I’ve been doing a deep dive into the Duggar train wreck in preparation for the documentary coming up. Reading court documents, police reports, AMAs, Google, this subreddit, obituaries, news articles, etc. The common element in their descent into disgrace is arrogance, hypocrisy, hubris, or whatever you want to call it. Every step of the way.
2002-2003: Pest (14/15 yo) starts molesting young girls 🤮
2003: JB, Meech, and Holts made aware—JB brought Pest to pedo-friend state trooper to “report” his crime, but trooper failed to investigate and report. 😡
2004: Despite knowing they had a seriously disturbed son who had molested their own daughters, JB and Meech debut their family in 14 children and pregnant again. 🤑
2006-2007: JB runs for Arkansas State Senate and loses. 😮‍💨 4 more shows aired including one airing after the Oprah debacle in late 2006 (Family was in Chicago filming an interview, but it was cancelled when Alice tipped off Oprah that Josh had molested 5 girls). Oprah alerted Arkansas CPS. A second person (letter reader) also alerted CPS at this time. A police report was made. Apparently, CPS investigated but we don’t know the outcome of that. Meanwhile, starting in 2007, Alice and others were posting on OG snark boards about Duggar family dirt. 🤔
2008-2015: They really played with fire 🔥 here. An 8-year-run on national television portraying a wholesome, Christian, pure family.

 2013: Josh moves to DC to work for Family Research Council, a right wing organization dedicated to “family values” and “traditional marriage”. 🤢 2014: Meech records transphobic robocall that says in part, "I doubt that Fayetteville parents would stand for a law that would endanger their daughters or allow them to be traumatized by a man joining them in their private space.”🤬 2015: Lesbian couple protests Meech’s robocall by kissing in front of TTH with marriage certificate in hand. Photo goes viral and InTouch seeks them out for an interview. One of the women, Tandra Barnfield knew about the Duggar family secrets and pointed the reporter in the right direction to obtain a FOIA for the 2006 police report. InTouch publishes the police report and 19KAC was cancelled and Pest fired from FRC. 🌞 Pest goes back to AR in disgrace only to have the Ashley Madison scandal erupt just 3 months later-so much for “family values” 

Dec 2015-2021: Wait, they come back only this time without Pest. Counting On comes back on for another 5 years. How did this show not jump the 🦈, I do not know.
Nov 2019: Pest’s car lot raided by HSI Apr 2021: Pest arrested for CSAM June 2021: Counting On cancelled Dec 9, 2021: Pest convicted 😈 Dec 14, 2021: JB loses Republican primary 😵‍💫
They could have stopped the train wreck at so many points but 💰 🤥👺won out. Most tragically, if Bobye and other friends can be believed, 13-year-old Pest felt guilt and remorse and could have been rehabilitated if proper steps were taken in 2003.

When I was a child I thought the adults around me had created such a good environment around me and had the Life figured out.
But as I grew older I realized they haven't and everyone is doing their own thing. Still, I have no problem with that. But what I absolutely hate are the conflicts and wars, geez how low can people be, taking a stand is considered much better than someone who doesn't take one. Why the hell would I want to kill one person just to save another person when they both are trying to make a better world in their own ways?
I hate politics. But if I don't have an opinion I would be not taken seriously. But eventually, I am made to be a part of a group so that I can put food on the table.
Please advise. Why am I even here when I don't have the mindset of survival of the fittest? The grind of X years only to have comfort of (X - Y) years and helping my kids only for them eventually fight when they themselves become adults.
Even after so many years of evolution, being powerful still rules, because you can't save everyone and those who are left (the weak one) will eventually lose belief in you and start their own group.

Context I caught a cold on Thursday I still have it, although I’ve noticed that my arms got bigger and my stomach is gaining some belly fat, how can I loose weight while having this cold, I know I need to eat to get better I am in pain rn my head hurts and I have some temperature, how can I still loose weight? I’ve been eating chicken soup for the past 2 days how do I not gain too much weight how can I make my arms smaller again?

I finally beat the game today and I was amazed how much I absolutely love this story and franchise now. I need more of Cal's story and it works so much better for me than a lot of other Star Wars media we've gotten over the past decade. My end game thoughts:

• "Guide her through the Darkness." I really don't think Cere is talking about Kata - I think she might be talking about either Merren or someone else we'll see in the 3rd game. We'll have to wait a few years and see.
  
• Dagan and Bode were actually both fantastic antagonists for Cal because they both represented roads he could easily travel down. Dagan represented his obsession with overthrowing the empire, knowing that they've taken everything from him. This is like Dagan obsessed with Tanalorr, and the Jedi Council taking away his dream. Meanwhile, while Cal is coming to a realization that he has feelings for Merren and that the order wasn't necessarily right about attachments and love, Bode represents everything the Order warned him about and the fears of what exploring those feelings cause. Bode really wasn't a villain, he wasn't even a sith - he was a dad trying to protect his daughter to the best of his abilities. That doesn't excuse anything, but his attachment and his love blinded his decisions. Eno was right - he didn't have to betray anyone. He could have worked with the group to find another way - but his attachment, his love blinded him to a better end. This isn't lost on Cal - he sees a future and hope with Merrin, but he's terrified of what can become of him because he saw what can happen.
  
• On that note, I heard Kinda Funny compare Bode to Joel from The Last Of Us - I think it's a bad comparison. Both characters were trying to save their daughters, but Cal's group didn't try to kill Kata. They just wanted a future where Kata could be part of the group. Joel turned because their group flat out tried to kill Ellie. Now right before Bode dies, I understand there's a slight comparison. "Are you going to beat the Empire when they come and save my little girl?" Cal couldn't answer that - they both knew the truth. If the Empire came, and they came with their normal strength, that planet would be gone. But still, these were characters who chose to coexist rather than sacrifice one person to save countless others.
  
• Eno showing up was a wonderful surprise if only to see BD's happy dance - but am I alone thinking that when he was asked about the Zeffo and he said the trail went cold, that was Respawn sweeping the story line under the rug and saying "forget about it?" I really don't think we'll see more of this.
  
• The ending left me a little confused - how the hell did the Mantis crew escape Tanalorr? The rift was closed - Zee said the arrays overloaded. They barely made it to Tanalorr to begin with, so how did they get back to Koboh?
  

I'm genuinely trying to figure out where the next game will go. there's a few story elements that need to be addressed in the bigger picture:

• The Hidden Path isn't really talked about again as early as Star Wars Rebels - so did Tanalorr really last? And if so, for how long?
  
• Is Tanalorr really safe? Bode warned the Empire would come - did even he know this? He made it all the way there, but did he realize that there's really no escape from the Empire?
  
• How long after Survivor will the next game take place? If it's another 5 years, it's around the time Rebel's begins. What happens during this time? Is Tanalorr invaded? Destroyed? Sealed off again?
  
• We know Vader just can't be killed by Cal (or anyone) and has shown up in each game - will he come back one more time in the 3rd game to fight him again or finish Cal off? Cal can't beat him - so his best bet is to escape again (which is why I kept yelling for Cere to run when Vader was under the archive wreckage). Do we even want Vader to show up again?
  
• Can Cal actually survive this franchise? Seriously, is his fate meant to be sad? I really don't want him to have the same fate as Kanan or the Rogue 1 team, but is there room for another Jedi to survive the original trilogy? It's already hard enough to try and figure out where Ahsoka was during the original trilogy, does Disney have the room to keep adding more Jedi survivors, including those who were in the Rebellion at some point, and explain why Luke was the only Jedi in the fight during the original trilogy? They're already pigeonholed, it would be very difficult to find a happy ending for Cal.
  
• On the other hand, something I'm still trying to figure out between the games, Obiwan and Rebels: Do the Inquisitors still exist up to and during the original trilogy? We already know there's still Inquisitors still exist in great numbers by the time Rebels starts 5 years BBY, and I don't think we ever heard an official end to them by the end of Rebels before Rogue 1 and Episode 4, so are they still around? Could this 3rd game explore that (and if so, would this next game be closer to 1 BBY 8 years after this game)?
  
• Would you want anyone to cameo in the next game? If so who? Han and Chewy? Lando? Ahsoka? A Younger Leia, trying to help people on the Hidden Path after being influenced as a child by a "old friend?" Personally, I'd love to see Qui Lon Voss and Ventress show up as a family. Imagine Merren seeing another nightsister survived and with a child, and we finally get some actual sight of Qui Lon especially after his mention in Obiwan. Alas, with the tragedy these games weave, I can see it being another representation for what could happen to Cal if he veres from his path too far, and see Qui Lon's happy family be wiped out. Imagine Cal seeing this happen with needing to take care of Merren and Kata. Worse: Imagine a pregnant Merren and Cal seeing a terrible fate for Qui Lon and his family. What does that do to Cal? How does that make Cal reflect upon what Bode did? IMO, this would be amazing.
  

Thanks for reading.

This situation contains an insane web of dysfunctional details but I will try to keep to the practical points. It’s hard to condense this so thank you in advance to anyone who reads through.
SUMMARY:
Abusive father returning suddenly after respite. Mum and brother’s denial making it harder to ensure protection. Vulnerable brother agreeing to trip with him despite previous conflicts. Family housing situation is precarious but needs resolving.
THE SITUATION:
My abusive father recently announced that he’s coming back to visit on Tuesday after living abroad for several years. He apparently intends to go on a road trip with my vulnerable younger brother (who has psychosis) to visit our grandad far up north.
I’ve been told they had previously discussed vague plans around this trip but without a set date. These plans included him taking my brother back with him abroad after but my brother later declined that part. It seems that my dad then bought plane tickets here without telling anyone until after (I was only told on Thursday).
I currently live with my aunt. My mum and brother live together in the old family home with a lodger. My dad is still legally tied to the house and only went abroad originally to deal with an unexpected family matter. He’s ended up living over there since then - which provided respite without much intervention needed - but at the beginning visited a couple times and intermittently mentioned coming back. The housing situation here is precarious (it’s a social housing tenancy my parents share) worsened by how long it’s been left unresolved, which makes it tricky to remove him from the tenancy. My mum had tried once to get rehoused after the fight I mention further down but nothing was done (though she was likely unassertive).
Though my mum said she’ll use this visit to finally resolve things with my dad, she’s being very unrealistic about what to expect. It seems he’s most likely just visiting to hoover my brother (who is easier to manipulate) and live out his fantasy of ‘reconnecting’ more than anything, plus he’s always been vocally reluctant to give up the house he feels entitled to. I have no indication of what he intends in regards to me during this visit.
I have been No Contact with my dad for a few years (he’s complied so far) and will maintain it yet I cannot easily protect myself from him when people close to me are openly inviting him to come closer. He has also not been back since I declared NC so there’s a chance he may act differently once here. All of our (including mine) possessions are mixed up in the house and there is ample opportunity for conflicts to occur. The aunt I live with verbally supports my side of things but discouraged me from trying to influence my mum and brother further (nor inform the rest of the family) and is keeping her distance. My mum and brother remain in denial about the reality of this situation and are providing a lot of friction against making us all safe.
My mum’s initial response to hearing of the visit was to offer for my dad to stay in the house whilst she left to stay at her current partner’s house, leaving him alone with my brother and the lodger - a young adult family friend who has her own vulnerabilities. I had to demand that my mum reversed the offer and made him responsible for his own accommodation (she seems to have paid for somewhere herself but that’s better than nothing). Both my mum and my aunt are away this weekend and will return later than he arrives on Tuesday. I’m not yet aware of anyone who can be present during that window to enforce any boundaries we put in place.
I don’t want to sacrifice my brother or mum’s wellbeing (or my relationship to them) for my own comfort if I can help it and feel I would be betraying myself if I didn’t act on my awareness of this situation. I don’t want to try and control them but seem to be the only one keen to address the harm that can be done. Right now my brother seems willing to do the trip up north (though he’s influenced a lot by misplaced guilt) and my mum encourages it.
However, I’m conflicted between avoiding adding to any distress by drawing attention to the situation and it’s seriousness (e.g. informing other family members and requesting outside help) or putting taking action against the threat that I see my dad posing above all else. This all takes a tremendous amount of energy for me to deal with and I get triggered by the situation.
Most of the harm in the past was caused by my dad being delusional, impulsive, immature, unpredictable and emotionally unstable or volatile and the dysregulation this causes. He doesn’t seem capable of carrying out multi-part schemes, but my mum and brother’s own instabilities and lack of boundaries exacerbate the challenges. It’s been a few years since anyone’s seen my dad or had much of an update on what he’s like, the last visits were disastrous and he shows no signs of having improved. His approach to this visit is very telling that he’s still notably unhealthy.
I am trying to compromise between allowing everyone the freedom to make their own choices verses protecting against harm and retraumatisation. I’m going to contact some Domestic Abuse charities for further advice but want a range of inputs.
The safeguarding criteria I want implemented (but don’t know how) is:
- To have as many safe-enough people we know simply aware of the situation
- A way to enforce the safeguards when he arrives in the window that my mum and aunt aren’t here
- My brother to be given space to decide for himself what he’s comfortable with doing, un-coerced as possible
- All initial interactions to be in a safe controlled environment away from the house whilst the situation is measured
- Not allowing my dad to simply enter and move around the house freely (nor ever stay over)
- Authoritative 3rd party mediator(s) (who he will not feel comfortable acting out in front of) present at all times if/when he visits the house
- All of ours vs his belongings separated in the house prior to him being able to visit or retrieve anything
- A strict and formal arrangement regarding how he will visit it - when, how long for, who to mediate
- A full plan for how he will no longer be connected to us through the tenancy and stored possessions
I’m aware that this would be a lot of work or that there’s a small chance it could all end up being very uneventful and civil somehow even if I just left things as is. Another alternative seems to be allowing any potential chaos to unfold to prove my point about the denial. However, I’d just rather not risk anything.
​
MY QUESTIONS:
How could I implement the safeguarding steps I proposed?
What do you think is reasonable for me to request or expect from this situation?

People underestimate how high school shape men's attitude toward men.
I personally "don't want to grow up" in this matter. I won't forgive how I was treated like crap for years for the sake of potentially finding a "wife" and overlook how I was treated .
That's why I completely condone and support men who are like me and get their revenge on women who ridiculed them back either by having sex and ghosting them, putting them through emotional stress, or harming them psychologically in a relationship.
That's how it should be.
Because when I was a kid I still remember what girls did to me and that shape my attitude toward women right now. I personally don't think I will either love or like one. I don't want sex anymore. No. I want to get revenge one way or another. Specifically on girls with who I went to high school with.
1 year ago, I meet at Uni this girl with who I went to high school with. Didn't expect to meet her actually(we were both international students at the time and the fact we meet in the same city, less the same school was crazy.)
She tries to do buddy buddy with me but I told her what I have my mind this day: how much I hate her, how much I hate other girls in our class and how I hope to never see her again and how high school was a nightmare for me.
It creates an awkward atmosphere. Her fake smile disappeared and she looked at me confused and weirded out. But I was happy. I told her what I think and that's the most important thing for me.
I also don't care about many things now. In the past, women used to be grossed ou just at my sight or by me just existing. And it affects me a lot. Now I don't care. They are still grossed out but now I don't let it affects me. I also don't have this weight on my shoulder to impress stupidly women. Because I know that whatever happens they will be grossed out so I can now act normally.
I am also happy I now don't take a woman being nice to me as some kind of interest in me. She is either nice because she is nice naturally(she will treat everyone the same. I am not "special"), out of pity or because she is expecting something from me.

You guys just aren’t that good at pking. If it wasnt for voidwaker no one would die its 2023 people are much better now that guaranteed damage is necessary to keep pvp entertaining. Instead of spending 5 hours trying to kill someone worse than you it would take much less with the voidwaker. Learn how to properly eat food and you’ll never die. Vls is arguably much stronger than voidwaker just wait till more people get that weapon.

the only places that don’t have super fucking toxic workplaces or insane managers around me are chains. plus it’s easy to get a job since they’re always so understaffed. but i’m so sick of it. the expectations from corporate+dumbass customers makes me so discouraged. last table of the night “my steak is too rare!” me: “this is medium rare how you ordered” “i want it to be pink not red!” then order it MEDIUM are you dumb? take it back ask the cooks to nuke it and they say it’s perfect. then leave a 9% tip.
like the only table that tipped me a full 20% tonight was a group of kids like 25ish. do people assume since it’s not a five star steakhouse they don’t have to tip as much or something? i give the best service of my abilities, their 18307438th refill of coke and million cups of ranch are out asap and i’m very polite. they seem nice but not overly nice like verbal tippers but still give me $5 on a $60 bill. everywhere else i worked i got mostly 15-30%s all night, including chains.
it could be worse but i’m working twice as hard and taking twice as many tables cause none of the want to actually tip me. if my service wasn’t that good i get it but i was at attention with every little thing you needed and $4? really? stiffing is quite common at this place, i never got a zero tip before i worked here and it happens to my coworkers often. i just wish people could and would tip more. i like this place but the customers are godawful

05/28/22: These days I've been re-watching the Harry Potter saga, and it really made me reminisce about old times that I would like to relive and enjoy even more, like when I first went to see the movies at the theater. The Hogwarts school reminded me of old experiences in school with my classmates, which I would love to feel again. It's nice to occasionally remember old happy moments.
On the other hand, setting aside the sentimental part, today while I was in the shower thinking about all that I said before, a random idea came to mind that if Jesus had not existed, or perhaps if there had been a Jesus with different values and ideals, the Harry Potter saga would not have existed, or it would have, but with a different underlying concept. Harry Potter is based on a constant struggle between light and darkness, between good and evil, between two opposing poles: love and hate. In the case that Jesus had not existed, Christianity with all its ideals would never have been carried out in the way we currently know it, so Harry Potter, which could be said to be a consequence of Christian values, would not exist as such today.
Following this reasoning, if Jesus had had different ideals, such as being more individualistic and less altruistic, always speaking in the word of God, I believe that Harry Potter, in the event that it exists in this line of events, would have had completely different principles, such as valuing his own survival more and not so much that of his friends and companions, meaning that he would have tried to save his own skin at any cost. In this case, there would be no distinction between black and white but rather a continuous gray.
Although I don't think a Jesus with these individualistic ideals would have had the same impact as the historical Jesus due to a biological issue, it is important to emphasize how people's thinking was shaped by a religion. The biological issue I mention is that although all humans are deep down completely selfish beings who think about their own survival, that survival is not achieved without an altruistic factor. That is to say, for example, if Jesus had been more individualistic, not many people would have followed him since it wouldn't be beneficial, from a genetic point of view, for our genes to trust someone who thinks only for themselves, but they would follow someone who tries to help us because it would make the job easier for the genes. This could be related to survival strategies, such as "an eye for an eye," where the successful ones are the kind-hearted ones, but even more successful are the ones that have a touch of selfishness.
Although these are hypothetical cases, it's good to unravel our thinking and start thinking based on fundamental principles, with such particular cases as Harry Potter.

just a little venting. I work in an IT role and it’s increasingly horrible. I hate IT with my whole soul, but I took the job straight out of college because we were promised career mobility and the company is prestigious. three empty-promise-filled years later, I’m still in the same spot and there’s no way out. There are literally no jobs available for my level or desired role and I keep getting the run around when talking about a promotion
and my current role just keeps getting worse - increasingly complex processes, increasingly unrealistic expectations, constantly making unnecessary changes, required to work in the office for no reason, now they’re telling us we may have to start working holidays since no one wants to volunteer for them anymore.
I recognize that I’m coming from a place of privilege, so I’m grateful for the circumstances even though they suck. but still I wanna cry and run away and bite someone ALL the time. I’m constantly having mental breakdowns, increasingly having physical health issues now, constantly stressed, and I nearly lost my partner because of the stress from the job.
ever since I left college I realized how much I was constantly lied to. I did everything I was told to do since the minute I entered college, up until this moment, and yet I still don’t have results. It’s so hard for me to keep it together and I’m afraid I’m about to crack under the pressure. I want a revolution so bad lol fuck work🥲

READ IN FULL B4 COMMENTING 🙏🏽
OK so I was talking to a friend not too long ago about Lana. We both discovered her around the same time, way back in high school and we’re like in our mid 20s now. So we’re definitely OG fans but she said that she doesn’t like a lot of her new stuff, she likes her OG work (born to die , paradise ultraviolence , Era specifically ) she liked NFR , and thought honeymoon was just okay (sinful imo but I digress) but stated she didn’t really love these last three albums (BB , chemtrails , Ocean Boulevard , ) it made me sad that she’s having a hard time connecting with her newer stuff and I’ve noticed a lot of people have said that they don’t like her newer stuff which makes me sad because in my opinion I think she doesn’t have a single bad album it’s just some are not as strong as others. I listen to all her albums equally though. But I’ve noticed that a lot of fans are still stuck in the past. At the end of the day we all have a right to our own opinions and music taste so I won’t judge, but I can’t help but think in the back of my mind how some people can’t seem to like some of her newer stuff . Is it because it’s much more personal and esoteric? I mean her music has always been personal but now it seems almost in your face and not as broad as before ? she’s not singing my pussy sings it taste like Pepsi-Cola anymore . She’s singing, much more serious stuff , and I’m not saying that her older music wasn’t serious because it most definitely was but I think maybe it was more easily digestible/romanticized. I also honestly think it’s her younger fanbase too (teenagers specifically) who aren’t into the new stuff but I’ve seen folks my age (like my friend ) who have complained too . Has she alienated a lot of her fans with her new music ? I know Lana is popular more than ever, and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon , I feel like she’s gaining so much more popularity again , especially thanks to Tik tok and a whole new generation of people discovering her but maybe simultaneously some people have fallen off ? Thoughts ?

With the Fate of Iberia DLC, Paradox introduced the new Struggle mechanic. They next intend to apply this system in Persia this year, and I'm very interested to see what they come up with, and in what ways the system can be expanded. That said, I think Italy would be a fantastic place for a new Struggle region. This is a long post discussing what that would look like.

Guelphs and Ghibellines

If you're not familiar with the topic, I recommend watching this video from M. Laser History, it gives an excellent overview of the topic.
For a TLDR; At around the 1066 start date, there is a power struggle between the Holy Roman Emperors and the Papacy, about who has authority over who, and about rights of investitute. Later (~1125) The Italian states in the Empire find themselves caught in the middle, and deep factionalism develops between the Guelphs (pro-Church) and Ghibellines (pro-Imperial). A lot of battles and wars, big and small, are fought over this, including the glorious War of the Bucket!
The rest of this post is me spitballing an idea about how this might be implemented. If you have any ideas about how this could be done, I'd be really interested to hear it.

Ideas About Implementation

For starters, the region of the struggle would at least be Northern and Central Italy, and probably all of it. To the best of my knowledge, South Italian rulers didn't play a direct role in this struggle historically, but it's not hard to envision an alternate history where they do.
However, unlike the Iberian Struggle, which has already begun at both start dates, I imagine a super-event for Catholics about the "Investiture Controversy" or something of the sort, which would start the struggle.
For the actors involved (Struggle Participants), I imagine five types:

1. Imperial: The Holy Roman Emperor.
2. Papal: The Pope. In in-game terms, whoever's Head of Faith for the Catholic faith.
3. Neutral: Every landed character whose capital is in Italy and is inside the Holy Roman Empire. This would include vassals of vassals. All Italian rulers will start in this camp. Some will stay, most will move to one of the following two types.
4. Guelphs: Those who wish to support the Pope.
5. Ghibellines: Those who wish to support the Emperor.

In terms of phases, I'm not too certain. A lot of the phase effects in Iberia concern relations between cultures and faiths, which aren't so applicable here. I've come up with this so far (excuse the boring names, these are just placeholder):

1. Dormant: Relatively few effects from the struggle. Progresses to Limited.
2. Limited: A Casus Belli is unlocked for Guelphs against Ghibellines and Ghibellines against Guelphs. Each side can call others of their faction to the war. Imperial and Papal characters (so, just the Emperor and the Pope) can support their respective members if they are in such a war through character interaction (give money, add combat modifiers at the cost of prestige/piety, etc.), but cannot get involved. Character interactions exist for the Pope and Emperor to entice those not in their faction and who are not at war to join it. Progresses to Hostile.
3. Hostile: Emperor and Pope unlock a Casus Belli on each other which allows them to end the struggle. Neither side can call allies into the war. Guelphs join Pope, Ghibellines join Emperor. Regardless of who is attacker and defender, ticking warscore does not start for the Emperor until they occupy Pope's capital (Rome, probably), and does not start for the Pope until all Ghibelline land in struggle region is occupied by Pope and Guelphs. If Emperor wins, struggle goes to Imperial Victory Ending. If Pope wins, struggle goes to Papal Victory Endin. If it's a white peace, struggle progresses to Peace.
4. Peace: Very few (or no) effects from the struggle. Progresses to Dormant.

How do the phases actually progress to one another? Well, it could be just time, but ideally, it would be based on a type of action/character interaction that would be emblematic of friction between church and state. This would likely relate to mechanics regarding investiture. For example, every time a Catholic ruler appoints a bishop, or revokes a bishopric, the struggle progresses a bit. Basically, this whole struggle (or my idea of it) rests on the idea that Paradox has implemented some type of mechanic about investiture rights and the College of Cardinals, and where the outcome of the struggle would affect those. I'm gonna speak about the endings of the struggle broadly, and I'm gonna act as if those mechanics are already there. You can imagine that, at the start of the game, all Catholic rulers have full investiture rights, and that their ability to appoint essentially whoever they like gives them some ability to influence the election of a Pope (in a more involved fashion than CK2). I imagine the phases of this struggle being shorter and less equal than those of Iberia, where the Limited phase is significantly longer than Dormant or Peace.
The outcomes are as follows:

• Imperial Victory: Effects on Catholic faith would be that the Holy Roman Emperor gets some sort of disproportional say in the College of Cardinals and the election of a Pope. Free Investiture rights are maintained for all Catholic rulers, never to be challenged again until the end of the game. Effects on Italy would be that a number of the biggest Ghibellines (either by size, or contribution to the final Imperial-Papist war that led to this) would get a special contract type with the Emperor that gives significant bonuses and some reduced obligations. They would also be made into electors in the empire.
• Papal Victory: Effects on Catholic faith would be that, by default, free Investiture rights are disallowed, and Catholic rulers passing free investiture laws get a significant opinion malus with the Pope, as well as from their own Zealot stance vassals. Effects on Italy would be that all Guelphs would get a special contract type that disallows title revocation, allows war declaration, and has no obligations at all.

And that's basically all I've got. The specific values would play a big role in what does and doesn't happen here, but I can't begin to imagine how to go through balancing that. General pointers would be that Italians are far more willing to side with the Pope, but that the Emperor's support of Ghibellines would be stronger. Another thing might be to make one of the phase effects significantly decreased costs for upgrading/building castles, as well as any buildings which add fort levels. Essentially, marching an army from Germany all the way to Rome as the Emperor should be extremely difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming in the Hostile phase unless the Emperor has been diligent in supporting his Ghibellines and enticing others to switch sides in the Limited phase.
One last note is that this entire thing would also very much benefit from an overhaul of republics and city-states. They were an extremely important part of this conflict, and no representation of Medieval Italy would be complete without proper mechanics for them.
I guess the Struggle parts of this could be a mod. I haven't made a mod for CK3 yet, but I happen to be a programmer with some free time. I think I can do that. This would require Investiture/College of Cardinal mechanics though, with its own UI and all. I have no how to do that.
Let me know what you think of this, I would really love to hear someone else's take on how Struggle mechanics can be applied to Italy, and specifically the Guelphs and Ghibellines wars, since I find them very interesting. This has been sitting in my head for too long, and I'm happy to have it structured and proposed.

Seems like everyone agrees that draft capital is important but I’m curious how exactly everyone factors that in. I’ve seen a few different schools of thought. I’ll present 3 of them here along with of my thoughts on what draft capital means to fantasy managers.

1. Draft capital is the be all / end all of player evaluation for fantasy. This philosophy assumes that draft capital already indirectly factors in every other metric (age, productive, athletic profile, health, etc) and basically forces you to throw out any pre-draft rankings you might have come up with yourself. NFL scouts are way better than amateurs at evaluating talent so who are we to say who the better player is? For example, LaPorta was picked before Mayer, therefore LaPorta is the better player. It’s not always this black and white but you see this argument often. Landing spot is separate from this of course. If LaPorta went to the Falcons and had to compete with Pitts or something I don’t think anyone would be making this kind of rigid argument.

I think you can get by just fine doing this but I see two fatal flaws. First, there’s no way to hedge against NFL teams that reached for a player (either for positional need or just bad judgement). For this reason I personally dock players that got picked later than expected more than I upgrade players who got picked earlier than expected. It takes 32 teams to pass on a player for them to fall to Day 3, but it only takes 1 team to reach for a player to get taken much higher than he should. Second, it doesn’t account for the fact that a lot of late picks are often high ceiling, low floor (exactly what you should be aiming for to fill your bench). Some NFL teams may be valuing a low upside but low risk / reliable player over the lottery tickets, but that doesn’t mean fantasy managers should.

1. Draft capital used as an additional metric along with the more tangible ones like breakout age, dominator rating, college production, athleticism, health, etc. This is by far the most common approach. You move players around post-draft but still factoring in your own pre-draft evaluations, often for sorting players within a tier who got similar draft capital. I think depending how much weight you give to draft capital, there is a risk of double-counting some of those other metrics that NFL scouts would have already considered in their own rankings. Nevertheless, there’s some inherit fantasy value impacts from draft capital that can’t be accounted for in any pure pre-draft player evaluations. For example, the commitment a front office may feel to give a player snaps and keep them on the roster longer if they were drafted high. In the same vein, if a team traded up to take that player they may feel even more committed to making them work out.
   
2. Draft capital used only as a gut-check on pre-draft rankings. Thus philosophy would only make marginal changes to their rankings after the draft and only if there is a big difference in expected vs actual capital (2+ round). These people really stick their necks out and trust what they see. All the power to them because they make player discussions a lot more fun.
   

So how do you guys factor draft capital into your rookie rankings. Any other angles that I missed?
TLDR: Draft capital should be part of everyone’s rookie ranking methodology but it’s important not to double-count your other player evaluation metrics (which DC normally already accounts for) and, in my opinion should be factored more heavily for players that “fell” in the draft vs players that got taken earlier than expected. It takes 32 teams to pass on a player for them to fall to Day 3, but it only takes 1 team to reach.

I’m trying to build an Izzet combo-control deck. Main wincon is assembling the Niv-Mizzet x Curiosity combo to melt my opponent, secondary wincon is beating down with Murktide or Haughty Djinn or some other spellslinger payoff creature.
My current point spread is at 9, and switching a card out for Gifts Ungiven would make it an even 10. However, I’m not sure this does much for me other than set up a snapcaster mage or torrential gearhulk. Am I missing something, or is it not worth it to include in the deck?
(I’m aware that going grixis may open up some possible sick plays, but unfortunately I can’t afford to build a 3-color mana base right now, budget-wise)
My points:
Underworld Breach-3 Mystical tutor-1 Dig through time-1 Treasure cruise-1 Merchant’s scroll-1 Mana drain-1 Price of Progress-1

I know there are a lot of us finding ourselves apart from our Narc.
I have gone through an insane cycle over the last 5 weeks. Still going through it but it is getting easier. A few things helped me. I even had some counseling through EAP (Employee Assistance Program) though I only used it for about 2 weeks (they are practically indifferent when it comes to text sessions).

1. I had to be determined to end the relationship. My wife used everything from emotionally appealing to work it out to an ER visit for an anxiety attack. She used my daughter's phone as if my daughter was texting me to cuss me out for the worthless POS she always claimed I was. She told me she missed me. She enjoyed spending time with me when she wouldn't let me see my kids without her being there. She listed off all the responsibilities I "left her with."
   
2. Go no contact or gray rock. You have to shut them off emotionally. Answer them with simple answers. Refuse to enage or react. Be simple. Use 1 syllable responses if possible. Do not reveal personal information. It will be used against you later (as it always has been).
   
3. Act as if you are quitting a drug. The attachment you have may have been love at one time but if you, like me, have committed to walking away, the love is gone. It is a trauma bond that is left. That is why you feel so strongly drawn back. You need to know it is what is best for you.
   
4. Conduct a private memorial service in your own thoughts (complete with significant songs if need be). The relationship is dead. You have to play it out in your mind. With the lense of narcissistic motivations, review the relationship with their intentions as the underpinnings. Realize what you gave up in light of what you got in return. Grieve its end but ACCEPT it.
   
5. Pity them for the circumstances they went through to produce someone so incapable of dealing with realty that they have to deflect all of their pain on to you. That only proves you were always the stronger one. Your willingness to try to fix them or make things better for them is not a reflection on your weakness. It is a testimony of your endurance.
   
6. You went through incalculable amounts of trauma before you realized they cannot be helped. It was only the toll it took on you trying that let you know they cannot be helped. It's not because you couldn't help...Lord knows you tried. It is because for them to admit they needed help would expose the lie that lets them sleep at night.
   
7. Guilt is their weapon. The lengths you were willing to go to to fix yourself were not necessary. They were broken and you were WELL. There is no sane way of looking at it apart from that truth. You were always well. Anything that was wrong with you (and much that was right) was purged as you looked inside for solutions.
   
8. There will be no closure. Trying to explain why you are leaving or justifying their need to leave you is a dead end road. It will never work. You will continue to use pieces of yourself to build the shelter they hide behind. They may have a melt down, a psychotic break or come unglued. As in all things, it is all about them. You were just the one cast in the roll they needed someone to play.
   
9. They are hiding from reality and you are their shield. For you to leave, does not mean you are torturing them. They have always tortured you by their nature. You are no longer protecting them from reality. That was never your job. Reality cannot be stopped no matter how hard you block it. It will break through your barrier and still find them. The only difference is, you will not have to be broken along with them.
   
10. You are you. You will return to you in the end. I hope you don't return to you only at the end. You deserve to be alive, appreciated, loved and cared about. You have strength and value. No matter what this life and your particular narc have convinced you, you deserve to experience every moment that is given to you. Each of those moments are unique to you. No other living soul has the right to define your reality.
    

Go through what YOU have to in order to grow. Let no other be considered worthy of testing you. Thank You for being YOU...in case you have not heard that before. You have lost nothing. You simply laid it down to carry another's weight for too long. Pick up what you left behind and find a new path.
Best wishes from a fellow traveller.

Contact me to get Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator by chatting me on +44 759 388 2116 on Telegram/Whatsapp.
I have Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator.
Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator course is one of the best products on how to start a marketing agency.
Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator includes over 50 hours of step-by-step training covering EVERY aspect of building an agency from scratch. This is almost a plug & play system with enough success stories to back it up! Signing clients, running Facebook ads, building out your team, on-boarding clients, invoicing, sales... this course has everything covered for you.
The topics inside Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator course include:

1. Agency Navigator course Core Curriculum
   
2. Custom E-Learning Platform For Agency Owners
   
3. Financial Planner, Revenue Calculator, Outreach Tracker & More Tools
   
4. Websites Templates, Funnels, Ads & More
   
5. Template Contracts, Sales Scripts, Agreements & More
   

The lessons in Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator will teach you how to:
- Starting Your Agency
- Finding Leads
- Signing Clients
- Getting Paid
- Onboarding Clients
- Managing Client Communication...
...and much, much more!
To get Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator contact me on:
Whatsapp/Telegram: +44 759 388 2116
Reddit DM to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore[@]yandex.com (remove the brackets)

Contact me to get Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator by chatting me on +44 759 388 2116 on Telegram/Whatsapp.
I have Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator.
Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator course is one of the best products on how to start a marketing agency.
Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator includes over 50 hours of step-by-step training covering EVERY aspect of building an agency from scratch. This is almost a plug & play system with enough success stories to back it up! Signing clients, running Facebook ads, building out your team, on-boarding clients, invoicing, sales... this course has everything covered for you.
The topics inside Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator course include:

1. Agency Navigator course Core Curriculum
   
2. Custom E-Learning Platform For Agency Owners
   
3. Financial Planner, Revenue Calculator, Outreach Tracker & More Tools
   
4. Websites Templates, Funnels, Ads & More
   
5. Template Contracts, Sales Scripts, Agreements & More
   

The lessons in Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator will teach you how to:
- Starting Your Agency
- Finding Leads
- Signing Clients
- Getting Paid
- Onboarding Clients
- Managing Client Communication...
...and much, much more!
To get Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator contact me on:
Whatsapp/Telegram: +44 759 388 2116
Reddit DM to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore[@]yandex.com (remove the brackets)

We are almost done with our kitchen + bath remodel. Everything was ripped off down to the studs. We removed walls that had HVAC vents in them, so HVAC folks had to open new branches off the trunk and sealed old ones.
The builder cleaned and replaced the filter periodically. We also cleaned the registers a bit (just with a vacuum and wipes). Wondering if professional duct cleaning is also necessary. The builder does not know how much dust could be deep in the vents. We do not have any access into the main trunk lines to see.
Cleaning the entire system is not cheap. We also read sometimes duct cleaning if not properly done could damage the ducts. In our case HVAC folks had to install flexible vents in some returns to make difficult turns. HVAC work was challenging during the remodel.

Hey all. This is the first chapter of a book I've been working on. I'm a little nervous to be posting it, but I figured it was high time I opened myself to public feedback. That's how you improve, right?
This is the second draft thus far. I made some significant changes after receiving detailed critiques in a writing group (can you call it a writing group if it's only two people?). Massive shoutout to AFriendlyTank, without whom this chapter would be far less polished. Tank, if you still frequent this subreddit and happen to see this post, then hi!
To anyone who takes the time to read this, thank you. Any and all comments and criticisms are much appreciated.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11Ia9nqBY47v3m0a7lRR4ZxTgHNvH-446/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104776575206867368041&rtpof=true&sd=true

My dad, and mom if I'm being honest, were hoarders. My dad recently passed and mom moved into a small apartment. I am living in their old mobile home now and guys, it's awful. Between me and the person I'm paying 50 dollars a week to we have taken out 77 33-gallon bags of trash and junk. I am grateful to have this place, but every time I look at everything that needs to be fixed I break down and cry. I don't have a lot of money, the 50 a week I was paying to get the stuff out was all of my extra income. I do work, but due to having heater failure it's not as much as I would like. I just need advice on how to do a few things cheaply. 1) Repair holes in the walls 2) fix 3 floors that are falling through (both bathrooms and the laundry room) 3) cheap and easy to clean flooring for those rooms. 4) Cheap way to replace animal feeces covered carpet. I was able to buy paint for the smoke covered walls, and I feel like this is such a huge blessing, but I'm overwhelmed and alone in this. When I spoke to my mom about how bad it is she kinda blew me off. Any and all advice is appreciated. I can post pictures of that helps. I'm new to posting here so please go easy on me

Contact me to get Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator by chatting me on +44 759 388 2116 on Telegram/Whatsapp.
I have Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator.
Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator course is one of the best products on how to start a marketing agency.
Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator includes over 50 hours of step-by-step training covering EVERY aspect of building an agency from scratch. This is almost a plug & play system with enough success stories to back it up! Signing clients, running Facebook ads, building out your team, on-boarding clients, invoicing, sales... this course has everything covered for you.
The topics inside Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator course include:

1. Agency Navigator course Core Curriculum
   
2. Custom E-Learning Platform For Agency Owners
   
3. Financial Planner, Revenue Calculator, Outreach Tracker & More Tools
   
4. Websites Templates, Funnels, Ads & More
   
5. Template Contracts, Sales Scripts, Agreements & More
   

The lessons in Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator will teach you how to:
- Starting Your Agency
- Finding Leads
- Signing Clients
- Getting Paid
- Onboarding Clients
- Managing Client Communication...
...and much, much more!
To get Iman Gadzhi - Agency Navigator contact me on:
Whatsapp/Telegram: +44 759 388 2116
Reddit DM to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore[@]yandex.com (remove the brackets)