Christian organizations are calling on pastors across the country to stand up against the rise of Christian nationalism during their church services next weekend.
"Toxic Christian nationalism is the single biggest threat to both democracy and the church, and we pastors have a moral obligation to loudly oppose it as a dangerous hijacking of our faith," Reverend Nathan Empsall , Director of ‘Faithful America’ preached. "Unless we as Christians challenge this dangerous political ideology, its leaders will continue to twist our faith as they try to justify an agenda that is in actuality the antithesis of what Jesus taught: To love our neighbor and to care for the least among us.”
As reported in LGBQTNation, The "Preach and Pray to Confront Christian Nationalism" initiative is the latest event sponsored by Faithful America, an online community of progressive Christians that aim to combat the use of their faith being "hijacked" by the political right. The group recently protested a high-profile conservative speaker event in Miami, Florida, and has taken a public stand against several Republican politicians, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who previously defended Christian nationalism, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis’ own religious counselor, Tom Ascoll, of Grace Baptist Church, has preached the depravity of Leviticus by calling for the murder of gays.
(In that the Southern Baptist Convention has not condemned he and his words; one can only speculate they are in accord.)
White nationalism has been embraced by American fascists to appeal to the least among us. Street trash talking so-called pastors, hate-filled dullards so low on the social totem pole of polite society they will grasp at any message that makes them feel better about being the failures they’ve become, pandering politicians who are able stir up hatred among the loners and losers because of the prejudice and ignorance of the streets and back alleys, and hypocritical evangelicals who profess to love Jesus, but do the work of the devil, are all looking for validation of their hatred, and under the guise of patriotism spew their venom -- mostly for personal gain.
It been said, when tyranny comes it will be marching behind a cross.
Faithful America's newest initiative is aimed at taking a stand within the church, calling on pastors to "warn against effort to conflate Christian and American identities" while leading service on June 11.
What will your Priest, Pastor, or Reverend, have to say about the subject? Will the message be one of tolerance and love, or the gleeful acceptance of the sins of heresy and denial of true Christian belief?
While contemplating this, consider exactly which message you want to hear.

There has been a lot of talk about initiation and self-initiation in this group as of late, most specifically with what sources for self-initiation are the best, and many different opinions have been expressed. What has struck me, however, is the lack of understanding of what an initiation into the Golden Dawn, and specifically through the "Elemental Grades" consists of. So, I wanted to share my views, training and experience on the matter.
Let me first give you an idea of where I come from in this regard. I was initiated into a Temple in Houston, Texas in 1992 at the age of 21. There were no self-initiation sources into the GD out at the time. (I think Don Kraig's book may have been out, but I did not have it then.) I progressed through the Outer Order in about four years, and spent another three working through the subgrades of Adeptus Minor. I was also trained as a Hierophant by the Hierophant who preceded me, just as I trained the one after me. Today I find myself serving as a chief in a newly formed Order. When that Temple dissolved, I spent the better part of a decade working through various self-initiation manuals, including Don Kraig's, the Cicero's SI manual (The Big Green Book), and LTC's Kabbalah Magic. Now, that may sound pointless given my previous initiatory experience, but each author and source provided some unique perspectives and experiences to draw from, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with exploring different points of view. More than that however, after the Temple I called home dissolved I realized the lack of temples for true seekers and the need for people to be able to make the journey to adepthood for themselves. How can someone grow spiritually if there is no temple for them to advance in. Fortunately today, there are many options including Temples and Orders that work at a distance as well as sources for self-initiation.
In my experience, initiation into the Golden Dawn must contain five parts. Now, initiation into different orders and organizations may not contain these elements. I know of several initiations (and have taken part in a few) that are nothing more than being accepted into a group and getting the "secret handshake". But, in this I am specifically talking about the Golden Dawn. In my opinion, initiation into the Golden Dawn tradition and egregore must contain four of these five parts, with the fifth being necessary in certain circumstances which I shall discuss. These five parts are: 1) acceptance into the group; 2) the formation of a specific magical obligation; 3) teachings of the appropriate nature; 4) aligning and manipulating the subtle energies of the initiate according to the nature of the initiation; and 5) the impression and inscribing of specific symbols into the subtle bodies of the initiate. Taking these one at a time I will explain them and their importance.
The first, acceptance into the group, is in my opinion the least important and is the one that is conditional, being necessary only when you are initiating into a Temple or Order. It is the acceptance and sharing of the energy of the group with you and, by doing so, the entire group works to help raise the vibratory rate of the initiate as it works on the entire group. Obviously, this is less important when doing self-initiation which is why I say it is conditional. It should not be ignored that a group is stronger than an individual and that if you have a group working together for the purpose of spiritual development, in our case through the process of initiation into the Golden Dawn, it can be beneficial even if the members of the group are all participating in self-initiation practices. In forming that group it still operates as a collective energy and creates an egregore for the group over time that assists its members in their work even if they are doing it individually. But, as many choose to go it alone (and that is a completely acceptable option), this requirement would not be required in that case.
The next four elements of the initiation, however, are absolute requirements for initiation into the Golden Dawn.
Second is the formation of the magical obligation. In my opinion, this is one point that is not taken nearly as seriously as it ought to be. When we take the obligation, and renew it as we progress, we are taking the first steps to connect to the tradition and the egregore of the Golden Dawn. That magical obligation carries with it not only commitment but consequences. It is the initial linking motion that the initiate makes toward the current of energy established by the Golden Dawn. The first steps toward spiritual development must be made by the initiate, and must be made before the Higher Consciousness moves to meet them. In this obligation are contained the necessary instructions to begin the work of spiritual development. Committing to them sets you on a path. Without this, you are not on the path, certainly not on the Golden Dawn path, even if you take parts of that path and apply them to your practice. All magic is intention, and without setting your intention you can not commence. More than that, by creating a magical obligation you are actually creating a magical current within yourself that will assist you through your progress.
Third is the teachings of an appropriate nature. Now, this is a difficult matter to look at. You may say that you can learn the material without an initiation, and indeed you can. But, there is a difference between learning and knowing. To elaborate on this, I will draw on some of the verbiage from my experience as a clinical hypnotherapist and an NLP practitioner. When you are in a physical initiation, you are blindfolded, led around poked and prodded, sprinkled with water (you assume), smell things, hear things and so on. All of this is before your blindfold is removed. When it is removed, you eyes, which are use to being in the dark, are assaulted with light, colors and sights that, hopefully, you were not aware of previously. This process works to overload the conscious mind and to place the initiate into a hypnotic state. In this state, which is apparent in the latter half of the Neophyte initiation, you are given a slew of information on the officers, the symbols of the temple and so on. This is not given with the intention that you will consciously remember it. Rather, by being in a hypnotic state it is impressed into your subconscious where it will grow and blossom. It actually becomes a part of you rather than something you consciously have learned, and this is far more powerful than studying alone.
The fourth element of initiation is aligning and manipulating the subtle energies of the initiate according to the nature of the initiation. Now we are getting to the heart of the initiation process. This is where subtle changes are made in the initiates energy body to align them with the intention and focus of the initiation. The initiation for each grade in the Golden Dawn is unique, and is designed to do specific things. To accomplish this subtle bodies are manipulated, energetic motions and actions are taken, and changes are made to the initiate. Pat Zalewski has likened this to psychic surgery, and I would have to agree. It is a powerful process that brings things into alignment and establishes connections. In some instances, it is singling out a particular aspect and working on it in the candidate, which forces them to work on it consciously over a course of time. This is the alchemical processes of separation, pruification and cohobotion, and is a process which is carried out over several grades and initiations.
Finally, there is the impression and inscribing of specific symbols into the subtle bodies of the initiate. With this, symbols are, for lack of a better term, "burned into" the subtle bodies of the initiate. These symbols serve to protect, to assist and to guide the initiate as he or she makes their journey through the grades and beyond. These symbols create a resonance between the initiate and other forces including the specific energies of the Golden Dawn. This brings a person into the influence and guidance of the current and permanently connects them to it. These can be removed, as when a member is expelled from the Order for some reason, but this process is complicated and well beyond the scope of this discussion.
When looking at initiation, whether in a Temple or through self-initiation, at least the last four of these must be met. If they are not, the initiate would be missing key elements in their progress through the Golden Dawn experience. Obviously, if you are in a Temple, you should be receiving all five. Now, Pat Zalewski notes in his Rituals and Commentaries book that it is possible for an inexperienced group to perform the ritual and receive initiation from it, meaning that all five points are met. Using his instructions, I concur. He then, in the same book, gives not only the rituals but a well detailed description of what each officer does during the ritual and the effects that the ritual should have on the initiate. He also recommends that each member go through all the initiations. So, you might be Hierophant one week and then go through the same initiation as the initiate the next. Provided that each member has studied the materials well and is applying them properly there is no reason why this can not work. This is not self-initiation, but the formation of a new Temple in the process of performing initiations. While a properly trained officer body would be preferable, this method will, in time, produce that and is, in my opinion, a reasonable second.
Next, let's look at each of the three self-initiation methods I mentioned earlier and see how they meet the requirements.
In regard to Don Kraig's book, he has made it easy. He clearly states that his method, while containing elements of the Golden Dawn, is not the Golden Dawn. What Don did is in essence create his own tradition and system. It is, in fact, one that I hold in high regard even if Don and I disagreed on parts of it. That being said, I respect it for what it is, and it is not Golden Dawn and does not meet the four essential requirements for initiation into the Golden Dawn.
Next, let's look at LTC's book Kabbalah, Magic and the Great Work of Self-Transformation. What struck me about his curriculum as I was going through it was not that it missed several of the parts of the initiation process but that he completely disregarded them. There is no magical obligation that is formed. While it does present teachings, there is no effort made to impart them into the subconscious, but presents them so that they pass through the conscious mind where the natural filters of the mind delete, distort and generalize the data. This is a natural process that we all do when learning consciously. This is also why it is so important to enter into the hypnotic state first, so that the information presented bypasses those filters. For the manipulation of the subtle energies and bodies, LTC relies on the LRP, Middle Pillar and other meditational and ritual exercises. While these do produce the effect of manipulating the energies, they do not manipulate them in the way provided in the initiation ceremonies. Also, in regards to the fifth point, the symbols that are impressed into the initiate's subtle bodies are not present in the LRP, Middle Pillar, LRH, or any of the adept grade rituals he recommends. How can they properly be impressed into the person if they are not there. Now, much like Don's book, LTC established his own way of doing magic and allowing others to self-initiate. And, Like Don's book, it is valid. But it is not an initiation that is in any way Golden Dawn in nature. It can certainly produce competent magicians, but not Golden Dawn members.
Finally, let's take a look at the Cicero's Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition. As those who have followed my posts and comments no doubt know I am a huge proponent of this curriculum. However, I am going to attempt to be purely objective and look at it from the perspective of it providing the necessary elements of initiation. First, as the Cicero's have taken the initiations and modified them for self-initiation, they do take the initiate through the process of creating a magical obligation. Rather than being witnessed and empowered by observing members, it is witnessed by the godforms and the Higher Consciousness of the candidate and empowered by their energies. With regards to providing appropriate teachings, the ritual does just as in an initiation performed by an officer body. It is difficult, however, to enter into that hypnotic state where the teachings bypass the critical mind. They get around this by encouraging repeated performance of the initiation. The first time you preform it you are focused on getting it right. Through repeated performances you relax and slip into a comfortable point where you are experiencing it rather than being focused on the performance. This is another way of entering into a hypnotic state. This does then, if the process is followed and repeated, meet the element of hypnotic learning. The subtle bodies are aligned and manipulated in accordance with the ritual, and proper visualizations and instructions are given. Likewise, the same is true for placing the symbols in the subtle bodies. So, it can be said that all of the requirements are met for self-initiation into the Golden Dawn.
The Cicero's book, as well as the development of Orders that work remotely, mark a large step in the evolution of the Golden Dawn. As other developments come, we must take the time to evaluate them based not only on being a new development but also preserving the things that make the Golden Dawn what it is. If you radically alter something such that it is unrecognizable it is no longer that original thing. The Golden Dawn, in particular, has many teaching and nuances that are powerful and purposeful, but are mostly neglected by those who do not take the time to learn the entire tradition. Many people take parts of it without fully understanding what they are doing and present it as something it is not. I think that, with regards to initiation in particular and the entire tradition in general, we who truly seek to practice and develop it have a responsibility to offer our advice and experience in a way that helps others as well as helps the tradition to grow. It is common place to say in occult circles that you can do whatever you want. And, you can! However, while what you do may work for you it does not make it a part of any tradition. No better, no worse. Honesty and openness are always the best policy.

Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask your thoughts on this. First things first, I am a big crier generally and have used it alot for emotional release. However, I noticed something today when I was in a period of upset - my mind was actually generating stories that I was crying in response to.
As soon as I noticed this I was immediately like this story isn't true and I don't need to react to it, the urge to cry went away. It's made me reflect how I think alot of my crying happens in response to the stories my mind is telling me.
I wonder how people might see this from an IFS perspective? Is there an inner critic generating these stories and then another part that is crying in response to them?
Does self ever need to cry? Does crying only happen when i am blended? How does crying fit into the IFS framework?
Anyone's thoughts or experiences on this are most welcome!
Thank you ❤️

Christian organizations are calling on pastors across the country to stand up against the rise of Christian nationalism during their church services next weekend.
"Toxic Christian nationalism is the single biggest threat to both democracy and the church, and we pastors have a moral obligation to loudly oppose it as a dangerous hijacking of our faith," Reverend Nathan Empsall , Director of ‘Faithful America’ preached. "Unless we as Christians challenge this dangerous political ideology, its leaders will continue to twist our faith as they try to justify an agenda that is in actuality the antithesis of what Jesus taught: To love our neighbor and to care for the least among us.”
As reported in LGBQTNation, The "Preach and Pray to Confront Christian Nationalism" initiative is the latest event sponsored by Faithful America, an online community of progressive Christians that aim to combat the use of their faith being "hijacked" by the political right. The group recently protested a high-profile conservative speaker event in Miami, Florida, and has taken a public stand against several Republican politicians, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who previously defended Christian nationalism, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis’ own religious counselor, Tom Ascoll, of Grace Baptist Church, has preached the depravity of Leviticus by calling for the murder of gays.
(In that the Southern Baptist Convention has not condemned he and his words; one can only speculate they are in accord.)
White nationalism has been embraced by American fascists to appeal to the least among us. Street trash talking so-called pastors, hate-filled dullards so low on the social totem pole of polite society they will grasp at any message that makes them feel better about being the failures they’ve become, pandering politicians who are able stir up hatred among the loners and losers because of the prejudice and ignorance of the streets and back alleys, and hypocritical evangelicals who profess to love Jesus, but do the work of the devil, are all looking for validation of their hatred, and under the guise of patriotism spew their venom -- mostly for personal gain.
It been said, when tyranny comes it will be marching behind a cross.
Faithful America's newest initiative is aimed at taking a stand within the church, calling on pastors to "warn against effort to conflate Christian and American identities" while leading service on June 11.
What will your Priest, Pastor, or Reverend, have to say about the subject? Will the message be one of tolerance and love, or the gleeful acceptance of the sins of heresy and denial of true Christian belief?
While contemplating this, consider exactly which message you want to hear.

Trigger warning: Self-harm and attempted suicide mentioned.
I (21F) and my best friend (20F) have been best friends since we were 15 years old. We were in the same class and we were joined at the hip all the way until we head for college.
My friend has always been quite emotionally sensitive, in that she feels emotions extremely intensely and because she also has the tendency to overthink (I share this characteristic with her as well) leads to her having pretty intense mood swings quite often. But she is also one of the strongest people I know - she didn't let family turmoil (for privacy sake I don't want to reveal too much but it involves emotional abuse) show her down, and I admire her tenacity in pursuing her goals.
But once we've got to university, since we were not in the same major, we don't see each other as often as we would in secondary school (or high school in American terms). She studies medicine and it's obviously really hard and demanding- which further intensify her mood swings. She would often message me when she's feeling down, and on a few occasions, when she was suicidal. According to her, she even tried to commit suicide by hanging herself (she messaged me after her failed attempt). Whenever I see her messages (especially if it's like 5 messages in rapid succession), I am always frightful that she would take her own life.
Because of her mood swings and depressive symptoms, I had been convincing her to see a counselor and a psychiatrist (our uni has free counseling and psychiatric services) - which took quite a bit of persuading but she finally started to see both sometime last year. But she would always complain how both therapy and the SSRIs she was given have not been working.
These two years has been perticularly tough for her - she had been cheated on, being stalked by a student from the same major, 2 major board exams... Whenever she messages me, it would be to vent/tell me about her struggles (actually looking back, almost all conversations from the past 2 years that she has initiated are sent when she was in the middle of a depressive episode).
Which brings me to my conundrum - I love, cherish and am honoured by the fact that my friend trusts me with her struggles, but I am a bit drained and even burntout because of them. Whenever I see those rapid fire texts, my body immediately goes into fight or flight mode trying to think of the best response for her. And after the issues are resolved, I feel as though I've been drained of all mental and social energy. This is especially true during the times she was suicidal. Every message I was petrified of making any missteps and because of that, lose my best friend in the process. This has even spilled into our face-to-face interactions - I am sometimes tired upon meeting her, though I love our time together (because maybe subconsciously I associate those feelings of burnout I get when receiving messages from her? I don't really know).
I love my friend and really want to be there for her 24/7, and as her best friend, I should be there 24/7 - that's my duty. But I feel like if things don't change, my mental health would take a hit (I have ADHD, OCD, Anxiety and depression myself as well) and I hate that about myself. Why can't I just let it be and be good friend and be there for her when she needs me?
Would love some advice on this and thank you so much for reading this...

Christian organizations are calling on pastors across the country to stand up against the rise of Christian nationalism during their church services next weekend.
"Toxic Christian nationalism is the single biggest threat to both democracy and the church, and we pastors have a moral obligation to loudly oppose it as a dangerous hijacking of our faith," Reverend Nathan Empsall , Director of ‘Faithful America’ preached. "Unless we as Christians challenge this dangerous political ideology, its leaders will continue to twist our faith as they try to justify an agenda that is in actuality the antithesis of what Jesus taught: To love our neighbor and to care for the least among us.”
As reported in LGBQTNation, The "Preach and Pray to Confront Christian Nationalism" initiative is the latest event sponsored by Faithful America, an online community of progressive Christians that aim to combat the use of their faith being "hijacked" by the political right. The group recently protested a high-profile conservative speaker event in Miami, Florida, and has taken a public stand against several Republican politicians, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who previously defended Christian nationalism, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis’ own religious counselor, Tom Ascoll, of Grace Baptist Church, has preached the depravity of Leviticus by calling for the murder of gays.
(In that the Southern Baptist Convention has not condemned he and his words; one can only speculate they are in accord.)
White nationalism has been embraced by American fascists to appeal to the least among us. Street trash talking so-called pastors, hate-filled dullards so low on the social totem pole of polite society they will grasp at any message that makes them feel better about being the failures they’ve become, pandering politicians who are able stir up hatred among the loners and losers because of the prejudice and ignorance of the streets and back alleys, and hypocritical evangelicals who profess to love Jesus, but do the work of the devil, are all looking for validation of their hatred, and under the guise of patriotism spew their venom -- mostly for personal gain.
It been said, when tyranny comes it will be marching behind a cross.
Faithful America's newest initiative is aimed at taking a stand within the church, calling on pastors to "warn against effort to conflate Christian and American identities" while leading service on June 11.
What will your Priest, Pastor, or Reverend, have to say about the subject? Will the message be one of tolerance and love, or the gleeful acceptance of the sins of heresy and denial of true Christian belief?
While contemplating this, consider exactly which message you want to hear.

So this mostly affects my dating, but not just that. It affects any social relationships I'm trying to build.
If I tried to describe my problem generally, I'm an open book. I've been like this my whole life. Even in college, my groupmates were often telling me that they can ALWAYS tell my attitude towards a person just by observing my interactions with them. I feel like I'm very easy to read: whether I'm happy, excited, sad, depressed, or resentful. Sometimes people really like it, if they get my positive emotions. I think it's because they can always tell what's in my head.
On the other hand though, when I'm angry or feel resentment, I can't hide it very well and very long. I used to be very easy to get angry or frustrated, and I used to say mean things to people. Then I started suppressing my negative reactions, but they just started sitting at the back of my head and growing over time, until eventually, they start slipping out through snarky remarks or general bitterness. Of course, that ruined a couple of potential relationships and friendships for me.
The next strategy, that I chose very recently, was to be honest and upfront with my emotions while being respectful and making sure that I'm correctly understood. This approach has been the best one for me since I've been able to move on from my bad emotions very quickly and the impact was under control. But I feel like other people just don't want to hear about how I feel at all. For example, if the date was rescheduled on short notice, and I was really looking forward to it, I'm just being honest with the girl. I say, that I do feel frustrated about it, that it's really not about her, and that I'm just upset about the situation (which is true). Still, the girl gets offended. She says that she feels bad about canceling the date too and that she's now upset because I was rude to her. I revised what I was saying to her, and only found a little bit of dryness with which I said "okay, hopefully, your situation will get resolved soon".
Also on top of that, I always find myself unable to emotionally empathize with the person when I feel resentment or frustration towards them. I feel so self-absorbed in my own feelings that I feel like the other person is just being evil and unfair, that the person intentionally made me feel this way, even though I can logically see how that's not the case.
I feel like I don't know how to control my behavior and be conscious of it, so I have several questions for you, beautiful community. How do you deal with that? How can you manage to hide your emotions from the other person completely, without letting any dryness or coldness slip into your talk? And how do you move on from these emotions, so they don't poison your attitude? Is it a symptom of emotional immaturity to get frustrated when you don't get what you want?

Christian organizations are calling on pastors across the country to stand up against the rise of Christian nationalism during their church services next weekend.
"Toxic Christian nationalism is the single biggest threat to both democracy and the church, and we pastors have a moral obligation to loudly oppose it as a dangerous hijacking of our faith," Reverend Nathan Empsall , Director of ‘Faithful America’ preached. "Unless we as Christians challenge this dangerous political ideology, its leaders will continue to twist our faith as they try to justify an agenda that is in actuality the antithesis of what Jesus taught: To love our neighbor and to care for the least among us.”
As reported in LGBQTNation, The "Preach and Pray to Confront Christian Nationalism" initiative is the latest event sponsored by Faithful America, an online community of progressive Christians that aim to combat the use of their faith being "hijacked" by the political right. The group recently protested a high-profile conservative speaker event in Miami, Florida, and has taken a public stand against several Republican politicians, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who previously defended Christian nationalism, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis’ own religious counselor, Tom Ascoll, of Grace Baptist Church, has preached the depravity of Leviticus by calling for the murder of gays.
(In that the Southern Baptist Convention has not condemned he and his words; one can only speculate they are in accord.)
White nationalism has been embraced by American fascists to appeal to the least among us. Street trash talking so-called pastors, hate-filled dullards so low on the social totem pole of polite society they will grasp at any message that makes them feel better about being the failures they’ve become, pandering politicians who are able stir up hatred among the loners and losers because of the prejudice and ignorance of the streets and back alleys, and hypocritical evangelicals who profess to love Jesus, but do the work of the devil, are all looking for validation of their hatred, and under the guise of patriotism spew their venom -- mostly for personal gain.
It been said, when tyranny comes it will be marching behind a cross.
Faithful America's newest initiative is aimed at taking a stand within the church, calling on pastors to "warn against effort to conflate Christian and American identities" while leading service on June 11.
What will your Priest, Pastor, or Reverend, have to say about the subject? Will the message be one of tolerance and love, or the gleeful acceptance of the sins of heresy and denial of true Christian belief?
While contemplating this, consider exactly which message you want to hear.

This may be obvious for some people, but it certainly wasn't for me.
First a little backstory. I'm a software developer interested in machine learning.
A few years ago I was studying some state-of-the-art poker bots. More specifically Libratus and Pluribus.
In order to find the best actions to take in a given situation, these poker bots use a little algorithm called regret minimization. This algorithm consists of choosing actions according to the amount of estimated regret. The higher the estimated regret of not choosing an action, the higher the probability that the action will be chosen.
Fast-forward to a few months ago, I stumbled upon this Marcus Aurelius quote:

If any man despises me, that is his problem. My only concern is not doing or saying anything deserving of contempt.
― Marcus Aurelius

I've seen this quote many times already, but this time it reminded me of regret minimization. Marcus Aurelius is only concerned with not doing anything regretful in his opinion.
Then I thought: Maybe there's something here? What would happen if I focused on this idea for a while and tried applying it to my life?
And then I started.
In practice, this consists of asking myself in every conscious moment: "What would I most regret not doing right now?". And then just doing it.
As a result, this experiment unexpectedly turned my life around.
Here are some examples of what improved:

• I worry much less about everything. The only thing I have to worry about is if my actions are regretful to me or not, and that is being taken care of pretty well now.
• I started sleeping early. I was a night owl since I've known myself until a few months ago. I have realized that, in truth, I always regretted sleeping late.
• I started flossing frequently and brushing my teeth right after eating. I didn't have the habit of flossing, but now regret minimization tells me to do it as I would probably regret not doing it in the future.
• I started watching less entertainment content and playing less games. I'm now doing more productive tasks.
• I'm much more social now. I compliment people more, since that's something I'll clearly never regret doing. I try more random jokes. I pay more attention to the other person. I'm still introverted, but I don't care as much about what other people think of me, as long as there's nothing to be regretful about.
• I'm biting my nails less frequently. I haven't managed to stop completely I think because it's an unconscious thing and it's hard to catch myself initiating it.
• I'm less forgetful. As I'm constantly scanning for possible regrets, I more frequently remember things I can use and do in the present moment.
• It made me better understand my values, since in order to estimate your future regrets you must acquire a firm grasp on your values.
• In general, I'm using my time here much more wisely. It helps me set my priorities straight.

Some final thoughts on this:

• This idea made me realize I unknowingly left an astounding amount of regret unaddressed, which kinda means that I failed learning from some past mistakes, and never realized until now.
• It allows you to more easily identify and make use of opportunities that the universe makes available to you.
• Its success depends on your foundational values:
  • Regret minimization will only lead you to the right path if you value truth and justice.
  • A psychopath wouldn't help society by minimizing their regrets, as their messed up values affect the way they perceive regret.
• You definitely have to watch out for analysis paralysis. Allow yourself to be just a little sloppy. Most of the time it is more important to make progress on a suboptimal task than to find the perfect next task to accomplish.
• This idea automatically includes several stoic concepts:
  • Isolating yourself in the present.
  • Reacting to and accepting the decisions of the universe, not trying to control them.
  • Being in alignment with your nature.
  • It doesn't cover all concepts though, especially the four virtues.
• I usually felt very sad when thinking I'm just stuck in this body, being just a flicker between the infinity of past and future. But regret minimization made me realize that all that is irrelevant and that true happiness is this: to live with as little regret as possible.

Of course, I may be wrong. But is there something more virtuous than minimizing one's regrets?
That's it. Let me know what you think about this idea!

Christian organizations are calling on pastors across the country to stand up against the rise of Christian nationalism during their church services next weekend.
"Toxic Christian nationalism is the single biggest threat to both democracy and the church, and we pastors have a moral obligation to loudly oppose it as a dangerous hijacking of our faith," Reverend Nathan Empsall , Director of ‘Faithful America’ preached. "Unless we as Christians challenge this dangerous political ideology, its leaders will continue to twist our faith as they try to justify an agenda that is in actuality the antithesis of what Jesus taught: To love our neighbor and to care for the least among us.”
As reported in LGBQTNation, The "Preach and Pray to Confront Christian Nationalism" initiative is the latest event sponsored by Faithful America, an online community of progressive Christians that aim to combat the use of their faith being "hijacked" by the political right. The group recently protested a high-profile conservative speaker event in Miami, Florida, and has taken a public stand against several Republican politicians, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who previously defended Christian nationalism, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis’ own religious counselor, Tom Ascoll, of Grace Baptist Church, has preached the depravity of Leviticus by calling for the murder of gays.
(In that the Southern Baptist Convention has not condemned he and his words; one can only speculate they are in accord.)
White nationalism has been embraced by American fascists to appeal to the least among us. Street trash talking so-called pastors, hate-filled dullards so low on the social totem pole of polite society they will grasp at any message that makes them feel better about being the failures they’ve become, pandering politicians who are able stir up hatred among the loners and losers because of the prejudice and ignorance of the streets and back alleys, and hypocritical evangelicals who profess to love Jesus, but do the work of the devil, are all looking for validation of their hatred, and under the guise of patriotism spew their venom -- mostly for personal gain.
It been said, when tyranny comes it will be marching behind a cross.
Faithful America's newest initiative is aimed at taking a stand within the church, calling on pastors to "warn against effort to conflate Christian and American identities" while leading service on June 11.
What will your Priest, Pastor, or Reverend, have to say about the subject? Will the message be one of tolerance and love, or the gleeful acceptance of the sins of heresy and denial of true Christian belief?
While contemplating this, consider exactly which message you want to hear.

This may be very controversial as a question, but to be honest I don't and it's not just because of who my faith is in, it's because simply I believe it to be unnatural and to honestly be an untreated mental illness I feel like all of those who are proudly homosexual should definitely seek professional help. This isn't an insult or a way of throwing shade, but simply what I believe to be true.
There's not a single Gay person I met who is mentally stable or who is genuinely happy with the way that they live and before someone who is Gay says "I'm happy with who I am." it's obviously not true if you felt the need to identify as Gay and not as who you are. I understand feelings can be complicated, but not all feelings are meant for us to act on. Sometimes, if you feel attracted to the same sex it doesn't mean you have to be with them in a romantic way sometimes it may not be the gender you're attracted to, but instead an aspect of their character like maybe no one has been kind to you and he/she was and it caused you to have feelings for them not because of their gender, but because of what they gave you emotionally. Sometimes it's best to self-reflect and dissect what we're feeling and ask ourselves why we feel the way we do?, instead of being so impulsive to think this is the way to be.
A lot of people may have had sexual experiences with the same sex in school, On a personal note I have been touched inappropriately in elementary school by another boy and I thought that I may have been gay because I didn't really know how to respond, the boy tried to teach how to kiss among many other things he shouldn't have had knowledge of at that time. I understand that early on in life our minds and emotions are very vulnerable and we are very gullible especially since when we were young we mainly led with our hearts rather than our heads, but I honestly have to say being lesbian, gay, bi, trans, demi, or asexual isn't who we naturally are. I believe we are more complex and we should be comfortable with being heterosexual and who we biologically are.
Hopefully someone understands that this isn't an attack. This isn't hate against gay people and this isn't homophobic, but this is hate against the unnatural actions and mentality that has caused so much distortion in our society.
~To be honest, it may either be an inaccurate or accurate assumption, but I definitely feel like a lot of people here may support LGBTQ or are currently struggling with their identity just based on the poll I took yesterday, but I'm still interested if seeing if my assumption is wrong.
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"Time to show you what 164 IQ can do!"
When Neo Cortex's prized mutant betrayed him, and later rescued their girlfriend, he was left with one last bandicoot to train before he'd have to move on to other species. That bandicoot was Coco, Crash's sister. While her brother was a very simple creature motivated only by wumpa fruit, Coco showed great technical aptitude, something the newly hired N. Gin helped cultivate. But at the end of her training she escaped from the evil geniuses clutches, leaving to join in her brother. Together with Crash and Aku-Aku, she would provide invaluable help in preventing the schemes of Cortex from panning out, whether she's simply providing tech support or actively gathering crystals herself.

Legend

Any feats using a character other than Coco come from a game where she is a playable character and is also capable of achieving the feat.

Strength

Striking

• Breaks crates with her kicks^W
  • This attack becomes a full spin in later games⁴
• Breaks laser generators⁴
• Can send enemies flying back into other enemies or crates^W
• In Crash Bash characters can strike away stone crates^CB
• Sends a robot flying back to damage machines and speakers⁴
• By slamming towards the ground can break reinforced crates^W
• In Crash Bash characters can make small shockwaves with a hammer^CB

Other

• Lifts and throws stone crates^CB
• Leaps across a room^T

Durability

• Drops down from a platform^CotT
• In Boom Bang, characters can drop off a cliff^BB
• Drops down from an airship^A
• Can be crushed flat in a kart^NK
• In Boom Bang, characters can be run over by a train^BB
• Can have their kart blown into the air^CTR

Speed

• Outpaces a tsunami on a scooter^W
• Outruns an avalanche on a snowboard^W

Intelligence

Invention

• Creates the portal chamber used as the hub world in Wrath of Cortex, used to gather crystals from around the world by standing on one of the level select areas, being given a preview of the area, and being teleported away^W
  • The end of the levels have a teleporting device that takes Crash or Coco back to the portal chamber^W
• Makes a device that restores a shrunken Earth to its original size, powered by twenty crystals^XS
  • The Earth was shown to be held in Cortex's hand, and described by Aku-Aku as being shrunk to the size of a grapefruit^XS
• Made a device which launched an EMP wave to deactivate two robots, though it stood a chance to instead turn Skylanders into goo if she didn't make it right^A
• Presumably created a boomerang which staggers an enormous mech^A
• Made 'portal weapons', vials which Crash can throw at Cortex's minions to send them back to their home dimensions^OTR
• Tries, but fails, to create the first self-flying flying car⁴

Hacking

• Hacks into Cortex's computer to discover his true plans²
• Hacks into Cortex's holographic messages for Crash and later interrupts one, though she isn't able to keep the message sustained for long²
• Hacks into the brain of an alien to make him sleep^NK
  • This alien was specifically designed to not need to stop or sleep^NK

Other

• Modifies her kart to have faster acceleration^CTR
• Fixes a portal to reach a lair in outer space by using twenty gems^RR
• Analyses a rift in space on her tablet⁴

Karts

General

• Jumps up a ledge^CTR
• Drops down a large distance^CTR
  • Does so again^NK
• All karts can take hits that blow them into the air^CTR and crust them flat^NK
• Capable of giving themselves boosts by drifting^CTR
• Karts go faster when wumpa fruits are collected, and when ten are collected the items used are changed to be stronger^CTR
• In Nitro Kart, the karts were modified to be able to drive along walls and ceilings in certain areas^NK
• After driving alongside a teammate for a while, a Team Up meter fills and allows both racers to use unlimited items for a period on activation^NK

Items - Offensive
These are capable of forcing open a door in the original game and remake.^CTR-N

• Bombs which roll along the road in a straight line, exploding on contact^CTR
  • Fully powered bombs have a larger blast radius^CTR
  • These can be blown up early on command^CTR
• Homing missiles^CTR
  • When powered up they are faster with better tracking^CTR
• Creates an electric shockwave around them^NK3
• Releases a warp orb from Crash 3 that chases after the racer in first place, shocking everyone in their path^CTR
  • When powered up it tracks each racer in front of the user in sequence^CTR
• Releases a tornado which targets first place, throwing any racer it meets up into the air^NK

Items - Traps

• Drops an oil slick^NK2
• Beakers which cause anyone running into them to spin out^CTR-N
  • Turn from green to red at full power, adding an extra effect such as slowing down the kart that drives into them for a while^CTR-N
• Crates of TNT which anyone running into needs to hop rapidly to remove before it explodes^CTR-N
  • These change into nitro crates that explode instantly when powered up^CTR
• Ice mines trap foes in a block of ice^NK
  • When fully powered they give the kart ice physics for the duration^NK
• Static orbs short out circuits on karts, slowing foes down while changing their weapon^NK
  • At full power, they draw racers in and reverse their steering for a time^NK

Items - Other

• Shields which protect against any one hit^NK
  • Can be launched like a bomb, with the fully powered shield protecting indefinitely until hit or thrown^CTR
• Speed boosts^CTR
  • Last longer when powered up^CTR
  • Can be used to evade a missile^NK
• N. Tropy's Clocks spin out and slow down all opposing racers for a period^NK
• Call upon Aku-Aku to speed up the kart and render them invulnerable for a bit^CTR

Tag Team Racing Cars

• In Crash Tag Team Racing, all racer's vehicles can merge with each other and break apart again at will^TTR
• Can drive through tree-shaped targets^TTR
• Have a variety of weapons with each car combination being able to swap between two, which can include wumpa fruit launchers and magnetic blasts
  • Missiles
  • A machine gun
  • Electric shotgun blasts^TTR
• Can be rocket propelled^TTR
• Can launch items as large as pianos^TTR

Other Vehicles

Ground

• Rolls and can jump in a orb cage⁴
• A scooter^W
• A snowboard^W
• A pogo stick^CB
• A hovercraft^CB
• Drives a tiny tank which can drop mines^CB
• Can drive a boxing mech^BB
• Rides a tiger³

Water

• A jet ski³
• A hovercraft with a weapon^CB
  • Can drop mines^CB

Air

• A plane³
• While hypnotised by N. Trance, uses a flying vehicle which drops missiles, energy beams, and frequently covers itself with a force field^NT
• A space ship which destroys parts of N. Gin's mech with its shots³
  • Breaks asteroids^W
  • Destroys shield generators and space stations with repeated shots^W
  • Can have another spaceship attach to it to increase her firepower^N3
• A rocket-powered device which pulls her through space on a tugline that boosts on hitting wumpa fruit and shoots energy bolts^NT

Other

• Wall runs⁴
• Can grind on rails⁴
• In the ending of Crash Team Racing, sets up an online dating business with a high share price^CTR
  • In the remake, this becomes a game streaming service^CTR-N
• Becomes an esports champion⁴
• In Mind Over Mutant, Coco got corrupted into a titan form through dark mojo. Like this, she leaps up a tall device^MOM
  • Takes hits from a mutant which can freeze and shatter large amounts of water^MOM

Had a blast completing the campaign with an Incinerate Sorceress. After learning the boss mechanics, which I think are some of the best in the ARPG genre, I couldn’t help but wish for my true love - a sword-and-board, battle-tank character.
Aesthetically, I’d be happy with anything, whether it’s a Paladin, Crusader, Black Knight, Hoplite, whatever. Mechanically, I hope for a class emphasizing staying power over mobility, with build diversity styles ranging across negation abilities with significant cooldowns, parry-and-counterattacks with tight timing windows, and regenerate/maintain temporary health to tank incoming damage.
What do you other sword-and-board fans want to see?
Here are some ideas to get the ball rolling:

• Passive skill tree option to turn the dash into a block with a longer invincibility window
  
• Ultimate skill that creates a large invincibility bubble for the party and buffs damage output slightly for those standing in it
  
• Parry skill with a short cooldown and small invincibility window that deals damage and/or high stun as a counterattack to a single target that was successfully parried
  
• Stance-dancing between a high defense/lower damage state and a more standard state
  
• Temporary health buff that can be charged/recharged by channeling the skill, I.e. replenishes quickly over time by holding the skill button
  
• An attack that reduces enemy damage dealt by their next attack if it lands during the enemy’s attack animation
  
• Self-buff (active or passive) that reduces damage of the same type that last damaged the character, I.e. was just hit by physical damage and next sources of physical damage are reduced, then gets hit by fire for full damage and the reduction switches to fire-type damage
  

Comparing Orochimaru-style characters: Marvel: Loki (Marvel Comics) - Like Orochimaru, Loki is a cunning and manipulative character with a thirst for power and immortality. Both characters are willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve their goals and are known for their shapeshifting abilities. DC: Ra's al Ghul - Ra's al Ghul, an adversary of Batman, shares similarities with Orochimaru in terms of their immortality-seeking goals and their willingness to experiment on themselves and others. Both characters are skilled in combat and possess vast knowledge. Dragon Ball: Frieza - Frieza, a major antagonist in Dragon Ball, bears some similarities to Orochimaru in terms of their obsession with power and immortality. Both characters are known for their ruthless nature, willingness to betray allies, and their ability to revive or transfer their consciousness. Bleach: Mayuri Kurotsuchi - Mayuri, a captain in the Gotei 13, possesses a similar scientific and experimental mindset to Orochimaru. Both characters enjoy experimenting on others, pushing ethical boundaries, and have a lack of empathy towards their subjects. One Piece: Caesar Clown - Caesar Clown, an antagonist in One Piece, shares Orochimaru's scientific experimentation and desire for immortality. Both characters are willing to sacrifice others for their own gain and have a knack for manipulation and deception. Digimon: Piedmon - Piedmon, a villain in the Digimon series, shares Orochimaru's penchant for manipulation and desire for eternal life. Both characters are skilled in illusionary techniques and are willing to use others as pawns to achieve their goals. Pokémon: Team Rocket's Jessie and James - While not as dark as Orochimaru, Jessie and James from Pokémon exhibit similar traits of constant scheming and a desire for power. Both characters are known for their persistence and willingness to employ any means necessary to achieve their objectives. Star Wars: Emperor Palpatine - Emperor Palpatine, the primary antagonist in the Star Wars saga, shares Orochimaru's thirst for power and immortality. Both characters are highly manipulative and use others as pawns in their grand schemes. Star Trek: Khan Noonien Singh - Khan, a genetically enhanced superhuman from the Star Trek franchise, exhibits similarities to Orochimaru in terms of his ambition, thirst for power, and disregard for ethical boundaries. Both characters are driven by their desire for superiority. Harry Potter: Lord Voldemort - Lord Voldemort, the main antagonist in the Harry Potter series, shares Orochimaru's quest for immortality and his willingness to perform dark magic and experiments to achieve it. Both characters are feared and known for their ruthlessness.
Comparing Danzo-style characters: Marvel: Alexander Pierce - Alexander Pierce, a character from the Marvel Comics and portrayed by Robert Redford in the MCU film "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," shares similarities with Danzo in terms of their secretive and manipulative nature. Both characters operate behind the scenes, pulling strings to achieve their desired outcomes. DC: Amanda Waller - Amanda Waller, also known as "The Wall," is a character from DC Comics who is often portrayed as a ruthless and morally ambiguous government official. Like Danzo, Waller is willing to make difficult decisions and sacrifices for what she believes is the greater good, even if it means resorting to morally gray tactics. Dragon Ball: Dr. Gero - Dr. Gero, the creator of the androids in Dragon Ball, can be compared to Danzo in terms of their willingness to sacrifice others and manipulate events for their own goals. Both characters operate in secret and are willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve their objectives. Bleach: Sōsuke Aizen - Aizen, the main antagonist in the Bleach series, shares similarities with Danzo in terms of their secretive nature and manipulation of events from behind the scenes. Both characters are highly intelligent and have a knack for planning and orchestrating complex schemes. One Piece: Spandam - Spandam, a high-ranking member of the World Government in One Piece, shares traits with Danzo in terms of their power-hungry nature and willingness to use others as pawns. Both characters are known for their underhanded tactics and lack of empathy towards their subordinates. Digimon: Machinedramon - Machinedramon, a villainous Digimon, can be compared to Danzo in terms of their authoritarian and manipulative tendencies. Both characters seek to control others and are willing to use force and coercion to achieve their goals. Pokémon: Team Rocket's Giovanni - Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket in the Pokémon series, shares traits with Danzo in terms of his secretive nature and manipulation of events. Both characters operate from the shadows, using their organization to achieve their personal ambitions. Star Wars: Grand Moff Tarkin - Grand Moff Tarkin, a high-ranking Imperial officer in Star Wars, exhibits similar traits to Danzo in terms of his authoritative nature and willingness to make ruthless decisions for the sake of the Empire. Both characters prioritize order and control over individual freedoms. Star Trek: Section 31 - Section 31, a clandestine intelligence agency in Star Trek, can be compared to Danzo in terms of their secretive operations and willingness to operate outside of standard protocols for the sake of security and control. Harry Potter: Dolores Umbridge - Dolores Umbridge, a character from the Harry Potter series, shares traits with Danzo in terms of her authoritarian and manipulative nature. Both characters seek power and control and are willing to suppress others to maintain their authority.
Comparing Naruto-style characters: 1. Marvel: Spider-Man (Peter Parker) - Spider-Man shares similarities with Naruto in terms of their youthful energy, determination, and sense of responsibility. Both characters face personal challenges while striving to protect their loved ones and maintain their moral compass. 2. DC: The Flash (Barry Allen) - The Flash, known for his superhuman speed, mirrors Naruto's energetic and optimistic personality. Both characters have a strong sense of justice and use their powers to help others. 3. Dragon Ball: Goku - Goku, the protagonist of Dragon Ball, exhibits similar traits to Naruto, including his determination, strong moral compass, and the desire to protect his friends and loved ones. Both characters have an unwavering belief in their own potential and a never-give-up attitude. 4. Bleach: Ichigo Kurosaki - Ichigo shares similarities with Naruto in terms of their impulsive nature, strong sense of justice, and the willingness to protect their loved ones at all costs. Both characters undergo personal growth throughout their respective stories. 5. One Piece: Monkey D. Luffy - Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, has a similar carefree and optimistic personality to Naruto. Both characters have a strong sense of loyalty, fight for their dreams, and gather friends to support them on their journeys. 6. Digimon: Tai Kamiya - Tai, the leader of the DigiDestined in the Digimon series, shares Naruto's determination, bravery, and willingness to protect his friends. Both characters grow as leaders and develop strong bonds with their companions. 7. Pokémon: Ash Ketchum - Ash, the main character of the Pokémon anime series, embodies Naruto's enthusiasm, determination, and unwavering spirit. Both characters strive to become the best in their respective fields and form deep connections with their Pokémon partners. 8. Star Wars: Luke Skywalker - Luke Skywalker, the iconic Jedi Knight, exhibits similarities to Naruto in terms of their journey from a naive and inexperienced youth to a powerful and compassionate hero. Both characters face personal struggles and ultimately become symbols of hope. 9. Star Trek: James T. Kirk - Captain Kirk, the charismatic leader of the Starship Enterprise, shares Naruto's passion, resourcefulness, and willingness to take risks. Both characters inspire and lead their teams through challenging situations. 10. Harry Potter: Harry Potter - Harry, the titular character of the Harry Potter series, mirrors Naruto's courage, determination, and desire to protect his loved ones. Both characters face overwhelming odds and learn valuable lessons about friendship and sacrifice. Comparing Sasuke-style characters: 1. Marvel: Wolverine (Logan) - Wolverine shares similarities with Sasuke in terms of their brooding and solitary nature. Both characters struggle with their inner demons and carry a deep sense of pain and loss. Additionally, they possess extraordinary abilities and are formidable fighters. 2. DC: Batman (Bruce Wayne) - Batman, known for his dark and driven personality, can be compared to Sasuke in terms of their intense dedication to their goals and their willingness to operate outside the norm. Both characters seek justice but are haunted by their past traumas. 3. Dragon Ball: Vegeta - Vegeta, a Saiyan prince in Dragon Ball, exhibits a similar personality to Sasuke in terms of his pride, desire for power, and intense rivalry with the main protagonist. Both characters undergo personal growth and develop a sense of redemption. 4. Bleach: Byakuya Kuchiki - Byakuya, a captain in the Gotei 13, shares similarities with Sasuke in terms of his stoic and aloof demeanor. Both characters have a complex past and struggle with conflicting loyalties. They prioritize personal missions and can be seen as anti-heroes. 5. One Piece : Roronoa Zoro - Zoro, a swordsman and member of the Straw Hat Pirates, can be compared to Sasuke in terms of his serious and determined nature. Both characters possess great skill in combat and have a strong desire to become stronger. 6. Digimon: Ken Ichijouji - Ken, a character from the Digimon series, shares traits with Sasuke in terms of his initial coldness and desire for power. Both characters undergo a journey of redemption and eventually find their place among friends. 7. Pokémon: Silver - Silver, a rival character in the Pokémon games, exhibits similarities to Sasuke in terms of his abrasive and driven personality. Both characters are initially antagonistic but later show growth and develop a sense of purpose beyond their rivalry. 8. Star Wars: Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) - Kylo Ren, a central character in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, shares traits with Sasuke in terms of his internal conflict, desire for power, and struggle to find his identity. Both characters walk a fine line between light and dark. 9. Star Trek: Spock - Spock, the Vulcan science officer in Star Trek, can be compared to Sasuke in terms of his logical and reserved nature. Both characters grapple with their emotions and have internal struggles that impact their relationships with others. 10. Harry Potter: Severus Snape - Snape, a complex character in the Harry Potter series, exhibits similarities to Sasuke in terms of his brooding and secretive personality. Both characters have a tragic past and their actions are driven by a desire for revenge and protection. Comparing Sakura Haruno-style characters: 1. Marvel: Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) - Black Widow shares similarities with Sakura in terms of their intelligence, strategic thinking, and combat skills. Both characters are determined, independent, and capable of holding their own in dangerous situations. 2. DC: Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) - Wonder Woman can be compared to Sakura in terms of their strength, resilience, and determination. Both characters are skilled warriors and possess a compassionate and caring nature. 3. Dragon Ball: Android 18 - Android 18, a powerful fighter in Dragon Ball, exhibits traits similar to Sakura in terms of her physical strength, determination, and the ability to hold her own in battles. Both characters display a balance of strength and femininity. 4. Bleach: Rukia Kuchiki - Rukia shares similarities with Sakura in terms of their growth as characters and their initial underestimation by others. Both characters possess inner strength, intelligence, and a desire to protect their loved ones. 5. One Piece: Nami - Nami, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, can be compared to Sakura in terms of their resourcefulness, intelligence, and ability to think strategically. Both characters contribute to their teams with their expertise and support. 6. Digimon: Sora Takenouchi - Sora, a character from the Digimon series, shares traits with Sakura in terms of her strong-willed nature, determination, and willingness to step up and protect her friends. Both characters evolve from initially being more reliant on others to becoming self-reliant. 7. Pokémon: May - May, a Pokémon Coordinator in the Pokémon anime series, exhibits similarities to Sakura in terms of her growth as a character and her development of her own skills and abilities. Both characters strive to become stronger and more independent. 8. Star Wars: Leia Organa - Leia, a central character in the Star Wars saga, shares traits with Sakura in terms of her intelligence, leadership skills, and ability to handle herself in difficult situations. Both characters are strong-willed and have a compassionate nature. 9. Star Trek: Seven of Nine - Seven of Nine, a character in Star Trek: Voyager, exhibits similarities to Sakura in terms of her determination, intelligence, and growth as a character. Both characters show resilience and adaptability. 10. Harry Potter: Hermione Granger - Hermione, a central character in the Harry Potter series, shares traits with Sakura in terms of her intelligence, determination, and loyalty. Both characters are driven, capable, and play crucial roles in their respective stories. Comparing Hinata Hyuga-style characters: 1. Marvel: Jean Grey (Phoenix) - Jean Grey shares similarities with Hinata in terms of their shy and reserved nature, as well as their hidden inner strength. Both characters develop into powerful forces and exhibit unwavering loyalty to their loved ones. 2. DC: Raven - Raven, a character from DC Comics, can be compared to Hinata in terms of their quiet demeanor and internal struggles. Both characters possess hidden depths of power and exhibit a gentle and caring nature. 3. Dragon Ball: Gohan - Gohan, the son of Goku in Dragon Ball, shares traits with Hinata in terms of their initial shyness and gentle personality. Both characters possess immense power and show tremendous growth and courage when pushed to their limits. 4. Bleach: Orihime Inoue - Orihime, a character in Bleach, exhibits similarities to Hinata in terms of her kind-hearted nature, shyness, and unwavering loyalty to her friends. Both characters find strength within themselves and show tremendous growth throughout their respective stories. 5. One Piece: Nico Robin - Robin, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece , shares traits with Hinata in terms of her reserved and introverted personality. Both characters have a tragic past and gradually open up and find their place among their friends. 6. Digimon: Kari Kamiya - Kari, a character from the Digimon series, exhibits similarities to Hinata in terms of her quiet and caring nature. Both characters possess inner strength and provide support and encouragement to their friends. 7. Pokémon: Eevee - Eevee, a popular Pokémon known for its multiple evolutionary paths, can be compared to Hinata in terms of its shy and gentle demeanor. Both characters exhibit a quiet strength and have the potential to evolve and grow. 8. Star Wars: Rey - Rey, a central character in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, shares traits with Hinata in terms of her humble beginnings, inner strength, and loyalty to her friends. Both characters undergo personal growth and discover their true potential. 9. Star Trek: T'Pol - T'Pol, a Vulcan science officer in Star Trek: Enterprise, exhibits similarities to Hinata in terms of her reserved and introspective nature. Both characters provide a calm and rational presence within their respective stories. 10. Harry Potter: Luna Lovegood - Luna, a character from the Harry Potter series, shares traits with Hinata in terms of her quiet and unique personality. Both characters possess a kind and caring nature, with a touch of eccentricity, and offer unwavering support to their friends. Comparing Jiraiya-style characters: 1. Marvel: Tony Stark (Iron Man) - Tony Stark shares similarities with Jiraiya in terms of their charismatic and larger-than-life personalities. Both characters possess a playful and confident nature, while also being skilled in their respective fields. 2. DC: Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) - Green Arrow can be compared to Jiraiya in terms of their adventurous and wise-cracking personalities. Both characters have a knack for getting into trouble and possess a deep sense of loyalty to their friends. 3. Dragon Ball: Master Roshi - Master Roshi exhibits similarities to Jiraiya in terms of their perverted and eccentric behavior, as well as their mentorship roles to younger characters. Both characters are powerful fighters with a mischievous side. 4. Bleach: Kisuke Urahara - Urahara shares traits with Jiraiya in terms of his playful and enigmatic nature. Both characters are knowledgeable mentors who provide guidance and support to the main protagonists. 5. One Piece: Silvers Rayleigh - Rayleigh, a former pirate and mentor to the protagonist, exhibits similarities to Jiraiya in terms of his wise and carefree demeanor. Both characters possess vast experience and provide crucial guidance. 6. Digimon: Gennai - Gennai, a recurring character in the Digimon series, can be compared to Jiraiya in terms of his mentorship and wise demeanor. Both characters guide the protagonists and possess hidden depths of knowledge. 7. Pokémon: Professor Oak - Professor Oak, a character from the Pokémon series, shares traits with Jiraiya in terms of his mentorship and adventurous nature. Both characters provide guidance and encouragement to young trainers. 8. Star Wars: Qui-Gon Jinn - Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi Master in Star Wars, exhibits similarities to Jiraiya in terms of his wise and unconventional approach to the Force. Both characters possess a deep understanding of their respective worlds. 9. Star Trek: Jean-Luc Picard - Captain Picard, the captain of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, can be compared to Jiraiya in terms of his charismatic and wise leadership style. Both characters inspire and guide their teams. 10. Harry Potter: Albus Dumbledore - Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series, shares traits with Jiraiya in terms of his wisdom, playful nature, and mentorship role. Both characters possess immense knowledge and provide guidance to young heroes. Comparing Tsunade-style characters: 1. Marvel: Jessica Jones - Jessica Jones shares similarities with Tsunade in terms of their strong-willed and independent nature. Both characters have a no-nonsense attitude and possess remarkable physical strength. 2. DC: Amanda Waller - Amanda Waller, a character in the DC universe, exhibits traits similar to Tsunade in terms of her authoritative and no-compromise attitude. Both characters are strong leaders who make tough decisions for the greater good. 3. Dragon Ball: Android 18 - Android 18 can be compared to Tsunade in terms of their strength, resilience, and no-nonsense personality. Both characters are fierce fighters and demonstrate determination and power. 4. Bleach: Unohana Retsu - Unohana, a captain in the Gotei 13, shares similarities with Tsunade in terms of their healing abilities and calm demeanor. Both characters possess immense skill and are respected leaders. 5. One Piece: Boa Hancock - Hancock exhibits traits similar to Tsunade in terms of her assertive and strong-willed personality. Both characters command respect and have exceptional combat skills. 6. Digimon: Yolei Inoue - Yolei, a character from the Digimon series, can be compared to Tsunade in terms of her determined and assertive nature. Both characters are strong-willed and play crucial roles in their respective groups. 7. Pokémon: Cynthia - Cynthia, a powerful Pokémon Champion in the Pokémon games, shares traits with Tsunade in terms of her strong leadership and formidable abilities. Both characters are respected figures in their respective worlds. 8. Star Wars: General Leia Organa - Leia Organa, a central character in the Star Wars saga, exhibits similarities to Tsunade in terms of her leadership skills, resilience, and determination. Both characters are strong women who command respect. 9. Star Trek: Kathryn Janeway - Captain Janeway, the captain of the USS Voyager in Star Trek: Voyager, shares traits with Tsunade in terms of her strong leadership and determination. Both characters face challenges head-on and inspire their crews. 10. Harry Potter: Minerva McGonagall - McGonagall, a professor and later Headmistress of Hogwarts, exhibits similarities to Tsunade in terms of her strong leadership, no-nonsense attitude, and dedication to her students. Both characters are formidable and respected figures in their respective institutions.

Part 18 A Delicate Situation (Part 1) (Part 17)
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"Aho, Zim, ni je na?" Msko was the first to notice and greet the relatively short, stout, and furry being that just waddled into The Hammer’s Control Center.
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"Ah, Administrator Zimuzari, I am honored you could join us." Atxika's eyes quickly shot up from the holographic display being projected from the table she was leaning on and landed on Kyim'ayik colony leader. "Have you had an opportunity to read through the initial report we sent you?"
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"Hello there, Mkso, Admiral Atxika. It's…" The reddish-brown ball of fur paused his adorable squeaking, half covered his mouth with one of his paws, and let out such a tremendous yawn that Atxika could see both the massive front incisors as well as the not quite as large, but still impressive, set of canines behind them. "My apologies, I woke up less than half an hour ago. But it is good to see you both, as well as an honor and privilege to join you in your Command Center, Admiral."
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"The honor and privilege are mine." Atxika bowed slightly with her pleasant smile still wide. "And I would like to apologize for waking you. It will still be a few days before we arrive at our destination and this strategy meeting could have waited."
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"No, no, no, that's alright." Zim quickly replied with his species' high pitch and chirpy version of galactic common while stretching out and flicking his long, shiny whiskers as he approached the military leaders. "I've already gotten about nine hours of sleep. Skipping the last hour or two has killed me yet! And I’d rather get started on this sooner rather than later.”
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Admiral Atxika had to put in real effort to prevent herself start cooing at the delightful manner with which Zim made his way over to the holo-table and climbed the stool-like chair designed for his anatomy. The long, wide, and flat tail distinctive of the Kyim'ayik was lifted just off the ground and stretched far back to balance the rest of the being’s body weight while the relatively short hind legs carried him along in an awkward, though comfortable, bipedal gait. With the limited range of motion in the squat, fuzzy man’s leg-like arms as he stretched, it was clear his species was more intended for quadrupedal locomotion. Despite that fact, the posture of the Kyim'ayik Administrator while he walked was far more similar to her own, or a human’s, than what she had remembered from her previous interactions with the species. However, as Zim stretched out his back to its full length, adding good chunk to his overall height, and began climbing the stool so he could have a proper view of holographic display, Atxika was suddenly reminded of a domesticated species of vermin-hunting musteloid from her species’ homeworld that were quite popular pets. Even though she knew this furry little man was a well respected guest on her ship, and a being from an Ascended species, she couldn’t get over how adorable he was.
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“I hope you didn’t wake the misses.” Msko commented with a sarcastic tone while shooting the beaver-otter a cheeky wink.
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“Nah, that woman could sleep through an atomic detonation.” Hearing the galactic common word for ‘atomic detonation’ be said with such an endearing squeak was pushing the Admiral to the absolute limits of her self control.
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“I can have some food and refreshments brought, if you like.” Atxika interjected while doing her best to keep her smile from growing too wide and showing all of her teeth.
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“Oh n-” Zim was about to politely decline before Msko interrupted him with a bit too much energy.
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“Yes, please!” The War Chief blurted out. “That restaurant Tens took me to in your Amenities Section was amazing! I knew this ship had a huge manufacturing capability, but I didn’t realize you’d have freshly grown food.”
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“I’ll have the private command facilities prepare something.” The Admiral quickly replied to ensure that Zim couldn’t refuse. “How does a zetloxoni platter sound?”
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“What are-” Zim began to ask before Atxika realized her mistake and explained.
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"Zetloxoni are fish fillets, rolled in a semisweet and highly nutrient-rich grain, and occasionally topped with more fish or other ingredients." The Admiral replied while typing into the display to bring up a holographic representation of the sushi-like dish she was describing. "This is what I was thinking."
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"That actually looks amazing!" The Kyim'ayik ears suddenly perked up and eyes grew wide with delight.
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"Wonderful! It's settled then." Atxika pressed in a few more commands to place the order then tried to redirect the conversation to reason for the meeting. "I find it is often easier to address delicate situations with a clear mind and full stomach."
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"Delicate?" The squeaky reply carried a noticeably sarcastic tone as Zim shifted his attention towards the holographic representation of a planet and saucer shaped ship orbiting it. "That looks like Arnehilians. Ain't nothing delicate about the Grays, except maybe their physical forms."
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"Well, they're definitely Arnehilians but…" Msko interjected with a hesitant tone that caught his Kyim'ayik friend off guard. "We don't think they're Grays."
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There was a second of confused silence as Zim stared into the War Chief's eyes to see if this was a joke. Before Nishnabe could bring himself to explain, however, Atxika chimed in to give the proper explanation.
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"What I am about to say is Level 8 classified information from Military Command and should be treated with the appropriate amount of secrecy. Do you understand?" After an incredibly professional and understanding nod from the Administrator, the Admiral continued. "We have confirmed the existence of a non-aligned, neutral-standing collective of decentralized Arnehilian groups who refer to themselves as, quote, 'the Greens', or the Free People of Sundered Arnehil. According to all reports, they are an ecologically-minded, nomadic, agricultural society who regularly travel in such a way as to avoid any means of tracking or detection by their… less peaceful cousins. However, there are a few who regularly check in with Military Command to avoid potential confrontations. There have been no indications that any of their groups discovered so far are violent, nor even capable of galactic standard levels of self-defense."
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"I thought those rumors were just misinformation or propaganda." Zim was now much more earnest as gazed upon the holographic saucer floating above the planet. "And you say they're even ecologically-minded?"
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"Our drones haven't detected any significant environmental disruptions." Msko sounded far more nonchalant about this situation than his long-time friend was expecting. There was no aggression or anger in his movements as he indicated towards a highlight portion of the holographic planet floating above the table and prompted the display to project a new hologram. "Their settlement is using solar and wind energy to operate their infrastructure and accumulate power reserves. From what we can tell, they're only a week away from finishing their agricultural harvest and two weeks away from their power reserves being fully recharged. If we had been delayed a month, there's a good chance we would have missed them completely."
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“What kind of resource impacts would I have to account for?” The Administrator quickly followed up.
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“Maybe a couple hundred tons worth of basic elements and organic matter.” It was clear Msko had already scoured everything and couldn’t find any reason to be concerned. “But the drones' sensors can’t detect any real difference between now and six months ago. Like I said, if we were delayed a month, we might not have even known they were ever there.”
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"I see…" There was a moment of pause as Zim stared at the highly detailed holographic representation of a temporary settlement located only a couple dozen kilometers from where he had been planning his own colony.
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The two military officers remained silent to give the Kyim'ayik Administrator all the time he needed to think about what he had just been told. Each species, without exception, had some unique form of architectural design and aesthetic, and the variety of buildings Zim was looking at were no different. The extensive use of cheap, easy to produce polymers, the simple, module construction, and rounded, nearly circular, aesthetic to all of the building were all clearly Arnehilian. However, there was something humble, almost intentionally so, about the lack of silver-metal detailing combined with the way the structures simply flowed into the untouched trees around them. Rather than a budding slaver-colony run by beings who thought themselves entitled everyone and everything, this looked like the respectfully maintained dwelling of a temporary guest who wished to remain discreet. Though the Administrator knew his duty to his people would normally demand he evict these uninvited squatters from his land, he couldn’t help but feel something almost kindred in what he was seeing.
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"Have you made contact with them yet?" Zim flatly asked, though he could already guess the answer. "Do they know we're coming?"
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"No and no." Atxika promptly answered, while letting her smile fall into a more professional expression. "Their ship is inactive, seems to be in a state of disrepair, and is currently in a free-floating, low orbit. According to our scans, their ground-based sensor systems are incapable of detecting our reconnaissance drones. However, they would absolutely notice our fleet entering the system."
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"Well, we don't wanna scare them." Zim finally squeaked out with a slightly giggle that sounded more like a chirp. "Reptiles always freak out when you startle them."
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It had been nine hours of working in the greenhouse when Mayor Harideth noticed the young dark gray-skinned, olive-drab clad messenger running towards him at full speed. Though he had known this young woman her entire life, she was a member of her community after all, he had never seen her running this fast. It wasn't the speed of her approach that made him stop what he was doing, rather it was the unadulterated fear plastered across her face. As Nalhilum sprinted down the path between the vertical hydroponic racks, a few of the Arnehilians in the greenhouse took notice, though didn't stop their work. When the young woman came to a sliding halt just in front of the Mayor, it looked like she was about to keel over from exhaustion and stress.
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"My dear, please." Harideth had a genuinely concerned expression on his scaly face as he quickly moved to brace the young woman and prevent her from falling over. "You are too young to give yourself a heart attack running like that. Whatever is happening, you don't need t-"
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"Mayor, we've been detected." The dread that came out of Nalhilum's voice and the tears in her eyes as she looked up at her community leader shattered the man's soul.
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"Do not fear, Nalhilum, my dear. Please sit and rest. We will be fine. I promise." Harideth helped the young woman slowly lower herself into a seated position, plucked a just-ripe fruit from a vine he had been tending, and handed it to her before turning towards the closest other people in the greenhouse. "Maricha, please see to Nalhilum and ensure she recovers. I am needed in my mayoral duties immediately."
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In the few seconds it took for the worker to be at the young woman's side, she had already begun nibbling on the sweet treat, savoring it as this was her last opportunity, and the Mayor had given her a gentle kiss on the forehead then began running out of the greenhouse. Though Harideth felt he had a personal duty to stay at his messenger's side until she had fully recovered and ensured she wouldn't need further assistance, he had a greater duty to his community as a whole. Despite feeling the same fear that he saw in Nalhilum’s eyes, and wanting to ball up and hide with every fiber of his body, he charged as fast as he could towards the town hall building. Though he knew running this fast was not good for his health, especially in his old age and after working all day, the only thing on the Mayor’s mind was the safety and future of the people who trusted him with their lives.
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“Please don’t let it be the Oppressors.” Harideth muttered to himself as he ran as fast as his legs could take him. “By the Gods of Old, please don’t let it be them.”
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For nearly a millennium now, his people had been free of those who flew the red and gray flag and, despite the many hurdles and setbacks, they had found their own form of happiness. After the Dynastic family who had kept his working-class ancestors in literal chains had been dealt a devastating blow when their capital ship was overrun by a group of abducted, pre-Ascension beings, it sparked a revival of the Free People’s ideology in the slave population. Stories of people living together in mutual aid, love, and respect once only told in hushed whispers were shouted from the rooftops as most of the surviving members of the Dynasty were thrown from them. Once all of the slaves of the other species were freed and on their way back to their respective homes, the budding groups of Greens scattered into the interstellar winds to avoid reprisal from other Dynasties which were sure to want revenge. There was even a dream that they would find other groups of Free Arnehilians living among the stars.
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It was a blessing that their rebellion had initially gone unnoticed by the rest of the Arnehilian Dynasties and the greater community as that gave his ancestors time to disperse beyond the ability to be completely tracked down. Even if a few scattered communities eventually met their death or worse, the end of their freedom, there would be some who were able to survive and thrive. Though Harideth had assumed his nomadic village may eventually run into someone, he put a great deal of effort into minimizing that potential. In fact, he chose this very planet as their temporary stopping grounds specifically because it was far out of the way of most civilizations and people. After spending nearly a full season on this beautiful world, he had even started to grow attached to it and was looking for an excuse to postpone their migration in order to facilitate repairs to their ship. Being detected after so long, and with only a few weeks until they would have been ready to leave on their own, was something the Mayor could have never been prepared for.
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“Make a hole!” A person wearing a dull green cap shouted down a rather cramped corridor that Harideth was barreling towards at full speed before quickly pulling back and nodding towards the man as he passed.
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“Thank you, Chuzikum.” Harideth faintly mouthed while darting past the person and into the now cleared passageway that led outdoors.
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Finally outside, the man only slowed his sprint to turn a few corners and avoid running into the few unwary people who had failed to notice him coming. He was less than a hundred meters away from the town hall building housing his destination, the command and control room, and he couldn’t stop now. Regardless of how hard his heart was beating, how much he felt his body overheating from the strain, and how much he wanted to just collapse, he couldn’t fail his people. As the building got closer and closer, Harideth tried to think through all of the possibilities of who it could be that had detected them. Though none of the options that came to his mind were particularly pleasant, from Bendari pirates to Qui’ztar law enforcement or even the Oppressors themselves, he was already trying to work out contingency plans as he finally approached the already open door and his assistant waiting for him beside it.
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“Please close the door behind us, Marlati.” Harideth’s request was just barely audible as he crossed the threshold of the door and was quickly followed by his assistant who did as she was asked. “Who is it and what do they want?”
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“The communication signal we are receiving registers as the Qui’ztar Third Matriarchy, Mayor Harideth.” Marlati quickly and quietly replied as she followed the man towards the command and control room.
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“Oh, thank the Gods.” The Mayor stopped mid step and placed a hand on the wall next to lean and catch his breath for a moment. “This could still be very bad, but it could have also been so much worse.”
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“Um, sir?” The Mayor’s assistant watched him with a hint of concern as she could see how much he was overheating. “Would you like me to get you a cooling pack?”
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“Oh, no, that’s alright.” Harideth stood back up straight and continued towards his final destination, though a bit slower than before. As he turned back to his assistant, he gave a compassionate nod of approval. “You are too kind, my dear. This is just a…” The man’s voice trailed off as his thoughts began to concentrate on a plan of action.
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“A what, sir?” Marlati nervously in a manner which caused the Mayor to look back at her. “I’m sorry sir, but this is the first time this has ever happened in my entire life.”
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“First time for me too, Marlati.” Harideth admitted with a hit of nervous laughter. “But I do know enough about the Qui'ztar to not be issuing an immediate emergency evacuation order.”
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“That’s not very reassuring.” Though the whine that just came his assistant would have been grating in any other circumstance, she was right and the Mayor knew it.
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“That is the name of the game you help some of the children play, something of the magical planets?” Harideth stopped at the door to the room which separated him from his responsibilities as a Mayor.
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“Adventures of the Magical Worlds, sir?”
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“Yes! I believe there is a moral alignment chart in the rules somewhere.” Though it was clear that his assistant didn’t quite know what he was getting, it became incredibly obvious as he explained. “If I remember correctly, everything I’ve read about the Qui’ztar would put them roughly in the ‘hierarchical neutral’ category.”
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“Ah…” The assistance was quite hesitant as she knew what that actually implied. “That still isn’t very reassuring.”
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“They’re here to do a job. And as long as we comply and don’t get in their way, we’ll be fine.” The Mayor was doing his best to hold up his mask of confidence and not let this young feel what he felt.
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“And what if their job is to kill us?”
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“Then they wouldn’t have made their presence known. They would have simply shown up and sent us all to the next life.” However morbid that statement was, it actually did give the Marlati a small sense of real relief in the fact they weren't already dead as the door to the command and control room opened and the pair slowly walked in.
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"Sir! Thank the Gods you're here!" A communications specialist shouted from his seat in front of a terminal towards the Mayor as he quickly approached.
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"Of course, Telucima, I wouldn’t make you talk to them all by yourself." Harideth tried to crack a joke to the young woman behind the terminal in a vain attempt to calm her obviously flustered nerves. Though Telucima’s dark gray skin was never as shiny as a royal's, her face was especially dull and pale at the moment and the Mayor couldn’t help but empathize with her. “Now, please, give me your report. What do we know?”
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“Well…” Telucima made a gulping sound as she swallowed some of the semi-poisonous saliva that had been building up in her mouth as a fear response. “There is a fairly substantial colony fleet headed our way being escorted by the First Independent Fleet of the Third Qui'ztar Matriarchy. They have stated that we are inhabiting an unregistered settlement on a planet that has already been claimed by the Kyim'ayik. However, they have not yet made any demands, claimed our settlement is in violation of any laws, or even made any threats. I am absolutely sure they know who we are, but they didn’t explicitly identify us in their message. I’m not exactly sure what it is going on, but the signal strength and delay indicate they are still a day or two away.”
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“Interesting…” The Mayor commented with a more curious than scared tone while rubbing the top of his head in contemplation. “No demands, threats, or attempts to justify the use of force through galactic law… Is there any way we could get a real-time communications link established?”
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“Sir? You want to talk to them?” Marlati could barely contain her fear as she interjected. “I thought every species hated us, and you want to talk to them?”
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“They hate the bastard Oppressors, Marlati, though maybe not as much as we do.” Harideth knew this would be his one and only chance to make a good impression on what could otherwise be their impending doom and he was doing everything in his power to muster the inner courage needed for this conversation. “They may not know the difference between us and… them… yet. But something tells me they might.”
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“Sir,” Telucima had redirected her attention back to her terminal and was running through the system to facilitate the Mayor’s request, “I can establish a quantum link, though it would require me to activate the relay on the ship. If there are any oppressors nearby, there’s a chance they could detect our presence and attempt to use the trace to track us down.”
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“Do it.” The Mayor ordered with a tone that implied he knew the risks. “I want to see if these Qui’ztar would be willing to allow us to stay for the few weeks required to complete our harvest. Worst comes to worst, we’ll have to start packing everything up early and delay the repairs for another season.”
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The next few moments were nearly silent aside from the sounds of a tapping keyboard and the occasional digitized ping from the terminal. Telucima had begun the task of awakening the ship, configuring the communications channel, and activating the relay through text-based commands on a simple, monochromatic screen, while the other two people clad in simple olive-drab clothing could do nothing but fester in their thoughts. While Harideth was busy planning out how he was going to grovel and beg for permission to finish his people’s desperately needed harvest of fresh food, Marlati was simply doing everything in her power not to shake in fear. When the final confirmation ping came from the terminal and Telucima began pressing her headset tightly to her ears, the faint whispers of a translated voice could be heard.
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“Yes I can understand you…" The communications specialist, though lacking much previous experience in speaking with a member of another species, seemed to be focused solely on her job and not her fear. "Oh no, I'm sorry, this terminal doesn't have that function. It's… Yes, I can absolutely do that. Just give me one moment to set up the connection and I'll be right back with you."
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In a flash, Telucima had taken off her headset, stood from her console, and was moving to a nearby bag resting on a table, much to the shock of the other Arnehilians. Before either the Mayor or his assistant could question the young woman, she was triumphantly holding up her personal data-tablet and was returning to her seat.
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"What-" Harideth began before the young woman cut him off while pulling her tablet into the terminal.
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"Ope, sorry about that, sir." The specialist cut off her mayor and began to explain in a rush. "I was speaking to a communications officer and she wanted an audio-visual feed to link to her commanding officer. This terminal doesn't haven't that functionality, but I can just just patch a link through my tablet. It's got a mic and camera and we can use it as the display."
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“Good thinking, Telucima.” The Mayor laid a gentle, compassionate hand on the woman’s shoulder after she had placed the tablet at a good angle and sat back into her chair to type in the commands. “I knew you were the right person for this job.”
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“It was the communications officer’s idea, sir.” Telucima couldn’t help herself but to be honest regardless of the praise. “I’m just glad there were instructions for this kind of patch in the training manual. It should just take a moment to load.”
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When the relatively small screen came to life in front of the Mayor’s face, he saw three faces looking back at him with expectant eyes, and he froze in shock. Though none of the expressions looked out right hostile, he could tell none of those individuals would tolerate anything less than submission. Despite only ever seen descriptions of the being he was now looking at, all three could easily be identified. Even without his tail being visible, the furry, large-toothed person on the right was clearly a Kyim'ayik. The large, mostly-hairless, blue primate with pronounced tusks in the middle was, without a doubt, a Qui'ztar of particularly high rank. However, the not-as-large, similarly hairless, but copper-brown primate on the left was a species Harideth had a special fear, and particular reverence, for.
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“Are… Are you a Nishnabe?” Harideth stammered out before even introducing himself or allowing these beings to introduce themselves, which prompted the Qui’ztar and Kyim'ayik to turn to the now confused human.
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“Yes…” Msko replied hesitantly. “I take it you are aware of my people?”
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“Aware…” Harideth couldn't stop the heartfelt smile from forming across his scaly face. “You… Your people… the Vanquishers of Tyrants, the Bane of Oppressors, the Unstoppable Rage, and the Saviors of the Oppressed… Your people are the reason my people have been blessed with a thousand years of freedom!”

Pushed into fight mode after years of trying to be gentle with it holding it in my hands I wanna throw it at the wall and watch it splatter
I’m angry at them I’m angry at what they left me with I’m angry at them for not understanding for not being able to see. I’m angry at the slander I’m angry at big happy families that love each other with their smiling faces
I’m at my wits end I’m trying to find things to cope with but i can’t find a long term thing mainly because i feel like everything is pointless cause I don’t have that kind of enthusiasm right now
I wanna drink and smoke and ease these feelings but i know I’ll abuse it
I’m angry because I’m so fucking sad and i can’t permanently fill this hole inside of me
And I’m tired of feeling these things because my “dad” used me for his sick fantasies and my oldest brother was on his way to becoming his dad my “mom”didn’t care about anything knowing
I didn’t ask for this but I’m stuck with it while they’re out living like it never even happened
As much as I try to put on a face I’m tired of masking and hiding to “fit in” and be “normal” and “likeable” cause the real truth is that no one cares , they can give me a hopeful sentence , or an encouraging dialogue but it’ll just fade into the void.
No one wants this shit in their hands and I don’t blame them everyone has their plates full and i get it, that’s life but damn
And if I did I’ll feel like I’m letting them see me naked and that triggers something in me from my past of being seen and discarded
it’s draining me physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically
I can’t even trust anyone anymore cause I feel like they’re out to get me somehow, if they know my parents and siblings they’re side winders tryna get a piece of my life to retrieve back to them cause I cut them out of my life
I’m seeing things that aren’t there but i tell myself who’s to know for sure? Maybe it’s true but maybe it’s not did you see that they hate you did you hear that they’re degrading you they’re laughing at you
they’re talking about how you don’t leave your room They’re talking about your depleting self hygiene they’re judging you they’re judging you you’re not doing it right you’re failing you’re failing
you’re failing
FUCK
I really am just trying my best…

I can't stand it. I wish I could forget everything but it's messed me up so much and caused so much pain and I feel like it's suffocating me.
In a way it's my own fault. I let this person into my life again and again because every time they promised it would be different. But it never was. They'd show up, we'd reconnect, they'd somewhat apologize (without ever really taking accountability or acknowledging the damage they'd done), and stupid me would forgive them every time, because I trusted them, loved them, and cared about them, and so badly wanted things to work. When things were great they were really great, and I felt like there was so much potential there that we never managed to reach because things somehow always went wrong. And every time they promised it would be different and that they wouldn't do it again.
For the first few weeks they'd build me up. Make me out to be special and important to them, and it felt so good. I'd be so happy to be a part of things, to feel like I really mattered. To feel like I belonged somewhere. I'd have hope. Such a nice feeling, hope. Every time they'd have a new villain, as well...someone they were somehow involved with when they were away from me, who went from someone they loved to an enemy...and every time I'd blindly believe it and support them...because I cared and wanted to be good to them.
Then after a few weeks of things being great, there would always be a shift. Suddenly we go from spending so much time together to hardly any, or I'm being given the could shoulder with a million excuses as to why. Suddenly I'm confused and lonely and miss them, because they're hardly ever around anymore. Suddenly we're butting heads more, because everything I say is somehow wrong, and my attempts to explain myself or stand up for myself fall on deaf ears. I'm always the problem somehow, they're never at fault, but I'd try my best to explain myself and do things right. I'm constantly confused and hurt, telling them I miss them, asking to spend time together, doing everything to prove my loyalty and care, and they say they appreciate it and miss me too and yet nothing changes. No effort is made to be there for me or actually show that they care. Their words of affirmation feel empty with no actions to back them up.
Then it would go from bad to worse. Suddenly we're having full blown arguments. Suddenly I'm being accused of things and not even being told what, vague accusations that make no sense, and it doesn't matter what I say in defense of myself because they have their mind made up and their truth is all that matters. Suddenly they're spreading lies about me and what kind of person I am, speaking poorly of me to others, often for no reason but their own paranoia that eventually turns everyone into an enemy somehow.
And then they're gone, and I'm left completely broken yet again.
Then a few months later it happens again. Without fail. For several years now.
A while back I told myself I could never do this again. No more. But then they showed up and I folded so quickly. Because I'd missed them, and had the hope it could be different that time. That potential there, I wanted to reach it and have everything be okay. Because when things were good they were so good, and I just wanted things to stay good. They promised it wouldn't happen again this time, they promised. And I trusted them. I believed that they meant it and cared about me and loved me like I loved them, and that everything would be okay this time. No more of this cycle of bullshit. No more fear and pain and confusion. They knew the damage they'd caused last time. They knew I'd made suicide attempts and was diagnosed with PTSD. They knew the utter terror they'd instilled in me and promised it would be different this time.
So I let myself get so close again. I got closer than I should have, and I let myself be sloppy at times, because they promised they'd never do it again and I believed them. It would be okay, whatever happened we would work through it. Because they promised. They know the pain they caused and promised it wouldn't happen again.
But then it did. Of course it did. And I feel so used and broken.
It's been a few months now. Some days are better and I can almost forget. But some days I feel so suffocated and don't know what to do. How could they do this to me again and again? How could they know the pain they put me through and promise not to do it again, then do it anyway? How can you do that to someone you claim to love and care about? How? How could you?
And I'm so stupid for letting it happen. I'm stupid for trusting and believing them. I'm so stupid. I just wanted things to be okay. I just wanted everything to live up to that potential and be good, like how I knew it could be. Even though I knew it never lasted. I'm so stupid. What right do I have to complain when I did this to myself?
And I can't stand knowing that in their mind, they've done no wrong. I can't stand knowing that they cannot and will not admit their fault in things. I can't stand that they're incapable of taking accountability or admitting the damage they've caused others. I can't stand knowing that they refused to even say the word sorry for the most simple things. I can't stand knowing that to them I'm going to be another villain for them to tell others about, the way they'd always tell me about their previous villain. I can't stand knowing they say untrue things about me and paint me as something I'm not to everyone else they know. I can't stand knowing that they told people I was a shitty person who didn't want to be helped, because I turned down their sanctimonious attempts to "fix me" all the time. I can't stand knowing that they surely talk shit about me to others, the way they'd always talk shit about others to me. I can't stand knowing that they have an online presence with a decent following, of people who adore them, but who don't know them well enough to know the truth. I can't stand that they can so easily do this to me, and others, repeatedly, while always believing they're the victim and that others are at fault. I can't stand knowing that I love them and care about them and so badly just wanted things to work out, but to them I'm just another villain. I can't stand that when I told them "I don't have these problems with other people, I don't understand why this always happens" they didn't believe me. I can't stand knowing that their paranoia and suspicion will make them do this to people again and again and again, the way they've already done to me and other so many times, while being completely unable to ever recognize or admit that they're the one in the wrong. I can't stand that they so often talk about what a good person they are, while so easily doing this to people they claim to love.
I can't stand that I'm destroyed and they probably don't even care.
And most of all, I can't stand that I worry they're right. I can't stand that every time I vent about how I feel, I hear their words echoing in my head, saying I was playing victim and making excuses. That I needed to just do better. Even though I've been doing everything I can to better myself for years - taking medication, doing therapy. Even though I have aspergers and have hardwired behaviours that literally cannot be changed. I can't stand that I worry they were just doing their best to make it work but I'm just too much and too awful. I can't stand the fact that I'm so terrified I'm the one being unreasonable here, that I'm demonizing them and being unfair, when they were right about me being the problem all the long. I can't stand that I'm so scared they actually are a wonderful person and I'm just an asshole making their behaviour into something it actually isn't. I can't stand that I don't know what is true or what to believe. I can't stand that I feel so lost and confused and crazy and that my sense of self is so shattered. I can't stand that I feel like I have no right to feel that way, in case they are innocent and/or right about me being the problem. I can't stand that I'm so lonely but terrified to connect with anyone, in the event this happens again and I get hurt like this again, or in the event that I am the awful person they made me out to be, who would be better off not subjecting others to having to deal with me. I can't stand knowing that they'd be appalled to read any of this, because they think they've done nothing wrong. I can't stand the constant worry that maybe that's true and I'm the one at fault. I can't stand that I can look at all the evidence of them being a horribly toxic person who uses others and still can't bring myself to fully believe they're the problem here.
I can't stand knowing that if they contacted me again apologizing, my stupid useless ass would believe them and trust them and let it happen all over again. Just hoping it would be okay this time. Hoping. Enjoying things being good while it lasts, because it never lasts.
Sorry for such a long, messy rant.
I don't know what to do. I just want them out of my head. I'm a shell of what I used to be.

He had expected this sooner rather than later, and it hurt to see.
He knew it wasn't going to work.
The Galactic Assembly was full of aliens, not humans. The things that got humanity's attention were the same sort of things that tended to scare the GA.
But of course, the average human couldn't have known that, and with their tendency to change creatures around them to become more human, the aliens with which they worked didn't see it either.
They were doing the right thing, but going about it the wrong way.
Still, that didn't stop his feelings of sadness and empathy for their plight.
Walking with Sunny, standing on the buddy pegs attached to her back, and examining the protest encampment around him, he couldn't help but be impressed by their bravery.
He knew for a fact that if he was in their shoes, he would be way more likely to hide, lie to everyone around him, and even himself.
But here they were out in the open, a shining beacon of defiance against the GA.
It was a difficult situation, of course he supported the GA wholeheartedly, and he always would, and with that support came an understanding.
But that didn't mean that he had to agree with them.
They were scared.
And people tend to lash out at things that scare them.
As it turns out, that seemed to be a common factor across the galaxy.
He reached down, hand caressing the tear gas canisters at his belt and the accompanying gas mask. He prayed, just PRAYED that he wouldn't have to use them, but how was he to know what would happen. When people got righteously angry about something they tended to act up, and when thrown into a group of like-minded people, the pack mentality was overwhelming.
He wanted everything to go well, he wanted them to make their point, to prove that they were the moral superiors, demonstrate to the GA that they weren't militant, and all they wanted was peace.
That was the sort of thing that would get across to the GA.
But with humans involved... He didn't really have much hope.
He glanced around at the assembled tents, looking for any sign of trouble.
He didn't see much, just the limp white flags, with the LFIL logo printed proudly on their front.
Still keeping an eye on his surroundings, he leaned against one of Sunny's shoulders.
"So, what do you think about this whole thing?"
Sunny turned her head to look at him, gold eyes and blue carapace glittering with the yellow sheen of the Rundi sky.
She shrugged, setting him a little off balance. She grabbed his feet to steady him as she continued up a small incline.
"It doesn't bother me, and I suppose I understand them."
"Oh?"
"Imagine finding someone you connect with, someone who understands you more than anyone ever has. Imagine a Drev finding the greatest warrior in the galaxy, and then... Just having to suffer knowing you can never be with them. Granted none of the other species ever would have considered it an option without the humans, but now.... It makes sense. You connect with someone well enough, then beyond that there isn't much you can do. And now the GA has prohibited that."
"I agree with you completely, but let me play devil's advocate for a moment. They aren't even the same species, without the same genetics. It wouldn't be physically possible to produce a viable offspring wouldn’t it?”
She turned her head to look at him.
"And how does it work for your brother David and his husband Jordan?"
He laughed,
"Ok, ok, poor question."
"Adoption is a relevant option. Plus, this is coming from the guy who lent his DNA to some alien."
"Arguably she stole it, but I get your point."
They turned another corner scanning the crowd,
"Hear me out though. Humans are... Well, you know how humans are. They need... uhhm uhhh you know…”
Adam got a little red,
”…Affection and intimacy... How does that even... Work?"
"Oh, I am sure some human has found a way, besides, humans and Drev aren't so different in that regard..."
He tilted his head to look at her,
"How the hell do you know that?”
"Got into a discussion with Krill. He thinks it's possible, though he would never tell you humans. He already thinks you do a ton of stupid stuff anyway."
”Oh really what is he expecting? I don’t think anyone from our crew would jump at the opportunity to do it with a Drev be it man or woman… Besides with all these tall as hell Drev males, human women wouldn’t have much fun either would they?”
”Considering males who would be interested, aren’t you good friends with Ramirez? Why don’t you ask him, maybe he knows someone?”
”Okay damn fair point… but the female argument still stays.”
”Krill did some research, I swear I never saw him so… done with humans. He looked like he would drink away his sorrow to forget everything… if his body could tolerate alcohol.”
”So what did he find out about this time?”
”After another particularly massive aggressive rant about how and I quote “shitting freaking goddamn incredibly punk-ass weird” you humans are, he said some weird words in a context I didn’t understand. So, do you know what a dragon is and can you tell me why it is so bad?”
”Hmm what… wait a second…”
”…”
”Oh shit…”
”So?”
"So uhmmm uhhh, let’s stop with humans and talk about Drev again okay? Don't you Drev guys also have a mating season?”*
"We did, but it was actually based on the magnetic fluctuation of our planet in time with the seasons. Now that we don't have that anymore, things are out of whack."
"Huh, I didn't know that."
"You never asked."
"Because that is a totally normal thing to ask someone. Hello, my name is Adam, and I am actually very curious about how... That stuff... works on your planet."
"That stuff, huh?"
He rolled his eyes,
"I was sheltered ok, give me a break."
They came to a stop at a crossroads, and Adam stepped down from her back and onto the dirt, tilting his head to listen, trying to detect any signs of a disturbance.
As of yet there was nothing.
He turned to the left, down another line of tents, passing into a more populated area of the protest encampment.
People wearing specially made clothing, with the LFIL logo, shirts, scarves, bandannas, jackets, hats etc. etc. walked about, openly with their alien companions, a few even brave enough to show overt affection towards each other.
A human hugging a Tesraki, while another stood on a box to kiss the cheek of their Drev partner.
"Now that, is something I couldn't do."
He said to Sunny, as they walked past.
"Kiss someone?"
"No, Kiss someone three to four feet taller than me. Way too much work."
"How do you know, maybe climbing up three feet would be worth it?”
Eyes followed them nervously as they walked past, their riot gear marking them as “the enemy”.
"I would rather not be in danger of twisting my ankle every time I wanted to show someone affection, thanks."
"You twist your ankle all the time anyway."
"That's my point. If I twist my ankle now, imagine what would happen if I had to do acrobatics on a regular basis."
They came to a halt as a group of protesters paraded in front of them holding up picket signs.
One of the protesters turned to glare at him,
"We aren't doing anything illegal!”
Adam held up his hands,
"I know. I'm just security to make sure no one gets hurt.”
The other human didn't seem convinced, angrily grabbing their alien companion around the waist before marching off.
The Tesraki looked uncomfortable, looking back at them apologetically.
Though Tesraki were generally cutthroat businessmen, they tended towards extreme submissiveness in relationships with humans.
Adam stepped through the gap left by the protesters and continued walking.
As they did, they early ran into a group of kids selling little white flags and bandannas.
They pulled to a halt, eyes widening in surprise and shock.
A young Tesraki pulled to a halt with them looking as if he was about to panic and run off.
However, the kid at the front's eyes widened and a big smile crossed his face,
“Holy shit! You, I know you!"
Adam smiled,
"You do now?"
"Yeah , yeah you're in that movie. You, you command the UNSC fleet."
For some reason, that exclamation calmed the other kids, and they squealed, shouting and asking for a picture. Of course, he was happy to oblige, posing with them for their pictures. Sunny stood to the side, happy to watch though she was dragged in for the next set of pictures once they realized who she was.
"What are you doing here?"
One of them asked, glancing down at his clothing. When she saw what he was wearing her smile was falling,
"You... aren't here to stop us, are you?"
Adam shook his head,
"No, of course not, protesting isn't illegal."
He motioned to Sunny with his other hand,
"Sunny and I are just here to make sure that you guys stay safe, and that no one gets hurt.”
Sunny nodded. One of the more skeptical looking teens looked up at him,
"How do we know you aren't here to stop us. You work for the GA after all."
Adam shrugged,
"I don't have much else to prove, other than my word."
The skeptic looked at them, a wicked smile appearing on her face,
"I know."
She reached into her cart and pulled out one of the bandannas,
"Wear this!”
It was clear she expected him to balk at the idea, but to her surprise, he smiled,
"Alright, sounds reasonable."
He held out his arm, and watched, still smiling as she tied it around his upper arm still glowering at him skeptically,
"Think you can spare one for my big friend?"
He patted Sunny on the arm.
That broke her skepticism, and she smiled openly, handing a second one over to him, which he tied around one of Sunny's upper arms.
He waved a goodbye to them, and stepped back up onto Sunny's back, walking away with her.
"That was nice of you."
He shrugged,
”Not really. I honestly agree with them. The GA has no right to tell them who they can and cannot be with. I know they have some reasons, but I feel like there is a better way of dealing with it."
Sunny hummed deep in her throat,
"Uh-huh, or you really just want a really tall girlfriend."
He sighed,
"Honestly I'd settle for any size girlfriend if I could just talk to her like a normal person without sticking my foot in my mouth. No Maverick and Dr. Katie do not count…"
"Your incompetence with women is acrobatic."
"I'm glad you're impressed.”
Together, they continued their slow circle around the encampment, drawing suspicious and confused eyes as they went. Sometimes they were recognized, and occasionally people would ask to take pictures with them, other times, they just wanted to talk.
The variety of people was... astounding.
A barely five foot human with a nine foot Drev.
A group of humans and a group of Tesraki.
A lawyer and a Finnari.
Two couples both as business partners with a Tesraki half.
They were young and old male-female, in all different pairings.
Old soldiers, and young students.
It was honestly quite stunning.
At one point they stopped off for water and ran into a massive bodybuilder with his Drev girlfriend, whose carapace at any other time would have marked her as ugly for a Drev.
At first Sunny felt bad for her, with her muddy brown carapace, mat without any shine.
The man turned and handed Adam some water.
”Here better stay hydrated brother!”
Adam raised the bottle,
"Thanks."
The man looked him over, eyeing the bandanna around his arm.
"Interesting accessories for a GA affiliate."
"You can work for someone and disagree with them."
The man laughed,
"I suppose that's true."
He greeted Sunny as well, who was trying not to stare at the other female Drev for too long, lest it seem like she was staring.
He motioned to the arm band,
"Supporter, or-"
His eyes flicked between Adam and Sunny.
"We're just here to make sure everyone stays safe."
Off to the side the mat Drev looked at Sunny,
"I'm sorry."
Sunny glanced over at her nervously,
"Sorry for what?"
"You must have been treated very poorly on Anum."
Sunny shuffled her feet awkwardly,
"I was alright I guess..."
"Regardless. I hope things work out for you. The Drev beauty standards are unfair, and things need to change."
Sunny wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to feel about that.
"They aren't so bad."
She ventured defensively.
"Then I am sure you are getting combat offers left and right with your coloring.”
Sunny went quiet again. She would have said this was passive aggressive, but the Drev didn't do passive aggressive, so was this just an open statement about how ugly she was? If that was the case, it kind of hurt.
"I have, because I am an experienced warrior."
Her voice was cold.
"Oh, so where is your partner?"
"I turned them down."
That seemed to surprise the female Drev.
Sunny felt her fists clench, but Adam placed a hand on her arm. She was quiet,
The two humans exchanged a look, the way that only humans can, speaking without actually saying anything.
”C’mon babe, lets look a little bit around and let these two be… It was nice meeting you brother! Also… good luck man…”
The human bodybuilder turned around, taking the Drev by one of her hands to lead her away.
Adam took Sunny by the arm and raised his water at the man,
"Uhm what? Huh anyway, good luck to you too?"
Before turning to walk away, the other Drev cut in at the last second.
"I hope you find a worthy battle partner."
Adam Squeezed Sunny's arm tighter, but she turned her head anyway snapping,
"I already have."
Before marching off without another word.
Adam was forced to scamper after her, his legs much shorter.
"Wow, wow, hold your horses!”
She finally slowed to a stop, still fuming.
"Who the hell does she think she is!?”
"Sunny-."
"Calling me ugly to my face!"
"Sunny-"
"I should have challenged her to a duel right then and there!"
"Sunny!?”*
She turned to look at him,
"What!?"
He climbed back up on her back, patting her shoulder,
"She was obviously just insecure and jealous. I mean come on, look at you, blue is the rarest color in the galaxy and most attractive for a Drev, and we all know that height is the least important attribute of Drev beauty standards. The better you can fight, the more you make up for it, besides it's not her fault that she can't accept someone as being valid unless they are in a pair."
Sunny grunted. He frowned,
"Speaking of which, coming from her it seems like a double standard. You fight with me, and I'm fucking awesome, so by default you have to be too."
"Wow Adam, you really know how to make a person feel better."
"I know."
[…]
They were crossing back to the other side of the encampment, when they ran into some familiar faces.
Ramirez and Maverick appeared from the crowd, waving the two of them down with greeting hands.
They pulled to a stop, and the commander motioned to the white bandanna on Ramirez's arm,
"Nice accessories."
"I like yours too."
"I didn't know you were a supporter?”
Ramirez laughed,
"Man I am a supporter of whatever the hell people want to do with themselves."
Off to his side Maverick had tied one of the white bandannas to her belt.
"And you?”
"Personally, I don't give a shit. I don't even think it should be an issue, but by banning it, the GA created a problem for themselves and took away the freedom of choice for these people. Even if I did disagree with what they are doing, I would still support their ability to make that choice for themselves."
She tugged on the bandanna,
"But hey, would I be wearing this otherwise?”
The commander nodded his head, surprised and pleased at his men for being so open minded, though he supposed it should make sense. They worked with aliens every day. Where others might have fostered a sense of fear based on unfamiliarity, they had experience.
"Let’s just hope this all goes over well tomorrow. I don't want to have to use any of this."
He motioned down to his gear.
The commander sighed.
"Isn't that like the catch 22 thing?”
Loyal to one side.
Sympathetic to the other.
Empathetic to both.
He would be relieved when it was finally fixed.
Though how he could help was beyond him.
[...]
"Please everyone, calm yourselves. The Galactic Assembly is addressing the issue as we speak."
The crowd roiled and churned like the bubbles in a pot of boiling water. Flags waved and voices rose high into the air.
The chanting increased in fervor.
"Please!"
The Rundi struggled to raise his voice high enough to be heard over the crowd, who only grew with strength and intensity.
Commander Vir keyed his mic,
"Delta units to the GA side of the crowd, some of these protesters are looking extremely agitated. Let's make sure they don't do anything we're all going to regret.”
He stood with his back to the GA chambers, its wide arching courtyard devoid of life, except for those unfortunate Rundi ordered to carry messages from one side of the compound to the other, otherwise they tried to keep their distance from the front facade of the building and the churning mass of protesters.
White flags waved and fluttered.
Commander Vir held the energy shield with one arm, pressing it back firmly against the crowd, so they could not pass the dedicated marking point.
"Commander, the crowd over here is getting violent."
He grimaced and reached a hand down to open the line,
"Stun them and let them calm down, do NOT catch anyone else in the crossfire. We do not want this escalating."
"Yes sir."
Something pushed against his shield and he grunted, pushing back.
The white bandanna on his arm was pressed against the clear blue force field and helped to at least confuse the crowd before them.
And luckily, they would be kept too confused to get violent.
The aliens among the human protesters helped as well.
If this was on earth, things would have broken out into a riot by now, but the Drev the Tesraki and the Finnari tended to be more levelheaded when it came to these kinds of things, and they managed to reign in their humans from doing something stupid.
He closed his eyes tight for a second, praying that the GA would rethink their position.
It hurt him to watch these people struggle like this.
It just felt so strange that anyone should be here in the first place.
Beside him, Sunny had taken control of two young humans who were getting a bit more than rowdy,
"Let’s keep this a protest, and not a riot."
She growled, giving them a look that would have made anyone quell in their boots. It sort of made him half smile, Sunny was such a badass, he wanted to be more like her when he eventually grew up.
His thoughts were cut off, as the crowd churned a bit, pressing into his shield.
He keyed his mic again, prepared to go over the loudspeaker and tell them that if they didn't calm down he was going to turn this protest into a mass nap time.
He had the power to do that if things got out of hand, though he honestly didn't want to.
The GA needed to see this.
He was so preoccupied with the crowd, that he barely noticed as the Rundi ran up from the inside of the compound, flying forward on its long spindly legs.
It stopped by the first Rundi to say something, and the conversation that passed between them didn't look particularly encouraging.
HIs heart sank into his stomach.
He felt... Surprisingly disappointed, very sad for all those people who were going to get their day ruined.
The Rundi waffled around at the front of the crowd for a bit before turning and looking over to where he stood.
Oh great.
The Rundi walked over, and he backed off from the crowd, allowing Sunny to take a step in his place with her shield at the ready.
The people looked as if they were about to start something, but seeing her expression, they decided not to.
He dropped his shield and lowered his head to hear the Rundi over the roaring of the crowd.
"The GA is not budging."
The Rundi whispered,
"They are asking the protesters to leave."
Adam growled in frustration.
Behind him someone in the crowd pointed at him,
"They're saying no aren't they!?”
Others took up the call, and soon enough the rest of the crowd had been alerted. Adam was forced to run back to support Sunny, as everything suddenly grew more intense.
Fights were breaking out on the left and the right.
People were hitting the ground as the guards were forced to stun them.
That only agitated the rest of the crowd who also began to buck and fight.
Adam keyed the mic for real this time, filling the intervening space with his booming voice,
”ALL OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW OR I WILL STUN YOU ALL."
The aggression in the crowd died down, though the anger remained sizzling at the surface.
Overhead clouds passed over the sun, before him the crowd roared like a wave, and behind him the GA council chambers were as silent as a ghost town.
"LISTEN, QUIET DOWN ALL OF YOU."
It sort of felt as if he was floating.
The world around him hardly seemed real though that was not the best way to explain it.
The crowd died down a bit,
"You may not understand this! And I have said it before, but these are not humans. Protests don't work on them. When they see a group of angry humans, they get scared and when they get scared, they double down even further. I know it does not make any sense to you NOT to protest for what you believe in, but if you are going to do this, you MUST remain civil. Even now the GA is frightened by you. They don't believe you are rational, and they are not going to listen to you if this keeps up."
The crowd had quieted down to a milling sort of confusion.
"Then what should we do!"*
The shouting came from somewhere and in anger, though he couldn't pinpoint the source.
In frustration he nudged Sunny, and she allowed him to climb on her back as he had before.
The crowd could see him now, and he could see them for the most part.
He waved them down trying to cut off the others who had taken up the chant.
"I understand what you are trying to do, and I support your efforts, but you are only hurting ourselves. The GA can only be won by rational discussion."
"The GA won't see any of our representatives. They are debating only on their own facts and opinions."
One of the crowd's people snarled. The call was echoed and Adam stared at them in shock,
"Wait what!? Are you serious?”
There was a muttering throughout the crowd.
"For fuck's sake."
He muttered under his breath,
"The Rudi think none of us are high ranking enough to be allowed into the council chambers, and none of the representatives will take up our cause. The human ambassador thinks we are disgusting, so she won't do anything and says she won’t represent our minority."
The muttering through the crowd grew louder.
Adam looked around, head turning to see all the angry faces, blushed with red, or streaked with tears.
These people were frustrated, and hurt, and he understood why.
This wasn't right!
He closed his eyes again and took another deep breath.
What was he thinking!?
He stepped down from Sunny's back and walked over to one of the protestors in the front row, pointing to his large flag on a pole that was about eight feet tall.
"May I borrow your flag?"
The protester stared on at him in confusion,
"What, why?"
"Because, I am going to give you the representative you need."
[…]
Commander Vir and Sunny walked alone down the length of the GA outer courtyard.
A billowing white flag streamed lazily over his head, suspended there by way of the pole which rested heavily on his shoulder. The white of the fabric had been marred now by many colors as hundreds of rushed signatures had been scrawled on its face.
He was armed with the backing of a thousand protesters, a hundred signatures, and more than a few dozen stories.
Sunny turned her head to look at him, and he fancied that maybe he saw an expression of pride in her eyes, though she didn't say much except,
"Pretty brave."
He didn't feel very brave, and as they walked through the front doors of the GA atrium, his hand was shaking against the cold metal of the flagpole.
He was stopped by a pair of Rundi guards on his way into the chamber, but was let in after they recognized who he was.
He could hear voices up ahead, and the sounds of the protest going on outside had all but died away,
"They have proven that they cannot be civil, and based on the humanizing effect, we can assume they will do similar things to any non-human lifeform that they encounter."
"I may not agree with their decision counselor, but that sounds like your prejudice against humans is seeping through."
There was an uproar in the council chamber.
He paused for a moment, staying with Sunny just out of line of sight and took a deep breath.
She lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Here goes nothing."
He muttered, before stepping his way out onto the GA floor.
At first no one noticed his presence as he made his slow way into the center of the circle, but his large, white flag soon changed that.
The council chambers went silent.
The chairwoman stood,
"Commander, what are you doing here. Shouldn't you be taking care of the protesters?”
His lips drew into a thing line,
"With all due respect councilwoman, I am."
He rammed the flagpole against the stone, sending a loud cracking sound out and around the wide atrium silencing the council,
"I have been made aware that you refuse to see their representatives based on a ranking issue, well I assume my rank is high enough."
The Human rep leaned forward,
"Commander, this is not your place!”
He shot her a look,
"Then whose place is it counselor? I heard a certain democratic counselor refuses to speak for them because they are and I quote “a too small and insignificant minority”…”
He turned his head in a wide arc at the watching crowd,
"Counselors, you have known me, longer than you have known any human currently in this galaxy. You understand that I know your rules and your customs. You understand that I have only ever striven to protect and uphold the GA and the planet's it encompasses. I have thwarted wars, signed treaties, and broken my own body for your best interests."
There was silence about the room.
"Will you let me speak now, with the understanding that my loyalty has never wavered from you, and never will?”
The silence continued.
Aliens understood the power of human loyalty.
Or at least they should…
The chairwoman took a seat,
"Very well, commander."
He lifted his head, feeling his heart slow as he took a few deep breaths. There was a muscle in his face that had begun to twitch, like it always did if he was extremely angry or nervous, but he held it down,
"I understand you are frightened, and I understand that you are confused, but I want you to know first of all that those people outside are good average people. They don't mean you any harm. They are hurting, and they are afraid for themselves, and they are trying to get your attention. Historically, humanity has used protests to right the injustices of government to combat prejudices brought on by one's sex or the color of their skin. You must understand that they see this as an impingement on their happiness and a decision made out of line."
There was a murmur around the room.
"So, I ask you now, that I may, perhaps, answer your questions and ease your worries. Why are you so against them?"
"It's unnatural."
It was the Bran representative that had spoken, and he did it quite emphatically.
"Why?"
The commander asked,
"Because they aren't even the same species."
"So?"
The Bran seemed caught off guard,
"They... It's not natural. They can't reproduce, so it isn't... A thing that should be done."
The commander shrugged,
"So if one can't reproduce then they aren't natural? I see a couple issues in that logic relating to prejudices against people with infertility."
There was a murmur around the room.
"So, they can't reproduce, so what? You know who we can reproduce with though... Adaptids."
There was a sort of hushed exclamation form around the room.
The commander shrugged,
"They can't have kids.... Hardly a good enough argument to bring to the floor of a government discussion."
"What he is trying to say is that this practice equates itself to bestiality. It is utterly disguting!"
It was the human representative this time, and she stared at him with her eyes narrowed in anger.
He kept his cool, though he very much did not like her.
"That is absolutely disgusting and wildly insulting of you because that implies that one or both parties are no better than animals, beasts as you will."
The room was silent,
"So which one is it, are humans animals, counselor, are the Finnari or the Rundi animals?"
He turned to the Drev counselor,
"Are the Drev just dumb animals that have no understanding, and no decision making abilities?”
The Drev representative stood, angrily cracking his spear against the stone,
"We are most certainly not!"
The commander held up his hands,
"Then what is so bestial about it? Bestiality is absolutely disgusting because you are taking advantages of a creature that can neither understand nor protect itself from what you are doing. It cannot say yes, and it cannot say no. It has no greater understanding than that of a child, and so cannot make its own decisions."
He looked towards the Finnari representative,
"Tell me counselor, is your species a species of children, with no greater concept of their own decision making?”
"Of course not. Why would you even imply such a thing!?”
"I imply nothing, counselor. This is what YOU imply with your decision. So far we have established that all parties are intelligent consenting creatures, and none of you have managed to give me an actually good reason for banning the practice."
The floor was growing more agitated.
"They will be a poor example for the rest of the galaxy. If we make it legal others will surely follow."
Adam turned his eyes on the speaker, an Iotin,
"You're worried that they are going to turn the rest of the galaxy extrial?"
He laughed,
"That is a poor argument which is not only selfish, but foolish. People should be allowed to make their own decisions. And assuming you are right, what then? Oh no... There are a few more extrials... And it does... What exactly?"
He turned in a wide circle,
"If you are worried about population growth or in this case population falloff due to this issue then you should be reminded that extrials comprise a percentage of the human population so small that I could fit the greater majority of them on my ship comfortably. This occurrence is not common, and even if the numbers were to rise, it would not be of enough significance to cause issues."
His heart was hammering hard inside his chest. He felt like he was doing alright, but that might mean nothing.
"In any event, these relationships do not affect the vast majority of the galaxy. Humans cannot be with the Bran or the Rundi due to the water we shed from our skin. The Gromm and the Iotins are out for similar reasons. Vrul and Gibb are incapable of having feelings for humans in that way as far as we know, and both the Tvek and the Celzex are too different from humans for either party to be interested."
He walked around in a circle, allowing the flag to trail behind him,
"Furthermore, the humanization phenomenon happens with or without romantic intent, and as it is, its mention is more a mark of prejudice on humans than it is an argument against the two groups being together."
He left the floor open for a little while, as the council muttered with each other.
Finally, the Drev representative stood,
"My species culture and our way of life has been upturned by the GA. I fear relationships with humans will result in the loss of our culture. We have already strayed far from what we originally were. We are hardly recognizable as Drev anymore."
The commander let his voice soften,
"I understand that the Drev have lost a lot in joining this..."
Sunny held up a hand, and in surprise he was cut off.
She took the floor,
"Your Glory…"
She said bowing her head,
"If you would have truly upheld those ideals, you would not be sitting on this council."
The Drev pulled back in surprise at her words,
"Yes, we lost a lot in joining the GA, and after the war, but I would argue that some of that was for good. Before the GA people like me, with perceived imperfection were cast into the fire and perceived as no better than animals. This practice still takes place on our planet, where these traditions are still alive and well."
Her words made the room shift nervously,
"However, culture changes and adapts, and it must to survive. We changed in order to live among the GA. We found other alternatives to fighting that still maintain our honor and our prowess in war, and this includes the sports that the humans have brought to us. Furthermore, the vast majority of the Drev I see who are with humans are those of us who would not be accepted by our own kind, perceived as ugly or malformed. If this is the case then your traditions remain sound, and those like me are removed from the mating population."
The counselor almost looked ashamed at her words, turning his head away so as not to look her in the eyes.
"As far as a change of culture goes, it was bound to happen, and it seems you are more worried about change than you actually are about relationships."
She went quiet, and Adam nodded to her taking the floor again.
A Finnari counselor stood,
"I am simply worried about our birth rate. The Finnari were farmed by the Gnarlak for many years, and we are only now replenishing our population."
"I don't think you need to worry. The amount of relationships is so small that it will not affect the Finnari population in any significant manner."
The chairwoman stood,
"Your arguments have been heard commander, but, what the others do not mention is the issue of disease. We have seen a great increase of human transmitted illnesses."
"I hate to cut you off chairwoman, but that is NOT related to interspecies relationships, it has another explanation: human tourism."
"Explain."
"You all know that humans are not allowed to leave their planet, unless tested for all communicable non-treatable diseases. This means that those of us that you see here cannot physically pass our diseases off onto other people. In this case these issues did not stem from relationships at all, but poor vaccination, the poor regulation of tourism, and allowing aliens to travel onto earth where infected humans are located, not testing them as they leave. You see? You don't even have problems with them, but you are using them as a real scapegoat for the actual issues. In fact you are causing more problems by banning this! The more you push, the harder they will push back, eventually someone is going to get hurt. Also since they are not allowed to be together legally, they do it illegally, and because they do it illegally, they end up in dangerous places exposed to greater rates of crime. They get hurt, and they get involved in things they would otherwise not have gotten involved in if you had not banned it. Just look at Noctoplis. It has the highest rate of extrials living there and the lowest policing force and the most corrupted system. There are no legitimate jobs there, so we see an influx of crime by desperate people who won't be accepted anywhere else. Not to mention that it increased the depression rates, which increases suicide rates. Your laws have ostracized them, forced them to become criminals, and turned many of them to killing themselves, rather than living in a world where they are seen as disgusting."
He had to take a deep breath,
"Earth has seen all of this before, and one way or another, eventually someone will see what I am trying to say."
He rested the flag on the floor beside him, feet planted at shoulder width.
"I hope that this rational conversation will allow a more open mind on the council. I encourage you to talk to their representatives. They are more rational and educated than I am, and they can give you hard facts and statistics. But please, they don't want to cause trouble, if you allow them to do as they will, you might find these problems going away for you."
The human representative clearly did not seem convinced, but he didn't expect to convince her, he expected to convince the others who were more afraid than they were prejudiced.
"It seems as if we have some other potential policies to discuss, commander."
The chairwoman said, tapping her fingers on the table before her.
"I have a suggestion, ma'am."
"And that is?"
"A temporary revocation on the ban, that way you can SEE what the universe will be like without it, and you can judge for yourself whether The ban does any good. You don't have to overturn the law just yet, but temporarily suspend it, that way you can re institute at any time. Then you will have concrete proof. You can do testing, and polls and whatever else, then you would know for sure."
His suggestion turned into a discussion, that dragged on for many minutes before the chairwoman raised her hand,
"It has been decided, all in favor of this temporary proposal please indicate."
The voting lights flashed above them.
[…]
He walked from the venue, hours after he had entered.
The flag felt heavy in his hands, his boots thudded with exhaustion on the white marble below him.
Outside, the protest field was surprisingly silent, though he could still see their flags.
As he walked closer, he could see that the crowd was sitting down.
Their voices reached him from a distance at first, until he realized they were calmly singing with each other.
Waiting...
Suddenly the first people from the crowd noticed the two silhouettes coming from the chambers towards them.
A lone man and Drev, walking from the building.
The man was wearing riot gear, a full helmet, a shield, and carrying their flag, resting against his right shoulder.
The group of them began to stand, rising to their feet and yelling.
They quieted as he got closer.
"What did they say!? What did they say!?”
He passed the flag to the original protester who looked on at him with such an expression of pleading that he felt his eyes tingle a bit with rising emotion.
He had to look away, boosting himself onto Sunny's back, keying his mic.
The crowd was silent.
"I spoke to the GA. After a long debate, and a slim majority the GA have decided to temporarily revoke the ban on inter-species relationships until a-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence, drowned out by a powerful wave of noise and joy so overwhelming that he was nearly knocked backwards off his feet.
The crowd surged forward and Sunny staggered as the group surrounded them.
Adam found himself on the ground on his feet, enclosed by hundreds of pairs of arms, as every person tried their best to get one hand on him.
He was deafened by cheering and an outpouring of gratitude so profound he had simply never experienced such emotion.
He looked up at Sunny, pressed in with him by the enthusiastic crowd, she nodded her head in approval.
He grinned, he had to admit this felt pretty good.
Though, whether it was all over was a question for another time.
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Set in a world like ours, but a few hundred years in the future. The fear of death that plagues nearly all living beings, has led humanity down an obsessive path towards self-preservation and extension of life. Most people now live their entire lives cocooned inside a life support pod, which monitors their bodies and sustains it for as long as possible. Some people even live as long as 300 years inside one of these pods.
Whilst inside the pod, the person is still able to live as if they were outside in the real world, by means of a robotic android which is hooked up to their brains. To them, they see the world through the androids eyes, exactly as if they were a real person, all from within the safety of their pod.
Much like the matrix, or avatar (the blue people one).
Big companies provide mass pod warehouses, where a person can rent out a pod, and use their android to work in order to pay for it. Dangerous jobs, like deep sea diving, construction etc. are performed by the androids with little concern for safety, since a fatal injury is easily solved with a replacement android and the person controlling it is perfectly fine.
These companies provide a range of android models with varying price ranges. The rich and powerful can afford state of the art models that are indistinguishable from humans and simulate life perfectly, and they often have their own private life support pods in a secure location. The models degrade in quality further down the class chain, but even the cheap, lower class models that perform these dangerous jobs are good enough considering a person could prologue their life inside a pod. The poorest of the poor, however, cannot afford even the cheapest of models.
Generations of androids living amongst people, has left society bigoted towards those who live in their natural bodies. So much so, that if you come from a family of these natural bodies, unless you acquire a lot of money, the companies won’t even consider giving you a pod. There is a waiting list, but the spaces are usually taken up by people already living inside a pod who decide to have a child and pay upfront for their pod space until they can begin working for it themselves.
The world is a dangerous place for natural bodies; it is common for disputes to be settled with violence and murder, since the cost of a replacement android for your victim is a small price to pay for the satisfaction of showing them your anger. Reckless behaviour is rife in the streets, as regard for personal safety has become an afterthought. Any natural body living amongst these streets must always be alert and cautious, as they cannot afford to partake in such reckless behaviours.
The story is about a young natural bodied man, who by some whirlwind of events, finds himself caught up with a group of rich and powerful androids, who mistake his natural body for a top end android body like their own. It follows as he tries to blend in with the androids and maintain the ruse that his body is disposable, from extreme cliff dives, to high speed chases, to near fatal drug consumption, and all manner of abuses. The young man grew up idolising these people for their freedom and he wanted a slice of it, but after tasting it for himself, he realised that it wasn’t as sweet as he imagined. He slowly tries to convey to the others his own ideas of freedom and life; the feel of a hug on a level deeper than just its physical sensation, or the satisfaction of a full stomach on top of just the taste of the food. Things that only a true human could appreciate.
The group becomes suspicious and forces him to prove for certain that he is android, but when he can’t, they turn on him. They would have killed him, were it not for one member of the group who had been particularly intrigued by his descriptions of life in a natural body. The pair escape, and eventually manage to take down their android pursuers for good, before releasing the friends body from its pod and allowing him to experience life - true life - as his natural body.

I just finished all the routes for slow damage and..... I just realized all the routes are connected to Towa's past. At the beginning i did not like towa's or should i say haruto's behavior but at the final fujieda route i understand why towa acted the way he did after everything that's happened to him.
After finishing the final route i see how towa is self re-victimizing himself in the asakura (gross pedo) , ikuina and kirihara chapters, these are all people that hurt him when he was a child.
I do feel like the fujieda route is the true route although fujieda did do some things i did not like such as raping towa but this is a dark game so it's expected.
Also i just realized that poor boy that gross pedo asakura was grooming was also called Haruto which is also towas real name and Asakura was trying to do to that boy something similiar that he did to Towa in the past. It's crazy how everything is connected and you realize that at the final route.
Since the takasato gumi gets basically destroyed that means Rei is also free from debt. Eijis eyes....i did not expect them to look lik that.
Masterpiece.

Hey, fellow introverts! Today, I want to share an anecdotal story about one of my successful clients that perfectly illustrates how true introverts can achieve everything they want in life, even when it comes to relationships. So grab your favorite drink, get cozy, and let's dive into this inspiring tale.
Meet Sarah, a 34-year-old introverted woman who had always struggled with her social interactions. She was intelligent, talented, and passionate about her work as a software engineer, but when it came to personal relationships, she felt lost. Sarah yearned for a deep and meaningful connection with a partner who truly understood and appreciated her introverted nature.
One day, Sarah attended a tech conference, her comfort zone surrounded by like-minded individuals. Little did she know that fate had something special in store for her that day. As she sat quietly in the corner, engrossed in her thoughts, she caught the eye of Mark, a fellow introverted technologist. Mark was instantly captivated by Sarah's intellect and the calm aura she exuded.
They struck up a conversation about their shared interests, and their connection was undeniable. Sarah and Mark soon discovered that they both craved the intimacy and understanding that only an introvert can truly provide. Over time, their friendship blossomed into a beautiful romance, and they decided to tie the knot after two years of dating.
But like any couple, Sarah and Mark faced challenges along the way. As their marriage progressed, they encountered difficulties in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Both of them were highly dedicated to their careers, often spending long hours in their respective tech roles. This led to a lack of quality time and emotional support within their relationship.
Recognizing the importance of nurturing their bond, Sarah reached out to me for advice. She explained the situation, emphasizing their introverted natures and the need for personal space. Together, we crafted a strategy that would enable them to balance their careers with their relationship.
First and foremost, Sarah and Mark scheduled regular date nights, during which they would disconnect from work and focus solely on each other. They created a cozy sanctuary at home, a haven where they could unwind and recharge without external distractions. They also set aside time for individual hobbies and personal reflection, allowing them to recharge their introverted energies and bring their best selves to the relationship.
Gradually, Sarah and Mark found a harmonious rhythm that allowed them to thrive both personally and professionally. By understanding and embracing their introversion, they tapped into their strengths and transformed their lives. Today, they continue to grow together, supporting each other's aspirations while nurturing their unique bond.
TL;DR: Sarah, an introverted technologist, struggled with personal relationships until she met Mark, a fellow introvert. Their shared understanding led to a deep connection, and they married after two years. Balancing their demanding careers was a challenge, but with a focus on regular quality time, personal space, and self-care, they found harmony and continued to thrive. Embracing their introverted natures allowed them to achieve their goals and nurture their relationship.
If you're interested in learning more about how introverts can navigate relationships and achieve success in life, check out my YouTube video, "How True Introverts Get All What They Want In Life," on The Introvert's Guide to Relationships channel. Together, we'll uncover the secrets to unleashing your introverted power!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ePOFtW5RJw]