I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and I'm not seeing much of a benefit in terms of rewards. I use it for nearly all of my purchases. I don't travel very often right now, but may travel more in the future (not in the very near future but in the distant future after I save up some money) so I don't want to rule out the possibility that I may use points for flights and hotels in the future.
Most of my purchases are in groceries, dining/takeout, gas, retail shopping (in store and online), health and wellness, and other bills. I sometimes spend money on entertainment (mostly streaming services, music) but am trying to save money right now so haven't made a lot of purchases.
Which card(s) would be best to get to maximize my rewards or cash back?
Additional details:
-Excellent credit score (770-780)
-Have not applied for any cards for over 3 years
Thanks!

I moved to the states when I was 12 years old. I spent more time in US than I did in the country i was born (Iran). I fully adopted the American culture. I moved at very early age that I don’t really remember my life in Iran. United States is where i call home now. However, because English is my second language, i have an accent and i make grammar mistakes here and there. Because of my accent, 8 out of 10 people ask where I am from and when I tell them I am from Iran people always say “sorry” and i get in to conversations that i really don’t like having multiple times a day. I work at a retail shop and most of my interactions with customers i get asked this question. Now help please help me Reddit. When someone asks “where are you from?” Do i have to reply with where i was born? Or can I just say San Diego since that’s where i lived most of my life and will continue to stay. I’m just trying to avoid having to explain myself multiple times a day and tired of telling the same story. I need some suggestions here.

I've been running a Reverb G2 for my PCVR Headset for a while now and have experienced a multitude of hardware failures from its cable and have paid nearly 400 dollars to replace it 3 times now. It failed me once again and I decided that I wasn't going to keep replacing the horribly designed cable every 6 months. I've been using my Quest 2 for PCVR via Airlink for a bit now but its time to upgrade to something more comparable to my G2
I'm looking to use my headset for specifically PC gaming and the Valve Index has seemed like the clearest choice for a while, but after doing a bit more research I'm starting to second guess myself a little. More recently I've looked at the same-priced Meta Quest Pro and after comparing its specs to the Valve Index these headsets are pretty neck to neck.
The Meta Quest Pro offers a higher resolution than the Valve Index's lackluster 1440 x 1600 per eye and its FOV while not quite on par, is still very good. My only issue however is from what I've seen of the Meta Quest Pro it is more oriented towards "Business-Use" and mixed reality features, both of which I don't care about and just serve as unnecessary bloating to its price tag to me.
On the other side, the Valve Index is a 4-year-old headset that hasn't changed price since its launch in 2019 and you could argue that it is semi-outdated. I'm just wondering which would be the best pick for me and my wants in a headset and maybe get some better insights from people who have one or both of these headsets.
Thanks :)

There is a selection of Fresh Fruit and Veg Delivery near Me services to choose from. The sender's name needs not be included on the package if that is preferred.
​
Important Tips about Fruit and Veg Delivery Service

For context, my boyfriend of 2 years and I have been long distance for around 6months. In the last few weeks it has been really hard and we had a fight a few weeks ago that resulted in my abruptly breaking up with him. We spoke after this and decided we wanted to stay together as my decision was quite irrational and more out of frustration with the situation. It’s been 2 weeks since then and I went to visit him this week for our anniversary. I bought a gift without discussing it with him and when I bought it up he said he didn’t realise we were doing gifts. He said he wanted to get me something but due to work etc. he didn’t have the time to get anything and said he would take me shopping on the day of our anniversary to get something.
I was really upset about it on the day of our anniversary and gave him a hard time but now feel guilty that I was mad at him considering the context of us recently breaking up and he did try and take me shopping but I didn’t let him because I was mad.
His justification was that things had been a bit messy recently with our relationship and he said we had never discussed getting gifts which we usually do. In the past for presents we discuss and set a price range + give suggestions if things we might like. He said because we didn’t talk about it he assumed we weren’t getting them this time.
I can see where he’s coming from but I’m still a bit hurt he didn’t get me anything. Is it fair for me to upset?

Today I was in my car in DTLA getting ready to drive away, when a man came to me and asked me to roll down my window. Note I’m on a pretty busy street at around 2pm. He told me that someone had tried to break into his car (parked right in front of me), and asked if I could help him jumpstart his car. I told him I don’t know how to do that (I’m a new driver). He then asked if I had cables or anything. I said sorry no and ended the conversation. He did look pretty distraught and there was a girl with him standing near the car. The car looked pretty beat up btw. Just wondering if this is a common scam? He seemed to be asking innocently for help but I had a weird feeling in my gut about it. Thanks!

my friend who I was dating but went to just saying friends today had this happen in a way where it led to me asking if she was aromantic based off what she was describing. she said no before immediately thinking for a moment and saying maybe. (I don’t know if she is on the spectrum of it, but that is for her to discover for herself and this is for me).
The response then led to me proceeding to realize if I was a-spec too despite having developed romantic feelings. but in wondering about me being demiromantic kind of way, or anything that sounds like it. if it is an a-spec thing. I feel heartbroken still, but understand. But it is the situation entering the relationship that makes me question being demi.
starting with the whole fact of going “yeah, I get it” when she told me when we first started finding the lines to different types of attraction to her (platonic, romantic, sexual) blurry.
i had asked confusion about platonic vs romantic attraction for a while, but I think what ultimately was what was confusing me was romantic interest vs romantic attraction. if that is a thing.
I never had a legitimate relationship except for a girl that I dated for 1 month who made me quickly regret it (she was being uncomfortable with the dynamics right away) and we broke up in less than that month. I figured that, though, was obvious as to why I was not upset. I wanted out immediately. It was ultimately because I was coming to terms with being a nonbinary trans guy and she was only into women, and tried to say i was the “woman” in the relationship. So… oof.
so regardless of all this, I know I am bisexual. but I think this was the point of confusion, and I want to clarify as much as could be if this is a 100% allo experience or, well, not
Looking back, I guess what ultimately was a huge question was if alloromantic people, if experiencing true romantic attraction, would be genuinely upset by a relationship starting being rejected.
Because, now I am thinking about it, is stuff that might be why I might have gotten confused by the last person where, when I asked him out, he delayed his answer after saying he would think about it. When he told me why he put it off, it was was worried about telling me no because of my birthday coming up and thinking I would be hurt by his rejection. Thus ruining my birthday.
I did not even think about that idea. I told him I would not have been, got kinda confused and frustrated why he put it off because of that, but also I did not understand why I would be that distressed.
it was not until being in an actual active relationship recently (both in early to mid twenties) did I really get the feeling of romantic attraction compared to platonic attraction.
Because now I realized it was because, when I told my friend that, that it was situations of rejections like these where people do feel distraught by no reciprocated desire. Which does ruin friendships.
Almost everyone I asked out in the past were friends. And in general, it would come with “I want to pursue a relationship with this person”. And it could be in my head for a while. This, I viewed was romantic attraction. Despite still feeling on a level confused by platonic vs romantic until this relationship.
As when I asked, and they said no, it was just a casual “oh, dang. alright”. And I never felt distressed by it. I never came in feeling what I did after being in an actual relationship.
No matter what, I guess it was always like giving an attractive stranger your number if they wanted to call you when in a coffee shop or bar or something. Even if, technically, people would expect that if they were a friend for a while and you wanted to become romantic then it would feel more personal.
Is this what being demi is? Is it why people would expect a rejection in a friendship to ruin it, but I just move on? Was this just romantic interest and was why I was not distraught by rejection? Ehy the difference between platonic vs romantic love stumped me sometimes still?
Did I separate it from platonic too much where there was still a reference point? Like conflating wanting to be friends and then actually being friends? I am not going into love ar first sight thing some people say because not even a lot of allos believe in it.
And also because I need to know; does this negate my bisexuality? Or no because I still had interest and still capable of getting flustered.
I do not know how to describe flustered in the way that it does not feel to be inherently romantic/sexual attraction but a response to approving of the expression of interest of it, or if it only sexual. Or could be either. Or both. Or if I already explained well enough.
i think this is relevant: can autism play a part and that’s all, or could it just be autism can potentially inform being a-spec or anything like that for some?

I'm in my early thirties and live in a big city here in the US and currently still live with two other roommates. Most people my age live on their own, but I decided to live with roommates because 1. It is cheaper 2. and I kinda always have done it and never truly minded. I only had one horrible roommate situation, but I was only there for six weeks so I left before it became really uncomfortable.
My newest roommate moved a few months after I came which is almost 2 years now-at first she seemed quite conversational and amiable. She even asked if she could borrow an item of mine to use. When I had bought a blender she said "oh, I have one too and you could have used that". So it felt like we were on good terms.
But then the situation in her home country has become bad and ever since then, I've noticed her attitutude towards us completely change. In the beginning, I tried to be nice and asked her if there's anything I can do to help, but she stopped talking to me completely and when we pass by each other in the halls, we don't even look at each other or acknowledge each other exist. I used to say "hey", but I noticed her not even responding anymore to me simply saying "hey" or "hello".
I also notice that she completely hogs the living room. I never personally was inclined to use the living room because I like having my privacy, but I probably would be more open to it if one person didn't hog that space. She also bought a giant couch without consulting either of us and just keeps her things there out and about all the time.
My mom came to visit and we were standing in the kitchen boiling water in my electric kettle. She comes to the kitchen and swings the kettle from us WHILE we were boiling it for our own thing to boil water for herself. We were both confused and my mom was getting visibly annoyed and I said "um....this is my mom". She just stares and gives a cold "hi" and then leaves. I go back to my room and my mom does too and says "who the hell does she think she is" but I told her not to say anything as there was a conflict going on in her home country and I didn't want to start a fight.
After that, I've just lived my life in my apartment dodging my roommates as much as possible. The other roommate and I are on good terms-we don't talk much, but we're nice to each other when it comes to splitting bills and understanding when it comes to shared spaces. I've noticed just this one randomly getting increasingly irate with us over the months. One day, she was cooking something and I go to the kitchen to wash dishes a bit of a space away from where she was cooking-I was doing that because I really needed to eat (I have a health condition) and wanted to eat in those dishes. She was like "You see that I'm cooking here and washing dishes in the same space that doesn't make sense. You can do that later. Come back in 30 minutes". I was annoyed at first but then I was like ok, maybe it does suck to be washing dishes while somebody is cooking. So I didn't really mind that too much and later realized she was mostly okay with me as long as we avoided each other lmao.
Recently, I've noticed her being extremely passive aggressive about cleaning. She's not a spotless neat freak herself and leaves stuff out all the time. Ever since I got an instant pot-I stopped using the kitchen stoves and notice they are always filthy with grease. It could be my other roommate, but there is always grease, dirty floors or a mess that I am not making and obviously when it gets too disgusting for me to walk on, I have cleaned the kitchen myself.
A few months ago, I assume my other roommate threw something in recycling that was dirty and she takes a picture and is like "whoever is doing this either has zero clue about recycling or does not give a shit. Put the right stuff in the right bins". None of us responded because honestly that felt so out of pocket for a small mistake. We've started a cleaning schedule, and this week it was my turn to clean.
I generally use a vacuum and then swiffer wet wipes to clean the floors to do the first layer of cleaning. Then I use a floor cleaner to clean the floor more deeply. Then I clean the oven, the counter tops, sink and surface of the cabinets and microwave. I admit the two things I did not clean were the inside of the microwave and outside of our garbage bin (I wasn't really thinking about that) and she messages me the next day saying I cleaned nothing except the floors and the oven and that I didn't clean the counters, sink, microwave or trash and that she does this and expects us to do the same. She also added that "all you did was clean the kitchen floor with wipes and have made the whole floor sticky".
This is where I had to snap because I told her I didn't just clean the floors and oven and if things got significantly dirty that happened after I cleaned. She then proceeds to take pictures of tiny specs near the sink and the microwave and trash (the latter I admit I didn't clean) and say "ooh must have really gotten dirty overnight". Then I told her that she's being passive aggressive and rude for no reason, that I've always been easygoing and that I can clean the two things that I admit I didn't clean as thoroughly but also went off how people leave the kitchen extremely disgusting and that everybody needs to start taking responsibility for their own mess especially when cooking. She then told me she was not being "rude", but honest and straightforward and that I'm being sensitive and that "we are roommates, not friends" as if that means common courtesy is not expected from a roommate. She did agree that we need to start cleaning up after our own mess and I closed the conversation with "thanks and I am not expecting us to be friends, but that we make sure we're on the same page with shared spaces in a constructive manner".
I know this isn't the worst roommate story, but I have noticed that with the other "bad" roommate situation I had in the past, it was always a roommate accusing me of not being clean even though I think about cleaning up after myself as much as possible and they themselves don't keep things spotless either. The past roommate situation I had got pissed because I put a blender in the kitchen (in an empty space) and kept my plates on an empty table because I was only planning to be there for six weeks and wanted to make sure they weren't mixed with other people's stuff-she wrote me a passive aggressive note in handwriting telling me I have kept the place filthy and when I wrote a long note back telling her that I always take responsibility when it comes to cleaning and if she can tell me what she didn't find clean so we can handle this constructively. I put my number at the end of the note asking her if she'd like to text me and instead of that, she unplugged a blender and put it on the table and stickies all over my appliances and plates with a sharpie saying "REMOVE THIS FROM HERE IMMEDIATELY!" or something. I was moving anyway, but cannot help but think that in both situations, my roommates have been white and I'm not (South Asian). It's not the first time that I have had white people make me feel I'm not working hard enough and me second guessing myself later, only to realize they were being over the top.

2021 WORLD Champion Artem Laguta is joining King’s Lynn as arguably the biggest signing in the MacInnes Stars’ history.
Laguta, who defeated Bartosz Zmarzlik in a dramatic head-to-head for the title two years ago, has never previously raced in the British League.
But he has now chosen to make his debut in the Sports Insure Premiership with the Stars, with his first appearance to come on Thursday (June 1), subject to written international clearance, when they host Sheffield on what is set to be a massive night the Adrian Flux Arena.
And Laguta will not be the only new face in the team for that meeting, with a second change required in order to comply with the points limit.
The Stars are therefore also delighted to welcome 24-year-old Australian racer Kye Thomson, who rides for Edinburgh in the Championship and will be stepping up to the top league for the first time.
Departing the club is Polish star Krzysztof Kasprzak, who performed strongly at the Adrian Flux Arena this season but struggled to replicate that form away from home.
And the Stars have also taken club captain Josh Pickering out of their current one-to-seven although they have stressed he remains very much part of their plans for the remainder of the season.
Team manager Alex Brady said: “Artem is the biggest signing in our modern history, and I’m delighted to be able to bring him over.
“He’s a rider I’ve tracked for a long time, and I think every promoter and manager in the country would say they’d love to have him in their team.
“To bring him to King’s Lynn is massive, and I have to give a big thank you to Nigel Leahy for helping with the visa, Tai Woffinden for making the introduction, and the backing of the rest of the promotion to help make it happen, as well as Plymouth promoter Mark Phillips.
“I’d spoken to Artem’s manager briefly in April, at the time he wasn’t keen, but when I went to Warsaw for the GP recently I flew back with Tai and he said things might be changing slightly and Artem could be interested again, and he put the introduction in for me.
“Artem texted me on the Sunday evening after the Warsaw GP, I negotiated with him and his manager Rafal (Lewicki), and we managed to strike a deal when I flew out to watch the Grudziadz v Wroclaw meeting the week after.
“I’d been to see Rafal and his workshop in the morning, and we actually struck the deal after the meeting in the back of Artem’s van!
“They’ve been a pleasure to deal with, they’ve done things the right way and now I can’t wait for Thursday to see Artem racing at King’s Lynn.”
Brady is also pleased to be able to hand Thomson a debut in the Sports Insure Premiership, and has explained the reasoning behind the team changes.
He said: “Kye is actually somebody who we nearly made a move for last season, but he didn’t have the correct visa at the time, so this has been almost a year in the making.
“We did look at various options from abroad but we felt with Kye being based in the UK and having all his equipment here, this was the right move and we’re looking forward to welcoming him into the team.
“KK has been brilliant for us at home, but unfortunately away from home it’s not been working out, and we’ve been getting too many drubbings on the road to be competitive for the aggregate points.
“It’s not a case of closing the door on Josh – he’s our captain for a reason, he’s a massive leader in the pits, and once he’s ready to go and back in form, he’ll be back in our team.”
From Kings Lynn Web page

Cover Art!
Just because you’re transported to another world, doesn’t mean you’ll escape from your pain.
Abused by her parents, thirteen-year-old Frances only wants to be safe and for her life not to hurt so much. And when she and her class are transported to the magical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the self-titled Demon King, Frances is presented with a golden opportunity. If she succeeds, Frances will have the home she never had. If she fails, Frances will be summoned back to the home she escaped.
Yet, despite her newfound magic and friends, Frances finds that trauma is not so easily lost. She is dogged by her abuse and its physical and invisible scars. Not only does she have to learn magic, she has to survive the nightmares of her past, and wrestle with her feelings of doubt and self-loathing.
If she can heal from her trauma, though, she might be able to defeat the Demon King and maybe, just maybe, she can find a home for herself.
Teaser: The Traditionalists last stand...
[The Beginning] [<=Chapter 188] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Chapter 189 on June 5 or now on patreon]
The Fractured Song Index
Discord Channel Just let me know when you arrive in the server that you’re a Patreon so you can access your special channel.
The first sign that something wasn’t quite the same about the Greenway was when Frances, Timur and their company spotted horsemen in the far distance. They would have assumed this was Thorgoth’s scouts, but these horsemen retreated toward the Greenway and entered into the broken fortifications.
So the group entered into the Greenway fully armored and armed, ready for a fight. They rode into the underground highway, travelled for a full second day and saw nothing the matter.
Then they entered Kairon Aoun.
The ancient goblin city of Kairon Aoun had been built as a defensive city facing north. As such, the city in the great cavern it was carved out of was stepped into four tiers. To access each of the levels, the attacker would have to fight their way up a ramp that ran up the side of the rammed-earth foundation of each tier.
Every tier’s edge was also faced with a brick curtain wall with machicolations built into the ramparts. This was so that stones and other objects could be dropped, wherein they would fall down the steeply stoped sides and slam into the attackers. Many of these ramparts had fallen into disrepair when Morgan, Hattie and Frances had last passed through here.
Except, the moment Frances and her company rode through the Greenway and into the city, they could see it was alive with activity. New ramparts were being built atop of the old. In the distance, they could see old houses had been demolished and cannon batteries had been set up. Holes in the walls were being patched.
“What’s even lighting this whole thing?” Tara whispered.
Morgan pointed at the ceiling. “The ventilation shafts provide some light. I’m not sure how they ended up lighting the entire place up, though.”
“Combination of mirrors through said shafts and a goodly amount of torches,” said Timur. He glanced at Frances. “Did you know about this?”
“No I did not, let’s hope they recognize us as friendly. Colonel Tara, we’ll take the lead,” said Frances, touching her heels to her horse.
The gatehouse on the lowest level, which was protected by a low, thick wall, now swung open and a wing of cavalry rode out, Erisdalian and Lightning Battalion standards flying high.
Timur immediately recognized the troll that lead the group. “Aloudin! It’s me! We’re back!”
Captain Aloudin, eyes wide, broke his horse into a gallop. Riding ahead of the cavalry, he only stopped so that he could slap his hand into Timur’s. “Your Highness, it is good to see you. Though, you really ought not to take such risks! Who are these new arrivals?”
The prince chuckled, squeezing his friend’s hand tightly. “One of those rumored orphan brigades who decided to defect.” Timur gestured behind him. “This is Colonel Tara, who risked her life along with her troops to help us escape.”
Riding up, Tara unsheathed her saber, which she presented it to Aloudin, only for the troll to gently push it back to her.
“There’s no need for that, Colonel. We do things quite differently around here.”
Tara sighed, returning her blade to her scabbard. “I’m beginning to see that. Makes me wonder why I didn’t try to leave earlier.”
“The first step is always the hardest,” said Frances. She shook Aloudin’s hand as well. “What’s going on here, Aloudin? I know our long term goal was to fortify Kairon-Aoun, but we hadn’t the manpower to spare.”
The captain pursed his lips before they twisted into something between a grimace and a smirk. “We got some important news and new orders. I’ll show you. Follow me.”
One thing that Ayax and Elizabeth hadn’t accounted for when they ran up into the attic was the lack of a water source, and any way to dispose of waste.
So by the next day of their hiding, the trio stuck in the attack were wearing cloth masks, thirsty as hell, and hoping the odor wasn’t going to alert anybody.
“This shit stinks,” Leila growled.
Elizabeth touched a hand to Leila’s cheek. The girl’s color had returned and after some very reluctant healing by Ayax, she was now able to sit up. “You’re right, but I think you’re much better now.”
“I feel better.” Leila staggered to her feet, pushing the covers off of her. “Does Janize know you found me?”
Ayax snorted. “We told her while you were napping. She’s pissed.” The troll walked over. “Do you think you’re ready to move?”
“I take it you’ve come up with something?” Leila asked.
Elizabeth pursed her lips. “Yes. You need to convince Janice we need to launch the attack now.”
“Excuse me what? Are you insane? We haven’t—” Leila rubbed her sweat-matted hair with her bandaged hands. “Wait, how long have I been captured?’
“ A week. You were out for one of those days,” said Ayax.
“Then you’re right. Darius will have to make a move now that he knows I’ve disappeared. Wait, Janize doesn’t—Of course she doens’t. She’s cautious by nature. Get her on the mirror right now!”
“You could use please,” said Elizabeth, handing Leila her mirror.
“Leila—”
“Janize, there’s no time. You need to barricade yourself in a safe place with as many guards as possible, perhaps the throneroom and get the attack started by tonight.”
Frowning, the queen’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the mirror with a mixture of confusion. “Love, we haven’t finished preparing—”
“There’s no time! Darius and Scarlet know I’ve been rescued. They’ll attack as soon as they get everything in order because they know you can move to arrest them!” Leila put her hands up to the mirror. “Love, they’ll stop at nothing until you’re dead.”
Janize’s eyes widened and she whispered, “What did they—”
“It doesn’t matter, Janize. Please, you need to issue the orders now!”
The queen exhaled slowly. “Alright. Ayax, Elizabeth, are your forces in place?”
Elizabeth, relaxing a little, smiled. “Martin and Ginger found a way to get to the Water Tower and to deploy reinforcements into the palace. We still need your troops to ensure the Water Tower’s guns are silent and for the main gates of the citadel to be opened to us.”
“It will be done. How are you getting out of Darius’s mansion?” Janize asked.
“When the attack takes place we’ll break out and support the attack,” said Ayax, arms crossed.
Janize pursed her lips. “Then we are going for tonight?”
The three exchanged a glance and all nodded.
“Go for tonight,” said Elizabeth. “Good hunting.”
“Good hunting.” Janize leaned forward, peering intently through the mirror. “Leila, stay alive. No matter what they did to you, you’re still mine you hear me? I still want you by my side.”
Leila blinked. She blinked again furiously and pressed her bandaged hands to her eyes. “I…Janize, thank you.”
Janize smiled. “I love you, dear. See you soon.”
Ayax had turned from the exchange. When the mirror was shut off, she let out a long, shuddering exhale.
“You are terribly lucky to have her,” she said.
Standing up, Elizabeth took Ayax’s elbow, squeezing it gently. The troll placed a hand around Elizabeth’s side, hugging her tightly.
Leila could only bow her head. “I know.”
“Because I probably would have killed you if it weren’t for her,” hissed the troll. She swallowed. “And not because of our agreement.”
The Otherworlder looked up. “Why then?”
Biting her lip Ayax stammered, “I couldn’t kill someone who doesn’t want to hurt me when they have a loved one. There’s no…no justice in that.”
With that, Ayax walked to the corner of the attack. Elizabeth gave Leila a look. “When you’re ready, we ought to call George and the Otherworlders, give them a heads up and communicate our plans.” Elizabeth then ran after Ayax, interweaving her fingers with the troll. They left Leila standing in her corner, in her own thoughts.
Half-choking, her hate-filled grunts punctuated by hacking coughs, Jessica followed Ginger down the sewer.
“I hate you. I hate you so fucking much!” she hissed.
Half-gagging herself from the smell, Ginger glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. “Hey, I just suggested it to you. You wanted to help rescue Leila.”
Two middle-fingers was Jessica’s response along with a chuckle from the Erisdalians that were part of Jessica’s unit and new band of comrades.
Ginger joined them in their chuckling. She knew she could rely on Jessica and the rest of her group. Besides, their attack was going to be much easier than what her fiance was going to be doing up high.
Taking cover behind a slightly holed house, Martin examined the area in front of the citadel.
The Lightning Battalion’s batteries had been keeping up a very long barrage. Mortars and long cannon had pounded the makeshift defense line of houses on Castle Way. After hours of bombardment, they’d breached the line.
The result was flat, rubble-covered broken ground that led up to the moat in front of the citadel and main palace within. They had no hope of knocking down every house. Houses still stood on the flanks of the Citadel, covering the road that led up to the castle’s side gate. There were also a number of houses standing on the main approach, though, this actually was better for their plans. The remaining stone foundations of the houses and charred remains in the gap would be able to cover the advance.
The bigger problem was the walls in front of them were mostly intact and the gatehouse’s drawbridge was up. Their mages could cast smoke or illusion spells to screen their approach, but that would do no good if the drawbridge was still up and the gatehouse in enemy hands.
Martin breathed in and out slowly. No, they were entirely reliant on Janize keeping up her end of the bargain.
Sitting in the throne room, Janize steepled her fingers, eyes focused on the steps to the dais.
Was her decision correct? Was she making the right choice? Had she considered everything?
Those thoughts ran in her head as she studied the carpet. The sounds of her guards and knights preparing the throne room and ensuring the main entrance was secured echoed in her ear. Yet she did her best to ignore them.
If she went through with this, she knew she’d never sit on Erisdale’s throne again. Her brother would be the last to sit on the throne and then it would be House of Conthwaite, the house of a knight and later, his offspring with a common soldier.
How had it come to this? Why had she put herself here?
The image of a fierce Otherworlder came to mind, along with the litany of decisions she’d made. Siding with Darius, rejecting the Alavari as monsters, falling in love and then realizing where she’d gone wrong. The news of the dragons in Thorgoth’s employ.
Maybe it wasn’t so bad. Maybe there was still hope. At the very least, she still had Leila.
The Otherworlder, George marched up to the dais and bowed. “Your Majesty, we’re ready to open the gates. The Water Tower’s received their orders.”
Janize sighed. “To think that there was a route to the citadel through the sewers.”
George chuckled. “At least we’re making them suffer for it.”
The queen pursed her lips. “Tell me, George. You fought against Ayax and Elizabeth at Lehrbach. You sided against them. All the Otherworlders here sided against them. Why are you willing to fight alongside them once again?”
The teen—no, young man looked away, towards the windows that lit the hall.
“I think after a year of fighting with Darius in earnest, we all realized we’d made a mistake. We’re not from your world, but we learnt enough in our own that this… what Darius was doing is wrong and no different from the worst villains from our world. We weren’t fighting Alavari, we were fighting other humans. We just…didn’t know what to do about it. So when you and Leila told us about the plan, and that we would have a chance to actually fight Thorgoth, to protect people from a world ending threat, we all jumped on it.”
Janize snorted. “You’re going to have a heck of a time convincing the other Otherworlders.”
George sighed. “We all know that, but hey, they are going to need us. I mean we are going to be fighting literal dragons.”
“That is true.” Janize closed her eyes and nodded. “Carry it out, George. Get those gates open and signal the Water Tower.”
George saluted. “Yes, Your Majesty. It’s been an honor and a pleasure.”
Through her spyglass, wrapped warmly in her bright orange cloak, the Erlenbergian mage, Ophelia Voidsailor watched the coast with her spyglass.
Despite the years Erlenberg had fought Alavaria along the northern front, and through all the naval battles on the eastern coast, Ophelia still wore orange. It’d become her calling card of sorts and she knew it gave the crew of her ship comfort to see her strut around. Honestly, she was getting a little tired of the color, but she liked the attention more.
Beside her, looking through his own spyglass, the one-eyed Eustace Windwhistler glanced at the sky. “It’s about time,” said Edana’s brother.
“I know—I see it!” Ophelia exclaimed. Before her eyes, the Water Tower, the main obstacle to the Erlenbergian fleets advance, had lowered the red banner of the traditionalist. A blue banner was being run up and more blue flares were being fired into the sky by some mage.
Eustace looked through his spyglass and nodded. “Signal to the fleet! Follow my lead. We are attacking!”
Flags ran up and down on the galloen Stormcaller, which had been named as such much to her namesake’s consternation and embarrassment. Behind Eustace and Ophelia’s warship, the long lineof Erlenbergian ships of the line ran flags up and down in acknowledgement. The entire line then followed the Stormcaller as it swung starboard toward the bay.
Underneath the Water Tower, Ginger found a ladder had been dropped into the sewer. Gingerly taking the rungs, she climbed up and was helped up by several red-uniformed harbour guardsmen. A petite woman with a musket slung over her shoulder handed Ginger a clean rag.
“Wow you stink, but I’m glad to see you. Captain Belinda of the Harbour Guard.”
“Ginger, yes, that Ginger. Are Darius’s troops reacting?”
“They are indeed. Several regiments have filed out of the Citadel and are making their way here as we speak. How many have you brought?” Belinda asked.
“A whole regiment of crack musketeers are behind me to help you secure the tower. The Erlenbergian fleet is landing marines. We’ll be fine, I’m just worried about the main assault,” said Ginger. She wiped her face and hands. “Show me the battlements. I’ll get my soldiers set up along with yours.”
“This way,” said Belinda, guiding Ginger out.
Ayax and Elizabeth silently crept down the drop-down attic stairs. Behind them, carrying a spare wand, Leila limped as quietly as she could. They could hear shouting in the mansion and the scurrying of people on the lower floors.
The trio paused to quickly grab a drink of water from a nearby pitcher left by the servants for any houseguests, before continuing on. From what they could tell, someone was having a heated discussion in the foye.
As they got closer to the staircase, they soon could figure out who.
“Janize is making her move and the Lightning Battalion must be close behind. The Erlenbergian fleet is moving in and the Water Tower is not firing on them.”
“There’s no need to panic—” “Scarlet, your fucking plan has accelerated Janize and the Lightning Battalion’s timetable! We’re fucked. We’re all probably dead.”
There was a sharp intake of breath. The three heard Scarlet growl, “Alright, I was…overly optimistic that the Lightning Battalion and Janize would split due to that report, but we only need to secure Janize and the Citadel and our position will still be quite strong.”
“I disagree, but Janize won’t have long. My troops led by Vulpina are converging on the throne room as we speak. Otherworlders or not, she can’t hold for long.” Darius chuckled dryly. “We might all die in the attempt to oust her, and hell she may be killed, but we won’t let her have the last laugh.”
Ayax turned to the two humans with her. “Liz, Leila, go. I’ll try to pin them down here.”
Elizabeth blinked. “Wait, but Ayax—”
“Liz, if we lose Janize, we’ll lose the civil war. You got to go.”
Elizabeth briefly closed her eyes and nodded. Grabbing onto Ayax, she drew her troll close to her and into a brief, fierce kiss. “Come back to me, alright?”
Ayax managed a smirk. “Always.”
Elizabeth turned to Leila. “Let’s go—what are you—” The Otherworlder had knelt on the ground her head bowed.
“Ayax, I’m sorry. I promise you can do whatever you want to me after you save Janize, but please, let me save her first,” said Leila, she lowered her head, but Ayax quickly grabbed her by the shirt and yanked her up. It was easy as the girl was still very light.
“This is not the time. I accept your promise, but we’ll talk later. Now go!” Ayax hissed.
Nodding, Elizabeth grabbed Leila and the pair took off in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Ayax took a deep breath and walked up toward the balcony overlooking the foye.
Darius was pacing, whilst Scarlet was biting her finger, one hand gripped tightly around her staff.
“What if they breach the gatehouse?” Scarlet asked.
“There’s no way that force assembling outside can breach the gatehouse. They’ll need—”
“Earl Darius, Master Scarlet, I have waited a long time for this moment.” Ayax leaned casually against the railing, noting the fine, polished grain. “Do you know who I am?”
Darius, eyes staring up at her, took a step back. “Ayax the Blackgale.”
“Daughter of Allaniel the Valorous, who you had murdered,” Ayax hissed.
Scarlet ripped her heavy cloak off and gripped her staff in both hands, which had a number of rings on the fingers. Her eyes narrowed at Ayax. “So it was you who rescued Leila. I thought you would kill her.”
“You certainly tempted me, but she was just the instrument. It was you two who had my parents killed.” Raising her staff, Ayax growled. “Prepare to die.”
Scarlet waved the earl off. “Darius, go, deal with Janize. I can handle her.”
Darius arched an eyebrow even as he grabbed the main door’s handle. “Are you sure?”
Scarlet smirked. “She’s no Frances Stormcaller. Just an angry little troll.”
“I’m a pissed off troll.” Ayax leapt over the railing, throwing several spell cards at Scarlet. The woman waved her hand, magical rings activating to form a barrier. The cards slammed into it, sparking and banging. It would have knocked her back, but the barrier dissipated the force.
No matter, Ayax landed nimbly on the carpet and whirling her staff, slammed it into Scarlet’s barrier. Darius had run for it, slamming the doors behind him. Ayaxs’s blow sent Scarlet smashing through those closed doors, nearly throwing her onto Darius.
The Red Order Mage picked herself off the grown, dusting off her robes. “Ah I see the familial resemblance now you monster. You and your adoptive ‘cousin’ are just fucking irritating.”
Ayax was about to quip back, but found herself pursing her lips as a thought ran through her head. “You know, if you were just a little nicer, just a bit more understanding, you could have gotten along with Frances. It’s really hard to not get along with her.”
Scarlet’s snarl faded and she grimaced. “She wouldn’t have been my student, but Edana’s. Now are you going to kill me, Blackgale, one of the people who helped murder your parents, or are you going to talk me to death?”
Ayax flinched, feeling the swirling vortex of power bubble in her very core as her fury sparked. At the same time, a serene, piercing idea just echoed through her head. It was not really a revelation, more of an observation she’d noticed about Leila, Darius and now Scarlet.
“You all are awfully insistent on dying. Why don’t you all just…give up? Live?” Ayax asked. The pair were circling now, ready to let loose with spells at any sign of weakness or an opening.
Scarlet snorted. “Would you let me and Darius live?”
Ayax paused, watching Scarlet continue to circle. When the troll didn’t move, only followed her with her eyes, the mage stopped and tried to circle in the other direction. Still Ayax didn’t move, she just remained still, staff at the ready.
“If you all surrendered and submitted to a trial, I would,” said Ayax. There was still turmoil, rage, roiling in her heart. Yet, she was starting to feel another emotion that calmed her, despite how odd it felt.
The Red Order Mage blinked, before she sneered. “Then you are a naive fool.” She twirled her staff, the ends bursting into flame as she sang. Fireballs tore toward Ayax.
The troll dodged, not flamboyantly. She just stepped out of the way, shuffling and stepping from side to side. No fancy shielding required, no complicated jumps needed. Scarlet cast, and continued to cast. Whips of crimson magic were followed by cobblestones torn from the road. Ayax had to briefly block those with a quick shield, before twisting out of the way.
Shifting her grip on her staff, Ayax pulled her weapon to her side, as if she was drawing a sword. Crying out a string of Word of Powers, she whipped it across.
The staff suddenly extended, dark-blue magic lengthening it until a incredibly long, thin rod of magic crashed into Scarlet’s side. It sent her tumbling through a hedge and onto the lawn of Darius’s mansion.
Leaping over said hedgerow, Ayax rolled to a perfect landing on the other side. Scarlet had staggered to her feet, wiping blood from the scratches on her arm and face. She was already wincing as she touched her side.
Ayax thought she would be taking pleasure from this. Well, part of her was. She was happy she was kicking Scarlet’s butt. Yet, the part of her that was choosing to be calm, to think and be a good person felt an entirely different emotion.
Pity.
Pity for how pointless this whole battle was, pity for how this woman and her allies had hurt so many and seemed so unhappy with their lives. There was disgust and anger, and yet when Ayax thought about what she had, and what Scarlet lacked, she found that anger seeping away.
“Scarlet, this is your last chance. Surrender now,” said Ayax.
“To you? Not to Edana Firehand, or even Frances Stormcaller? But to their lackey? A second-rate battle mage?” Scarlet spat on the ground and raised her staff again. “I’d rather fucking die.”
The troll sighed. “So be it.”
Author’s Note: Ayax is getting ahold of her anger. It hasn’t been easy to figure out how her feelings changed but I decided to approach it from the idea that she’s matured as a person and has started to take more perspectives, something that she’s always struggled with.

Hello! So, I move in next Monday, and im doing some shopping before hand :) I have some serious food allergies a little bit of background for that - I have alpha gal, it's a tick-borne disease that causes me to be allergic to anything containing red meat protein basically the only thing I can eat meat wise is turkey, chicken and seafood, and dairy causes my belly to get upset but not anaphylaxis
Now to the real fun! I move in and im making a shopping list for the initial move in and I need some advice, what are some good lunch recommendations for work, breakfast options, I want to try new stuff! Thanks everyone im so excited to start my program

Hey team,
I've recently been to a eye specialist and it was amazing it left me teary at the end.
Basically if your eyes don't line up level it causes lots of issues similar to ADHD.
Your brain is working overtime balancing you that it's working harder to compensate.
The website talks about issues such as. Anxiety in a crowd, open spaces, trouble focusing reading books, walking straight , looking people in the eyes, listening.
I'll leave a link: https://albanyspectaclemakers.com.au/
It will explain better than I can. Unfortunately he's the only one in Australia but hopefully there is one near you.
My take away from it after getting new lenses. Focus is now amazing! Don't have to blink or strain it's just instant focus on new objects. It hasn't fixed everything, I'm thinking lens may need adjustment. While in the exam when standing I felt a pull trying to lift me up from my head. I want that feeling again so I feel like I need slightly different lens.
Peace and love 💪

Welcome to Jews of Conscience Topic Tuesday! Each Tuesday we will discuss a topic related to Judaism, the Jewish community, and anti-Zionism. Chime in with your thoughts.
If you have a suggestion for a topic, message me.
Today’s topic:
Assimilation, the adoption of non-Jewish culture by Jews who live among non-Jews, is often framed as an existential threat for the Jewish community. Some reports have sensational claims that within a few decades the American Jewish population could be nearly gone. Zionist philosophy sees assimilation as an inevitable consequence of Jews living among gentiles; the only way to save the Jewish people is to create their own state in Palestine.
However, the threat of assimilation may be overstated. The population of the American Jewish community has been stable despite increasing intermarriage and most of those Jews often engage in some sort of Jewish activity. Young Jews are at least as religious as older Jews, going against the trend in liberal countries of declining interest in religion.
Is assimilation the threat that Zionism and traditionalists make it out to be? Or will Jewish culture continue to survive in diverse societies?

I'm honestly scared I wont find a dress I truely like because of how they look on me. I went dress shopping last week and felt insanely insecure in everything. I'm going again this week and am nervous that I wont find anything that I dont feel huge in. I feel like going dress shopping has done nothing but stressed me out. I wish I could be more confident but I'm truly struggling to find it.

/LonghornNation Daily Off Topic Free Talk Thread

Today: 5/30/2023

Last Thread

Current Austin Weather: 73° and Clear

Seven Day Forecast:

5/29	5/30	5/31	6/1	6/2	6/3	6/4
88°, Rain	90°, Clear	90°, Clear	87°, Rain	88°, Rain	87°, Rain	91°, Rain

Your go-to place to talk about whatever you want. From the dumb shit aggies do on a near daily basis, to the latest whatever happening wherever. What ya got?

Recent Longhorn Tweets

Here's a look at upcoming Longhorn Sporting Event(s):

1. 6/2 1:00 PM University of Texas Baseball vs Louisiana
2. 6/3 University of Texas Baseball vs Miami/Maine
3. 6/7 University of Texas Track & Field / Cross Country vs NCAA Outdoor Championships

Trending on Reddit

/All

1. [Post Game Thread] The Miami Heat (4-3) stave off infamy and continue their cinderella run, defeating the Boston Celtics (3-4) at the Garden by 103 - 84 thanks to Caleb Martin's 26pts & 9rebs and advance to face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals
2. These trucks have the same bed length
3. Not been able to wear shades for 3 years since losing my nose. Reconstructions almost done so I celebrated with a new pair. Shoutout all you bald kings and queens
4. [POST GAME THREAD] THE HEAT DEFEAT THE CELTICS IN 7 AND SAVE THE SUBREDDIT
5. Forget A Minimum Wage Or Living Wage. Give Us A Thriving Wage!

/CFB

1. If SEC doesn't go to 9-game schedule, criticism is justified
2. [Mandel] Note that ESPN is balking at paying the SEC any more than they do now [for a 9 game SEC Conf. Schedule]. That’s why I don’t assume these conferences will just keep adding more and more schools. The networks have a breaking point.
3. Whats some of the biggest what ifs in CFB history?
4. Source: Discussions re new tiebreaker in a 16-team single standing SEC has centered around 1) head to head (obvs); 2) common opponents; 3) metric developed by partner Sports Source Analytics.
5. What are your favorite college fight songs? (Include as many as you want)

/LonghornNation

1. [5/29/2023] Monday's Sports Talk Thread
2. [5/29/2023] Monday's Off Topic Free Talk Thread
3. Texas Baseball will be playing in the Coral Gables Regional.
4. Best Bars for Longhorn Football Games?
5. Texas Football has hired Paul Chryst as an Offensive Analyst, and Joe DeCamillis + Payam Saadat as Special Assistants to the Head Coach.
6. Can anybody help me identify this vintage longhorns football jersey?
7. Sarkisian lands longtime NFL special teams coach Joe DeCamillis as special assistant to head coach

LonghornBot: you can get a list of commands you can give for the bot by commenting ".help". You will receive a private message with the commands.
This thread was programmatically generated and posted on 5/30/2023 12:00 AM. If you have any questions or comments, please contact brihoang or chrislabeard

Finally trying to up my game from my crappy 1% cashback credit union visa. Considering opening a couple new CCs. Thank you in advance for advice!
About me:
-$87k income -720 credit score -Spend $1500/mo avg. on credit cards, about -$500 grocery, $200 restaurants/bars, $100 gas, the rest is misc -Don't hold a balance
What I care about, in order of importance

1. Airport lounge access with at least 6 complimentary passes that can be used with a travel companion. I'm flying out of YVR (Vancouver) and typically go to USA or international, don't fly in Canada much.
   
2. Points towards flights (destinations above). I don't have a preferred airline but I don't want to have to jump through a million hoops to cash my points in or try to figure out complex points conversions like airmiles or Aventura.
   
3. Solid travel insurance including trip cancelation and lost baggage
   
4. (Optional) other travel perks like free checked bags, priority services at YVR airport, upgrades or status etc
   

I don't mind high annual fees if they're worth it. Between me and travel companions, we can likely drink the annual fees in an airport lounge in 2 or 3 trips. 🥂 And all the places I shop take AMEX, so that's not an issue.
Currently looking at AMEX cobalt, Scotia Amex gold, various Aeroplan cards

29F. I asked this guy out and I said I wanted children on the first date and he said he did not. We got along great, and I have kicking myself ever since because I do not have a time-line on kids and at this point in my life I am nowhere near ready. We still talk on Instagram and I asked if we could try and he said we could see each other again. Now he is saying his friend is interested in me, and stupidly said that he can give my number to his friend. I don't think I want any advice; just wanted to vent I guess. He doesn't have Instagram on his phone and I do not have his number so we talk on the weekends when he is free. Everyone I get a message from him, I feel like electricity is running through my body. . I feel happy when I see his messages, but that all suddenly goes away when I do not know if this is going to be a romantic or platonic relationship (on the first date he would like to be friends, we have a lot in common and we were even walking through the park holding hands).
I have never had a boyfriend before and I have only been on one date. I always thought that when I would see people obsessing over 'do they like or not' on TV and movies was just drama for the camera, but it is real and I hate not knowing. I love this feeling, but I hate as well and I do not think I want to go through this anymore

I missed the concert near me this tour and I’m super sad about it. I’m just praying that they go on tour near me again so I can have another chance, anybody know about future album talks or anything?