
“Haul away you rollin’ kings! Heave away, Haul away! Haul away you’ll hear me sing, We’re bound for South Australia!”
Andy was impressed. Kalai had jumped in without complaint, and she was very coachable. He could feel himself start to flag as they were starting to come to the last third of the net, but Kalai’s persistence, even though she was sweatier and more haggard than he was, kept him going.
The pile of salmon was almost as deep as their calves, and the deck was getting slick with fish slime. For that matter, so was Andy. In a momentary lull in the fish coming over the horns, Andy caught a glimpse of himself shimmering with all the scales that had flown off the fish as they scraped against the net to hit the deck, flopping. He took a big gulp of air and Kalai groaned as she straightened up, cracking her back as she twisted and bent to relieve her aching muscles.
Andy groaned a bit and looked back towards the stern. It was getting hard to see over the amount of net they’d pulled back in, but he could see Doc and Mrs. Vaida doing their best to help throw and shove the piles of salmon into the hold. Everybody’s getting their hands dirty today. Andy smiled and heaved a happy sigh. This, this is what I want. Being out on the water and doing good, hard work.
“SHIT, JELLYFISH!” Kalai shouted as she twisted away to hide her face behind her rain slicker hood. Andy blinked just in time as a wet squelching sound sent a spray of disintegrating jellyfish exploding all over the bow as the net bunched up and got squeezed together.
Andy felt it splatter all over his arms, neck, and face, before he felt it start to slide down his shirt to his chest. Almost immediately, he started to feel the burn. His arms, neck, and chest he could stand, but the blossoming pain on his lips, eyelids, cheeks, and most horribly the inside of his nose overwhelmed all his conditioned pain tolerance.
“FUCK!” Andy screamed. “FUCKING FUCKER! RIGHT IN MY FUCKING FACE! GOD FUCKING DAMNIT! FUCK!” Andy only barely avoided bringing his hands to his face. It was a hard fought thing to deny his instinct to try and scrape it off, but he felt his boots loose purchase and his feet slide out from under him. He hit the pile of fish that surrounded him hard. He was aware of Kalai yelling for her father and Mrs. Vaida, while Jackie’s braying laugh carried over everything else.
Andy felt Kalai trying to grab him, but her gloves were too slick to get a grip and all she did was spread the stingers more evenly over his arms. Andy kept his eyes squeezed shut as he heard Jackie start to direct the confused and panicking aliens.
“Hold your breath, cuz, vinegar incoming!”
Andy felt the bitter stinging splash as Jackie poured a steady stream of vinegar out from what he assumed was the giant jug he kept for these occasions underneath the little kitchenette in the cabin. Though nothing about the intensity of the burn changed, in the back of his mind, Andy knew that it was killing the stinging cells.
“Alright, Kally, take that bucket and fill it with seawater from over the side, then dump it on him.”
Andy sputtered a bit and spit as he scrabbled onto his knees. He steadied himself with one hand on the rail beside him and the other which found the corkline. He kept his eyes shut and growled as the burning spread from his hairline down to his navel. A sudden bracing splash of cold water nearly bowled him back over. Without warning, Andy hadn't had time to get a breath and he sputtered and yowled as the water soaked down under his rain gear.
Andy shook his head like a dog, whipping his braid back and forth before daring to open his eyes. “Son of a BITCH!” Andy growled as he got a look at Kalai holding an empty bucket, while Jackie was shoo’ing Mrs. Vaida and Dr. He’osforos away to give him some room.
“Jesus, quit your bawlin,’ you big baby, you’re acting like you’ve never been stung before!” Jackie called back to him as Andy ripped the gloves off his hands and plunged them over the side to clean off the stingers.
“It’s in my fucking nose you horse’s ass!” Andy shouted back as he splashed his face. A few strings of purple stingers fell into the water and Andy reared back aboard. “Ugh, get another bucket of seawater! I can still feel this shit!”
“Andrei, as a medical professional, I advise you to cease work and-”
Andy looked over as Dr. He’osforos spoke but waved him off mid sentence. “I appreciate it Doc, but I’ve had it far worse than this. There’s a brown and yellow bottle in one of the drawers under the bench that says ‘Motrin’. Get me the bottle or enough to tranq a cow, and I’ll go back to work just fine.”
Kalai let loose a piercing scream and Andy looked over just in time to see her rocketed herself backwards, dropping the bucket over the side. The Doctor caught his daughter before she fell into the hold, but he too had a look of fear plastered on his face. Andy and Jackie moved to the side to see what had scared her so badly, and the two of them couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Grammie Slick and two of her daughters were there, sticking their heads out of the water with their mouths open, while Butterball was playing with the bucket.
Jackie laughed and stuck her hand out, rubbing the Orca matriarch on the snout. “Raggedy Andy’s fine, Grammie Slick! He’s just milking it for sympathy from these gullible hwun’eetums!”
“What in the Balance of Nature is going on here?” Mrs. Vaida’s shocked voice caused Andy and Jackie to look at her as she stared dumbfounded at the Orcas that were gathering alongside the boat.
“Oh they’re just saying ‘hi.’” Andy shrugged with a smile, despite the burning.
“More like ‘What the hell, cousins, you still got fish to pick. Quit loafin’ around and get another set in!’”
“Jackie, Motrin… NOW!” Andy growled at her. Jackie blew a raspberry at him before diving into the cabin.
“They’re pretty friendly, if you’d like to be introduced,” Andy held out a hand and motioned for Kalai and her father to step forward. Andy dipped his hand in again to make sure it was clear of any stinging cells, before he gently guided the hesitant Kalai to stick her ungloved hand out toward Grammie Slick.
One of the daughters blew a spout before sliding back under water, but Grammie gave a few clicks before briefly touching Kalai’s outstretched hand. “Kalai, this is Grammie Slick, Matriarch of J-Pod. Grammie, this is Kalai… a purple hwun’eetum.” Andy laughed a bit at the look of incredulity on Kalai’s face and the concern on her father’s.
There was a series of shutter clicks from behind Andy, and he turned to see Sakalbi snapping pictures as fast as she could. Kalai was clearly torn between fear and wonder as she held perfectly still and silent for Grammie, who was letting her touch her before she slid back under the water herself. Andy laughed as several clicks and whistles from the pod reverberated through the hull of the boat and he leaned back in.
“Alright, break’s over,” Andy called as he caught the flying bottle of pills Jackie threw at him. He popped two and swallowed them dry before washing the gloves off and putting them on. The extra rinse would have to wait, and he’d have to tough it out until they got back to shore. His boots squelched as he picked his way through the fish on the deck to get back to his station and nodded for Jackie to restart the drum.
It was another twenty minutes before the last of the net was pulled aboard and they were able to clear away all the fish into the hold. Andy stuck his head in and smiled. In a single set, they’d filled three quarters of it, and they had more than enough fish for the gathering and to feed another ten to fifteen families besides. The spouts and the clicks of J-Pod hanging around the boat, however, told Andy that they wanted their reef back and were still hungry.
Andy ordered them to prep the net for another set and helmed his boat again, only to bomb out in a straight line and let J-Pod take care of the fishing from that point on. Once they’d finished, Andy moved the boat out of the Orcas’ way and stood outside the cabin with Jackie while the three aliens crowded the bow, watching and recording the whales going to work a second time.
“Ok, I think we might get a moment to talk,” Andy muttered to Jackie in Salishian. “New orders from the Council. There’s going to be a raid.”
Jackie sucked in a breath and looked at him, all levity gone. “Cambrians, Militia, or the Dummy Bunnies?”
“Militia and the Interior.”
Jackie whistled softly in surprise as her eyebrows shot up. “Really poking the bear, cuz… When and where?”
“Uncle Willy wants us to hit the Militia Supply Depot out by Tanner on Saturday,” Andy growled quietly as he watched Kalai pointing to Grammie Slick’s dorsal as she swam out on the picket around the net.
“You mean the one close to the Snoqualmish?”
“Yeah. Full raid, we’re to hit it and take any supplies, especially military, that we can and destroy what we can’t. The messier we can make it the better. We’ll meet up with the Resistance on the old Bessemer Logging road by Hancock Creek and they get half for taking the credit. Me and Chuck’ve been assigned to ‘lead’ you.” Andy nodded and tried to flick some of the fish scales off himself, but got nowhere.
Jackie sat down on the rail with a groan before looking back up at him with a smirk. “You mean babysit on overwatch while we do the real work.”
Andy pursed his numb lips together and considered the ramifications of folding his arms on the jellyfish burns that had started to go quiet thanks to the Motrin. “Grandma and the Council want me to ‘get my hands dirty.’” He gritted his teeth in frustration.
“What? I’m sorry, that sentence made zero sense.” Jackie shook her head like she’d just been slapped.
Andy couldn’t keep the frustration and anger out of his tone when he spoke. “Apparently there are doubts about my loyalty to the tribe and whether or not I’ve lost my way.”
Jackie huffed in amusement. “Everyone knows the Council’s fucking stupid, but this is a new level of dumb. You got us land back, you got them to allow you to break the rules to feed our people, they’re fixing the fuck ups on our waterways because of you and they think you’ve gone to the dark side?” Jackie started laughing at the nonsense of the politics.
“Last time we talked, you thought I was playing with fire and-” Andy started to throw back at her before she snorted loudly.
“Results talk, cuz. Three of our Hatcheries returned, and my whole family drawing good money in Imperial Credits? Fuck, even if you had sold out, we need more Clan Heads doing the same thing.” She smiled as she nodded towards their guests on the bow.
“They still don’t trust that I know what I’m doing,” Andy growled as he folded his arms unconsciously and immediately regretted it.
Jackie snorted. “Of course they don’t. You didn’t talk to them or get their permission first. Hell, I’m surprised your grandma didn’t chuck you out on your ear for even suggesting that you should work for the dummy bunnies.” Jackie stretched and hopped up and around Andy to grab a water bottle. “But it’s working out. There’s land being returned, money in our hands, and food about to be on our table. You’re doin’ what a Chief is supposed to do.”
Andy scoffed and started to object. “I’m no Chief-”
Jackie gave his shoulder a slap and grinned evilly as a starburst of pain and burning cut through the painkillers, shutting Andy up mid-protest. “You keep saying you aren’t, but that don’t make it true.” She resumed her seat as Andy fought the yowl of pain back so as not to give her the satisfaction. “I mean, case in point, what are you going to do with all these fish Grammie’s catching for us right now?”
Andy blinked a few times as he regained his composure and thought seriously about his answer. “We’ll pull fifteen for the gathering they got invited to… Then all the fish you can pack into the truck goes to the Exiles. The rest? I’ll call Chuck and get some folks from the Council to claim the rest and distribute it to the families that need it.”
Jackie deepened her voice and adopted a cowboy drawl. “He never eats until he sees the pots are full of meat in the lodges of the widows and orphans-”
“That’s Comanche Law, not Salish, and that’s from a John Wayne movie, you ass.” Andy huffed and Jackie giggled wickedly, flipped him off.
“Still haven’t refuted my point, cuz.” Jackie’s singsong voice caused Andy to glare spitefully at her, until she raised her hands defensively. “Alright, you’re not a Chief. So, Not Chief Tsu’titsi’uqw; you need to get your hands dirty and lead a raid. I’ll scrape up what we need and scout the target. You just meet up with us Saturday night at the Snoqualmish Casino and I’ll put a gun in your hands. Don’t worry, we’ll only get dirty enough to make the Council happy.”
“I’ll be a bit late; I’m escorting them to the Hwatcom Family Gathering on Friday.” Andy took a step back as Jackie stood up and twisted a bit to stretch out.
“No surprise there, grandpa’s an old school traditional Indian. They’re dummies, but they’re trying to do right by us, finally. Again, thanks to you, Chie-” Andy slapped the back of her head hard and growled at her, but she just started laughing, making him even madder.
“Alright, enough. Let’s get on the bow and not look like we’re sketchy Indians plotting to attack an Imperial fort.” Andy snarled, shoving her past him while she just kept laughing.
Andy stomped forward, aware of the wet sounds his boots made as he walked. Kalai turned and smiled at him as he moved to stand beside her and her father. “So how are they doing out there?”
“They just started their attack. This is fascinating! Their coordination, their ingenuity, and adaptation to human activity is astounding! I wish I had brought observation drones!” Sakalbi was glued to the binoculars and holding her omnipad up while she muttered observations into the speaker. Andy was content to watch as the pod put on a repeat performance and the net sagged again until they all came up and started swimming lazily around the net and the boat. All of them except Butterball and one of his older brothers. The two seemed to be getting into a jumping contest.
“He’s feeling a bit hyper. Must be nice to be full,” Jackie commented as the two whales took turns jumping out of the water and twisting in the air. Andy smiled and nodded and felt a hand go to his shoulder. He looked down and saw it was Kalai making eyes at him. Andy hid the grimace at the burn and gave her a wink.
“That one’s getting closer, should we be concerned?” Andy looked over at Dr. He’osforos and Kalai quickly moved her hand as they watched Butterball getting closer and closer with each jump.
Jackie hopped up and straddled the railing as Andy and Kalai shared a concerned look. Jackie hooked a hand around one of the roller horns and peered down into the water. “I don’t think so, I mean he knows we’re-”
The sudden appearance of a flying adolescent Orca only a scant few feet away from the boat right next to the lot of them cut Jackie off. Most of them only had enough time to watch the little playful bastard hang in the air for a moment before he twisted to almost shoulder punch the water as he came back down. Andy had just enough presence of mind to pull Kalai and her father down, and braced himself as the plume of water rose from where Butterball landed.
“Oh shi-” Andy heard Jackie say before water cascaded down on them and drenched them all, sending the boat rocking violently.
It took a moment for Andy to recover and he helped the two Shil back to their feet. “Quick check, is everyone alright?”
“HEY! WHAT THE HELL, BUTTERBALL! GRAMMIE! YOU HAVE A TALK WITH YOUR GRANDSON! HE’S GONNA GET SOMEONE KILLED ONE OF THESE DAYS!” Jackie screamed at the water, shaking her fist.
A camera shutter sounded and a dripping wet Mrs. Vaida stood, wide eyed in fear, staring out over the water.
Andy started laughing at the sight of his boss soaked to the bone, her hair and her fur a dripping mess. “That picture right there? You can title it: ‘Angry Native Woman Yells at Whale.’”
Kalai looked like she was on Krek’s doorstep. Akil’eas knelt next to her as he finished his examination and was looking over the readings on his omnipad. His daughter sat in front of the cabin on the little step, legs splayed out in front of her while she leaned against the railing on the side of the boat. Her father stood next to her as he finished a quick check of her vitals and her viral load.
“Unsurprisingly, you’re a bit elevated, but given your numbers over the last week, that’s saying that you’ve come back up to your normal levels.” Akil’eas had been worried. When they’d hauled in the net the second time, Kalai had stayed on the bow with the boy, Andy, while Akil’eas’d stood over the human woman’s shoulder and studied the controls.
Akil’ieas had also pitched in and helped fill the hold, but when he and Sakalbi could no longer stuff them in, they’d given up and stood out of the way. His old friend and colleague had spent the rest of the time recording, either the large predators that continued to circle and play around the boat, or the seemingly inefficient fishing practice of Andy and his people. No wonder he was so big, and his brother had been that strong. It beggared belief that their people worked at that backbreaking pace for so long, but there Andy stood, proud and tall at the end of it, while he and Sakalbi struggled to stay standing.
Akil’eas had to focus on keeping his hands from shaking and retrieved another water bottle for his exhausted daughter. Andy had them moving at a slow pace back towards a different harbor from the one they’d left that morning. They’d stopped briefly at the pier they’d started from to allow Jackie to disembark. The two humans packed all the fish that couldn’t fit in the hold up to Jackie’s truck and filled the bed of it without any help. She drove off with close to a hundred fish.
Now with the deck cleared, Andy told them they were on their way to the harbor most of his Band used. The trip had been slower going than the morning had been, but only because they were riding much lower in the water than they had been.
“King Triton’s farewell,” Kalai muttered looking up. Akil’eas followed his daughter’s gaze up to see a flock of white and gray seabirds calling out loudly as they kept pace with the boat as it headed towards the docks.
“It means work’s almost over. It’s a great sound, isn’t it?” Andy called out from the cabin where he sat at the helm.
Kalai shifted herself with great effort to look around the door to the cabin. “It sounds amazing.”
The smile Andy gave Kalai caused Akil’eas to have a pang of fatherly protectiveness, and only fatigue kept the scowl off his face. “Just wait, we’ll clean a few once we’ve off-loaded to the families. Fresh salmon tonight for everyone, and I’m cooking! Doc, we’d love to have you, too.”
“I’d love to but-”
Kalai grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Trust me, Papa, you don’t want to miss it.”
Akil’eas chewed his tongue for a moment, looking from Andy to Kalai. Sakalbi caught his eye and nodded emphatically. “Alright, if you’ll allow me to help. You must be exhausted.”
Andy beamed at Akil’eas, “You won’t hear me turn down free help.”
“Vaascon fellas don’t have no frills, Haul away, haul away! They’re plain and skinny as a lodthfish gill, And we’re bound away for Vaasconia!”
Kalai sat back and started singing between sips of water. Akil’eas sat down next to her and joined in the chorus for a Vaascon sailing song. It was strange to think that these humans also sang to their sea gods to placate them and coordinate the work. What else could you expect from a sailorman? Some things call to the soul across time and evidently even the gulf space and peoples.
“So heave him up my Turry Turry girls, Haul away, haul away! Heave him up and let the sails unfurl! And we’re bound away for Vaasconia!”
Andy’s voice joining in on the chorus startled Akil’eas and Kalai and they both turned to look back at him.
He gave them another wide grin, “I started learning some of the sail songs after Kalai told me about sailing on Shil.”
“Akil’eas, a word?” Sakalbi motioned with her head towards the bow and offered him a hand up. He followed her to the bow, leaving the two children singing together.
The harbor mouth was coming up fast, and between the noise of the engine and the net drum keeping them out of sight, there was some privacy. “I’ve heard some rumors about your feelings toward humans…” Sakalbi leaned against the railing, giving him the look that every teacher and professor had when questioning a belligerent student. When Akil’eas didn’t answer her, save to throw her back his own look, she continued. “Kalai is quite taken with Andy. It’s been quite a refreshing thing to see her come out of her shell.”
“It’s a vacation romance, nothing more.” Akil’eas felt his stomach clench and couldn’t stop himself from looking back.
“I don’t think so, Akil’eas. This is the first time I’ve seen her so on thorns and thistles around anyone, much less a male. She’s been very keen around him.” The smile she gave him was a bit galling, but he had to admit, he didn’t really know Kalai as well as Sakalbi and her spouses.
“He is… I’m sure he is a very nice young man, but as a fit consort for a soon to be Duchess? No, and I’ve yet to meet a human that is.” The thought of a human becoming the next Duke He’osforos was absurd. Sure there had been the occasional non-Shil Kho-liebhaberin or even the one Duke Aurar’ian He’osforos who was a Triki, but a human? “They’re far too individualistic and self centered to rise to the responsibilities of the Peerage.”
“That’s not exactly as large a sample size as you think it is, Leas. If you had Andy in your class, or on your crew, disregarding the fact that he’s human, what would your read on him be?”
Akil’eas locked his jaw and pursed his lips, defiantly. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, Leas, you’re better than me at reading people, and I’m damn good at it.” He hated how Sakalbi’s eyes flashed and her right ear would twitch when she thought she had the upper hand in an argument. He huffed a sigh and decided to play her little game, just to humor her enough so that she’d drop the subject.
“Dependable, fastidious and competent, judging by the state of his equipment and his boat. Self sacrificing, diligent, hard working, given what I’ve observed today. He’s got a temper, but it takes a bit to get there, and he’s carrying some pretty heavy emotional scars.” He’d not seen very much of Andy, but the old Sailing Master and Professor in him started to come out and assess the boy just as he would any of his students or junior sailors.
“That’s my read, too. Doesn’t sound so individualistic and self-centered to me. Blighted Nature, Leas, from what I’ve learned about him and his people, he broke with several of their traditions and customs to help us. He’s stuck his neck out far further for us than we would have for him and his people, for no other reason than to try and save his homeland. Were he an Erbian on Myr or even back home in Vaasconia, there’d be Groom-War over his hand.”
Akil’eas was a bit piqued about her statement, “What about your daughter? Kalai made no secret about little Sitry mooning after him, and her disapproval of their courtship.”
“She thinks she’s in love, and it very well might be that she is, but Kalai’s disapproval should tell you what it tells me, given your own rather astute assessment of the man.”
“HEY DOC! TAKE THE WHEEL, I GOTTA DRUM US IN!” Andy’s voice cut their conversation short as Akil’eas turned to look back around the drum. Andy waved him back as he slowed their approach to come in. “Take us to Dock 5, straight back and to port.”
“Straight back and to larboard, aye!” Akil’eas rattled off as he traded places with Andy at the helm.
Kalai heaved herself up to stand as Andy grabbed a large leather circle and ran forward to jump up on the bow. As Akil’eas piloted the boat into the harbor and made the turn, he saw a large crowd of humans gathered on the pier and the shore. As soon as they were in sight, he watched as Andy, standing tall, began to drum a beat and vocalize, projecting his voice over the water to those on shore. Akil’eas sputtered a bit in surprise as he guided the boat slowly towards the open mooring.
“That’s their call. His family’s song lets the people on shore know who he is and that he’s friendly.” Kalai looked back at Akil’eas before moving inside the cabin to stand next to her father. “All the families know it, but only he is allowed to sing it. It’s their version of a family crest and coat of arms. Elder Hwatcom taught us about those. There’ll be a reply in a second granting us permission to come ashore.”
There was indeed a response of drumming and singing from the assembly of humans as many started to crowd forward carrying what appeared to be coolers. Andy reappeared and took the controls back and reversed to kill their forward momentum as Sakalbi threw out their mooring lines to the waiting humans. Andy killed the engine and moved quickly out of the cabin to speak in a language that Akil’eas did not recognize. There seemed to be a bit of confusion from those gathered on the dock, but Andy opened the hatch to show the hold full of fish.
“Don’t thank me, thank them. Sockeye and Kings to all comers, courtesy of the Vaidas and the Vaida Warren!” Andy shouted happily in Vatikre as he pulled two giant fish out by their gills and handed them off to the applauding humans.
Sakalbi managed to shoot Akil’eas a smug look before she plunged her hands into the mass of fish and began helping Andy hand them out to the people.
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Possible Late Post Due to Vacation. I will try to post on time, but it may be as late as 6/12/23

I had my first IUD (Skyla) inserted in February of 2016 after switching from a hormonal birth control pill. With diet and excercise, I lost 35 lbs in 3 months. I still spotted once per month, but didn't have a full period, never had cramps, bloating etc.
In May of 2019 I had to have my Skyla replaced. I wanted to keep the same IUD but Planned Parenthood said they did not stock it - they only had the Kyleena and the Mirena for their hormonal options. With the (crappy) insurance at the time, PP was my only option, so I went with it.
In the months that follwed, I started experiencing anxiety, had constant bloating, put on about 15 pounds with no lifestyle changes and started crying really easily. My doctor at the time basically said it was my life changes at the time (work was stressful, my knee surgery recovery was frustratingly slow, etc.) and put me on anti-anxiety meds/anti-depressants. Within a year, even with medication my anxiety became crippling, and my dosage had to be more than doubled. In the 4 years that I had the Kyleena, I gained 60 lbs total and could not lose it no matter what crash diet I tried (and with my wedding in 2022, believe me - I tried EVERYTHING). I also never had a period with Kyleena - not once in 4 years, but my boobs hurt 24/7 and I went up multiple cup sizes.
After having some weird symptoms pop up out of the blue (uterine muscle spasms that were not painful but felt like my uterus was vibrating/expelling my IUD) I had my Kyleena removed on May 18th, 2023 and had a new Skyla inserted the same day at my Primary Care Provider's office.
In the 2-ish weeks since replacing Kyleena with Skyla I have lost 10 pounds, my boobs don't hurt anymore, my bloating is completely gone, and so is my anxiety. I haven't felt the least bit anxious or emotional, and my husband/family have noticed a significant upswing in my mood. I feel more like myself than I have in a long time. I feel passionate about everything again, and can keep a workout schedule for the first time in years (before I'd have anxiety about when to workout, going to the gym, driving to the gym, everything else I could be doing at home, etc.).
I know there were other factors that had a role in my experience - my knee surgery/recovery, COVID/pandemic impacts on my life and society as a whole, etc. but I feel like an entirely new person and the only thing that changed recently has been my IUD.
I know that everyone's experience is different with birth control, including IUD's, but if you're struggling with the same things I was and nothing else seems to resolve it, it might be worth finding out if your birth control method is to blame. 🤷‍♀️