Chains for honda accord

Need the asset information to make a trustline for (yXLM, and yUSDC... yXRP too if there is such a thing.) Lol
I tried Listr. But found nothing. I'm fairly new to the chain in general. So I have no idea where else to look for them. (WILL gladly, and preferably take links to where I can find them, and maybe even more assets who's info I can possibly use.)

I'm trying to put together an artifact pair of smashfists but I am a complete mess at figuring out how to build evocations and stuff for them. I know what I WANT out of the artifact, but it's figuring out a logical chain that builds up to the better powers, or whether what I want should BE capped off as one of the better powers:

• Want them to be made of Jade despite being for a Solar and I'm not sure how attuning to non-native magical materials works in 3e.
• Want one of the basic powers to be similar to the 2e Zenith anima for a non-Zenith allowing them to peacefully send ghosts to Lethe and burn bodies so they don't become hungry ghosts.
• Want one of the charms to basically be Ghost-Eating Technique only without the occult dot requirement since my Solar doesn't specialize in that but does have good Brawl
• As said, unsure what the power level ranking should be or what other charms should be, or a logical progression of power.

I have the lore and background for them all figured out; if it helps, here's even a picture of what they look like at:
https://i.imgur.com/rToUQ0Z.jpg
Any suggestions?

What are some great songs that break conventional music theory? I'm looking for songs that use chords that are outside the typical diatonic chords, or use notes that aren't found in the major scale.
For example, David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' is in the key of C major. During the break he uses a progression that goes C F G A. According to conventional music theory, you should use A minor while in C major, but Bowie breaks that "rule".
Another example - I know a lot of Nirvana songs pretty much just go with using all major chords in the progressions, no matter what the key is in. 'Lithium' and 'In Bloom' are good examples of just playing chords that are outside the typical key/scale, yet none of it sounds out of place.
Are there any other popular songs that seamlessly pull this off?

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​
Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
​
Chapter 92: Higher Ambitions
I rolled my eyes at the ageing man kneeling before the Winter Queen's feet.
Oh, Duke Valence was never the brightest pea in the pod. That he'd dare turn his nose up at the kingdom which protected him was proof of that.
But being an imbecile was never a crime. To date, his constant posturing and complaints served little purpose than to allow other nobles to size up the opportunity to replace him. Thus, his frequent border closures, public tantrums and the size of his moustache were all forgotten, if not forgiven.
Loyalty to my family was never more than a bale of hay to be bartered, after all. The only thing more familiar to nobility than treason was to fail at it. Duke Valence was no different. He was destined to join the long, inglorious line of those seeking to grasp power where none was to be had.
His petty schemes were doomed to failure. But when had precedence ever been viewed as more than an opportunity to succeed where countless others had failed?
Indeed, if the nobility possessed a single, redeeming trait, it was their infatuation with seeing their ambitions through.
Not because I admired perseverance.
No, it simply made things easier for me to see who was worthy of the greatest of my scorn.
That man was now Duke Valence, who in a single moment had swept away what little time remained of his temporary governorship of Aquina.
Seeing this man desperately adorned with armour like a toad dressed in a suit, I found that my scorn couldn't quite raise itself above the quiet revulsion I felt.
It was difficult to summon my outrage. After all, it wasn't with anger that I reacted to a mosquito zipping about my orchard.
It was distaste.
Just as it was their nature to sap, to bleed and to sting, it was mine to swat, stamp and crush. I didn't reconcile with insects.
No. I removed them. Entirely.
“A poor jest,” I said to the kneeling mosquito. “You've neither the jurisdiction nor the competency to pledge Aquina's fealty to any but the kingdom it resides in. And in offering your personal allegiance, you have done away with any authority you could claim to wield. You've stripped yourself bare, and the sight is more gruesome than the breastplate you've stretched to match your girth.”
At last, the man looked at me with eyes bubbling with familiar ambition. There was no other emotion, whatever he made himself believe. And that was truly tiresome.
Ugh. Sedition for ambition's sake was truly the dullest bottle on the wall.
Where was the ill feeling in his eyes from the constant stream of personal slights against him? The grief at the decades of national policy aimed at eroding Aquina's identity? The woe as we levied mountains of bureaucracy on the duchy's farmers?
Frankly, this was insulting!
A minimum level of anguish had failed to be met! Had a hero risen to wave the banner of rebellion and lift the spirits of the peasantry, I at least would have rolled my eyes before setting things alight!
But now?
Now I could only yawn.
“Princess Juliette,” he said, not even offering a nod as he sneered at me. “A surprise. Of all the members of your battered House I expected to see skulking like kitchen mice, I admit it wasn't you. I see that desperate times require desperate measures.”
“Quite so. My brothers and sisters see to matters of urgency and peril. I, meanwhile, have come to audit your finances. An unexciting task, but one which needs to be performed–particularly as it seems none has done so for a while now.”
“Then I welcome you to the Duchy of Aquina. I see you've already made yourself comfortable.”
“And I shall make myself even more so. The coins I've used to erect my chair is merely the start. Once I've gathered your gemstones, your jewellery, your artifacts and your treasures, I intend to build an extremely cozy public gallery, filled with ample seating, warm lighting and a myriad of crêpes stalls. Which flavour would go well with looking on at the remnants of your tenure as Aquina's ruler, I wonder? Chocolate or banana? I'll permit you to make this last decision, in recognition of my own generous nature.”
The man rose to his feet, chuckling despite his disregard to etiquette. Neither the Winter Queen nor I had given him permission to stand.
Really, now! He couldn't even do the formalities of betrayal correctly.
“Reputation of your impudence precedes you, Princess … as does my own memory. Though this is our first formal meeting, I had the pleasure of seeing you ride against my own knights as they mistook you for a common horse thief. A splendid display. Your cackling laughter as you led them in endless circles resounded for miles.”
I tried recalling the incident.
I couldn't. There were far too many.
“I may laugh more, providing that you offer a suitably farfetched excuse to the Winter Queen for stealing her from her own palace. I dare say it doesn't shine a positive light on your offer of vassalage.”
The man turned to the listening fae in question, whose delicate smile betrayed none of her thoughts.
“My actions prove my worth,” he boldly said, bowing his head until it was blockaded by his stomach. “To demonstrate resolve is the traditional approach to begging for an audience with the Winter Queen. And I believe my act of proudly swearing fealty has earned that meeting.”
The Winter Queen tilted her head slightly. She quickly shot her hand up, holding the falling teacup in place.
For a moment, her arctic eyes measured the worth of the man before her. And while I knew she found him to be lacking, she was still obligated to give her reply.
A reply which she had no right to give.
Because she was not the queen of this kingdom. And I had not yet finished speaking.
Thus, I did what was only appropriate.
I stood up from my chair, interrupting the Winter Queen as her lips parted.
Both she and the duke blinked at me–and then continued to blink as I started shovelling snow and coins onto the spot just before my chair.
“Coppelia,” I said simply.
Off to the side, my future handmaiden looked up from her work.
She had an extremely detailed snow beret nestled in her lap, and was painstakingly carving what looked very much like all 104 metres of the 1172 Battle of Remansille tapestry into the snowy fabric.
“It's not ready yet,” she replied, earnestly lifting up the beret.
I waved away her concerns.
“I know. I require your assistance again.”
“Want me to boink the old guy with my scythe?”
The errant duke peeled away slightly, looking between Coppelia and the Winter Queen.
That he didn't look to me for mercy was only proof that a lesson in humility was needed.
“Not yet,” I said after a pause. “Help me make a stool.”
“Okie~”
Placing her newly made beret on her head, Coppelia joined me in scooping together a stool to match the unfashionable appearance of the chair.
A few moments later, I sat back, now with my right boot raised onto the stool.
“This is the boot of authority,” I said to the stunned duke. “From now on, you will converse with it. Begin by explaining with what right you would offer your fealty to the Winter Queen. You have chained yourself to oaths already. And I'm not in the business of sharing the loyalty of my vassals.”
“My business is with the Winter Queen,” he replied, far more swiftly than his steady candour wished to reveal. “You … You should not even be here. For what reason did your father send you? Where is the Royal Army? Why, how are you–”
I tapped my heel against the stool.
“Silence. This is the Kingdom of Tirea. Not the Winter Court. And while I speak, you will answer.”
The man turned to the Winter Queen.
She responded with a smile and no more. And so for the first time in his life of mishaps and faux pas, he realised that he'd stumbled in a manner which couldn't be shaken off with a sneer as he fled to his borders.
“It matters not to whom I speak,” he said, standing at full height. “So long as the Winter Queen listens. So here is the answer you wish to hear, Princess. I have the right to decide to whom my vassalage belongs.”
“You do not,” I replied simply. “Both yourself and your long line of disappointing ancestors have renewed promises which cannot be reneged upon.”
“I am no longer beholden to oaths sworn to a kingdom that has failed to uphold its own. They are null. Tirea is consumed by the shadow of threats, and I would seek a better shelter for my people. A better ruler for our prosperity.”
I wriggled my boot, silently apologising to Coppelia as I dug a tiny hole into the stool.
“Your people? These are my people.”
“I am–”
“You are a glorified village mayor, tasked with the collection of taxes on behalf of the Royal Treasury. A simple task in which you are failing magnificently. No, these are not your people. No more than this is your wealth. All that you have is ours to loan, and you are now deeply in arrears. Do not pretend that you can offer even a blade of grass.”
The Duke smiled.
“I am the ruler of Aquina, as was my father before me. And I offer far more than a blade of grass.”
He turned, looking directly at the Winter Queen.
“I offer a bridge from the Fae Realm to the mortal lands. A permanent land to offset the loss of the Wovencoille all those centuries ago.”
Once again, I dug my heel into the snow. Silence filled the treasury.
I only proceeded to speak when he correctly faced me.
“And in return for enticing the fae into breaking the ancient treaties separating us, what do you hope to gain? Would you hope to see the dawning dusk, as the elves do? You are neither elven nor fae. You would not survive. You haven't the will.”
“Only those worthy of entering the Fae Realm needs witness the horizon. And those that do may be shielded, gifted and titled, should the Winter Queen deem the honour acceptable.”
Ah.
And there it was.
The nobleman wishes to remain a nobleman. Here was a headline that even The Reitzlake Daily didn't have low enough standards to publish. And the drivel they wrote about my family was only tolerated for the excellent artists' impressions they used of my father's chin.
“I am offering Aquina,” stated the duke, his voice becoming steadily louder. “And yet I know this alone is an unworthy price. Because what I also offer is a worthy host. A maiden fit to bear the Winter Queen's crown. Beside us, the Tournament of Crowns is–”
Click.
I blinked.
Suddenly, the noise of fingers snapping echoed not only within the cavern of this treasury, but also my very mind.
The next moment–
I was no longer peering into the eyes of a man beyond both his prime and his senses.
I was no longer suffering as the ice from beneath me clawed at the most delicate part of me.
And I was no longer surrounded by the hoarded wealth of Aquina.
Instead, I was sitting on a small chair behind a simple tea table, laden with a pot of tea, a platter of assorted bricks and two teacups.
Around me was a room decorated in a wallpaper of white.
It was not vast. And yet it was uncluttered. No armoires containing a hundred silk dresses could be found here. No mirrors to admire my soft skin proving triumphant over blemishes. And no bookshelves filled with textbooks and the adventure romance novels which existed behind them.
Only a royal, four-poster bed with a crystal frame existed to command the space. Adorned with velvety blue curtains, it boasted a mattress, duvet and pillows so untarnished that the colour outshone the white of the tea table.
A glimmer to the side caught my attention.
There, a single window looked out into the world. But it was not my world.
A horizon beyond all measurement of beauty shone. An eternal twilight as dawn and dusk met, dancing in the sky as an aurora of lights and colours.
For a moment, my eyes were caught by the endless cascade, and I found myself drifting to somewhere beyond my reach. But as I looked, I saw the imperfections in the sky. I saw the lack of fluffy white clouds offering the promise of light drizzle to my orchards. And I saw that it was not my sky.
I am the Third Princess to the Kingdom of Tirea. And to be enamoured with any sky but my own is unseemly.
Even if that was the fabled sky of the Fae Realm.
I shook my head out of my stupor.
As I did so, the Winter Queen appeared, teacup on head, and strolled past me as she made her way over to the royal four-poster bed.
Without a moment's hesitation, she leapt face down onto the bed with her arms slightly spread. A moment of stillness ensued. The teacup rolled sadly off her head.
Then–she smacked her fists into her pillow.
“Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo laaaaaaaaame!!!!!!!”
Punching with alternating fists, the Winter Queen, very much a fully grown woman, sent her punishing fury into pillows so soft that they barely made a noise as they absorbed her displeasure.
“A fat old man! A disgusting, greasy, dirty, fat old man! And he offers me lands trampled by pigs and goats! And just now! He was about to suggest a tournament visited by peasants as suitable for finding a host for me! Me! I can't … I can't do this anymore!”
Upon the mirrored wings protruding from her back, I spied my deeply shocked expression. I fixed it at once, then did the same for the strand of hair errantly falling down the wrong side of my face.
Soon, the punches died down as the sound of the Winter Queen's fury was replaced by heavy breathing.
She then grabbed a pillow, went to her knees, and turned around.
“Princess of Tirea, do you have any notion of how long I've waited to be stolen away?! 200 years! Kidnappings used to be a weekly occurrence! And always involving a tale to be told in bars across the mortal realms! I witnessed love and betrayal, duty and cowardice as I was passed from hand to hand, across desert and seas! And now?!”
She puffed up her cheeks as she angrily hugged the pillow.
“Now it's all business,” she rued, slouching as she kneeled on her bed. “The schemes are always so predictable now. So dull. So stately. I see more of treasuries than I do treasure hunters. The heartfelt, swashbuckling tales of yesteryear as worth is proven and gold is sought are no more, and now I await my kidnappings with trepidation over anticipation. The times that I could be sold on by enterprising rogues and handsome knaves are gone. And I now rely upon the eyes of my snow ducks to take in the world beyond the Fae Realm for me. Tell me, Princess of Tirea. When did your kingdoms and duchies become so ghastly? So bereft of adventure? What joy is there to be had in a land where romance is dead and none now dares to tread the storied Fae Realm for its riches? To whom must I bribe and threaten to take me to places where maidens frolic in fields and gentlemen betray each other over honour and duty?”
All of a sudden, the Winter Queen's eyes began to sparkle as she looked at me.
And then–I did what any other reasonable person would do.
I started looking for the door.
​
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According to the wiki, since bookworm there is a new component for apt sources, namely non-free-firmware. I downloaded firmware.zip from https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/firmware/bookworm/12.0.0/ and compared its contents with pool/non-free-firmware/ in debian-live-12.0.0-amd64-standard.iso. It looks like such debs are missing from the iso:

• firmware-ath9k-htc_1.4.0-108-gd856466+dfsg1-1.3_all.deb
• firmware-nvidia-gsp_525.105.17-1_amd64.deb

Is it a bug or there is some reason for those two to be excluded from the iso?

Welcome to this non-real time meeting of Overeaters Anonymous!
I’m violet_1000 I’m a recovered compulsive eater and your leader for this meeting.
Will those who wish, please join me in the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Overeaters Anonymous is a Fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience, strength, and hope, are recovering from compulsive overeating. We welcome everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively. There are no dues or fees for members; we are self-supporting through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. OA is not affiliated with any public or private organization, political movement, ideology, or religious doctrine; we take no position on outside issues. Our primary purpose is to abstain from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors and to carry the message of recovery through the Twelve Steps of OA to those who still suffer.
Our Invitation to You
The Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous
Abstinence in Overeaters Anonymous is the action of refraining from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors while working towards or maintaining a healthy body weight. Spiritual, emotional, and physical recovery is the result of living the Overeaters Anonymous Twelve Step program.
The OA tools of recovery help us work the Steps and refrain from compulsive overeating. The nine tools are: a plan of eating, sponsorship, meetings, telephone, writing, literature, an action plan, anonymity, and service. For more information, read The Tools of Recovery OA page.
Sponsorship is one of our keys to success. Sponsors are OA members committed to abstinence and to living the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions to the best of their ability. Sponsors share their program up to the level of their experience and strengthen their recovery through this service to others. To find a sponsor, look for someone who has what you want and ask how he or she is achieving it. Will all abstinent sponsors please identify themselves in their post?
According to our Seventh Tradition, we are self-supporting through our own contributions. Our group number is 99038. Please use the group number when making your contribution. As our virtual group currently has no expenses please consider donating directly through this link to the OA World Service Office, who provides resources for OA groups all around the world to carry the message to other compulsive overeaters.
Suggested guidelines for sharing:
● As you share your experience and strength in OA, please also share your hope. Please confine your sharing to your experience with the disease of compulsive eating, the solution offered by OA, and your own recovery from the disease, rather than just the events of the day or week. When responding to other member’s posts, please focus on your personal experience rather than advice giving. If you are having difficulties, share how you use the program to deal with them. If you need to talk more about your difficulties and seek solutions, we suggest you speak to your sponsor and other members after the meeting.
This is a literature meeting. We are studying from the Big Book.
Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do. People have said we must not go where liquor is served; we must not have it in our homes; we must shun friends who drink; we must avoid moving pictures which show drinking scenes; we must not go into bars; our friends must hide their bottles if we go to their houses; we mustn’t think or be reminded about alcohol at all. Our experience shows that this is not necessarily so.
Inc, A.A. World Services. Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition (pp. 100-101). A.A. World Services, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Closing By following the Twelve Steps, attending meetings regularly, and using the OA Tools, we are changing our lives. You will find hope and encouragement in Overeaters Anonymous. To the newcomer, we suggest attending at least six different meetings to learn the many ways OA can help you. The opinions expressed here today are those of individual OA members and do not represent OA as a whole. Let us all reach out by private message to newcomers, returning members, and each other. Together we get better.

REP
Can also check me out on hardwareswap and mechmarket for confirmed swaps.
GOG Key's CAN DO BOTH FOR ONE GAME etc.

• The Beast Inside
  
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
  

Hey, these are the steam games I have available for trade, ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

• Resident Evil 4 Remastered (AMD promo code) $35?
  
• Sniper Elite 4: Deluxe Edition
  
• Amnesia: The Dark Descent + Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (2 in 1)
  

Fight 4 Your Friends Bundle/Humble

• Back 4 Blood
  
• Killing Floor 2: Digital Deluxe Edition
  
• Warhammer: Vermintide 2
  

June 2023 Humble Choice

• Curse of the Dead Gods
  
• Eternal Threads
  
• Ghostwire Tokyo
  
• Grime
  
• Honey, I Joined a Cult
  
• Meeple Station
  
• Remnant: From the Ashes - Complete Edition
  
• Turbo Golf Racing
  

May 2023 Humble Choice

• Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery
  
• Bendy and The Dark Revival
  
• Builder Simulator
  
• Operation: Tango
  
• Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
  
• The Invisible Hand
  
• Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
  
• Windjammers 2
  

April 2023 Humble Choice

• Founder's Fortune
  
• Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
  
• Revita
  

Mystery Mayhem Bundle 2023/Fanatical

• 3000th Duel
  
• Arietta of Spirts
  
• Biped
  
• Cats in Time
  
• Crown Champion: Legends of the Arena
  
• Fallback: Uprising
  
• Garfield Kart - Furious Racing
  
• Just Ignore Them: Brea's Story Tape 1
  
• Nihilumbra
  
• Osteoblasts
  
• Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning
  
• Sentience: The Android's Tale
  
• Switchball HD
  
• Tacoma
  

Spring mystery bundle 2023/Fanatical

• Autonauts
  
• Autonauts vs Piratebots
  
• Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead
  
• Brunch Club
  
• Doodle Derby
  
• Silver Chains
  
• Smoke and Sacrifice
  
• Space Crew: Legendary Edition
  
• Spirit Hunter: NG
  
• The Wild Eight
  

TÜRKIYE-SYRIA EARTHQUAKE RELIEF BUNDLE/Humble

• Alchemist's Castle
  
• Arcade Spirits
  
• Armello
  
• Backbone
  
• Cats and the Other Lives
  
• Cris Tales
  
• Doughlings Arcade
  
• Doughlings Invasion
  
• Frick, Inc.
  
• Hack 'n' Slash
  
• Izmir: An Independence Simulator
  
• Lust from Beyond - M Edition
  
• Orbital Racer
  
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition
  
• Pill Baby
  
• Pixross
  
• Project Chemistry
  
• Quadrata
  
• Rym 9000
  
• Soul Searching
  
• Soulblight
  
• Space Crew: Legendary Edition
  
• Stacking
  
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
  
• Sunlight
  
• Stikir
  
• The Amazing American Circus
  
• The Inner World
  
• Ticket to Ride
  
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
  

Okay so I just got this car today. Can anyone tell me how much does it take to fill up this car up and how long does the tank last you?

Customer brought in a beautiful new Ribble, had a small incident and wanted a checkover, mentioned the chain was rubbing on the front derailleur, I went through the official proceedure which is different from other front derailleurs, everything seemed perfect on the stand, he just texted me that it's still rubbing, he's gonna bring it in again but I wanted to see if it was a common issue or something? These things seem to have a ridiculously small margin for error.
Thoughts?

Hello everyone. I (29M) am auditing the trauma-laden relationship with my DID wife (29F) after another bout of unwanted cheating. We are hypermonogamists. To us, infidelity is a sacrilegious violation of Love. Alas, my wife has Dissociative Identity Disorder and some alters are hellbent on reenacting trauma with abuser substitutes. Yes, the DID is diagnosed by a trauma specialist, not Dr. Google. To differentiate from her alters, I will refer to Her True Self as Wifey.
I tracked the cheating history by writing this behemoth of a post and did my best to connect dots between childhood trauma and modern consequences. I hope that the community’s outside perspectives can spot things to which we are still blind, provide advice, or give any input that might aid our situation. All opinions welcome. I will access them carefully.
Please note that I have a Dismissive-Avoidant attachment style, and my psychologist noted C-PTSD. I also have DID but unlike my wife, I worked long enough to achieve co-consciousness, internal cooperation, and current dormancy in my alters. My True Self is finally in command. We ran out of therapy money before my wife could address her own issues, hence online communities are our last resort until savings build up again.
#OUR TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD ORIGINS
I was raised and abused by my narcissist grandmother for 25 years due to her orchestrating a rift between Mom and I (topic for another post). Her 16yo son aka my uncle sexually abused both my wife and I from infancy. In my case he had daily access. For my wife, it was because our fathers and my uncle were a trio of scum.
Despite the uncle link, I didn’t meet Wifey till age 3. She was dancing under a sprinkler and noticed my stare. Lightning hit us the second our eyes met and we breathlessly ran over to announce the mutual BOOM. After that, we were inseparable. At age 4 I proposed, she agreed, and we shared our first kiss. Adorable? No. We didn’t know how to be kids—due to sex abuse and grandma teaching us adult concepts, we related as boyfriend-girlfriend way too early and began playing the game ‘naked stuff’. Nothing beyond this first connection is purely innocent.
Soon after our romantic friendship started, my wife was groomed into nightly ‘special love’ with my uncle, laying a foundation of unfaithfulness towards me. When the ‘other boyfriend’ dumped her at 6, infatuation spiked and led to 9 years of cartwheels to regain his desire. Between that and my grandmother worshipping him, I competed for both women’s hearts by copying uncle into synonymity. I even used his playlists for dates and sex, believing that I am only worthy of love if I am him.
During and after my uncle’s abuse, my wife’s pedo father raped her too. I am loathed to call this BDSM given that he never abided by Safe, Sane, Consensual, but what he inflicted is BDSM activity. By age 5, he was trafficking his daughter and forced me to watch the rapes plus participate in sadism until I started doing it of my own accord. I was taught that boys are supposed to do this to girls, because they are girls. I didn’t know vanilla sex exists till age 11, at which point we finally shared positive intimacy—this formed the bedrock of what we are striving to build in adulthood. Alas, the learned fetishes persisted for years.
Meanwhile, my narcissist grandmother tormented me daily and brainwashed my wife to mimic her opinions, mannerisms, approaches, etc., thereby producing a mini-me alter and adding layers to our trauma bond. That alter learned toxic views on women (they exist to serve men) and pro-adultery, as the Narc preyed on committed guys for the fun of causing break-ups, obtained her husband by homewrecking, and caught a married lover long before grandpa died. As teens we were actually ghostwriters and phone sex assistants for that affair, obstructing critical stages in our own relationship.
Throughout this, Love existed. No one but her made me feel Loved, Seen, Heard, Safe, Certain. Moreover, me and Wifey expressed authentically only to each other, providing an oasis for Our True Selves to develop untarnished. We mutually soothed our demons, inspired creativity, and entertained one another. Teen Wifey also proved my angel. She endured hell to guide me out of darkness and prevented suicide attempts. Without her, I would be in prison or dead. At 23 we married in hopes of becoming wholesome and slowly inched toward that goal.
For Wifey’s wellbeing, I spent 2015-2022 deprogramming my BDSM porn addiction, fetishes, and toxic attitudes about women. Only last year I comprehended healthy relationships in concept. I think it is a beautiful way to live but it unnerves me as well. We also realized that vanilla D/s is our true preference, and we are highly compatible as a team. There is potential for absolute Paradise, but many issues still need to be overcome (communication struggles, ignoring Wifey for eons while she waits for me to interact again, etc.). The infidelity is my current focus. Here goes the trauma-fuelled history of online cheating.
#UNCLE SUBSTITUTE EXPLOITS HER
Wifey has 7 alters. Some self-harm, some climb out windows, some rabidly scratch me or shriek enough for police to arrive, but the most annoying is that 9yo girl imprinted on my uncle. She always pines to get him back—which she finally did, in proxy form: AP1 (Affair Partner 1).
May 19th, 2022, my wife met a 31yo ‘virgin’ on Facebook who sucked her in via sob stories. While extracting info on her alters and rapes, AP1 made her a sex-ed teacher. Her confidence flourished. I had no concerns given my rock-solid trust in Wifey. Little did I know the 9yo alter was having an emotional affair of unrequited ‘love’. AP1’s eerie similitude in looks / job / zodiac / vibe / pedo streak made him an ideal projection, especially given how much Uncle 2.0 lavished the alter. He was her dream come true. Looking back, I invited this situation by depriving Wifey of attention for too long. She needs regular interaction with me to stay Her True Self.
Anyways, Wifey believed the hours spent texting / on the phone were recharging her desire for ‘me’. We were yet to understand that ‘me’ meant ‘uncle’, as the two were blended. I started feeling off, but kept trusting her. After all, she had befriended two FB guys in 2021 who stayed platonic (only now we recognize them as lighter emotional affairs). Besides, grandma taught me that getting randomly sidelined or devalued is ‘just the way things are’.
After 3 weeks of grooming, AP1 triggered my wife, fully infiltrating her subconscious. She fearfully hid from him for 2 days, then tried to end the friendship on June 8th. AP1 derailed the goodbye into engaging topics, followed by traumatic content that methodically wore her down into an aroused trance. Once he hit the trigger jackpot, her alter seized control and delved into 6 hours of abuse reenactment sexting, audio clips, nudes, unholy “I love yous”, etc. while Wifey’s undercurrent of extreme stress induced miniature heart attacks—this caused permanent damage. Once Wifey woke up and saw what transpired, a female FB friend moved mountains to prevent her guilt-ridden suicide. She desperately wanted to die.
Later, I walked into the room expecting nothing unusual. Instead, tear-stricken wife fell to her knees, grabbed my leg and frantically confessed sexting, giving away our gif collection and using terms sacred to us. The heartbreak annihilated me. While consoling her, I struggled to swallow reality: the ONE PERSON I thought would never break my trust, just shattered it. Another dude just stole MY wife. Long before I learned that my old rival (uncle) was the motive, I felt triggered.
Many talks / meltdowns ensued between us and Mom. 48 hours later, the alter cheated again (June 10th) while we thought Wifey was snoozing. AP1 had unlocked an oil spill of traumatic arousal, hence it took seconds to induce the marathon, this time centred on BDSM. AP1 then instructed the alter to give him first dibs every day—the Husband can only get sloppy seconds. Once he left, she ran over to Mom announcing that her boyfriend is going to marry her (old fantasy about my uncle) in a jarringly American voice (Wifey is Francophone). This unmasked DID as the cheating engine and introduced us to a previously-unknown alter.
Once awake, Wifey plunged into catatonic shock and depression. We all supported Wifey grieving AP1’s sick exploitation and processing why she succumbed. I never got a chance to focus on myself amid the revolutionary insights, plus Mom and I kept scrambling to stop that alter before she obeyed the “sext me daily” command that would only retraumatize her further. We also discovered AP1 is a predator who targets mentally-ill wives in addition to little girls. That vulture has a thing for the most vulnerable forbidden fruit.
Realizing the insidious influence made Wifey hyperfocus on Our Marriage. She was outraged that AP1 dared invade us and texted him revocations of love, condemnations for “raping her while drunk” and tried to hammer the sanctity of Marriage into his snide mug. We banded together against my uncle’s spectre and felt in-tune as a couple. Therapy sessions were scheduled. Had this continued, Our Love would be detoxed and stronger than ever. Alas, a parasitic distraction sapped its power 6 days later.
#GRANDMOTHER TRAUMA BOND INTERFERES
My wife kept shutting down during intimacy due to intrusive memories of AP1, plus an urge to blot out the existence of non-abusive sex. Her alters were clinging to my uncle’s ‘style’. She quickly realized that AP1 had stained sex and rendered her numb to me. She was distraught.
When my wife sought advice on June 16th, 2022, her friend (also abused) nabbed the chance to confess a bewildering lesbian crush. This shock activated the trauma bond with my grandmother and prompted another alter affair. She declared that a bit of lesbianism will cure our intimacy problem. At first, I laughed it off. Then therapy was cancelled, my savings were spent on gifts, and I realized that my wife’s #heart# was stolen in addition to sex drive. A Facebook woman had burglarized my one remaining stronghold.
Given how romantic it was, I felt replaced, invisible, abandoned (childhood themes). It sliced and diced me, particularly since my wife blinded herself to my pain no matter how I pushed her to see it (grandmother theme). My wife cried that she wants us both and can’t choose—no wonder, since she was unknowingly reliving a childhood scenario where emotional incest with my grandmother accompanied and influenced Our Love.
I was clueless about this. To me, it seemed a heart-crushing romantic affair. Being a hypermonogamist forced into polyamory is indescribable. On June 23rd, I ranted at AP2 for stealing the Love of My Life and decided on suicide even if I’m hellbound—Heaven means nothing sans my wife. Panicked AP2 called the cops. Mom convinced the officers that it was a false alarm, knowing that I would try to get shot. Wifey was unrecognizably hollow while comforting me. I fell asleep in bitter tears, her hand numbly wiping them away.
My bitterness began erupting while teary wife insisted this is a mission. She swore to end the affair as soon as she solves the ‘mysteries of sudden lesbianism’. I refused to support it. Our fights incited a fullblown manifestation of my AFib and worsened heart issues for my wife. Daily vomiting turned her into skin-and-bones. We nearly died, which would have caused the suicide of My Mom and AP2. Poor Mom already suffered intense health issues from this affair. She adores us both. Our vitriol devastated her.
Eventually I put my wife’s happiness above my own and let her go: if she is meant to come back to me, she will. I spent another month in living death. Surprisingly, Wife kept her promise. She discovered that the emotional incest with mother figures in both her and AP2 caused them to ‘fall in love’. The alters tied to my grandmother lost their grip, the affair ended (August 13th), and Love for me flooded back.
Wifey returned a matured woman: more Self-Aware, rational, and opposed to adultery than ever. I fell in Love with her vibrancy. Meanwhile, AP2 became our mutual best friend, an invaluable source of epiphanies for my healing too, and the biggest supporter of Our Love. Turns out that we all share near-identical trauma plus share common interests. As a result, I felt gratitude for this affair. Short-term suffering reaped long-term blessings.
#A STRAINED AFTERMATH
AP1 continued to highjack our sex life. The conscious resurrection of my uncle in my wife’s psyche permanently split him and I into two men and revealed the sexual imprint. Between bringing that into her awareness and the various desecrations, AP1 vandalized her. Damn the timing! We were on the verge of a sex life free from trauma!
We lived in tension despite Loving efforts, and I struggled to overcome the sense that my mate is tainted. I put the bedroom on hold until these stains were purified, and figured it was best not to impose myself until the alter stops craving Uncle 2.0. For months I patrolled my turf obsessively while screaming inside. Did my best to remember that Wifey never betrayed me—these are only echoes of the past wrecking havoc in modern day.
TRANSCENDING THE CHEATING
Fast forward a year since the two affairs. I was working on Self-development and finally grieving my grandmother trauma. My wife started reflecting deeper on infidelity and had epiphanies:

1. Everything that she finds attractive and attributed to my uncle belongs to me (e.g., I’m the analytical nerdy poet surrounded by books—he’s the robotic, stuffy tech fanatic).
2. I am her real dreamboat, projected onto the pedo worshipped by her idol (my grandmother) instead of vice versa. She actually Loves me MORE as I gain authenticity.

AP1 displacing me as the substitute proved a vital liberation. My wife gained clarity because he took the entire uncle projection onto himself. That also made me shed residual mimicry. Her sex alters went dormant and True Wife was eager to rediscover Her Husband directly.
During Our Anniversary (mid-April), True Wife was a trembling ball of remorse and begged for an impromptu vow renewal. Her turn was a meltdown of apologies and fervent promises to never forsake Our Love again. She convinced me of her redemption, especially after rejecting FB dudes in her inbox while posting wishes to me. Hope was rebuilt. We seemed en route to healing. One problem: we still didn’t have sex.
#ABUSER CONDITIONING RETALIATES
Avoiding sex since the cheatings was incredibly stupid. I didn’t realize that her alters, though dormant, felt owned by my uncle because I never reclaimed her. AP1 factory-reset my wife’s sexuality. The healthy things needed reinstallation before it was safe for her to face old trauma. My failure to do that made alters restless and our reconciliation was seen as a challenge to her fortified abuse programming. This was the worst time for my wife to post in a rape support sub.
In minutes the DM creeps descended and my wife met a pedophile whose way of abusing little girls woke the alters. My wife was in denial about the risk and texted me: “The affairs revealed truth about my alters and abuse. This man too. I gain awareness about my trauma as I tell it to him and understand more why pedophiles hurt us. I shall make sure it does not get personal. It is not a real affair. I am just researching.”
My heart was pounding but I tried to trust that she will stay within (barely tolerable) boundaries. NOPE. A mere 38 days after vowing never to betray me, her alter pleaded the pedophile to describe what he would do to 6-year old her. He whet her appetite with a partially-fulfilling fantasy before ghosting. Wifey entered a bizarre state of autopilot.
Inexplicably, she contacted a BDSM Redditor who is a known sanity risk, solicited him for sexting, then prayed for him not to respond. When he did, she felt scared shitless and obligated to describe her old tortures (as he commanded). The guy proceeded to demolish my wife’s barriers until she started craving her father’s tortures. The moment she called him “Master”, it was over for me.
I shut down and observed the trainwreck, feeling no sympathy. My wife invited all this shit and made a conscious choice to engage instead of block. I was dejectedly amused listening to the circus: “This is just research, I learn my mind by interacting with bad men—OMG OMG I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN SURVIVE THIS FILTH! I WANT ONLY YOU! Oh, another client needs my trauma for pleasure! Got to go!”
I felt too drained to realize that her unhinged sexting spree was stirring my trauma. Another oversight.
THE RIDE THROUGH OLD HELL
From May 27-28th, her alter became a snowball down Mt. Everest and the avalanche pulled me under. DM perverts verbally raped my wife while she took explicit photos right next to me in bed. Against all expectation, these e-rapes catapulted me back to boyhood: helpless to intervene, and too horrified to close my eyes. Taking away the phone didn’t cross my mind, nor could I. My body was paralyzed and eerily, I lost the ability to make sound. Seems that I contain significantly more trauma programming than anticipated. I resent my wife for subjecting me to this oppressive hell even more than I resent the cheating itself.
As if going down ‘memory lane’ wasn’t enough, possessed wife also channelled my grandmother. She would look at my tears and emit her sadistic CACKLE. Once I merged the two women, I was screwed. My trauma program dictates that I must endure whatever grandma wants; this includes watching her affair unfold.
As the ultimate insult, my wife spent the last 12 hours building an emotional affair on Reddit while I prayed for sleep. By dawn, her alter declared him a potential ‘boyfriend’. In her deluded head, the sexting arranged for nightfall would cure the rest through ultimate satisfaction plus bring True Wife back to Our Love, as this guy made her feel that “I am with you, not your uncle. Like you finally feel real.” The nonsensicality made me short-circuit. I was DONE.
#THE OBSESSION SLAMS TO A HALT
That afternoon, she finally jolted out of the binge-sexting. How? Wifey noticed my distress, 5 days too late. I watched her first comprehend that this is hurting me, then struggle to reset consciousness, then remember that Love exists. She did a 180 on her ‘client’ and viciously berated his perversion. That helped her regain footing.
My jittery wife proceeded to apologize, freak about the explicit photos, and spiral into a suicidal state over betraying me again. She erratically cancelled every sexting appointment, shut off the DMs, and spent days begging Divinity for help. We avoided each other.
In our first talk, Wifey confessed that she fears herself, as only her housebound life prevents physical cheating. While she wants nothing more than to be pure, her alters are begging for more due to trauma bonds. Wifey described it as: “Insatiable rocket blocked by a moral fence and waiting for release to zoom again.” Needless to say I was embittered.
#REFLECTING ON THE AFTERMATH
While analyzing recent events, I realized something: my wife didn’t run to that BDSM sadist of her own volition. An elusive alter had taken the wheel: the brothel Madame who pulls my wife into prostitution re-enactments. No wonder she was cackling! It’s the alter’s trademark, based on my grandmother! That damn Narc used to say that it’s bad to deprive other men and let the body go to waste on one Husband. No wonder a vow renewal pissed off that alter! Now Wifey-on-autopilot made sense.
Wifey was stunned at the revelation and had a glitch (outraged cackles, whimpers, shudders) that confirmed its truth. She never knew this freaky alter steers her from behind the scenes. Took her awhile to digest the disturbing paradigm shift.
Interestingly, she later texted: “That alter does not excuse my choice to chat with a pedophile right after another creep showed me how vulnerable I am. I have ultimate responsibility even if later choices were not mine.”
I asked if that choice was really her own. She replied: “I think so, because he introduced himself as a retired counsellor. I never expected he was a pedophile and when he mentioned it, I should have been proactive about risks continuing such a topic with any man.”
I avoided her again and tried to pinpoint my feelings (still a struggle). No matter how blatantly I see the nymphomaniac is not Her True Self, the serial breakage of trust is making me relinquish hope, care, and concern. The more I sink into numbness, the less I care who is culpable. The whole Wifey & Co. feel ruined. I know it is very unfair to shun Wifey for sins committed in a trauma trance. DID is involuntary. Yet, her issues are a jinx now that I am surpassing our old life. The very toxicities Wifey healed in me remain her alters’ addiction. Now they’re in nasty withdrawal, desperate for any ‘drug’.
For the first time ever, divorce is drifting through my thoughts. I keep wondering, do I treat these events as a growth opportunity for her, or grounds for divorce? I want to reconcile, but should I? I’m burned out. She’s constant trouble. I feel ready to bail. And honestly, I feel unsafe.
Like my grandmother, my wife let me fly again before shooting me down. I barely began grieving narcissistic abuses and am scared of her containing grandma energy. The no-contact I implemented seems pointless—that Narc lives in my wife anyways. She even has the same power to crush me to dust, only stronger. My wife is my biggest weakness. I abhor weakness, thus I am abhorring her. I also detest the oppression of tiptoeing, compromising, and obliging alter whims at the expense of serious plans—JUST LIKE WITH MY GRANDMOTHER.
Then again, I can’t fathom living after a divorce. Wifey loves Celine Dion and we are the epitome of that duet I Hate You Then I Love You. The lyrics “It’s impossible to live with you, but I could never live without you, for whatever you do, I never never never want to be in Love with anyone but you” still rings true.
The Spouse Slot in my heart was formed in my wife’s shape and for her Essence alone. I can’t accept any other. If I was the dead guy in What Dreams May Come (one of our favourite films), I would definitely traverse the afterlife to save my wife no matter how broken she is. Existence in any world is meaningless without her.
We overcame worse hells than cheating. Why would I abandon Wifey when she is in desperate need of protection!? We live by the quote: “A perfect marriage is two imperfect people refusing to give up on each other.” In my belief, we are Twin Flames, and Wifey is definitely my Ideal Woman: demure, dreamy, melancholic, full of mischief and poetry. She saved my life. She redeemed me. We are supposed to grow old and go to Eternity together. Why would I give up on a lifelong mate over trauma!?
It seems that I am losing interest. This necrosis spurs the desire to amputate, while the increasing loss of exclusivity is repellent. For years I unquestioningly believed that she’s incapable of desiring anyone but me. Now my ownership feels diluted, invalidated, defeated. Several guy’s marks are all over her and nothing scrubs them off. Her intrusive memories of affairs even obstruct our intimacy!!!!! It is slammed into my face constantly—she is no longer ONLY MINE. That triggers a kneejerk aversion to others’ territory, which she now is.
After decades of impassioned Gomez & Morticia-style romance, I have no clue if I even Love her anymore. Something feels extinguished between us. There is a loss of respect—for the first time, my wife’s worth has fallen in my eyes. I saw her defile every renewed vow. It’s burned into me: she is substandard. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My beloved is suffering. Why am I on the verge of abandoning her!?
#MY WIFE’S PERSPECTIVE
Wifey insists that she deserves patience as she tackles her trauma. Is Wifey right? I am going to copy/paste that text message from her here. Only fair to include both sides.
“Mon Amour, before you sink too deep with ghastly divorce ideas, may I please remind you one thing? I had infinite patience while you wrestled with your demons…I sacrificed myself to my depths for your healing and stayed even when I should have fled. You bemoan loss of trust online while I lived many years never feeling safe to trust you face to face!!!!!! But I never gave up on Love and the amazing man I saw beneath your shadows…my Ideal Man you have now become!
My alters twist and blur my thoughts dreadfully until I forget everything I have now…but they are NOT ME. You also were not yourself when you were lost…I fought so much to free you from problems and I would pray not to be abandoned when my own problems catch up with me…no one can heal their distortions overnight. “In sickness and in health” hm? I am sick. Why throw me away now? I do not feel this is very fair no matter how utterly loathsome my own actions…you know I shall always regret succumbing again. Alters aside I should have been proactive when I still had control and listened to Mama and even Mods warning me to turn off DMs when I signed up. I overestimated myself and now I pay many prices for my idiocy.
You do good job punishing me with ice already…I beg you be merciful enough to stay while I cleanse…please…we are like in the Destino animation…meant to be together but lost among shifting sands and obstacles trying to separate us…please do not forget Our Destiny of Love…remember, we don’t say goodbye…J’taime Éternellement!!”
#CLOSING QUESTIONS
How do I cure the disenchantment / indifference? If I decide to stay, how do we rebuild when we lack solid rubble for a new reconstruction? How do I stop her restlessness to cheat? Is my wife getting exploited similarly to a drunk woman or is she culpable for her cheating? Am I the real failure here? Is this worth fighting for? Am I the real failure here?
TL;DR: Our Marriage is plagued by a shared abusive childhood, wife’s DID in particular. In 2022 an online predator reactivated her trauma programs through sexting. The fortified issues were never resolved, thus her alters cheated again once new predators DMed her in 2023. I hit my tolerance limit and something extinguished between us. I need advice on how to help my wife and rekindle Love.

I’ve been pondering whether I should get a new ET equipped guitar with a longer scale length or replacing the modules on my 25.5" for low tunings. I want to go at least as low as G1, and preferably be able to go lower, but I don’t want chonky strings, because they kill a lot of the tone IMO. Does anyone have any experience with the custom low tension modules and low tunings? According to the string gauge calculator I should be able to get away with pretty light strings with those.

This is the day of judgement
Allah isn't with you
The IDF strikes you again
When we were busy praying
You crossed the Suez
When you went up the hill
You didn't think of tomorrow
In the heights (Golan) and in the desert
in the middle of Yom Kippur
You came in the blow of the shofar
But you came out in pieces.

• Source

[Public]
A Statement from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel Eli Cohen, October 2026.
Operation Sacred Thunder, an Israeli Defence Forces Anti-Terrorist operation uncovered large-scale preparations by militia groups in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere to attack civilian targets in Israel, and target key government institutions. We have secured credible intelligence suggesting support from adversaries abroad which led to the need for quick, efficient and necessary operations in order to destroy the militia network and avoid unnecessary Israeli civilian casualties. While the bulk of that network has been effectively destroyed, according to our post-operational intelligence, it has not been completely eliminated and therefore still poses a threat especially with recent Arab attacks on Israeli statehood.
In order to achieve peace, stability and prosperity in the region, the Israeli Government calls upon the European Union nations for support in protecting the Jewish homeland against further attack by anti-Semitic and hostile Arab nations who wish to destroy us.
The Palestinian National Authority holds no authority, and therefore the Oslo Accords appear to have lost most relevance. Iranian-backed Hamas runs the Gaza Strip with an iron fist. Democracy is no longer a thing for millions of Arabs. This is unacceptable.
Israel calls upon the EU to support a new peace plan for the region.
Under the Israeli peace plan, the Gaza Strip and Area A & Area B shall be integrated into Israel proper but will fall under an autonomous governance area. Israel will ensure that democracy will be restored, and full civil and political rights will be granted to the inhabitants of the area. They will be able to vote for their representatives, for the first time in decades under this peace plan.
It is now clear that a two-state solution has failed due to external Arab interference. Israel believes that democracy is the solution and only Israel is in a position to provide it to the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip.
END OF STATEMENT

Who for God and the laws, for parents, women and children,

Welcome back, fellow travelers on the Devil's Road! 🛣️
This week, like Lestat, we are early risers and have moved forward the check-in before everything goes dark on June 12th. No idea what I'm talking about? Check out this announcement.
What a journey! This book has not only covered great distances, but also centuries of time. I hope you enjoyed the ride, and I am curious to see what you think of this section in the comments!
Some admin from my side: Since Those Who Must Be Kept and The Mother and The Father are ridiculously long nicknames, I will refer to Akasha and Enkil as "OG vampires". Also, I'll continue to refer to everything related to mind powers as ESP.
Today's discussion covers Part 7, Ch 12 - End per the schedule. Want to see or write comments outside the weekly discussions? Check out the Marginalia. Beware the spoilers. 👀
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Let’s raise the curtain one last time for our very own Lelio of the vampire world:
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Chapter 12. After stealing the OG vampires from the Egyptian coven, Marius buys them fancy mummy cases and buries them in his backyard for the time being. This doesn't go unnoticed, and soon the Elder appears and demands that Marius bring them back. They butt heads, first figuratively and then literally. Marius makes the perfectly rational choice of squeezing his eyes back into his head with his thumbs. Their fight is broken up when Akasha unearths herself. She pins the Elder and then squashes him like a cockroach. As a finishing touch, she pours lamp oil over the goo and burns the remains. Then she ESPs Marius that he will always be safe with her if he becomes her new guardian. She also encourages him to drink from her so that his wounds will heal and they can leave Alexandria. Marius succumbs to her seductive powers.
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Chapter 13. Drinking Akasha's blood is absolute ecstasy for Marius. It also gives him memories of Akasha.
(Note: I would like to inform everyone that we are now in a flashback of a flashback of a flashback)
He experiences epic vampire battles, vampires behaving like gods and demanding human sacrifices brought by human slaves from all over the world. Babylon. Assyria. Forgotten cities (Note: Atlantis?). Marius disapproves because of his western ideals. He sees these epic vampires (dark gods) imprisoning the OG vampires so they can feed on them. Eventually they refuse human blood, but their strength continues to grow. Enough time passes that no one remembers that they are actually imprisoned. They are freed, but their appearance has become that of statues.
Vampires, or "The Drinkers of the Blood", are still worshipped as gods. The sacrifices were thought to be evil people and the vampires their good gods. But then times changed and Egypt was conquered and those ideals changed.
(Note: This is the end of the flashback³)
Marius is restored. He dreams of rescuing/restoring/un-traumatizing the OG vampires (insert "I can fix them" meme here) and imagines all the great things they will do together.
They go to Antioch, but for over a century nothing changes except the color of their skin. Marius falls madly in love with a Greek courtesan named Pandora. He turns her into a vampire and she feeds on Akasha. They live together for 200 years. Under Christianity, vampires become devils. So much so that some vampires even believe it (eherm Children of Darkness). Marius hopes that humanity will evolve into an age of enlightenment without gods and goddesses, thus devaluing vampires. In the eighteen hundred years that Marius has lived, he has found no true purpose.
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Chapter 14. Lestat is now aware that Marius could wipe them all out just like that, since he is responsible for the OG vampires. He also thinks about rousing them. Marius assures him that he has no intention of killing them or himself, that he is content to experience humanity. According to him, this is only possible because he has lived a full life, and he urges Lestat to do the same, to go away and live a life (in New Orleans) before returning to him. He also reveals that he regrets turning Armand into a vampire in his youth, even going so far as to see Armand's foolish behavior as punishment.
Some general Marius approved rules to living your vampire life:

• Every new vampire made will be weaker than the previous one
• If a vampire drinks from the OG vampires, they will become more powerful
• Strength should come with time, so it’s better to start off as a weak vampire
• You never know what your child turns out like. Don't fret over it.
• Choose companions that you love (physical attraction doesn't hurt either)
• Keep your fledglings as human as possible, and create a family, not a coven.
• Only turn people into vampires that have had a life, never as young as Armand

They contemplate something ominous could happen if Akasha were to become loose. Marius floats the idea in the room that Lestat could drink Akasha’s blood, it would make him stronger, heal existing wounds, but not wounds made after the “injection”. They decide that they’ll humbly ask Akasha to let Lestat drink from her blood.
Before that, however, is a lot of vampire lore exposition Marius gives Lestat by the by:

1. Ghosts exist!
2. Immortals that don’t drink blood and can walk in daylight exist. One of them is Ramses the Damned. They are dangerous. Marius and Pandora have a difference of opinion if these things were at any point vampires.
3. When vampires are burnt, Marius suspects they come back in another form. Possibly they are reborn as humans. Pandora claims she’s been one of the burnt vampires.

Marius promises they’ll meet again after Lestat has lived his lifetime. He also tells him he will move to another place to keep the OG vampires safe. He makes Lestat swear to tell no one about their existence or anything he’s told him. He vaguely threatens Lestat if he breaks his promise (but not really).
Lestat feels oppressed by the secrecy required of vampires and floats the idea in the room telling the world about vampires. Marius strongly rejects this, calling it madness, because vampires are solitary creatures who like privacy.
“We are evil things finally,” says the vampire who pages before stated there is no such thing as good or evil.
They embrace and part ways.
Lestat silently ponders how he would behave in a thousand years, and if he was a statue by then, too. Before he loses consciousness, he hears a woman’s laugh and sees a woman’s neck bending.
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Chapter 15. Lestat has a great idea. He sneaks into the OG vampires’ chamber and plays Nicki’s violin FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHILE SINGING. Akasha (understandably) lets out a head-exploding shriek and crushes the violin in front of Lestat. Then she lets Lestat drink from her, and this somehow turns into a makeout session. This is interrupted by a jealous Enkil who grabs Lestat and is about to stomp him to death, only to be saved by Marius ESPing to Enkil that he would take Akasha away from him if he kills Lestat. Then Marius ESPs to Lestat to go (good advice), which Lestat does.
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Chapter 16. Lestat apologizes for what he has done, but Marius doesn't buy it. Lestat is convinced that Enkil is the worst thing that has ever happened to Akasha, and he wants him gone. When Marius scolds Lestat for his uninhibited thoughts, Lestat begins to cry. He wants Marius to let Akasha go, but Marius instead urges Lestat to leave the island for the night and not return until just before dawn, and to stop thinking about Akasha. After the hunt, Lestat does just that, imagining him and Akasha in a palace in Germany.
When he comes back, Marius tells him to leave for good, so that Enkil can quiet down. Marius' final advice is that he’ll find him when the time is right and that he can always ESP Marius (Note: Mother hen Marius confirmed).
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Chapter 17. We are in New Orleans! Enchanted by the beautiful scenery, Lestat reflects on ancient truths and ancient magic, revolution and invention, and the nostalgic feeling of childhood.
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Epilogue: Interview with the Vampire. Chapter 1. Lestat concludes his backstory by calling it The Early Education and Adventures of the Vampire Lestat. Now we get some addendum to what happened in “Interview with the Vampire”:
Lestat never saw Marius or Gabrielle again. He acknowledges some (some?) mistakes he made, but calls it all a direct result of his fatal love he has for Louis (who is btw a carbon copy of Nicki). They lived together for almost 70 years, which is groundbreaking (apparently not counting Marius' and Pandora's 200 years). Turning Claudia so young was a bad decision, but she would have died if he hadn't turned her (same goes for Louis) ... is Lestat's reasoning. Also, all the people he killed were bad people. Also, also, Louis begged him ALL THE TIME not to leave.
Some backhanded compliments he gives Louis are:

• Lestat forgives Louis for the lies, mistakes, excess of imagination, bitterness, vanity
• Lestat never revealed his powers because Louis shriveled in guilt and self-loathing already by half of the skills he had
• Louis must have low self-esteem for never believing Lestat chose him for his character, not his money
• He calls him a discriminating and inhibited child of the middle class for believing Lestat a peasant
• He calls him the most beguiling human fiend, not even imaginable to Marius.

After almost getting killed two times by Claudia, he doesn't turn to Marius for fear of condemnation, Gabrielle was AWOL. Left is Armand.
He tells Armand what happened, but Armand is already well aware of Louis and dresses up a weakened Lestat and uses him in his plot to get rid of Claudia. The previous vampires from the theater are all gone. When he asks about Louis, Armand tells him that he is also dead. Then Armand emotionally explodes, blaming Lestat for destroying the coven and driving them to perform in a theater. Finally he throws Lestat off the tower, breaking every bone in his body on impact.
​
Chapter 2. After two years, Lestat is strong enough to board a ship back to Louisiana. He draws a parallel to Gabrielle being locked in a tower. He reads a lot and sometimes meets other vampires, but he is too weak to do anything. Eventually, Armand visits him and tells him that Louis is not really dead. At this point, they are both very salty about each other, and they continue to bicker like unhappy neighbors for some time. Armand promises to give him some of his blood if Lestat promises to love him, but Lestat has only contempt for Armand. (Note: This feels very similar to the song Gives You Hell).
Finally, he decides to go into the earth. He dreams of Marius as a photographer. Of his new building of twentieth century impressionists. He shows the OG vampires a movie. Akasha speaks to him to come to her, but Lestat is too weak.
​
Dionysus in San Francisco - 1985. Chapter 1. Despite secrecy over the rock band, vampires leave messages on Lestat’s answering machine, calling him an outcast and daring him to come out. He feels lonely. The band is about to perform in San Francisco. He fears Marius’ wrath. MMarius speaks to him in his dream, accusing him of risking his revenge and acting impulsively. Then a sudden transmission says, “Danger. Danger to us all.”
Louis visits him. They embrace and make up (Note: Yes, Louis has read the book). He tries to dissuade him from the concert, but Lestat’s mind is made up. He doesn’t fear vampires that need to use telephones to communicate threats. Also, he wants to be Lelio again.
Louis tells him about bars that function as vampire connections, where vampires meet to exchange gossip. All the young vampires imitate the characters in his memoirs. New Orleans has no active vampire connection because it is Armand's territory and he has killed all the young ones. However, Armand has been missing for some time.
Also, the rules for vampires are now stricter. No evidence of killing is allowed. And their existence must remain a secret. Louis agrees to come with him to the concert... but not in those clothes, a fashion-conscious Lestat chides.
​
Chapter 2. Everyone is super stoked for the concert, outside video screens and speakers have been mounted for the fans that didn’t get tickets. Lestat gushes over Louis' makeover. The concert itself is utter madness and euphoria. And Lestat sweats blood again. He draws parallels to past groups and people (the Keltoi, the Romans, …) and notices real vampires in the crowd.
When the concert is over and they are walking to their car, they are attacked by vampires with scythes. Before they can do anything, the attacking vampires burst into flames. They are pulled into the car by none other than Gabrielle! Lestat believes that Marius is behind the explosions. A chase with a van ensues, and Lestat finally understands the gravity of the situation. They are hit by the van and the car explodes. The vampires narrowly escape death. Other attack vampires appear with scythes, but they combust yet again before they can strike. Lestat wants to fight them like a fool, but Louis and Gabrielle stop him.
Gabrielle repeats that they are all in danger.
​
Chapter 3. The vampires are back at the house and speculate who could be behind the combustions. Gabrielle doesn’t believe Marius would do this, since it feels like an alien and savage force. Lestat is just stoked to have his favorite vampire fledglings back and tattempts to reassure them that he was in control the whole time. Gabrielle calls Lestat an imp.
Just before bedtime, Lestat muses on the strange transmissions. He tries to ESP Marius and receives a broken signal from Marius telling him exactly what the transmissions had told him: They were all in danger. We learn that Marius is buried in ice and that Akasha has seen and heard his music through the television that Marius set up. Akasha caused the combustions.
Lestat feels a cold hand reach out and caress his face before he loses consciousness.
​
That's it, folks, the curtains are closed on The Vampire Lestat. 🏁

I (33F) am the middle sibling of 5 children, two of which are sisters 8 and 11 years older than me and brothers 2 and 3 years younger than me. Our mother is schizoaffective bipolar and as a result we have all experienced varying degrees of trauma and varying ways of coping. My coping mechanism, for as long as I can remember, has been to create a life outside of the family unit. One filled with creativity, exploration, and friendship (although I do have my own struggles within relationships).
I haven't been in contact with my 2nd oldest sister since last year. But I've spoken to several times this week, for hours on end because our mother had another psychotic break and is now in the hospital. Now, I stopped talking to my 2nd oldest sister for many reasons. One of which is because during lockdown she was struggling, like many ppl...and she called me expressing that her internet went out while my nephew was doing his schoolwork and she needed almost $300 for the bill. Now she is very prideful and does not ask for help or money, and because it was impeding on my nephew's ability to excel in school I gave her the money without hesitation and never told her she had to pay me back. I said don't worry about it, it is a gift.
When it was time for him to graduate, she shared that he needed to make up a lot of work or else he would not graduate and was blaming it on the fact that the teacher was racist and was out to keep my nephew back. She asked me to come over to their place in Jersey (I live in Brooklyn and do not drive) to "help" him with the work. I told her that I was sure the teacher was not out to get him, and that if he did not do the work he did not do the work and it's her responsibility as the teacher to hold him accountable for not doing his work. Also, I'm not doing a 17/18yo homework! I will help you...but you are going to do your work on your own. And we can connect on Zoom. I don't need to travel 4hrs round trip to offer up my help. Also, so much was expected of teachers during the lockdown and I expressed that it was unfair to this teacher who could very well have her own difficulties and children to tend to.
Well, my sister did not like that. And she did not invite me to my nephew's graduation. But also, I realized that I did not feel good talking to my sister. I would always get off the phone with her feeling very drained and just negative vibes. She is very negative at times. And is a bit of a bully - she is 8yrs older and continue to try to talk to me as if I am a child and know nothing about life. I could never get a word in edgewise. Anytime I disagree with anything she says, she flips. It's like I cannot have my own opinion. And oftentimes she would start yelling and hang up.
So now we're in contact because of my mom and I feel like this is a way for her to weasel herself back into my life without addressing the issues we have. Now, I was trying to focus on my mother because I really did not want to go into anything deep with any of my siblings without a third party (i.e. therapist present). But we have been talking and I regret sharing things with her. For instance, I recently got a paternity test with the man I have know to be my father - still waiting on the results. And she went back to tell my older sister about this and is speculating that someone said something to me or did something to me for me to question who my father is and my place in the family. And I shared that no, this is something I have always wanted to do and according to him they never did one (but my sister who was 8 at the time seems to remember that they did). But also, that yes I have not felt very welcome in the family or like I could trust any of them if I was truly being honest - especially my mother and my oldest sister. Big mistake!
So, she calls me today accusing me of recording the conversation we had last night - apparently she's got some app on her phone that alerts you when someone is recording you (paranoid much??!). I assured her that I did not. And then she goes on to tell me that she thinks I need to go back to therapy because I'm still harboring about things that happened in the past and that I should really just get over it. I even brought up the time her and my mom jumped me in an elevator when I was in high school and she said she never did that to me. And is just telling me that I need to go to therapy - mind you this is from someone who has never gone to therapy and boasts about how she never needed to go that route...that she has God, etc. But, before hanging up I expressed how it was highly inappropriate for her to tell me that I need to go back to therapy because she does not agree how I feel and most likely feels uncomfortable with my feelings.
This is super long, so if you've made it this long bless your heart. I have stopped sharing this stuff with friends because I haven't met many people, outside of therapists, who have the capacity to hold space for me as I navigate the fuckery that is my family. But I hung up the phone because I needed to put up a boundary, even if it was in an immature way. My conversations with my sister this week have only confirmed WHY I have been toying with this idea of estrangement and trying it out. My family will never do the work that is needed to heal themselves enough so that we can have a healthy relationship. I also cannot trust that any conversations I have with any of them will stay between us. I just do not trust them or feel safe around them (emotionally, mentally, and physically as it pertains to my mom)...safe enough to be my authentic self and speak my truth.
So, outside of the conversations about the treatment plan with my mom - I have to stay firm on not discussing any other issues with them because they will always try to manipulate me and deny things that have happened in the past. I am not crazy I know what I experienced - I have also been an avid journaler since 5th grade so I have a hefty account of my life written down so no one can tell me about my life and how I experienced it. So yeah....just needed to reaffirm that my decision to distance myself is actually necessary for not only my survival, but for the betterment of my mental health because these bitches tryna make me feel like I'm crazy!!!
Any supportive comments would be greatly appreciated during this time.
Much love!
TLDR: After a year of NC, I got back into contact with my older sister because my mom is in the psych ward. I am regretting it deeply because she told me I need to go to therapy so I could get over the stuff and is trying to make me question my own perception of my life growing up.

Hi All - I've been planning this build for a few months now and would really appreciate any input on parts that may not be compatible/suitable for this build and anything that I'm missing. My main concerns hover around the drivetrain and the UDH (does the Red 1x Crank work here and with the Eagle Transmission chain?) as well as the correct BB for the frame & crank. Anyhow, any help would be appreciated.
The parts list is below and here is a visual guide hosted on Imgur (2 images) --------------------------------------
Frame:Enve Mog Chassis
Drivetrain & BB:

RED 1 AXS Power Meter - 175MM, 40T	XX Eagle SL Transmission Cassette – 10-52T	XX SL Eagle Transmission Derailleur
RED eTap AXS HRD Shift-Brake System	XX SL Eagle Transmission Flattop Chain	DUB T47 Ceramic (Road Wide) 85.5mm – Inboard Bearing

Wheels:

353 NSW Tubeless Disc-brake	CenterLine XR Rotor - 160	WTB Byway – 40x700

Extras:

Reverb AXS XPLR Dropper	eTap AXS Wireless Blips	Alumina Bottle Cage
VENTO ARGO R1 ADAPTIVE

Remember to put away the polyfil. According to my 3.5yo it's a blast to pull out of the (pretty much new) bag and make it "snow" in the 3 freaking minutes your adult leaves you alone forgetting it was in sight and reach.
Thankfully I have a couple more bags, cause the boxer is having a fur blow out and I didn't get the sunroom vacuumed before she found it 😅 so the fur contaminated fluffing will be for her toys only. Luck has it I have couple unopened bags of it I'll use and put away properly when working on items to sell.
Honestly on a stormy weekend that she's whiny over not being able to go outside to burn energy and also decided to skip naps, I'm at the point of whatever isn't destructive or harming anyone have at it kiddo lol

I thought it would be good for me to share my thoughts as a farewell to the Cradle series. It's a rather critical review, and I'm aware that this is not going to be very popular here, so let me preface this by saying that I think Cradle is undeniably a solid series, which I would wholeheartedly recommend. That said, I didn't enjoy the ending as much as I had hoped. In my opinion, the series started to feel off with Bloodline, and I've only recently been able to pinpoint why.
In short, everything felt too safe, somewhat focused on fan service, and rushed.
Remember the intense fights earlier in the series, like Lindon/Orthos vs. Harmony, where they only made it through with Dross' first combat report? Or Lindon's desperate struggle against Kiro, where he had to use every ounce of his strength just to survive and barely flee for his life? Even further back, there was Lindon's defeat in the duel against Jai Long, where he lost an arm due to being completely outmatched. These fights had a sense of real danger and tension.
Since Wintersteel, though, I can't recall a single fight that made me genuinely fear for the characters or think that they might actually lose and face consequences. The closest was the team Lindon vs. Monarch Shen fight, but even that ended without any significant repercussions. They certainly always appear to fight on the verge of death, confronting unfavorable odds and barely surviving, but they also almost always emerge unscathed (or unscathed in the grand scheme of things), and that's my biggest complaint. There can only be so many times when a character comes close to death but ultimately triumphs against all odds before readers start to perceive the "danger" as nothing more than artificial trickery employed by the author.
At some point, it felt like the books were written as if they were video game levels: defeat enemy #1434, loot corpse, advance, repeat. There was no doubt that team Lindon would overcome all the Monarchs, defeat the Dreadgods, and ascend. I kept waiting for a twist, a major loss, or something unexpected to grab my interest, rather than another drawn-out battle where Lindon inevitably prevails.
The Monarchs and even the Dreadgods felt incredibly weak in Waybound. Lindon easily defeats Northstrider, a centuries-old Monarch with a baby presence of his own. I was actually interested when Northstirder appeared to be easily thrashing Lindon with his centuries of experience. But of course, no. It was all just a ploy, and Lindon actually had absolute control from the start. The other Monarch fights weren't much better- Malice escapes from Lindon with her tail between her legs, Shen is overwhelmed by penance arrows and is forced to flee almost immediately. Three other Monarchs—Sha Miara, Emeriss, and the Eight-man Empire—end up siding with Lindon, further diminishing the challenge for the team. The Dreadgods couldn't compare to Lindon- he could match two of them plus a Monarch.
The best way to put it is that there was no gravity to any of those fights. It's like they were written solely to elicit a "hell yeah!" response rather than to put readers on the edge of their seats.
I understand that this is a matter of personal taste, but I genuinely wish the series as a whole had been less light-hearted and safe. I wish Will had been bolder, willing to deceive and surprise us. What if the Monarchs ended up being right in maintaining the status quo, and Lindon, as a result, had a crisis of motives in the middle of Waybound? What if Mercy sided with her mother, forcing Lindon to reevaluate their friendship? Or perhaps, upon ascending to one of the Vroshir worlds, Lindon discovers that the Abidan were not as noble as they seemed, setting up a rivalry between him and Ozriel in a future series? I know none of these ideas necessarily align with the spirit of the books, but I can't help but feel that Will played it too safe, too straightforward, without offering anything that had the slightest chance of dividing the fanbase.
But even disregarding everything I mentioned above, I still don't think the wrap-up was that good. First of all, part of Eithan's purpose for returning to Cradle was to find exceptional sacred artists who could go with him to the 'end,' whatever that may be. The thing is, though, as Ozriel, he has already supposedly reached the 'end,' being the strongest known entity in the universe (according to Suriel's Presence). So where does that put him in relation to the team? Where is the struggle if he can demolish anything that truly threatens them at any point? Is he part of the Executioner program, leading the team to save dying worlds?
The final chapter doesn't make any of that clear because everything is rushed. If Eithan is part of the Executioner program, is he veiling his true powers to avoid disrupting the flow of faith or whatever? But then, how much power is he allowed to bring on those missions? I assume there's a threshold of power beyond which one's interference with fate becomes too disastrous. But doesn't that mean the team has to stop growing at some point, never reaching the power level of a Judge so they can keep functioning as Executioners?
Yet, that seems to contradict the entire point of the series, which is eternal self-improvement. It appears that Lindon and Yerin have settled down and had a child. So is that the end of their path? I suppose "We will never stop" was only meant for Cradle, not beyond.
Another minor gripe: As much as it was satisfying getting to see Lindon trouncing Li Markuth, I couldn't help but cringe at the blatant fan service. It had a certain poetic charm, with Lindon concluding his journey in Cradle the way it all began, but the logic behind it was questionable. Why would the Mad King concern himself with someone as weak as Li Markuth? And why would he send him back to Sacred Valley? The showdown between them was undeniably cool, but it felt jarring that there was no mention of Lindon's family's reaction.
Shortly after, Lindon ascends without saying his goodbyes to anyone, only to find himself in an enemy world, promptly rescued by Fury. I couldn't help but wonder what the purpose of it all was, considering it led to nothing. I was sure he would fight the Silverlord, to show us how he compares to strong enemies beyond Cradle. That was such a missed opportunity. Also, was he fighting a class two fiend shortly after ascending or was that after a time skip?
I reckon a good fix for most of those problems would've been to add another book. It'd give enough screen time to properly wrap up the characters' stories and delve into the Abidan plot in a more satisfying way.
Anyway, this is getting pretty long, so I'll stop my rambling here. It kinda sounds like I hate the series, but that's really far from the truth. I absolutely love those books. I just feel like they didn't quite nail the landing.

• canned beans can sometimes be $0.99 still
  
• food-focused bars with $3 beer are looking pretty damn good now
  
• beer-focused bars with $3 fries are looking pretty damn good now compared to fast food restaurants
  
• some Chinese food chains that were $8 in 2010 are now $10 now and surprisingly cheap for a big bowl