I saw the vid on the Brittany bridge burn, and I joined the sub to make this post because I was yelling at the screen as nobody hit on the ACTUAL point. You can watch the video here
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Disclaimer: I don't have any ill will towards Destiny, I like his personality and his content. This is just a critique of how he operates and navigates his life leading others to disrespect him.

On how Destiny comes across at times

Timestamp 55:43
Melina is 100% correct, it DOES sound like Destiny is saying "yeah most people can't handle it but I can, cuz I'm just built differently." It ESPECIALLY comes off like that because people who are into cuckoldry (Not saying Destiny is a cuck, just highlighting a parallel) also have the same pattern of speaking about their lifestyle.
One of the big reasons that some men enjoy cuckoldry is that they feel like they're a stronger person than the average joe because they can handle their SO sleeping with other people, but still, come home to them and have a stable relationship, unlike these cucked dues who stay monogamous. Proving that they are the better man because "yeah you had her body but I have her heart, you weren't good enough for her. You were just a thing to be used, a living dildo, but she actually loves me".
I've lurked on some bull/cuck forums because I was genuinely curious as to WHY and HOW a man could want to see his wife get plowed by a muscular black guy with a 10-inch cock, and this sentiment is basically the answer I've read by many men posting on these forums.
All I'm saying is, Destiny's comments about how most people can't handle polygamy, or it's not meant for most people, normal people get too jealous and shouldn't do it, things get messy, well I LIKE drama; I can handle it cuz I'm so different, and how he's exceptional quite literally is what actual cuckolds say. And this parallel makes what he says sound inherently boisterous.
Again, I don't think destiny is a cuck, iirc he sleeps around more than Melina, and from what I've heard from prior vids, shes is more in favor of closing the relationship than he is, and he's even admitted that he's broken the "rules" of their relationship before and slept with people. So yeah, definitely not a cuck, but he does use cuck rhetoric.
When Melina reiterates that he should establish boundaries, Destiny incredulously mocks here, saying something to the effect of "oh let me write up a list of things people can't say about me, etc" when in reality, establishing boundaries is as simple as asserting yourself right then and there in a situation.
Example: My friend shit talks my bigass forehead and my hairline is too far back, he might just be joking, but if it genuinely offends me I'm not gonna just gonna let him doormat me, I'm gonna stick up for myself and tell him to STFU don't talk about me like that, I might bark at him, I might even hit him or push him. The point is to let him know he can't disrespect me for free like that.
If destiny was in this situation he might just let it fly, and he might joke back, but that sets a rapport for how people are allowed to interact with him. Over time as he does this repeatedly, it becomes his reputation. I.e. he becomes known as the guy who you can sling mud at and he won't say shit about it.

Why people don't respect Destiny

The reason why people keep backstabbing and secretly shit-talking Destiny is that nobody respects him, and there are a few reasons why.
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Boundaries
As everybody under the sun has already said, Destiny does not establish boundaries. However, the bigger picture that nobody is acknowledging is that Destiny has built a reputation for himself for being a pushover because of those lack of boundaries. It's not about "Oh why did you talk crap about me specifically at this time at this moment" and trying to psychoanalyze people's behavior post-hac rationale, it's simple human interaction. His reputation is that he's a pushover, so regardless of whether or not someone likes Destiny, that doesn't inherently translate to people respecting Destiny
Example: Say my dad says something/does something to piss me off, we've all been there. I wouldn't shit talk him to everybody I know, I'd keep the event private, maybe talk to my wife about it so I can vent, but since I love and respect my father I'm not going to drag his name through the mud.
Conversely, Destiny guests will have a pow-wow with him on stream, but they also don't mind shit-talking him off-stream either because why not? Destiny is a pushover and he's lame, and a cuck, etc, etc so who tf cares what he thinks?
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Running his mouth
Destiny talks a lot of shit about other people or critiques other people and breaks a person down like all the different parts of a car. There's a great entertainment value in this, but of course, the trade-off is some people will become actively hostile towards him because they don't want to feel exposed or embarrassed, it fosters resentment. It doesn't matter if he's right or wrong in his assessment of others.
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He's in a poly relationship
Regardless of whether or not it's a valid lifestyle choice in the culture Destiny lives in it's not a respectable lifestyle. That's just how it is. There's this attempt to rationalize/logic his way out of it, but it does not matter. There doesn't have to be a rational reason as to why people dislike poly relationships. People don't respect others who engage in it, and it's simple as that.
Example: There is a tribe in Ethiopia called the Bodi. Seasonally this tribe has a competition wherein the men who participate have to become the fattest and most extended belly. (kinda like how you see those emaciated Africans with large stomachs) But there are specific standards to this competition. You have to have a big belly and a thick ass. You can't have "flabby" fat, it must be large but fairly firm. The thickest man wins, and he gains respect from his peers and women who want to be with him.
I give this example to say it's a weird tradition, and it's not like they don't have food to spare if they're able to do this competition so frequently, it's pretty illogical but it's their culture so that's what they value. Same as us in the USA, we don't generally respect those in poly relationships, they're typically relegated to reality TV (sister wives for example).

Conclusion

With all these things combined, Destiny has built himself a reputation for being a pushover. That's why Sneako felt comfortable talking trash about his wife, That's why Aba felt like he could talk about their "hedonistic lifestyle", that's why so many "orbiters" backstab him. He gives this IDGAF attitude but then is surprised when others also don't give a fuck either. He calls it common human decency, but in reality, respect is earned not freely given. He will have to work to rebuild his reputation as a person who demands respect.
Sorry for the long post, I just had to really get this off my chest because nobody is talking about, respect and reputation which I feel is the real underlying issue here.

Hi!
My name is Dylan and I’m a 21 year old single guy from northeastern Illinois in the US. Any lady 18-50 is welcome. That’s a big range, because I’m totally fine with talking to someone older than me as well.
Currently laying in bed drinking a cup of whole bean coffee as I enjoy this lovely album. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh03TjQG7GY
I’m seeking some kind of close connection with friendship being the main thing, however, I’m definitely open to things getting a bit spicier than that, whether that’s something where we remain friends yet can be flirty or romantic, or a relationship.
I like to say upfront that I will always be mindful and considerate of your feelings and boundaries, especially concerning anything flirty or more intimate that we might get into. It’s important to me and we’d never have to do anything we weren’t comfortable with or ready for.
Physically I'm 6ft tall, I'm average/slim build, and I'm white/Caucasian with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. I wear glasses too. There’s a picture on my profile.
I don’t have any preference on body type for whom I find attractive. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and as much as I’m attracted to people around my age I’m also attracted to people older than me as well, hence being so open to meeting people.
I’m currently living at home, trying to get a job at a warehouse but long term career goals so far is to do something in the electrical field/trades such as a fire alarm systems technician as I’m good with technical things like that. I’ve got older parents and I live on a main road in a small farm house so I’ve been feeling pretty lonely most of my life. I’ve listed some interests of mine below!
Now that we've established who I am and what I'm looking for, here are a few interests of mine to get to know me better!
• Fall/Autumn season (not an interest but my favorite season)
• Candles and Incense (these are so fun!)
• Technology (I’m good at repairing things when they break)
• Music (if you’re old enough you might get my username) (I love genres such as classic rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, punk, post punk, hardcore, etc. My current favorite bands are The Cure and Joy Division/New Order.)
• Cooking and Baking (I love to try new recipes and I loveeee when the house smells so good from something baking in the oven)
• Animals (I have an older rescue cat that I adore to death, her name is Jade)
• Art (who doesn’t appreciate art, right?)
• Houseplants (I love plants! Something so positive about them and I like them in the house.)
• Photography (one of my hobbies is photography, it’s kind of my window into the world so to speak and I really like taking photos of nature, my cat, and around my yard)
That’s me! I hope you get a good taste of what I am like and if any of this catches your interest I’d love to hear from you and we can get to know each other further. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, hope to hear from you soon.

As the title says, I've been working on finding my voice and style on the page, keeping in mind the idea of directing the mind's eye (not the camera). I have some thoughts on the shortfalls of my writing, and I've been told that I can write scenes that are hard to follow.
If anyone is up for giving me some thoughts on what they "see" in this scene after reading it, I'd be hugely appreciative!
Here is the link to the first page, but it's pasted below as well if it's easier. (Obviously not in the correct formatting below unfortunately. Tried to compensate to make it readable.)

INT. ITALIAN GROCER - DAY

Fifteen tiles. Black then white, black, white, alternating like a chess board down the aisle of vintage shelves, cans, bags, everything in shades of grey until--
--specks of RED tickle the edges of a tile.
Droplets. The first hint of color. Small, hard to see on the white linoleum, invisible on the black. JAZZ MUSIC howls.
The drops turn to streaks, spattering the floor up to the checkout counter. Blood. Something terrible happened here.
Morning light spills onto the body of CHARLES CORTMIGLIA, hunched behind the counter with a HACHET stuck deep in his back, very out-of-place next to the gums and glass bottles.
By the counter, JOHN DAVILLA, 28, Black, too lax in posture for a military man despite his Navy uniform, scans something, eyes darting, brain on overdrive. But it's not Charles he's examining. It's a poster.
A still of a whiskey bottle and a man in a lab coat. DR. MONATET'S MIRACLE MEDICINE LOUISIANA'S #1 FLU REMEDY. In small letters: CONTAINS 8% RUM.
SUPER: New Orleans, 1919
The music scratches.
JOSEPH "DOC" MUMFRY, 68, Italian, intimidatingly-large in a trench coat, lifts the handle of the nearby gramophone. He pulls off a pair of gloves. John motions to the poster.

• JOHN

"Can't believe folks buy this stuff."
Doc glances. Barely. He's fishing for something in his coat.

• DOC

"Who plays Jazz during a murder?"
Doc throws back a pill, closing the bottle. OFFICER LECLERE, 40, White, in a constable uniform, enters from a back room.

• LECLERE

"Mother and daughter dead, too. Wounds match the details, details."

• DOC

"What about the injury bullshit?"
BAM--

Part 4
I pulled the other radio from my backpack. I called the Station. They answered immediately. It was Hitch, the Ranger who led me up the first day.
“I have an emergency,” I said.
“Is there a fire?” Hitch asked.
“No. Martina, from Lookout 1, something attacked her.”
“Where is she now?”
“It took her into the forest.”
“Is this a joke Tom?”
“What? Why would you think that?”
“You made a report this morning, the death of a hiker. Burning red eyes, but not a bear.”
“It was the same thing. Except there are two now.”
“Ok. I’m going to get Martina on the line.”
The radio went silent. An eternity passed. I scanned the forest. Ripples of warm air rose up into the sky. Nothing else stirred.
“Ok Tom, we have no patience for this type of thing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We spoke to Martina and she’s fine.”
“That’s impossible. They attacked her. I watched it happen.”
“You know there’s a waiting list to get in a lookout tower. I can have you replaced within a week.”
“Replace me today. Get up here and drag me down off the mountain.”
“We told you this morning that we can’t get up there on account of the fog.”
“The fog is gone. It’s clear skies.”
An audible sigh came through the radio. “The fog coupled with the weather warning the met office just issued means no one is going up the mountain today.”
“Are you insane? What weather? There isn’t a cloud in the sky.”
“Listen to me carefully. You are going to watch for fires. There’s lighting and high winds on the way. When it has blown through we can get someone up there to replace you. In the meantime stay in your lookout and keep this channel clear unless there is a real emergency.”
“I’m not in my lookout.”
“Where are you?”
“Lookout 3.”
“Where is Callum?”
I ran another eye over the inside of the lookout. Furniture and paper strewn across the floor, like a bomb had gone off. And still the smell of burning.
“No one is here.”
“Why are you there?”
I almost answered and then put the radio down. I’m at Lookout 3 because a fairy of some sort led me here through the fog. And then the fog lifted and the fairy disintegrated before my eyes. That would go down well.
Was this a dream? I grabbed the necklace the woman threw onto the deck before she evaporated into the wind. The points of the triangle left indents in my palm. That was real.
I picked up the other radio.
“Martina? Can you hear me?”
A man’s voice. Roger. “If you want to live, get back to your own lookout. The forest is about to burn.” In the background Martina made a muffled cry.
“Don’t hurt her.”
“There’s no stopping this now.”
The radio crackled and then went dead. I shouted into it until my throat was sore, but there was nothing more from Roger or Martina. I looked down at the base of the elevated structure. Unlike the barren peak at Lookout 2, up here the trees grew at the top. There was a well maintained clearing around the base of the structure, but in high wind could a fire spread far and fast enough to light the structure? The image of hot and red flames played in my head, so real I almost felt the heat. I had to get out of here.
I opened the door to the lookout and a wave of hot air shifted my weight onto my heels. The windows rattled. I put one foot onto the deck and remembered my backpack. The hot air followed me inside and picked up loose sheets of paper and pushed them against the windows. I grasped my backpack and straightened and came eye to eye with one of the sheets of paper stuck to the glass. The same hand written script that filled the pages of the book bound in black.
What the hell?
I put the backpack down and gathered up as much of the paper as I could. A couple of sheets beat me out the door and fluttered into the trees. I took the stack and dumped it down on the circular map in the middle of the lookout. I rifled through the pages, looking for some clue to unravel all this. There could be a clue in here that could help me get off this mountain alive. The woman in blue had told me I had to see what was in this lookout. This could be it.
Unintelligible script filled the pages. Geometric shapes overlapped with the writing. The same crap written in the book I found on the shelf of my lookout. This was useless. And then something else. I pulled out the page from the stack. What looked like a map.
I traced my finger over it. A series of curved lines, sometimes close together and sometimes far apart. I remembered enough from geography class to recognise contour lines. Two peaks and an elevated ridge. I threw the rest of the pages on the floor and compared the map to the larger disc map on the contraption to pinpoint fires. They matched. The two peaks were my lookout and this one. The ridge line was where Martina’s lookout stood. And the valley in between.
Deep in the valley, down at the lowest point was a black splotch. It occupied the exact centre of the page. I found the same spot on the bigger map, offset from the middle but not far off. In tiny lettering beside it read the word ‘cave’.
I went to the window and searched the forest for the place. Tracing a line between this lookout and Martina’s, I got a rough bearing on it. The trees parted slightly, but from this far away I could not see a cave. I picked up the binoculars and trained them on the spot. The trees hid whatever was down there. A shimmer of warm air rose between the trees, like the hot exhaust from a jet engine. That’s where they were. That’s where they took Martina. It had to be. But why?
Is this what the woman in blue wanted me to see? A low rumble rose above the sound of the wind and the rattle of the windows. A thin band of purple climbed above the western horizon and flashed. Lightning. The storm was on its way. If there was anything else up here to find, I wasn’t going to wait around and look for it.
I stuffed the map in my backpack and zipped it up and stumbled out the door. The adrenaline turned my legs rigid and I almost fell down the stairs. I grabbed the rail and shouted at myself to calm down. I ran in the direction of my lookout and came to the charred remains of the burnt out tree. The trunk ended abruptly at the top, a headless remnant of what it once was. And then I noticed something strange. The trunk had a hollow interior, like a giant black pipe sticking out of the ground.
I ran a palm over the rough exterior, black soot sticking to my skin. When I got to the triangle carved into the trunk I applied pressure. The charred bark cracked. I used both hands now, smashing the butt of my hand against the burnt wood. The bark splintered and a triangle shaped wedge fell came loose. I put my eye to the opening. The tree was hollow from top to bottom. It was the strangest thing. I wondered if the tree out the back of my lookout was the same. As far as I knew, trees did not grow with hollow insides.
I set off at a jog back towards my lookout. I had resolved to get off the mountain and beg a rescue team to come up and save Martina. Between the coming storm and Roger’s warning that the forest would burn, I had no interest in hanging around. The creature had taken Rebecca the hiker, and then two had taken Martina. But if I were right, they were down at the cave in the valley marked on the map. I had to be fast. I had to stay ahead of them or they would do to me as they had done to the hiker. I shuddered.
First stop was my lookout. It was on the way back to the Ranger Station and I could grab the rest of my things. I’d take down the black book of strange script too and show the Rangers. Let them tell me I’m crazy when confronted with evidence of the weird things going on up here.
Despite going downhill, I was soon puffing and spluttering. The infection in my chest had not yet cleared and my insides burned. I pulled the straps on the backpack to stop it slamming against my back as I hurdled fallen branches.
Near the bottom my right shoe slipped on a stray tuft of fern just as I readied to leap over the desiccated remains of a fallen tree. My balance thrown, I failed to get my left leg up in time and it caught on a branch sticking up from the tree. Pain shot through my ankle as it twisted into an unnatural position before the branch finally cracked under the pressure exerted by my falling body.
I cried out as I slammed shoulder first onto the forest floor. I lay there panting, my left leg dangling in the air. A terrible heat filled the ankle joint. I rubbed it with my hands and then rolled and got to my knees. The ankle was cooked and I knew it.
In high school I spent a season on the football team; in part because I loved the game and also in an attempt to raise my social standing. To the surprise of everyone I hadn’t performed badly and made a valuable contribution or two. That was until the last game of the season, a knockout fixture. I rolled my ankle barely two minutes into the game and, stupidly, stayed out on the field. While the injured ankle is still warm it works for a while and then the swelling and the bruising comes and the hobbling begins. It was at the start of the hobble phase that I missed a tackle. We lost the game and there was plenty of blame to throw around, and I copped more than my fair share.
I looked up the slope leading to my lookout. If I hustled it would be forty five minutes to the top, a hard slog uphill. I put some weight on my left leg and winced. I had to move now, the pain was only going to get worse.
Going uphill is infinitely harder than running on a flat patch of grass on a twisted ankle. All the grip comes through the toes and places stress on the joint. I started going up sideways to at least keep my foot in a neutral position.
Sweat poured down my face. The forest trapped the heat and the air was warm and suffocating. My throat burned. I needed water. Thunder rumbled low in the distance. I could not see the horizon through the trees, but it sounded closer than before. I pushed everything else from my mind and focussed only on the next painful step.
The radio crackled. I shook my torso trying to set the backpack free. Sweat soaked my shirt and made everything sticky. I overbalanced and tumbled to the ground. I freed myself of the straps and pulled the radio free.
“Tom? Tom?” The voice was a whisper. Martina.
I whispered in response. “I’m here.”
“He’s coming.”
“What?”
“He’s coming for you.”
A clattering noise came through the radio and then it went dead.
“Martina? Martina?”
No response. I groaned and got to my feet, exhausted and dehydrated and sore. The first step on the twisted ankle shot pain right up my leg and I almost collapsed back to the ground. I looked ahead, the roof of my lookout poked up above the peak. I was close. Was I close enough?
The rising slope of the peak became the long hallway at my high school. Lockers pushed up against the wall. Doors with glass windows to the classrooms. In my memories that hallway is empty aside from him and me. In truth there were kids everywhere, but they were unimportant. He yelled out down the hallway. Winslow! He was already running. I slammed shut the locker and went. I skidded and slipped on the polished tiles. That time I almost made it, almost. In sight of sanctuary a violent tug on my backpack and I went down. The blows burst through my defences. I covered my head. Tears flowed. Now the other kids fill in the blank spaces. They laugh and taunt. Waterworks Winslow.
Somewhere behind me a branch cracked. I turned back and it is the forest once more. I searched the trees for the sign of movement. My ankle is almost shot. All the force driving me up the slope towards the lookout comes from my good right leg. The left leg is nothing more than a prop keeping me upright.
I look back up and stop dead in my tracks. Above me on the slope stands the creature I saw take Rebecca. One of the things that abducted Martina. It looked a version of human, the body and limbs and head in the right proportion. But the skin was ash-grey and smooth, like the surface of pottery hardened in a kiln. Its eyes burned red. It radiated heat, the air shimmering off its shoulders.
“You’re coming with me.”
The voice of a man. I did not recognise it. A notion had worked its way into my head, that this thing hunting in the forest was in fact Roger, the missing man from my lookout. But this was not Roger’s voice. I had heard Roger through the radio, and even though a radio can distort a voice, this was so different in pitch that it could not belong to Roger. That left one option. Callum. The occupant of Lookout 3.
I turned and shuffled down the slope. He laughed. He laughed with the same derision as those bullies in high school.
I reached up and grabbed a low hanging branch. I yanked it hard until it splintered and broke off and provided a weapon of sorts. I pointed the branch up the slope and swung it back and forth. This only elicited more laughter.
He sprung downwards and gripped the end of the branch. The muscles in my arms tensed and I pulled back. His face broke into a hideous smile, the teeth the same grey as the skin. With a single pull of unnatural strength he yanked the branch from my hands.
For a moment I stood on the slope, exposed and defenceless. And then I ran. My ankle screamed with pain, but I ran. I whimpered under my breath, waiting for a pull at my backpack to confirm that my assailant had caught up to me. I anticipated the feeling of helplessness and for the world to beat me down one more time.
It was not a pull of the backpack that stopped my flight. I heard the whoosh before a tree branch crashed into the side of my head. The impact set off a flash before my eyes and then everything went black.
An explosive crack of thunder flicked the lights back on inside my head. I blinked a haze of blurred green into focus. The canopy of the forest and between it jagged slivers of blue sky. My head lifted and smacked back down on the forest floor. My shirt rode up and formed a twisted mess around my shoulder blades. I looked to my feet, elevated and ahead. The smooth and grey skin of Callum. He dragged me through the forest, down towards the cave. He was taking me to Roger.
X

Version: 6.00 Beta 7 (496124) - Last updated: 2023-03-22

• [Beta 7] Added option to cancel multiple construction orders at once.
• [Beta 7] Added low and medium settings for Reflection Probes (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 7] Added random object selection to Live Stream view (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 7] Added race-specific command consoles.
• [Beta 7] Improved The Fate of the Yaki mission by spawning reward lockboxes in safer location.
• [Beta 7] Improved lighting in reflections from stationary objects (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 7] Improved thruster sound volume to be less obtrusive while maneuvering.
• [Beta 7] Fixed False Sense Of Security signal leak mission not providing boarding target.
• [Beta 7] Fixed guild missions not being offered if one was accepted from another guild.
• [Beta 7] Fixed Collect Drops retaining ownership of abandoned cargo containers on order cancellation if one cargo container had earlier already been collected.
• [Beta 7] Fixed escape pods sitting in space if there are no nearby stations to flee to.
• [Beta 7] Fixed Explore and Update Trade Offers commands refusing to go through gates when directed at gate (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 7] Fixed licence requirements for Habitat Modules to fit relation progression.
• [Beta 7] Fixed collisions against stations not working after using highway (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 7] Fixed some dock requests persisting indefinitely.
• [Beta 7] Fixed construction vessels not honoring blacklists.
• [Beta 7] Fixed some station entries in the encyclopedia not marked as read when using "Mark all as read" option (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 7] Fixed gamestart description texts being cut-off under certain circumstances.
• [Beta 7] Fixed being unable to select objects when sitting in pilot chair of Ides.
• [Beta 7] Fixed fog sometimes disappearing briefly after loading.
• [Beta 7] Fixed radar visuals with low quality FSR and small resolutions.
• [Beta 7] Fixed muffled signal leak sounds (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 7] Fixed several causes of crashes.

Version: 6.00 Beta 6 (495649) - Last updated: 2023-03-16

• [Beta 6] Added Civilian and Military channels to Live Stream view (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Added support for PageUp/PageDown in menu dropdowns.
• [Beta 6] Added search functionality to Controls menu.
• [Beta 6] Added Cockpit Glass Reflections setting (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Added news banner to Start Menu.
• [Beta 6] Removed weapon group HUD indicators if ship has no weapon slots.
• [Beta 6] Improved Argon Federation and Godrealm starting relations with player in The Untested Explorer and The Accomplished Scientist starts.
• [Beta 6] Improved Terran Cadet transition into Defenders of Sol mission.
• [Beta 6] Improved ships fleeing Tide when far from any neutral station.
• [Beta 6] Improved readability of stars for NPC skills.
• [Beta 6] Improved sound occlusion in interiors.
• [Beta 6] Fixed missing relation settings for Xenon and Kha'ak in creative Custom Game Starts (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed Custom Gamestart satellite coverage option resulting in excessively distant satellites (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed Terran Cadet gamestart getting Defenders of Sol mission without having completed intro mission.
• [Beta 6] Fixed signal leak scan activity in Terran Pests mission (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed case of Trade Obstruction mission not starting in Avarice story.
• [Beta 6] Fixed case of Assemble Fleet mission getting stuck.
• [Beta 6] Fixed player-controlled Builder Ships being shown as available for assignment to construction sites.
• [Beta 6] Fixed ships with minimal storage capacity failing to pick up all containers when ordered to collect many full containers of wares.
• [Beta 6] Fixed ships assigned to Mimic commander with default behavior set to Protect Position failing to do so (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed subordinates of subordinates who are docked at commander repeatedly trying to dock when they cannot do so.
• [Beta 6] Fixed subordinate groups assigned to Position Defence not responding to group commands after loading savegame (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed incorrect station storage capacity predictions from ware reservations.
• [Beta 6] Fixed ships sometimes getting stuck at 50m/s (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed progress bars of repeatable terraforming projects not working after first time.
• [Beta 6] Fixed Ship Information menu not being usable with keyboard or controller under certain circumstances.
• [Beta 6] Fixed ship cockpit reflection probes sometimes showing docking bay features after undocking (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed several capital ships being unable to launch subordinates out of launch tubes (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed collision issues in Argon/Terran Wharf (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed Erlking not having collisions on main weapon (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed Elephant bridge clipping into geometry (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed several issues with surface elements of Albatross (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed visual glitch in Albatross bridge (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 6] Fixed Manorina (Gas) paint mod not being applied correctly.
• [Beta 6] Fixed flickering in Turquoise Sea with open comms.
• [Beta 6] Fixed Betty and other voice lines sounding muffled (problem introduced in 6.00).

Version: 6.00 Beta 5 (495135) - Last updated: 2023-03-08

• New Feature: [Beta 5] New Construction Vessel designs for Paranid, Teladi, Split and Terran factions.
• [Beta 5] Added Custom Gamestart Editor story states for Tides of Avarice stories.
• [Beta 5] Added ship size information to encyclopedia.
• [Beta 5] Added station construction menu help information when expanding HQ for storage relevant to research.
• [Beta 5] Removed wares required for terraforming from missing resource section in Ship Configuration menu.
• [Beta 5] Improved behavior of missile-armed fighters attacking stations or capital ships.
• [Beta 5] Improved cohesion of travelling fleets in low attention.
• [Beta 5] Improved storage type colours in Logical Station Overview to match module design better.
• [Beta 5] Improved impact and muzzle sounds for various weapons.
• [Beta 5] Improved reflections on cockpit glass.
• [Beta 5] Fixed game not loading when selecting Yaki Characters in Custom Gamestart Editor (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed ships missing signal that Tide has changed to calm phase.
• [Beta 5] Fixed excessive numbers of ships wanting to restock equipment at gamestart.
• [Beta 5] Fixed basic connection modules having incorrect production costs.
• [Beta 5] Fixed ships that cannot collect lockboxes repeatedly attempting to do so.
• [Beta 5] Fixed ships refusing to attack disguised ships that were hostile when attack order was given.
• [Beta 5] Fixed Revisit Known Stations not updating Space if Position changed such that it is no longer in Space.
• [Beta 5] Fixed player being blamed for environmental damage in player-owned sectors.
• [Beta 5] Fixed mining nodes on smaller asteroids hovering above surface (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed miners not using non-turret weapons against certain asteroids (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed subordinates assigned to Position Defence sometimes not resuming previous duties when assignment changes (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed sometimes running into invisible wall briefly, immediately after teleporting to new ship.
• [Beta 5] Fixed issues entering spacesuit from ship that is in relative movement to capital ship.
• [Beta 5] Fixed sticky bullets continually adding impulse to hit object.
• [Beta 5] Fixed incorrect direction of impulse added by bullet hits.
• [Beta 5] Fixed laser towers sometimes slowly drifting away.
• [Beta 5] Fixed pushing effect of anomalies being incorrect when approaching from certain angles.
• [Beta 5] Fixed ships sometimes taking much longer to align when player not present due to rotating wrong way.
• [Beta 5] Fixed ware exchange with player's personal ship failing if more than one item queued for exchange.
• [Beta 5] Fixed ships exiting accelerators too far forward then turning around before continuing on path (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed player position after getting up from chair (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed landing gear opening and closing continuously inside dock areas (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed ships sometimes getting stuck with 50m/s speed limit (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed signal leaks generated by EMP bombs being unreliably placed (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed duplicate entries in Custom Gamestart Editor blueprint selection.
• [Beta 5] Fixed hire and work somewhere else menus being available for spacesuits.
• [Beta 5] Fixed mission targets being repeatedly highlighted under certain circumstances.
• [Beta 5] Fixed missing consumables from details of currently edited ship in Ship Configuration menu under certain circumstances.
• [Beta 5] Fixed minor issues with target monitor relation display (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed stretched checkbox in Ship Configuration menu settings (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed sun shining through certain station modules (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 5] Fixed Chthonios E (Mineral) ship ID not being shown correctly on hull.
• [Beta 5] Fixed several causes of crashes.

Version: 6.00 Beta 4 (494230) - Last updated: 2023-02-22

• [Beta 4] Added warning if NPC-owned ships are about to undock with player on board.
• [Beta 4] Added option to allow player-owned ships to deploy laser towers in response to attack, inspection by police, or pirate harassment.
• [Beta 4] Added hull bar animation when receiving damage.
• [Beta 4] Added separate yellow state to engine check light to indicate disabled travel drive (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 4] Improved Scan mission rewards and accuracy of displayed difficulty if target is hostile.
• [Beta 4] Improved collisions inside Terran dock area.
• [Beta 4] Fixed Direct Mouse Steering sometimes reactivating in Flight School after player turned it off.
• [Beta 4] Fixed laser towers in A Return To Normal Order missions having wrong faction (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 4] Fixed Arcadian Endeavour story not rewarding adequate MIN faction relation if siding with Mellerd.
• [Beta 4] Fixed Rhak Patriarchy not being at war with Argon Federation and Antigone Republic.
• [Beta 4] Fixed asteroids with extreme yield in Family Nhuut.
• [Beta 4] Fixed stations not taking any explosion damage (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 4] Fixed mass traffic not appearing under certain circumstances.
• [Beta 4] Fixed player-owned ships always undocking without waiting for player if player has never controlled any ship.
• [Beta 4] Fixed SETA being cancelled when pilot activates travel mode while player is seated passenger.
• [Beta 4] Fixed exaggerated speed change when colliding with moving objects at low relative speed.
• [Beta 4] Fixed steering being slowed down when in relative movement to ship in travel mode.
• [Beta 4] Fixed AI captain taking over boarding ship after player launched further pods sending more marines to target.
• [Beta 4] Fixed subordinates assigned to intercept not engaging targets if all subordinates are in internal storage.
• [Beta 4] Fixed subordinates stopping moving when player gets close enough to see them.
• [Beta 4] Fixed commanders performing Protect Position as default behaviour cancelling order when subordinate's assignment changes (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 4] Fixed command to Stop Position Defence remaining if subordinate group assigned to Position Defence is empty and Stop Position Defence is selected (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 4] Fixed military and mining ships sometimes being built without weapons and shields if wharf/shipyard is low on resources.
• [Beta 4] Fixed Split Raptors sometimes being built with no turrets or shields.
• [Beta 4] Fixed ships idling potentially indefinitely in ring highway.
• [Beta 4] Fixed Live Stream and External View being available for mass traffic and ships in internal storage.
• [Beta 4] Fixed missing buttons when changing trade ware filter in Map.
• [Beta 4] Fixed dialog tooltips being wrongly positioned and missing background.
• [Beta 4] Fixed duplicated mouse-over texts for ware reservations.
• [Beta 4] Fixed speed restriction zone in Teladi dock area not covering all docks.
• [Beta 4] Fixed location of casino room in certain dock areas causing visible clipping.
• [Beta 4] Fixed invisible wall in Condor and Stork cockpit preventing you from accessing pilot console.
• [Beta 4] Fixed door of Elite not being affected by paint mods.
• [Beta 4] Fixed occasional flickering of subtitles when multiple pilots speak over comm channels.
• [Beta 4] Fixed missing or flickering reflections under certain circumstances (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 4] Fixed issues with reflections on glass surfaces (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 4] Fixed issues with shadows on glass surfaces.

Version: 6.00 Beta 3 (493483) - Last updated: 2023-02-09

• [Beta 3] Added engine check light to indicate reduced engine functionality to HUD.
• [Beta 3] Added ability to change position of Position Defence markers vertically (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Removed Vigor Syndicate food delivery missions as transporting food is illegal in their space.
• [Beta 3] Improved Live Stream feature (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Improved Deliver Inventory missions by adding option to deliver all matching items at once.
• [Beta 3] Improved Build Station missions by diversifying requirements for defence platforms.
• [Beta 3] Improved positioning of ship-claiming signal leaks (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Improved reliability of travel through gates and accelerators (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Improved detection of mission race checkpoints. (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Improved naming of stations with wide range of different types of production module (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Improved approach of boarding ships before launching pods.
• [Beta 3] Improved container magnet making pickups much more reliable.
• [Beta 3] Improved explicit command Attack Surface Elements by preventing ships ever firing at target's hull intentionally.
• [Beta 3] Fixed player custom gamestart stations losing any special names defined in their construction plans.
• [Beta 3] Fixed mission offer which cannot be accepted for Trade Obstruction mission of Avarice story.
• [Beta 3] Fixed Build Station missions asking for ship-building modules (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed Dr. Rick Feynman aborting remote call by disallowing calling during item delivery in Double Assistant mission of Pioneer Terraforming story.
• [Beta 3] Fixed various issues with Torus riddle during Torus Aeternal mission of Pioneer Terraforming story.
• [Beta 3] Fixed Terran military ships remaining hostile after completing Terran Pests mission by reaching Torus in Pioneer Terraforming story.
• [Beta 3] Fixed Ace's ship remaining invulnerable after Arcadian Endeavour story completed.
• [Beta 3] Fixed station ownership not also transferring blueprints in Avarice Story.
• [Beta 3] Fixed build station mission rewards sometimes being up to 64 credits short.
• [Beta 3] Fixed turret compatibility problems with mining ships (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed falling through floor of moving elevators (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed permanent loss of spacesuit controls after undocking from certain ships (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed ships becoming insubstantial after having once docked (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed several cases of collisions not working correctly (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed getting stuck in floor after using airlock (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed boarding pods sometimes holding just short of target hull but not actually attaching (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed duplicating deployables when picking them back up (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed being unable to get out of Split Jaguar when playing as Paranid (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed getting stuck in command consoles on capital ship bridges (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed resetting aim assist option to default always turning it off on next start.
• [Beta 3] Fixed player weapon fire converging too soon when using mouse to aim at own ship in external view.
• [Beta 3] Fixed modifying multi-ship selection in Property Owned menu with Ctrl key not working under certain circumstances.
• [Beta 3] Fixed missing space background reflections on certain docking areas (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 3] Fixed missing icon for salvage in radius order.
• [Beta 3] Fixed menu crash in Custom Gamestart Editor under certain circumstances.

Version: 6.00 Beta 2 (492699) - Last updated: 2023-01-26

• [Beta 2] Added player relation details to Encyclopedia faction entries.
• [Beta 2] Added tooltips explaining Allies, Enemies and Hostiles lists in Encyclopedia.
• [Beta 2] Added tooltips with relation name to Faction and Relations menu.
• [Beta 2] Added Optimal Workforce information to Build Module Encyclopedia entries.
• [Beta 2] Added information about claiming sector ownership to station module Encyclopedia entries.
• [Beta 2] Improved signal and data leaks on stations to be in more varied locations.
• [Beta 2] Improved approach to target in preparation for launching boarding pods.
• [Beta 2] Improved HUD visualisation when enemies enter weapon range.
• [Beta 2] Fixed subordinates assigned to Position Defence sometimes getting multiple Attack In Range orders at once (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed ships frequently attempting to fly through stations (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed capital ship pilots sometimes disappearing after player teleports away (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed defence drones not launching when set to Escort (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed capital ships getting thrown out of travel mode when colliding with asteroids (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed autopilot not being able to navigate towards unknown mission location when mission guidance towards target is available.
• [Beta 2] Fixed subordinates assigned to mimic auto-trader setting anchor to commander location when initiating search for trades.
• [Beta 2] Fixed Self-destruct command not working on deployables when invoked in first-person view.
• [Beta 2] Fixed relief pilots sometimes not retaking control when requested.
• [Beta 2] Fixed sorting by Sector in Property Owned (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed missing relation perks text for factions with +30 relations (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed Station Configuration menu and Logical Station Overview showing different or combined station information when opened (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed dropdown for changing existing subordinate groups' assignments causing groups to merge if another group already has same assignment.
• [Beta 2] Fixed dialog option highlight dot sometimes overlapping text.
• [Beta 2] Fixed certain large stations partially missing collisions (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed spacesuit being too large for collision purposes (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed scrap processor being too large for collision purposes (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed welder NPCs not finding positions from which to work (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed player being unable to buy ships (Linux only, problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed reflection probes not working under certain circumstances (new feature in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed artefacts from "god rays" in certain cutscenes (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed shadows disappearing under certain circumstances.
• [Beta 2] Fixed missing Erlking L turrets sounds.
• [Beta 2] Fixed missing environment sounds after loading station design simulator.
• [Beta 2] Fixed menu crash in Station Configuration menu during Unknown Structure mission (problem introduced in 6.00).
• [Beta 2] Fixed menu crash in Logical Station Overview menu under certain circumstances.
• [Beta 2] Fixed physics-related freeze (problem introduced in 6.00).

I have made several attempts to catch EVP with a recorder. One was with a micro-cassette recorder, we went and walked around a cemetery with the recorder recording. I mainly was just observing, reading the tombstones, which was quite interesting. One in our group was quite skeptical and vocal about it. I reviewed the recording after and didn't find anything on it, but my skeptical friend talking.
In other experiments I've left a sensitive digital recorder running in our living room over night. At that point I had audio software so it was easy to visually scan for sounds in the recording and then listen to them. All I found was my furnace cycling on and off, and occasional, lets call them, biological noises, coming from the bedroom :), but nothing paranormal.
I've also placed the same recorder out on our patio (protected in plastic though) and all I caught was nature sounds -- it rained a bit, birds chirping, airplanes flying by...
What do I need to do to get anything like EVP? Granted so far what I've done has been passive, just let the recorder run...

I can’t tell if it’s Grant inserting his own Christian beliefs into the book through Astrid. But if it is that’s the worst thing about the books. Especially to middle school kids like me when I first read the series. Reading it now it feels kinda preachy. But maybe it’s supposed to be frustrating for me as I’m an adult now. Idk. Thoughts ?

I know that on the internet where most things are an anarchy, toxicity is inevitably going to be seen coming from the most vocal minorities. However, as a community I believe we can still work on several factors that will result in a healthier, more adequate community overall. Let's take a look at what we can do:

1. Encourage diversity: The beatbox community should strive to be inclusive and celebrate diversity. Members can support and welcome beatboxers of all genders, races, backgrounds, and skill levels. No, it is not "politics" when you do a 2 hour long livestream sharing knowledge and education about such individuals that exist within the community. It isn't just men!
2. Promote professionalism: Beatboxing is an artform that deserves to be taken seriously. Members can strive to maintain a high standard of professionalism, whether it be in performances, competitions, or online content. I see lately that beatbox content has been blowing up on TikTok, and seeing people in the comments getting amazed and inspired is just awesome.
3. Expand workshops- The community can establish more mentorship programs that pair experienced beatboxers with beginners. This can help new beatboxers improve their skills and provide a supportive community for all members. Massive big ups to beatboxers like Elisii, Villain, DEN, and many more that have already initiated such organizations which work towards setting up masterclasses for newcomers to improve their skills.
4. Encourage collaboration: Collaboration is an essential aspect of beatboxing, and the community can encourage beatboxers to work with musicians, dancers, and other artists to create new and exciting performances. Beatboxers can work with other artists and communities to learn about different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. This can help promote understanding and empathy within the beatboxing community. This is also a great way of introducing the artform to non-beatboxers.
5. Hold each other accountable: When negative behavior occurs, the community should address it and hold the responsible party accountable. Members should speak up if they witness negative behavior and support those who are being targeted.

All of that being said, I'd also like to address the on-going unfair hatred and toxicity towards certain beatboxers in the scene, whether it be because of their constant usage of a certain sound or their appearances or more. This isn't a good look for the community, nor for the people outside of it. I'll take the American beatboxer King Inertia as an example-- on every single video of him, especially battles, there will be a disappointing amount of comments attacking the judges for not giving the opponent the win or the beatboxer himself for his constant usage of his signature sound. Beatboxers have styles and their own personal niches that they adhere to. Heck, even loopers do! It is what makes them recognizable-- quite literally what originality is about. Granted, this is just a small percentage of the scene, but they could easily give off a bad impression for outsiders that are just getting into the artform. With the battle culture constantly growing and its influence on the scene, I believe this issue could be tackled with the help of community leaders and more. Of course, we won't be able to diminish all the toxicity-- but we could still treat each other with respect, and foster a positive community. We can do better!

Hi everyone,
As a homeschooling parent, I always struggle to satisfy my child’s appetite for new stories and encourage their imagination. I recently created an app called Storytime Sam that uses chatGPT-like AI to create stories for children based on any prompt you give it. Storytime Sam is great way to foster your child’s creativity, reading, and writing skills!
The app encourages a child's creativity and reading and writing practices by bringing their imagination to life through text. It offers an interactive storytime experience where children can create their own stories with Storytime Sam. The app makes it easy for children to create a truly unique story just by talking to Sam (via text) and telling him what they want to change about the story they just created. It's like having a friend who is always ready to listen to your ideas and help bring them to life.
Storytime Sam also includes a "Story Room" where you can find curated stories donated by other parents to get your creative juices flowing. It's a great source of inspiration and can help kickstart your own storytelling ideas.
Give Storytime Sam a try if you're looking for a fun and educational app to incorporate into your homeschooling routine. It encourages a child's imagination and creativity while also helping them develop their reading and writing skills. Storytime Sam was reviewed by an independent Teacher and was approved for educational use. So you know it’s safe. You get 10 free coins each day where each coin roughly equates to one story. Let me know if you've tried it out and what you think!
You can read more about it here: www.yaswedo.com

Solar 101: solar power systems explained

Ever since 1954, when scientists at Bell Telephone discovered that silicon–an element found in sand–created an electric charge when exposed to sunlight, solar technology has evolved and been adopted by more than 2 million homes throughout the country. Today, solar panel systems provide a very attractive option to homes and businesses as a clean, affordable energy choice.
Solar panel systems: the basics
Thanks to the development of solar panels, we can harness the energy of an inexhaustible source of power–the sun. Solar panel systems work very simply:

• During the day, solar cells in your solar panels absorb the energy from sunlight;
• Circuits within the cells collect that energy and turn it into direct current (DC) energy;
• The DC electricity is passed through a device called an inverter to convert it to the usable alternating current (AC) electricity that comes out of your wall outlets;
• All of which means you can use that electricity in your home, store it with a solar battery, or send it back to the grid.

Below, we’ll run through a quick overview of solar panel systems, as well as the equipment that you’ll need to produce power using the sun. Already an expert on how solar equipment works? Great! Check out the next pieces in our Solar 101 section, or head to the next section to learn about the benefits of solar.
What is a solar panel?
A solar panel is a device that collects sunlight and turns it into usable electricity. Solar panels are usually made of solar cells (made from the element silicon), wiring, a metal frame, and a glass cover. A typical solar panel is about four feet wide, and six feet tall.
What components make up a solar panel system?
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read more

Ellooo there, I'm an uni student who just got started with my final semester so loads of free time which also mean boredom Imao. Like I have friends but they are usually busy with something else like they are literally back home rn while I'm still at uni (it is currently a two days break) Anyways, will try to not talk way too much about me. First things first, I'm looking for people to talk with like friends and such but I'm open to something romantic if we actually clicked.
Little bit abt me:
I can be a little clingy and talkative (extremely actually but usually can handle it) but the good news (or bad news?) is if I get clingy, it means I actually love talking to you, platonically or romantically :D also love voicecalls so yuh. Oooo I'm also bi. Im also pretty sarcastic and like to be cringy as a joke.
My interests are listening to music 24/7 (I can share you my fav playlist), walking around, stare at the ceiling, watch yt videos, listening to my bsfs rants, watch tiktoks (I love animal videos ong), play games like Stardew Valley, the Sims and more (I would love recommendations cuz have no idea what game is actually fun), sending my friends memes or random pics (Could be you😻🫵), talk about literally everything can think of, eat snacks until I ran out of it and then complain about how much eat and napping cuz sleep is awesome
My humour are pretty dark and laugh at almost everything especially anti jokes or dad jokes.
Red flags about me? Idek but have depression and BPD. I'm currently taking medication for it tho and I'm mostly sane and functional. also like to nap randomly or get distracted with stuff quite easily so I might reply late but I try my best to reply asap. I asked my friends what are my red flags and they said "You can be annoying plus you should stop falling for people so easily so yuh 😜💅🏻 I can be a little narcissistic tho but in a way where Im sometimes very confident with how look but sometimes I can't even look at myself in the mirror so not that narcissistic 💀💀
Appearance wise, well imma give you the basic but idm sending a pic eventually but anyways, I'm 5 feet ish, almost as heavy as a toilet, I got hair so that's something 😝 🙏🏻 fr tho I have straight (it's fake) brown hair tho like to dye and bleach it sometimes (if you ask for what colours have dyed to, I may or may not spam you pics of my hair) I got glasses that I'm literally blind without it
What I'm looking for;
People where I can actually have a convo that wouldn't ghost me all the sudden one day without any reason. Share similar humour or at least can tolerant my humour. We can get comfortable enough to share random stuff with each other fr. I can't think anything else so feel free to ask me questions. Also prefer moving to different platforms so yuh.
I think that is all I can think of for now so pretty please with sprinkles on top, don't be dry nor a creep. Please don't be so old that you can be my mum or dad Also, rather that you send me an intro about yourself or say something funny so that I know that you actually read it (Actually, send a 🦧 cuz monke) so yeah see ya in my dms and thanks for reading :D

(cw:mentions of ED)
My grades are average. At school I was better than others at languages and took part in olympiads, but now that I’m in uni, I just suck at everything. You can tell me grades don’t mean shit and how some smart and talented people didn’t do well in terms of academic performance.
So what? I’m not one of them by any means. I’m not good at scientific research in my field, either. They say, some people naturally think like scientists. They ask the right questions, challenge ideas without taking them for granted etc. I’m not capable of that.
I’ve had an ED which allowed me to have an extremely low BMI so for some time I felt like I’m better than others at least at something. I was dumb enough to try recovery and now I’m technically not even underweight.
I had hobbies like chess and drawing but I don’t have enough motivation to do them regularly, and anyway it would probably take years for me to become just "good" at it.
There are no other areas in my life where I could better than average. This is it. You could tell me being above average should not be that important anyway. It’s totally fine if it’s not for others, but for me it would mean a lot. I would feel like my existence isn’t absolutely pointless. I can’t just live and try to enjoy stuff.
Thanks for reading this.

Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory

Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.

All Buyouts are listed in cash value.

KNIVES

★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $1867

★ Butterfly Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $1098

★ Butterfly Knife Blue Steel BS, B/O: $907

★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $789

★ Butterfly Knife Stained FT, B/O: $695

⎯

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $888

★ Bayonet Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $727

★ Bayonet Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $608

★ Bayonet Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $521

★ Bayonet Rust Coat BS, B/O: $253

★ Bayonet Night FT, B/O: $251

★ StatTrak™ Bayonet Lore MW, B/O: $751

⎯

★ Karambit Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $1343

★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $774

★ Karambit Rust Coat BS, B/O: $537

★ Karambit Boreal Forest FT, B/O: $488

⎯

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1523

★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1523

★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $1008

★ M9 Bayonet Blue Steel FT, B/O: $534

★ M9 Bayonet Rust Coat BS, B/O: $449

⎯

★ Flip Knife Fade FN, B/O: $703

★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $509

★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $406

★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $228

★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $332

⎯

★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $292

★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $264

★ Falchion Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $258

★ Falchion Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $133

⎯

★ Stiletto Knife Fade FN, B/O: $822

★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $569

★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $530

★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $396

★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $172

⎯

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $830

★ Gut Knife Fade FN, B/O: $204

★ Gut Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $138

★ Gut Knife Bright Water MW, B/O: $104

★ Gut Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $92

★ Gut Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $82

★ StatTrak™ Gut Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $93

⎯

★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $258

★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $165

★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel FT, B/O: $82

★ Shadow Daggers Bright Water FT, B/O: $82

★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel WW, B/O: $80

★ Shadow Daggers Rust Coat BS, B/O: $74

★ StatTrak™ Shadow Daggers Marble Fade FN, B/O: $186

⎯

★ Classic Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $311

★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $163

⎯

★ Talon Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $605

★ Talon Knife Scorched MW, B/O: $290

⎯

★ Ursus Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $405

★ Ursus Knife Night Stripe MW, B/O: $162

⎯

★ Paracord Knife Stained WW, B/O: $125

★ Paracord Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

★ Paracord Knife Safari Mesh FT, B/O: $96

⎯

★ Navaja Knife Safari Mesh FT, B/O: $71

★ Navaja Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $71

⎯

★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1015

★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $909

★ Bowie Knife Boreal Forest MW, B/O: $106

★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97

GLOVES

★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $335

★ Driver Gloves King Snake BS, B/O: $270

★ Driver Gloves Lunar Weave WW, B/O: $113

★ Driver Gloves Overtake WW, B/O: $88

★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $67

⎯

★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $171

★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $137

★ Moto Gloves Transport WW, B/O: $71

★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $62

⎯

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1027

★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $654

★ Specialist Gloves Mogul FT, B/O: $295

★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $277

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web FT, B/O: $275

⎯

★ Sport Gloves Slingshot FT, B/O: $796

★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $699

★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $656

⎯

★ Broken Fang Gloves Unhinged BS, B/O: $60

WEAPONS

AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130

AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76

AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70

AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60

⎯

AWP Fade FN, B/O: $864

AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $84

AWP Containment Breach FT, B/O: $69

AWP Containment Breach FT, B/O: $69

AWP Wildfire FT, B/O: $59

AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $59

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $65

StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $65

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Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $565

Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $565

Desert Eagle Printstream FN, B/O: $155

Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $58

⎯

M4A1-S Icarus Fell FN, B/O: $414

M4A1-S Printstream MW, B/O: $204

M4A1-S Printstream MW, B/O: $204

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M4A4 Poseidon FN, B/O: $1402

M4A4 The Emperor FN, B/O: $152

M4A4 Asiimov WW, B/O: $97

⎯

USP-S Kill Confirmed MW, B/O: $65

USP-S Printstream FT, B/O: $69

StatTrak™ USP-S Kill Confirmed FT, B/O: $123

StatTrak™ USP-S Neo-Noir FN, B/O: $106

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AUG Flame Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $218

P2000 Ocean Foam FN, B/O: $139

Souvenir SSG 08 Death Strike MW, B/O: $81

CZ75-Auto Emerald Quartz MW, B/O: $61

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Knives - Bowie Knife, Butterfly Knife, Falchion Knife, Flip Knife, Gut Knife, Huntsman Knife, M9 Bayonet, Bayonet, Karambit, Shadow Daggers, Stiletto Knife, Ursus Knife, Navaja Knife, Talon Knife, Classic Knife, Paracord Knife, Survival Knife, Nomad Knife, Skeleton Knife, Patterns - Gamma Doppler, Doppler (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4, Black Pearl, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald), Crimson Web, Lore, Fade, Ultraviolet, Night, Marble Fade (Fire & Ice, Fake FI), Case Hardened (Blue Gem), Autotronic, Slaughter, Black Laminate, Tiger Tooth, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Blue Steel, Vanilla, Damascus Steel, Forest DDPAT, Urban Masked, Freehand, Stained, Bright Water, Safari Mesh, Rust Coat, Gloves - Bloodhound Gloves (Charred, Snakebite, Guerrilla, Bronzed), Driver Gloves (Snow Leopard, King Snake, Crimson Weave, Imperial Plaid, Black Tie, Lunar Weave, Diamondback, Rezan the Red, Overtake, Queen Jaguar, Convoy, Racing Green), Hand Wraps (Cobalt Skulls, CAUTION!, Overprint, Slaughter, Leather, Giraffe, Badlands, Spruce DDPAT, Arboreal, Constrictor, Desert Shamagh, Duct Tape), Moto Gloves (Spearmint, POW!, Cool Mint, Smoke Out, Finish Line, Polygon, Blood Pressure, Turtle, Boom!, Eclipse, 3rd Commando Company, Transport), Specialist Gloves (Crimson Kimono, Tiger Strike, Emerald Web, Field Agent, Marble Fade, Fade, Foundation, Lt. Commander, Crimson Web, Mogul, Forest DDPAT, Buckshot), Sport Gloves (Pandora's Box, Superconductor, Hedge Maze, Vice, Amphibious, Slingshot, Omega, Arid, Big Game, Nocts, Scarlet Shamagh, Bronze Morph), Hydra Gloves (Case Hardened, Emerald, Rattler, Mangrove), Broken Fang Gloves (Jade, Yellow-banded, Unhinged, Needle Point), Pistols - P2000 (Ocean Foam, Fire Element, Amber Fade, Corticera, Chainmail, Imperial Dragon, Obsidian, Scorpion, Handgun, Acid Etched), USP-S (Printstream, Kill Confirmed, Whiteout, Road Rash, Owergrowth, The Traitor, Neo-Noir, Dark Water, Orion, Blueprint, Stainless, Caiman, Serum, Monster Mashup, Royal Blue, Ancient Visions, Cortex, Orange Anolis, Ticket To Hell, Black Lotus, Cyrex, Check Engine, Guardian, Purple DDPAT, Torque, Blood Tiger, Flashback, Business Class, Pathfinder, Para Green), Lead Conduit, Glock-18 (Fade, Candy Apple, Bullet Queen, Synth Leaf, Neo-Noir, Nuclear Garden, Dragon Tatto, Reactor, Pink DDPAT, Twilight Galaxy, Sand Dune, Groundwater, Blue Fissure, Snack Attack, Water Elemental, Brass, Wasteland Rebel, Vogue, Franklin, Royal Legion, Gamma Doppler, Weasel, Steel Disruption, Ironwork, Grinder, High Beam, Moonrise, Oxide Blaze, Bunsen Burner, Clear Polymer, Bunsen Burner, Night), P250 (Nuclear Threat, Modern Hunter, Splash, Whiteout, Vino Primo, Mehndi, Asiimov, Visions, Undertow, Cartel, See Ya Later, Gunsmoke, Splash, Digital Architect, Muertos, Red Rock, Bengal Tiger, Crimson Kimono, Wingshot, Metallic DDPAT, Hive, Dark Filigree, Mint Kimono), Five-Seven (Neon Kimono, Berries And Cherries, Fall Hazard, Crimson Blossom, Hyper Beast, Nitro, Fairy Tale, Case Hardened, Copper Galaxy, Angry Mob, Monkey Business, Fowl Play, Anodized Gunmetal, Hot Shot, Retrobution, Boost Protocol), CZ75-Auto (Chalice, Crimson Web, Emerald Quartz, The Fuschia is Now, Nitro, Xiangliu, Yellow Jacket, Victoria, Poison Dart, Syndicate, Eco, Hexane, Pole, Tigris), Tec-9 (Terrace, Nuclear Threat, Hades, Rust Leaf, Decimator, Blast From, Orange Murano, Toxic, Fuel Injector, Remote Control, Bamboo Forest, Isaac, Avalanche, Brother, Re-Entry, Blue Titanium, Bamboozle), R8 Revolver (Fade, Blaze, Crimson Web, Liama Cannon, Crazy 8, Reboot, Canal Spray, Night, Amber Fade), Desert Eagle (Blaze, Hand Cannon, Fennec Fox, Sunset Storm, Emerald Jörmungandr, Pilot, Hypnotic, Golden Koi, Printstream, Cobalt Disruption, Code Red, Ocean Drive, Midnight Storm, Kumicho Dragon, Crimson Web, Heirloom, Night Heist, Mecha Industries, Night, Conspiracy, Trigger Discipline, Naga, Directive, Light Rail), Dual Berettas (Flora Carnivora, Duelist, Cobra Strike, Black Limba, Emerald, Hemoglobin, Twin Turbo, Marina, Melondrama, Pyre, Retribution, Briar, Dezastre, Royal Consorts, Urban Shock, Dualing Dragons, Panther, Balance), Rifles - Galil (Aqua Terrace, Winter Forest, Chatterbox, Sugar Rush, Pheonix Blacklight, CAUTION!, Orange DDPAT, Cerberus, Dusk Ruins, Eco, Chromatic Aberration, Stone Cold, Tuxedo, Sandstorm, Shattered, Urban Rubble, Rocket Pop, Kami, Crimson Tsunami, Connexion), SCAR-20 (Brass, Cyrex, Palm, Splash Jam, Cardiac, Emerald, Crimson Web, Magna Carta, Stone Mosaico, Bloodsport, Enforcer), AWP (Gungnir, Dragon Lore, Prince, Medusa, Desert Hydra, Fade, Lightning Strike, Oni Taiji, Silk Tiger, Graphite, Chromatic Aberration, Asiimov, Snake Camo, Boom, Containment Breach, Wildfire, Redline, Electric Hive, Hyper Beast, Neo-Noir, Man-o'-war, Pink DDPAT, Corticera, Sun in Leo, Elite Build, Fever Dream, Atheris, Mortis, PAW, Exoskeleton, Worm God, POP AWP, Phobos, Acheron, Pit Viper, Capillary, Safari Mesh), AK-47 (Wild Lotus, Gold Arabesque, X-Ray, Fire Serpent, Hydroponic, Panthera Onca, Case Hardened, Vulcan, Jet Set, Fuel Injector, Bloodsport, Nightwish, First Class, Neon Rider, Asiimov, Red Laminate, Aquamarine Revenge, The Empress, Wasteland Rebel, Jaguar, Black Laminate, Leet Museo, Neon Revolution, Redline, Frontside Misty, Predator, Legion of Anubis, Point Disarray, Orbit Mk01, Blue Laminate, Green Laminate, Emerald Pinstripe, Cartel, Phantom Disruptor, Jungle Spray, Safety Net, Rat Rod, Baroque Purple, Slate, Elite Build, Uncharted, Safari Mesh), FAMAS (Sundown, Prime Conspiracy, Afterimage, Commemoration, Dark Water, Spitfire, Pulse, Eye of Athena, Meltdown, Rapid Eye Move, Roll Cage, Styx, Mecha Industrie, Djinn, ZX Spectron, Valence, Neural Net, Night Borre, Hexne), M4A4 (Howl, Poseidon, Asiimov, Daybreak, Hellfire, Zirka, Red DDPAT, Radiation Hazard, Modern Hunter, The Emperor, The Coalition, Bullet Rain, Cyber Security, X-Ray, Dark Blossom, Buzz Kill, In Living Color, Neo-Noir, Desolate Space, 龍王 (Dragon King), Royal Paladin, The Battlestar, Global Offensive, Tooth Fairy, Desert-Strike, Griffin, Evil Daimyo, Spider Lily, Converter), M4A1-S (Welcome to the Jungle, Imminent Danger, Knight, Hot Rod, Icarus Fell, Blue Phosphor, Printstream, Master Piece, Dark Water, Golden Coil, Bright Water, Player Two, Atomic Alloy, Guardian, Chantico's Fire, Hyper Beast, Mecha Industries, Cyrex, Control Panel, Moss Quartz, Nightmare, Decimator, Leaded Glass, Basilisk, Blood Tiger, Briefing, Night Terror, Nitro, VariCamo, Flashback), SG 553 (Hazard Pay, Bulldozer, Integrale, Dragon Tech, Ultraviolet, Colony IV, Hypnotic, Cyrex, Candy Apple, Barricade, Pulse), SSG 08 (Death Strike, Sea Calico, Blood in the Water, Orange Filigree, Dragonfire, Big Iron, Bloodshot, Detour, Turbo Peek, Red Stone), AUG (Akihabara Accept, Flame Jörmungandr, Hot Rod, Midnight Lily, Sand Storm, Carved Jade, Wings, Anodized Navy, Death by Puppy, Torque, Bengal Tiger, Chameleon, Fleet Flock, Random Access, Momentum, Syd Mead, Stymphalian, Arctic Wolf, Aristocrat, Navy Murano), G3SG1 (Chronos, Violet Murano, Flux, Demeter, Orange Kimono, The Executioner, Green Apple, Arctic Polar Camo, Contractor), SMGs - P90 (Astral Jörmungandr, Run and Hide, Emerald Dragon, Cold Blooded, Death by Kitty, Baroque Red, Vent Rush, Blind Spot, Asiimov, Trigon, Sunset Lily, Death Grip, Leather, Nostalgia, Fallout Warning, Tiger Pit, Schermatic, Virus, Shapewood, Glacier Mesh, Shallow Grave, Chopper, Desert Warfare), MAC-10 (Hot Snakes, Copper Borre, Red Filigree, Gold Brick, Graven, Case Hardened, Stalker, Amber Fade, Neon Rider, Tatter, Curse, Propaganda, Nuclear Garden, Disco Tech, Toybox, Heat, Indigo), UMP-45 (Fade, Blaze, Day Lily, Minotaur's Labyrinth, Crime Scene, Caramel, Bone Pile, Momentum, Primal Saber), MP7 (Teal Blossom, Fade, Nemesis, Whiteout, Asterion, Bloosport, Abyssal Apparition, Full Stop, Special Delivery, Neon Ply, Asterion, Ocean Foam, Powercore, Scorched, Impire), PP-Bizon (Modern Hunter, Rust Coat, Forest Leaves, Antique, High Roller, Blue Streak, Seabird, Judgement of Anubis, Bamboo Print, Embargo, Chemical Green, Coblat Halftone, Fuel Rod, Photic Zone, Irradiated Alert, Carbon Fiber), MP9 (Wild Lily, Pandora's Box, Stained Glass, Bulldozer, Dark Age, Hot Rod, Hypnotic, Hydra, Rose Iron, Music Box, Setting Sun, Food Chain, Airlock, Mount Fuji, Starlight Protector, Ruby Poison Dart, Deadly Poison), MP5-SD (Oxide Oasis, Phosphor, Nitro, Agent, Autumn Twilly), Shotguns, Machineguns - Sawed-Off (Kiss♥Love, First Class, Orange DDPAT, Rust Coat, The Kraken, Devourer, Mosaico, Wasteland Princess, Bamboo Shadow, Copper, Serenity, Limelight, Apocalypto), XM1014 (Frost Borre, Ancient Lore, Red Leather, Elegant Vines, Banana Leaf, Jungle, Urban Perforated, Grassland, Blaze Orange, Heaven Guard, VariCamo Blue, Entombed, XOXO, Seasons, Tranquility, Bone Machine, Incinegator, Teclu Burner, Black Tie, Zombie Offensive, Watchdog), Nova (Baroque Orange, Hyper Beast, Green Apple, Antique, Modern Hunter, Walnut, Forest Leaves, Graphite, Blaze Orange, Rising Skull, Tempest, Bloomstick, Interlock, Quick Sand, Moon in Libra, Clean Polymer, Red Quartz, Toy Soldier), MAG-7 (Cinqueda, Counter Terrace, Prism Terrace, Memento, Chainmail, Hazard, Justice, Bulldozer, Silver, Core Breach, Firestarter, Praetorian, Heat, Hard Water, Monster Call, BI83 Spectrum, SWAG-7), M249 (Humidor, Shipping Forecast, Blizzard Marbleized, Downtown, Jungle DDPAT, Nebula Crusader, Impact Drill, Emerald Poison Dart), Negev (Mjölnir, Anodized Navy, Palm, Power Loader, Bratatat, CaliCamo, Phoenix Stencil, Infrastructure, Boroque Sand), Wear - Factory New (FN), Minimal Wear (MW), Field-Tested (FT), Well-Worn (WW), Battle-Scarred (BS), Stickers Holo/Foil/Gold - Katowice 2014, Krakow 2017, Howling Dawn, Katowice 2015, Crown, London 2018, Cologne 2014, Boston 2018, Atlanta 2017, Cluj-Napoca 2015, DreamHack 2014, King on the Field, Harp of War, Winged Difuser, Cologne 2016, Cologne 2015, MLG Columbus 2016, Katowice 2019, Berlin 2019, RMR 2020, Stockholm 2021, Antwerp 2022, Swag Foil, Flammable foil, Others - Souvenirs, Agents, Pins, Passes, Gifts, Music Kits, Cases, Keys, Capsules, Packages, Patches

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So my mind is always looking for new things to keep it occupied and lately I have thought it would be cool to make my own bubbles from glass tube. If anyone on her does how did you learn and what do you need? Thanks for reading this. 😊

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre failed to answer a question about whether President Joe Biden supports slavery reparations at a national level, amid San Francisco’s proposal to grant each eligible Black resident $5 million using taxpayer dollars. During a press briefing Tuesday, Jean-Pierre was asked where the administration stands in support of slavery reparations, … Continue reading White House refuses to say whether Biden supports reparations for slavery, says it’s for ‘Congress to decide’

I was a fisherman because my father was a fisherman. And his father was a fisherman before him; this is all my family has ever known.
I worked on my father’s boat as one of his deckhands for years. We caught crabs in the Bering sea. Essentially, we would dunk massive metal cages into the water, trapping the crustaceans miles below. It's a tough living, and definitely something not for the faint of heart. You wake up to the murky haze of sunrise, the sea breeze chilling your bones, the smell of salt and the fresh guts of fish clinging to your nose like rust to the hull. Ninety percent of greenhorns never make it past their first day. Many of them were drifters, new to our community. The job paid well, so it attracted men who were eager to work. And my father was always willing to give anyone a shot. But the truth of it was, the job just wasn’t for everybody.
Something always hurt: whether it was your neck, your back, or your joints. It didn’t matter. If you left the harbor in our boat, you best be prepared for the grueling day or my father would toss you over himself.
I watched many a man perish on expeditions, swallowed up by the ravenous sea. Careless or stupid or just plain unlucky.
Things had been going smoothly, though, recently. There were a lot fewer casualties and some very nice yields. A few of the older deckhands at the pub had even quoted this as a “legendary” year. We drank to our good fortune. It wasn’t the same story we were hearing from some of the other vessels, but some years were better than others. It was just how the tide turned.
As I said, it’s an honest living and all I’ve ever known is Thally. It was renamed after my father’s first love, but he’d said if Mum ever asked it was named after the Greek Goddess of the sea. The ship had seen its fair share of tumultuous expeditions, but it always managed to steer us home with my father at the helm.
The day I realized he was in trouble, it was far too late. My father had slipped past the point of no return. In actuality, he had been slipping for months, but he was an incredibly stubborn man, impossible to deal with at times. You would just have soon put a bullet in his head if you kept him off the water. But the signs were there. His now shaky hands had once been the most steady spearfishing hands our town had ever seen. His lungs were once exceptional: many old timers at the bar claimed he could hold his breath for ten minutes. Now, he would cough out a watery tar-like residue from them. He stumbled over his words, occasionally forgetting some of the greenhorns’ and deckhands' names.
The signs were all there, and I chose to ignore them.
I think it was because he was the strongest man I ever knew; I couldn’t fathom him needing help. He taught me everything—how to fish, how to swim, how to gut and cook them once you were done. And that was everything in our fishing community. But I guess strong men get old too.
The only reason I caught him was the fussy latch on the door. He jiggled it in frustration as he left, another project left by the wayside. The wind swung the door open in a violent clap; the howling and whistling traveling through the home. A moment later, my coat was on and I followed him into the cold.
The conditions were wretched: the rain fell from the sky in a ruthless downpour. I followed the beacon of light from his lantern. He walked onto the dock and untied the mooring line before entering Thally. The beating of the rain was so intense it drowned out my footsteps and pleas for him to stop. But there was a whistling that could be heard. Its high-pitched tune seemed to float through the conditions, lingering by the dock.
I sprinted once the lights turned on, the motor purring. I barely managed to slide on deck before it drifted off to sea.
***
I’ve been on the water long enough to know we don’t belong there. This stormy night was no exception. The precarious weather would mean waves as tall as houses. In much milder conditions, it was easy to get tossed off deck, plunged into the depths of the dark unknown. High tide was not to be messed with. My father understood all of this, and yet he steered Thally into the choppy waters. The waves sloshed back and forth, creating slick pools that slid from one end to the other.
It was reckless. Unforgivable. Only a fool would steer into the eye of a storm, and my father was far from a foolish man.
He was a very superstitious man, that I knew. He believed in many silly things. Most were innocuous and standard to sailor folklore. Try to bring a banana on board (even so much as an item containing artificial flavoring, the kind you’d find in candy that tasted like awful chemicals) and he’d send you packing. Every morning he’d kiss the rosary above the helm and say a prayer before we’d dock. They made me smirk, these superstitions, but it wasn’t my place to say anything. Our best years came under his reign, and when he made money, we all made money—including all of the businesses down the supply chain. The man just seemed to have a knack for it. He knew all the sweet spots and had a feel for where we should be.
Lightning sparked above us. I held onto the railing and stumbled my way toward the entrance of the wheelhouse. The thunder that followed made me flinch. It erupted above, sending trails of jagged light zig-zagging across the cluster of ominous clouds. I twisted the handle, but it didn't move. I could see a faint hue of light past the cloudy glass and the steps ascending upwards, but no sign of my father. Banging on the door was useless, the water continued to pummel everything in its wake, drowning out the noise.
Except for the whistling. It was steady. Unwavering. The calm song seemed to dance above the water, hovering around the main deck.
I threw my hands up in frustration. My father had finally lost it. They always said too much time at sea would do that to you.
Searching for something to help me gain access, I held onto the handle for dear life. With a sudden jerk of the ocean, my hand slipped. I rolled across the deck, my back slamming against the railing on the periphery. My cheek felt cold against the soaked wood floors. A gush of water quickly followed, flowing into my face and sneaking into the crevices of my raincoat, invading my wooly sweater and long johns underneath. I moaned in agony, spitting out a sticky gob of salt and blood.
The boat continued to teeter violently with the waves in large, helpless dips. I managed to get to my knees, desperately clutching the railing. My back felt like it had been scorched. All the while, I cursed my father.
I needed to find shelter or it was a matter of time before I would be underwater. The main deck was largely open. It would be impossible to get to the living quarters or engine room, the water was too treacherous and the distance too far. I needed to go back the way I came and get to my father before it was too late.
Amidst the haze of the rain, I spotted the tool bench that housed some basic tools. I waited until the ebb and flow of the waves had mellowed before timing my staggered run. When the deck leveled, I ran. I felt the muggy squish of salt water between my water-logged boots. As the boat began to rise again, I grasped one of the railing barriers wrapped around the metal bench. A wave of water dropped down, chopping at my body. I swayed momentarily before my feet were sent airborne. The arctic chill brought shivers as it whipped my drenched skin. I gasped. The tips of my fingers were numb as I scrambled to my feet.
Once the waves settled, I fiddled with the combination. The lock clicked open, and I grabbed the first two objects that looked like they could do damage—an iron mallet and a pair of pliers—and waited for the next sequence of waves to settle. I trudged back toward the stairs. The waves tilted the boat at a harsh angle. I stumbled, losing grip of one of the tools. The pliers skidded away in the darkness, disappearing into the black waters. I clutched the mallet for dear life.
The window vibrated with every heavy thud. I brought the mallet down as hard as I could, my arms trembling. After a couple of powerful whacks, tiny spiderweb cracks began to emerge. It eventually shattered, allowing me to reach in and unlock the door.
“Father!” I bellowed up the stairs. My hands slid up the guard rail as the cool steel supported my clumsy steps.
“Charlie?” he called back. His eyes were full of terror: wide and jittery. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?” I shouted back. “Look outside! We need to turn back!”
Someone else stood by my father’s side. He stared blankly out the window, gripping the wheel. His long, ashy-white locks draped down from his head like thick sections of rope. He looked dressed and ready to work: a brown leather apron, and a cracked leather bucket hat, the string browned and weathered around his chin. The man glanced back at me, a grave look on his face.
“Who is this?” I asked.
“He shouldn’t be here, Ferris,” the man warned.
My father's hands shot to his face. The one missing a ring finger caressed his beard in panic. “Oh, Lord. What are we to do now?” he cried.
“What do you mean? Have you both gone mad?” I stormed the helm and pulled the wheel in the opposite direction. The older man held firm, battling me for control.
“Turn around!” I pleaded.
The man roared back, “Ferris, do something!”
The waves continued to wobble the boat violently from side to side.
“Charlie. Please stop!” my father begged. He gripped the top of my hand and tried to pry my fingers from the wheel.
“Are you crazy, Father? We are going to capsize!” The pressure from his hands finally was too much. I shrugged him off of me, and he dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. He then drifted toward the opposite wall, dragged from one end to the other by the tide. Next, I leaned my weight against the man steering the ship. To my surprise, I fell right through him. I stared helplessly from the floor, my mouth ajar at the ghastly revelation. He barely glanced back, his narrow umber brown stare kept firm on the water.
The boat abruptly stopped before I could react. I was launched toward the window, my shoulder colliding with the switchboard. My father was a crumpled heap on the floor. Only the sound of clattering rain filled the air for a moment.
The light was undeniable past the foggy wet window. Blinding. A radiant glow of aquamarine encompassed the outside of the ship.
The man spoke, walking to the door, “It’s time to go.”
The ground felt steady, the rocking ceased. But my father still held the wall as he stepped toward the exit. Seeing him then, he appeared frail and uneasy.
“Stop,” I ordered, wagging my hand in the man’s direction. “Not until I know what’s going on.”
My father sighed, every word looked exhausting exiting his lips. “It is too much to explain now.” He pointed to the door. “You must come.”
“To what exactly? Where are we going?”
The older man held the door open. “To meet our destiny.”
***
Outside the wheelhouse, the incredible glow illuminated the deck. The old man strode toward the floating being. My father stayed a few steps behind, in apprehension. I could tell the tossing around on the ship had done a number on him: he held his wrist as he hobbled forward at a gingerly pace. I placed my hand against the small of his back, aiding him onward.
“Say goodbye,” the man urged. “No need to drag this along, Ferris.”
I observed the being, frozen in wonder. She hovered above the deck, her translucent body holding no color, but glimmering in a silky rainbow sheen like a ray of light hitting the surface of glass at an angle. Her body was beautiful: curvaceous, smooth.
“F…Father…what is this?”
Walls of water surrounded the perimeter of the boat, creating a giant bowl around the ship. The mountainous waves were held in limbo, suspended in the air like swirling blue arcs of impending doom. Schools of fish could be seen swimming in the waves.
My father glanced back as he approached the floating entity. His expression had softened, his stare was that of a little boy who had lost his mother. “I would have come for you, Charlie. I would have explained everything…after I gathered the right words.” I walked toward him and held his head at my chest. He began to sob.
“You must go now,” the old man ordered. “She grows impatient.”
I felt my father trying to peel away, but I held the folds of his neon jacket tighter.
“Let him go,” the old man hissed.
She drifted nearer. There were too many tentacles to count protruding from the base of her skull. Her lips remained pursed. She did not speak, but there was a vibration coming from her. A cooing. The gentle whistle sang from her reverberating gills.
“Tell me what this is, Father,” I cried. “I will not let you go!”
He held me close. I had never heard him cry so hard before.
The older man spoke for him. “Your father’s time is up. Like all of our times have come to an end,” he explained. “He has served well. Exceptionally well.”
My father finally let go.
“Okay,” he declared with a deep breath. “I am ready.“ He took one last look up at me. “I love you, Charlie. Tell your mother I love her too.”
What happened next happened in rapid succession. He took two steps forward and the tentacles wrapped around his body. A petrified scream escaped his lungs. His limbs jolted uncontrollably, as tiny electric sparks flashed from the tentacles. The smell of singed flesh replaced the salty breeze. His eyes rolled back as the entity’s jaw stretched open to an unsettling length. His head was plunged into the cavernous confines, her teeth as sharp as spearheads. She stared back at me as his body disappeared. Her jaw opened and closed in horrifying crunches. Alligator-like snaps.
I wailed helplessly. Was I next?
Her glowing eyes had a glint of satisfaction; her pillow lips moist with delight. They smacked together in a disturbing click. All the while, the whistling continued from its flexing gills.
In an instant, the waves were released, wooshing down from the perimeter. The tsunami was too much, it swallowed everything whole. I saw a flurry of bubbles as the waves crashed into me; I felt the frigid sting of the water mixed with an intense burning in my lungs.
The old man’s voice spoke in the flood:
“Good luck, Boy.”
Everything washed away.
***
I awoke in the wheelhouse, my arms and legs spread out like a starfish. My father was standing over me.
“Welcome back, Son,” he smiled. His gold front tooth was gleaming.
I sat up to see the bright bleed of sunrise peeking in through the clouds.
“How long was I out?” I asked, rubbing my forehead. My head pulsated like I was having a sinister hangover.
“A couple of hours?” he guessed. “It’s not important. What matters is that you are here.”
The rain had stopped, but the deck still had puddles of water pooled up on the surface. It miraculously looked like the boat survived the night with little to no damage.
“You still have time to make it back to work,” he assured me. He appeared content as the pier came into view.
“You won’t believe the nightmare I had.”
There was a flicker of sadness in his smirk. “It was no nightmare.”
I laughed nervously. “Sure.”
“I wish it was a joke, Charlie,” he said. He placed his hand at the helm and spun the wheel. A large buoy floated past. “But I am ready to explain.”
My father told me that the man from last night was named Hayden. He was my grandfather. He had died at sea before I was ever born. So had his father. And his father before him. This was the pact our family had made.
I rubbed my eyes.
“We all take, take, take from the ocean. Our family has been chosen to be the ones who give back, to try to breach the gap.”
The story left me frozen in my spot. “So, this is to be my fate, as well?”
He gazed out the window with an empty stare. The sun was now an orange ring fanning across the skyline. “The way I see it, you have two options.” He turned to look me in my eyes. “You can carry on and captain Thally. Just as you were destined to. It is your responsibility now—the livelihood of the community, the tradition—it all lives with you.” He paused, scratching his chin. “It is a cross to bear, Charlie. The strongest men carry the most weight. You will bring a lot of good men into grave peril. The sea will claim who they see fit, it is not for you to choose. But you must bring them, in plenty.” He cleared his throat. “But you will also protect the community. The sea will reward you so. You will also do much good.”
“Or?” I asked.
“Or…” he paused. “You dock the ship and walk away from it all. Forever. Start a new life. Change your trajectory.”
I contemplated what a new life would look like. “What would happen to Mother?”
“She must never know,” he said. “It will be a tough pill for her to swallow. But she is a tough woman, she will make do.”
We stood in silence, the squawk of the waterfowls and the rolling waves filling the space.
“If you take that path, you must stay away from the ocean. Forever. The sea is unforgiving. A betrayer of covenants, well, you will stand no chance.” He swallowed. “Your children will stand no chance.”
The pier slowly approached. The shadows of awaiting crew members were huddled together at the end of the pier, their lit cigarettes shone in the twilight.
“We are almost here, Son.” He kissed me on the forehead and walked toward the exit. His lips felt incredibly cold. “Just trust I support you in your decision. Whichever way you choose.”
I nodded, tears fleeing from my eyes. I swiftly wiped them away.
“Goodbye, Son. I love you.”
With that, he walked through the closed door.
I gripped the wheel and watched Thally glide toward the pier.
When we got close, I tied the ship to the dock. The familiar whistle cooed in from the sea.
I began to load the ship and felt a hand clutch my shoulder. Murphy grabbed me playfully, his crooked grin across his face. Chase, the new greenhorn, yawned as he shook my hand. I ribbed him about his uneven mustache. He stomped out his butt. More of the crew began to gather their things and hop on board.
We prepared for the daily catch.
For this was all I’ve ever known.
​
aproyal

Hi!
My name is Dylan and I’m a 21 year old single guy from northeastern Illinois in the US. Any lady 18-60 is welcome. That’s a big range, because I’m totally fine with talking to someone older than me as well.
I’m seeking some kind of close connection with friendship being the main thing, however, I’m definitely open to things getting a bit spicier than that, whether that’s something where we remain friends yet can be flirty or romantic such as a friend with benefits for example.
I like to say upfront that I will always be mindful and considerate of your feelings and boundaries, especially concerning anything flirty or more intimate that we might get into. It’s important to me and we’d never have to do anything we weren’t comfortable with or ready for.
Physically I'm 6ft tall, I'm average/slim build, and I'm white/Caucasian with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. I wear glasses too. There’s a picture on my profile.
I don’t have any preference on body type for whom I find attractive. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and as much as I’m attracted to people around my age I’m also attracted to people older than me as well, hence being so open to meeting people.
I’m currently living at home, trying to get a job at a warehouse but long term career goals so far is to do something in the electrical field/trades such as a fire alarm systems technician as I’m good with technical things like that. I’ve got older parents and I live on a main road in a small farm house so I’ve been feeling pretty lonely most of my life. I’ve listed some interests of mine below!
Now that we've established who I am and what I'm looking for, here are a few interests of mine to get to know me better!
• Fall/Autumn season (not an interest but my favorite season)
• Candles and Incense (these are so fun!)
• Technology (I’m good at repairing things when they break)
• Music (if you’re old enough you might get my username) (I love genres such as classic rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, punk, post punk, hardcore, etc. My current favorite bands are The Cure and Joy Division/New Order.)
• Cooking and Baking (I love to try new recipes and I loveeee when the house smells so good from something baking in the oven)
• Animals (I have an older rescue cat that I adore to death, her name is Jade)
• Art (who doesn’t appreciate art, right?)
• Houseplants (I love plants! Something so positive about them and I like them in the house.)
• Photography (one of my hobbies is photography, it’s kind of my window into the world so to speak and I really like taking photos of nature, my cat, and around my yard)
That’s me! I hope you get a good taste of what I am like and if any of this catches your interest I’d love to hear from you and we can get to know each other further. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, hope to hear from you soon.