For those who haven't read the first phase, here's a link. I want to thank the people who upvoted and the ones who commented, I thought this sub would be tired of cinematic universe re-writes by now but I'm glad to see that my take on it is fresh and appreciated! Now, let's move into phase two of this universe.
Schedule

• Captain America: Out of Time
• The Wolverine: Brothers in Arms
• Excalibur
• Iron Man
• The Brotherhood of Mutants
• The Uncanny X-Men (Cyclops' team)
• Daredevil
• X-Corporation
• The New Mutants (Xavier's team)
• The Groundbreaking Giant-Man
• Fantastic Four: Rising Storm
• The Avengers: Age of Ultron

This phase keeps the mutants separated in their factions so that the phase three final event can feel larger in scale and more earned, and rather focuses on building up the Avengers.

Captain America: Out of Time

This movie is about the Winter Soldier story arc. We've already seen the mystery aspect of the whole Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier thing and Bucky wasn't introduced in the first film properly so I would avoid the mystery, rather skip straight to expositing to Steve that Bucky is back and deal with the emotional ramifications. Crossbones and Aleksander Lukin play the same roles they do in the comic arc, a side and the main antagonist respectively, Crossbones is a bit of a one-and-done. We will replace Union Jack's role in the original story with Ian Zola to continue their surrogate fatheson relationship, but Union Jack will be present at the end of the story in a post-credit scene joke.
This is a bit asshole-y of me but I want it to be out in the dirt-sheets that Captain Britain has been cast and may appear in the new Captain America film. We set that up and have someone like Taron Egerton on set for the film in 'leaked' pictures, and we finally have him show up after the credits, only for him to reveal himself to be Union Jack... and that's it. He probably won't show up in any other project again.

The Wolverine: Brothers in Arms

The movie starts with cameos from Cyclops and Iceman alongside Wolverine, showing Wolverine deciding not to stand by Scott's side and leave Scott's X-Men.
This is the start of the formation of X-Force, we have a couple of extra characters alongside Wolverine: namely Colossus and Deadpool. To be clear, this Deadpool is the same one from the Untitled Deadpool sequel, so he can continue to make meta jokes about the universe and try to bounce off of the new Colossus everytime he forgets its not the one he first interacted with in the first two Deadpool films. The main antagonist is a mysterious group moving behind the scenes to take down political enemies of mutantkind, who are using Nightcrawler and the newly introduced Spider-Woman to get things done, as well as Kitty Pryde, who audiences as of now still think left with Scott. This catches the attention of Moira, who is involved with the British intelligence at this point in time and passes word to a 'friend', later found out to be Psylocke.
The group is revealed to be Worthington Industries, as Warren Worthington III is behind it all (can't call him Angel because he isn't really powered anymore with his wings gone). He is eventually shut down but isn't killed.
Post-credits: Psylocke introduces the now unaffiliated Nightcrawler, Spider-Woman and Kitty Pryde to the idea of joining her team of mutant defenders and introduces them to their leader: Captain Britain. Excalibur, here we go!

Excalibur

Roster: Captain Britain, Psylocke, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, Spider-Woman
This film is basically Kingsman but less spy and even more British. Our main villain is Modred the Mystic, and I would have him and a couple of minor antagonists working for him all played by BBC legends. Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson, the works. This film is basically a love letter to old BBC comedies and thespian culture, maybe some more cameos from actors who were in the IT Crowd, Yes Minister, BlackAdder and the like. Get Matthew Vaughn he knows how to balance British humour with an action plot he's done it quite a bit and we've had him in the universe already. There's room for social commentary about the villains all having south English accents and being played by actors all associated with that posh background too.
We have a smaller role from Black Knight too, he plays a part in fighting Modred but he isn't an official member of the team, more of a wildcard.

Iron Man

This will be an adaptation of the Demon in a Bottle storyline. Unlike Iron Man 2 it will not be a side plot but rather the focus of the film, as we've already seen Tony fight physical threats similar in skillset to himself a lot.
Ideally I want to bring Sam Rockwell back as an older Justin Hammer putting together a set of smaller villains - Blizzard, The Melter and Whiplash. We have Henry Gyrich and Nick Fury in small roles, as well as the Wasp and Namor making cameos similar to their roles in the original Demon in a Bottle comic arc.
I want Tony's emotional turmoil to bleed over into his personal life too, so we have Bethany Cabe and Pepper Potts both in the film, Potts just as his personal assistant while Cabe is the one he is in an actual relationship with. But it's clear that Tony has some reservations about Bethany and may be falling for Pepper. Rhodey is in this film too to give him some platonic support to lean on but no mentions of War Machine. A couple extra footnotes, Jarvis is a physical butler like in the comics, not an AI, and Tony does not go public with his identity.
The film ends with, yes, Hammer in jail, and two out of the three side villains dead (Whiplash survives and is in custody), but the real victory comes when Tony gets over his alcoholism. I don't want to insist upon any specific story beats, but getting someone like Dexter Fletcher to direct would be perfect as his work on Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman shows a deep understanding of egoist, narcissistic but undoubtedly talented people falling into substance abuse. That is the real core of this film and it's okay if the physical antagonists fall to the way-side for it.

The Brotherhood of Mutants

Magneto starts a cult in Latveria based around mutants being the next step in humanity's evolution. Members of the cult are Rogue, Mystique, Toad, Pyro and his twin children Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. I would get someone like Greta Gerwig in on this who can create scripts that study characters inside and out as this movie should focus a lot more on the complexity of all the morally grey characters than any actual fights between the characters.
This obviously raises the eyebrow of Victor von Doom (who was already introduced in F4 if you recall), and the two ideologies clash. While Doom is not the outright villain in this film as both sides have problems, it's more a mix of grey. Magneto does 'lose' as Doom kills Pyro and warns Magneto to leave Latveria which Erik complies with. The film ends with Colossus hearing about the 'brotherhood', misinterpreting it as a school like Xavier's, and introducing Erik to his sister: Magik.

Uncanny X-Men

Established Roster: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Kitty Pryde
New Members: Armor, Gambit, Blink, Sunspot, Havok
This film basically begins with Kitty leaving the team which explains her involvement in the The Wolverine: Brothers in Arms. Cyclops very clearly has issues with Xavier and its explored how Scott feels Xavier failed the team by being too soft. The team have their internal conflicts about if this is the right thing to do, with Bobby and Jean pulling one way while Scott pulls the other. The villains are Sebastian Shaw and his latest recruit to the Hellfire Club: Abyss (Alexander Koch).
Abyss is killed by Shaw so he can absorb his power in the final battle, and Shaw fights Jean and Armor, seemingly having the upper hand after absorbing Abyss' energy but he is killed by a stray laser beam from Cyclops. The team is distraught that Scott would just kill a mutant in cold blood like that, causing a major rift. The team essentially is over, with only Jean remaining at his side. Havok decides this is not his fight to fight, while Sunspot, Armor and Iceman begin to agree more with Xavier and decide to leave for the Xavier School, and Gambit goes back to being essentially a free agent.

Daredevil

Get Drew Goddard and the Netflix series cast on this ideally, match that tone of elevated street-level work. This is essentially the Guardian Devil storyline from the comics, including the Mephisto, Wong and Black Widow stuff.
I don't really have a lot to say, keep Spider-Man as a major player even if the actor's cost is a bit steep as he will really bring eyes to this, as well as the debuts of Black Widow and Mephisto. Let 'em at it, but keep Gwyneth and Karen Page as separate characters, I know it could be tempting to roll them into one to keep the number of players in the storyline low and maybe avoid the PR trouble that comes with a teenage pregnancy in your cinematic universe.
Mysterio is revealed to be the guy behind everything in the final act, setting Bullseye and the Twin Killers on Matt and Peter and having made a deal with the devil. He is defeated, but not killed.

X-Corporation

Our next conceptual experimentation comes with the X-Corporation. My ideal team for this would be the same team that made Deadpool to allow for some dark and meta humour.
This is unlike the X-Corporation from the comics, rather it's the polar opposite. It's not an official company under the wing of Genosha or Krakoa or anything like that, but rather a rag-tag group of, essentially, nobodies. Worthington Industries continues its illicit activities, and two people notice it: Davis and Heather Cameron (Slipstream and Lifeguard, respectively). They decide to put together a team of their own, inspired by the X-Men. The team consists of themselves as well as Risque, Penance (Monet St Croix), Darkstar, Multiple Man, Domino, Cannonball, Sunfire and Thornn. The meta commentary and rag-tag style of team makes this movie sorta feel like a hybrid of James Gunn's Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy, but with mutants.
It's quite the large team, and that's the fun part because unbeknownst to them or the audience, a lot of them will be dead by the end of the movie. While not present in the marketing in any way, the movie makes it clear that not all of the team will survive this mission, almost in the way movies like the first Avengers did, a way that makes it seem like just a way to raise the stakes without doing anything about it, but this movie delivers.
Warren is back, but reveals that with the help of a new ally he has regained his ability to fly. Magneto, playing a much more villainous role now, has given Warren new metal wings, completing his transition to Archangel. These two along with a new player form our trio of villains: Mister Sinister. He is also working with Angel, but it is made clear in this movie that both Sinister and Archangel have a larger power they are working for.
The final battle is Mister Sinister against the X-Corporation, but Sinister decides to play his ace in the hole: a set of five clones to form "Sinister's Six" (including himself). The clones are of Wolverine, Mystique, Storm, Beast and Nightcrawler. The team's goal, previously taking down the Worthingtons, changes as they realise they are massively out of their depth. Their goal is now simply to get out of there alive. In the end, the clones are all killed and Sinister decides to live to fight another day but the team takes heavy losses. Risque, Penance, Darkstar, Sunfire, Thornn and most importantly: our protagonist, Slipstream, all perish. That leaves us with Lifeguard, Multiple Man, Domino and Cannonball alive.

The New Mutants

It's been long enough, get me the Russos on this one. They are oh so good at taking ensemble films, deconstructing them into their most raw character conflicts and raising those conflicts. I want that to happen here.
Established Roster: Professor X, Emma Frost, Storm, Beast
New Members: Thunderbird, Bishop, Jubilee
Magneto and Archangel decide to go after a common enemy: Xavier and his team. Xavier's school has produced some new talent who are being slowly integrated into the team, namely the three new recruits. Magneto and Archangel bring along Sabretooth too, who Xavier eventually realises is Logan's half-brother and convinces to join his side by the end of the film. Xavier is still our protagonist, as Magneto's ideals directly conflict with Xavier's ideals much like Scott, and Xavier feels massive guilt for his part in Archangel's crippling. We can have Xavier try his best to reconcile with Warren, drawing parallels to his own crippling (no details given, I want to hold that back but we do get some vague things like that it was a bullet that Xavier could very easily have avoided and that wasn't intended for him).
It seems like Xavier is getting through to Warren but just as that seems likely, Magneto realises why Xavier has never tried using his powers on Erik, or rather that he has but has failed due to Erik's helmet. He very quickly fashions a way for Warren to shut Xavier out, completing the Archangel look with a new exosuit and helmet. The final battle doesn't result in any deaths but the X-Men take a few hits before being put down, Storm eventually being the X-Factor when she electrocutes Warren's wings, shorting them and causing Magneto to flee with him.

The Groundbreaking Giant-Man

This is the Ant-Man sequel, as you may have realised by now I'm doing a weird thing with the titles where I change the alias and the descriptor for each film in the series. This is another Edgar Wright film, and while there will be comedy it will be slightly dialed back for more serious emotional weight. Not saying that funny films can't be films that make the audience feel, but some tonal consistency would be nice and a comedy having the kind of themes I want this film to explore would be a bit dissonant.
This film is about Hank realising he won't be around forever, and looking to pass the mantle on. This creates two options: Scott Lang, or an AI.
Scott and Jessica Jones are in a rocky relationship, we explore this as one of the central dynamics of the film, this is as much as Scott Lang film as it is a Henry Pym film. The main villain is Kilgrave who is manipulating Jessica but eventually Hank and Janet put an end to his schemes, Janet finally becoming the Wasp properly after a brief test run of the suit in Iron Man.
In the end, Scott's fractured emotional state after his tumultuous relationship with Jessica leaves him an unsuitable candidate for Hank, and he decides to create an AI to protect the Earth.

Fantastic Four: Rising Storm

I don't have a particular plot in mind for this film but I have an idea, basically just the coming of Galactus plot but with less of Galactus, rather more of Silver Surfer as a precursor to his arrival. Make it known that the Baxter Foundation is looked at with more and more raised eyebrows as they seem to be misplacing some important and dangerous things often, as proven by the existence of the Fantastic Four as well as the accidents involving Mole Man and Spider-Man.
The main things I want this film to accomplish is setup Galactus as a top threat for the future and strengthen the bonds between the F4 and their peers. Really make them feel united together, Alicia too is with Ben and the two are happy together. The Silver Surfer retreats, he is defeated (no switching of sides just yet).
Post-credits: Hank Pym, with the help of Reed, completes his AI: Ultron, the final pieces being some alien remnant tech that the Silver Surfer left behind. Ultron immediately awakens, becomes self-aware, and kills Hank before escaping the Baxter building, gaining access to non-nuclear missiles and decimating New York City using it. The extent of the damage is unknown in this scene.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

This film could even be a two-parter, but I think one 3 hour film should do the trick.
New York is decimated. In the wreckage, Wasp, Mister Fantastic, The Thing, Human Torch, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Spider-Woman and Scarlet Witch are confirmed dead. We have an actual 'age' of Ultron as Ultron basically takes over the world, creates Vision and inhabits his body, while the rest of the world tries to survive. As you have realised by now, the only surviving member of the Fantastic Four is Sue Storm, and while its unclear which mutants died, Emma Frost and Wolverine who are two of the most prominent characters in this film, both imply that they lost many friends. We explore these characters' grief while in this dystopia. As must be clear by now, Ultron has no real personality. He is what Ultron should be: ruthlessly efficient, and unfeeling. The Terminator, given the goal to terminate the world.
We have a new character in Hawkeye and Spider-Man introduce us to the post-apocalyptic world, and then slowly the plot is discovered: that technology that Silver Surfer left behind is capable of travelling across timelines. Before their final gamble, we spend the majority of the film in this dystopia with all the heroes, exploring their lives in the post-Ultron world trying to survive and hide. Heroes from elsewhere like Storm, Black Panther, Namor and others come to New York too so that all the power is in one place to devise a plan against Ultron.
Our primary protagonists after the first few minutes with Hawkeye and Spider-Man are Wolverine, Invisible Woman, and Emma Frost. Wolverine and Invisible Woman have their screen-time and grieve their massive losses, but another important player must be Emma. Her arc of going from cunning and sly Hellfire Club member to standing with Xavier and choosing the right side of history is made very clear in this film.
We have our heroes send Wolverine and Invisible Woman to an alternate timeline, where they meet The Defenders which consists of Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, Wasp, Professor X and another Wolverine. The two parties fight, thinking our heroes have been sent by Morgan Le Fay, before the Defenders realise that our heroes aren't lying about their timeline and agree to help them, using the Silver Surfer's technology to reconstruct another device to send them back to their timeline to before Hank and Reed create Ultron.
Our big 'final' confrontation is Logan and Sue trying to confront Hank about creating Ultron, trying to convince him not to do it. Hank refuses to listen, and eventually Logan is forced to kill him, causing him and Sue to become fugitives. Upon capture, Emma Frost reads their mind and realises they aren't lying. However, unbeknownst to all of them, Ultron knew about the technology (because of course he did) and followed the heroes into this point in the timeline. As Ultron does not exist in this timeline yet and isn't connected to the rest of the world in his semi-organic android Vision body, he is not more than his android body, resulting in our final fight being Ultron against everyone, a proper one versus all as Ultron's practically infinite computing power causes him to sense pretty much every attack that comes at him.
Everyone who died is back (minus Hank of course), but the final fight extracts a price too, as Black Panther dies when he gets in the way of a Vision beam headed straight for Namor. Emma Frost dies when she tries to infiltrate the mind of the android but encounters Vision's countermeasures, which instantly attack her and render her brain-dead. Emma dies trying to do the right thing, ending her arc over the course of the last two phases in tragic fashion. Ultron is eventually defeated when Doctor Strange uses magic to trap him in an infinitesimally small micro-universe after being worn down by everyone else.
And that's how this phase ends. The world is saved but it is quite the downer. Nick Fury however, sees potential in putting the non-associated heroes together, and decides to contact Tony Stark about starting the Avengers. Our movie ends with the very first Avengers team being put together.
Post-credits scene: The Baxter Foundation is officially disbanded, and Reed Richards replaces it with the Future Foundation.
So, to recap the end of the phase, here is how our factions look:-

• Avengers: Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Doctor Strange, Wasp, Scarlet Witch
• X-Men (Scott's team): Cyclops, Jean Grey, Blink
• X-Men (Xavier's team): Professor X, Beast, Thunderbird, Storm, Bishop, Jubilee, Sabretooth, Sunspot, Armor, Iceman
• X-Corporation: Lifeguard, Multiple Man, Domino, Cannonball
• Future Foundation: Mister Fantastic, The Thing, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Wolverine
• Unnamed villain faction: Archangel, Magneto, Mister Sinister

The next phase will close out the first arc of this universe by eventually bringing the X-Men together for the final event, while also giving some hints to phases to come with some cosmic stuff and the introduction of the Inhumans.

My wife (28F) gave birth to a wonderful baby boy last month and I'm (34M) taking 6 months of parental leave. The birth was natural but needed a vacuum and incisions to get him out. Wife also had extensive bleeding so she needed a balloon inside to hold the blood clots at bay but all in all, we were cleared to go home after 2 days.
For the first 4 weeks, my wife just focused on recovering while I took care of the little one and housework. After that, she started to learn how to prep bottles, change diapers, etc. and I was finally able to get more than 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Week 6 came and my wife had her checkup with the gynaecologist. Everything is healing up properly and stitches should be fully dissolved in a few more weeks.
It's now week 7 and our house is a mess inside and out. My wife was a little upset and says that I don't appreciate what she does. I thought it might be a good idea to have a conversation on how we can assign tasks to each other so we can know who's responsible for what. So I stole some ideas off of google and made a rough draft of tasks:
cooking, light cleaning, deep cleaning, lawn care/shovel snow, laundry, trash/recycling, grocery shopping/medication refills, dishes, medical/dental/eye/hair appointments, pet responsibilities: feeding, walking, grooming, health appointments, etc., automotive maintenance, home repairs, sorting mail, financials, taxes, childcare, vacation/birthday/holiday planning
 
I told her to just initial what she does and I'll do the same. Our results were that we both take care of little one (alternating 12 hour shifts) and food (she prefers ready made stuff while I prefer home cooking). She exclusively does the dishes and folds laundry while everything else I do. She became upset and defensive because she says she does dishes every day while I only do my things once in a while. I argued that not worrying about appointments/finances/car+house maintenance schedule gives her a peace of mind and reduced mental load. Plus a dog gotta eat and walk everyday.
This leads to her crying and saying she doesn't get appreciated for things which annoyed me because that was the point of the list. I end it by saying "just forget it, I'll figure it out". I've already been doing most of the tasks even before the baby and it was doable. Just now trying to cut the grass with baby is gonna kill his eardrums and going grocery shopping with him is so anxiety inducing.
Last thing I should add is that she doesn't drive or work so things like grocery shopping and finances automatically fall on me and my wife says "yard work and car maintenance is man's work" which I don't mind. If she could take care of the little one full time and dishes, I'd be ok with that but just handling a baby alone seems like a hard sell. I'm really worried about how everything will go after parental leave is up. So AITA?

I bought early birds for BR this weekend, and this is my first festival (or semi-festival). I can't find any webpage with the "rules". I already got a fanny bag in hopes of keeping the phone thieves at bay, but can I bring my own refillable water bottle? vape? MJ? Anything else I should know beyond bringing a good hat and shades?

Anyone here know if you need proof of purchase or need to be the original owner of an LV bottle to get a refill at an LV Boutique?
Was considering buying second hand for slightly cheaper, but not if I can’t get a refill.

Hi everyone, I use a small Walmart brand spray bottle filled with water to refresh my waves in the morning. It seems like every year I have to buy a new one because the spring locks up. I'm looking for a different spray bottle that doesn't do that. I wonder if one of those continuous spray bottles is better. I'm in the US if that helps. Thanks!

Just returned from a trip to Cozumel wherein me and a buddy did our open water certification (Friday 2 shore dives for skills, Saturday 2 boat dives). We took Sunday off to check out the island. Monday & Tuesday we did 2 tank boat dives. Tuesday night I started to feel a bit achy in my joints and pretty run down. Waking up Wednesday morning feeling even worse, I started to get nervous because we had a flight that day and I knew these may be signs of mild DCS, went to the hospital, did 5 hours in the chamber, stayed over night, 3 more hours the next day.
I really enjoyed the scuba and am 100% planning on doing more, my only concern is that my buddy didn't get DCS, and so I don't really have a clear idea of what I may have done wrong, and how to avoid it in the future. As DCS can be pretty scary, I thought I would share what info I have, and see if some feedback here could give me any clarity.
First, our dive profiles. I am just going from what our dive master told us, as I didn't log them, or have my own computer. I realize not logging them was probably not a great practice, and I think I want to get my own computer so I can have a more accurate picture of the dive profile, then just asking the dive master. Anyway, on Monday our first dive deepest depth was 82 feet (again, no idea if we were at this depth the entire time) and we only made it about 36 minutes as I recall. 2nd dive was shallow (maybe 30 feet) I think we did ~55 minutes. Tuesday another 82 feet ~47 minutes, followed by 55 feet around ~56 minutes. Again, I do not have exact numbers but both days we had 45-60 minute break between dives. Did a 3 minute stop at 20 feet on all dives.
A few things of note about the dives on Tuesday. My buddy and me asked our divemaster Monday what his tank was at after we surfaced and were immediately depress with his answer. As such, Tuesday we really wanted to focus on our breathing. One thing we were both doing (I have been told by several people that this is wrong now) was holding our breath between exhale/inhale. I knew about the risk of ascending and holding breath, but thought if I was maintaining depth that this was a simple way to extend the life of my tank. I need to figure out how to consistently breathe, without hucking down air.
I wouldn't of mentioned/remembered this if it hadn't been a question the doctor asked me, but on the Tuesday dives there were some moments of much higher exertion than one would expect in a drift dive. These all revolved around our dive master spotting something he wanted us to look at, and having to swim against the current to get there, and then continuing effort to stay in place while I try to figure out what he is pointing at.
My current working theory is that dehydration may be the culprit. We were pretty conscious of being hydrated, as we had been told so many times, and we were sweating as much as you might expect two people from NYC to do while in Cozumel. We had an electrolyte drink every morning, and brought one on the boat to have in between dives. However, this day, I think they had forgotten to fill the water cooler on the boat. The previous days I had refilled my electrolyte bottle several times with that water cooler before, between, & after dives.
So far, there are not many discrepancies between me and my friend. Now comes the tequila. My friend doesn't drink. After our dives Monday, we walked around some, and I had a couple drinks. While having said drinks, a tequila monger stopped by and wanted me to sample (then buy) their tequilas. By the time this sampling wrapped up, I had probably done ~4 shots of tequila. Later, with dinner I believe I had 3 more drinks. Being somewhat concerned about this, when I got home that night I did make myself chug a lot of water, but maybe the damage was done?
Anyway, that's my story. Would love to hear some thoughts/feedback from experienced folks that might give me some peace of mind going forward.
edit: Again, I want to get a dive computer so I have more info in the future, but for that 82 foot/46 minute dive. I wanted to clarify, this was a wall dive, which we dropped down from the boat into some sand, then swam over to drop off the wall, also finished swimming back up to the sand, and drifting a bit more. So, this isn't all 46 minutes at 82 feet.
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Once a week, my job has a shift where all of the bartenders are scheduled to come in and drive to the liquor store in the company van and pick up the liquor and then bring it back to the bar and put it away. This shift also consists of doing other things like dropping off propane tanks to be refilled for the outdoor firepits and then bringing it back to the bar. It normally takes us about 2-4 hours to finish all of this. It’s such a pain and I was wondering if any other bars do this?

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is venturing into autobiographical territory for his big-screen feature debut. About My Father, a comedy based on Maniscalco's own relationship with his father and extended family, is set to hit theaters next year.

Download ➤ ► 🔴🧿⭕👉Watch 'About My Father'OnLine Free

Maniscalco's stand-up is based around his family life and upbringing, often revolving around his life with Italian immigrant parents. Beginning his career in the early 2000s performing at open mic nights, he has released five stand-up comedy specials as of 2022, with the two most recent exclusively released on Netflix. While he has appeared in supporting roles in films like Tag, Green Book, and The Irishman, About My Father will mark Maniscalco's first leading role in a major production. Maniscalco is co-writing the screenplay with Austen Earl, and Laura Terruso is on board to direct. Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, Andrew Miano, and Judi Marmel will produce for Lionsgate and Depth of Field. Lionsgate will also handle distribution.
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So where can you watch "About My Father"? Is it on Netflix? What about HBO Max? Here's your guide to everything you need to know about how to watch Robert De Niro's anticipated comedy adaptation for "About My Father" where to watch it.
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When does the About My Father come out?
About My Father’s official release date is Friday, May 26, 2023. There are 15 other movies coming out on the same date, including The Machine, Kandahar and The Little Mermaid.
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Where To Watch About My Father:
As of now, the only way to watch About My Father is to head out to a movie theater when it releases on Friday, May 26. You can find local shows on Fandango, IMAX, Regal, AMC Theatres, Cinemark, Cineplex, Landmark Theatres, Alamo Drafthouse and Harkins Theatres.
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Watch Now: About My Father Online Free
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Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for it to become available to rent or purchase on digital platforms like Amazon, Vudu, YouTube and Apple, or become available to stream on Starz.
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However, it will be available to stream on the Peacock platform soon. Disney+ typically follows a 90-day period before its theatrical releases come to the streaming platform. That means we may see the live-comedy version of "About My Father" come to Peacock as early as August 2023.
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When Will About My Father Be On Streaming?
While a digital release date for About My Father has not yet been announced, we can make an educated guess based on a previously released Lionsgate movie.
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Plane, which premiered on May 26, came to digital platforms in July. 10 — about three weeks after it was released in theaters. If About My Father follows the same trajectory, we could be watching it from the comfort of our living rooms by late July or early August 2023.
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Will About My Father Be On Peacock?
Lionsgate struck a massive distribution deal with Peacock that gives the streaming service exclusive rights to its films’ “Pay 2” streaming window (via THR). The agreement means that after Lionsgate’s films have their initial streaming releases on Starz, the movies, like About My Father, will later be available to stream on Peacock. Since Lionsgate hasn’t even confirmed the official streaming release date for the John Wick sequel on Starz, don’t expect to see the movie land on Peacock until at least winter 2024 after the deal officially kicks in.
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Pay 1 windows typically last between a year to 18 months, meaning that if About My Father begins streaming on Starz in September 2023, it isn’t likely to join Peacock's movie library until September 2024 at the earliest. Peacock and Lionsgate's deal confirmed that releases like About My Father would start streaming on the service in 2024, so the latest movie will most likely be on Peacock in fall 2024. By this time, About My Father will be available alongside the entire John Wick franchise for streaming on the platform.
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Is About My Father On Netflix?
No, About My Father will not be available on Netflix — at least not anytime soon, since it will be heading straight to Disney+ after its theatrical release. In the meantime, you'll just have to wait for it to become available on the Disney+ streaming platform
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Is About My Father 2023 streaming on HBO Max?
No, About My Father will not be available on HBO Max. it’s not a Warner Bros, About My Father is distributed by Walt Disney Studios, so therefore, it will stream to Disney+. The streaming date is unknown at this time, and due to its box office potential for the summer, do not expect About My Father to arrive on Disney+ anytime soon. Our best guess is a Disney+ premiere date in September 2023, but check back with us when it’s official.
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Is About My Father Streaming On Hulu?
Viewers are saying that they want to view the new action movie The About My Father on Hulu. Unfortunately, this is not possible since Hulu currently does not offer any of the free episodes of this series .
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Is About My Father on Amazon Prime?
We hate to tell you that ‘About My Father’ is not included in Amazon Prime’s library. But you can still make the most of your subscription by turning to other alternatives that the streaming giant houses, such as ‘Prisoner X‘ and ‘The Prison.’
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How to Watch About My Father Online For Free?
Most Viewed, Most Favorite, Top Rating, Top IMDb movies online. Here we can download and watch 123movies movies offline. 123Movies website is the best alternative to About My Father (2023) free online. We will recommend 123Movies is the best Solarmovie alternatives.
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There are a few ways to watch About My Father online in the U.S. You can use a streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. You can also rent or buy the movie on iTunes or Google Play. You can also watch it on-demand or on a streaming app available on your TV or streaming device if you have cable.
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When Will About My Father be on DVD and Blu-ray?
Summer and early Fall is also the likely date for a release of About My Father for Blu-Ray and DVD, though no specific date or timeline has been given at this time. As for a VOD release, the film will likely be available to buy digitally a few weeks before the inevitable streaming release for $20 USD.
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About My Father cast
Leading the cast is stand-up comedian turned actor Sebastian Maniscalco. This is gearing up to be a big year for Maniscalco as he also stars in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Spinning Gold. He’s previously had roles in Green Book, Somewhere in Queens and The Irishman.
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Maniscalco stars in About My Father alongside his Irishman costar Robert De Niro. De Niro is a two-time Oscar winner who has been seen in classic films such as The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Casino and Taxi Driver. In terms of his comedic efforts, he’s been featured in the Meet the Parents franchise, The Intern, Dirty Grandpa and more.
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Joining the Maniscalco and De Niro are:
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Leslie Bibb (Jupiter's Legacy)
Anders Holm (Inventing Anna)
David Rasche (Succession)
Brett Dier (Jane the Virgin)
Kim Cattrall (How I Met Your Father)
'About My Father' Is a Love Story Between Father and Son
About My Father is both exactly what you'd expect it to be and also one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. It's in the vein of the studio comedies of the early aughts like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Meet the Parents while also having a bit of Wedding Crashers thrown in there as well. It would have been extremely easy to have its sense of humor built completely around one-note stereotypes but director Laura Terruso, as well as co-writers Maniscalco and Austen Earl, don't go that route. There is something so sweet and honest about the film as it's a romantic comedy where the love story is about the bond between father and son. Ellie's wealthy family aren't portrayed as villains nor is Salvo portrayed as some antagonist father. Instead, the film establishes very early on that these two families are from different worlds. The film opens with Maniscalco narrating a montage about what it means to be Silician as well as reminiscing about his childhood, so by the time we meet Ellie's family, Terruso doesn't antagonize them, but instead shows them as otherworldly. For example, when we first meet Lucky he's stepping out of the family's helicopter wearing a flight suit that makes him look like he just walked off the set of Top Gun: Maverick.
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De Niro's track record in comedy has had some mighty heights, the aforementioned Meet the Parents, Analyze This, and Silver Linings Playbook, as well as some dismal lows such as Dirty Grandpa and The Big Wedding. Fortunately, de Niro is in fine form playing Salvo, who is directly based on Maniscalco's real-life father. In a role that feels almost the polar opposite of Jack Byrnes, de Niro gleefully throws out witty one-liners about being an immigrant, building Nintendos out of wood, and Che Guevera. He's clearly having a wonderful time on set, and he truly does feel so natural as this character (it probably helps that he met up with the real-life Salvo before and during filming). He plays Salvo like he's that relative that you only see at family reunions who lives in his own world, talking to you for hours as you sit next to him while downing your fourth bottle of beer, not annoyed, but having the time of your life. Paired with Maniscalco's everyman, the two leading men have excellent chemistry, bouncing off of each other extremely well. Leslie Bibb, Kim Cattrall, David Rasche, and Anders Holm all get their time to shine as well, but the supporting cast's biggest scene-stealer is Brett Dier as Doug who garners some of the film's biggest laughs every time he appears on screen.

Hey all, we're going to Xcaret next week and it's our first time ever. So far, the things we plan to do is see the aquarium, aviary, underground river, and the end-of-day show. Are there any other must-see or must-do things that you recommend we try out?! TIA!!
Edit: Are the water refill stations around the park safe? I've read recommendations from multiple sources to bring a refillable water bottle to refill water at these stations but I wasn't sure how safe they were.

So this is my first music festival ever (I've gone 31 years of life wanting to go to one and FINALLY have the expendable money to do so and I want my first experience to be as fun/prepared as I can.) and I would like to know if anyone who has gone to this one or other festivals have any "Must Bring" items for a festival goer who plans on camping out the entire festival?
I've already made a list of necessary camping items that will be needed, but I find there's always things that someone forgets is important or things you wouldn't have even thought to bring if you haven't experienced the specific event before.
The items on my list are as follows:
Tent Cot/Sleeping Bag + Blankets & Pillow Lantern Cooler + Water Portable charging dock Toiletries + Towels + Shower Shoes Cleaning Supplies (Baby Wipes, Hand Sani, Skin Safe Cleaner) + Trash bags Personal Medication (Tylenol, + prescription medication) Sunscreen + Sun blocking hat Travel Chair 6-7 days worth of change of clothing. Extra pairs of underclothes + comfortable sleep wear for hot weather or cold weather if it rains or drops in temp at night.
I have other items that I would qualify as technically unnecessary like disposable cameras, a small speaker, small items for entertainment like a book or drawing items if we decide to hang out and relax instead of seeing whatever lineup happens to be there that we aren't interested in seeing, those kind of things.
My friend and I have already figured out our "Must See" bands that we are adamant on seeing and other bands be damned, so I just want to know if there's any items that you know for sure we should bring or things we should prepare for ahead of time that we aren't thinking of because of lack of experience.
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EDIT: Adding important items here that have been suggested so if anyone else looks here they can get the answers quickly.
Small PROPANE cook top 10x10 Tent for shade See Through bag/backpack for in festival Portable Fan Refillable Water Bottle Poncho for rain Shoes you can get dirty with no care Sun Umbrella Toilet Paper Tarps Ducktape Fold-able Table

My wife and I took a trip to Portugal early December of 2022, and we had a really solid time. The food experiences were amazing and getting to take in so much old-world architecture was awe-inspiring.
Focus: Our main focus was lazy tourism and fine dining between Porto and Lisbon. We ended the trip with a 9 hour layover in Toronto, which we used to visit friends and some of our favorite Toronto spots.
Weather: The week was mostly sunny with some rain interspersed, and average temperatures seeming to be mid-teens. Toronto at the time was cold and snow-covered.
Accomodations: We ended up doing hotels as they were rather cheap.
Some photos below, along with some detailed notes of the packing list. Photos may be missing some things due to last minute substitutions, tried to note that.
Bag of choice:

• Peak Design 30L Travel Bag - This thing felt like a black hole, and seemed to hold more than the size would indicate. This is heads above my old Bellroy Transit and I'm happy I made the switch.

Worn clothing:

• Ministry of Supply Atlas Sweater - Not pictured, pictured is a Heattech Ultrawarm sweater I didn't take. Merino blend, soft, warm. All I could ask for. I surprisingly didn't use it much more than just the flight there, but I'm happy I had it on me.
• Ministry of Supply Composite Merino tee - The cut fits me well, anti-wrinkle, and surprising resistance to smells even with only being 15% merino. I got a good 2-3 wears out of this.
• Saxx Quest 2.0 Boxer Briefs - GOAT for travel, these things wear well, hand wash well, and dry overnight.
• Smartwool full cushion crew socks - Merino socks! They were warm and wore well! Smartwool tends to be realtively affordable when on sale, and they've held up very well.
• Lululemon ABC pants skinny - Warpstreme fabric is lovely and in black looks like a pretty standard pair of pants. This is actually the only pants I wore the whole trip.
• Pontos The Pacific shoe - These have been awesome. Very comfortable to walk in, and they dress up or down really nicely. These did cobblestone, grass, rocks, sand, snow, rain, etc, and they looked great doing it. I found I needed to pull the insoles end of the day, but by morning they were dry and fresh again.
• Arcade Midnighter belt - Not pictured. Stretchy black belt!

Packed clothing:

• Seagale Action Merino Tee (2) - black tees, easy care, love the fit. They hand wash really well if necessary, but I got 3 wears out of these easily. Having this tee on for the 24+ hours of travel on the leg home was a godsend, great moisture management and incredibly soft.
• Ministry of Supply Composite Merino tee - Grey. The cut fits me well, anti-wrinkle, and surprising resistance to smells even with only being 15% merino. I got a good 2-3 wears out of this.
• Ministry of Supply Apollo Raglan Sleeve Sport Shirt - Basically a button down. This thing fits awesome and doesn’t wrinkle. Standard sleeves would be better but this dresses up well enough - I wore this out to 6 different restaurants in Portugal, and even gave it a whole day as a layer over a tee, and it was very comfortable and performant. No need to wash between wears with a tee under it.
• Ministry of Supply Pace Chinos - I didn't actually wear these, the ABCs were plenty enough for the trip.
• Lululemon T.H.E. Shorts 7” - We didn’t have access to any pools or spas while there, so these were dead weight. Considering they weigh almost nothing though, not a big loss.
  
• Saxx Quest 2.0 Boxer Briefs (3) - 1 black, 2 grey. I’ve had these for a while and they’re probably still my favorite style from Saxx. They hand wash and dry well, and they’re comfortable. All I can ask for. I washed each pair once over the trip, and they dried overnight.
  
• Uniqlo Airism Boxers (2) - Sleep shorts. Hand washed once each, and they dried overnight.
  
• Smartwool Full Cushion Crew Socks (2) - Merino socks! What’s more to say. Smartwool is affordable while on sale and has some great durability. I’ve been happy with my pairs so far. I washed each pair once over the trip, and they really just needed a one day dry. I think the number of socks packed was pretty ideal.
  
• Smartwool No Show Socks - I didn’t need or use these, but having the emergency socks was a nice include. They’re small and didn’t really add any weight.
  

Outer Layers:

• Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket - Wind proof, water resistant, very insulating. Packs down rather small. I’ve moved to synthetic insulation as it keeps warm when wet unlike down jackets. This held up well to a bit of rain while we were there and kept me warm enough most days.
• Patagonia Torrentshell 3L - Water proof. Wind proof. A bit crinkly, and didn’t really get a lot of use in Portugal due to the lack of heavy rain. Also being waterproof it tends to keep heat in just as well as it keeps water out, so combined with the nano puff it offered pretty good insulation for Toronto.
• Smartwool Glove Liners - Just some basic gloves. They work with touch screens, that’s cool I guess! Solid for Toronto.
• Merino Buff - Part neck gaiter, part sleep mask for the flight. It was awesome to have. On tour buses with an open roof it was very nice to have a bit of insulation I could throw into a sling.

Electronics:

• Tom Bihn Ghost Whale Small - This contains my charging and camera connectivity kit, and it’s a tight squeeze but everything fits.
• Mophie 6000mah universal PD battery - Not the smallest or lightest battery, but it supports lightning input, and also does passthrough charging, which makes it the centerpiece for my tiny charging empire.
• Apple SD card readers - These just work, and they work well. Both Lightning and USB-C. Once the iPhone goes to USB-C I can drop the Lightning one. Let’s me ingest RAW files onto any of my devices. I didn’t need the Lightning one, but it’s just a standard in the bag now, so along it came.
• Anker Powerport III Nano 30W - Super slim, 30w charging. It’s been a standard for me for a while.
• Anker Cables - 3ft USB-C to Lightning and 3ft USB-C to USB-C. Covers all my device charging needs.
• Fujifilm X100V - Killer camera, compact, fun to shoot with.
• Tom Bihn Utility Cloth - It’s a wool square! It’s moonlighting as a camera wrap here, but it can be anything! Neck gaiter? Check. Very small blanket? Check. Table cloth? You bet. The options are limitless for the wool square! This was actually an MVP - The tiny blanket feature came in handy on tour buses, and it worked great for wiping down wet seats on a boat tour.
• Keys - Featuring an Airtag, and the final member of the charging gang, an InchargeX. I’ve also got a Nite Ize Doohickey on there for bottles and boxes. The Doohickey is awesome as it passes through airport security without issues and does a good enough job of what it’s designed to do.
• Airpods Pro - Basically perfect headphones for short stints. Reasonable battery life, great noise cancelling, agreeable sound quality. Overall solid.
• Destination Specific adapters (2) - Two is one and one is none, or something like that.
• iPad Mini 6 - Used for editing photos, reading on the plane, larger view for maps, etc.
• iPhone 12 - Works well with everything else I own. I grabbed an eSIM from Airalo on MEO, giving me 30gb of data for 15 days.
• Sony WH-1000XM4 - Not pictured. These were great for the 6-8 hour transatlantic flights. A last minute pick but I’m glad they made it into the bag.

A quick note on my charging setup: The whole setup for charging with my InchargeX allows me to charge two devices overnight AND my battery off a single 30w slim wall adapter. This is about as close as I can get to a perfect tiny charging setup. The iPhone plus the battery is plenty enough to get me through even the heaviest of days, into a second day.
Toiletries:

• Exfoliating cloth - Nylon textured cloth that’s basically an unravelled loofah. So easy to get a lather and you feel a lot cleaner after a good exfoliating scrub. I use one of these at home now too. I’d like to find a face cloth sized one for travel.
• Unscented Company Shampoo bar and soap bar - Stored in Matador soap cases. These lather really well, clean great, and support my “all solids” agenda for travel. They work great for cleaning clothes too. I’ve been using these at home instead of liquids, and can’t complain. We were never without toiletries due to the hotels, but I prefer these.
• Philips One Toothbrush - Next time I’d probably just get a cover for the head as I think the case was a bit large. I liked having the electric function though.
• Various OTC meds - Stored in Nalgene containers, these little things are waterproof and well built.
• Lush Dirty Toothy Tabs - Toothpaste replacement and my go-to for a while. Enough for both myself and my wife.
• Hair Bands - Two is one and one is none, or something like that.
• Xiaomi Mijia S100 shaver - New to me, picked it over a Philips OneBlade. Dual rotary shaver, compact, USB-C charging. I don’t get a lot of facial hair growth but I get enough that I like touching up every couple days. This did the trick. Might try to go back to a manual razor like a mach 3.
• Native Deodorant - Been my go-to for a while. I can’t seem to find a travel size in Canada, but this would be a huge space saver if I could. I may consider melting it down and re-packing it as some enterprising individuals on the internet have before me.
• Folding brush - I’ve had this for ages, and it’s been awesome.

Everything else:

• Bellroy Lite Sling - Very flexible in load out, the 7L size made for a very good holding capacity to size ratio. This functioned as my camera bag and held essentials when transiting through airports or while on trains.
• Tom Bihn Ghost Whale Super Mini - Bag of holding for…
• Ray-Ban Folding Wayfarers - Matte black, high quality, compact. Non-polarized. Perfect fit in the ghost whale and always with me for sunny days. These were great for the trip as we had a lot of sunny days.
• Apple Magsafe Wallet - Not much to say here, standard 3 card carry - ID, debit card, credit card.
• Vapur Eclipse bottle - Didn’t actually use this, but fit in one of the mesh side pouches in my Peak Design bag handily.
• PackTowl Large - Came in handy when we were short a few towels in the hotel the first day in Porto.
• KN95 Masks (3) - Black, used on the airplanes. We didn’t get sick on the trip!
• Matador Packable Tote - Was useful for day excursions, shopping, etc. 18L packs down into a very compact size and it’s a robust bag.
• Passport - Well this is kinda needed for international travel. I also had my Presto (Toronto transit payment card) and alternate credit card in here as a just in case.

What Worked: Overall I think my packing list is cohesive enough and walked the line between casual and nice enough for a good restaurant. I've been working with a lot of this clothing for a while so it's been tested heavily through the rigors of daily wear, and I was very confident in my choices going in. The massive standout was the wool utility cloth - I think more people need these!
What could have been improved: I overpacked on a few things like pants and shorts, which really are just small things. The Pontos were awesome for the trip, but I feel like I would have done better with a pair of Blundstones or a similar Chelsea style boot. I also wish I could find a more casual looking "technical" jacket for daily wear, but the options are limited from what I can find. I think I could have dropped the iPad too, although it didn't take up a whole lot of space and was great for editing photos in downtime or reading on the plane. The Mijia shaver was okay but not amazing.

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/lfg/comments/13gfsqa/online5eetutc4_the_stranger_cosmic_horro (graciously reviewed and approved by the subreddit mods)This is Post (3/4), we're posting this four weeks in a row before making final picks.
Preface
This is a long post - crazy long even. That's because we care so much to find those just as impassioned as we are about this amazing hobby. We love high quality D&D campaigns, and we believe it takes effort and time to make it happen. If you take the effort to get through learning about us in this post, reading every word with care and interest, we will do the same with your application.
Our commitments:

• We will respond personally to each and every application, giving constructive feedback and/or move you to the next stage!

How to Apply

• Application Link: https://www.avarra.world
• Promo Video: https://youtu.be/RbfQWegafX8
• Sample session: https://youtu.be/FDNHxkNXM5Y?t=13120 (We're doing something new for the next campaign, and while not quite full-effort, this is a closer example of what we're going for)
• Ask a question about the lore or world in the comments! And we'll respond in character (from one of our many current character). Thumbs us up or down this post, interact to help us be visible!
• The rest are provided after application has been submitted.
• Need to get in touch privately? My discord is Wes#8045.

World Preface

In the enchanted realm of Avarra, where high magic weaves its intricate web through the fabric of existence, a burgeoning form of sorcery takes root. Secluded on the island city of Crowperch, the pursuit and mastery of void magic are richly rewarded, enticing arcanists from the farthest reaches of the world to unravel its mysteries. Yet, the enigmatic allure of Crowperch extends beyond the arcane; a diverse tapestry of industry, history, and craftsmanship entwines the island's very essence.
Beneath the surface, the island's riches reveal themselves: the mines and quarries, abundant with untapped potential, and the surrounding seas, offering bounties from the ocean's depths. Ancient archaeological sites whisper secrets of bygone eras, while artisans ply their remarkable skills on the bustling city streets. Tales of a long-forgotten, rumored treasure continue to captivate the imaginations of adventurers and sightseers alike.
But one must pay a steep price for this wealth of opportunity and intrigue. It is wise to avert one's gaze from the iron grip of autocratic rule and the unyielding scrutiny that looms over the island's denizens. For those who venture to Crowperch, a single obligation remains: seek your heart's desire, and then depart – for the island's enigmatic embrace is not meant to last forever.

Application Overview
In this sacred fellowship, we stand steadfast in the face of the dreaded D&D group killers. Our commitment to this game is unwavering, for it is not just a hobby, but a way of life - an appointment that must be kept at all costs. For us, the work does not end with character creation or worldbuilding. Nay, we strive for a deep understanding of each character, for their hopes and dreams, their fears and flaws, so that we may weave a complex and enthralling campaign that will leave you breathless. We implore you, dear adventurer, to show up regularly and with a burning passion in your heart. Let your excitement be infectious, let your dedication be unwavering.
Overview

• Game Day: Saturday
• Players: 6 (5 Regular, 0-1 Floating/Guest)
• DM(s): 2 (1 Regular, 0-1 Floating/Guest)
• Game Length: 3 Months mini-arc, then decide whether to continue. However accommodate for 1-2 years on your schedule.
• Start Date: First week of September (Yes, 5 months away)

Selection Criteria (In order of importance)

• Qualification: TTRPG Experience, RP/Improv Ability
• Questionnaire answers
• Participation in One-Shots & Community so we can get to know you.

Investment
This campaign is getting some big investment. All players will get custom commissions of their characters, animated. Additionally, we are commissioning all maps, tokens, flairs, and elements to make this truly something special.
Campaign Preface

As twilight descended upon the restless sea, the ancient ship, Her Royal Rose, creaked under the weight of its cargo. Its passengers, a motley assortment of scholars, fisherman, guard and others with business on the island of Crowperch, sit tightly in cramped quarters. Even as the tempestuous winds moaned through crevasse and open windows, the opportunities and tasks that beckon them to the island keep them going, a siren's call that drowned out the ocean's roar.
The skies above were an oppressive tapestry of writhing clouds, their tendrils suffocating the last vestiges of daylight as if to obscure the path to the island. A shroud of mist swallowed the horizon, leaving the ship to navigate through a nebulous labyrinth, its destination only guaranteed by Captain Alaric Thorne.
As Her Royal Rose inched closer to Sove, the air grew heavy with mist and sea salt which deposited itself gradually on the railings, sails and masts. Little Henry Williams, the ship's messenger runs throughout the halls pattering on each door, "The captain has an announcement, all to the deck. The captain has an announcement, all to the deck." The clacking of his wooden foot pattering one after another with each step, a disfigurement he earned while working aboard Her Royal Rose.
Captain Alaric Thorne stood on the deck, the salty wind tugging at his weathered features. His voice rang out, its timbre heavy with authority and unease, as he addressed the gathered passengers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I must bring to your attention an unfortunate turn of events. It seems the Saturation has arrived earlier than anticipated this year. As many of you know, this phenomenon causes an unnaturally heavy accumulation of salt in the air, resulting in deposits that weigh down our vessel."
He paused, letting the gravity of the situation settle upon his passengers before continuing, "This unexpected occurrence has forced us to halt our usual schedule, for the safety of both the ship and her passengers. Once Her Royal Rose arrives, she will remain anchored at Sove until the Saturation clears, as navigating these treacherous waters under such conditions would be inviting disaster."
A murmur of concern rippled through the crowd, many who were on this voyage planned their departure prior to The Saturation. The captain raised his hand to quell their rising unease. "I understand this may cause you some inconvenience, but I assure you, we will resume our journey as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, you may continue your research, tasks and exploration on the island. Sove is well stocked and very hospitable to travelers especially those displaced during our seasonal shifts."
With that, Captain Thorne turned away, leaving the passengers to ponder the implications of his words as the first tendrils of salt-laden mist began to coil around the ship, heralding the arrival of the Saturation.
In the dimly lit corners of their minds, the passengers could sense a truth they dared not confront: Their voyage to Crowperch was going to be a lot longer than they had hoped. As the ship drew nearer to the island, the shadows beneath the spires of the fortress atop the mountain loomed over the ship, casting a shadow over what little moonlight illuminated the darkness.

Technology

• D&D Beyond: We own ALL books on D&D Beyond, and all of them will be at your disposal for your campaign.
• Owlbear Rodeo 2.0: This new VTT is extremely promising, and has the customization ability for us to do VERY interesting unique things. We're switching here from Roll20.
• Discord: Voice chat & messenger for our campaigns. Video is required, however is not recorded. Offline RP included!
• Obsidian: How players track the world's expanding lore, and how we the DM's keep track of things. You don't have to use this, but it's a highly recommended tool for note taking.
• Recorded Sessions: Sessions will be recorded, edited and posted online. Proceeds from monetization will be used to level up our recording, roleplaying, technology and setup, get commissions, maps and such. Players will not be paid for participation, however this is possible for the future if we grow. Sessions are recorded using OBS.

Monetization
So we are still small, so monetization isn’t at the top of our list. That said, our goal is to

1. Play Excellent D&D
2. Donate to charity
3. Re-invest to make better content and
4. Compensate players to allow them to play more D&D.

How specifically that all happens is still obscured by the mists of time. By participating in this campaign players release all intellectual property created for the campaign to Roll for Impact and related brands. Please note that this is meaningless while we're still small, but consider this hopeful thinking for our success. The next campaign is getting SO much effort, so we want to stay safe.
Campaign Rules

• Backstory: Crafting a compelling backstory for your character is essential for a great adventure. By providing a reason for your character to be adventuring with others and offering plot hooks for the DM to work with. Rather than focusing on build concepts, take this opportunity to create a real, relatable character. Who knows what unexpected twists and turns your backstory might bring to the campaign? So, let's get to writing - your character's fate is in your hands!
• Stats: Ah, stats - the bread and butter of any adventurer's character sheet. But let's face it, nobody likes a Mary Sue or a Jim The Commoner. That's why we're going to be rolling 4d6 drop the lowest, but with a twist! Each player will only generate one stat, which will then be compiled into one array for everyone to use. That way, you still get the fun of rolling, but we won't have any lopsided parties where one person is carrying the whole team. Because let's be real, nobody wants to be stuck playing the equivalent of a wet noodle while someone else is shooting laser beams out of their eyes. So, roll those dice and let fate decide your fate!
• Starting Level: Starting our campaign at level 3 makes sense because many classes get their major features at level 3, avoiding the issue of players missing out on the fun stuff. This also prevents weird mid-game transformations that can come from certain builds and allows for multiclass combos right out of the gate. So, let's start the adventure with confidence and balance, knowing that we've got all the good stuff from the get-go!

Homebrew

• Free Feat: We're giving you an extra feat at first level, but with a catch - it must tie into your backstory or character design in a compelling way. By doing this, we hope to reduce the cookie-cutter nature of low level characters and encourage backstory development. Rather than just taking a feat because you need it, we want you to create a unique and interesting character from the get-go. So, let's spice things up and see what kind of story you can bring to the table!
• Healing Potions: Get the max benefit as an action, or use a bonus action to get the rolled benefit.
• Flanking: Flanking now grants a +2 to hit instead of advantage, and you can't flank someone if you're being flanked yourself. But that's not all - if three or more combatants are flanking a single enemy, that enemy is officially Surrounded, and you get a +5 to melee weapon attacks. So, let's get out there and show those enemies what it means to be surrounded by a bunch of hyped-up adventurers! (But remember, enemies get the same benefit too.)
• Zero HP & Exhaustion: Everyone takes the homebrew feat Battle Fatigue. This homebrew rule makes repeated downs more punishing on players in a campaign. You may be downed (Con Modifier) times before receiving one point of exhaustion. Each time this ticker fills up, reset it and add one point of exhaustion.
• Starting Common Magic Item: At first level, all characters get a common magic item of their choice. Similar to feats, this must be related to your backstory.
• Dual Wielding: RAW, DW doesn't allow you to add the modifier to the attack, so we add the modifier to the roll like a normal roll. You still get a weaker weapon, but now at least you get to get more power from the attack.
• Resurrection: (Modified Critical Role Rules) Resurrection isn't easy, folks - you'll need to pass a DC of 10 just to be brought back. But that's just the beginning. The party can all contribute to aiding in your resurrection with multiple ability checks, and even sacrifices in the deceased's name. The Dungeon Master determines the DC for each check and makes a final resurrection roll to see if the ritual is successful. The DC for this final roll depends on how many times the character has been resurrected before and how successful the contributions were. So, bring your A-game (and maybe a goat or two) if you want to make it back from the great beyond. Each resurrection adds +5 to the DC, before party contributed modifiers.
• Death Saving Throws: These are rolled privately to the DM.
• Slow Natural Healing: Characters don't regain hit points at the end of a long rest. Instead, a character can spend Hit Dice to heal at the end of a long rest, just as with a short rest. A long rest allows the use of up to half of your total Hit Dice, +1 for sleeping somewhere comfortable, +1 for having a meal/ ration. Order: The character regains half their hit dice, then they can spend their hit dice to recover hit points.
• Silvery barbs: Silvery barbs is a second level spell.

Table Homebrew

• Turn Time Limits: We're keeping things moving with turn time limits, folks. Pay attention on other player's turns and avoid flipping through your PHB or counting dice ad nauseam. Exceptions are made for new players or chaotic combat, but we want you to look up spells and rules off-turn whenever possible. Slow combat leads to mental check-outs and boredom, so let's keep things snappy. If your turn takes too long, someone else will jump in front of you. It's like musical chairs, but with spells and swords instead.
• New Homebrew: If you've got some hot new content you want to play with, I'm your guy. Just slide into my DMs and let me take a look. Now, I'm not saying I'm gonna approve everything - I mean, some of you are out here trying to create a race of sentient cheese wheels (looking at you, Matt) - but I'll do my best to give you clear, concise well informed ruling on it.

Scheduling

• Session Length: ~7 Hours
• Scheduling Firm Up: Sessions are scheduled concretely, but we will firm up every 4 weeks on the next month's schedule for conflicts. Exceptions are always made for life events or serious circumstances. Life happens, and we understand that sometimes we or you may need to cancel. This is always fine, provided it is not regularly occurring. Our schedules are made every 4 weeks in advance. If your game days are always difficult to schedule, this may not be the campaign for you. In regards to scheduling, you must be able to open a clear line of communication between the DM throughout the week, in case of any emergency schedule changes or conflicts. If you are a hard person to get in touch with every week, again, this may not be the campaign or group for you.

Session Structure

• Start: Everyone arrives to the table and calls in on Discord. Players should also take this time to open up all the required programs and have all their materials ready. We also suggest getting some snacks here too! Bonus points for a tasty beer as well!
• Recap & Warmup (30 min): After arriving and having all our materials prepared, we begin our first activity of the session: Player Recaps! We will do this every single week, and it should be a great tool for getting insight into each character’s head and getting us caught up. We may play warm up games, and roleplay challenges.
• Session (2.5 hours): Well, this is of course where the magic happens! We roll dice, we laugh, the DM laughs, the dice laugh, the dice are mimics, oh no…
• Break (30 min): These breaks do not include bio breaks or your need to use the restroom. If you ever need to run to the bathroom or refill your glass real quick, you’re good!
• Session Continued (2.5 hours): We’ll carry on through the second part of the session!
• Session Recap (30 min): We'll discuss what happened during the session, as well as what we plan to do next session, while we finalize session notes.

Playstyle

• Roleplay: Get ready for some serious roleplaying, folks, because that's what we're all about. We're looking at a 70/30 split of roleplay to combat, maybe even heavier on the roleplay. It's all about immersing ourselves in the world of Avarra and telling a great story together. Sure, there may be some deviations depending on the scenarios and encounters, but we're here to communicate and engage with each other and the world on a deeper level. So, let's put on our acting hats and dive headfirst into the magical realm of Avarra.
• Hyper immersion: We're not just here to hack and slash our way through this world - we're here to really get into the nitty-gritty details. I'm talking about the flavors in each mug of ale or wine at the local tavern (because let's be real, nobody likes a bland drink), cooking around the campfire under a tree during a cool and rainy night, and even delving into the plot of that book you just picked up on your way out of town. And let's not forget about forming real relationships with your fellow characters. After all, who wants to adventure with a bunch of strangers? We're here to create meaningful connections and really bring this world to life. And to all you hack-and-slashers out there - sorry, but this might not be the group for you.
• Note Taking: The pen is mightier than the sword! And let me tell you, if you want to get the most out of Avarra, it's better to be a note taker. Especially in this next campaign! We're talking about a world that's drenched in complexity and nuance, from the setting to the story to the characters that inhabit it. And let's not forget about those intricate and subtle webs that outline the machinations of the antagonists. Oh yeah, we're going deep. But here's the deal - nothing is handed to you on a silver platter in this campaign. You're gonna have to work for it. That means constantly paying attention, working with each other, and using those note-taking skills to uncover all the hidden secrets this world has to offer. And who knows, maybe you'll even uncover some secrets about your fellow adventurers along the way. (Hey, it's possible, right?) So grab your pens, folks, because we've got a lot of worldbuilding to do.
• Teamwork: teamwork makes the dream work! We're not just a bunch of individual characters running around doing our own thing - we're building a story together that encompasses every player and character. This isn't just your story, and it's not just the DM's story. This is OUR story, and we're all playing a crucial role in it. That means you need to be a team player and work together to overcome the challenges ahead. Trust me, you're gonna need each other to survive this campaign. And hey, who knows - maybe you'll even make some lifelong friends along the way.
• Immersion: If you can be in character, you should be in character! Roleplaying is all about improv, saying yes, and going with the flow. And let's be real, the best roleplay experiences can't happen if people are constantly breaking character for no reason. I mean, that's just not good improv, folks. So, here's the deal - we expect our players to remain in character as often as possible at the table. This is theater, after all, and we need to act like we're on stage. So let's embrace our inner thespians, folks, and get ready to bring this story to life like never before.
• Rules and Terms & Conditions: Excluding homebrew, the overall rules of “gameplay” are pretty standard and in accordance with RAW.
• Milestone Leveling: You'll level up according to the story. This means that we can focus less on the grind and more on a steady progression as the story builds. And let's be real, who wants to spend all their time grinding anyway? (Not me, that's for sure. #worldbuilding).
• Table Etiquette: Be willing to listen to others and grow. I mean, let's be real - part of growing close to others and forming real relationships is learning that you can't just have carbon copies of yourself. And let's face it, none of us are perfect. So, here's the deal - emotions might flare up, idiosyncrasies might arise, and sometimes, there might be a little friction. But that's all part of being human, folks. And to be a truly good friend and player, you must always be willing to listen to your peers and adapt accordingly. I mean, that's just part of being an adult. And who knows - maybe you'll learn a thing or two about yourself along the way. (Or maybe you'll just learn that you're really bad at listening. Either way, it's a learning experience.) So let's embrace our humanity, folks, and get ready to form some real relationships at this table.
• Communication: Poor scheduling and bad communication are like the kryptonite of D&D campaigns. And we don't want any kryptonite around here, do we? (No, we do not.) So, if you're part of this group, that means you've gotta keep those communication lines open. If you're someone who likes to manipulate your availability or you're just plain untrustworthy when it comes to communication, well, let's just say that you'll be removed faster than a married paladin in a brothel. (Okay, maybe that's not the best analogy, but you get the idea.)
• Showtime: Alright folks, it's time to shine! When we all arrive at the table, it's like the lights come on and the show begins! I mean, we take a lot of pride and care with our performance here, and we treat it like real theater most of the time. (No, we don't have an intermission or a concession stand, but we're working on it.) It's okay if you're not the best voice actor or you don't have a Shakespearean-level monologue prepared. (Although if you do, please share. We're always looking for some high-quality entertainment.) What matters to us is that you tried and put in the effort. Because at the end of the day, that's what makes this campaign special - the effort and enthusiasm that we all bring to the table.
• Pay attention: When someone's consistently getting distracted it's easy to derail the immersion and fun, it's like throwing a wrench in the whole machine. And let me tell you, it's not a fun sound. That's why we have specific policies in place to make sure everyone's time and effort is being respected. And listen, we all get it - sometimes the outside world can be pretty darn distracting. (Have you seen TikTok lately? It's a black hole, I tell ya.) But here's the deal - we hold each other accountable for paying attention and staying focused, because we all want to have a good time and make the most of this campaign.
• Spotlight: Do you find yourself hogging the spotlight/air every session? Are you someone who constantly talks over others? Are you selfish about the story and really only care about where your character is going every episode? Are you hoarding all the gold and being a murder hobo? This group isn’t for you.

What We Expect & Ask of You

• As the Dungeon Master, I want to make it clear that we're not just looking for players - we're looking for friends. Our aim is to build real, lasting friendships through this game. We've been playing together for a while and plan on playing for even longer. As we add more people to our community, we hope to grow together as a team!
• We don't want any satellite players here. We want active members who will contribute to the group beyond just showing up and playing.
• Honesty is crucial to us. We demand that everyone in our group has integrity not only for us, but for themselves as well. Whether it's scheduling conflicts, personal issues, or anything in between, we want friends who will be honest with each other. As the saying goes, "If you don't heal your wounds, you end up bleeding on others you might care for."
• Players are here to play, not watch. We want everyone at the table to engage with the world, the DM, and their fellow players. If you're taking up a seat at this table, you must actively participate in the story every session. You cannot sit back and listen to it.
• This campaign is meant to be challenging. It's supposed to be deep, confusing, and enthralling around every corner. There are no billboards telling you where to go next, no tutorials, and no easy modes. The intricate web being spun by the many powers of this story and world will take all of your combined minds to figure out. Our group wants a game that keeps us on our toes, so if you think you can just "fight" your way to victory, you'll be dead by morning light.
• Lastly, we love theory crafting. We want everyone to give their input and help us figure out the best moves for the group. Part of being an active player here is contributing to the campaign and helping us navigate this crazy world. So let's get ready to play and work together to make this an unforgettable campaign!

Timeline:

• Stage 2 Interviews: 5/29/23-6/22/23
• Public Applications Close: 6/12/23
• Stage 3 Interviews: 6/23/23-7/1/23
• Final Picks: 7/15/23 (or as soon as possible)
• Campaign Start Date: 8/5/23 or 8/6/23

I realize this might seem like a very intensive process, however we're being very thorough. Because we have gotten so many excellent applicants, we are going to have no choice but to make some hard decisions.
Picks:

• 1 Full-time Player
• 5-6 Guest Players; These will play notable NPC/PCs for dedicated sections or arcs. Arcs will be designed with YOU in mind. We might expand this list depending on how this goes with the first few people, and how many sessions it takes to close out an arc.
• (Maybe) some Alt/Guest DMs; These will voice one or more characters, recurring antagonists, etc.

Are you a dungeon master?
Making campaigns like these is our passion. We love going HIGH production value, HIGH quality. If this is something that you love too and you want to dungeon master in our world, we would LOVE to talk to you. As you can tell from this post, there's not enough dungeon masters out there doing this (clearly way overboard) level of effort.

This isn’t a doomsday piece; in fact it’s sort of in opposition to the idea that we’re facing a sudden collapse. But I do think harder times are coming in the US, and for many they are already hard. I’m going to throw out problems I personally see coming, and propose some preparations. I think these are realistic concerns – you won’t see nuclear war listed here. Note these are all long term concerns – 5-50 years – but preparations should begin as soon as possible. This is mostly centered on the US, but I think some of it is universal. 1. Grid problems. The US power grid has not been well maintained, and it doesn’t help that we now have occasional radical bozos who take pot shots at substations. (There’s also the risk that a foreign adversary might launch a cyberattack that affects the grid, but I consider it unlikely – they’d get a war they don’t want, for their troubles.) I don’t think CMEs are as much of a concern as some people here think – we can see those coming – but they have caused localized disruptions in a few places over the last 50 years (Canada had problems in March of 1989, though they recovered in less than a day.) Most of the risk, in my opinion, is just more extreme weather – hurricanes, extreme heat, wildfires and ice storms can all knock our power for days. A day’s power failure is an inconvenience to most people – houses don’t freeze or cook, food doesn’t go bad, you might have to resort of a battery powered radio for entertainment. Three days, though, means food will start to go bad, and people on wells are resorting to bottled water. Some folk will literally start to go hungry by a week, and gas can be in short supply, so transportation can be hard. By two weeks, problems can get serious. Solar power is often touted as a solution. It’s a good approach, but not a panacea. Buffalo NY had a blizzard recently that immobilized the city for days, and cloud cover was persistent. Solar solutions stopped working. In some areas this is not a concern; in others, solar just isn’t workable. Preps: solar if it works for you and you can afford it. A generator if you can afford it and are willing to store gasoline or propane (10 gallons/20 pounds at least) is a go to in some areas, but it’s not a maintenance free solution. (Run a generator at least once a month for at least a half hour if it’s gasoline powered, every six months if it’s propane.) But there’s a more workable solution that often gets overlooked – be able to live without electricity entirely, when you need to. This means manual can openers, dry ice for cooling food, propane camp stoves, non-perishable food supplies, stored water, oil or propane or kerosene lamps for light, board games, thick blankets and sleeping bags, solar cookers in some areas, a bucket for sponge baths, and batteries for flashlights and radios. And if it’s practical – for folk with kids, especially in school, it isn’t always – spend a day a month without power, to test your preps. Flip the circuit breaker and get to work. The first few times you try it, you learn a lot. Will fusion come and save they day? Maybe, but fusion is at least 10 years out and no one thinks it’s going to be cheap. I would assume the worst when it comes to energy availability (and cost) in your lifetime. 2. The next pandemic These happen and they will happen again. We’ve all learned the drill. Covid took out a million plus Americans, and it took a year to really get effective mitigation going. The mitigation were phenomenal and became available in record time, and they represent a new standard for pandemics, but the human cost in terms of job loss, difficulties in getting supplies, additional expenses for some, national debt, and just plain social isolation still took a toll that no one but epidemiologists were expecting. It could be tomorrow or two hundred years, but it will happen again. It’s a rare generation that won’t see one going forward. The next one could be mild or vastly deadly; there’s no predicting that. We know the drill on this; what’s important now is passing the lessons along to the next generation. Stock masks, have a financial cushion of at least 6 months if you can, do what you can online instead of in person when pandemics hit, practice hygiene religiously. (Hand sanitizer was a minor player in the war against Covid, which turned out to be airborne, but it’s key against many diseases.) Luckily, preps for pandemics are not that different than preps for major weather events – you might get stranded in your house for 2-4 weeks during extreme peaks or lockdowns. 3. Job loss and inflation Without getting into a discussion of late-stage capitalism or general doomerism, none of which I believe in, there’s one unmistakable trend over the last few decades, and it’s that jobs are just harder to find and keep in many disciplines. It’s not just AI that’s raising questions – it’s ongoing social shifts that are moving wealth up the social ladder and making it hard to get a fair share of what’s going around. It’s international bad actors disrupting supply chains, it’s plain old advances in technology disrupting entire industries. People used to joke about using their college degrees to flip burgers – the joke is less funny today because automation is coming for burger flippers, as well as truckers, taxi drivers, farmers, marketers… Having a financial cushion that last 6 months seems like a cruel joke to many, who are having problems stocking a week’s food. But it’s never been more essential, because every social problem ripples into job losses in the end. Social unrest? Weather events? War in another part of the world? Changes in the tax code? It all affects someone’s bottom line, and long gone are the days when businesses would take the hit and protect their workers. Now workers are the first things cut. And that won’t change anytime soon. All I can suggest is, partner with neighbors to share money saving ideas, put every penny you can into whatever savings you can manage, do group buys to cut costs and have supplies on hand, and know about every social support system out there. SNAP was a lifesaver for a lot of people during the pandemic peaks. Food pantries exist in many towns and will save you money. Learn to trim electricity usage to the bone. Fight to keep medical insurance as long as you can, because there’s not many calamities worse than have to choose between skipping critical medical treatments and poverty. -- Folk will note that I didn’t list climate change. Yes, I think it’s very real. But for just about everyone, the problems show up indirectly. The southwest US is drying up, and that won’t change in your lifetime – but you’ll see it in increased water costs (inflation) and grid issues. Food choices will change – sooner or later, meat will become a luxury item and food costs in general will rise further. Diseases may spread more easily and evolve faster as climate migrations of both people and animals create new mixes of pathogens. It’s not that people will drown as oceans rise up overnight, but more areas will become more expensive to live in, as weather damage increases, insurance rates go up, more electricity gets used to compensate for temperature extremes… in the US, climate change is an economic problem... at least at first. Folk will note that I didn’t list rising fascism, which is becoming a measurable trend worldwide, and the US is in no way immune. I don’t have a prep for this: all you can do is vote, or, ultimately, move if you can. These things come in waves and all I can do is hope this one passes before we trigger much worse problems than we already have. As much as social unrest is on everyone’s mind and politics has started driving violence in the US, the prep is to get on with your life, live peaceably with your neighbor regardless of his politics or skin pigmentation, disconnect from disinformation, and vote for people who don’t tell you who you should hate. Troubles don’t come if no one starts them. Folk will note I didn’t add disinformation to the list. I actually think this is a major concern and that most people have no idea how much chaos it causes. Disinformation campaigns over Covid cost (at my own estimate) 300,000 unnecessary deaths in the US. They’re feeding extremism and causing people to turn their back on democratic institutions, like elections. In a very real way, it’s the biggest problem facing the US today, but… the only prep is don’t listen to the bullshit. And I’ve come to the conclusion that there are simply a lot of people who love to listen to bullshit and have no way to determine when they’re being lied to and manipulated. So I don’t have a prep for this. Online I block people to seem to embrace bullshit, but the problem is still out there, and I’ve come to the conclusion that people who are swept up in it, wanted to be swept up in it and there’s no cure for that. Haters gonna hate. All I can suggest is, spend more time in the garden and less online. Vegetables don’t hate anybody.

pansin ko lang nung nakasakay ako sa jeep. Mabenta pala yung maliliit na bottled water na binebenta sa kalsada. P10 ang isa. Nagtataka lang ako bakit may bumibili pa kahit na P10 lang ang presyo. Para sa akin kasi ay parang sayang naman yung pera mo. Pwede ka naman mag dala ng bottled water na refilled galing sa bahay. O magdala ng mga aquaflask type na container para malamig sya whole day. dagdag pa kasi sa basura yung mga ganyan. at parang ilang lunok lang ubos na ang tubig. kung sino pa yung mababa ang sweldo sila pa yung gumagastos sa walang kwenta na bagay.

BACKGROUND: I met him at a houseparty back in 2019 - friend of a friend. He kept looking at me in a really deep / intense way. I was too drunk to even care. Cut to 3 months later - Graduation Night - He came with the aforementioned friend - we all got drunk in the campus - I was too busy celebrating with my friends, so I didn't pay much attention to him - I was only being a decent company by refilling drinks or having some cocktail conversations. But then he passed the fuck out. Puking alcohol - we turned him on his side so that he doesn't choke on his vomit. I was having a graduation party at my place - So I just asked our common friends to bring him over at my place where he could crash the night while we partied in the next room - He was so drunk that he had to be carried and dragged to my place where he bumped into my neighbour's shoe-rack and broke their vase at 11 in the night - Then we just laid him down on the pull-out couch. It was Christmas Eve & fucking cold. So I went out to give him a blanket and a bottle of water - He got up and started mumbling about what kind of doctor he's gonna be if he can't handle his drinks - I asked him to chill & said some consolatory bullcrap - While he was saying all these - I felt a bit moved (?) - Then he added me on Facebook and would occasionally comment on photos & wish me happy birthdays - We exchanged texts like twice or thrice - where he hit on me in really dumb ways - last year he pinged me on messenger and flirted for a while, then told me he has a girlfriend - that killed my crush - what a mega red flag - in a relationship and still flirting. I forgot all about it.
CONTENT: Until this year - I deleted my Facebook - and I really wanted to see his face - So I added him on insta - He wished me a happy new year and we talked about what's up in our lives - I got to know that he's broken up - And idk it felt like a window for me to ask him out on a date - then we spent a week of uninspiring texting with each other till the date - He made me a playlist (weird and cute) - and he cancelled the date last minute stating anxiety - then begged me to come for the date - it felt relatable so I let it be and reluctantly went ahead - He sent me a text about not letting him know if I was still on for the date - while I was returning from school (where I work) my car broke down the night before & I called him to reply to his text enraged - comic rage - and then it happened - he started laughing - and - and - idk something changed. Something felt familiar - we ended up talking for 3 hours on call & it felt so comfortable and familiar - we met the next day and spent 10 hours with each other! - watching movies, cuddling, driving around, feeding his dog, playing videogames, drinking & kissing, and laughing, LAUGHING SO MUCH - I didn't have to translate my soul or references around him - I say shit and he got it - he saw through me - and it felt like - idk it felt like we've been doing this forever - it was so comfortable & familiar - and I literally said it out loud to myself - He's your soulmate, you just met your husband (trust me I cringed) - and after he left - I ugly cried as I finished the wine - idk why - something changed - something changed in a monumental way - I could feel it in my bones - while I was walking him out - as a joke I said - we ain't talking or meeting ever - then next day he texted me - he told me how he felt bad when I said that & something about giving him a 100 bucks which he felt bad about as well (I was just giving him cab money since he didn't have change!) - HE'S STILL A STUDENT & I JUST STARTED WORKING - He's 23 and I'm 26
PRESENT: We didn't talk much after that - Exchanged few songs or reels - But I have been obsessing over him & the day we spent together - playing it over and over - I tried to rationalize - I'm being obsessive - I just had a good day & I am letting it influence my idea of him etc etc - I'm exaggerating inside my head - But trust me, I say this with conviction - I can feel it in my bones he's someone important - that we were bound to meet - and it feels wrong not being with each other - It is such a strong feeling & belief - And I honestly feel so stupid feeling all these - I'm questioning my sanity - because the logical part of me is telling me - I'm just being obsessive - this is nothing but a crush - this is nothing mystical - but damn - every part of me somehow knows this is something deeper & bigger - I really hope this is a mental health thing - because if he's my soulmate and if there is a purpose - my heart doesn't have the courage to go through this hell alone, if I don't go through it with him
And my apologies - this is too long! BUT PLEASE IF YOU ARE READING THIS - HELP ME UNDERSTAND - HELP ME MAKE SENSE

So I just got back from a business trip and cannot find my adhd medication in my bag. I only took a small amount, but somehow it was lost between the gate and getting off the plane. I’ve reported it to the airport and to the airline. Do I call my doctor? I know I’m probably just screwed until I can refill. But it was in a bottle with all my info on it so I’m just not sure what to do. Legit have no idea how it could have gone missing. Any help is appreciated.

I recently purchased boon bottles for my 6m. He has never had any issue adapting to different types of bottles. This is the first time we are having an “issue”. Normal feedings taking as an example como tomo bottle 7oz takes him around 15min to fully drank. While with the boon one it can take him up to close to 30 min. Today at around the 16min mark he just fell asleep and didn’t care to continue drinking, he just drank 3oz :( I have tried this bottles more than a couple of times and it’s always similar situation. I thought of buying next stage nipple since it comes with a medium one, but my baby is used only to medium and not fast flow yet. Am I supposed to do something specific with the bottle? Im making sure the bottle is properly assembled… but there doesn’t seem to be much of a complexity, but makes me wonder if I’m missing something I saw great reviews on these bottles, and my baby never struggled before, so that’s why my confusion

My wife can’t breastfeed, so we formula fed our first — which was expensive but manageable. We had some minor supply issues due to COVID but we could always find at least enough powder to last until another shipment came.
Now with our second COVID isn’t affecting supply chains nearly as much as it was, so I can’t believe the absolute GOUGING and lack of supply of formula in my city.
I have to go to 3-4 stores just to find the right kind of formula, then I have to spend nearly $80 (double what they cost 2 years ago) on pre-mixed bottles that last half as long as a half-priced refill of powder. So for seemingly no reason other than to line the pockets of Galen Weston Jr. , I have to spend almost 4x as much to feed my baby as I did 2 years ago.
That’s not the worst part, the worst part is that I can’t even order directly from Enfamil, and no online retailers ever have them or anything else in stock. So 2x a week I have to drive around multiple stores just to maybe get lucky and find ONE BOX of overpriced formula and it’s not even the powder.
I’m defeated. Thank goodness he’ll be drinking milk in just a few months, which is dirt cheap by comparison.
Rant over, thanks for reading.

In November when they opened the new "Uncle Milty's" playground by Avenue C the fountains weren't on yet, so I assumed they wouldn't turn them on until after the winter to avoid pipes freezing. Well now it's warming up again and I'm wondering if anybody knows when they plan to turn on all the drinking fountains. None of them are on for the length of the park as of this weekend. The bathrooms are open, which is great, but I'd love to be able to refill the water bottles right there in the playground while my kid is burning off the day's energy. Anybody at the Parks dept browse this and have any input?